Jaxson 3: The Last Vow (Black Devils MC)

by K. J. Dahlen

  I rose upward and made a sharp pivot on the balls of my feet to run for it.

  The wind settled. Silence followed.

  Get over it. Do it for Jax. Take a man that doesn’t deserve to live off of this planet and end this nightmare forever.

  Continuing on in only my socks, I moved through the trees charged with anger. Anger that made my head pound. Hatred and frustration burned inside of me. My teeth chewed on my cheek as I tried to keep the strong emotions in check.

  My eyes darted quickly between the tall, vertical tree trunks. If Antonio were here, he wasn’t getting away. Again, I was sure I sensed him hiding nearby in the shadowy trees. Then, I saw something move slightly. My heart jerked hard in preparation to fight. I cursed and gripped the handle of the knife so tight my hand throbbed painfully.

  Was it a man or animal? Images of Antonio sniping me from behind a tree flashed into my mind and I reminded myself that I needed to be careful. I could be dead any moment. And if I was dead, the Jax soon would be too. Another flicker of movement and a crunch of twigs beneath its feet. No doubt about it, it was approaching. My ears couldn’t place it. My eyes couldn’t find it. It kept disappearing, in and out of the shadows.

  Suddenly, a dark figure burst out of the bushes and bolted toward me.

  I didn’t run. I didn’t scream. I held the knife’s blade out straight for Antonio’s body to absorb it.

  A deer, or some kind of lean, four legged creature had appeared from the other side of the woods and brushed past me, heading upwind.

  I took in a huge terrified breath, and let out a heavier one, then took a decisive step forward. If Antonio were here, I’d just given my location away. I had to keep moving, but I was getting tired. I wasn’t used to situations this intense. Changing my mind about this ridiculous pan, I reasoned that I’d distracted Antonio for long enough for me to go home and see Jax. It occurred to me that since I’d stopped him from going to the clubhouse and killing Jax, the man I loved, was for now, at least, safe. I could go home and call for backup to take care of Antonio.

  In the next instant, I turned and ran fast though the foliage.

  No more than ten steps into my sprint for freedom, I ran into a hard chest.

  No. No. No!

  I fought and tried to struggle; but I stumbled.

  A strong hand grabbed my arm. “Hey, little darling,” the person seethed at me.

  I knew that voice; the words sounding slurry like they’d been drawn through the muggy soil from the depths of hell where Antonio belonged. It was him.

  He held me in his grasp and shone his flashlight in my eyes. Then I saw him. Weak jaw. Baby faced. Razor thin lips.

  His dark eyes flashed in the white beam of the light. He flashed a menacing smile. “I’m looking for somebody. And I’m sure you can tell me where they are, Chloe,” he persisted. There was a slight snicker in his voice.

  I glared at him.

  “I said, where is he?” He snapped, not knowing that he was in for a very ugly surprise. He traced a finger along my hairline.

  My insides churned at the sensation. I still had a firm grip of the knife in my other hand. Then I lifted the blade as I jabbed as hard as I could into his stomach, twisting back and forth once before finally letting go. A thick sticky liquid was spreading over my right hand up to my wrist.

  Oh, God. Oh, God. Tears streamed down my face.

  Antonio screamed and semi-doubled over in agony. As he did, his gun dropped to the ground at my feet. I wouldn’t have known it was his gun, it would have only sounded like a light thud on the ground to me but at the sound my mind connected the dots and I knew what I had to do. In that moment, I remember thinking how lucky I was that my dad had told me these modern criminals didn’t bother with shoulder holders for their weapons. They tucked their guns into their inner jacket pocket or the waist of their jeans.

  I pulled myself to my feet and realized that he’d caused me to drop my phone. There was no time to stick around looking for it. I knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop him. It was only a small pocketknife.

  The light from my phone beamed up at him…Antonio stiffened as he stood to his full height.

  My heart clenched in my chest.

  Though physically, Antonio was a wreck, he had a will of iron. “You bitch. You little bitch!” Antonio hissed, blood running down his shirt.

  It occurred to me then that I’d punctured his body right into the bullet wound Bruno had planted there.

