Axel Summer Shifters Season 2

by Raines, Harmony

  She sighed. “It did. It would have been so easy to just get a job and come home and deal with my dad and my brother. And that’s what I did to start with. I left college and coped with my dad’s depression. But then I had this idea. It sparked into my head and just would not let go. So I did some research and decided to start small.”

  “That takes courage.”

  “When you’re young courage is a lot easier to come by. I got lucky. I approached a guy who renovated property. I asked him if I could work for him, for free, in return for him teaching me.” She chuckled. “I still can’t believe he said yes.”

  “You offered him free labor and you’re surprised he said yes?” Axel asked.

  “What he taught me was far more valuable. He even helped me pick my first property and helped me flip it. I was hooked. Gradually, I expanded, buying buildings to convert, building new homes. I think that my father’s history made me take extra care in hiring people and so I’ve ended up with a team I can trust and who I can leave to deal with the day-to-day running of the business. Which helped when my dad got sick last year. And it’s why I’ve been able to walk away for a couple of weeks now.”

  “That’s incredible. I’m proud of you.” He meant it sincerely.

  “I’m proud of me, too.” Her voice hitched in her throat. “Honestly, when I was building the business... I made my decisions on whether I thought my mom would be proud of me or not. I tried to imagine what she would say and what advice she would give.” The color in her cheeks heightened. “Does that sound crazy?”

  “No, not at all.” He reached out and touched her hand. “You’re an incredible woman. I wish I’d been more like you. I wish I’d thought about what would make my mom proud instead of chasing what I thought was freedom but what actually became a prison.”

  “Is that why you joined the gang?” She glanced sideways at him. “Is that why Tyler joined a gang, do you think?”

  “It’s why I joined a gang. I liked the open road and to find like-minded people who weren’t constrained by a nine-to-five job...” He frowned. “I think I knew it wasn’t that easy, but I fell into the rest of it step by step. You take one small step and then another and you never realize that you are way into something with no way back.” He shook his head and looked down at his hands. “I can’t answer for Tyler. The other guys in the gang all joined for various reasons. Tyler’s actions could have been caused by any one of them.”

  “I just feel as if I let him down.”

  “My mom and dad felt the same way about me. I never realized how many tears my mom shed for me. But there’s nothing I can do about it, it’s in the past and all I can do is make it up to her in the future. I hope Tyler feels the same way for you and your father.” His jaw tightened as he added, “But there is a chance he doesn’t see it that way. There is a chance that he doesn’t want to be saved.”

  “I realize that, and I’m fully prepared for him to send me away. But I have to try.” She sniffed loudly and focused on the road ahead.

  Axel leaned back in his seat. He wished he could wave a magic wand and make it all right for Jenessa. He wished he could do the same for his mom. But the past was the past. All they could hope was that Tyler was ready to change the present and create a new future for himself.

  Chapter Fourteen – Jenessa

  They drove along streets littered with garbage where the faces of people on the sidewalk turned to look at Jenessa’s red Ford which stuck out among the fading paint of the storefronts and the rusted vehicles that looked as if they hadn’t moved for months.

  “Are you sure we want to be here?” Jenessa asked Axel.

  “Yeah, we do.” He pointed to a side street. “Down there.”

  “And what exactly is down there?” Jenessa tried to keep her anxiety from her voice.

  “Our ride.” He looked at her for an instant before he went back to watching the world outside of the vehicle, a dangerous world that she knew nothing about.

  “Our ride?”

  “Yes, we need to ditch your car. Riding around in this is like having a target on our backs.” He glanced at her again. “But you already knew that.”

  “Yeah, I kind of got the idea.” She shivered as a guy stepped off the sidewalk in front of them and banged the hood of her car.

