Dani didn’t answer, but a small, pleased grin curved her lips for a moment.
Charlie knew that look. Once she’d tried stealing, Charlie was hooked. While she wasn’t a kleptomaniac or anything, she did get a high from theft. Maybe it was the wicked thrill of getting away with something. Or the adrenaline rush.
In pursuit of answers, Charlie changed the subject and turned on the charm. A little small talk might thaw her jailor out, and she didn’t want to spend the next hour or so trading insults or threats. “You and Axel are a couple then? You own this shop together?”
Dani stopped mid-wrenching and held her stomach as if she was going to upchuck. “God, no! Don’t say things like that. Yuck.”
She seriously used yuck to describe dating the sexy six-foot-and-then-some biker? “He isn’t your boyfriend then?”
“Uh, no.” She did a full-body shudder as though the thought alone revolted her. “Not even close.”
Charlie was surprised at happy she was to hear that news. “Why not?”
“I’ve known him forever. He used to babysit me when I was a kid. Liking him would be all…Flowers in the Attic.” Dani grimaced.
“I love that book,” Charlie said.
She’d gone through a serious V.C. Andrews stage in middle school. She used to devour the books, though the seriously twisted romantic relationship between the brother and sister characters freaked her out.
Charlie often lost herself in books. She could always count on a good old public library. Whatever town she blew through, she could get a library card—after she lied about her address—and load up on all of the books she wanted. She didn’t even have to steal them.
Dani smiled, just a little. “Me, too.”
“They’re so very, very wrong.”
They both shivered then laughed like old friends sharing a private joke. And the pressure in the room eased a bit.
Charlie sighed and rolled her shoulders as the tension slipped away. Dani went back to working on the car. She fiddled with something and some motor oil spattered on her chin. She hastily wiped it off, and it stained the back of her hand. She had a bit of a tomboy vibe. Maybe it was a byproduct of being raised around all this testosterone?
“I don’t get it. Axel’s so…” Charlie stopped herself before she made a purring noise, like a house cat curled in the heat of the sun. Words couldn’t even cover it. “Uh, he’s attractive, if you’re into bikers,” she said lamely.
Dani raised a brow.
“What?” She touched her cheek and slyly checked her palm. Do I have something on my face? “Why are you being weird?”
“If you’re into bikers, huh?” Dani waggled her eyebrows. “Do tell.”
“Shut up,” Charlie snapped. “He looks fine, but he’s an asshole.”
“Yeah, and you’d like a slice of that anyway,” Dani insisted.
“I never said—”
“You didn’t have to.” Dani planted a hand on her hip. “If you didn’t care, you would’ve said he’s hot and been done with it, but you’re bein’ all twitchy about it.” She shook her head. “Well, this is gonna be entertainin’.”
Charlie composed herself so she could lie her ass off. “He’s hot, but not my type.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” she grated out. “I’m a freaking fantastic liar, and I don’t have a thing for Axel!” The words echoed around the vaulted ceiling. Charlie buried her face in her hands and wondered if it was possible to die of humiliation.
“Yeah, my bad,” Dani said. “You obviously don’t care about him.”
“I hate you,” Charlie growled.
“Yeah, yeah. Get in line.” She shrugged. “Let me guess. You haven’t seen Ryker yet?”
“Who?”
“Axel’s younger brother. He’s better looking,” Dani stated. “But he’s taken. He’s getting married in a couple of weeks.”
Charlie gaped at her. She had trouble imagining someone sexier than Axel. “So, I have a question for you. Why are all the Horsemen sexy? Don’t the Horsemen have any homely guys in the club?”
Dani shrugged. “Maybe it’s in the bylaws or somethin’.” Then she cackled. “Or they’re following the Hooters business model, in reverse.”
For a moment, Charlie imagined a world with sexy men serving hot wings and sighed. “So, whose car are you working on?” she asked.
