“Let’s take this song and dance outside, shithead,” Kade snorted. “I’ll calm you right down.”
What the fuck was he missing here? Now wasn’t the time for jokes. Axe readjusted his angle and hardened his jaw. “Stop talking. Turn the fuck around and start walking.”
Nancy stretched her arms out in both their directions, unafraid. “Alexander, I really don’t need my brother to shoot my husband in front of my children. Put the gun down.”
19
Axe
“Excuse me?” Axe’s stare shot back and forth between Kade and Nancy, and rested on his sister. “Run that by me again? I must be out of my mind, because what I thought I heard was that this motherfucker is your husband?”
“You heard correctly,” Nancy said, meeting his gaze. “What part of I’m getting married to Kade Jackson did you not hear back then?”
“How the fuck was I supposed to know it was this Kade Jackson? You never gave shifters the time of day, so I just assumed—”
“Don’t give me that. Your assumptions almost killed my kids’ father in his own home!”
Groaning, Axe lowered the gun and jammed the safety into place. He put it away, wiping his palms across his face. “Maybe you’re right. We do have a lot to talk about, and sleeping with the enemy is right at the top of the goddamned list. It may have occurred to you to have told me something like, Hey Axe. Guess what? I married a panther shifter, and not just any panther, the president of the motherfucking Nevada Chapter. I mean, Jesus Christ, what if you hadn’t come in the house? Did you consider that, sis? Kade’s big ugly mug would be splattered all over your perfect kitchen.”
Axe clutched one arm to the counter beside him, suddenly visualizing that night all over again. “I could have fucking killed him, and the kids are right upstairs…they would have seen…”
Unable to cope, he quickly pushed off from the spot, brushing by Nancy and Angel. He made a dash for the front door, heading right back to the truck. One stupid move could have put those kids through exactly the lives he and Nancy had, even though he had fought so hard to protect her from it back then. His head pounded and even in the blistering hot truck interior, his skin was cold and sweaty. Thank fuck he hadn’t had much to eat yet, because the thought had him ready to puke his guts out.
“Alexander?” Nancy’s muffled voice floated in as she knocked on his driver side window.
He cracked the door open slightly, not wanting to bother with starting the car to lower the window. “What?” he croaked, swallowing down bitter bile.
“Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that…I did almost murder your…Kade. You married that guy? What the fuck, Nance?”
“It wasn’t a secret. You knew his name. I figured that was one of the reasons you kept your distance.”
Axe shook his head wildly. “No way. I’m not buying that bullshit story. You knew exactly what you were doing by keeping the truth from me.”
A heavy silence hung between them, and then she said, “Fine. Okay, maybe I did subtly neglect to mention the panther part. I should have told you a long time ago.”
“Yeah, you damn well should have.”
“Will you just come inside so we can talk?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, when Angel and I have been running from a bunch of Louisiana panthers. How the hell can I keep her safe when Kade over there probably already gave them the headsup that we’re here? How can I be sure he’s not in on it? I could have just walked Angel right into her last day on the planet.”
She glared at him. “He is not, and he won’t.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Stop looking for another excuse to run, Axe. Get inside so we can all sit down and get this out. I’ll put on a movie for the kids upstairs, and we’ll have a good hour to clear the air.”
“Wait a minute. What exactly are the kids?”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” she grunted out.
“Well, you’re a bear shifter. He’s a panther. So what are they? Some kind of hybrid?”
“You know what? I’m starting to like the quiet, brooding brother I knew all those years ago way better than the one who’s on my doorstep saying ignorant things about my children.”
“I’m not trying to insult you. Jeez. I just want to know…well, I’m curious.”
“Asher’s a bear shifter. Annalee got her dad’s panther gene…and just so you don’t go apeshit a year from now…” she lowered a hand to her flat stomach, and her face softened. “We’re expecting one more. A boy. I’m five months along… I know, I’m not showing that much. That’s how it was for Annalee, but I don’t know what he’ll be yet, all right?”