  Axel snarled at the guy and it was as if she could see the cougar shimmering under his skin, which was impossible since the two parts of Axel were separate and unique. Still, it unnerved her. Bringing Axel back to this life, reminding him of the person he used to be, might just be the biggest mistake she had ever made. She wasn’t just risking her own life in attempting to track down Tyler, she was risking Axel’s, too. Not just his actual life, but the life he’d built away from motorcycles and gangs.

  “We should go back.” She slowed the car, but a couple of guys approached them from behind and she put her foot down on the gas pedal, zooming away from perceived danger. She hated this. She’d built herself a nice safe life and that was the life she wanted to lead.

  “It’s okay, just breathe.” Axel’s voice comforted her, and she took a breath in before letting it go.

  “Sorry, mild panic attack.” She inhaled through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth as she focused on the road and only the road.

  “I can do this alone.” His voice was calm and soothing but Jenessa wasn’t about to give in and leave her mate to sort her problems out on his own.

  “No, we do this together, that was the deal and I never go back on my word.” She forced herself to relax. “I’m okay. It’s just about adjusting to your surroundings and the people in it.”

  “Exactly.” Axel didn’t sound too sure. “Okay, it’s just up ahead on the right.”

  She peered into the gloom, made darker by the tall buildings lining either side of the road. The area once housed goods that came off ships from all over the world, but now the docks stood empty and the old warehouses were in a sad state of repair, except for the few that were still in use. In another town, the area would likely have been bought up by developers and turned into designer apartments. But not here.

  “This one?” She slowed the car, checking in her rearview mirror that they were not about to be ambushed.

  “This is it.” Axel got out of the car and ran to the large double doors that had been reinforced with metal bars. He raised his hand and knocked before calling out, “Coop. It’s Axel.”

  Axel stepped back, his hands clenched into fists by his sides as he waited. He stared at the door for a moment before he switched his attention to the street behind. Jenessa froze as a movement in her rearview mirror caught her eye. She glanced up to see a group of four men approaching. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel and her foot hovered over the gas pedal, ready to make a quick getaway.

  Then one of the large doors swung open and a tall, broad-chested man, who was almost certainly a shifter, stepped out of the building. “Hey, Axel. You made it.” He looked past Axel to Jenessa’s shiny red Ford. “I see you went for inconspicuous,” he said drily.

  Axel shook the guy’s hand. “Yeah, we need to trade it in for something a little less visible. Can you help me out?”

  “Sure, come on in.” Cooper pulled open the second door and waved Jenessa forward. She pressed down on the pedal lightly and crawled forward as the four guys hung back. The whites of her knuckles showed as she gripped the steering wheel to stop her hands from shaking.

  “Hey, guys, what can I do for you?” Cooper stepped outside of his building and approached the four men while Axel waited until her car was inside what looked like a garage before he stepped sideways as if guarding the entrance.

  Jenessa stopped the car but didn’t get out. She was safer inside if this broke into a fight.

  “We wondered if you had a gasket,” one of the guys asked, “for my bike.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Come back tomorrow, with your bike, and I’ll help you fix it.” Cooper stood firm, not giving an inch when the guy look
ed past him and into the building. “See you tomorrow.”

  The guys hesitated for a moment before they sauntered off back down the street. Cooper didn’t move as he watched them go. Only when they were out of sight did he turn on his heel and stride back toward the building.

  “Did he just want the gasket?” Axel asked as he helped close the big doors.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ve seen them around before, though. They aren’t the kind of guys who usually cause trouble. But that doesn’t mean a lot. Many kids are looking for a way to reach the next rung on the ladder when it comes to hierarchy around here. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the place I call home.” The doors clanged shut and Cooper bolted them securely from the inside. “Don’t worry, no one gets past me.” He grinned as he approached Axel and pulled him into a manly hug, complete with back-slapping. “It’s been a long time. You look well, Axel.”

  “So do you.” Axel let go of his friend and stepped back, looking up at the ceiling. “I didn’t know if you would still be here.”

  “Where else would I go?” Cooper asked before he switched his attention to Jenessa. “Of course, if I’d found my mate I might have been tempted away.”

