Charlie wouldn’t feel a bit bad about it, either. After all, he’d taken her childhood away. She’d been forced to fend for herself. Sixteen with no home, no school, and no parents. Just a set of wheels and her wits. Scott had been her home. No matter where they lived, as long as they were together, she had someplace safe and familiar she could count on.
And Beauregard had taken it from her.
Charlie wasn’t about to let fear stop her. “I can steal from anyone.”
“Even the Dixie Mafia?” Axel countered.
Maybe it was the steady diet of movies and television, but she’d always assumed mafia guys were Old World, Italian or Russian. Like The Sopranos or The Godfather or those disturbing Russian mafia pervert-of-the-week types on Law and Order: SVU. Sure, it was a stereotype, but hearing about a Southern one was news to her.
“That’s a real thing? You didn’t make it up?”
“Believe me. It’s real,” Axel said dryly. “They’re Bubbas, not babushkas, but they’re just as deadly as the Russian or Italian guys. The Dixie Mafia is based in Mississippi and they operate all over the South. They’re into gun-running, money-laundering, drug-smuggling and distribution, human trafficking, gambling…the kind that don’t happen in Vegas. Not to mention bribing officials, murder for hire, and your favorites….theft and fencing stolen shit.”
“Okay, they’re scary people.” She bit the inside of her cheek.
Charlie tried to wrap her mind around how her father had gotten involved with them in the first place. Scott had been a very cautious thief. But she knew he’d been going for bigger scores—he said he wanted some security for both of them. Yet hooking up with bad guys wasn’t the way he normally did business.
Charlie knew stealing from a connected guy would be an epic fail. She’d have to look over her shoulder the rest of her life until she got in her car one morning and kablam! There’d be nothing left but a roasted Oldsmobile with a gooey Charlie center.
Frost stood, holding up his hands like this was a stick-up. “And that’s my cue to leave. You’re gonna get yourself killed if you go after him. But I don’t think you’ll listen to me.”
“You’re right,” Charlie said.
Frost nodded a goodbye to them both then nearly ran out the door, leaving her alone in the booth with Axel.
“What difference does it make whether you take the money, or he gives it to you? Axel asked. “Either way, you get compensation.”
Charlie shook her head. “If you don’t know, I certainly can’t tell you.”
She didn’t want Beauregard to decide how much her father’s death was worth. She wanted to extract her own fee, and it would be a hefty one. She’d take every bit of his money and more besides…and it still wouldn’t be enough. Scott had been precious to her, priceless.
“You aren’t doing this,” Axel said. “We’ll find another way. Like I said, I’m gonna fix your car and then you’re going to leave.”
“You know what? You aren’t the boss of me. I go where I like and I do what I please.” Charlie hated rules.
“He’ll kill you.”
Charlie let that sink in.
Axel might be right. But Beauregard deserved a comeuppance and the authorities weren’t handling it. “Nah, he won’t even know what hit him.” Charlie hoped she sounded confident.
“Let me tell you a little somethin’ about Beauregard. He ain’t got no morals, and he’s clever as a bag of snakes.”
Charlie smirked. “Yeah, well, we’ll see who comes out on top.”
“I know who’ll come out on top. Beauregard. He’s the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen. And you’ll be in the ground, like your daddy.”
She stiffened. “Do you see a line behind you? Because you just stepped over it.”
He gave a long, low sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put it like that, but I’m thinkin’ about your safety. You need a reality check, Robin. Would your father want you mixed up with him?”
“My dad doesn’t want anything, Axel. He’s dead. You don’t know me, but telling me I can’t do something is a surefire way to get me to do it, purely for the pleasure of proving you wrong.”
They glowered at one another. Axel clutched his coffee cup and Charlie wondered if it might shatter in his white-knuckled grip.
He shook his head sadly. “Have it your way, then.”
She cocked a brow at him. “Give me some credit. I picked your pocket and you didn’t know until I flashed your wallet. As long as I take this slow and steady, we won’t have a problem.”
