“Why are you working?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It keeps me busy and I’m used to it. And bartenders always hear the best shit.”
She slipped her hand into his and intertwined their fingers before tugging him behind her toward the front of the crowded room.
He tilted his head as he followed her. “That a band playing?”
“Yeah, Dirty Deeds set up over at The Iron Horse.”
“Bar closed?”
“To the public, yeah.”
He nodded his approval. “Probably for the best. Safer that way. Front entrance locked?”
“Yes, Axel, everyone has to come around back to get in.”
He nodded again.
Before he could ask the next question, she interrupted him. “Can you shut that shit off?”
“What?”
“The cop shit. If you think anything’s going to go down with all these bikers in here tonight...” She let that ride.
“I sure as fuck hope nothing goes down.”
She let her gaze drift down to his boots and wondered if he did what he said: strapped a gun to each ankle. If he was double packing, she couldn’t tell.
Suddenly he lurched forward, knocking their hands loose.
“Look at that, thought the only pig here tonight was on the spit outside,” Zak exclaimed, going toe to toe with Axel.
“Z,” Bella said in a low warning.
Suddenly, Sophie was between the two brothers, shooting Bella a look and a secret smile. She grabbed Axel in a hug, squealing, “I’m so glad you came!” She took his hand and put it on her belly. “Feel your niece? She’s rocking and rolling tonight to the festive music!”
Axel’s eyes went from hard as he stared at his brother to soft as he dropped his gaze to his sister-in-law’s rounded belly.
Then they widened as he said, “I feel her. Damn! She’s a busy little thing.”
“Ain’t a girl,” Z grumbled.
Bella pinned her lips together in amusement until it hit her that she’d never be pressing Axel’s hand to her belly to feel their child move.
Sophie looked over at her tentatively. “Want to feel?”
Bella hesitated and then shook her head. “Another time.”
Sophie nodded and went back to beaming at Axel, keeping his hand glued to her stomach. She winked at him. “If you want to get her something, little pink onesies with elephants would be cute.”
“Ain’t a fuckin’ girl,” Z grumbled again, a little louder. Both Axel and Sophie ignored him.
With a smirk, Axel asked, “And if I can’t find a pink one with elephants?”
“Any cute animal will do,” she assured him.
“Ain’t gonna be a fuckin’ girl,” Z griped louder one more time as Ace and his wife, Janice, approached. Ace snorted and slapped Z on the back.
“Don’t matter if it is. Just want her healthy,” Janice told Zak.
“Stop sayin’ she an’ her,” Z complained. “Gonna jinx it.”
Ace chuckled and pointed to Zak’s groin. “Whatever came outta that nut sack of yours is what the sex’s gonna be. If it’s a girl, it’s all your fault, son.” Ace turned to Axel and put a hand on his shoulder. “Glad to see you here, Axel. ‘Bout time you come hang out with the dark side of the family.”
“Well, he had a good reason to, right, Bella?” Janice asked, giving her a sly look.
“It’s nice to see you two boys gettin’ along,” Ace said, his eyes crinkling at the corner like he was trying to contain his amusement. “Should sit down an’ have a beer together.”
Sophie gasped. “That’s a great idea!”
Z and Axel’s gaze slid to the other and then slid away quickly.
“Gotta go check somethin’,” Z grunted then disappeared.
Sophie patted Axel’s arm. “It’s going to take a little while. Don’t worry.”
Bella contained her snort. She doubted Axel was worried about it. Though she did have to admit that at least he took a step forward by showing up here tonight.
Sophie leaned against Bella, wrapping an arm around her when she whispered, “Thank you.”
Bella gave her a small smile. “Too early to thank me.”
Sophie nodded. “I’m going to head over to The Iron Horse and get some food. I’m starving!”
“Kiki and Hawk over there?” Bella asked.
“I think so,” she answered over her shoulder as she walked away.
“I’ll pop over there in a bit.”
“Don’t wait too long, get some of the food while it’s fresh.”
