“Well,” I said, doing my best to sound modest, “I happen to believe they’re the lucky ones.” I grinned at Ashlynn.
She giggled just as the chef came back out of the kitchen with my pancakes. They were topped with a square of butter just like in movies. They were picture perfect, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore. “Thanks,” I said to the chef.
“Ooh,” said Ashlynn, “I’m gonna get some too, they look so good.”
“Help me with mine,” I said, pushing the plate toward her. “No way I can finish them.”
I sat there chatting with my new friend, nibbling on the pancakes, but my appetite seemed to have left me. I pulled out my phone from my pocket a couple times during the meal, checking it for a text or call from Axl, but there was nothing.
I hoped he would make it back soon, and all the shit with the clubs would be over with. But I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple. In the club life, it never was.
Chapter 29: Axl
I left around 9am. Only caught about 4 hours of shut-eye, but having Holly all night was all the healing I needed. Your average Joe mighta felt drained and wasted after a week of violence and a full night of fucking, but me, I was a new man.
I left her tucked in under the thin sheets, running my hands lightly over her naked body one more time. If I didn’t come back, I wanted to make sure I croaked with her on my mind.
I thought I might be starting to feel something. Like, something real.
Love.
Part of me thought to wake her up and tell her, but I couldn’t make myself do it. Maybe I was afraid she’d love me too and then lose me.
I skipped breakfast and went straight to the garage. Mikey’s mechanics had taken care of the jacked car last night. Scrubbed the VIN, threw on a new plate, and repainted it. And apparently fixed the A/C as a courtesy. Good fucking thing, too, ‘cause it was gonna be in the hundreds today, and I had a six-hour drive ahead of me back to Redstone.
Once on the road, I hit up Dash on my cellphone. I needed someone I could trust if I was gonna pull this off.
“Yo,” I said.
“Axl, man. Was getting worried about you.”
“I’m good. I’ll be in town at 3:30. Need you to meet me at the Rock Tavern. And bring Red with you.”
“Yeah, alright,” said Dash. “We’ll be there.”
I slammed the phone down on the seat next to me, and cranked up the A/C and the radio. Nothin’ like highway radio stations to get you through a boring fuckin’ drive.
Pissed me off to still be in this fuckin’ cage, though. Minute I could, I was gettin’ a new bike and puttin’ this piece of shit in the crusher.
I got back into town right on schedule and parked the cage behind the Rock Tavern, our old haunt. If shit was on one of the guys’ minds and he wasn’t at the clubhouse bar, you almost always found him at the Rock Tavern.
Dash and Red were waiting in a booth when I stepped inside. But instead of entering with my usual swagger, I kept my head down.
Our haunt or not, couldn’t be too safe in times like these.
I joined the guys at their booth with a tip of my head.
“Axl, buddy, Jesus. Glad you made it in one piece,” said Dash. He seemed nervous. Red nodded. “Heard about the Demons. That’s fucked up, man.”
I looked at Dash. “Does he know about the other thing?”
Dash shook his head no.
“Tell him what the fuck you told me,” I said.
Dash looked apprehensive, reluctant. “You sure?”
“Tell him.”
Dash turned to Red, next to him. “Reapers aren’t working with the Demons. The Demon hit was an inside job. From within the Sons.”
“Wager my life it was Lynch,” I added.
Dash looked at me and gave a single nod. “Yes,” he said. “Lynch.”
Red looked hard at Dash, his eyes bulging. “How in the fuck do ya know this?”
“After we heard the VP was shot up in Four Corners, I did some digging on the streets. Had a hunch. Put pressure on a couple Demons.” He shaped his fingers into a gun and pointed them at his skull, clarifying the type of “pressure” he meant. “Lynch has been unhinged lately. We should’ve seen this coming.”
Red nodded slowly. “All the guys see what’s goin’ down between you and Lynch,” he said, looking at me. “Ain’t a secret.”
“Don’t say ‘you and Lynch,’” I growled in a low tone. “I ain’t on the same level as that shithead.”
Red nodded. “We know that, boss.”
“Update me on the Reapers,” I said.
