Chapter 28

~Ax~

 

Jesus, leaving her place tonight was hard. Fucking painful. I don’t wanna be away from her. Especially, when I got no clue when I’ll be back. My business in Brockford is done with, seeing as all the leads she gave me on Broker and Bulldozer are dead now after the fuck up of her tryin’ to go after one of the Mavs’ shipments. They woulda moved ‘round by now, so all that intel’s useless. The club still has business in Brockford, but Trig’s already chosen the guys to take care of that and I ain’t a part of it. Unless Skinner rides into the city, then I got no business being there. Yeah, if that psycho makes an appearance, I’m there in a fucking flash putting a bullet between his eyes.

Hell, after our blow up before I took off, Trig’ll probably pull me from the entire thing just to make sure I don’t go after Broker on some rogue mission.

Lights up ahead on the road at the city border catch my eye. Hazard lights. As I get closer, I see a Hummer right in the middle of the goddamn road. It ain’t pulled over. It’s just right there blocking my way. Ain’t a good sign.

I eye the field to my left. Looks boggy as shit. Nah, it’s too risky on a bike.

I hit the brakes, stopping a few feet away. I pull off my helmet, put it on the saddle and dismount quickly, pulling my Desert Eagle as I walk over to the blockade up ahead. What the hell is this bullshit?

“Ax!”

A guy rounds the hood and I can just ‘bout make him out in the shitty dim lighting on the road. Ralph Taylor. Rox’s former business partner.

“What’s this?” I demand, walking up to him, my gun aimed right at him. He might be a friend of Rox’s, but he ain’t mine, so I ain’t taking no chances.

“You can put that away. I’m not armed,” he tells me. I watch as he pulls out the pockets of his denim jacket and opens both sides to show me there ain’t nothing there. He lifts it. No holsters. Then he pulls up the legs of his cargo pants. Again, no holsters.

“There somebody else in the car?” Does he really think I’m fucking stupid?

“Look, if I wanted you dead, I would have come prepared and shot you as you rode up here. I’ve been monitoring Rox’s surveillance around Brockford. I knew you were headed this way ten minutes ago.”

Fine.

I holster my gun.

“You need to leave Rox alone,” he tells me.

I fold my arms across my chest. “What?” I bark.

“You’re putting her in danger by being with her.”

“Fuck if I am.”

“You make her reckless. I thought she was past all that from years ago, but you bring it out in her. She’s back on her bike. Hadn’t ridden it for years until you came along. Her impulsive attack on the Mavs. Making a deal with your club. Spending time with you and a bunch of your biker buddies. Taking you to her actual home. Reckless.”

“She ain’t a kid. She knows what she’s doing.”

“That’s just the start of it. There’s shit you don’t know.”

“Then fucking enlighten me, cuz I ain’t hearing nothing that justifies the shit you’re saying.”

“You won’t listen to me? Maybe you’ll listen to someone from your world.” He lifts his chin at the Hummer. On instinct, I reach for my holster as the passenger door opens and somebody steps out. I can’t see shit as he slams the door shut. It’s too dark where he’s standing.

But then he rounds the hood and joins Ralph, stepping into the light.

“Fucking hell,” I choke, taking a step back in complete shock. No way. No fucking way. “Dealer?”

“Ax. Long time.”

“You…died. The crash. You and your wife,” I fumble, tryin’ to think and get a grip on what I’m seeing.

“She did. I survived. Went to ground.”

“You knew he was alive?” I thunder at Ralph.

He nods.

“What ‘bout Rox? You didn’t think she deserved to know her old man was alive all these fucking years, asshole?”

Ralph goes to respond, but Dealer grips his shoulder and shakes his head at him.

“When I went to ground, I had Ralph watch out for my girl, Ax, so watch your mouth. He’s just doing what I asked. What’s best for her. Roxana don’t take no for an answer. You might’ve noticed. She woulda come looking for me, putting herself in danger. Couldn’t risk it. I’m better off dead to her.” He closes the distance between us and growls, “And she’s better off without you in her life too.”

“Give me a break,” I scoff.