She watched Sophie walk away with Janice following in her wake.
“Coming, ol’ man?” the older woman called out.
“In a minute,” Ace answered.
Bella started as her uncle unexpectedly cupped her cheek and turned her to face him, his eyes soft. “Proud of you,” he said quietly.
“For what?” she asked, surprised.
“Overcomin’. Pickin’ a good one this time.”
Her eyes flicked to Axel, who pretended like he couldn’t hear what Ace was saying.
“Ace,” she breathed.
“Know it’s all new...”
Ah, fuck.
“Ace,” she began again, a little firmer this time.
“Just gotta work on bringin’ Mitch ‘round. With Mitch, will come April. No need to work on Jayde, she’s here tonight.”
“She is?” Bella asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Saw her headin’ over next door.”
“As long as she isn’t heading upstairs with anyone,” Axel interrupted.
“Nah. You know Z would bust a gut if that happened. He’ll see after your little sister.”
Axel scowled as if he was worried about Zak taking over his job protecting their younger sister.
“An’ my boys won’t let anyone take advantage of her, either.”
That was for damn sure. Both Diesel and Hawk would keep an eye out on their president’s sibling.
“All right, ‘nough talkin’ to this ol’ man. Go have some fun. It’s fuckin’ Christmas for fuck’s sake!”
With a whack on Axel’s back, Ace wandered the same direction as his wife.
“C’mon,” Bella said, yanking Axel toward the club’s bar. “I’ll buy you a beer.”
Axel watched Bella move down the bar, pouring beers, opening bottles and handing out shots. Even when she was busy, she’d pause and give him a smile that would shoot the blood straight down into his cock.
He wasn’t planning on leaving the party until she did because he was taking her back to his place. He wanted to kiss that sweet mouth of hers. And that was just for starters. His cock twitched in his jeans at the thought of her wrapping those lips around it.
He sipped at the draft beer she had slid in front of him twenty minutes before. He’d hardly made a dent in it since he needed to stay on top of his game. He was in enemy territory and most of the time he was at the bar, he’d sat at an angle because he hated putting his back to the crowded room.
Though, he was pleased to see that the club members, both Angels and Knights, as well as various prospects and club hang-arounds, didn’t give Bella any shit. She was super comfortable around all the bikers and their women. But then she should be. This shit ran in her blood. She knew no different.
As he sat there trying to keep to himself for the most part, he tried to imagine how his life would have been if his father hadn’t broken away from the club. Hadn’t raised him and Jayde, and even Zak, away from the club family. Though, as soon as Z could, he slipped right back into the fold.
That’s when the split occurred. His father had been—and still was—pissed that the effort he put into raising his children “right” went to the wayside when it came to his oldest child.
Z and Axel had always been close when they were little, it wasn’t until Zak turned ten or so when he decided he wanted to ride motorcycles, whether dirt bikes or just riding on the back of Ace’s sled.
Every time Z would
take off with Ace on the back of his bike, Axel would feel the jealousy biting at him. But every time Z got dropped back off he had to deal with Mitch’s wrath. Year after year, Z pulled slowly away from the family, sneaking off whenever he could to hang at the club, to learn about Harleys, to entrench himself into the biker lifestyle.
Axel knew Z had hid his prospect vest under his bed. The fucking guy was a prospect when he wasn’t even old enough to vote yet. He was patched in the day he turned eighteen and was the club president before he was even old enough to drink legally.
This club was his brother’s life. At least until Sophie walked into it. Now, his life revolved around the MC, his wife and his future kid.
Axel felt a little bit of jealousy nipping at him again as he watched his blood brother surrounded by club brothers. They all respected him, loved him, and had his back. The allegiance ran deep in this MC.
It also hit him how their brotherhood was even stronger than Axel’s own, the “blue line.” The DAMC members were more loyal to each other than his fellow officers at the station. Yes, his fellow officers were a family in a way, but not as tight as this MC or even the Dark Knights.