Dash just shook his head sadly, and Red replied after exhaling air slowly through his lips.
“Drive-by at the Bunny Ranch Strip Club two nights ago. Bastards caught four of our guys, two still in critical condition. Knocked Striker off his bike the day before that, busted up his leg real good.”
“Fucking savages,” I said. My blood boiled.
“They’re pushin’ up against our territory real good,” said Red, shaking his head sadly. “Only a matter of time before we see something big. A bombing or some shit. This’s been a long time comin’, but they’re makin’ all their moves now.”
Dash nodded. “I agree.”
“What’s their end game?” I said.
Dash replied. “Break the Sons charter. Mass surrender and patch-over.”
I gritted my teeth. “Day I wear a Reaper patch is the day they put my rotting corpse in the ground.”
“But this shit with Lynch,” said Red, “Could really tear the club apart.”
I knew he was right. I’d seen shit like this before. An external enemy like the Reapers was dangerous, but an internal enemy was what killed morale and set men against one another. If we were gonna take out Lynch, we had to do it fast, and clean.
“Goddamn,” I said, shaking my head. “Never fuckin’ thought it’d come to this. I gotta clear my head.” I whistled loud and threw a hand in the air to signal a waitress. “Be a doll, Jack shots all around.”
The waitress brought us each a tall shot glass of whiskey. “Put ‘em down, boys. That’s an order,” I said.
We put the shot glasses bottom-up, and I felt the gears in my head start to spin the way I needed them to.
“VP,” said Dash, “Say we gather evidence, call a Mayhem vote on Lynch, and lay everything out for the club to vote on.”
I shook my head no. “That fucker’s too deep up Ryker’s ass right now,” I said. “Ryker ain’t thinkin’ straight. We call a Mayhem vote on Lynch, and more than likely it’s me that ends up on the chopping block after the shit I’ve pulled.”
Dash nodded, understanding my drift.
“We hit him hard, and fast. Make it look like an accident. Make it look like the Reapers got him.”
“Yeah,” said Red. “Lynch’s the most wanted man in the club. He’s been out there on the front lines, hittin’ them everyday. They want his ass and nobody’s gonna question if he takes a bullet to the brain one night.”
I nodded, the plan coming together in my mind. “First thing’s first,” said. “We get rid of Lynch, then we hit Vargas hard enough to send the Reapers back home, lickin’ their wounds.”
Dash and Red nodded in agreement.
“Dash,” I said, “You been closest to Lynch. When’s he gonna be off-guard?”
Dash paused, thinking. “At his pad,” he said. “Fucker’s got a nice vacation home down in Phoenix. Wife and kids are out of town ’til next week. He’s there every Thursday.”
“Wife and kids gone—you fuckin’ sure?” I said, my eyes narrowing. “Sick and fuckin’ tired of innocents getting’ caught up in our bullshit. We see any sign of a woman or child, we turn around and go home. No debate.”
Dash nodded. “I’m sure. His old lady has the kids in Florida right now, up with the in-laws. Two thousand miles away. Lynch will be alone.”
I nodded, looking back and forth at Dash and Red. “Hold this in complete confiden
ce,” I said. “One word of this gets out… I’ll cut both your throats myself.” I couldn’t fuckin’ imagine Dash or Red saying shit. And I sure as hell couldn’t imagine cuttin’ their throats. But I wanted shit to be crystal clear.
Both men nodded solemnly, not speaking.
“Then it’s decided,” I said. “I’m layin’ low just outside of town. Can’t show my face at the club now. Same time here tomorrow, we figure out the details.”
“We’ll be here, boss,” said Red.
“Stay safe, buddy,” said Dash, looking into my eyes. He held eye contact just a little longer than normal. “Catch you here tomorrow.”
Dash and Red got up and left. I sat there for a few minutes in thought, then signaled the waitress for another whiskey. This one I sipped slowly. One hand on the glass, and the other hand on the Glock on my hip. As I drank, my eyes scanned around the room.
Couldn’t be too careful.
