Axe to Grind

by Savannah Skye

  His name was tumbling from my lips and I vaguely realized I was begging. Pleading with him to finish it. To let me come and end this sensual torture. My fingers were numb from clutching the bed as heat spread from between my thighs and outward.

  Suddenly, I gasped, stiffening all over as all the sensations coalesced into a single pinprick of ecstasy. My vision went a hazy red as an orgasm crashed over me. My body clenched him tight, milking his cock for all it was worth. Before I’d even caught my breath, he reached around and pressed a thumb to my clit and thrust forward, the feel of his swollen length wedged inside me sending me over again. Behind me, Axe’s body tensed and he groaned, bucking against me before pulling out with growl.

  “Fuck, ah, Brenna!”

  I shuddered as his hot cum splashed on my ass, branding me with his seed.

  For a long moment, I stayed like that. Axe’s hand on my spine, his cock nestled between the cheeks of my ass, the scent of us filling the room. But then my trembling muscles couldn’t hold me up anymore and I slumped forward with a satisfied groan.

  “You’re perfect,” he murmured, using his t-shirt to clean me off before lying beside me.

  For some reason, at that sweet, subconscious gesture, my heart seemed to completely break apart in my chest, and I reached for him, wanting nothing more than to forget that bitter little detail.

  Somehow I had managed to stave off my heartbreak until this point… Now, though, I felt as though I was being ripped apart and fulfilled at the same time.

  Axe Capestrana was my soul mate, my one true love – and I had to let him go.

  It wasn’t fair.

  Deep down, I knew I’d never feel like this about anyone ever again. No one could ever make me feel like he did.

  Tears pushed into my eyes as I kissed him again, cherishing every last second of being with him. I’d never dreamed a person could feel like this. Or this much.

  No matter what happened, at least I knew true love was real.

  Angelino, I thought, as I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth, You saved me. You made me whole again. Thank you…

  He’d shown me friendship and affection, family and kindness, adoration and passion – healing wounds I didn’t even know I’d had along the way.

  No matter how it turned out, I would never regret meeting him.

  After all, it was more than I’d ever thought I’d have…

  Chapter Nineteen

  Brenna

  I should have known I wasn’t going to get any sleep. I kept dozing off and waking up. Like I was afraid to miss a moment of this last night together.

  Raising my head, I noticed the blankets had been tucked in around me. With a smile, I snuggled back in against the pillows, breathing in Axe’s scent.

  Glancing at the bedside table, I saw it was two thirty in the morning, and I groaned. I snuggled closer to him, trying to get comfortable, but my body was too restless, too energized. I needed a shower and some time to think.

  For a moment, I toyed with the idea of waking him to join me. Delicious fire raced across my skin and my center tingled with anticipation. I imagined him naked, the water streaming down his muscled stomach…

  But lying there, I became conscious of a leaden weight pressing on my chest, and suddenly my breathing grew shallow. All the bad thoughts I’d managed to stave off had come rushing back.

  This was it. After this, it was over.

  Clutching at my heart, I slipped out of bed quickly, darting across the hall into the spare room. The moment I closed the door, a sob broke free. My entire body was shaking as I desperately tried to choke my tears back.

  Blindly, I escaped into the shower, knotting up my hair and rinsing off my sweaty skin. The salty tears mixed with the hot water – a feeble attempt to wash away my pain – as it seemed everything inside of me was being ripped apart.

  For a long time, I just stood there, letting the water beat down on me. When it finally grew cold, I turned it off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself.

  Slowly, I slid down onto the cold floor, pressing my face to my knees. The sobs had finally abated into a steady flow of silent tears.

  Why was life so cruel? I wondered numbly, body filling with icy pain at the thought. I pawed at my face, furious at my tears. Hadn’t I made peace with this already?

  But as I contemplated life without Axe again, a deep shiver shot through my body. It was like I was cold, or in pain, on a level that went beyond the physical.

  Haven’t I lost enough?

  For some reason, that question filled me with resolve, and a sense of calm.

