Chapter 6
Chapter Six
AXE
Thanks to Cy putting in a newly enhanced security system for all of our businesses, he’d been able to spot footage of two of Avery’s siblings outside the bar tonight.
With them we don’t know what to expect. Their vermon that need to be put down but catching them is like trying to catch a fish with your hands.
Dagger and Rogue showed up and the three of us went to deal with them while Colt and Carbine ended up dealing with some other shit that was going down right outside.
This left CJ without any security inside the bar and put her in the position she felt she needed to step in when those two fuckers decided to start at each other. I walked through the doors to see the guy push CJ out of the way and go at the other guy.
If it didn’t piss me off so much, I’d be impressed and proud that CJ stepped back into it to stop the fight by taking her knee to each man’s balls. Even if the action caused my own to shrink at the mere thought of them getting busted the way she’d kneed them.
I’d tried to calm down after Dagger and Rogue dragged them out, but then she’d ignored me more by getting back to work. This is all fine and dandy if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m tired of her ignoring me. And that, too, is pissing me off.
The more I watched her, the more I could see how tired and exhausted she is. I don’t think she’s had a day off since she started and it’s wearing on her.
Then I went and said that shit about her being hurt.
Now I stare at her after finding her outside by herself. Sitting against the brick.
“What are you doing out here alone?” I demand my thoughts on the fact we didn’t catch those slimy bastards before they left. I didn’t want to think of something happening to CJ.
CJ jumps at the sound of my voice and her eyes come to mine, wide and filled with so many emotions.
I’m struck by the pained look and want to pull her into my arms. Of course, soon as she registers that I’m standing here, she schools her features, hiding every ounce of her soul from the rest of the world.
Now I’m even more fuckin’ determined to know what’s going on with her. What she’s hiding and making her mine.
“Did you follow me out here?” she asks, narrowing her gaze.
“No, but you’ve been out here long enough and you fuckin’ know you’re not supposed to be out here by yourself,” I mutter, holding a hand out to help her up.
CJ refuses my help and stands on her own two feet. She brushes the dirt off her ass and goes to move back inside. I reach out and stop her.
“Why are you out here?” I ask again.
“I wanted some fresh air, now let me go,” she states, and I don’t miss the small flicker of emotions.
“Sunbeam, I won’t ask you again,” I mutter, curling my hand around her arm.
CJ stiffens and yanks herself from my grasp. “I’ve already told you now leave me alone, asshole.”
Turning away from me, she tries to make her way around me again and I’m becoming frustrated with her. I grab ahold of her arm and spin her back to me, but she’s quick and kicks me in the shin.
Fuck.
I loosen my grip on her, and she takes the chance to whirl away from me. Taking a step back out of my reach.
I open my mouth to say something but don’t get it out because the sound of squealing tires stops me and my blood runs cold.
It speeds by and I jump into action before the first shot is fired.
Taking CJ to the ground with me, I cover her body with mine, shielding her from the bullets raining down around us.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
CJ cries out in terror and pain.
Once the car speeds off out of the parking lot, I lift off CJ to look down at her. My eyes widen at the sight of blood staining her white t-shirt.
Motherfucker, she’d been hit before I got her down.
“Axe,” she whimpers, tears welling in her eyes.
“Fuck, baby, I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” I mutter, putting my hands to her stomach to apply pressure to the wound. “It’s going to be okay.”
It will be.
It has to be.
I can’t lose her.
Not when I’ve already lost so many in my life so far.
Dagger and Rogue come rushing our way, guns in hand. “Fuck,” Dagger snarls, shoving his gun back into its holster and gets down on the ground on the other side of CJ. “Call an ambulance,” he orders.
Rogue already has his phone out, pulling it to his ear.
With him making the call, I turn my attention completely to CJ, seeing her eyes on me, a look of sadness takes over her expression.
“Her pulse is weak. We need that ambulance now,” Dagger says.
