by Ruby Carter
~ Axe ~
Copyright © 2016 Ruby Carter Kindle Edition
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or place events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are creates from the author’s imagination and used in a fictitious manner.
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Warning
The content in this book is for mature audiences
only 18 +
Contains sexual situations and violence, reader should please read with
that knowledge.
Editor/Proofreader: Amanda Cramer on Fiverr.com/Mandirito
[email protected]
Cover: By ecoverexpert1 on Fiverr.com/ecoverexpert1
Purchased through Shutterstock
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~ Dedication ~
This is my first ever book, so please be nice and forgive me.
I never realized when I started to write Axe how much I would love it, by bringing my characters to life. This is now the fulfillment of a dream and also a very close and personal storyline close to my heart.
I have officially caught the writing bug.
~ * * ~
To my boyfriend and partner in crime, I love you so much. Thank you for giving me a huge amount of support when I decided to start this new journey...
You are my rock. You inspired me for Axe, my very own biker.
To my Mum and Sister I love you both loads and thank you for encouraging me to do this. You are both my heroes and give me so much strength.
You don’t realize how much you inspire me.
To Amanda Cramer my Editor, my proofreader, all singing and all dancing sounding board. You are simply amazing. You helped me bring Axe to life and without you the big bad biker wouldn’t have got to this point. So a huge thank you to you doesn’t really cut it.
This book is dedicated to all people mentioned above. But also to all the men and women who have or are in a domestic violent relationship.
You are all survivors!
~ * * ~
~ Contents ~
~ Dedication ~
~ Chapter 1 Dani ~
~ Chapter 2 Dani ~
~ Chapter 3 Axe ~
~ Chapter 4 Dani ~
~ Chapter 5 Axe ~
~ Chapter 6 Dani ~
~ Chapter 7 Axe ~
~ Chapter 8 Dani ~
~ Chapter 9 Axe ~
~ Chapter 10 Dani ~
~ Chapter 11 Axe ~
~ Chapter 12 Dani ~
~ Chapter 13 Axe ~
~ Chapter 14 Dani ~
~ Chapter 15 Axe ~
~ Chapter 16 Dani ~
~ Chapter 17 Axe ~
~ Chapter 18 Dani ~
~ Chapter 19 Axe ~
~ Chapter 20 Dani ~
~ Chapter 21 Axe ~
~ Chapter 22 Dani ~
~ Chapter 23 Axe ~
~ Chapter 24 Dani ~
~ Chapter 25 Axe ~
~ Chapter 26 Dani ~
~ Chapter 27 Axe ~
~ Chapter 28 Dani ~
~ Chapter 29 Axe ~
~ Chapter 30 Dani ~
~ Chapter 31 Axe ~
~ Excerpt of Flex ~
~ Chapter 1 Dani ~
"Hurry up, Zara!" I shout for the third time up the stairs in my best friend’s house. “We are going to be late for work! Considering it’s your brother’s shop, we don’t want to upset Mr. Grumpy!”
“I'm coming! I'm coming! Calm down, Dani. You know Jake won’t stay mad at us!" Zara bellows as she comes stomping out of her bedroom and down the stairs.
“Zara, how do you do it? Look gorgeous with bed head hair, a plain racer top, and skinnies?"
"Shut up, Dani. You know my hair takes longer than just getting out of bed!" she says, sticking her tongue out. "We still going out tonight to Ol' Jacks?" As Zara grabs her leather jacket, she pushes her slim, toned arms through the arms of the jacket, pushing her shoulder length, platinum blonde hair out. I couldn’t help admiring my best friend’s figure and ease with fashion. I wish my thighs were slimmer and my butt wasn’t so big but no matter what diets or exercising I do never changes them so I have to deal with the cards I have been dealt.
"Hell yes. You just stop me, babes, especially if your brother’s awesome persona is in today!" I said as I linked arms with my B.F. and walked out of her house to get in my old jeep that I love so much.
Once we got to the shop, I set up my desk behind the reception area. I longed to be behind a tattoo station like the others in the shop, but only Zara and Jake knew that I draw and had seen some of my pieces.
Later that morning, Zara came up behind me and draped herself over my shoulders. She asked, "What’s the book looking like today?"
"Well you have two free spots at 2; can we continue my training babe? Other than that, you fully booked: a few small pieces and that big thigh piece for Kelly."
"Well that’s cool, and yes babes, we can continue your training. You still sketching that phoenix piece you want?" Zara asked as she moved from behind me to sit on the shop’s desk facing me whilst dangling her long legs off the end of the table.
"Yeah I have, hun. I’ve just not finished it yet; it needs something so I had to put it to one side while I continue with my sketch collection. I’m doing an eagle that’s nearly done. I want to show Jake and see what he thinks. Also done a few skulls, girly ones too, and a tiger."
"Wicked babe, so proud of you. Soon you will have your own station and we will need a new girl on the desk,” Zara says with a big, proud smile, a little twinkle in her eye.
