Steele pushed back, propelling Axel back on his heels.
“Holy shit!” Dani said. “Fight!” Lexi watched with wide eyes. And Charlie groaned. She’d wanted a reaction, but she didn’t intend to start a bar brawl.
A hush fell over the room. The Crows stopped playing and the brothers stopped talking and shooting pool. Everyone watched.
What a stupid plan…bad moonshine! Bad! Note to self, don’t pick on bikers. They’re sensitive.
“Uh, Axel…” Charlie said hesitantly.
“The lady wants a kiss,” Steele stated, straightening his shirt. “This ain’t none of your business, brother.”
“She doesn’t know what she wants.” Axel turned to glare daggers at her, and she scowled right back at him.
“But you do?” Steele asked. “Cuz I don’t see your name on her, Axel. She ain’t your old lady.”
“Oh, yeah?” Axel said, and then Charlie stood in horrified silence as he pulled her panties out of his pocket. They dangled from his big hand like a lacy trophy. “We’ll see about that.”
Steele stared at the panties then held up his hands. “I’m sorry, brother. Didn’t know she was taken.”
Charlie’s jaw dropped. “Taken?”
Axel stared at Charlie as though daring her to contradict the statement.
And she couldn’t process all of this with her alcohol-addled brain. There were several things that needed her undivided, sober attention. Axel walked around with her panties tucked in his pocket? And he’d “claimed” her in front of the club. And then, with dawning horror, she gawked at the long panty line.
Suddenly getting it.
With masculine swagger, Axel sauntered across the room and hopped up on the bar. With a clothespin from a cup on the bar, he pinned her unmentionables on the line of shame for the world to see. Then, he addressed the room. “Charlie is off-limits. She’s mine. Got it?”
No one argued with him. Instead, they went back to playing pool but the place was buzzing with whispered gossip. And several brothers and hellions gawked at both Charlie and Axel.
She buried her head in her hands.
Axel stalked to a corner and hurled darts at an innocent board. The Crows started playing once more. A twangy version of “Hey Jealousy” by the Gin Blossoms. Evidently, they had a sick sense of humor. No tip for you.
“Let me guess,” Lexi nearly shouted over of the nose. “I’m betting there’s some internal screaming going on in your head right now?”
Charlie nodded.
“He just pinned those up on the panty line, like a man mounts a deer on his wall.” Dani waggled her brows.
Charlie doubted her use of the word ‘mount’ had been accidental.
“And later, we can talk about how he got your drawers in the first place,” Lexi said. “Because I think you’ve been holding out on us.”
Charlie wouldn’t be fessing up anytime soon, but she’d apparently be planning another heist: Operation Panties.
Chapter Fourteen
A couple days later, Axel dropped by Hell’s Kitchen Cupboard and loaded up on supplies before he took off for Abilene in one of Hades’ pickup trucks. He was driving to Goat’s hunting cabin near the state park to deliver groceries to Jonathan Royal, the president of Kentucky’s Four Horsemen chapter.
Calling the shithole a ‘cabin’ was being generous, but it served as a great hideout for a wanted felon. It had Coleman lanterns, candles, and a fireplace for heat. Axel supposed it had to be better than the jail cell Royal had lived in for last ten years. At this time of year, the nearby park was nearly empty and hunting season had come to an end.
Not all of the Horsemen chapters had a strictly ‘straight and narrow’ approach to earning money, and Royal had been sent away for a slew of charges including murder. He’d busted out of prison in January and had been on the run ever since, nearly a year now. A couple weeks ago, he’d shown up in Texas and Axel had been forced to take him in because Horsemen always helped another brother out. The club really didn’t need this kind of liability, but Axel couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
Royal was the subject of a nationwide manhunt and the Bureau had offered a $100,000 reward for information that led to his capture, which would bring bounty hunters out of the woodwork. Hell, if he wasn’t a brother, Axel would turn Royal’s ass in for the money. His crew might need bail money after the Laredo job.
