“I know of him.”
I bit back the tears that threatened, reliving it all. “They actually defended him, Axel. They refused to let her leave. And he had cops on the payroll, so we couldn’t even file a restraining order. It took me years to convince her that it was safe enough to leave. And the harassment didn’t stop there. He would have his club ride past my house at all hours of the night until we finally had to move. I had to get a lease in my mother’s maiden name, just so he couldn’t find us again.”
Axel sat there, his fists balled and jaw tight, but his eyes were full of sadness. “And you think I’m like that? That I would hit a woman? Or allow a woman to be hit while I sat idly by just because he wears the same cut as me?”
I shrugged. “Everyone else does. Not one person had the balls to tell Chubs to stop. Not one person. In four years. They all saw him hit her, punch her, smack her, shove her. No one even looked up from their beer.”
“Paige, do you remember why I was locked up in the first place?”
“Yeah, because someone was selling drugs, and you beat the shit out of them.”
“That’s part of it,” he nodded. “Do you remember the rest of that story?”
I tried to think back, and when it dawned on me, I wanted to cringe. “He hit his girlfriend. I remember now.”
“Yeah. He did. And I made sure he never did it again. I also had my club see to it that she got to a woman’s shelter who could help her.” He reached across the table and took my hand in his. “I’m really sorry about your friend, Paige. But I’m not like that. My family isn’t either. Just because we both wear cuts doesn’t mean I’m anythin’ like him. Don’t stereotype me like that, please.”
He was absolutely right. I was stereotyping. He didn’t belong to the same club, and I should’ve known better than to label everyone into a box. “I’m so sorry, Axel. I have a blind spot when it comes to Gina, and automatically thought the worst of you. That was wrong of me.”
“So, does that mean you’ll take me up on my dinner invitation?” His finger caressed my own, reminding me of how amazing he made me feel.
I hesitated. My body was screaming, “Say yes already, you idiot!” but I still had so many questions. So many worries. I couldn’t just make them go away. I gulped. But I could at least give him a chance. “Yes. I’d love to have dinner with you.”
“Fantastic. How about now?”
I laughed. “Axel, it’s ten o’clock in the morning. And I have groceries to get.”
“Well, what do you know? It turns out I need to pick up a few things at the store too,” he smiled wryly, standing up and leading me out the door.
I turned back, watching his eyes staring at my ass, and knew I was done for. But damn, what a way to go.
FOUR
AXEL
I was happier than a dog in shit. I spent the entire morning with Paige. We played a hilarious game of Would You Rather while pickin’ up groceries at the farmer’s market by the bay, followed by a nice walk in the park. She somehow even convinced me to take off my shit kickers, and walk around the grass barefoot. I gotta admit, I kinda liked it.
I wasn’t happy to leave her after only a few hours, but my phone had been blowin’ up by the MC, and my shift at the bar was due to start soon. I knew Ryder would have my neck if I were late. He’d been blabberin’ all week about something special he had planned for Sawyer.
“Axel, you don’t need to see me home. I’m a big girl.” Paige got in her car, buckling her seatbelt.
“I know, but it’ll make me feel better. Besides, I want to meet this Gina that you’ve been tellin’ me all about. And I’ll need to know where to pick you up for our date tonight.” I promised her to take her to a late, candlelit dinner. I just left out the part where it would be at my place. With any luck, there’d be dessert too.
I hopped on my bike, and followed her back to a duplex on a quiet street in northern Brooks Landing. Her house was in a pretty decent area, and not actually all that far from my own. It had a brown brick façade with tan stucco, the windows had black shutters, and a bright red door stood at the center of a large screened in porch.
I knew somethin’ was wrong as soon as I cut my engine. I could hear screaming coming from inside. Paige was immediately out of her car, and takin’ the stairs up to the porch two at a time, with me right on her heels.
“You’re coming back with me, you fuckin’ slut. I don’t give a shit what some piece of paper says.” A glass broke, the sound of it shattering echoing through the quiet neighborhood.
“Gina!” Paige shouted, throwing open the door, and running inside.
“Wait!” I yelled, but she was too far ahead. I followed her through, findin’ the house in shambles. The couch was overturned, two broken lamps were on the floor, and the TV had a giant crack in it, like someone punched it.
The voices came from the back of the house. Paige was already headin’ for the kitchen as I tried to catch her, wishing I had my gun. Standin’ against a wall, holding a pale, frightened girl by her neck, was a large man who I assumed was Chubs. The girl already had a black eye, and a cut on her lip, probably from where he backhanded her. Her lip quivered as her eyes met mine, pleading for help.
I bolted into action, rammin’ the dude with my shoulder to get him away from her. We crashed into the small wood table, each of us fallin’ to the floor. He jabbed my side with his elbow, causing me to wince, but I pulled back, punched him hard, and square in the jaw, twice.
Dazed momentarily, he didn’t move, which allowed me to strike again. I hit him as hard as I could in the center of his face, sprayin’ blood from his nose across the laminate floor. He moaned, and the girl, Gina, screamed, seeing the blood.
