Property of Drex (Book 2) (Death Chasers MC Series)

by C. M. Owens

  “Eve can handle her. We need her out of here within a few days, just to be safe. Her mother is fucking terrified right now, so she’d trust Eve if she let her know there was too much danger for her here.”

  “Or her mom might go to the cops,” he points out.

  “She doesn’t want to risk Eve’s safety, and I’m fairly positive she’s fucking terrified of me. She was ghostly white that day I told her where Eve had been. Pretty sure she did the math on what I’ve been doing with her daughter. You should have seen the look she gave me. No doubt she was disgusted, horrified, and sick.”

  “And you give a damn?” he muses.

  My eyes run over the floor beneath us, watching as everyone relaxes, acting like a war isn’t on the horizon.

  “I don’t care what that woman thinks. But Eve does. She probably wants someone she can take home and cuddle with in front of her family… Someone who’s going to have boring jokes and idle chitchat that doesn’t involve anything illegal. That’s not me. Never will be. And she’ll never have that. Even if I can’t have her, it’s not like I’ll ever let anyone else touch her.”

  “That’s fucked up. You realize that, right?”

  I shrug while pushing away from the railing. “That’s because I’m fucked up. I quit apologizing for it a long time ago.”

  He laughs under his breath while following me down the stairs, but we both stumble to a halt just as Isaac yelps and lands hard on his ass right in front of the staircase. Snake storms out of his room, and Isaac covers his face.

  “The fuck is going on?” I ask, watching as Snake throws a fucking tantrum. He’s yelling at everyone, and I can’t understand a word coming out of his mouth. His veins are pulsing visibly, and he’s blood red, almost as though he’s about to erupt.

  Is he high?

  My eyes move to Isaac as he crawls up to his feet, wiping blood away from his face.

  “The hell?” I prompt.

  “That whole fucking ‘shoot the messenger’ shit is real, man,” Isaac mumbles, cursing when he wipes more blood from his face. “But I think I know how the feds fit into the equation now.”

  Something crashes, and I look over as Snake beats the hell out of the coffee table with a fucking baseball bat. When did he grab a bat? He’s lost his motherfucking mind.

  “Snake!” I yell, but he doesn’t even slow down. The bat crashes against the bar now, slamming into all the liquor bottles and shattering them.

  He finally gets tackled to the ground by a couple of our guys, and I cut my eyes back to Isaac as they wrestle to keep Snake from breaking free.

  “Explain,” I growl.

  “Fuck you!” Snake barks, struggling harder as a third guy joins in on holding him back. “Fuck you! You’re full of shit!”

  Isaac eyes Snake warily, making sure he’s fully restrained before he turns his attention back to me.

  “Sarah’s gone. Feds showed up with a warrant for her arrest, man. Sarah Burrows died last week in a car accident. She lived in some Ohio town, had a fiancé, and even worked at a coffee shop. Yet she’s been living with us for however many months. See the problem?”

  It’s too confusing to understand what he’s saying, until it’s suddenly really fucking clear.

  “What the hell is Sarah’s real name then?” I ask him.

  “Fuck you, Drex!” Snake roars, cursing the guys holding him. “How fucking dare you believe that shit! Can’t you see they’re setting her up?”

  I slide my gaze back to Isaac, hoping he damn well has some serious proof. He frowns over at Snake before picking up a piece of paper from the floor that must have fallen during the fall he took.

  When he hands it to me, it almost feels like the wind is knocked out of me. We really fucking suck worse than I realized about checking people out. We need a better hacker, one who can dig deeper than the surface value of shit.

  I actually feel pretty damn sorry for Snake. It’s all there. Everything he’s saying is right. Sarah Burrows is definitely not the same person who has been living with us, even though they have a strong resemblance. It would’ve been close enough for our Sarah to pass as the real Sarah on a standard background check from one of our guys doing a quick check on girls coming in to work with us.

  “You’re sure this is legit?” I ask him, looking up at Isaac. “If so, who is our Sarah?”

