SOULLESS (Black Thorns, #2) (6 page)

I’m not even sure I can. Just hearing that reference to that tragic day where everything was ripped away in one fell swoop, has my mind reeling and me retreating into myself as part of some sort of protective instinct.

I feel Neil wrap his arms around me, shielding me in a protective bear hug. “It’s okay, beautiful girl. It’s all okay. Yeah? You feel me?”

“Yeah,” I eke out.

Chapter 6

~Ax~

“Shit,” Dealer mutters from beside me as we both lean against our bikes in the underground parking lot of Rox’s condo building.

After his slip up back in the alley, Rox asked us both to wait outside for her while she took a quick shower and packed a bag. She didn’t want either of us going into her place with her. I know it’s cuz she’s tryin’ to get her shit together after all the painful memories Dealer and his big mouth dredged up for her. It’s taking me a lot to wrap my head ‘round it—
her
—the major change in her. She ain’t the woman I knew. She ain’t the ball-buster I first met in Brockford all those months back.

When we were fucking, I did see the old her. The wild thing that I remembered. But running up to it, she weren’t
her.
Fuck, I almost stopped right there when I saw that look in her eyes. Fear or some shit, like I was the big bad wolf and she was a helpless lamb to the slaughter. It threw me through a loop, cuz she’s always been the one girl I been with who could give me a run for my money, give it back to me every damn time. The second I’d touched her, she became the old her. I felt it while we were fucking. But then not wanting me to pull out? What was that?

Yeah, she’s different all right. And I ain’t exactly sure how to handle it. Ain’t never had to handle no one with kid gloves before, especially not her. But it’s looking like that’s what I gotta do here now. Ain’t my area of expertise either. Shit.

“Yeah. Ain’t exactly gentle, are you?” I respond to Dealer as I drag on my smoke.

“Never had to be with her before. Roxana’s always been a tough little thing. But all the shit that went down a few months back…she ain’t moved past it.”

“Yeah. I’m getting that.”

“It don’t make sense, Ax. Her life ain’t exactly been easy. Ever. But nothing’s had her like this before.”

His words hit me hard. Shit. I get it now. I get what’s happened here. Jesus Christ. “It’s my fault.”

“What?”

“Things between us…changed her. She got a taste of something she weren’t used to and she wanted it…to settle down…us and our kid. And then it all got ripped away. How’d you let go of that?” I push off my bike and turn, kicking the concrete pillar behind me. “It all went to shit, cuz of me!”

“Nah, weren’t you, Ax. All on Trig and Skinner.”

“She was my woman! Was my job to protect her and I fucking failed.”

He shakes his head sadly. “No one coulda stopped that truck from going off the road. Me and Ralph were shocked you kept control over it for as long as you did. Fucking incredible driving. And kicking that windshield out like that when you were half dead at the time…you saved her life. Some superhuman shit there, Ax. I know I came at you at the hospital, but, truth is, I ain’t never gonna forget what you did for her.” He grips my shoulder. “Fuck.
You
were gonna walk away from the entire club for my daughter. I weren’t prepared to do that for Kim. Roxana was your top priority above all else, even above taking out Skinner—something you’d wanted for decades. And you were gonna walk away from it. For her.”

“I—” My words get lost as something in my peripherals catches my attention.

I turn to get a proper look.

A limo’s pulling up at the front of the building.

Didn’t even hear the damn thing coming down the street. Then again, my hearing ain’t exactly the best. Too many years ‘round a bunch of noisy bikes and all that. Don’t help that me and Dealer were distracted talkin’ ‘bout what we were either.

“Fuck,” Dealer mutters as he follows my line of sight.

We watch three guys step out. But it’s the guy in the middle that’s got my full attention.

The suit.

He heads up the steps and gestures for his guys to stay there, just outside the lobby. They stand there like a couple of guard dogs as he disappears inside the building.

I’d recognize that piece of shit anywhere.

“Kent,” I seethe.

“Jesus. He moved faster than I figured he would,” Dealer says, the strain in his voice giving him away. Can’t hide how fucking scared he is right now—scared for his daughter. He makes a move towards the guard dogs, but I grab his arm, pulling him back.

“Ax! He’s headed up to her! We gotta move now!”

“Yeah, we do. But on the down low. We take on Kent’s guard dogs and he’s gonna know we’re here. He’ll just call in more of his guys and it’ll be a fucking bloodbath before you can snap your damn fingers. Too damn hard to cover up all that shit.” I point to the stairwell entrance—the emergency exit door—at the other end of the parking lot.

“That damn thing’s locked.”

“You know my background, old man.”

He nods, getting it. I used to be a thief and I was real good at it. Getting that door open ain’t gonna be a problem.

“All right. Let’s move,” he says, leading the way.

***

I feel much better now I’m out of that damn dress and in much more comfortable clothes: jeans, a black tank top, along with my leather riding boots for the long bike ride that awaits me. Neil’s clubhouse is about a three-hour drive from here. Although, with the way he and my dad ride, it could actually be a lot shorter. They’re really similar in how they ride. They both think they’re above the law when it comes to speed limits and the rules of the road.

As I reach for my leather jacket lying on my bed, I stop short.

Footsteps!

Someone is coming down the hallway.

I shake my head at myself. Why am I freaking out? It must be Neil or my dad. They’ve probably come to hurry me along. Neither of them is known for their patience. I’m surprised they’ve actually lasted the twenty minutes it’s taken me to shower, change and pack up a few things, without texting me to hurry.