“Wow. Okay. Congrats, I think.”
“You think?” Nancy asked, raising her eyebrows. “Look, just get inside.”
“I don’t think so. You and I need a one-on-one. Get in the car.”
She nodded and walked around the front, climbing into the passenger side. “Fine. I’m here. Let’s do this.”
“Okay. How about we start with the elephant in the room…or more like the panther in the kitchen,” Axe grunted. “My question for you about that is…what the fuck?”
She shook her head and gave a faint smile. “Real classy, Alexander. I think you’re asking how I ended up marrying someone in the life, so if that’s what you’re asking, I’ll just say, things happen. We met, we got serious, and I married him. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of falling in love and all the chick flick dramatic stuff that makes you men block us out. As for the fact that he’s a panther shifter, it’s pretty much the same answer. Got any more questions for me?”
“Uh, at least tell me whether he’s been good to you.”
She nodded. “Kade is a good man. He’s great with the kids, he’d die for every one of us, and he’s never uttered a single negative thing about you, bear shifters, or any shifters at all to the kids.”
“Fuck, so you’re saying I’m the bad guy in this lovely story? Because that’s what I’m hearing, Nance. All those years that you were on me about being in the brotherhood, living like an outlaw, and only consorting with bear shifters. What was that? I’ll tell you what it was. It was a fucking double standard. Now, you’re telling me that you can date someone in an MC, marry and have kids with them, but you hound me and judge me for having that life? I’m your own flesh and blood, and you basically disowned me for that. What the hell do you have to say, sis?” By the time he was done, he was huffing and puffing, and feeling way worse for saying things that had been burning the back of his throat.
She stretched her hand over and rested it on his shoulder. “I deserve that…every word. I’m sorry. I was wrong for trying to turn you into something you’re not. I didn’t handle things well. I know that now, Axe.”
“Damn right you didn’t. Jesus,” he said, unhappy that his voice sounded like gravel.
“I think you need to apologize too,” she continued, placing her hand back in her lap.
He turned and stared at her in disbelief. “Me? Why the hell for? We were all we had, Nance. You turned your back on me.”
“Don’t be melodramatic. I’ve been phoning, trying to see you. We could have hashed this out at my wedding, or when the kids were born, or even three years ago when we were supposed to clean out the storage unit with Mom and Dad’s things. The storage locker is still packed to the rafters, you should know. I keep renewing the lease, because I’m not going there without you. What do you have to say about that?”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat, chest tightening with the sharp sting of all those years they lost. “Right. The locker. I guess that part was my bad.”
“And not coming to my wedding, and barely getting to know the kids.”
“Sure, those too.”
“I’ll take that as an apology, you little shit,” she said, smiling. Her hand reached over and skimmed the back of his. “Truce?”
A loud crash came from inside b
efore he could answer. Both their heads turned toward the front door. Angel’s voice echoed through the screen door.
“Aww, fuck.”
“I think your girl is yelling at my husband,” Nancy muttered, opening her door.
Axe stepped out onto the curb. “She’s not my girl,” he ground out.
“Like hell she isn’t,” his sister said, snorting out a laugh as she followed him inside.
Angel was in the middle of the kitchen when they got inside, shouting something about panther killers as Kade just stood there, arms crossed and head tilted, not making a sound.
“What’s going on in here?” Nancy asked from behind him.
“Your brother needs to tell his woman to back off with that fierce tongue of hers.”
Axe smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, Angelface? Yeah, sorry. I don’t control her.”
Angel met his neutral expression and rolled her eyes. “Damn right. I just want to know why these panther shifters have been trying to kill me.”
“You kids need to take this conversation out in the backyard or something,” Nancy suggested.
Angel cocked her head, seeming to assess the suggestion. “Maybe you’re right. I’m sorry, Nancy. Axe, are you coming?”