He paused a moment before he spoke. “You’ll be doing a whole lot more than pickpocketing. He’s got guards, security cameras, and a vault.”
Oh, hell.
She was going to have to go the full Ocean’s Eleven on this job. Normally, she didn’t work in high-tech situations. There was more of a chance of getting caught, so she liked smaller, easier scores.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Axel asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Yes.” It wasn’t even a question. Charlie wouldn’t stop until she’d avenged Scott.
“Then let me bring it to the table today. You might not want one of our asshole-be-good arrangements, but we can help in other ways. And believe me, we want to see Beauregard get what’s coming to him.”
“Why?” She narrowed her eyes. Axel’s stake in this seemed personal, too.
“I’ll tell you later, if you get close to cracking his vault.”
Charlie was torn. Some help would be a good idea. A smart idea. As a rule, she didn’t like working with others, but she wasn’t stupid. This was a big job, and it’d be out of her comfort zone.
“Take the offer,” Axel whispered. “Please.” There was a gentleness in his eyes that made her breath catch. It’d been a long time since someone else had taken an interest in her, cared about her.
She tried to make light of it. “Aw, I didn’t know you cared.”
His expression hardened once more. “Just bein’ polite.”
If she didn’t know better, Charlie would say she’d hurt his feelings. “Um, okay then. Take it to the club.”
“Good decision,” he said, clasping his hands together. “You won’t be sorry. But before I go to the meeting, I’m gonna get you squared away at Seventh Circle.” He stood up. “Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
“No. And I sure as hell don’t want to go to someplace named by Dante.”
“Don’t freak. It’s just a name.”
Charlie stood from the booth, but she had a momentary head rush and swayed on her feet.
Axel grasped her arm to steady her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” For a moment, she couldn’t focus on anything but the feel of his skin on her own. She stared down at his hand dazedly.
Axel seemed to be having the same problem because he yanked his hand away. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Me, too,” he said hoarsely. “Come on. Let’s catch some wind.”
Charlie followed him out the door.
Chapter Five
Outside the diner, they stood on either side of Axel’s Harley. It was black and chrome, definitely a sweet ride. He twirled his keys around and around on his thumb. Axel glanced at the bike, then at her, before placing his hand on the back of his neck and rubbing.
“What?” she asked.
He pinned her with an intense gaze. His mouth opened then slammed shut again. “This is awkward.”
That was the perfect word to describe their time together: awkward. From the moment he’d grabbed her in Hades, they’d had a series of strained situations. “What’s the problem? Are you out of gas or something?”
He laughed. “No. Uh, the club has a tradition. One I’ve never participated in. Horsemen collect a toll from women who ride on our bikes.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is this a way to get more money out of me? Hades isn’t exactly the Hilton, you know. And I already paid you…”
“Yeah, you paid me with my mon
ey.”
“Right, moving on…you were saying?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
“I don’t want cash,” he said. “I want your panties.”
That was the last thing on earth she thought he’d say. “What?”
“Your drawers.” A sexy grin curved his lips and created a dimple in one cheek.
Charlie wanted to kiss it. Well, more than the dimple. She wanted to kiss him. Axel was attractive, and she couldn’t help but notice. Might as well go with it.
She gave him her patented come hither look as she glanced up at him, reminding him of their height difference. It’d never failed her in the past. She’d picked up plenty of cute guys on the road. “You know, if you want to have some…fun, I’m on board. You don’t have to invent some convoluted underwear tradition.”
“I didn’t invent it.” Unfortunately, he bypassed her invitation and went right into a dispute.
Yeah, that didn’t sound even remotely legit. “Okay,” she said. Surely, Axel could get girls to drop their panties without resorting to some made-up biker mythos.
“I’m serious,” he replied, his eyebrows drawing together.
“It’s the weirdest line I’ve ever gotten, but I like to let off a little steam. Especially before a heist. Maybe we could—”
“I’m not propositioning you,” he insisted.
Charlie rolled her eyes. “No, I’m propositioning you. Pay attention.”