  I was a survivor. Surely, I could figure this out. Surely, there was a way to make it work that didn’t require me to cut Axe out of my life. Not when the thought felt like sawing off a limb.

  Swallowing my tears, I got up and went into the spare room to get dressed. I wasn’t getting any more sleep tonight and tugged on leggings, a sports bra, and a long sleeved shirt.

  Quitters sat around and cried. Victims let their past control their future. I was neither of those things. I was going to fight for what I wanted, and I wanted Axe.

  I tugged my hair out of its bun, and, mind racing, I began to think of things I’d thought were out of the question.

  What if it was just me and him? What if we never had kids. Although the thought made my heart ache a little, it felt nothing like the gaping maw it had been when I thought of a life without Axe. Love like this required sacrifice. Then it would be just my safety and his to worry about. Sure, there would be sleepless nights, wondering if he was okay, but I’d have those anyway, wouldn’t I? Just because we weren’t together didn’t mean I’d stop worrying about him.

  I thought back to my time with the rest of the Capestranas and smiled wistfully. They were amazing. From sweet Mama Ange, and badass Trina to silly Dante and suave Colt. They all already held a place in my heart.

  There might be no picket fence, or grandkids, but there would be a life full of family and love nonetheless. I could do this.

  No. I would do it – for Axe.

  With a deep breath, I left the spare room and crossed the hall. I peered into the bedroom to find the bed empty. Straining, I heard the shower running and smiled, filled with hope for the first time in a long time.

  Perfect.

  Just enough time to make us a middle of the night snack from Mama Ange’s leftovers. Then? Talk. We were both smart and, although he hadn’t said it back when I’d told him I loved him, there was no doubt in my mind he did. We’d been through so much already. After tomorrow, we could focus on just being us and figure a way through this, together.

  When I entered the kitchen, a chill skittered over me and I hesitated for a moment. I was in a strange place with no lights on and I was on the precipice of something scary. Tomorrow, we’d deal with the Ruffinos, and then me and Axe. Of course I was jittery.

  I shook my head, getting a grip on myself, and flicked on the light.

  Glancing around, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, and I willed my heart rate to calm.

  I moved toward the fridge and then slowed by the front door before pausing. I didn’t hear any noise, but something still felt…off. I sniffed the air and thought I smelled the slightest hint of cologne. Then, I stumbled back, as several things seemed to happen at once.

  The door swung open and a man stepped through. A man I recognized and sent a bolt of terror through my soul. I opened my mouth to scream but his meaty hand covered my mouth before I could take a breath. I struggled furiously, stomach pitching as I saw the scorpion tattoo on his wrist

  My arms were pinned to my sides and I was locked against him, no matter how much I struggled. A second man’s voice had my ears pricking up and panic and fear surged through me. I’d known them well once upon a time. Richie and Serge. Emilio’s henchmen.

  “Aw, girl. Didn’t you miss me? I missed you and your pretty face,” Serge hissed in my ear.

  “Don’t worry, Brenna,” Richie chuckled darkly and r
aked his eyes over me. “You’re just bait, bitch.”

  A cry of pain escaped me and I tried to stomp on Serge’s foot, but he just pinned me tighter.

  “Why’s she still awake?” grunted Richie, glaring at Serge.

  A cloth was pressed to my face and I held my breath. But my vision blurred and my lungs burned, and soon, I had no choice. I sucked in through my nose, gagging as it filled with a heavy sweetness. My throat ached with silenced screams as my muscles went limp.

  Please God, don’t let them hurt him…

  Then the darkness pulled me down and I knew no more.

  Axe

  “Brenna?”

  I paused in the doorway of the spare room, frowning as I looked around. Clothes were strewn across the bed – it looked like she’d taken a shower and gotten dressed.

  So where the hell was she?

  Hurrying downstairs, I was struck with a sudden chill as I walked into the kitchen.

  “Brenna?” I called out, willing myself to stay calm.

  No response.

  My body went on high alert, senses jumping into overdrive, and I reached for a gun – only to realize I wasn’t wearing one.

  Suddenly my entire body locked up as I saw a piece of paper on the floor.

