Angels In Leather

by Bella Jewel

  “Didn’t think you could hold out that long,” I grate out between clenched teeth as I try to stop myself from screaming.

  He reaches around and pinches my nipple for my comment. “We’ll see,” he murmurs.

  He slides his hand down, still thrusting, and finds my clit. I groan, “That’s unfair.”

  He chuckles into my ear, and nips at my lobe. “Life’s unfair, baby. Get used to it.”

  I whimper, and curl backward as sparks of pleasure find their way to the surface. I want to come already, and there’s no holding back.

  I scream as Axel pinches my clit, and the first wave of pleasure racks my body. He grunts, and lets me ride it out before spinning me around, and reaching down for my legs. A moment later, I’m jacked up on his body, my legs wrapped firmly around his waist. He gently lowers me, not moving his eyes from mine, and he fills me again.

  “Number two is coming right up,” he husks, placing a hand on the wall beside my head.

  I tilt my head, opening my mouth, and closing it over his bicep. He grumbles, and I bite down, hard. He hisses, and drops his head down to my neck, clamping his own mouth onto my skin.

  I cry out, snaking my tongue out, and licking the spot I bit. He chuckles again, and pulls his head back, causing me to turn my head. The minute I do, he closes his lips over mine, and we lock ourselves into a kiss so deep and beautiful, it has my skin prickling.

  It’s a kiss of love.

  He thrusts his hips so gently, so slowly, that my release is hanging on the edge, causing my entire body to tense. I want to go over, but at the same time I just want him to keep fucking me like this, nice and slow. He wrenches his mouth away from mine, and his eyes are filled with lust. “I’m goin’ to come, baby, you need to join me,” he rasps.

  “Fuck me harder, then,” I groan.

  His eyes flare, and he begins moving his hips faster, harder, driving into me with such force that my head bumps back onto the tiled wall. I come within three pumps, and I scream out my release, crying out his name, and clenching around him. He throws his head back a minute later, and a ragged cry escapes his throat as he explodes into me, pumping his release into my eager body.

  “Holy shit,” I manage to whisper after five minutes of shuddering.

  “Yeah, that about covers it,” he croaks into my ear.

  He lets me go, and I slowly put my feet back onto the floor. My knees wobble, but I manage to hold myself up. Axel reaches for the soap, and fills his palm. We spend the next hour in the shower, washing each other, touching each other, and just being together for the first time without this wall between us.

  It’s perfect.

  But perfection never lasts.

  CHAPTER 25

  AXEL

  For you I will sacrifice, to show you, love, you are my life.

  Meadow gave me the USB. She put it in my hands, and she trusted me with it. It broke down the last walls between us, because I know how much it took for her to give it to me. Her dad gave that to her, with one order. She made a promise, but she ended up being faced with a situation that tested her, and she decided to put her faith in me. Nothing could make me love her more. Nothing.

  Finally, I have my girl.

  Then it all goes south.

  I hear the rumbling of a mass amount of bikes just as Meadow dozes off against my arm later that night. My eyes narrow, and I slowly get up. She jerks awake, and her eyes widen when she hears the noise.

  I don’t know why the guys would come out here unless something was wrong. Shit, is something wrong? I walk toward the window, and stare out, waiting...Maybe they’re just a group of bikes going past? I’d probably believe that, if something weren’t clenching in my chest right now.

  Something’s not right.

  “Is that your guys?” Meadow asks, stepping up beside me.

  “Don’t know, darlin’,” I murmur still keeping my eye on the driveway.

  I see lights flash, and then the sounds of bikes coming down gravel fills my ears. This isn’t right. Something is off. I squint my eyes, and then I see them, and I know right away they’re not my guys. My entire body stops for a minute, and fear courses through my veins. That son of a bitch. He must have followed me out here, and then gotten himself some backup. He knew I couldn’t call my guys in time; he knew he’d trap me if I were here.

  I spin to Meadow. Her eyes are wide and frantic. She’s seen who they are too.

  “You need to run, and you need to run now. Go, Meadow, don’t fuckin’ stop.”