He seemed flustered again. “I’m not…I can’t.”
“Why not?” Charlie wasn’t a supermodel or an actress, but she was attractive. So, what’s his deal?
“I’m…not dating at the moment.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you going to give me your underwear or what?”
Judging by how tightly wound Axel was, he hadn’t had a “date” in a long time. “Why aren’t you dating?”
“That’s a long conversation, Charlie.”
She’d dropped it for the time being.
He held out his hand. “Hand them over.”
“What are you gonna do with my underwear?” she asked, suddenly suspicious. Maybe she was mistaken and he had some sort of yucky panties thing going on. Maybe he sniffs ‘em. Eww. Or wears them. It was a toss-up as to which one of those would be worse.
“I told you, they’re for…it’s a…” He broke off. “Forget about it.” Then he pointed an admonishing finger at her. “And don’t you dare tell anyone about this.”
Oh, my God…he did have a panties thing.
Charlie pondered that for a bit. Well, everyone had a kink. And it wasn’t exactly a deal-breaker. After all, he was built, hot, and she could use the distraction. Not to mention the tension release. “You know what? You can have my underpants. Not a big deal. Just hold on a sec.” She jogged back into Hades, hit the restroom, and quickly slid out of her jeans and slipped them off before wadding them in her palm and heading back outside to the bike.
He took them from her and they disappeared into his pocket. “Thanks. Do me another favor?”
“I’m fresh out of panties.”
“Seriously. It’s a club tradition. I wasn’t bullshitting you.”
“What favor?” she asked.
“Don’t talk while I got these in here,” he said, patting his jeans.
Charlie scowled. “Let me guess. Liar, liar pants on fire.”
“Bingo.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so funny.” Charlie couldn’t tell if he was teasing. She sensed there was an edge to his humor. Had someone lied to him in the past?
He handed her a black helmet. “Here. Put this on.” While she did, he fastened his then slung a leg over the bike. After he started the motorcycle up, he held out a hand to Charlie and she gingerly got on. The motorcycle vibrated beneath her, rumbling like some sort of steel beast.
Oh, yeah, she liked the bike. It was loud and sleek. Dead sexy.
“Hold on,” he said over his shoulder before they took off. With a shriek, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on for dear life. They zoomed through the main drag, which passed by in a blur of asphalt and whizzing trees.
Eventually, they stopped in front of Seventh Circle Motors, according to the sign above the door. The sign featured a red ring of fire encircling the shop’s name, along with a devil holding a wrench.
There was an office connected to an enormous warehouse-type structure and three large garage doors, which were already open. Inside, she saw a concrete floor and a vaulted ceiling. Along the walls were red metallic cabinets. A couple of them were open and they were stuffed full of shiny steel tools. A car was lifted into the air by a red metal contraption and a young woman stood beneath it, her arms upraised.
“Dani, come here a sec,” Axel called as they walked into the shop.
Dani set her tools down and walked over to them with long-limbed grace. Charlie thought they were both in their mid-twenties. She was tall and thin with short, spiky black hair streaked with purple and shorn on one side. The streaks matched the chipped, eggplant polish on her short nails. Dani wore a pair of black coveralls and Doc Martens splashed with violet and silver in an artful pattern.
“S’up, A-man?” Dani asked.
“Don’t call me that.” Axel ruffled Dani’s hair and she slapped his hand away, but her blue eyes danced with amusement. “I need you to do me a favor. Since the prospects got patched in, I’m fresh out of free labor options. I want you to watch Charlie while I’m at church.”
Dani gave Charlie a once-over.
Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and returned the favor.
“She’s a mite old for a babysitter, dontcha think?” Dani asked.
He sighed. “You’d think, but Charlie’s a thief and a liar.” We found her squatting at Hades. And I’d appreciate it if she was here when I get back from the meeting.”
“Holy shit. She stole from the club?” Dani stared at her like she’d grown an extra head.
“I love when people talk about me, instead of to me,” Charlie said, rolling her eyes.