  “Cooper, this is Jenessa. Jenessa, Cooper. He helps kids get out of the gangs.” Axel moved closer to Jenessa, still looking protective.

  “Good to meet you, Cooper, and thanks for agreeing to help us.” Jenessa held out her hand to Axel’s friend.

  “Good to meet the woman Axel deserves.” Cooper wiped his hand on his thigh before he shook her hand. His grip was strong and firm, his skin warm, but there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes. “You’re Ralph Hodgeon’s daughter.”

  “I am.” She glanced sideways at Axel, unsure how much of their story he’d told his friend.

  “I met him a few times. A long time ago.” His jaw tightened and the tension in his body told Jenessa those meetings were not happy.

  “He left his old life behind for my mom.” She lowered her eyes, unsure what else to say.

  “We all made mistakes in the past.” Axel slid his arm around Jenessa’s shoulders. “As we grow older and wiser, we should be able to leave the past behind and perhaps be judged on what we make of our second chance.”

  “My dad had to raise us when my mom died.” Jenessa swallowed down the lump of emotion in her throat.

  “Your brother Tyler joined a gang.” So this was the issue Cooper had with her father. “He obviously didn’t educate him as to why gangs are bad.”

  “He did. But my brother suddenly flipped.” Jenessa leaned into Axel. “My dad regrets not being able to keep him straight. He’d be the first to blame himself. Although, neither of us can pinpoint what went wrong.”

  “Cooper, we need your help, but if you are hung up on Jenessa’s father and what he did, then we can go and leave you in peace.” Axel’s arm tightened around his mate as he tensed. He was ready to fight, but Jenessa hated the idea of her family coming between these two men.

  “I am sorry for whatever happened. My dad barely talks about it, but I know he has many regrets.” She pressed her lips together, willing herself not to cry. “My mom changed him. Her illness and death nearly broke him.”

  Cooper sighed. “You’re asking me to let the past go.” He looked over his shoulder toward the locked doors. “That’s what I try to teach the kids that come through those doors looking for another way. If I can’t forgive, how can I expect them to?”

  “Forgiveness is something my father seeks every day,” Jenessa admitted, tears rolling down her cheeks. “He believes that he is to blame for what happened to my mom. That if he’d been a better man, she would never have gotten ill. It’s unreasonable and untrue and he knows that deep down yet still it’s in his mind. He can’t get the thought out of his head and he suffers because of it. He punishes himself every day.”

  “I’m sorry for that and I’m sorry for what happened to your mom and you’re right, it’s not your dad’s fault.” Cooper’s shoulders heaved. “Come on, let’s go get some coffee and I’ll help you in any way I can. I’ve made up the guest room for you both. Stay tonight and then leave in the morning.”

  He stomped past them and Axel kept his arm around Jenessa as they turned to follow. She didn’t pull away from him, she needed to feel him there, to feel the heat of his skin and the rise and fall of his chest. Lately, her mom’s death seemed to haunt her more and more. With Tyler missing and her dad’s depression, she wished she could talk to her mom and ask her advice.

  “It’ll be okay,” Axel murmured against her ear.

  “We don’t know that.” She looked up at him through misted eyes. “But thanks anyway.”

  He let go of her when they reached a narrow stairway leading up from the garage area into a large open apartment above. The apartment was tastefully decorated, even if the furniture was sparse. Serviceable was probably the word she would use to describe it. The room had a sofa and a couple of easy chairs, plus a small dining table and a kitchen area. Everything a person needed to live, but aside from a bookshelf crammed with books, there were no personal effects. It was as if Cooper had no past. At least no past he wanted to be reminded of.