When he pulled up, he found Royal sitting in a lawn chair in front of a small fire he’d built in the pit. Axel glanced around but didn’t see anyone in the vicinity. If he didn’t know any better he’d say Royal wanted to get caught. At least he wasn’t recognizable.
Royal had dark brown eyes and a squared jaw. Axel figured they were roughly the same but he seemed older somehow. Maybe prison had aged him? In his flannel shirt and faded jeans, with a thick beard and mustache, Royal resembled a lumberjack. His black hair brushed his shirt collar and he’d pulled the brim of his trucker hat down low. It was an effective disguise. He looked nothing like his own clean-shaven, short-haired fugitive photos on television.
Axel vaulted from the truck and grabbed a couple of cardboard boxes from the backend.
“Thanks, brother,” Royal said as he also loaded his arms with boxes.
“Yeah, don’t mention it.” And Axel meant it. They hadn’t even told any of the old ladies Royal was squatting in the cabin.
They walked inside across the roughhewn wooden floors and stopped at rusty steel table Goat must’ve found at the dump and hauled in the cab. There was a Coleman stove situated on one end of it, along with a cardboard box full of pots and pants. A lantern glowed in center of the table. And that was essentially it.
Royal had a sleeping bag near the fireplace, but there was no other furniture, other than the lawn chairs out front. Goat only used the cabin during hunting season, so it hadn’t been set up as a residence. It didn’t have running water, so there was an outhouse in the backyard and a water pump in the front corner of the property.
Axel had brought staples–macaroni and cheese, canned soup and vegetables, beef jerky, evaporated milk, pasta. Things that would last a long time.
Royal frowned at all of it. “Are you feeding an army? It’s just me, brother.”
“I gotta make a run over the border soon. Things might get dicey, and I thought I’d make sure you were taken care of for a few weeks.” He’d also brought several containers of gas and new clothing from Steele’s shop.
Royal had to stay off the radar or he’d be picked up, which meant he couldn’t go to gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, or anywhere else until the heat died down. Axel figured it might take months, if not years. It’d become national news and everyone had followed the jailbreak for weeks. Two of his club brothers had been arrested for staging the breakout, but they’d refused to give any information to law enforcement.
Royal had kidnapped the female marshal transporting him during a prison transfer, which made the story especially juicy. He’d successfully evaded capture for months, and that had kept the case alive in the news media.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Hope your run goes real smooth.” After they’d set the boxes down, Royal frowned at him. “You look a little worse for wear, if you don’t mind me sayin’.”
Axel laughed. Shit. A fugitive from the law thought he looked haggard. “Ain’t that the truth? Most days, my ass is draggin’.” Except for the days he saw Charlie. Those always energized him, their recent encounter notwithstanding. He still owed her an apology for the bar scene and his asinine behavior at the garage.
“Yeah, that sounds like being president, all right,” Royal said with a nod. Nothing like bein’ the man in charge. Everything falls on your shoulders.”
Together, they put all the groceries away. The cabin had a small fridge powered by a generator, so Axel had only included a couple of refrigerated items–some cold cuts, beer, and veggies.
“Why don’t you sit a while and have a beer with me before you head on back?” R
oyal offered after they’d finished. He handed Axel a can of beer.
Axel took it with a nod. He wanted to hightail it out of there. But, the man was a brother and that relationship demanded a bit of his time and respect. Axel figured the forced solitude was probably getting to Royal.
They sat on opposite sides of the fire outside and Axel took a long pull from the beer. He liked watching the dancing flames. They were mesmerizing. “You were president of your chapter, right?”
Royal took a sip of his beer. “Yeah, for three years before I went in.” His face twisted into a grimace, and then he chuckled. “That’s one job I don’t miss.”
“What? You didn’t like it?”
Royal appeared to think it over. “Ain’t sure like is the right word. I was proud to be the president. I loved my brothers and I wanted to do right by them, but it could be burden.”
Axel could relate. Since he’d taken on this duty, it had swallowed him whole, but he was the best option for the club at the moment. “Would you do it again, if you had to?”
