Axe's Fall: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 4) (27 page)

Everyone stiffened and grew silent as a slight clack on the concrete reverberated against the brick walls. Rock stealthily crept toward the alley’s entrance then hid behind a commercial dumpster as a lone figure entered the alley. When he passed Rock, he stopped and surveyed the area then moved on. Before he passed the second dumpster, Rock was on him, pounding him to the ground, his knee pushing into the man’s back.

“Where are the other fuckers?” Rock slammed the guy’s face into the pavement.

“No. Stop. It’s me, Rodney. Stop.”

Axe came over and, with his boot’s toe, he turned the man’s face sideways. Even though it was a dark, moonless night, Axe could see the blood flowing from Rodney’s face. In the darkness of night, it appeared as misshapen birth marks.

“That you, Rodney?” Axe asked.

“Yeah. Get him off me. I can’t fuckin’ breathe.”

Rock jumped up, his thick fists gripping Rodney’s shirt, taking him up with him as he rose. “Didn’t know it was you,” he said when he set Rodney on his feet.

“What the hell you doing here?” Rags asked as he and the others approached the wiry man.

“Came to update you on the Skull Crushers.” He darted his eyes from one member to the other.

Rodney had been an informant for several years for the Insurgents. He was a pothead, and he ran in junkie circles. If someone new was dealing in Pinewood Springs, he’d know it. In exchange for information, the brothers papered his wallet and gave him prime weed. They had a working relationship, but Rodney was never a part of the club. If he betrayed them, they’d slit his throat in a second.

“So, what’s the word?” Axe asked.

“They split. They got word you were aiming for them, so they got out. Went back south, as I heard it. They had a few meth deals, but they skipped.”

“Who told them?” Rock leaned down and put his face an inch away from Rodney’s. “It wouldn’t have been you, would it?”

“No. No way. Absolutely no way.” Rodney stepped back from Rock, bumping into Chas’s strong chest.

“You wouldn’t be fuckin’ us around, would you?” Chas stared at him. “You didn’t tip them off for a few baggies of crystal, did you?”

“Fuck no. Shit, guys, we go back some years. I never did you no wrong. No way. No fuckin’ way. I heard they split from some junkies who wanted more crystal. They said they weren’t around, but would let them know when they’d be back. I’m cool, guys. I didn’t do you no wrong. I swear.”

“He’s cool,” Jax said as Rodney’s shoulders slumped.

“If we find out you’re shittin’ us, you’re a dead man.” Rock punched Rodney in the kidneys.

The man howled and doubled over. Axe threw five crisp one hundred dollar bills along with a paper bag filled with quality marijuana. “You did good, man. Later.”

The members shuffled out of the alley, their boots clicking on the pavement. As they rounded the corner, Axe saw Rodney, bowled over, collecting his pay and weed.

*     *     *

Baylee was a
welcome sight to Axe as she stepped aside and let him pass into her new room. It resembled her old one except it was reversed, the bed on the left. He drew her flush to him, loving the way her tits crushed against him. He kissed her, savoring the minty taste in her mouth.

“You look beat,” she said while she stroked his back.

“I am, babe.”

He led her to the bed, pulling her down with him as he sat. Axe kicked off his boots then stretched out on the bed, tugging her close to him. Twisting a few strands of silky hair around his finger, he kissed the top of her head.

“I see you’re settled into your new room. How was your day?” he asked.

“Okay.”

“No more flowers?”

“No. I gave the flowers to Tina, and when Palmer called to see if I received them, I asked him not to send any more.”

He squeezed her hard, trying to bring her as close as he could to him without suffocating her. “I’m glad.”

She traced the outlines of the tattoos on his arm. “I fell asleep a couple of hours ago. I had another nightmare.”

He brought his lips to the top of her head and asked, “Same as the others?”

“Yes and no. No in that I could see the killer’s face clearly, but it looked like a mixture of Palmer, Bob, Gary, and you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Crazy, huh?”

“Maybe there are features in each of us that the killer had. Like my hair color, you know?”

“Maybe. Bob has green eyes, so maybe that’s why. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe whoever is tormenting me found out about my mom from archived newspaper clippings and gets his jollies doing this. I don’t know.”

“Believe me, babe, you’re not crazy. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“Or maybe it
is
the killer, and he’s trying to drive me insane. Give me another nervous breakdown like I had years ago. When I had my breakdown, all the progress I’d made to that point disappeared—all clarity was gone. The killer has my journal, and he knows I’m remembering, clearer than I ever had. Maybe that’s the point, to make me have a meltdown so my mind returns to darkness.”

Axe squeezed her. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. You’re my woman. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

“Because that’s the way the Insurgents do it. They take care of their own.”

“Don’t you think we’re rushing into all this too fast? We’re having fun together, but I don’t expect you to risk your life helping me. I do appreciate all you’ve done for me, and just being here for me, helps a lot. You know, we don’t
really
know each other.”

“I know enough. Some people spend years with each other, and they don’t really know each other. There’s no fuckin’ way I’m letting some asshole hurt you.” He chuckled. “And don’t worry about me, I can take good care of myself. No fucker’s gonna take me out.” He pulled her in closer to him, her stiff body resisting. “Baylee, what the hell’s going on in your head?”

She cast her eyes downward, then shook her head. “Nothing.”