Chapter 30: Holly
The next morning, I was under the weather. I’d gone to bed without eating much, and when I woke up, I felt like I was coming down with a stomach flu. Lovely. I wished I was back home with my roommates, or at my parents’ house. Being sick while away from home was the worst.
Fortunately, I at least had my new friend Ashlynn to keep me company. I was lying in bed reading the news on my phone when she came knocking at my door.
“How you feeling, girl?” She asked, cracking the door and poking her head through.
I sighed. “Come in, Ash,” I said. “Been better.” I was trying to lie as still as possible, because every time I moved it felt like my guts were sloshing around inside me.
“Awe,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “What say I help you get dressed and we get some chicken noodle soup?”
I mustered a smile for her. “Okay, let’s give it a shot.”
We made it down the hall to the kitchen and sat at our usual spot at the black-and-white checkered countertop. The Italian cook, who I now knew as Luigi, brought out two bowls of steaming hot soup with saltines. “Feel better,” he said with a sympathetic smile.
The soup was tasty and rejuvenating, and my stomach began to calm down as Ash and I sat, talked, and ate.
But halfway through our meal, a dangerous-looking group of five or six men burst into the mess hall, loud and raucous. They commandeered two tables near the entrance. One of them, a greasy-looking kid who looked like a bad impression of Elvis, kicked back in a chair and threw his muddy boots on the table. The stench of alcohol reached my nose from across the room.
Next to me, Ashlynn groaned quietly. “Don’t give ‘em attention. Just finish your soup and we’ll go.”
“You know these guys?” I whispered back.
“Yeah. Mean drunks that come by here every week after dropping off crank for their club.”
“Which club?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“Demons.”
I nearly spilled a spoonful of salty broth and noodles into my lap. “Oh my God,” I said, feeling my skin prickle. “A Demon tried to kill Axl. And me.”
Ashlynn’s eyes widened in alarm. “What?!”
I put the spoon down into my unfinished bowl of soup, quietly. “We need to go,” I whispered. “I’ll explain later.”
Ashlynn nodded.
We stood up and walked toward the exit. I looked straight ahead, not making eye contact with the boisterous men. But I could tell they noticed us. Before we got to the door, the young greasy-looking one crossed the room and blocked our path.
“In a rush, ladies?” I looked into his beady eyes, which sparkled insincerely. His skin was a mess and his teeth were crooked and yellowed. His breath stank of booze and cigarettes.
Ashlynn, who’d been following behind me, stepped up next to me. “Get outta our way, Ford.”
“Nah,” he said with a dirty grin, “I don’t think so. How you been, baby? And who’s your little friend?”
“I’d watch your fucking mouth if I were you,” Ash said. “She’s Archer’s old lady. Fuck with her and Big Mikey’ll cut your puny dick off.”
“Shut up, bitch,” Ford snarled.
A week ago, I’d have been intimidated by this guy’s crude behavior. But by now, I’d seen worse. My intuition told me this guy was a little bitch under a fake “tough guy” persona.
“Back off,” I said. My lips seemed to be doing the talking for me. “Get outta the way, or Axl will kill you like he killed your buddy at Four Corners.”
Ford’s eyes swiveled to me, angry. But behind his anger, there was confusion. I had a read on him. My street smarts were catching up to my book smarts. He was just a scared little piglet, a follower who didn’t really know what the hell was going on.
“The hell you talkin’ about?”
By now, we’d caught the attention of the other Demons, and another one walked up to us. He was tall, ripped, and had a hard jawline and a military-looking high ’n tight haircut. Clearly the leader. Ford’s posturing diminished as the bigger man approached, his behavior changing from aggressive to deferential. It was easy to tell who was really in charge here.
“Hey boss,” said Ford, looking up at the taller man, “This bitch was saying—“
The taller man spoke over Ford, cutting him off. “I heard. Now git.” He flicked his head, ordering Ford to scram, who obeyed after giving me and Ashlynn one last dirty look.