Axe pasted on a half-hearted grin and made a motion with his hand. “Hell yeah. I want to see the fireworks. Please, by all means, continue nailing his ass to the wall.”
20
Angel
Angel took a seat in the wooden Adirondack-styled lean-back chair. Her hands pressed tightly to each of the wide armrests, eyes narrowed as she waited for an answer. Kade had informed them that his club, the Nevada chapter of Satan’s Hellcats MC, had no idea about any hit against her or Axe. He had excused himself to speak with Kit Reese, the President of Arizona’s MC by the same name, and returned with the same story. Angel wasn’t buying it for a second. If this guy thought he was getting away with anything, he had another thing coming. She had spent too much time being pushed around, grabbed, clawed at, dodging bullets, forced to wear men’s underclothes and no shoes, and too far away from her pets. Someone needed to pay.
She rolled her shoulders, ready to press for details.
“So let me get this straight, Kade. You and this Kit character have the run of Arizona and Nevada for all the activity going down for the panthers, and neither of you has any idea who’s been terrorizing your brother-in-law and me within the boundaries of your territory? Right in your own backyard?”
“Yeah, Kade. Answer the lady’s question.” Axe leaned back against part of the sliding door that opened out into the backyard.
Nancy was in the doorway with her hand resting on his shoulder. They looked a lot more like family now. It was nice to see them all cozy after the initial freeze-out, although she couldn’t wrap her brain around how Nancy’s husband could be a top guy in his organization, and not know what was going on under his nose.
Kade shook his long, jet black, wavy hair and pulled it away from his face. “The Nevada and Arizona chapters are not behind this,” he insisted. He reached into the top pocket of his red polo shirt and pulled out a hair band, which he wrapped around his folded, messy bundle of hair.
“Don’t you see how that makes you look? And I’m talking about your credibility, not your man bun,” she said, not even caring that his wife was standing right there.
“I’m not sure why you believe I should know everything about every panther who crosses into Nevada. Ditto for Kit in Arizona. People relocate all the time, and there’s Vegas. Who can get a handle on that place? I’m telling you we’re not involved, and what I’ll do is give you my word that no one in my MC will lay a hand on either of you. Let’s get focused on figuring out who may have done this. Other than the Louisiana plates you saw, did you notice anything else about them?”
“They were definitely panthers,” Axe offered.
“Were the ones who attacked you wearing any patches?”
Axe looked out in the distance, trying to think. “No. None of them. I can’t say for sure about the ones in the Camaros or on bikes later on.”
Kade gave Axe a puzzled look. “Wait, Camaros? Are you sure?”
“Of course we’re sure,” Angel piped up. “What do you know about them?”
“That Italian son of a bitch. It had to be Giovanni’s guys. The last time we met that thieving piece of shit, two of his guards drove Camaros.”
“Hang on. Who’s this Giovanni person?” Angel asked.
“Bad news,” Axe answered. “An Italian mob schmuck from the east coast. A greedy, underhanded, and vengeful control freak piece of shit. He fucked with the wrong people, though. Ended up shot by his own boss for trying too damn hard. I just don’t get why he’s that interested in targeting me in particular. I’d understand if he put Silas on his hit list, given that Giovanni blames him for Sabrina leaving his sorry ass.”
“Who knows? If it’s him, we can start talking to some people.”
Axe motioned to Kade. “Wasn’t he told not to step foot out west ages ago?”
“He was, but the bastard has still been trying his usual sneaky shit. Were those Camaros decked out in custom chrome finishes?”
“Could be. It was dark out. Hey, we could go find out. My bet is they haven’t fished those cars out from where they crashed last night.” Axe rubbed his grizzled chin as he pondered something. “How about it, Kade? Feel like crossing enemy lines and looking into it with your Beartooth brother-in-law?”