  Antonio wasn’t going down without a fight though. I remember what Jax had told me of the night Antonio had tried to kill him. A crazed animal. I bent down quickly and snatched the gun from the ground. I cocked the weapon and trembled, holding both arms straight, I aimed the barrel at his head.

  When Antonio straightened, he held up two blood coated hands. His stomach looked as though blood was melting from his body. Pleading innocence. But he was guilty as hell. Jax had told me the first rule of the streets was that you protect what’s yours, and Antonio wanted to take Jax away from me. Now he’d pay. He’d never breathe another breath on this earth.

  Slowly, he started to back away, wary. The look in his eyes told me he thought I wouldn’t have the guts to pull the trigger.

  “Don’t you move or I’ll shoot,” I said, holding back tears as I felt the rage growing inside me. This would be the test. The only question I had was would I be strong enough to pass this test. Then I thought about the possibility of losing Jax— my resolve grew and strengthened as hard as steel.

  I froze, holding the gun pointed in his direction – poised for him to attack – with an assurance that surprised me.

  Antonio took a step toward me.

  I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. The phrase repeated over and over in my brain

  I turned my head to my left. I couldn’t look. If I didn’t shoot, he’d take the gun from my hands and kill me.

  POW!

  The first shot blasted into a tree just a few feet from him.

  Antonio laughed, now less than ten feet away from me.

  I took a deep breath and this time, I took better aim and squeezed the trigger again. I didn’t want to die and I didn’t want to leave this bastard alive either. I had to protect what was mine and Jax was mine.

  POW!

  It was luck that the second shot hit him. I’d never even held a gun before. He dropped to the ground with a thud but he wasn’t dead yet. He was still thrashing around on the ground. The noises he was making sounded like a wounded animal but I knew now what I had to do. I had to put him down for good. I don’t know where I shot him, all I know is he was still alive.

  Ears ringing from the gunshots, I crept closer and stood over him with the pistol, taking no pleasure in his lingering death. He didn’t beg me to finish him off and I could read the look in his eyes. He knew this was his death looking back at him.

  Resolve calmed him then he snarled the words I needed to hear, “Finish this.”

  BOOM!

  The bullet tore through his skull. And I drew a deep, painful breath. No tears sprang to my eyes as I stared at the inert form on the ground. I felt an unsettling feeling of pride, and terror but I also felt a hollowness in my soul. I was, in the end, glad he was gone. I dropped the gun and stumbled backward.

  Breathing uncontrollably, I flattened my back against a tree. Fingernails scratching against the course bark so hard I felt my fingers would bleed. My vision faded in and out and I wondered what would come first— a panic attack, or fainting. Words trembled soundlessly on my lips. Alone in the woods with that motionless body and the sound of the wind rustles of the trees.

  I felt like I was bleeding from the inside. Everything hurt. My heart. My soul. My body. I felt numb. My legs gave out, but before I could fall, Jax rushed over, holding me in his arms. I could see him in the light from a flashlight in his hand. Where had he come from? Instinctively, I held onto him, scared he would let me go. I trembled and cried as he dragged me away.

  Jax whispered
gently, “Its ok, I’ve got you.”

  I looked up at his face and that’s when the tears began. I lifted a shaky hand to cup his jaw. “I had to do it.” My voice was little more than a whisper. “I had to do it. He was coming for you and I had to protect you. You’re my man and I had to protect you.”

  Chapter 23

  Jax

  With Chloe in my arms, I climbed the three flights of stairs up to my apartment. Pain smashed through me with every step. My legs were threatening to give way. Though I could only imagine the horrors of what Chloe had been though, I knew as a certainty that the pain she felt was far worse than my own. Pain I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to fix. And the thought tore me apart.

  “Nearly there,” I assured her softly, hoping to ease her distress. But my girl was still shaking with shock and fear. I held her tighter against my chest as I lugged my body toward my apartment door. My eyes zeroed in on the dime sized hole in my front door. A gunshot break. I instantly understood why Chloe had left in the first place. She’d known somehow that it’d been Antonio’s bullet. In the same instant, my grip on Chloe weakened unexpectedly and I nearly lost my balance. I’d almost dropped her.

