Axel (Reapers MC Book 17)

by Elizabeth Knox

  As far as club shit’s concerned, there’s a lot of movin’ parts We haven’t figured out who the General’s workin’ for, Boomer lost his shit and shot up the club, injuring Bull in the process. While he and most of his boys were able to get away, we were able to get Gears and we have leverage against him and his club . . . not that it’s been helpin’ us much.

  I shake my head and pull the metal door to the right, walk through, and pull it back so the wind doesn’t make it cold as fuckin’ shit in here. There’s a light over Gears and the man looks fuckin’ disgustin’. Then again, it’s not like we’re lettin’ him shower or anythin’. The man hasn’t left the barn in a month, and he shouldn’t. Not with what his fuckin’ club did to us.

  If it were up to me, we would’ve already put this slimy fuck outta his misery. Association is reason enough, no need to waste our time when we can be focusin’ on other things. For example who the General was workin’ for. That’s somethin’ we need to know, ‘cause whoever it is doesn’t give a fuck about the territory bein’ ours here . . . then again whoever his boss man is hasn’t done anything to harm our club, not yet at least.

  “You change your mind about bein’ quiet when it comes to your club?” I ask the man, walking around him in circles. I keep thinkin’ one of these days he’s gonna give it up, he’s gonna be tired of bein’ in this damn place and he’ll tell us almost everything we need to know. That’s the hopeful bastard in me, though. Only when men are desperate do they ever really speak, especially when it comes to confinement, being tortured, or held prisoner. Zane’s given him longer than he should’ve though, and I’ve told the man this shit straight to his face.

  “Your Prez change his mind about lettin’ me go?” Gears snaps in my direction. Out of anyone we’ve ever had hostage, he by far has the most spirit. The man looks ready to rip into any fucker who gets too close to ‘em, and with any luck, that same spirit will be the reason he ends up giving his people up.

  I scoff, “In your dreams, you know how this works though. You give us somethin’, we give you somethin’.”

  Gears shakes his head. “Nah, I give you somethin’, you go verify the information, and then you put a bullet through my damn head. That’s how this works and we both know it. This isn’t my first time around the block, motherfucker, so how about you put me out of my damn misery or you let me go. I’ve missed too much and if I don’t get outta here soon shit’s gonna go down.” Gears’ tone changes from how he normally speaks to something a bit more rough, like the man’s worried about somethin’.

  “For us, or for you?” I ask him, keepin’ my eyes locked on his.

  “For us both,” he replies, tearin’ his eyes away from mine, he looks at the door. “How long have I been here now anyway, twenty days?”

  I shake my head. “A little over a month.”

  Gears doesn’t say a damn thing at first, but he sucks in a breath and releases it slowly. “Man, I’ve been here for a month . . . I can’t . . . I can’t stay here any longer. I’ve got a seventeen-year-old daughter. He’s gonna go after her sooner or later. I’ve heard lots of shit about your club, but one thing I know is you aren’t savages.”

  The door creaks from behind me and I immediately look back, not expecting anyone to be here. Sure enough Cheyenne walks right in and shuts the door. “Fuck, it’s a cold one out there today,” she mutters while walking toward Gears and I.

  Figurin’ I’ll fact check the son of a bitch, I ask her if what he said is legit. “He got a daughter?”

  Immediately, Cheyenne nods. “Yeah. How old is Tara now, sixteen, seventeen?”

  “Seventeen,” Gears responds, looking between us both, “but if I don’t get out of here, she’ll end up dead. You know it, Cheyenne. Fuck, remember all the shit he did to you? He’ll do the same to Tara and I can’t let that happen.”

  “He’s by Portland. He isn’t anywhere near her.” Cheyenne’s quick to tell him, approaching him she scans his body for any sort of cut, infection, or anythin’ else. Zane has her check on him every couple of days and makes sure he isn’t gonna die on us. He has a lot of information we need and we don’t have a bit of it yet.

  Still, the way he speaks to Chey’ makes me wonder what the fuck this dude knows.