“It’s coming,” Rogue mutters.
“What the fuck?” Carbine's voice is heard from somewhere. “Colt, close the bar.”
“Oh shit.” My mind blocks out the rest of all that’s being said around me while I hold CJ’s gaze.
“Stay with me, CJ,” I command, lifting a bloody hand to stroke the tears that fall from the corner of one of her eyes.
“I wish I could have been with you. It’s better to just let me go, though. At least then no one gets hurt, and I have peace,” she utters words I barely hear.
“Don’t give up, CJ, I mean it. You’re mine, and I’m not about to give up on you. Now hold the fuck on,” I growl. Panic sets in when her eyes close.
No, this can’t happen.
“Fuck.”
The moment her heart stops, I know it and I feel a pain I’ve never felt before.
It takes three of my brothers to drag me from CJ’s body while Dagger and two paramedics work on my woman.
I barely understand anything going on around me.
Everything is a haze as I stare at the sight of the motionless woman who I don’t even know yet but have claimed as mine.
Already she’s got my heart in a vice and I don’t even know her full name.
“Calm down, brother,” Rogue says, calmly getting in my face. “See, they got her back.”
“What?” I mutter, blinking to understand what he’s saying. Fuck, the blood in my veins is rushing through me and I can hardly hear a thing.
Shaking my head, I focus on my surroundings and ground myself again.
“They got a pulse, brother; they’re loading her up and getting her to the hospital now. We need to follow,” my brother states.
Nodding, I don’t move as they lift CJ’s body onto a stretcher. Dagger goes with them, hopping into the back of the ambulance with the EMTs.
I take a ragged breath, watching them pull out with the sirens going. Time seems to stand still and I look up to the sky, thinking of CJ’s words before she left me. What the hell did she mean no one gets hurt and she can have peace? That it’s better for me to let her go.
“This shit is fucked up,” Colt says, drawing my attention from my thoughts.
“Hey, here’s CJ’s phone. Think we should see if she has an emergency contact in here to call?” Carbine questions.
Clearing my throat, I take the phone from Carbine and open the screen up. It doesn’t have a lock on it. I pull up her call history. There’re only a few numbers in here that seem to be repeated. I hit send on the last one she received just a bit ago and put the phone to my ear.
“If you think we’re going to change our minds, sweetheart, don’t bother trying to convince us not to,” Marcus says, and I immediately recognize his voice.
“Scorpion,” I mutter his name. Questions swirl through my head as to his connection to CJ.
“You wanna tell me why you’re callin’ me from my daughter’s phone, Axe,” Scorpion growls.
“Didn’t know CJ was your daughter,” I state truthfully.
“Not by blood, but she’s my kid all the same.
Her sister, Apricot, is our adopted daughter.
We wanted to get them both, but they only allowed us to have Apricot,” Scorpion informs me.
“Now, what the fuck are you callin’ me for from CJ’s number when I just got off the phone with her not even an hour ago. ”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This shit just got a hell of a lot more complicated.
“I think you better get up here. CJ’s been shot,” I grind out, clenching my eyes shut and taking a deep breath.
“Come again,” Scorpion snarls, and I can hear movement coming from the other side of the phone. “Who? Did those cunts decide to kill her?”
What?
“Who are you talking about? We’ll explain the shooting when you get here. I need to get to the hospital with her,” I grumble, questions swirling around in my head.
“Don’t let the hospital put her name down. If it was them, they’d know exactly where to come find her if they were involved,” he declares.
And again, I have even more questions to be answered.
“I’ll take care of it, and just so you know, if she makes it through this, I’ve claimed her. CJ’s my ol’ lady and I’m not givin’ up on her,” I announce, putting it out there that if he tries to take her from me, we’ll have problems.
I don’t bother waiting for him to respond. Instead, I disconnect, put CJ’s phone in my pocket, and head for my bike without another thought besides getting to the hospital and to my woman.