“Listen,” said the man, lowering his voice, “I heard about that bullshit with your old man. Listen. I couldn’t give less of a fuck about the Sons of Chaos,” he said, “Ain’t got no particular love or hate for ‘em. But there’s nothin’ I fuckin’ hate worse than a sell-out.” He moved in closer toward us, lowering his voice even further so his guys wouldn’t overhear. “The Demon who shot up your old man was paid off. We don’t love the Sons, but we also ain’t tryin’ to start a war with ‘em. He was a lone wolf.”
I nodded. “We know it was a Son who paid off your guy. I don’t think Axl blames your MC for this.”
He nodded and stood up straight. “Good. But understand. After I heard about this bullshit, I put the squeeze on a couple of my own guys. Suspected they knew somethin’ about it. Gave me a name.”
I nodded. “Axl knows it was Lynch who paid off your guy.”
The man looked briefly confused and shook his head. “Well, that ain’t the name I heard.”
My heart beat faster. “What’d you hear?”
“Name I got was Dash.”
I felt like someone had pulled a fire alarm in my head. Ash must’ve sensed it, ‘cause she said, “Hol, what’s wrong?”
“Shit,” I whispered. My head was pounding. “That’s Axl’s buddy. The one he went to meet yesterday. The one who gave him Lynch’s name.”
“Oh, shit,” said Ashlynn.
The man’s expression hardened. “Smells like a set-up to me,” he said.
“Shit,” I repeated. “We gotta go.”
The man nodded. “Hope your old man makes it outta this.”
“Come on,” I said to Ashlynn, and rushed out of the mess hall with her behind me.
We stood in the dorm hallway. “I’ve gotta call him,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. All I could think about was Axl unknowingly walking straight into a trap, and getting betrayed by Dash. I had a horrible, sinking fear that I wouldn’t see him again. I almost felt—no, did feel—like I’d rather be there instead of him. I’d never felt so protective of any guy before, and I was terrified that something might happen to him. Did this mean I loved him?
But there was no time to dwell on feelings. I dialed Axl and held the phone to my ear. It went straight to voicemail without ringing. I tried again, with the same result.
“Ash,” I said, my voice starting to rise in panic, “I’ve gotta get outta here and get to him.”
“You gotta talk to Big Mikey,” she said. “This way!”
She rushed down the hall, leading the way to Big Mikey’s office, and I scurried behind her. When we got to the do
or, she barged straight in without knocking. Big Mikey was sitting behind a big mahogany desk, looking down at a financial ledger book, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He looked up in surprise.
“Just what-“ he began, but Ash cut him off.
“Mikey,” she said, puffing, “Listen to Holly.”
He looked at me, cocking an eyebrow.
“Axl’s in danger,” I said breathlessly. “And he’s not picking up his phone.”
“Whoa,” said Big Mikey, “Slow down. Start from the beginning.”
I explained to him as quickly as I could. But before I could finish, he shot upright out of his chair.
“Stop right there,” he said, “Getting my guys, and we’re going. Jesus, he didn’t tell me the Demons were involved in this, or I woulda kicked ‘em the fuck outta here.”
“It’s good you didn’t,” I said urgently. “If we hadn’t run into those Demons, we’d never have known. But you have to take me along.”
Mikey shook his head. “Can’t do that. Axl asked me to keep you safe, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“I can handle myself,” I said. “I won’t get in your way. I’ll go crazy if I’m waiting here.”
He sighed. “Women these days,” he muttered. “Alright. Come. But do exactly as me and my guys say.”
I nodded. I was pumped up with adrenaline, and I wasn’t paying any attention to my aching stomach anymore. I just had to get out of there.
We had to find Axl and warn him before it was too late.
Big Mikey crossed the room, his pace quick, and opened the door. “Let’s go,” he said.
Chapter 31: Axl
The next day, I was waiting for the guys at the Rock Tavern. Same time, same place. It was quiet this afternoon, not a lot of folks drinking. As if all was calm before the storm.
I ordered a double whiskey on the rocks that I was nursing when they showed up. I needed to be on fuckin’ point. We only had one chance to get this right.
I tipped my head to Dash and Red as they slipped into the leather booth opposite me. “Afternoon, boys,” I said.
Axl (Sons of Chaos MC #1) Page 11