  “Gears, be quiet,” she quips, still assessing his injuries.

  “How many times did he rape you before you managed to get out, Cheyenne? How many fuckin’ times was it?! Oh wait, I forgot, you’re still not out. He still fuckin’ haunts you, and if Tara doesn’t get out of that damn place . . . he’s gonna do the same damn shit to her. I won’t let it happen to my baby girl. Now, I’ve said this same shit to other fuckers who haven’t given a damn about her, but for fuck’s sake, you know me, you know Tara . . . talk to your Prez. Get her out and . . .”

  “And you’ll tell us everything we want to know, right?” I insert what I feel needs to be said.

  Gears nods. “Yes, you have my word. Tara’s the only thing I have left in this world and I’m not gonna lose her at the hands of Boomer, not when he hasn’t even tried to get me back . . . get my daughter and I’ll do whatever I need to or say whatever’s asked of me. Tell your Prez that, now will you?”

  I’m so caught up with what Gears’ has said that I don’t realize Cheyenne’s hands are shaking and she’s looking a bit sickly. All the color has drained from her face and she rushes over to the nearest stall before she empties her stomach contents.

  I heard every word Gears said about what her brother did to her, but I’m not the kind of fucker who’s ever gonna judge someone for another person taking advantage of them. She was raped by her fuckin’ brother and I can only imagine the other types of shit he did to her too. I know one thing for sure, men like Boomer belong in the fuckin’ ground.

  Chapter Twelve

  The feeling when you don’t know what the fuck you’re feeling

  ~ Unknown

  Rosa

  “There has to be away around this,” I tell Xavier, sitting across from him.

  Though, the stoic expression across his face tells me he’s looked into everything. “I’ve tried, but I’m afraid your father was very specific, Rosa. I believe he was only trying to protect you by doing this. I think because you’re a cartel princess, he assumed you’d be with the man he picked for you.”

  On that note, I take the tequila from in front of me and finish off the rest of the glass. “Please tell me he never got that far.”

  “I won’t lie to you, Rosa.” Xavier was one of my father’s most trusted men and advisors. He kind of gives me the vibes Tyrion did as Khalessi’s advisor in Game of Thrones. For both the men, there’s only so much they could do when it came to a lunatic of a leader.

  “Who is it, my betrothed or whatever?”

  “A son of another cartel in South America.” At this point Xavier’s the one taking a drink. God, how has so much changed in the matter of a few days. Then again, my Latino-AF father did this shit. I shouldn’t be surprised at all. He was known for keeping everyone on their toes, even his own daughter it seems.

  “Does this man even know who I am, where I am? Like, you found me . . . so, does he know too?”

  “No, I haven’t told them yet. I should confess I was hired by his father to find you; however, my loyalty lies with you and the Ramirez family, Rosa. I won’t tell him I found you unless you want me to.” I appreciate Xavier’s loyalty more than he knows. Most men would’ve simply thrown out any sort of allegiance to a dead man or his family, but not Xavier. His loyalty was the trait my father appreciated the most, and now I understand why.

  “What do I do now?” My question seems ridiculous, but it’s been years since I’ve even remotely been involved in this life.

  “I believe you’re the only one who can answer that.” Damn Xavier and his poetic way of speaking. He reminds me of Yoda half the time, even as a child I remember that the most about him, how he’d barely answer and would make you figure things out for yourself.

  “The on
ly . . .” I don’t want to seem like all I care about is the money, because I don’t. I wouldn’t mind having an extra cushion of cash, or some properties in nice locations, but . . . I don’t want everything my father worked for to just default to his estate. He left things to me, and I want to honor it. “The only stipulation in his will states I need to be married?”

  “Correct, that was his demand. However, it never said you need to be married to the man he picked for you.” A mischievous grin crosses his face and if I were in a loving relationship, I’m sure I’d be grateful, but the only thing I have remotely close to a relationship is with Axel, and we’re not in a relationship. We’re just . . . complicated.

