Chapter Twenty-Eight
AXEL
Having Sienna on the back of my bike this morning is a completely different experience than when we snuck out for a late-night ride.
My head is on a goddamn swivel, and from the moment we hit the pavement, I regret asking her if she wants to go.
That ache in my chest is back with full force, my instinct becoming a voice I can’t ignore.
I ride close to Malice, side by side, the entire way into downtown Amberwood.
I can feel the moment Sienna sits up straighter, looking around our small town’s shopping area.
I want us to be free to explore together, and the only way we’re going to do that is to get Cain and dismantle his club.
Brick sidewalks lay in a strip in front of all the small businesses down here, buildings on either side of the two-lane street, all lined up in a row.
We park in a single spot together right in front of Daily Rise, and I kick the stand down, balancing my bike so Sienna can climb off first. I cut the engine, joining her, my hand finding hers, threading our fingers together.
She looks down at where we’re joined and then looks up at me, a blank expression on her face.
“This okay, sweetheart?”
“It’s more than okay. I haven’t been out walking around in so long, I can’t help but feel nervous. I know he’s still out there somewhere. This makes me feel better.”
“Holding my hand?”
“Just being connected to you. It’s grounding. You calm my nervous system, Axel, make my head not so loud and jumbled. It was a dark place before you waltzed in.”
“I don’t waltz.”
“Ohhhhh, yes you do. You’re a pretty boy.
You waltz,” Malice adds, making Sienna laugh.
Together, the three of us walk up to Daily Rise, where I open the wooden door, Sienna taking a moment to observe the painted logo in the center of it.
The scent of baked goods fills our noses—warm bread, sugar, and a hint of coffee in the air.
Sienna seeks out my hand again, and my heart pounds dangerously against my ribcage.
“Mornin’, Mrs. Odette!” Malice greets the little elderly woman behind the counter.
“Crew, I’ve got your boxes all wrapped up! And you brought Axel! I haven’t seen you in a bit! And who is this beautiful girl?”
“Hey, Mrs. Odette, this is Sienna. She’s a friend of the club and staying with us for a while.”
“Didn’t think you looked familiar. Welcome to Amberwood. Where are you from?”
“To the west, right on the coast, a small town called Autumn Bay.”
“Oh! Lovely place! My late husband brought me up there a few times to camp right on the beach, fell asleep to the waves crashing and the clear sky above us. I’ll remember that place until I die.”
Sienna smiles, but I see the sadness etched behind her mask.
I’m sure she misses her home, her family, and the memories she made there.
That pain in my chest gets more severe, and I have to rub my fist against my chest in an attempt to loosen some of the pressure.
It’s the first time I’ve really given thought to the reality that Sienna may actually leave when the dust settles.
That she’ll return to Autumn Bay. That emotion comes back strong and fast and nearly makes me stumble on my feet.
Mine.
Mrs. Odette balances a tray in her hand, adding two mugs of steaming coffee drinks and two croissants.
She rounds the corner, and Sienna sees it a split second before I do, moving into action.
The tray starts to slip, but she’s right there, putting her hands under it and holding it back up, saving Mrs. Odette from dropping it.
“Here, let me help you,” she tells her, taking the tray completely from Mrs. Odette.
“Aren’t you sweet. Thank you! That would have been a miserable cleanup so early in the morning.”
“It’s no problem at all, I’ve been there. Are these heading to the table in the far corner? I’m assuming, only other people here right now.” Sienna smiles.
“They are. Are you sure you’ve got it?”
“Of course. I never thought I’d say it, but I kinda miss waitressing.
” Sienna walks off, my eyes never leaving her.
She sets the coffees down first, smiling brightly at the couple sitting together at the table, and it’s like night and day.
The memory of the first moment I met her flashes, how broken and lost she seemed, how completely terrified.
Her eyes were downcast; arms wrapped around herself.
But I saw the fire behind her eyes; she just needed a little room to breathe to really grow.
“She’s a sweet thing! I could really use some help around here now that my employee is heading to college for the year.
That’s the trouble with hiring teenagers, I suppose.
She need a job?” Mrs. Odette jokes, but I can hear the serious curiosity in her tone and the idea definitely has merit.
And it would be another point for Team Amberwood and getting her to stay.
“I’ll talk to her. She’s got a lot going on right now, but I’ll run it by her.
Sound good?” I tell Mrs. Odette. She smiles warmly at us, then heads to the back to grab Malice’s boxes of pastries.
Sienna returns to my side, setting the tray on top of the glass case.
My pinkie finds hers, wrapping around it and nudging her closer.
“Pick anything you want. Or everything. We can try it all,” I whisper, breathing in a hit of her scent.
It’s like pure fucking oxytocin. I always thought I needed physical touch to feel good and alive, but Sienna has proven otherwise.