  He frowns, running a hand through his hair as Snake threatens to destroy him. I ignore Snake, even though it feels like a betrayal. The feds are all over us, and now they’re here with an arrest warrant? They’d need a name for that warrant, and it wouldn’t be Sarah Burrows.

  “Alexius Jenkins. You’ve probably heard of her… AJ.”

  Axle looks at me, I look at him, and we both burst out laughing. Sarah is fucking AJ? Hell no.

  “AJ is a guy. If anything, he’s a fucking urban myth. Not a girl who was working as a stripper a few months ago,” I say dismissively. “Snake, he’s full of shit. Calm down.”

  Isaac swallows hard while shaking his head. “AJ is a girl. Friend of mine confirmed it. She’s the daughter of the Phillip Jenkins. His daughter was his favorite mercenary… Until she turned over all the evidence she had to the feds three years ago and disappeared into thin air.”

  Snake finally breaks free, and he races toward us, lunging for Isaac. I catch him midair and sling him against the wall, groaning when his elbow connects with my side.

  “Fucking shit! This is insane,” I growl, trying to get Snake to calm down, but it’s pointless.

  “It’s true,” Isaac says from behind me. Then adds, “I wish it wasn’t but it is. Sarah is our fucking leak to the feds. Has to be. Not Cecil. Or not just Cecil.”

  Snake stops struggling against me, and his eyes coldly meet mine.

  “If it was her, they could have already busted down the doors and took us all to prison. She knows everything. Every-fucking-thing. I didn’t keep secrets.”

  That’s when I see the anger give way to the pain. Something colder crosses his eyes, and I release him as he shrugs away and stalks through the warehouse.

  “Where’re you going?” Axle calls after him. When he starts to follow, I put my hand on his chest, holding him back, but he slaps my hand away.

  Axle doesn’t always appreciate being touched, and I get why, but Snake needs a minute, so stopping him becomes a necessity. I grab him by the arm and jerk him back when he tries going after him again.

  “Stop fucking touching me,” Axle growls.

  “Stop chasing him. He needs a minute.”

  The roar of a Harley gives us a little warning before tires are screaming out of the hangar. My phone dings with a text, and I pull it out to read it.

  UNKNOWN: Feds won’t come back. They were just trying to spook you by using me. The warrant for my arrest only allows them to search my house and my place of employment for now. Now I’m on camera at the airport. I made sure to get noticed. I moved the bookcase in front of the basement door to cover it just in case though. All your documents are down there as well.

  Sarah. Or Alexius. Or AJ. Or whatever-the-hell her name is. It has to be her.

  I toss my phone at Axle, letting him read it, as I jog toward the back side of the warehouse. As soon as I reach the meeting room, I see the oversized bookcase has been moved to completely shield the door as if it doesn’t exist.

  That thing has to weigh a fuck-ton. How did she move it?

  Axle walks up behind me, shaking his head as though he can’t wrap his mind around things.

  “Guess you never really know anyone.”

  “The hell was she ever even doing here?” I ask him, confused. “And her father is in prison because of her? She’s a rat? Hell, I thought AJ was a fucking guy. Not a chick. Never knew J stood for Jenkins either. If anything, it was just a myth to keep Phillip’s enemies at bay.”

  “I don’t know, but if Snake is telling the truth about her knowing everything, she’s not the leak to the feds. She could have buried us by now with very little effo
rt. We need to focus on our own problems. Not this crazy shit.”

  I nod, agreeing, but it’s still irking me.

  I thought Benny was a fucking dumbass for not knowing he had a fed in his crew. Turns out, I had an urban legend right under my nose…

  I miss the days when I just punched shit and shot people.

  Chapter 30

  EVE

  Drex walks in just as I finish packing my bag. I don’t even know who went and got all my things from the damn motel, but I hope those sick freaks didn’t lick or sniff my underwear or anything else disgusting like that.

  I almost feel like I need to wash everything just to be safe.

  “What are you doing?” he asks quietly, keeping his distance, just as he has for the past two days while keeping me hidden away in his room. Hell, he’s kept his distance for much longer than that.