  I haven’t spoken to him since yesterday when he dropped me off at the house when we left the baby shower. Madame, one of the other Vixens, said he rolled up to the club late last night and he wanted to talk to me, but she told him I was asleep.

  “Are you suggesting I marry one of my friends and take my inheritance?”

  Xavier immediately nods. “It’s exactly what I’m suggesting. As I said, my loyalty is to the Ramirez family, and all of your father’s children.”

  Whoa. What did he just say?

  I can’t help but allow my mouth to gape open. “Sorry, how many kids does he have?”

  Xavier narrows his eyes on me. “There’s you, Pippa, and you have another brother and sister. I thought you knew about them all.”

  I shake my head. “No, I only knew about Pippa.”

  Xavier sucks in a deep breath. “You’re all getting a portion of your father’s assets. Everything I spoke to you about the other day is simply the portion assigned to you.” Holy fuck, if it’s just my portion I’d be mind-boggled to know what he had in his entirety.

  “Is Pippa still missing?” I question. My father was a powerful man but it didn’t mean he was a good one. He had many enemies, and because of it his life was cut short far too soon. He was taken from one of his homes in Mexico and my younger sister was there with him at the time. She was never seen again, or at least it’s what I believe.

  Xavier shakes his head. “No, I was able to track down where she is and I know the family who adopted her. She’s being well taken care of and she’s safe, which is why I haven’t sought her out. Given the fact she’s still a minor, I haven’t felt the need to disrupt her life.”

  I nod, appreciating his willingness to not screw with the happiness she has. “And what of my other two siblings?”

  “I’ve tracked down your other half-sister, but your half-brother is a . . . how do I say it . . . a wanderer. Eventually, I’ll find him. Though he isn’t an easy person to track down. He’s the oldest of you kids, and I only know he goes by the nickname Razor. His real name is Ricardo, and your sister is only a year younger than you. Her name is Marisole. I’ll be visiting her next after I follow a few leads on your brother. I don’t want them to run cold, so I’ll head off to the east coast after I’m done following them. Though I’m not optimistic. He always makes sure to cover his tracks . . . it reminds me of your father, slinking in and out of the shadows as he saw fit.”

  “What do I do, Xavier? Am I supposed to marry someone? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here with all the information you’ve given me.” Fuck, I wish I hadn’t finished off my drink. I need it now more than ever.

  “You need to decide on this. It’s not something I can do for you, but I will tell you my opinion Rosa, if you want to hear it that is.”

  “Yes, please.” I need to hear what he thinks because the weight of this . . . it could crush me.

  “What your father left for you is rightfully yours. You’re a Ramirez and so I think you should take what you’re owed. However, I know the only way to do that is to marry someone. When your father made the arrangement with your fiancé it was a smart one, but the man he’s turned into . . . your father wouldn’t have wished it for you. If you have a friend who you can marry, then take what is yours . . . but be prepared. I know your fiancé’s father will soon ask me what I’ve found, and I can’t keep avoiding him for long. He’ll send others in search of you, and whether you want it or not people will come after you. So, you have two choices here: marry a friend and take it all or marry a stranger and have it taken from you.”

  When he puts it like that . . . there’s only one choice I can make, and I won’t be handing over what’s rightfully mine to someone else. I honor my father too much to let something like that happen to me. So, I need to get married . . . and I need to figure out how the hell to go about this.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Don’t trust anyone. Even the Devil was once an angel

  ~ Unknown

  Axel

  “He said what now?” Zane asks, taking his glasses off he places them on his desk and gives me his full attention. He doesn’t wear them all the time but lately whenever he’s been at the computer or lookin’ at his phone for too long, he throws these suckers on. The guys and me, hell, we can’t help but bust his balls about him gettin’ old and shit. But if the bastard didn’t act like a bitch when we pick on ‘em we might stop.