  Chloe’s body jolted and her eyelids shot open.

  “I’ve got you, baby,” I whispered. I pulled her body in closer to mine, until her head lay on my peck, above my heart.

  Determined not to let her body fall from my grasp, I slipped my pinkie finger into my pocket and hooked the loop attached to my key onto it. I slid the key in between my thumb and index finger then raised my knee to support Chloe’s body on my thigh while I went to unlock the door.

  Then the door was wrenched from my hand and I found myself looking at the barrel of a gun.

  A gun held by one very pissed off man. Johnny took in the situation and took a step back, the gun in his hand lowering slowly.

  I entered; kicking the door shut with my foot and limped into my bedroom. I gently lay Chloe on top of the bed sheets and reluctantly loosened my grip to let her go. Drained, I wanted collapse on the bed beside her and hold her close. But I knew that as soon as I did my body would be rendered useless. Pain had signaled adrenaline and was temporarily suppressing weakness. I stepped back and straightened, but I couldn’t look away from her. She was a truly courageous woman.

  When pushed she felt she had to protect her own. This was what Bruno had whispered when I’d come back to the car with her in my arms after quickly explaining what had happened in the woods.

  Chloe. My Chloe. Worthy of so much more. In the aftermath of all that had happened, she lay there like a rag doll.

  She moved slightly, an indication that she was uncomfortable. I carefully raised her head and nudged a pillow underneath it. Guiding her hair to one side, I rested her head down to keep strands of hair out of her eyes.

  Her eyes opened briefly, and those bright honey colored irises gripped my soul. Yet, her gaze didn’t meet mine. Her mind was somewhere distant. She looked as shell shocked as I knew she felt.

  I felt numb. Chloe had only a small taste of my world, and the ordeal she’d gone though had already driven her over the edge.

  My mind told me to tell her to run. But my soul wouldn’t break from hers and let her go, into the arms of another man. Was I selfish for wanting to make her mine forever? She deserved everything that I couldn’t give her.

  My eyes drifted up and down her form, every time returning to her lips. I leaned down and lightly planted a kiss on her plump red lips and they parted a crack.

  Her body responded. She stirred. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered. She shivered and I wrapped the other half of the sheet around her. I ran my hand down it to sooth her, the cotton felt sensual against her curves, and she succumbed to the pull of sleep. She didn’t have to worry. I wasn’t going anywhere. I’d guard her more than carefully from now on.

  I crouched beside the bed and curled my fingers around her hand. Her fingers trembled as I pressed them against my lips. Again, I’d almost lost her. It was my job to keep her safe; instead, I gave my MC all the hours I should have given to my girl. She’d almost paid the price for my long standing feud with Antonio. From this moment on, I silently vowed to treasure each and every moment I had with this woman.

  A pressure built in my mind; a mix of anger and self-hatred for what I’d allowed to happen. I rubbed my fingertips against my throbbing temples. I’d known she was acting out of character after that bullet had ripped through my apartment. How was I ever going to be able to apologize to her for my mistakes? My heart jerked hard. The monster I’d buried deep inside of me had won. I’d let her believe I’d never let anything bad happen to her again. My right fist slammed my fist repeatedly into the palm of my other hand. I needed to clean up the mess I felt I’d made.

  The vibration of my cell phone buzzing in my pocket caused me surprise, and interrupted my thoughts. Sliding out my cell, I saw Bruno’s name on the display. I paused. Questions slashed through my brain. Should I answer it? Should I reject the call? I knew I couldn’t do that. I didn’t want the raging buzz of my phone to wake Chloe. I also didn’t want to look away from her. When she woke, I wanted her to see my eyes, not an empty room.

  I’ll have to make this quick.

  I bent my head and brushed a kiss on her cheek, and held myself there. Letting her scent envelop me and for a few seconds I couldn’t hear my cell ringing with angry command in my hand. Snapping out of my daze, I pulled back abruptly. Giving Chloe one last look, I gave a silent prayer that she’d eventually trust in me again.