He shook his head. “I doubt that’ll ever happen, brother. I’m running for my life right now. But I’ll tell you one thing, I made it harder on myself. I didn’t have a life outside the club, so the job ate me alive. It ain’t healthy, brother. You need something of your own. A home. Children. A woman you love.”
“You didn’t have an old lady?”
Royal tipped his beer back, taking a long swig. “No, never seemed to find the time. I regretted it once I went inside. Felt like I wasted my life workin’, when I coulda been livin’, you know?”
Axel swallowed the lump in his throat. That sounded awfully fucking familiar.
“I made myself a promise,” Royal said. “If I found the one, I wouldn’t let anything stand in my way.” His eyes were faraway. They fell into a peaceful silence, staring at the fire for a while.
The one. Axel couldn’t stop thinking about Charlie. She called to him like no one had ever had. It hadn’t gone away, no matter how much he’d tried to ignore the attraction.
“So, aren’t you gonna ask me?” Royal asked suddenly.
“What?” Axel asked carefully. He hadn’t requested details about the jailbreak and didn’t want any. He figured when the federal marshals inevitably interrogated him down the line, he could honestly say he didn’t know a goddamn thing about the escape.
“Why I did it. Why I kidnapped the marshal. I know it sounds crazy.”
He’d let the woman go unharmed, according to the news. “None of my fucking business,” Axel said.
Royal’s jaw squared.
Damn. Axel could tell Royal needed to talk to someone. And brothers helped each other out. He should amend the club commandments and take that one out. It only led to trouble. “Well, since you brought it up, why did you take the marshal hostage?”
His lips curved. “I couldn’t not take her.”
“Come again?” If Axel had kidnapped a federal marshal, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
“Have you ever met a woman you couldn’t walk away from?”
Yeah, Axel could definitely relate to that. Charlie was never far from his thoughts.
“I feel like she clunked me over the head with a two-by-four, brother. I ain’t been right since.” He finished off his beer in one pull.
Axel was too stunned to reply. Royal’s in love with the marshal? Talk about a fuckin’ tragedy. “They said she was in cahoots with you.”
“She’s innocent,” Royal said, squeezing the can in his grip until it crumpled. “Ivy wasn’t even supposed to be on duty that night. She filled in last-minute.”
“They fired her anyway, brother.”
“Ivy’s a bounty hunter now.” Royal had a gleam in his eye. “She bounced right back. Word is she’s huntin’ me down.” A grin curved his lips.
Was Royal wanting a showdown? Just so he could see her again? Maybe he had some sort of death wish. “My guess is she’s gunnin’ for you then. Maybe coming for a little payback?”
He settled back in his chair and stretched his legs out. “Yeah, I bet she is.” Royal didn’t seem concerned. “I’m lookin’ forward to it. Ivy and I are opposites, but we’re a match. She just doesn’t know it.” He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a yin-yang symbol on his forearm. “You’d think light and dark, good and bad, right and wrong, were opposing forces, but they aren’t. They match each other, they provide balance.”
What the hell was this…prison philosophizing?
Evidently, Axel’s consternation showed on his face. “It’s true. Opposing forces are complementary.” He tapped his tattoo. “You see there’s a little light in the darkness and vice versa. Good and bad aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m not crazy, brother.”
“Are you sure about that? You’re under a lot of pressure.”
Royal didn’t answer the question. “In prison, I did a lot of reading because I pulled library duty as my work detail. Anyway, there’s a German philosopher, his name is Nietzsche, and one of his quotes always stuck with me. ‘Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil.’ That makes a lot of sense to me.”
Yeah? Well, it sounded like crazy talk to Axel. “Yeah, well, thanks for the company, brother, but I should be on my way.”
He quickly said his goodbyes and got back on the road to Hell.