I sat up and turned back to the girls. “You guys okay?”
Paige nodded, holding Gina while she sobbed on the floor. “She’s okay. Call the police, okay? She has a restraining order, he shouldn’t be here.”
Chubs sat up behind me, using my distraction of tendin’ to the girls to his advantage. He picked up a broken leg from the table, and heat radiated through my head, as he hit me from behind with it. Pain exploded in my temple, and I fell to the floor, bangin’ my head hard against the laminate floor.
“Who the fuck do you think you are coming here and sticking your nose in my business?” he screamed, grabbing a fist full of my hair, and rammin’ my face into the floor. I heard the crunch, and knew my nose was broken.
“I’m the fucker who’s going to make sure you need to eat through a tube for the next month.” I spat blood from my mouth, blinkin’ the stars out of my eyes, just in time to see his fist coming at me, sucker punching me, and knockin’ the air out of me. He reached back again, but I rolled away, causin’ his fist to land on the floor.
He howled in pain, and I’m sure that impact broke a couple of knuckles. I knocked him back down to the ground, and kneeled over him, landing one final uppercut to his jaw, knocking him out cold.
Standing, I kicked him in the ribs for good measure, making sure he wasn’t faking me out again. He didn’t move, but I didn’t trust him not to wake up and bolt. Or worse, go after the girls again. I patted him down, and pulled out his piece, tuckin’ it into the waistband of my own pants.
“You got any duct tape?” I asked Paige, wipin’ blood from my nose onto my sleeve. She nodded, fear raging in her eyes, as she retrieved a roll from a side drawer. Paige’s hands shook as she handed it to me, and I wished, more than anything, I could just wrap my arms around her, and reassure her that it was all over now, but I needed to take care of the asshole first. I bound his hands and feet, and then added a third piece to his mouth for good measure.
“Get her out of here,” I told Paige. She nodded, leading Gina out of the room while I stood, catchin’ my breath. I pulled out my cell and dialed 911. “Yeah, I’m gonna need the cops out at three eleven Driftwood Lane. The resident has a restraining order that’s just been violated, and she was attacked.”
I didn’t give
the operator a chance to respond or ask questions, and quickly hung up, dialin’ the club.
“Raven’s Nest,” Larry answered.
“It’s Axel. Who’s around?” I squeezed my already swelling fist, and went to the freezer for some ice.
“Hold on. I’ll get you Trista. She just walked in.” He set the phone down, and not even a minute later, she got on the line.
“You’re late for your shift, Axel. You’d better have a damn good reason.”
“Tris, one of the Almas attacked Gina when I was droppin’ Paige off. Police are already on their way, but—I…”
“Who the fuck are Gina and Paige?” she cut me off. “Wait, is that the girl from the note? You found her?”
“Never mind that now. Just send me out a prospect to keep an eye on the girls for the rest of the day to make sure no one retaliates. I’d do it myself, but I’m already behind on owing the club hours, and I promised Pops he could interview me today. Chubs will be locked up tonight for violatin’ that restraining order, so it should be all quiet but I’d rather have someone here just in case.”
“Axel, what the fuck kind of mess have you gotten yourself into already? You just got out of prison less than a week ago.”
“Honestly, Tris, it’s not even my beef. I just happened to be here when it went down. Paige is that nurse from the prison I told you about. Her roommate was an old lady who got out, and Chubs didn’t take it too well. Was chokin’ the shit out of her when I got here.”
She growled a little in the phone. “Oh, hell no. You put a stop to that?”
I glanced down at his listless body and sneered. “Of course. I knocked his ass out cold.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” she replied. “Alright, I can send Blaze over to keep an eye on things until your shift is over. But Axel, you gotta find out what’s up with those two. Though I guess we know how they’re connected now. Fuckin Almas.”
I loved how, even though she’d never even met the girls, she was willin’ to help while getting info for the MC. She always was smart.
I walked back into the living room to check on Gina, and help the girls clean up a little, while we waited for the cops.
“Axel, you’re bleeding!” Paige grabbed a few tissues from the end table, and began blottin’ my nose. “I think you broke your nose again.”
“I’m fine; it’s nothing.”
The nurse in her wasn’t convinced. “Sure you are, just like you were fine when you ripped out your own stitches to come see me.”
“Totally worth it.” I winked, as she tilted my head back and applied pressure at the bridge of my nose. “How’s she doing?” I whispered. Paige tossed the bloody tissue in the trash while Gina sat on the couch, curled up tight, and staring blankly out the window.
“Nothing broken or anything. Just gonna have some bruises for a few days.” She glanced over at her friend, a sad expression on her face. “She’s been through worse. She’ll be okay. I’m just glad we came back when we did.”
I nodded in agreement. “Cops should be here in a sec. I’m also sendin’ one of my guys to keep an eye on you two until I get back.”
“Oh, Axel, you don’t have to do that.”
I took the base of the lamp, and threw it in the trash, before wrapping my arms around her, and kissing her forehead. “It’s not a problem. Honest. I just wish I could stay myself, but I’ve gotta take care of a few things with the club first. You can trust Blaze. He’s a good guy, and he’ll make sure you two are safe.”