Dani fiddled with another doohickey. Charlie had to call car parts doohickeys and thingamawatchets. She didn’t know a damn thing about them. Maybe that’s why the Olds crapped out on me.
“Lexi. Her dad’s one of the brothers, too. I’m doing a tune-up and an oil change.”
“You all seem to be real close.”
She nodded. “Small-town life, I guess. Everyone and everything’s connected. You get used to it, and you learn to hide stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Charlie asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Charlie wondered what it would have been like to grow up with roots and ties to a community. After they’d moved around a few times, she’d stopped trying to make friends in school. She’d kept her head down, did the work, and practiced pickpocketing. And after Scott had disappeared, it’d been even lonelier. It never occurred to her until she was older that other options existed, that not everyone grew up in a home like hers.
Just then, a truck pulled up outside and another young woman hopped out. “Thanks for the ride, Wendy,” she called as the truck lumbered off. The newcomer slung a backpack over her shoulder and walked into the garage. “Hey, Dani,” she called and then glanced Charlie. “Who’s your friend?”
“Not a friend, but her name’s Charlie. Axel wants to speak with her about some club business.”
Charlie was surprised she hadn’t used the word ‘thief’. Then Dani winked at her, like they were fellow conspirators.
“Nice to meet you,” the woman said. “I’m Lexi Cooper.” She had light brown hair and brown eyes framed by a pair of cat’s-eye glasses. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, flats, and a gray Henley shirt, topped with a black and gray checkered scarf. With the backpack and the outfit, Lexi gave off a preppy vibe.
Charlie nodded. “I’m Charlie Nash.”
Lexi frowned at her sedan. “How’s she doing?”
“Not too bad, but you should’ve brought her in sooner. Your oil was a tar pit and that glop clogs your engine,” Dani told her.
Charlie got the impression Dani really loved cars, almost as if they weren’t inanimate objects to her. Maybe she considered herself a vet and cars were big, steel animals she cared for.
“Yikes, sorry,” Lexi said, scrunching up her nose. “Dad’s been bugging me about bringing it in, but school is crazy right now and it never seems to be a good time.” She sighed. “All I have time for lately is studying and going to class.”
“Lexi’s in grad school,” Dani explained to Charlie. “She’s going to get a doctorate and be a shrink one day. Like Doctor Phil with less dick and more sass.”
Lexi laughed. “A hell of a lot more sass. And I’ll be a psychologist, not a shrink. I’m not in med school.” She frowned. “Maybe I’ll be a professor. Or I could do both.” She shrugged. “Oh, hell, I don’t know yet.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.” Charlie was impressed.
She’d never finished high school and hadn’t gotten her GED. Because they’d moved around so much, there hadn’t been much of a paper trail, so no concerned neighbors or authority figures had stepped in when her father died.
Sure, she’d contemplated turning herself over to the system. Foster care would’ve given her three squares and a place to sleep, but she’d ultimately decided to go it alone. Scott had taught her how to be self-sufficient. And she’d had the senseless hope he’d come back to her. Once she was in the system, it would’ve been hard to get her out.
So life had been about survival. Every day, she had to cover the essentials, like food and a place to sle
ep. There hadn’t been any time leftover for learning. Other than losing her father, it was her biggest regret. Charlie would’ve liked to have graduated and then gone to college.
Lexi shrugged off the compliment. “Thanks.”
“You know, you both have something in common,” Dani said.
“What’s that?” Charlie asked.
“Lexi has a thing for one of the brothers, too,” Dani stated, as she started working on the car again.
Lexi’s lips flattened into a thin line. “Were you raised by wolves?”
“No, by Sailor,” Dani deadpanned.
“Same thing.” Lexi glanced at Charlie. “And who are you crushing on?”
“I don’t like anyone,” Charlie responded quickly. Especially Dani. Especially right now.
“I can feel you glaring at me,” Dani told her as she adjusted another thingamawatchet on the car. “And don’t be fooled. She wants Axel real bad.”
Lexi wrinkled her nose.