"Why will we need a new girl on the desk? Dani, you’re not leaving us are you?" Jake asks, making me jump as he comes up behind like he was waiting in the back, ready to pounce. "For god sakes, Jake, stop doing that. You are going to give me a heart attack!" I said as I clutched my chest.
Jake is handsome, with his sandy blond hair long, hanging over his forehead, but really short on the sides. He’s got the same color eyes as his sister’s pale blues.
He’s tall like Zara, but that’s where the similarities end. Where she is loud, an open book, and slim, he is very reserved and muscular. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very attractive, but he’s more like the big brother that I never had. I just hope one day he finds that someone special to bring him out of himself. He’s such a lovely guy, just misunderstood.
“No, I am not going anywhere. Don’t be silly! Where else would I work with my B.F. and get to enjoy my job, too?” I reply to him with a big smile on my face.
“Ahh good. Dan can’t let my favorite coffee maker go, ya know?” he says
with a chuckle and a wink.
“Cheeky shit, Jake Hart, you can make enemies like that!” I say with squinted eyes and a fake pout.
“Anyway, Dan, where is this design you have been bugging to show me?” I move the appointment book and underneath is my sketchbook with scribbles and doodles over the front of it. I flick to the page I have nervously wanted to show him, the pencil sketch of a big American bald eagle with the wingspan as wide as the A3 paper, with its head pointing downwards as the bird is looking for its next prey. “Here, boss.” I say with a screwed up face as I’m still in two minds about this sketch, if it’s any good or it needs altering. Something just doesn’t sit right.
Jake takes hold of my sketchbook and stares at it for what feels like forever, nothing has gone over his face not a muscle moves until he finally speaks. “Dani, why do you look like you aren’t proud of this work? You are too hard a critic. What have I told you? This is seriously impressive, Dan. You made the eagle look like it’s actually flying, the way you have turned the edges of some of its feathers upwards as if the wind is touching them. It’s awesome and not many artists can make it look this realistic!” “I’m proud of you squirt!”
Well you could have knocked me down right there. I think my face said it all as Jake gave me a big squeeze of the shoulders and said to me. “Don’t look so surprised. You have watched us both enough times, but seriously, all joking aside, this is amazing, Dani. Maybe add more shading if you really think it needs something extra. But let me tell you, I would be proud to have that on my back if there was enough space on there.”
I couldn’t help my face from heating up. I hate anyone praising me. It feels kinda foreign to me. Don’t get me wrong, my mom praised me as a child and through my youth, but a man, even though I see him as my brother, makes me so embarrassed. Doesn’t help when I never had anything nice said about me in the 2 years me and ‘him’ were together. ‘DON’T DO IT!’ I chastise myself. I will not give him the headspace. He is worthless.
The rest of the day went off smoothly. Zara and I continued my training, now she is doing her thigh piece on Kelly. Jake is just getting his station ready and cleaned ready for his next client under the name of ‘BEAR’. Weird. Just as I think that, the studio door opens and I hear the ‘clunk clunk’ of big boots smacking the floor of the studio. I look up to see a huge beast of a man, wide as a truck not in an overweight but just in a big kind of way. He has long brown hair plaited down his back, and he has deep brown, almost black, eyes with strong jaw and nose. He has a deep but old scar running from the end of his chin up to the jaw socket. He's scary, not like in an “I would kill you” kind of way but a “don’t mess with me” kind of way. He has a leather jacket with the name 'Bear' stitched into his left side. He looks around then comes over to the desk. I am just about to ask if he has an appointment when Jake comes around the corner and shouts "this way, Bear. I’m ready to do this if you are?" Bear’s eyes flick from mine to Jake’s and he jerks his head as his reply, stalking over to Jake’s station without a word being spoken from either of us. As he’s walking away, I see the back of his jacket. ‘DEVILS REAPERS TENNESSEE MC' with a skull in the middle, a skeleton either side of it, acting like Grimm reapers holding Scythe each with their mouths open like they are laughing, with flames dancing at their feet rising upwards to the bottom of the skull.
That’s quite an emblem. I wonder who designed that for them.
I look over at Zara who’s staring at 'Bear' too. She looks at me, too, with her mouth gaping open, and mouths "Fuuuccckkk!!" Then wiggles her eyebrows up and down like she’s interested and I know she’s yanking my chain but I can’t help but smile and shake my head and shrug back at her. She gets back to Kelly’s tat. As I’m sketching away, I don’t realize the time Jake comes up behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. "Dan, could you put 'Bear' in the book for 3 more sessions a few weeks apart and each 2/3 hours long?" I look up at him and look back at Bear who has jacket slung over his shoulder now and quickly duck my head back to the appointments book.
I can feel my face heating up as 'Bear' is looking at me. No, more like studying me. “Are there any dates, times you can’t do or want, Mr. Bear?" I hear a low rumble of a laugh. I risk a glance up to see 'Bear' chuckling to himself
"Mr. Bear, huh? It’s just Bear. Dani is it? Naahh any time date whatever Jake said is fine." He replies with a very deep gravelly voice like he has smoked far too much.