  I knelt to retrieve it, gut filled with dread. As I read the words written on it, my mouth went dry and my vision swam. Pounding my fist on the countertop I let out a low howl of rage.

  You want your little slut back, Capestrana? Nine PM at the docks. DeGorio Spirits Warehouse. Don’t be late.

  How the fuck had they found us? And what were they after. My thoughts churned as I tried to think rationally. If they just wanted us both dead, they could’ve come in guns blazing and managed that.

  No, they wanted something else. But what?

  Brenna’s beautiful face flashed through my mind and suddenly, I heard her voice in my head.

  I hate being so small. If I wasn’t 5’2, barely 120 pounds wet, I could have taken those guys.

  I’d failed her. She’d wanted me to teach her how to protect herself and I’d failed to give Brenna those lessons on self-defense. I let my guard down once the Feds stepped in and now she was gone.

  My stomach churned with nausea and guilt.

  Then I shook my head, trying to clear it, and focused on the matter at hand. How the fuck did this happen? I pushed myself up, muscles creaking with pain as they knotted up with tension.

  There was only one way they could have found us. We had a snitch. How fucking ironic.

  Ellis’s smug, rat face flashed behind my eyes. You lousy bastard.

  Bloodlust beat through my veins as I ran upstairs, searching for my phone. “Where the fuck is it?” I snarled, tearing through my bag.

  Finally I found it and punched in Colt’s number, barely breathing, and muttering in Italian under my breath.

  “What’s wrong?” My brother’s sleepy voice came over the line. “Why’re you calling so late?”

  “They got her, Colt.” My voice broke and I gritted my teeth. “I don’t know how… I mean, I think it was Ellis. They just walked in and took her.” Chest heaving, I sat down heavily on the floor, tearing at my hair.

  “Che cosa? What? How?” Colt snarled, sounding wide awake now. “Aren’t you in a safe house? The fucking Feds! Che cazzo.” He swore in Italian for a couple of moments, then took a deep breath. “One of them must have been working for Ruffino. Fuck. I knew I shoulda posted someone there to watch.”

  “Mama Ange did,” I replied dully. “I saw one of the cars when we went in. Whoever it was is probably dead.”

  “Shit. I’ll call around and find out who. What else do we know?”

  “There was a note.”

  “What did it say?” Colt asked quickly.

  I hesitated, then growled out, “Meet them at nine PM by the docks, DeGorio Spirits Warehouse.” I paused. “Her for me.”

  Colt sucked in a breath. “Angelino, you do not go after them alone, do you hear me? We gotta call a meeting. This is war. I’ll wake everyone up, get a crew together. We’ll go. We’ll get her back. I promise. I promise I’ll get her back, little brother. You go and lie low at Mama Ange’s.”

  I could hear the plea in his voice and the resignation as well.

  He already knew it was a lost cause.

  “I’m hitting up 100th Ave., grabbing as much gear as I can. If you want in, then we go, but I sure as hell am going. Those bastards are going to pay in blood and then some. I’ll meet you where?”

  “Meet at Uncle Lou’s, six a.m. sharp,” he replied grimly, hanging up.

  I grabbed a few things, then pounded down the stairs, and out of the house. When I got to the driveway, I swore again.

  “Motherfucker.”

  Ruffino’s goons had impaled a rock into the windshield, taken out the headlights, slashed the tires, and spray painted the license plates.

  “Axe?” came a low groan from the bushes. “That you?”

  Running over, I dropped to my knees, and was met with a bloody smile from Big Tony, one of my second cousins. He was cradling a broken arm and looked dazed.

  “Ton… Aw shit, man. You okay? Did you see who it was?” I stared at him in shock. I’d never seen Tony taken down before.

  “I’ll be fine,” he huffed, as though annoyed I even asked. “Damn, I’m so sorry, kid. They had chloroform. Bastards – it’s cause they knew they couldn’t take me. And nah, I woke up like this a coupla minutes ago. All I know is they didn’t get my phone.” He chuckled and winked. “Keep it down my pants. So, I called Lou – he’s sending someone to get me, bring me to the hospital.” Tony sat up a little and coughed. “Here, go. Take my keys.”