Yuck and a disgust face…that’s how they felt about hooking up with Axel? These girls were blind. Charlie was polite enough to respect Lexi’s privacy, but Dani had earned the teasing. “And what about you?” Charlie asked Dani. “Do you have a thing for a Horseman?”
“Nope,” Dani said.
Hmmm. Maybe not one of the Horsemen, but someone else? Someone outside the club? Charlie would get it out of her eventually. After all, she had the time. While she hadn’t formulated a plan yet, Charlie knew robbing Beauregard would be a long-term con. This wasn’t a typical smash-and-grab. It’d take a lot of patience, planning, and finesse to pull off.
It could take weeks, maybe even months.
Charlie watched as Dani and Lexi continued to banter back and forth. She couldn’t help but smile at their antics. Staying in one place usually made her nervous, but somehow the idea of working with the club didn’t seem like such an awful prospect.
I might even like Hell. For a while, at least.
Chapter Six
Axel pulled into the parking lot outside Perdition, the clubhouse and bar run by his brother, Ryker, and his mother, Eddie Rollins. Axel nodded to some of his brothers who sat at the bar as he walked in the clubhouse. At this early hour, they were drinking coffee and sodas instead of the hard stuff. Axel wanted something a bit stronger, but he needed to keep a clear head.
Perdition looked exactly like a biker bar should. The building used to be a warehouse, and it still had an industrial feel. The vaulted ceiling sported two large, exposed-steel beams, and his brothers had suspended a pair of antique Harleys from them on chains.
He hadn’t been lying to Charlie about the club underwear tradition. A long, lacy string of ladies’ panties wrapped around the walls as a testament to the custom. Axel didn’t know what had possessed him to ask for hers in the first place. Somehow, it felt right. Even though he had Charlie’s panties in his back pocket, he wasn’t sure if he’d actually tack them up for the world to see.
Or maybe he’d wanted them for himself…
Axel shook his head to clear it. No time for that right now.
Think on your Sins, the club motto, was painted in blood red across the surface of one large wall. Those words had new meaning for him, especially considering what Beauregard was blackmailing them into. When the club had reformed following the RICO fiasco, they’d worked hard to do some good in the world. And now, they’d be smuggling heroin.
Axel made his way down the back hallway to the boardroom through the steel doors. They’d been stamped with the image of a stallion’s head, along with the club’s name. A quote from the book of Revelation had been carved into the long oak table dominating the room: Behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death. And Hell followed with him.
To match it, another Bible quote in a frame hung on the wall: And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.
Words to live by. Words to die by.
He was reminded of the beginning of that particular passage: The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children.
The club was at the mercy of a truly evil man. And Axel was the one who had to shepherd this club through a dark and tumultuous time. He hoped he could find the wisdom to do this without any of them paying the ultimate price.
He sat down at the head of the table and watched as his brothers filed in, one by one. The new Horsemen–Pretty Boy, Fetch, Crash, and Dash—now had seats around the table. Axel was proud of them. They’d all survived Revelation and come out the other side intact. He was sorry they had to start their time as brothers in the middle of this mess.
And the old standbys were there, too: Voo, Shep, Ransom, Ryker, Ace, Jagger, Steele, Coyote, Cowboy, Duke, Justice, Wild, Renegade, Breaker, and Goat. Captain, the former president, was still in Corpus Christi with Eddie. Things were awkward as ass between him and Captain since Axel had deposed him when he took on the role of president. As soon as Cap got back to town, Axel intended to sit down with him. He wanted to clear the air and he hated to admit it, but he needed the man’s advice, as well.
But he had to get this shindig started.
He didn’t want to draw it out any longer than he had to, so he got straight down to business. “We got somethin’ real important to discuss. I met with Beauregard this morning.”
There were some curses and muffled groans from the room. Beauregard had blackmailed Axel’s mother–her fingerprints were on a gun used to murder a fed. Beauregard had the gun in his vault, and he’d also stashed the body. It would be more than enough to get her the death penalty in Texas. They’d tried to steal it back, but it’d been a miserable failure.