  “I can’t leave you here, Axel,” she cries, her face washed with fear.

  I take her shoulders, forcing my voice to go hard and steely. “I’m not giving you a fucking choice. Go, get onto the road, find a lift. Get my guys. Don’t hesitate, don’t stop, just do it. If you don’t go, and they take us both, then my guys will never be able to get the leads they need to find us. You gotta do this for me. You can’t argue with me on this.”

  “What about Lady?” she gasps.

  I shake my head. “She’s out, she will be for at least four hours. They won’t be here when she gets back. Just go, Cricket.”

  She slowly nods, just as the bikes come to a skidding halt outside. I rush over to Lady’s drawer, pulling out the two guns she keeps there. I thrust one at Meadow, and then I clutch one firmly in my hand.

  “Axel...”

  I press my finger to her lips. “Don’t, just run, baby. Run hard.”

  She nods, and a tear slides from her eye. She’s terrified, but she sucks it in, and turns and rushes toward the back door. I watch her go, and then I turn to where the sounds of boots crunching are coming closer. Holding my head high, I walk out onto the front porch. Beast is standing in front of at least eighty bikers. I hold the gun in one hand, ready to fight with everything I am.

  “Nice one, Beast,” I grunt.

  He grins, and walks forward. “You know me. I don’t do anything in halves.”

  “What do you want? Clearly something, or you wouldn’t have rounded up a hundred pussies to do your dirty work.”

  His jaw ticks, but he keeps his grin. “Big words for a man standing alone.”

  I shrug, even though my body is stiff and on alert. “Shit happens.”

  “Where’s Meadow?” he asks causally, looking behind me.

  “Didn’t you hear? Raide took her.”

  He narrows his eyes, studying to see if I’m serious or not. “Well, that just makes my plan a whole lot easier then, doesn’t it? If Raide has Meadow, then we can take you, and I’m sure between the two of them they’ll do whatever it takes to get you back. Like, say, give over a USB?”

  “The USB has been destroyed, Beast. You’re wasting your time,” I say, keeping my voice hard, even though I’m racked with fear and rage.

  He throws his head back, and laughs. “Now you think I’m stupid.”

  “I know you’re stupid,” I hiss.

  His eyes grow hard. “As much as I’d love to sit here and talk to you about this, I don’t have the time, nor the patience. I know that USB isn’t destroyed, and I know you’re lying. So, I’m going to take a leap here, and assume Raide or Meadow will come for your sorry ass. Leaving me with only one choice...”

  He raises his hand, and a gunshot blares out through the night. My body is shoved back, and a burning pain shoots through my shoulder. It’s like being hit with a hot poker. Blood leaks down my arm, and the pain intensifies to the point where a ragged roar leaves my throat, and I drop to my knees, howling in pain.

  “Now it’s time we do this my way,” Beast growls.

  CHAPTER 26

  MEADOW

  As my soul is ripped apart, I will give you, my heart.

  I’m drenched by the time a car stops. I’ve been running for an hour and my legs are aching. I feel sick to my stomach, not knowing if Axel is ok, or if he’s hurt. I finally get a lift with a young boy, who drops me directly to the compound. I charge through the front doors, and into the main living area. The moment the guys
see me, drenched, panting and frantic, they stop everything. Cobra rushes over first, taking hold of my shoulders.

  “Shit kid, what’s goin’ on?”

  “It’s Axel,” I cry out. “B-b-beast showed up...I don’t know what happened, he made me come and get you.”

  “Where?” he barks.

  “Lady’s house.”

  “When?”

  “About two hours ago,” I whisper.

  Cobra spins around. “Boys, get on your bikes. Now!”

  Everything happens in a blur after that. The guys get on their bikes, and I hear Cobra barking orders. Soon they’re skidding off into the night, guns loaded, ready to find their boss. I am left behind, alone, with only a few strays left hanging around. I go to Axel’s room, and crawl onto his bed, letting the tears escape. God, they took him, I just know it. I tremble with fear, and pull out my phone, trying to dial his number. It goes straight to voice mail.