  “Going back to my motel room,” I tell him without looking back at him.

  Angrily, I shove my phone in my bag, ignoring it when it goes off with the text ringtone.

  “Why?”

  Does he really have to ask why?

  “Can Axle give me a ride?” I ask instead, keeping my tone neutral and not shaky.

  He glares at me, but it lost its effect a while back. “As soon as you tell me why you want to fucking leave, I’ll carry you there myself,” he growls.

  “I’ll ask him myself.” I glare back while tossing my bag over my shoulder, knowing he’d rather let me storm out than attempt to touch me. He hasn’t even slept in the damn bed—his bed.

  I really don’t want to know where he’s been sleeping or who he’s been sleeping with.

  Just as I predicted, he doesn’t stop me. He doesn’t argue. I hear him call for Axle, but I tune him out other than that. Axle walks up just as I hit the bottom of the stairs, and his eyes move from me to Drex a few times before he nods at whatever Drex has said.

  I stay quiet, ignoring the men staring at me, ignoring Drex’s hot gaze burning a hole in my back, and ignoring whatever Axle is saying. Until he touches my arm and I jump.

  “Sorry,” he mutters. “You seem out of it. You okay? Why are you going back to the motel? It’s not safe there right now. I can’t believe Drex is even letting you.”

  I look around to see I’ve somehow made it out to the garage where the bikes are, and I don’t even remember getting here.

  “Last I checked, it’s my life and my choice. Anything is better than staying up there with an asshole who can’t even stand being in the same room with me.”

  Just as I start to get on the bike, two strong arms clamp around my waist, and I squeal while trying to jerk away.

  “You really thought I’d let you fucking leave.” The angry whisper at my ear has me freezing against the familiar body as he holds my back against his front. “You really don’t know me at all.”

  He starts walking away with me still pinned against him and my legs dangling.

  “Guess I’m not taking her to the motel?” Axle drawls, walking back toward us.

  “Thought I’d give her a second to get over her tantrum and realize how fucking stupid that move was on her own. Apparently she wasn’t going to figure it out.”

  I start to say something—or yell it—but the protest dies on my tongue when I see everyone in there staring at me, just waiting on me to cause a scene. It’s like I’m a walking, talking soap opera to these bastards, and I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me explode again.

  As soon as Drex puts me down on the stairs, I calmly walk up them, feeling him smirking at my back. After pushing through the door, I drop my bag and whirl around to glare at him as he shuts the door and stares at me.

  I knew he’d be smirking.

  “This is ridiculous. You’re the most confusing son of a bitch I’ve ever met in my life. Hot and cold. Go and stay. You’re mine. Then you push me away. Yet you don’t let me talk to any other man without getting insanely jealous.… Am I missing something? I knew you were an asshole, but this is getting ridiculous.”

  The amusement in his eyes dies as that cold look resurfaces. I hate that look.

  “This is about Drake?” he growls. “That’s why you wanted to leave?”

  “Holy fucking shit! When did I say anything about Drake?” I yell, throwing my hands around dramatically. “No. It’s not about Drake. It’s about you and your confusing contradictions, Drex. What the hell do you want from me?”

  I cross my arms over my chest, trying to get my breathing under control. I’m seconds away from launching myself at him and hoping to do some damage before he can fend me off. I’m that pissed.

  He runs a hand through his hair, cursing as he starts toward me then steps back.

  “What do I fucking want?” he asks bitterly, narrowing his eyes at me. “I fucking want this all to be a nightmare. I want this all to go away so I can stop feeling guilty. I’ve never felt guilt before, Eve. I’ve never had to feel at all. At least not until you fucking showed up.”

  He cracks his neck to the side, and I take a wary step back. For the first time in weeks, he’s actually a little scary again.

  “I want to go back to living my life without worrying about destroying yours. I want to go back to the day Benny shoved you in front of me, and I want to tell myself to take you home and get you out of here. That’s what I fucking want.”