As I make his 3 appointments as per Jake’s request, Bear is looking at something on the desk and frowning. I am about to ask what he is looking at when he says "your sketches? They are pretty good. Tiger is impressive. Hmmm… I know a few of the lads at the clubhouse who want to try a new tattooist I will mention your name, and Empire Ink.”
“What? No are you serious? I’m only in training. I haven’t tatted anyone up without supervision, and when I have, they were only small. Just mention Empire Ink, Mr. Bear...I mean Bear.” I stutter through hardly looking up from my sketchbook and looking through my eyelashes and I can feel the heat rising up my neck. I am met with silence except the dull buzzing in the background from Zara’s station.
I look up to see Bear looking at my sketches and me for a while. He eventually nods his head and walks out the studio.
I hear the sound of loud rumbling and revving as Bear rides off.
Why does the sound of the bike excite me?
~ Chapter 2 Dani ~
As we have finished cleaning and closing up, I and Zara got ready in the back of the studio. Me wearing my comfy and safe black skinny jeans and a deep purple top with a loose neck line as Zara says 'to show off the girls', with my faithful black heels. Zara is wearing her skin tight, deep blue jeans with killer black boots and low cut white tank top that ‘shows off pretty much all her girls’, not like she hasn’t got the body for it.
Once we get to Ol' Jack’s, Zara gets the first round and we find a place in the corner before the crowd comes in. We settle in the booth, talking about work and Zara brings up Bear.
"What did Bear say to you when he left the shop?" I retell the story of him mentioning him telling his motorcycle gang about the shop and my drawings. "Babes if they as scary as Bear count me out. I bet they haven’t got any hotties in their gang."
"Most probably middle aged men having a midlife crisis, Zar!" As I wiggle my little pinky in the air. Zara spits her drink out across the booth and starts in a fit of laughter, I can’t help but join in the laughter she’s slapping my arm.
"Dan, I can’t breathe. Where the hell did that come from?" I shrug as I am still sniggering into my drink.
"On another note, huni, please don’t hate me but it’s only because I care, but have you heard from 'dickhead'?" I stop mid-drink, put my drink down, and nod up and down, looking down at the table.
"Yeah, he’s still ringing. I’m not answering though. He will eventually stop ringing and get bored," I reply with doubt in my voice, as I know the truth. He won’t get bored. It’s been 9 months of this after I came to my senses and managed to escape him.
"Huni, you need to go to the police. It’s not normal, but what part of him is normal? Hey, maybe we can tell big bad Bear to sort him out?" she says with a cheeky smile and wink, trying to make light out of it. I know she is only asking out of worry, but I hate talking about him. The thought of him gives me a pit of dread in my stomach every time.
I shake my head in disagreement with a raised eyebrow and lopsided smile. I quickly try and change the subject because, knowing Zara, the discussion will go on most of the night. I just can’t deal with talking about ‘him’ tonight I want to enjoy my night out and not let him put a dampener on my night.
"I wonder how many men are in that gang of theirs. Do you think they kill people?" I ask with a quiet voice as a shiver runs down my back. Zara just sits there, staring at me like I have asked a strange question.
"Babes... I think you know the answer to that question. I heard they only do what is necessary to protect themselv
es and the town, but its best we keep away from them as long as they don’t bother us. We will be ok, huni."
“Why would they bother me? I have nothing to offer them, Zara. Except my thunder thighs, they would go for more girls like you."
Zara shakes her head and dismisses my comments like they aren't true but I know I’m right. I had been told enough times how I look…
"You can’t wear that, Danielle. You will look like a whale in those skinny fit jeans. Why don’t you wear loose fitting clothes like this?" He is holding up some loose linen pants, which I only wear in the summer. Why does he do this? What’s wrong with my clothes and body? Are they not nice enough? I am always questioning myself in this relationship. Why can’t he like me for me?
"No Paul. I am going to wear my jeans. What’s wrong with what I'm wearing?" His expression turns to stone, his eyes void of emotion and he throws the pants at my face. Then he gets right in my face and says coldly but calmly,
"Put the god damn pants on, Danielle. I don’t want to have to tell you twice. Your thighs look too big for those jeans. Now put the pants ON!"
My heart’s pounding so hard, I swear he can hear it. I do what he says, no matter how hard I fight it…
God, I need to stop that! I'm safe. I'm away from him. Zara disrupts my thoughts by smacking my thigh and saying, "Right, Dan. It’s your round. Off you go, girl. I’m thirsty." She pulls at her neck as to pretend her throat’s dry and turns her glass upside down as its empty. God, I love my crazy best friend. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without her these past few years. She was the one person who was with me through all the shit. My mom only knows a small amount of what went on but this crazy blond bitch, a.k.a. my best friend, knows everything.