  The sick feeling that spreads through my stomach is enough to make me run to the bathroom and throw up.

  Please God, let him be ok.

  ~*~*~*~

  The next twelve hours of my life are slow and completely agonizing. I just sit, blaming myself. If I didn’t go out there, he would have never had to follow me. It would have never happened. Colt keeps telling me repeatedly that it’s not my fault. How can he say that? I’m the one who refused not to listen. I’m the one who ran constantly, making Axel chase me. It is my fault. He’s gone because of me. Grief doesn’t begin to explain what I’m feeling right now.

  I hate myself.

  I’m curled up in a corner, just watching they guys run past. None of them have slept. They’ve been making calls, trying to track cell phones, and doing the best they can to locate Axel. They can’t. Beast isn’t in his compound. He’s not co-operating at all. We don’t know where Axel is. We have no idea. It feels like we’re banging our heads against a brick wall.

  Then my phone rings.

  And I see Axel’s number.

  I can’t scramble quickly enough to press the enter button. I hold the phone to my ear, and the entire room stops, watching me, their eyes wide. “H-h-hello?” I whisper, praying with everything inside me that I hear Axel’s voice on the phone.

  I don’t.

  “Well, hello, Meadow.”

  It’s Beast. My blood runs cold, and I clench my fists.

  “What have you done with him?” I snarl.

  “You know, I’ve thought about this, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I thought about keeping Axel until I had the USB drive, but then I decided, I really don’t want to let him go. Without Axel, that club will go up in flames. They can’t function without him. When he’s gone they will run off the rails, and the cops will focus on them. I’ve really only wanted Axel for one thing...the satisfaction of killing him.”

  “You’re bluffing,” I stammer.

  A cold laugh comes across the phone. “Poor naive little girl, how stupid do you think I am? Axel had the USB on him, and now I have it. I simply have no purpose for him. He’s been scum in my life for too long now...”

  My body freezes. I gave Axel the USB. Oh God, I gave it to him right before Beast showed up. Tears leak out of my eyes, and fear makes it hard to breathe.

  “Please,” I whisper, “I’ll give you anything, just bring him back.”

  Colt kneels in front of me, his eyes searching my face.

  “Aw, now, your pleading might have worked if I hadn’t already killed him.”

  “You’re lying,” I scream.

  “I have pictures, if you’d like. Please hold; I’ll send them through to your phone.”

  The next few seconds of my life pass by in a blur as I feel my phone vibrate in my hand. With the function of a robot, I move it from my ear and stare down at the screen. My scream escapes, ragged and broken, as a picture of Axel, covered in blood, his eyes wide open, his head tilted back. He looks...dead. No.

  No.

  Colt snatches the phone from my hand, looks at the picture, and then presses it to his ear. “You son of a bitch. I’ll fucking kill you for this. I’ll fucking gut you.”

  Then he sends the phone soaring across the room, but I don’t notice. My entire body slumps forward. There’s no strength to hold myself up. All I can see in my head is Axel’s vacant eyes, and the way his mouth was slightly open. My screams come out high-pitched and violent, unbreakable. Colt leans down, scooping me into his arms. I feel his hot tears drop down onto my cheek. By the time we’re halfway down the hall, my screaming has turned to ragged pleas.

  “He’s lying!” I cry, not believing it.

  It can’t be over. It’s a trick. He’s playing with us.

  Colt looks down at me, his eyes broken. “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “No, Colt, he’s not dead,” I begin to scream again. The pain in my chest is something I can’t explain. It’s like two hands have reached in, and torn my heart out. Desperation fills my veins, fighting against reality. This isn’t real. It’s just too easy. It’s too simple. Beast wouldn’t just ring up and say he’s dead. It’s not how a man like him works. He wants a fight, he wants our desperation.

  It can’t be real.

  Colt takes me to his room, and lays me on the bed. I clutch him, not wanting to let him go, needing something to take this aching pain in my chest away. Grief wracks my body, causing me to shake and cry so hard my teeth snap together. My mumbled words are not comprehendible to anyone. My lifeline has been torn from me. We never even got a chance. We finally broke down that wall, and then we were left with nothing but emptiness.