  That just hurts. The second a stupid tear tries to escape my eye, I wipe it away before it can fall. His look softens ever so slightly, and he blows out a breath.

  “I want you to be able to be a damn math teacher at some school where life is boring and normal. I want you to keep walking down a street without looking over your shoulder. I want you to go back to only seeing the fucking feds in movies and not worrying about them tailing you in real life. I want you to be able to sleep at night without having nightmares of what could have happened.”

  His voice is strained on that last part, and I wipe another tear from my eye. This time, it’s for a different reason.

  “I want you to be with your mom and brothers and some stupid fuck who can’t find your g-spot with a map. That’s what I want.”

  My lips twitch and my eyes roll, but his small smile only lasts for a second.

  “I want you away from all of this before it makes you hate me. But you’re stuck here for now, so I’m doing all I can to keep you away from me before I drag you down and make you the queen of hell. You should hate me already.”

  “I don’t,” I say immediately.

  “I know,” he groans, almost appearing helpless. “Believe me, I fucking know.”

  A twinge of anger hits me, because I hate it when he sounds so damn obnoxious and arrogant.

  “I don’t think you do know. And I’m sick of playing this never-ending game with you. You want to push me away? I’m happy to leave. Just get out of my damn way so I can.”

  Chancing my luck, I try to walk by him, but he grabs my side and spins me until I’m pushed against the wall and he’s caging me in. My breaths grow harsh and heavy as I peer up to see the intensity in his eyes and the tension in his jaw.

  “I do know how you feel,” he tells me quietly, almost sounding angry.

  His thumb slides under the hem of my shirt, barely stroking the skin on my waist. Such a small touch shouldn’t carry such a massive impact, but it feels like he’s inside me with that small action.

  “I also know that it’s going to get you killed unless you stop feeling that way,” he whispers, brushing his lips across my forehead as his hand goes lower. “We both know I’m not worth that, baby.”

  My head tilts back when one of his hands gently cups my cheek, and his fingers move up until they thread through my hair.

  “Hot and cold,” I whisper to him.

  He lets his eyes drop to my lips, and he seems to have his own internal war for once. “Get my family away from Halo,” I tell him as he continues to stare.

  “I plan on it,” he says, pushing closer. “I can send you with them, Eve. You c
an disappear in Colorado. Hell, I can send you anywhere far away from here if you want.”

  His haunted blue eyes hold mine, waiting for me to answer the unspoken question.

  “What happens if I want to stay?”

  He releases a tortured groan before blowing out a breath.

  “I fuck you until you forget your own name and only say mine twenty-four hours a day,” he says with a smirk.

  I stifle a grin, since I don’t want him to have the satisfaction of making me smile when he’s constantly playing with my head.

  “What happens with us? Really, Drex? Do you keep going hot and cold?”

  His hands slide down my waist, and he tugs my hips until I’m slanted and pressing into him as he leisurely rakes his eyes over me.

  “I’m only trying to keep you out of this shit, Eve. You grew up differently than I did. You have a choice. I never did. I’m in too deep to pull out now, and let’s face it, I’d suck as a good guy.”

  He gives me a sad smile when his eyes meet mine. He would suck at being a “good” guy.

  “I’m in this whether you like it or not. If you really want me to go, Drex, I’ll leave. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay. But nothing in between.”

  I lean closer, and his expression hardens.

  “I can’t make this decision for you. If something happened to you—”

  “Then let me make the decision, and you stop being an ass to me. Well, as much as possible,” I interrupt, giving him a wry grin that has his lips twitching.

  “You’re sure about this? Staying with me is going to probably fuck you up.”

  “I’m already fucked up. I just didn’t realize it until I met you,” I tell him, pressing even closer as my hands slide up his arms and clasp behind his neck. His arms wrap around me, but his hands slide down to cup my ass.

  He studies my eyes for a moment, then he lifts me up quickly by my ass, and my legs wrap around his waist as he pushes me into the wall and crushes his lips to mine. I moan into his mouth, clinging to him as though he might push me away again.