Axel’s head spun toward Bella as he heard her striking laughter rise up from the other end of the bar. She was leaning over, whispering with Crow. Her eyes were alight and her smile wide as the tattoo artist knocked her hand away from his long, black pony tail with a smirk. They clinked their whiskey glasses together, took a sip, then she headed back toward Axel, her eyes still smiling.
Axel studied Crow at the other end of the bar and wondered how the hell the man ended up a part of the DAMC. From what Axel knew, the man had no blood ties to the club and he wondered how a man with Native American blood would even land in such a normally non-diverse club like this.
Bella stopped in front of him.
“What’s his story?” he asked her.
She glanced back down the bar. “Crow?” She shrugged.
“How’d he end up in the club?”
“I don’t remember. It seems he’s always been around.”
“But he didn’t grow up in the club.”
“No. But neither did Crash, or Rig. Or even Dawg and Nash. Not all of us were DAMC kids.”
He was well aware of that fact. Especially since the club was actively recruiting. None of the current prospects had blood ties from what he could tell. It wouldn’t be until their generation’s children grew up and joined would the Doc and Bear bloodline continue.
That bloodline ran strong and was pretty much the tie that bound the club in general. That’s why he was surprised that Pierce was voted in as president after Z went away to prison.
He had no idea why Ace hadn’t stepped up. But then he knew Ace had a lot on his plate. And still did.
When he heard Bella make a disgusted sound, Axel shook himself out of his thoughts. He glanced up at her.
“What?”
Bella tilted her head toward one of the prospects who was rounding the bar to approach her. Axel read his name patch.
The prospect named Weasel pointed to his groin and asked Bella, “Gonna kiss me under the mistletoe?”
Axel’s gaze dropped to where he was pointing, and his hackles rose. The asshole had a piece of plastic mistletoe hanging from his belt buckle and he was holding back his leather prospect vest to show her.
He was ready to leap over the bar to thump the twenty-something year old idiot when he realized Bella could handle herself just fine. She was probably used to obnoxious behavior like that, especially when she tended bar for years over at The Iron Horse.
Bella wrinkled up her nose and rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Does that work with other women?”
Weasel shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Right. You think I’m stupid?”
“All bitches—”
“Careful,” Axel growled. There was only so much he was willing to take, though.
Weasel’s head swung his direction. “What the fuck are you doin’ here?” He turned wide eyes to Bella. “What the fuck’s that pig doin’ here?”
Bella’s eyes narrowed as she slapped a hand on her hip. “He’s with me. Got a problem with that?”
He frowned and shook his head, muttering, “Crazy bitches.”
As he stomped away pissed, Bella yelled, “Still want me to kiss you under the mistletoe, Weasel dick?”
As the prospect shot her the bird, he stepped from behind the bar and slammed directly into Crow, who scowled down at him. “You just give ‘er the finger, prospect?”
Weasel scowled back. “What’s it to you?”
Crow straightened to his full height, his dark eyes narrowed on the prospect. “Let me see that finger you like to flash around. Must be an important one.”
“Fuck you,” Weasel grumbled, trying to skirt the bigger man.
Crow shifted, blocking his escape. “First, fuckin’ disrespectin’ Bella, now disrespectin’ a patched member. Can see your time’s limited in this club.”
“Ain’t gotta say in it.”
“Ever wonder why you ain’t fully-patched yet?” Crow said in a low, dangerous voice.
“Startin’ to wonder since they patch in people like you.” Weasel spat on the floor at Crow’s feet.
“Like me,” Crow echoed softly.
“Yeah.”
Weasel tried once more to step around Crow, but the ink slinger widened his stance to block the open end of the bar. “Still waitin’ for you to show me that important finger of yours.”
Weasel slowly lifted his hand, giving Crow the middle finger. As he shoved it in Crow’s face, Crow grabbed his hand lightning fast and snapped the extended finger.
“Fuck,” Axel muttered and winced as the prospect screamed in pain.
“Gimme your cut,” Crow demanded, ignoring the man’s hollering as he held his injured hand.