Sirens wailed, comin’ closer to the house. Paige went to the front porch to meet them, while I went back into the kitchen to make sure Chubs was still secure.
Fifteen minutes later, Chubs was handcuffed in the back of a squad car, and Blaze was sittin’ guard on the front steps. Gina was getting evaluated by a paramedic, though she only had some slight bruising around her neck and a black eye; lucky no worse was done.
“Four hours,” I promised Paige, entwining our fingers. “I’ll be back in four hours. I’ll even bring dinner here if you’d prefer.”
Paige sighed. “I was really looking forward to that candlelight dinner you promised. But I really should stay with Gina tonight.”
“Absolutely not,” Gina replied, comin’ up behind us. “No way. I’m not letting that asshole take one more thing away from us ever again. He’s locked up, and that big strong guy is here to watch over me. I swear to God, if you two don’t finally get reunited, I will never forgive myself. So please, for me, go to dinner, and then get some dessert. Twice,” she winked at Paige. “And Axel?” She turned to me. “I don’t know how to thank you for –”
I held up my hand. “No need whatsoever. Honestly.”
Paige had turned bright red at Gina’s innuendo, and I laughed. “Are you sure?” I asked.
Gina nodded emphatically. “Absolutely. I just want to take a long hot bath, and curl up with Netflix. Honest. I’ve been through worse, and I won’t allow Chubs to make me—or you— live in fear ever again. He’s locked up, not you, Paige. So go!”
Paige threw her arms around Gina, and whispered something in her ear, making both girls giggle, before she turned back to me. “Pick me up at eight?”
I leaned in, kissin’ her long and hard in promise of what was to come. Her eyes slid shut, as her mouth parted, allowin’ my tongue to slide in, and deepen the kiss. Oh my God, I forgot how sweet she tasted. Her hands wrapped around my neck, pullin’ me closer. I was about to drag her back inside when a couple of throats cleared around us.
I gave her one final soft kiss. “We’ll continue this later.”
“Four hours,” she whispered back. “And we’ll do much more than just this,” she winked.
My dick stirred at her promise, and I strode back to my Harley with half wood and a giant smile on my face.
FIVE
PAOGE
I stood in the bathroom, wearing only my matching black lace bra and thong, and a short silk robe. Nerves fluttered in my stomach like angry butterflies as I pinned my hair up in a hot roller, and the “what ifs” rolled in. What if everything he said was an act? What if I end up falling for him and he tries to hit me? After all, Chubs wasn’t such an asshole in the beginning.
“I can’t do this. I’ve changed my mind.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “What’s your excuse this time?”
I just don’t think you should be alone tonight, Gina. Not after…earlier.”
Gina sat on the lid of the closed toilet, her knees drawn up as she hugged her legs. Her neck was red and swollen from where Chubs had grabbed it. “I’m not going to say it again. I’m fine. You’re going. End of story.”
“But what if—”
“No. There is no ‘what if.’ Did you see that big hunk of a man currently sitting in our living room? He’s going to make sure there’s no ‘what if.’ Besides, I’m just going to take a long, hot bath with a giant glass of wine and go to bed. There is absolutely no reason for you to stay.
“What will make me feel better is if you go and have a fabulous time with that delicious piece of sex on a stick you found, enjoy every delectable inch of him, and then come home tomorrow, and tell me all the yummy details.”
I laughed, applying bronzer to my cheeks. “Tomorrow? Awfully presumptuous of you,” I teased.
“Are you telling me I’m wrong?” She gave me a knowing look.
She was right. I’d been looking forward to being alone with Axel ever since I saw him in that coffee shop. I could deny it all I wanted, but the truth was, I really liked him. And the more I got to know him, the more I liked. Even if him being in a motorcycle club still made me nervous, he didn’t. I knew he was nothing like Chubs or the other guys in that club. “Fine. I give up. I’ll just go out with an amazing guy, and have hot, toe curling sex for hours. I mean, since you insist.”
She got up, kissing my cheek, before heading out the door. “That’s my girl! Now go get dressed. He’ll be here any minute. I’ll be downstairs keeping that other
hottie company.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure he said he was seeing someone,” I called out.
“That doesn’t mean a girl can’t look!” She winked before heading down the stairs.
The doorbell rang just as I was strapping on my wedge sandal. They went perfect with my strapless teal and white high low sundress. I grabbed my clutch, and a pashmina, before heading downstairs to meet Axel.
Our eyes met when I reached the bottom step, and a broad smile stretched across his face. “Wow,” he whistled. “You look… wow.”
I smiled, smoothing out my dress. “Thank you. You look pretty wow yourself.” And he really did, with jeans that did incredible things for his ass, and a black tee shirt that fit snug over his broad chest. I took a step toward him as he reached for my hand, kissing my cheek. He smelled amazing, sending my heart racing already.
Chosen (Motorcycle Club Romance): Axel and Paige 2 (Fallen Idols Motorcycle Club Book 5) Page 3