  My beautiful broken man can’t be gone.

  CHAPTER 27

  MEADOW

  Darkness, consume me.

  “You need to keep looking, Cobra!” I cry, storming through the club four days later.

  I’m sleep stricken, my eyes are burning, and I haven’t eaten in days. I know Axel isn’t gone, and no matter what everyone is telling me, something doesn’t feel right. It’s just not in Beast’s nature to go down that easily, and after finding out what he did to Axel all those years ago, I’m not convinced he’s not doing it again. He’d get off far more by knowing he had Axel, torturing him, while everyone thinks he’s dead.

  Cobra glares at me. “Fuck, Meadow, I’m doin’ everything I can. I can’t find Beast. I’m not entirely convinced we ever will.”

  “You can’t give up on him, he’s not dead!”

  “We saw a damned photo!” he barks, stress consuming him.

  “That means nothing, you know that. How can you just walk away so easily?”

  He grabs my shoulder, shaking me slightly. “God dammit, Meadow. I’ve not slept trying to find him. Do you think I’ll rest until I at least have his body? Jesus, you’re making out like I don’t fucking care. He’s like my fucking brother.”

  His voice cracks on the last word, and my heart sinks. God, I’m being such a bitch. He’s doing everything he can, but there’s only so much they can do without recourses. I step forward, wrapping my arms around his waist. He stiffens, and I’m sure for a moment he won’t hug me, but finally he wraps his arms around me. I hold onto him, needing some comfort. My heart is breaking day by day.

  I won’t lose my fight though.

  “I’m so sorry, Cobra,” I whisper. “I know you’re hurting too.”

  He pulls back, looking down at me with a hard stare. “You gotta let me work this how I need to.”

  I nod. “And you have to let me work it how I need to.”

  He doesn’t question me, because quite frankly I think he’s gotten so desperate that he needs the reassurance that someone else is out there looking for Axel besides him. I give him a weak nod, and grip the keys to Axel’s SUV. I walk out the front door without another look. There’s only one person who might be able to help me now, and that’s Raide.

  The ride over to his office is slow; my mind keeps going to Axel. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about what he’s going through right now. I don’
t even want to think of the situation he’s probably in, but I do know I’ll fight, just like the guys, until the day I get a final answer. It’ll be Axel alive – which I believe he is – or it’ll be sighting his body as proof he’s gone. I won’t stop until I get one or the other.

  “Meadow,” the receptionist says as I walk through the front door to Raide’s office.

  “Is he here?” I whisper, exhausted.

  “Yes, let me call him.”

  She’s giving me a hard stare; clearly she thinks that I’m having one off with her boss. She has no idea. I hear her whispering something on the phone, and then she hangs up and I see Raide’s office door open. At the sight of him, my eyes burn. I don’t know why. He’s the only hope I’ve got left; he’s the only chance we might have of finding Axel. He walks over, surprising me by taking me in a firm, yet warm hug.

  “I’m so sorry, Meadow. We’re doing everything we can.”

  “Can we talk, Raide?” I ask, pulling back.

  “Of course, come in.”

  We head into his office, and I sit on the chair over from him. He looks as exhausted as me, his eyes are heavy and his face is lacking any emotion. I speak before he gets the chance, I don’t want to waste anymore time.

  “I don’t think he’s dead,” I say, simply.

  Raide looks up at me. “No, I don’t think so either. It’s not the way clubs like Beast’s run.”

  “Axel’s guys don’t have enough recourses to be able to find him on their own, but I know you do.”

  He sighs, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t have enough information on Beast, without that USB...”

  “I have information,” I say.

  He raises his brows. I exhale loudly. Axel doesn’t know it, because he came after me so quickly, but when I got to Lady’s house the night he was taken, I looked over the USB drive before giving it back to him. I studied some of the information and locations. I didn’t give them to the boys at the club, because they’ll only get themselves killed going in. I can’t risk Axel like that. I feel safer knowing Raide has it.