“Fuck you!” Weasel yelled, doubling over.
“I need to break your other one?”
Then Z was there, moving Crow to the side with a hand on his back. “Gimme your colors, you fucknut, before I get D to take ‘em from you.”
“Don’t need D,” came a deep voice behind Crow and Zak. Hawk reached through them, grabbed Weasel by the collar of his vest and yanked him through the two other men as they moved out of the way quickly.
The prospect ended up on his knees at Hawk’s feet. And since Hawk was six-foot-four, not counting his mohawk, that was not the best place to be.
“I feel like I should be stepping in,” Axel murmured to Bella.
Her eyes slid to him as she shook her head, but said nothing.
Axel sighed, taking another sip of his beer and then decided he’d only intervene if things got too out of hand. He had to remind himself that he was outnumbered here, and he didn’t want to end up as the piñata he worried about becoming.
Crow moved behind Bella and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning close to her ear. “Okay, baby?”
“Yeah, he’s just a weasel dick.”
Axel stared at Crow touching his woman. Crow’s dark eyes slid to him and he gave him a grin, then wrapped his arms around Bella even tighter, pulling her against his chest.
“Really?” he mumbled.
Crow cocked a brow at him. “Gotta problem with it?”
“Yeah, I do,” Axel responded.
Bella patted Crow’s forearm then peeled his arms from around her. “C’mon, Crow.”
The man shrugged, shot Axel another smile and wandered off to the other side of the bar. Once he was gone, Axel’s attention went back to what Hawk was doing with the prospect, or former prospect, apparently.
When he turned his head that direction, he realized they were gone. Axel shot up from his stool and turned around to see Hawk dragging Weasel toward the back door. He no longer wore his prospect cut, instead Zak was holding that. But Hawk still had him by the collar as the smaller man was being slid along the concrete floor.
Dawg rushed to open the steel door and once Hawk got him to the
threshold, he got behind the former prospect and shoved him out the door with his big-ass boot. As soon as Weasel tumbled outside, Dawg slammed the door shut and made a big show of dusting off his hands.
“Good fuckin’ riddance,” the strip club manager shouted.
A yell rose up from the crowded room. Then Hawk bellowed, “Down an’ dirty...”
“’Til dead!” came the answering cry.
Zak jumped up on a nearby pool table interrupting their play and held up the prospect’s cut in one fist. “Listen up!”
The room’s noise level lowered. “This is a warnin’ to all you prospects an’ wannabes. When you’re a prospect you’re lower than dogshit. You disrespect any one of us, includin’ our women, an’ your ass will be outside lickity-fuckin’-split.”
“You hear your prez?” Hawk hollered.
“Yeahs” and “fuck yeahs” were shouted around the room.
Hawk nodded then looked back up at Z.
“Now we got lots of pussy, food an’ booze here to celebrate Christmas right. So, eat, fuck an’ be merry!”
Axel shook his head at his brother’s speech. “So fucking eloquent,” he mumbled.
“Gets the job done,” Bella said.
Axel’s attention was drawn to the swinging door of the kitchen. He was hoping it would be his sister, Jayde, coming through it. He couldn’t help but be worried about her being amongst bikers from two MC’s. He doubted any of the Angels would fuck with their president’s sister, but he wasn’t sure about the Knights.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Jayde coming through the doors, but Grizz with a plate piled high with food. Axel’s stomach growled. It actually looked and smelled good.
Imagine that.
But it was time he found his sister. “I’m going to head next door and check on Jayde.”
“I have a feeling I know why she’s been over on that side.”
“Why?”
“Two reasons really. And both are pretty good-looking.”
Axel’s brows shot up. “Who?”
“Well, Slade for one.”
“That new guy that hit on you? The one that Diamond’s chasing?”
“Yeah.”
“And who else?”
“Well, last time she was here—”
“Last time? When the hell was that?”
“That time she came into church to say hello to her brother who just got out of the slammer. Remember that?”
Down & Dirty_Axel Page 18