Kade glanced over at Nancy, and they exchanged some kind of silent husband and wife communication. “Sure, why not. I just have to let my VP know what’s up. Things got a little hairy after Kit got shot through the neck. You bears probably didn’t even know about a couple of deserters in his ranks, and the odd ones who wanted to take over for him, showing up from California, Utah and even as far as Kentucky and West Virginia.”
“I’d bet that went over real well,” Axe muttered.
“Kit almost had a full-scale mutiny on his hands. Tensions were running high while he was recovering, not to mention your sister was less than thrilled about it, figuring I would be next.”
Nancy stepped past Axe, and stepped over to Kade. She put an arm around her husband, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank God that whole drama calmed down, honey.”
Kade ran his hand down her back. “For real. After that, Kit’s Sergeant at Arms, Jasper, went missing. Kit didn’t think much of it for the first few days. The man was loyal to a fault, so they figured he was just taking a few days off to see relatives or something. A few days later, Kit got a call from one of Giovanni’s guys, basically admitting he had Jasper and wanted to do an exchange. Jasper’s life for Sabrina.”
“What? Did anyone tell Silas about this?”
“We didn’t need to. Jasper found a way to escape, and Kit told Giovanni he’d take down every member of Giovanni’s family if he ever tried anything like that again.”
“It sounds to me like he’s still up to his fucked up tricks, maybe with Angel and me this time.”
“Could be. Someone needs to stop that guy for all the bullshit he’s pulled.”
“I’m game if you are,” Axe announced, pulling up his chair and slapping his burner phone on the patio table. “My guys are only a speakerphone call away. Silas would love any excuse to jamb justice down that dickhead’s throat.”
“I’m in,” Angel said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s brainstorm. Who’s got a notepad or a whiteboard?” She didn’t understand why they all gave her blank looks, except for Axe, who was laughing his ass off. “What?”
“Y’all will need to excuse my librarian friend here,” Axe grinned.
Nancy stood up again. “Let’s leave these details to them, Angel. It’s less gruesome this way. Actually, excuse my manners, hun. If you want to freshen up, you can use the guest room at the top of the stairs.”
“Thank you. Yes, that would be great.”
“It has its own bathroom too, so you won’t have to wo
rry about tripping over action figures or kids running in there while you’re doing your business,” she said with a smirk. “Oh, and I guess there’s a clothing issue.”
“Definitely, yes. I need to get out of these …” Angel looked down her body, wincing. “These aren’t mine, I should mention. Isn’t that right, Axe?”
“We were being cautious,” he reminded her, flashing her a wink. “Actually, you should be thanking me now.”
“Why the hell for?”
She watched as Axe pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. “You get the pleasure of buying brand new stuff…my treat.”
“Damn right you’re paying to replace the stuff you ditched.” She turned back to Nancy. “He ditched my clothes. That guy. And made me wear this.”
“Don’t you worry, hun. It’s nothing a little shopping trip can’t fix. We can take the kids too. Do you want a change of clothes in the meantime?”
Angel scanned Nancy’s ridiculously tiny waist and slim hips, and furrowed her brow. “Girl, have you taken a good look at me? I appreciate the hospitality, but your clothes ain’t gonna fit over all this ass. Let’s go spend Axe’s money. Are you sure we’re fine to go out with whoever is trying to get us?”
“I’m positive. We’ll be safe. Kade’s guys are pretty much everywhere in town.”
Angel got to her feet. “Sounds perfect to me, especially if these men over here can’t appreciate my skills with a flow chart. Thanks for being a dear, Nancy.”
“No problem. Alexander?” Nancy called out.
“Yes?” he answered with a cringe. It was clear he’d never get used to being called by his first name.
“Tomorrow morning first thing, you and I have a date at the old storage locker.”
“I uh, jeez, okay. Storage unit. You, me and all those memories. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Excellent. Thanks.”
“Have fun shopping, girls.”
Angel watched as Axe turned to return inside.
“Kade, let’s get cracking.”
Bruised MC Bear (Beartooth Brotherhood MC Book 3) Page 12
