Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
axel
Having Jenna here makes this messy, makes me messy.
I can’t turn back and look at her in her car.
I know that if I do, I won’t be able to do what needs to be done.
The club always has to come first, before anything else.
I try to shake off the sinking feeling in my gut.
Never once have I ever thought about putting anything or anyone before the club.
I need to put as much distance as I can between Jenna and me after this is over.
I want to punch myself. How the fuck am I supposed to do that when it has been hell staying away from her these past few weeks?
You have to do it, rings in my head. Jenna needs someone who can give her a white picket fence and a stable life.
This lifestyle isn’t right for her. I’m not right for her.
I take small, light steps toward the center of the crowd now forming in the parking lot. Before I make it to Blaze, the front door slams open. Prince saunters out with a dangerous smirk on his face. He looks calm, but his eyes glow with disgust and anger.
If Jenna wasn’t here, I would be excited at the idea of getting my hands dirty with Reaper blood. It’s the reason I was made Enforcer. I protect my Prez and club and make anyone pay who threatens either. I’m not ashamed of what I do. I know what has to be done, and I’m good at my job.
“This is how you show us fucking respect at a meeting you set up?” Prez turns around.
I can barely make out the figure of a man standing in the shadow of the doorway.
I keep my body moving forward, getting myself into the center of the mob.
A bright red beard and bald head are illuminated by the outdoor lights as the man Prince talks to steps outside.
He has a snake tattoo that wraps around his neck, the head of the snake placed next to his mouth.
I haven’t seen Red since he was made VP a few years back.
After their Prez was killed last fall, he took over.
The Reapers have been going down a bad path since.
“We may have had a meeting, but we never came to an agreement. You don’t want to give me what I deserve, then there is no respect,” Red spits out.
A devilish look crosses his face as he turns back to go inside.
“Finish this,” he calls out over his shoulder.
He isn’t even going to fight with his men. A fucking pussy is what he is.
Within an instant, the parking lot descends into chaos, the Reapers come from all sides, boxing us in. This whole thing was a setup.
I shove my gun back into my waistband and take down the first Reaper I see.
I feel the change happen the moment my fist connects with his chin.
I am no longer Dane but Axel—the Enforcer for one of the most notorious one-percenter Motorcycle Clubs.
The sound of bone breaking and the feeling of blood coating my hands brings me to life in a way most wouldn’t understand.
My vision tunnels as I take out everyone in my path.
Then I catch sight of the man I have been looking for, Death.
He had threatened my club; he had threatened Jenna.
He had signed his death warrant. I turn and start in his direction when a Reaper launches himself at me.
I move my body, allowing myself to take the hit with ease.
We are on the ground grappling when his head comes down on my brow in a crack.
I feel a sharp sting and then hot liquid slithers down my face. Motherfucker.
I maneuver my body so that I am perpendicular to his torso.
He is big, but doesn’t have nearly as much training as I do.
I place my legs over his chest while pulling his arm up to my ear.
The snap of his shoulder and the sound of his scream is music to my ears.
Fucker wanted to play, so let’s play. I stand, grabbing my Glock from my waistband and pointing it at his head.
The look in his eyes tells me he’s accepting his fate, dying protecting his piece-of-shit club.
Instead of killing him, I slam the butt of the gun against his temple.
I’m not going away for murder tonight. I whistle for a prospect who has just beaten the shit out of a Reaper, and he runs over without pause.
“He leaves with us, alive,” I grind out. Shiny is a newer prospect, but I can see he will make a good brother. He looks at the man and then back to me.
“We need him for information,” I explain. Not that I really fucking need to. Prospects should do as they’re told without question or explanation. Shiny nods and lifts the man’s limp body from the pavement.
I smirk when I see my target once again.
The Reapers’ enforcer has quite the reputation.
He is what horror stories are built on. I had asked Ace to look into him, see what shit he is into.
You name it: guns, drugs, human trafficking.
This guy is a psycho with no conscience, and that makes him extremely dangerous.
I will be doing a service to the public by putting a bullet between his eyes.
The Hell Chasers are in no way good guys. We run guns and launder money through our more legit businesses. We are outlaws; normal laws don’t apply to us. But the moment I learned about the trafficking and selling of drugs near Cranson, I knew this needed to be dealt with.
Death catches sight of me and turns to give me his full attention. He smirks, much as I am, but his eyes say it all. They are hollow, dead, unaware of the monster he is.
Almost to him, I hear bikes from all directions and shots blasting around us. I look up to see a brigade of Hell Chasers storming the area. Pride swells in my chest as my brothers make their way to us. I drop my head to avoid the shots.
When I look back to the spot where Death stood, it is empty.
My blood boils as I look around the lot, catching a glimpse of his bike as he tears out of here.
I almost go after him, but tonight we hadn’t driven our bikes.
We had taken two SUVs to not attract attention. I curse myself for not bringing my hog.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I hear someone shout behind me. Looking back, I see my brothers racing to their bikes or hopping into cars. I move my eyes to the only vehicle I care about.
The black SUV sits in the same spot, but now the windows are gone, only shards of glass hanging onto the window panes. Much like most of the cars that surround us. I can see a body on the front of the car, boots staring me in the face and Cal looking at me with fury in his eyes. Fuck.