***
Charlie walked to Seventh Circle after finishing her shift at Beauregard Manor to meet Dani. It was a bit of a hike, but she was used to it by now. She’d changed out of her maid uniform and opted for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. Charlie gotten the chance to enter a few more numbers into the safe today, but…surprise...she hadn’t been successful. Charlie was wondering if she’d ever crack the damn thing.
She’d changed into street clothes before she left, so no one would ask her any questions. Charlie found Dani seated on a stool in front of a small newsprint-covered table, beside a black SUV. She had a tray next to her filled with small cans of paint and several brushes.
“Hey, you ready to get some dinner?” Charlie asked, as she sat down on the other side of the car, on another stool. She discreetly did a sweep of the garage. No sign of Axel. And she told herself she wasn’t disappointed.
“He’s in the office,” Dani said, not looking up from her paint tray. She pulled out a straight razor and sheared a couple of stray hairs from a small paint brush.
“I didn’t ask!”
“You didn’t need to.”
Charlie watched as Dani drug the brush through the black paint. She’d made a makeshift palette on the back of a motorcycle magazine.
“Don’t you want to know what he’s doing in the office?” Dani asked.
“No.”
Actually, Charlie was dying to know. But the ball was in his proverbial court. If Axel wanted to see her, he knew where she was. He’d pinned her panties to the clothesline. And he’d insisted there was nothing but business between them, even though he’d nearly snapped the broom in a jealous outburst. She wouldn’t break the stalemate. If he wanted to change that status quo, he’d have to man up and have a talk with her.
So, she’d come over to see Dani. And that’s all.
Yeah, and apparently, she was lying to herself these days.
Dani shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She drug lines across a Harley Davidson gas tank she’d placed on a table. Every once in a while, she’d dip the brush into some mineral spirits, a paint thinner.
Charlie watched, fascinated. Dani made it look so easy.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” she asked.
“Practice, I guess. I never had formal training, unless you count art class in school.” Dani shrugged. “My dad says I was born with a paintbrush in my hand. I used to decorate the walls at my parents’ place.” She snickered. “Not my finest efforts.”
Axel also did some bodywork, but Dani handled most of the decoration. Their skills complemented one another. Charlie thought they were a great team.
Suddenly,
the office door swung open. Charlie hunched down close to the SUV and slowly peeked around it. Axel was talking with a woman.
“That’s Nancy,” Dani whispered. “You know, Axel’s ex.” She said the last part with waggled eyebrows. “See?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Charlie hissed, inching to get a better view. She didn’t intend to eavesdrop. Okay, that was a lie. She was pretty damn curious about Nancy. She wanted to know what made this woman so damn special. From what Charlie could see, she was ordinary. She wore a pair of clackety black heels, which echoed on the cement floors. Who wears heels to go to a garage? And tight jeans, which looked spray-painted on her body, and a black halter top with a plunging neckline. Nancy seemed to be dressed for a date.
Was Axel having an affair with this chick?
“Do you think she’s pretty?”
“No comment,” Dani muttered.
“What’s she doing here?” Charlie glanced around the garage. “Is he working on her car?”
“Yeah,” Dani said, nodding to the black Durango next to them. “That’s hers. But I think she’s wanting him to lube something besides her chassis.” She gave a dirty chuckle.
As Charlie watched, Nancy placed a hand on Axel’s arm and copped a feel, squeezing his bicep. Axel shifted away from her hands. Good, he had a hands-off policy with her, too. But the woman was undaunted; she got even closer and placed her hands behind her back so she could thrust her breasts at him.
“Oh, my God,” Dani breathed as she glanced through the windows at the couple. “She’s showcasing her breasts.”
“Isn’t she married?” Charlie asked in hushed tones.
“Yeah, I don’t think she cares about that right now.” Dani turned her attention back to the pin-striping. And Charlie silently seethed. Though, she didn’t have the right to be jealous, panty incident aside. After all, Axel had told her the attraction between them wasn’t going anywhere. If he wanted to talk to an old flame, that was his business, not hers.
But she wanted it to be her business.
And she didn’t like the way the woman flirted with him. Touched him.
Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) Page 17