He fists his hands in my cut and jerks me towards him. “Our life ain’t for her!” he roars. “Last time she got mixed up in it, Skinner nearly raped and killed her! My daughter, Ax! The shithead had his fucking hands on her! You think that ain’t gonna happen again if you stay with her? You’re gonna bring it to her doorstep! The son of the Mavs Prez and the daughter of the former Black Thorns Prez? Fuck. Don’t you get it? It can never happen!”

“She. Is. Mine.” I rip his hands off my cut and push him back.

“My daughter ain’t biker trash!”

“Damn straight she ain’t!”

He flinches at that, clearly not expecting it. “She ain’t an Old Lady either, if that’s what you’re telling me.”

“What I’m telling you is I fucking love her, all right? And I know she sure as fuck ain’t Old Lady material. Ain’t gonna be a problem soon, cuz me and the club…” I motion a slicing motion across my neck.

“You’re cutting and running?”

“If I do it proper, I ain’t gonna be running, but yeah, I want out.”

He studies me for a couple of seconds. “But you’re waiting for Skinner. I got eyes on my club, Ax. I know you’re tryin’ to find him to take him out.”

His club? Fucking egomaniac.

“To get to him, you gotta go through Broker. And you can’t take down Broker,” he tells me. He glares hard at me. “The asshole trained you. Taught you how to fight. Every move you make, he’ll see it before you even make it. Plus, you got a temper on you. He knows it and he’ll use it.”

“Bullshit. If there weren’t no way to get at Skinner, why would Trig even set me up on that mission?”

“Cuz he’s always had his eye on you, dickhead!”

“What?”

“It ain’t no secret that all the boys are gunning for you to take on the Prez role. Even when Broker was there as VP and you were Sergeant-at-Arms, Trig was always shit-scared you’d take it from him. Cuz you’d do a hell of a better job than that pussy. As Prez you gotta know when to hold back and when to make a goddamn move. He only knows how to hold back. You got way better decision-making skills than him. You got the ability to make the right decisions and know how to lead and how to inspire the boys. They all look up to you. You got all that in you.” He grimaces. “Got it in your blood, right?”

My eyes narrow. “Never fucking say that again. Me and Skinner ain’t nothing alike. You feel me?”

“Fine.”

I shift my weight. “You’re saying Trig knows there ain’t no way I can really get at Skinner? That he set me up on a suicide mission?”

“Yeah, kid. Even with you outta the club, there weren’t no guarantee you wouldn’t come back one day. He couldn’t kill you without all the boys finding out ‘bout it. You were too close to ‘em even as a civilian for those couple of years. So…he sends you after your old man.”

“Shit,” I breathe.

“This is what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna help you kill Skinner. In exchange, you’re gonna walk away from Roxana.”

“You just said—”

“I’m gonna draw him out.”

“How?”

“By letting him know I’m still alive.”

“Why would he care? You ain’t Prez no more.”

“Cuz, kid, he’s the guy who tried to kill me fifteen years ago.”

This is news to me. It was ruled as an accident by the cops and the club. “Why?”

“Cuz I was ‘bout to take him out.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Too much shit to process. “I don’t get it. You guys were in business together. Lucrative shit. The clubs weren’t rivals back then as bad as they are now. Why the hell would you try to bury each other?”

His eyes lock with mine.

“Cuz I was in love with his wife.”

My chest tightens. I feel sick. “No,” I say shaking my head. “I remember you coming to our house when I was a kid. You always disrespected her.”

“Keeping up appearances, Ax. All bullshit.”

I turn away and rub my face roughly. “Fuck me.” Dealer was in love with my mom? This is messed.

He grabs my arm and jerks me back ‘round. “You see? It’s always the women who get caught in the crossfire of all our bullshit. My wife. Your mom. And now, my daughter. Ain’t gonna let it happen, Ax. She ain’t gonna end up like ‘em.”

“I’ll fucking protect her.”

Pain flashes on his face. “We all think we can, kid. But life ain’t that simple.”

“I ain’t leaving her,” I seethe.

“Yeah, you are. If you really do love her, you will. You’ll take this deal—Skinner for my daughter—and that’ll be that.”

We stand there staring one another down.

Fucking hell.