Axel (Dark Slayers MC #25)

Chapter 1

Axel

A fter pulling gate duty twelve hours a day for fourteen straight days, tonight was all about three hard-working prospects blowing off some steam.

To be honest, I was deadass tired, and if my fellow prospects hadn’t insisted on attending the grand opening of Griffinsford’s hottest new nightclub, I’d have been hibernating like a bear for the next few days.

Alex and Jamie were hyped for something new to do in our small hometown. A nightclub opening was a big deal around these parts. We’d been hearing about the Neon Groove nonstop for the last month or so.

All the hype had piqued my interest as well. Being a total adrenaline junkie, I was up to trying anything and everything once. So, when Alex scored us VIP tickets, my tired ass jumped at the chance to be there for opening night.

Standing outside, looking up at the big, flashy sign that read ‘Neon Groove’, I could hear the pulse-pounding music every time someone opened the door.

Strolling inside felt like stepping into a different world.

It was darker than I expected, but that was because the space was lit up with glowing neon signs and décor.

I was more used to biker bars, but the women you find there weren’t always relationship material, and I’d had my share of one night stands.

It wasn’t exactly my vibe, especially with the wild techno beat, but the free jello shooters and women dancing on tabletops made it worth a look.

Suddenly, the music changed to something slower, and the lighting followed suit. Instead of the flashing strobe effect that made everyone look like they were moving in slow motion, the lights began to pulse in a steady rhythmic motion that mirrored the beat of the music.

This joint was packed wall-to-wall with Griffinsford locals eager for something new. There was a huge horseshoe-shaped bar with several bartenders busily filling orders for a virtual horde of bodies pressing ever closer to the counter.

Alex elbowed me, grinning like a mad fool. “Hell, yeah! Griffinsford’s finally joined the twenty-first century.”

The place was sleek and modern, to be sure.

Jamie shook his head, clearly amused. “Looks like we finally found somewhere to hang out that ain’t the clubhouse or some dive bar.”

I wasn’t so sure. “This bar might be cool and all, but it’s too damn crowded for my likin’ and I can hardly hear myself think.”

“Old man.”

“Fuck off,” I muttered back.

We stepped off to the side and watched the bar thin out a bit when one of the staff removed the barrier cord from around the dance floor. The second we saw a table open up, we jumped on it.

Alex wandered off and came back with a beer in each hand.

Jamie perked right up. “Where the fuck did you get that? I know you didn’t stand in line at the bar.”

He jerked his chin to the right. “There’s a mini bar over there. It only serves draft beer though.”

Jamie darted around Alex and went to get himself a beer.

Alex handed me one of his beers. His eyes lit up with the kind of mischief that I’d learned to be wary of. “See? Told you this was gonna be loads of fucking fun.”

“We’ll see.”

A minute or two later, Jamie slid into place beside us. “I’ll drink to that,” he said, holding his glass up. I clanked my glass against his and we both downed the beer in one long drink.

I finished mine first, slamming my glass down on the tabletop to let everyone know I was finished. Alex was second and Jamie was last. Alex teased, “You need to learn to drink faster if you’re gonna hang out with me and Alvin.”

I saw someone moving closer in my peripheral vision and turned in time to see a woman walk up, she flashed us a bright smile and said, “Good evening, gentlemen. You look like you could use a refill?”

The server was smoking hot. She was wearing tight black leather pants, a tank top, and had several neon glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets. Her deep green eyes shifted from one to the other of us, waiting for us to answer her question. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.

Alex glanced at me. Though his expression gave very little away, I could tell he thought she was hot. Jamie was more obvious. He leaned forward slightly when he spoke to her. “Three more ice cold drafts, darlin’.”

She nodded slowly, her gaze sliding deliberately from Jamie to Alex, and finally settling on me. “You men in an MC?”

I grumbled, “Yeah, we’re prospecting for the Dark Slayers MC. Is that gonna be a problem?”

She raised a brow and shot back, “I don’t know, is it?”

She now had my attention and not because she was pretty or a flashy dresser. I turned to look at her more fully. “We’re not the kind to make trouble. We’ll damn sure finish it, though, if that’s what you’re wonderin’.”

Alex chimed in, “What he’s trying to say is our money is green, and we aren’t here to start a ruckus.”