“Yeah, and it gets better,” Axel continued. “He wants us to smuggle some heroin over the border.”
Another round of cursing and shouts.
“I don’t like it any better than you, but he has us by the short hairs. We’re fucked on this one.”
There was a lengthy, tense silence. They brothers nodded, getting it. They’d made a deal with the devil to protect Eddie.
Axel surveyed his brothers. “So, we can’t call this to a vote. It’s happening, and there’s no way around it. But I’m not gonna make anybody do this run. Volunteers only. And let me be clear, this is a first-degree felony on wheels. Texas doesn’t fuck around with hard drugs. If we get busted, we could get life sentences.”
Axel paused a moment to let that sink in. His brothers nodded grimly.
Then he spoke again. “I’m leading this run. I’m the one who got us into this mess, so I’m in charge.” And if they got caught, he’d be the one sentenced to the most time for masterminding the plot.
“It wasn’t your fault, brother,” Shepherd said. “Everyone at the table has a share of the blame.”
Shep was still healing from the beating the Raptors had given him, but besides the bruises, he looked better than he had in years. Shep wasn’t having beer for breakfast anymore, and he looked like he’d gotten his eight hours last night. Like a weight had been lifted.
Shep’s partner, Pretty Boy, wrapped an arm around him.
The club had been going through a series of shocks lately. And when the pair had come out as a couple, it’d caused an uproar. Axel was ashamed that’d he’d been pissed at first. Mostly because Shep, his cousin and friend, had been lying to him for years—to all of them. Captain, Shepherd, and Joker…all of them liars, and for different reasons. And Axel was fucking sick of the lies and the impact it had on the club.
In the aftermath of his coming-out party, Shep had stepped down as the club’s VP, and no amount of persuasion could make him take on the role again. Axel had practically begged. Not that he blamed Shep. He’d been through hell the past few weeks, and he’d earned the downtime.
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Axel nodded at Shep, but it still felt like his responsibility. “If it makes it any better, we’re only smuggling it into the country and making sure the drugs get to their destination. We won’t be distributing.”
No one said anything, and they didn’t have to. It didn’t make it better. They were about to become the kinds of bastards they used to punish, something Axel had promised himself he would never be. Look at him now, his father’s son.
Axel sighed. “Let’s not drag it out. Who’s going?”
Shep spoke up first. “I can’t, brother.”
“I didn’t expect you to,” Axel said quickly. Shep’s mom had died of a heroin overdose, and Beauregard’s thugs had beaten the snot out of Pretty Boy.
Ryker’s hand shot up and Axel sliced his head to the side. “Not you. You’re about to get hitched. You’re needed at home.”
Ryker opened his mouth to protest and Axel raised a hand. “Don’t even bother. That was the president talking.” They were related by blood as well as brotherhood.
“When I voted your ass in, I had no idea you’d pull rank on me,” Ryker growled.
“Yeah? Deal with it. You’ve had lots of practice.”
He’d been bossing around Ryker most of his life. When their dad went to jail and their mother went to work, a lot of the household duties had fallen to him. He’d been the one who’d gone grocery shopping, made lunches, started dinner, and did the laundry.
Justice raised his hand. “I’m in, boss.” Like Duke, Justice upped the level of bad-assery in the group. Justice had been a Navy SEAL and his team had helped pave the way for the rest of the military in Afghanistan, but he didn’t talk about it much. Axel knew he’d trained at the naval amphibious base in Little Creek, Virginia, but that’s about it.
“Thanks, brother,” Axel said.
Steele raised his hand next. Steele had short spiked black hair and hazel eyes. Normally, they were filled with mischief, but they were flat and lifeless at the moment. “Count me in, brother.” Steele had been a Marine, ran Inferno Firearms, and was yet another asset to the team. He was a munitions expert, so he could handle some serious firepower if they needed it.
Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) Page 6