  His shaking, bloody hand reached out and a pair of keys fell into my palm. “I’m so sorry, kid. I owe you…”

  I gripped his shoulder, shaking my head. “There was a rat in the Feds, man. I shoulda known better. I thought something was off and I didn’t listen to my instincts.”

  “No time for blame. Go. Get out of here. Someone’ll be here soon. Car’s parked halfway down the block. Black Lambo. Just your style, ragazzo.”

  I hesitated, standing up, and looking around. It was freezing out and Tony was shivering.

  “What the fuck did I just say? Get your ass gone, Angelino,” Tony ordered sharply. “I’ll be fine.”

  With that, I ran, racing through the neighborhood, and clicking the button as I spotted the car.

  It purred when I turned the engine over and shot off into the night. My entire body was locked and loaded for war, my Capestrana blood boiling, and my breath short.

  I’d never been filled with this much rage before.

  Blowing through a red light, I pulled up to the alley next to 100th Ave. twenty minutes later, and jumped out. I punched in the code next to the door and rushed inside. Dull light filled the room as I looked around in satisfaction. It felt like forever since I’d geared up for a good fight. And this was one of our bigger arsenals. You bastards aren’t gonna know what hit you.

  I grabbed body armor for my chest, light and durable, tossed gun after gun into a big duffel bag, and as an afterthought, strapped one of the big ridged knives to my leg.

  After all, a bullet would be too easy if one those bastards had hurt Brenna.

  Fury was still pounding through me as I hopped back into the car, tossing the bag onto the seat next to me. And I swallowed, because I knew I wasn’t just angry at Ruffino.

  I was pissed at myself. I’d had a woman like Brenna – a woman who told me she loved me – and I hadn’t even said it back. I should have told her I was going to give this all up. I should have given her a gun, lessons – I should have told her to never leave my side. I’d fucked up and now she was paying the price.

  Now she was right back in this world, caught in the maelstrom of it again.

  And Brenna might die without knowing how I felt.

  I wanted to scream as the thought lacerated straight through my heart. But I knew I might never st
op screaming – the pain was too much. So I gritted my teeth and shot off into the night again.

  After all, there’d be plenty of time for me to torture myself later on.

  Until then?

  I had some Ruffinos to kill.

  Chapter Twenty

  Brenna

  At first I was only conscious of the spinning. Like the whole world had become a tilt-a-whirl. All I wanted was for it to stop. Voices echoed and muttered, coming in and out, snippets of conversations that didn’t make sense.

  One voice hit me like a blow, snarling right in my ear.

  “Why the hell is she still knocked out?”

  My head spun even more, as I panicked, grasping after consciousness.

  This was a voice I knew – a voice that filled me with cold terror.

  “Yo, boss, sorry... gave her an extra dose – she wouldn’t go down.”

  “You idiots!” The ugly voice spun away.

  Lights shifted behind my eyelids, which I struggled to open, and then I landed on something hard. My wrists began to ache, my shoulders burned, and cold oozed across my skin.

  “We had to give that big guy a good dose. Almost used it up. Although, with the size of ‘im--”

  “Eh, shoulda just put a bullet in his head. I’m through being nice. Leave her like that for now. Guard the door and lemme know when she wakes up.”

  The voices moved away from me. Somewhere in my mind, I seized onto the fact that staying asleep was safer, and I let the darkness embrace me again.

  Time passed in fits and starts. Suddenly my head snapped up, as the spinning world slammed to a halt, and I blinked as I came to. Shapes lurched in and out of my vision as I squinted through the dim light. A heavy smell hit my nose – something sweet mixed with salt and brine.

  My eyes were still blurry, but as I went to rub them, my wrists met resistance. In the ensuing second a cold bolt of terror shot through me as my head and vision cleared.

  I realized I was tied to a chair in the middle of a room I knew all too well. Looking around, I recognized the big crates and the labeling on their sides.