Lifting her head up with his thumb under her chin, Axe stared intently at her. “You’re not alone. I’m here, and the brothers are willing to help, if it comes to that. And this shit about not knowing each other means nothing.” A long breath blew through his parted lips. “From the first time I touched you, I felt a connection to you. I’d never fuckin’ felt something like that with a woman. It was like a spark, like static electricity. It fuckin’ freaked me out. I know you felt it too.”

Baylee nodded.

“That means something. I don’t know what, but I feel it when I’m with you. So don’t be tellin’ me not to take care of you. I’ll always have your back.”

“I know. I’m just freaking out about stuff. This whole situation with the killer has put me on edge with everything. It’s like I no longer have any control, he knows everything about me, and I know nothing about him. I’m not even sure if he has green eyes or a scar, they could just be figments of my dreams. Since all this crap started, I think about my mom all the time. I miss her like crazy.” Her voice cracked.

Axe didn’t know what to say. He wished he could eliminate the sonofabitch who was causing her so much pain. She was also freaking out about them, and he couldn’t blame her because it scared the crap out of him. He didn’t plan on this, and he’d never have guessed that he’d have opened his heart to another woman again. Once he took care of the killer, she’d be less nervous. He didn’t want her to walk out of his life, but he was also unsure on how they could make what they had work.
It’s so complicated. I shoulda left it at casual, but how could I? She’s fuckin’ amazing.

Axe held her in his arms, stroking her upper back, and with each stroke his desire for her grew. Each time he came near her, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman in his life, and if it was the last thing he did, he’d keep her safe. In a short time, she’d become very important to him, and he wasn’t about to lose her to anyone or anything.

Baylee’s heavy breathing filled the room.

“Baylee?” he whispered, nudging her a little.

“Uh?” she said groggily.

“You sleeping, babe?”

“Took a sleeping pill a half hour before you came. I need to sleep without the nightmares.”

Soon, she was fast asleep, and Axe’s hard-on would have to wait.

Shit.

He turned off the lights and watched the boxing match on television.

*     *     *

The following morning,
Axe woke up with a raging case of morning wood, hornier than hell. Reaching over, he patted the mattress. He rolled on his side and stared at the empty space. Thinking Baylee was in the bathroom, he shimmied out of his boxers and waited for her to come back to bed.

The minutes ticked away, and Axe padded over to the bathroom door to see if she was feeling all right. A sudden coldness hit to the core as he shuffled back a couple of steps. Dashing over to the nightstand, he took out his phone and called Baylee.

“Don’t be mad at me,” she said.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“I’m fine. I went for a drive. I had to have some time to myself.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Axe ground his teeth.

“Everything is a jumble of emotions for me right now. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster speeding down hills and curves, never able to just stop and think.”

“I thought we resolved this last night. Come back home. Do you realize the danger you’re putting yourself in? Fuck, Baylee, you’re alone. Damnit!”

“And that’s the point—I’m alone. I don’t have anyone around. I need this for a while.”

“You may not be as alone as you think. Hell, if you wanted to be alone today, you should’ve told me. I was gonna tell you last night, but you fell asleep. I’ve gotta help a buddy of mine who’s doing a charity poker run. I’ll be gone for about four days. I got you covered with Puck and Blade. You’ll have four days of alone time.”

“I’ll have my bodyguards. I just wanted to feel free, that’s all. I needed to think about us, too. I’m not sure how the ‘casual sex’ plan went so off-kilter.”

“ ‘Cause we found out we really like each other. That we’re connected. Were you listening to anything I said last night? Fuck.”

“I feel like I have to regroup, that’s all. At work, I’ve done a half-assed job on the project because I’m distracted by you.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” He laughed.

“It can be. I want to make partner. I just have to regroup.”

“Regroup, my ass. What we have blows my mind, too, but I’m not running away from it. I thought I’d be the last person who’d be tied to one woman, and I’m getting plenty of shit about it from the brothers. As far as your career, I’m not stopping you from your goal of partnership.”

“I think about you all the time,” she said softly.

He chuckled. “I like hearing that. I think about you, too.”

She groaned. “My job is important to me. How can we have anything living so far apart?”

“I don’t know, but we got something now. We’ll have to see how it plays out. You’re in danger, babe. Come back to the hotel.”

“Okay, but we need to slow down a bit. If what we have is real, then bringing it down a notch won’t hurt.”

“When it comes to women, I don’t know how to slow down.” He exhaled. “You’re afraid to give your heart to me ‘cause you think I’ll be taken away like your mom was. That’s not gonna happen.”

“How do you know? When my mom kissed me goodnight, she definitely didn’t think that was going to be the last time. She didn’t know she’d be dead an hour later.” Her voice hitched.

“Life is fucked sometimes, I know, but you can’t hide from it because of something that might happen. If we did that, none of us would be living—we’d only be existing. Come on back. Come on, babe.”

“I’m on my way back. I have a question.”

“What?” His stomach tensed.

“What’s a charity poker run?”

As he roared with laughter, all tension seeped from him. “This one’s for charity. Some of ‘em are to raise money for the club. Bikers must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. The point is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. You gotta pay fees to be part of the event, and sometimes people sponsor you. It’s fun, and money is raised. I wasn’t sure I was going to go with all the shit goin’ on, but my real good buddy organized it, and it’s for his son who has cancer. Fuckin’ sucks.”