  “Gears was being honest, Zane. He has a teenage daughter named Tara. He’s worried Boomer will go after her if he isn’t let go, and he’s right to think that. I’ve only told you a little bit about Boomer, but . . .” Cheyenne closes her eyes and I’m damn sure both Zane and I can tell the air in the room just thickened. It’s been a couple days since we were in the barn with Gears, but I needed to mull around the idea on whether or not Zane needed to know. I thought Gears was fuckin’ with us, but it wasn’t until Cheyenne sought me out and gave me his background that I think this kid just might be in danger. I mean, knowin’ the fact Cheyenne was raped by the bastard is reason enough to know the guy’s bad . . . but from what Cheyenne’s said, Gears is one of the few good ones in the Corrupt Kings MC.

  “Zane, I don’t ask much of you but I’m going to ask you get that kid out of there before my brother gets to her. I know you have intel the Corrupt Kings were out west and I’m going to pray they’re still there. Boomer will automatically think Gears flipped on him, even if he hasn’t . . . and I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to his daughter because the club didn’t intervene, especially now. I know I’m not a mother yet, and my baby’s still safely inside my womb but Tara doesn’t have the luxury of being protected. She doesn’t have a mother, Zane. She’s just got clubwhores and sweetbutts who’ll throw her to the wolves at the first chance if it means they can level up in my brother’s club. I don’t have to tell you shit runs differently with him because you damn well know it does.”

  Zane inhales deeply and shakes his head. “How old is the girl?”

  “About seventeen,” Cheyenne replies.

  At this point I’m not gonna speak unless spoken to and I’ll watch the situation play out between the two of them.

  “Shit, right about Sydney’s age,” Zane mutters and Cheyenne immediately nods.

  “What if it were Syd’? What would you do?” Cheyenne asks him, but the three of us know damn well what he’d do.

  “I’d cut through every fucker in my way to get to her. But this isn’t Syd’, Cheyenne. For all we know this could be a fuckin’ trap. It’s too risky.”

  “How on earth would it be possible this is a trap? He hasn’t had any communication with my brother in a month!” Cheyenne hollers, slamming her fist down on Zane’s desk.

  “They could have a system, something we don’t know about! I learned a lot of shit after watchin’ the way my dad handled things with Grizzly, and the first rule is to never jump the gun. You wait, you assess, and most of all you gather fuckin’ information. Whenever you go in blind you end up dead, and that’s how Cracker died, ‘cause we didn’t have the fuckin’ information!” Zane roars, his voice chokin’ up near the end.

  Everyone found out when Zane got with Octavia that he and his brother were actually related to the Monroe family. For a long time everyone assumed they were just adopted
by the Monroes, but it turned out the woman who signed over her rights to Fist Monroe . . . she’d slept with his brother, Cracker, and his dad was in front of his damn eyes his entire life. Kade and Zane never even knew, and in reality, their uncle raised them like his own.

  I can’t imagine bein’ in that sort of messed up situation. I’d have a lot of resentment toward the man who raised me for keepin’ secrets, but damn if I wouldn’t have a lot of regrets too. From the way Zane’s soundin’ right now he’s got some regrets, and I’m bettin’ he has some demons with ‘em.

  Cheyenne pushes herself away from his desk and starts pacing the room, throwin’ her hands up in the air as she speaks. “We can’t leave the girl there. We can’t just leave her unattended and assume Boomer will leave her alone. She’s a smart girl b—”

  “You just said she’s a smart girl, so she’ll get her ass outta there.” Zane interrupts Cheyenne, who’s now turnin’ red in the face ‘cause she’s so damn pissed. The way she’s so passionate about certain stuff, I have no clue how Chaz let a woman like this slip through his fingers, but hell, another man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or woman’s in this case.

  Probably part of the reason I’m so attracted to Rosa. I watched her tear into Siren one time when she was disrespectin’ the Vixens, called ‘em whores, and fuck if Rosa didn’t rip into her real good. That was the first time I ever looked at her in a different light, but after fuckin’ her when we were drunk . . . no matter what I do I can’t stop thinkin’ about her.