There’s so much more that’s just as invigorating as physical touch.
“What are your favorites?”
I point at the buttery, flaky pastry in the glass. “The cronut.”
“Those are the croissant donuts, right?”
“Yeah, filled with this custard cream that melts in your mouth. Want to try one?”
“Sounds good to me. And a cinnamon roll?”
“Of course.”
We order our extras, my phone pinging as Sienna and Malice chat with Mrs. Odette. Stepping off to the side, I pull it out, seeing a text from Otto.
Otto: Got it.
Me: That was fast
Otto: What can I say? I’m better than you
Me: You wish kid
Otto: So we can move in on him?
Me: We aren’t doing anything. I’ll be back soon. Don’t need to fill anyone else in
Otto: Oh so this is like a secret then
Me: Sure
Otto: Cool! I’ll go with you and help then
Me: Not a chance
I pocket my phone, eager as fuck to get back to the clubhouse and talk with Otto. When I look up, Malice’s eyes are on me, narrowed, his head cocked to the side. He walks several paces away from Sienna, leaving her to talk with Mrs. Odette, and I brace myself for whatever shit I’m about to get.
“You’re planning something.”
“I’m done waiting. I want Cain wiped from this fucking Earth, and if I have to go in myself and burn it all to the ground, that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Mal . . .”
“I’m. Coming. With. You.”
“Where are you guys going?” Sienna asks, coming up next to us. I tuck her into my side, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
“Back to the clubhouse,” I tell her, not lying, but omitting the complete truth. It doesn’t feel good, but I’ll tell her without Malice’s prying fucking eyes on us.
We pack up, the ride back to the clubhouse a battle of my own emotions.
The summer sun is blazing down on us, but the wind makes it much more manageable.
Sienna curls her fingers into my shirt, the turmoil heating my veins simmering down at her touch.
Something so fucking simple. This woman has all the power over me.
The front gates to our compound crank open, a prospect waving me down as I drive through. I pull to a stop, dropping my boots to the ground to balance us.
“Prez wants you all in church.”
I nod, my stomach churning. We pull up out front, and Sienna climbs off, waiting for me. Malice has already grabbed the boxes strapped to the back of his bike and is bounding up the steps to the clubhouse. I take our pastries out of the satchel, handing them to Sienna.
“I’ve got to go meet everyone in church. I can drop you off at the room, or with the girls?”
“I’m okay, Axel. I can find my way around. Are you okay?” she asks, looking up at me with her beautiful blue eyes. I drag my fingers across her hairline, tucking some wind-blown strands behind her ear.
“Yeah, baby, I’m fine.”
“Fine’s never a good thing. Talk to me?”
“I’m done waiting on your brother to come through, this isn’t just his problem anymore.
It’s personal for me, too. Every day that Cain continues to breathe fucks with my head.
I’m working out a plan on my own. I need him gone.
I can’t just sit still and wait for him to come to us.
I’m on edge. He’s lurking, I fucking know he is.
And I’ll die before I let him get close to you. He’ll never hurt you again.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Sweetheart, nothing is going to happen to me,” I promise as I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. “You’ve overcome so much, Sienna. Now let’s get through this next part together.”
“Okay. Yeah. I’ll go find Kinsey and Saige. Maybe a few rounds with them will make me feel a little better.”
“That’s my girl. I’ll come find you as soon as we’re done.”
I leave Sienna in the common room, heading straight to church. When I push open the double doors, everyone stops talking, looking at me. But there’re three fuckers sitting there that I didn’t expect to see, and my eyes narrow.
“You.” I point to Sienna’s brother. “I’ve been fucking waiting almost a goddamn week!
What the fuck is goin’ on?” Saint, Creed, and Deacon all sit at the far end of the table like they fucking belong there, arms folded over their chests, Saint’s legs crossed like he doesn’t have a care in the goddamn world.
“We were a little preoccupied and couldn’t get to a phone,” Creed says. “Cain has officially snapped, put us in isolation, tried starving us. Deacon got a little roughed up, but nothing some stitches couldn’t fix.”
“That so?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“So you came straight here?”
“Where the fuck else did we have to go? Plus, thought we were all about to become family,” Saint adds. How fucked up is it that my first thought was by marriage, by me making Sienna my old lady. But that’s not what he’s talking about and couldn’t be farther from what’s on his radar.
“What news do you have then?”
“He knows where she is. We came to get a plan together. We either hit them hard, and soon, or plan for them to attack here. Either way, this is happening.” My intuition rears its head again.
Protect what’s ours.
“Sit your ass down, Wrath,” Chaos barks. I straighten out my cut and take a seat, ready to listen, ready to plan, ready to get this shit on with so Sienna can put it behind her. It’s time Cain met his maker.