They probably wanted to, but didn’t because they’re frightened of upsetting me again, after the incident earlier and how badly I reacted to what my dad accidentally said. Urgh. I feel like an idiot. I should’ve just brushed it off, but it’d caught me off guard and I’d failed. I’d actually ended up crying in front of them on the journey to my place. Both of them had been so shocked that they’d barely said a word to me. They’re both tough-as-nails alpha male types and sensitivity isn’t exactly their strong suit. They probably didn’t know how the hell to handle the situation.

That awkwardness is why I asked them to wait downstairs. I needed time to get myself together, so I can
appear
completely fine when I join them again.

I snatch up my jacket and the gym bag I packed with a few clothes and supplies to tide me over for a while. I start towards the bedroom door.

And that’s when I see I was incredibly wrong. Those footsteps I heard don’t belong to Neil or my dad.

They belong to
him
.

Oh my God.

I step back and end up dropping my bag and jacket in my utter shock.

“Malcolm,” I gasp.

“It’s been a while, Roxana.”

“What are you doing here?”

“You and I have business to discuss, baby.”

He’s leaning against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. He’s dressed just like the man I’d known years ago—in a designer suit. This one is a black pinstripe with a crisp white shirt and a black silk tie. He’s clean shaven as usual. He brushes back his wavy, shoulder-length black hair and those piercing deep brown eyes of his sweep over me, eye-fucking me on the spot.

I’m not really surprised. Malcolm never did hide his feelings towards me. He was very overt with it all. Public displays of affection. Grand gestures.

“What business?” I ask, having absolutely no clue as to why he’s suddenly here, in my home, after all this time.

He grins slyly and takes a step into my bedroom.

I force myself not to react. That’s not the way to deal with a man like Malcolm. As soon as he smells fear, it’s all over. I need to maintain the upper hand here and act like his shocking presence in my home after all these years isn’t freaking me out beyond belief.

But…shit…what the fuck is he doing here?

Stop it. Just breathe. Breathe.

I turn and snatch up my jacket. As I do, I catch his eye and I’m shocked to see him suddenly storming towards me.

He closes the distance between us in seconds. He grabs my arm and fingers my tattoo. The sun and the thorns. My
Neil tattoo.
It represents us. He always used to call me his sunshine, hence the sun. And the thorns? Well, they stand for him—the president of Black Thorns.

“Thorns?” Malcolm murmurs.

He releases me roughly and demands, “Does this mean what I think it does?”

“It’s not your business,” I tell him as I shrug on my jacket and then sling my gym bag over my shoulder.

It’s as if I haven’t just spoken at all, as he barks at me, “You were with one of the club members? A Black Thorns club member? There’s a small heart in the tattoo design.”

“Like I said; it’s not your business.”

I try to move past him, but he steps into my path. His fingers reach out and fondle my hair. “Roxana, baby,” he says in that sickly sweet voice of his. “I would like a name, if you don’t mind.”

“No.”

“You know I can find out on my own anyway.”

Argh. Dammit. Of course. “Neil Barron.”

“Barron?” He thinks for a moment and then his eyes narrow dangerously. “Ax? You mean
him?
”

“You know him?”

He laughs then, a creepy unhinged laugh. Leaning in to me, he whispers in my ear in an eerie low voice, “You let that biker trash defile you? Spread your legs for him, Roxana? Let him use this gorgeous body of yours, the way you let me? I thought we were always on the same page about them? About bikers? We hated them, Roxana.”

I slam my hands into his chest, knocking him back. “Get your hands off me!”

“He is trash!” he screams at me. “They all are!”

“He’s different!”

He stiffens then. He looks away, trying to get himself together. Malcolm rarely ever loses his cool like that.

“My apologies,” he says, his tone completely calm all of a sudden. “I came here to do business. Seeing you again, though, just…confused me. I’m sorry.”

“What do you want?” I demand, taking a seat on my bed.

“I
thought
you and I could do business again. Partner up on an initiative of mine.”

“What? I thought you were done? Retired?”

He smirks. “I was recuperating, but now I’m back. And I’m ready.”

Oh shit. “Ready for what?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“To settle the blood debt.”

“Skinner’s dead, Malcolm. It’s over now.”

“That wasn’t
my
doing, Roxana! Ax took that from me when he killed him. He took the vengeance that I’d been waiting years on. Fortunately, I still have
him
.”

Oh my God. “He didn’t have anything to do with what happened to your mom.”

“He’s his
son
! It’s good enough. Blood for blood. And while I’m at it, I’ll put an end to that club of his. Yet another one I can cross off my list. More trash off the streets.”

“This is insane.”

“I’d anticipated your help with this, Roxana. A few years back, you’d have been on board with what I’m doing here. Your distaste for bikers rivalled mine.”

“I would never be on board for a massacre!”

“I never intended to allow
you
to make the kills. I just simply wished to enlist your help to ascertain an in to the club, a way past their security. I’d prefer to carry out this
massacre
, as you so eloquently put it, covertly. The last thing I need is to draw attention to myself, especially from the law. A huge
obvious
assault on their compound would result in just that.” He takes a step towards me. “But
you
know that club. It was your father’s at one point, after all.”

“I won’t help you.”

“You don’t wish to—not now. I see that. Because of
him
.” He grabs hold of my jaw, squeezing hard. “But you will. Now I know how
close
you are with Ax, himself, you are even more of an invaluable asset than I’d first believed.”

I pull out of his grip. “No.” I point to the door. “Now, leave.”

He doesn’t make any move, so I dodge past him and hurry out of the room myself.

I hear his footsteps behind me. He calls out, “I came here in person rather than sending my associates, Roxana. Do not make me do something that I don’t wish to.”