  Slowly, I drew away.

  When I got back to the living room, I saw Johnny standing by the windows again keeping watch outside. After I’d found Chloe wandering in the woods Bruno took off. He said he had things to do and he knew I would handle the Chloe situation. He’d found Antonio’s body and he told me he’d take care of it.

  Me? I would have left him to the nighttime predators but Antonio was family, so I imagine Bruno would bury him next to Jumper and go home. Then again, we didn’t need anyone to find him either.

  I let out a breath, and flicked my eyes down to my cell phone display. Clicking ‘accept’ on Bruno’s call, I held the cell to my ear. Bruno’s first words were grave, “I’ve got some news,” he paused. “You’re going to love this,” he said, sarcasm lacing his tone.

  “Try me,” I challenged him with a shrug. What could possibly come at me now that I hadn’t already faced?

  “Kelsey is pregnant. Ten weeks gone,” Bruno fired back, incredulous, before explaining, “The doctor at the hospital ran his tests on the girl. She’ll survive, he tells me. But he says he’s concerned for the wellbeing of the baby. The girl didn’t even know she was pregnant!” He let out a frustrated breath, “Oy vey.”

  My body tensed in shock and frustration at Bruno’s words. Something turned in my stomach. Fuck no. This girl wasn’t capable of looking after herself let alone a baby. And Bruno didn’t need this on his hands. I shook my head. “Its Antonio’s kid I presume?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.

  “She says it could only be his. And a stabbing feeling in my gut tells me she’s telling the truth. That bastard,” he said, referring to Antonio, “he never let her out of his sight. He lost it when she so much as looked at or spoke to another man.”

  For a few moments, my head moved from side to side in a burst of denial. So much of me wanted to convince my brain this wasn’t happening. But Bruno needed me.

  I stepped backward and peered through the doorway at Chloe. She had started to stir uncomfortably. As though the nightmare she had just been through was haunting her soul. I felt a thick layer of remorse tighten over my skin. She’d probably remember flashes of this horrifying event for the rest of her life. “So she’s keeping the baby?” I inquired, my voice a whisper.

  “She doesn’t believe in abortion. Apparently, it goes against her faith,” Bruno said.

  I knew this girl. She wasn’t the religious type. I felt it was her way of keeping
Antonio in her life.

  “And she doesn’t want to give the baby up for adoption either,” Bruno added.

  A heavy breath escaped my lips. Fuck me, this shit just got really complicated. Running my free hand over my face, I suppressed a frustrated yell. I tried to steady my breathing as I attempted to stay calm.

  The girl was a heroin addict. I doubted the baby would survive through that. If it did, it would live a hellish existence with the fuckery the drugs would have played on its tiny body. Even without Kelsey’s drug problem. The girl had a low income, no father in the picture and she was practically a child herself. Kelsey looked and acted like a teenager. Now, she would have a baby of her own.

  Bruno also let a loud exhale with the anger we were both feeling. “I’m sending Kelsey into a program for her heroin addiction. For the baby’s sake,” he told me, “After the kid is born,” he paused, “The child will be my blood. My grandchild. I can’t let the kid be alone in this world.”

  I had to wonder whether Bruno felt any love towards the pending birth. I couldn’t imagine looking in the eyes of that baby and seeing anything other than the monster who had tried to kill me.

  An instant later, it struck me that the baby was my blood too. My nephew. My hands fisted with force, and I waited for several beats, so my voice wouldn’t reflect my inner turmoil. “At least, we’ve got some time to figure out how we’re going to deal with this,” I relayed, my tone severe. The last thing I want to do today is think about Antonio and the problems he’d caused. Although I knew I couldn’t brush this under the rug forever. “That’s all I want to say about it for now,” I concluded with solemn finality.

  “Yeah,” Bruno responded. I heard the flick of his lighter igniting a cigarette. I turned back to the doorway and saw Chloe sleeping soundly in bed. I stepped forward again, away from the door. There was a silence between Bruno and me for a while. Something had been percolating in my mind over the past few days. With all that had happened with the Cartel, Jumper, and now Kelsey, there was something that needed to be said.