“Yup and Voo’s pissed,” Axel answered Dani, ignoring Charlie’s crack. “So, you’ll watch her?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Dani said with a nod. Then she scowled at Charlie in a warden-with-a-prisoner way.
“Thanks. I owe you one.” He grabbed a Taser from a pocket in his leather vest and handed it to Dani. “You know how to use this, right?”
She hit the button on the side of it and electricity arced between two steel points. “Yeah, my dad taught me how.” Dani bit her lower lip, and she had an evil gleam in her eye.
Charlie stepped back and resisted the urge to hold her hands up. “Is this necessary?” While she might be a flight risk, she wouldn’t hurt anybody.
“Hell, yes,” Axel said, looming over her again. “If you lay so much as a fingernail on Dani, I’ll—”
“Whoa. No one is hurting anyone. If you’re worried about it, you can lock me in your office.” It was plain to see Axel cared deeply for Dani, and that irked Charlie for some reason.
“Nice try. You’d pick the lock and be on your way in five seconds flat.” Axel grabbed his phone. “I’m running late,” he told Dani. “Shock her if you have to and if she makes a run for it, call me. The brothers will round her up.”
Oh, fantastic. The last thing Charlie needed was a biker posse on her tail. Not that she’d be getting very far, anyway, since Betty had gone kaput.
Axel motioned to the tools. “And make sure she doesn’t make off with half the garage!” With that, he sprinted outside to his bike, started it up, and took off.
Charlie was left with Dani, who watched her with a scowl. And Charlie did her very best bitch face.
“Are you gonna make me use this?” Dani asked, lifting the weapon in her grip. Again, she sparked it up for show.
“Screw that,” Charlie said with a shake of her head. “Flopping around the floor in a puddle of my own pee would make this day even more craptacular.”
Dani’s lips
twitched, but otherwise her face was a calm mask. “At least now you’re making some sense. Stealing from the brothers was an epic fuck-up, Char.” Dani had called her Char rhymed with bar, which was where Charlie currently wanted to be. Preferably with a whole bottle of vodka and a straw.
“It’s Charlie, not Char. And yeah, I’m fully aware. Mea culpa and all that.”
She should’ve stayed elsewhere. Any other hotel would have been better. Hell, even sleeping on a park bench cuddled up with lice-ridden, rabid raccoons would’ve been a more enticing option.
Dani tucked the Taser in the back pocket of her coveralls and grabbed a wrench before she walked back over to the car. She faced Charlie, presumably to keep an eye on her. “Good. Have a seat and shut your cake hole. I’m not in the mood today, Char.”
She decided to let the nickname thing go. Prisoners can’t be choosers. Charlie spied a red steel stool and sat down on it. It made a scraping noise as she rolled it across the concrete floor, and she winced. “Yeah, I got it. You’ll sic your biker boys on me.”
Dani didn’t look away from the car suspended above her head. “Oh, I’ll do way worse that.”
“What could be worse?”
“I’ll come after you.” Dani’s gaze shot daggers at her. No threat and all promise.
Crap on a cracker. These people were awfully serious about some sandwiches and a few stolen nights at Chez Biker. “Yeah, well, don’t worry about it. I’m not up to anything.”
Dani hmmphed at that. Smart girl.
“What?” Charlie asked.
“My dad always said the devil will get you for lyin’ as quick as he will stealin’, you know.” With a groan, Dani reached above her head, straining. She had a wiry sort of strength in her small biceps.
Charlie didn’t have any muscular definition, but she could run like a cheetah if she had to. It paid to be fast when you had sticky fingers. “How would you know anything about stealing?”
Dani chuckled. “Call it a hunch.”
Hmm. Charlie leaned forward and stared at her companion with renewed interest. Dani had said she shouldn’t steal from the brothers, but hadn’t scolded her for stealing in the first place. It was a telling distinction. Maybe Dani was more remarkable than she’d originally thought. “Have you ever stolen anything?”
Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) Page 5