Jamie came to his feet, relaxed and smooth. “Yeah, my friends are right. We’re just here to kick back and relax a little. We’ve been hearing all the marketing buzz and wanted to check it out.”

Before he could react, she reached out and ran her fingers over the patch bearing his name. “Heads up, handsome. You three aren’t the only bikers here, and the others are assholes. Their cuts say prospects too.”

Jamie sighed as she took her hand away. “I see you’ve met the guys from Twisted Metal.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her hands tightened around the drink tray in her hands.

“If you want us to keep an eye on the ignorant fucks, just tell us where they are.”

“They’re in the back, on the left. There’s only two of them, but they’ve already almost started a fight.”

I asked casually, “Did you think about calling the cops?”

Her eyes never left Jamie’s face.

After a heartbeat, he answered for her, “Of course she didn’t. Cops showing up would ruin the grand opening. Why risk that when you can fight fire with fire, right, sweetness?”

“My name’s Marla. And thanks for the offer. I’ll be right back with your beers.”

Jamie shook his head, smirking at me. “See how coming here gave us the opportunity to be big ass heroes and kick some Twisted Metal ass all at the same fucking time?”

I shrugged. “I’d never turn down an opportunity to deal a blow to those Twisted Metal assholes. God knows Storm doesn’t give a shit about prospects skirmishing in the wild. As long as we don’t start it, the club won’t care.”

When the server brought our beers back to the table and shimmied away, I jerked my chin towards the back. “We’d best go back and see to that little public service Jamie signed us up for.”

Jamie puffed his chest out when he saw Marla watching us. “Yeah, if those assholes start anything, we’ll be there to give them the boot.”

Alex was grinning like a fool, clearly liking the idea of white knighting for a pretty girl too. Me? I wasn’t thrilled about doing the bouncer’s job for him, much less law enforcement’s job if things got really crazy. I decided that Jamie and I were gonna have a conversation about this real soon.

Sure enough, a couple of the Twisted Metal prospects were hanging out at a back table with what appeared to be club girls.

From my perspective, they were more intent on getting hammered as quickly as fucking possible than causing real trouble, but you never knew with these kinds of men.

They were quick to anger and had poor impulse control.

That made them unpredictable. I was gonna keep my eye on them…

***

The grand opening continued without problems for the next couple of hours. The two Twisted Metal prospects were loud and boisterous but bounced after a couple of hours, denying Jamie his opportunity to prove to Marla what a badass he could be.

Everything going on was shoved quickly out of my mind the instant I saw Bryce Sterling across the room.

Seeing my best friend from college again caught me by surprise.

He was looking sharp with an expensive watch gleaming on his wrist and casual clothing that had been tailored to fit him perfectly.

He was radiating confidence just like I remembered from our college days.

Being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, I guessed that came as naturally as breathing to him.

And at his side was his wife, Tracey. She was still as beautiful as I remembered. Only now she had that old money look about her as well. Her dress was casual, flirty, and clung to her curves. They’d both moved off to the big city when Bryce graduated, never to be heard from again.

I glanced away, as my heart twisted in my chest.

Tracey looked around, smiling politely. Bryce was no doubt giving her the comfortable life she well deserved, so this pretty woman had reason to smile. Back then I didn’t have much to offer, so when my buddy made his interest in her known, I stepped away.

The whiskey rumbled in my stomach, as I tried to glance away. I couldn’t measure up to Bryce on my best day. Unfortunately, my gaze kept returning to them.

“Hey,” Alex’s voice cut through my haze, nudging me with one elbow. “What the hell’s going on with you?”

I glanced up at him with a frown, “Not a fucking thing. I just thought I saw someone I used to know.”

Alex followed my line of sight and jerked his chin towards Bryce. “What? The guy in the suit?”

I nodded.

Seeing Tracey standing at his side, smiling made me feel things I wasn’t comfortable feelin’.

Something had changed about her and I noticed it right away.

She looked more mature, curvier, maybe more womanly to my eyes.

Of course, we were all more mature and wiser.

Seven years of life experiences will do that to a person.

Alex spoke again, a little quieter this time. “Are you good? If you need to leave, we can do that.”

I swallowed hard, nodding even as my throat felt tight. “No need for us to bolt. Faces from the past just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

“You do know them then?” he said softly. “Don’t let rich assholes spoil your night, alright?”