  “I’ve been making inquiries about Tyler since you called me.” Cooper made the coffee while he spoke. “No one seems to know anything about his whereabouts.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard the same from a couple of other guys. That’s why we are heading over to his gang’s territory to see if we can get any answers. Timone gave me the names of a couple of guys who might help.” Axel leaned against the kitchen counter while Jenessa went to the window and looked out at the cityscape before her. Between the buildings, she could glimpse the harbor. From the top floor of the buildings on the other side of the street, there would be a good view of the ocean beyond. Sooner or later these buildings would be snapped up by developers. Now might be a good time to invest in a couple.

  But she wasn’t here to figure out future investment opportunities for her money, she was here to find her brother.

  “Timone, so he’s still around.” Cooper laughed. “If anyone knows what is going on, it’s Timone.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping, although he wouldn’t say anything over the phone.” Axel watched Jenessa as she walked over to the kitchen area and sidled up to him.

  “He’s a cautious one. Even more so now than before. He’s old but he knows how technology works and how easy it is for what you say to be recorded and used against you.” Cooper poured the coffee and carried them over to the sitting area where he placed them down on a low coffee table. “But his caution means others are willing to confide in him. So, if anyone had information that might help, it’ll be him.”

  “Have you heard any word as to what might have been stolen?” Jenessa asked. “Tyler has never had an attachment to material things.”

  “Nope, not a thing.” Cooper’s eyes locked with hers. “Has he been in trouble for stealing before?”

  Jenessa didn’t look away when she answered, “No. Nothing like this at all. As I said, it’s like someone flipped a switch.”

  “However it happened, it happened. We can’t ignore the fact that he stole from bad people. He should know that. He should know better.” Cooper’s eyes flashed with anger.

  “I’m not excusing what he did.” Jenessa kept calm even though she sensed Cooper was on the attack. “But I’ve been trying to figure out how Tyler went from a normal guy to stealing something from a rival motorcycle gang. I don’t get it.”

  “Neither do I.” Axel jumped in to support her. “Why did he suddenly steal something like this? Normally it might be because his own gang asked him to. Like a badge of honor or even to steal back something that was taken from them. But if that was the case, his gang would have his back. Instead, he simply ran. Disappeared.”

  “So what changed him?” Cooper slumped down in one of the easy chairs and reached for his coffee.

  Jenessa glanced at Axel, who seated himself on the sofa and waited for her to si
t before he passed her a cup of coffee and took the last one for himself. “Do you have any idea?”

  The two men looked at each other but neither answered, which she took as a yes. Instead of pressing for further information, Jenessa drank her coffee and let the silence stretch out. Sooner or later someone had to speak, and it was not going to be her.

  “I am not sure why the Hell Fire MC hasn’t come out and said what he stole,” Cooper said at last. “There have been a lot of threats thrown around, but they haven’t mentioned what it is that Tyler stole. There’s some talk that he never stole anything at all, and this is all just a heap of bullshit.”

  “So why hasn’t Tyler come forward?” Jenessa asked. “If he’s innocent, why not just come forward, at least to his gang, and say he’s been stitched up?”

  Cooper studied his coffee cup with great interest and a slow creeping dread spread through Jenessa’s veins. Tyler hadn’t come forward because he couldn’t. Because he was dead. She put her hand to her mouth as her stomach churned.

  “I believe he stole something.” Axel’s tone was gentle and his voice quiet. “But I don’t think it’s an object. I think you are right when you said this is out of character for Tyler.”

  “Then what?” Jenessa asked.

  “What if it’s not a what, it’s a who?”

  Jenessa and Cooper stared at Axel as his words sank in. Jenessa couldn’t believe Tyler would kidnap anyone. But then her mind cleared, and it all made sense. What if the person Tyler had stolen was his mate?

  Chapter Fifteen – Axel

  Axel wasn’t sure he should have voiced his thoughts on what Tyler stole. He had no proof, and no one had given them any information that backed up his theory. However, it was the only thing that made sense.

  He’d been in gangs, he knew exactly how they worked, and he knew you never stole from a rival gang unless you had the backup of your own gang or a death wish.

  Or the means to disappear for a very long time, his cougar added.