31. Summer
Summer
After two days at Paul and Marlene’s, I was going out of my mind.
Not because of them. They were as gracious as ever. And Nate treated our stay like a run-of-the-mill visit—just one without an end date.
Despite how many people were looking for him, we didn’t know where Axel was.
It didn’t help that it was visitor season and Tilikum was packed with tourists.
Reese got dozens of calls and texts from people passing on information.
He’d been spotted at the Zany Zebra. At Nature’s Basket.
At the Quick Stop. Getting a haircut at the Art of Manliness.
None of the leads were Axel.
It also didn’t help that we didn’t know what he was driving. No one had seen any bikers in town. He’d probably left his motorcycle and come in a different vehicle, which meant we couldn’t rely on the telltale roar of a bike engine to betray him.
But a bigger question loomed, one for which I didn’t have an answer. What were we going to do if we found him?
Garrett was helping me with the legal side of things. Not that Axel would abide by anything ordered by a court, but a protection order would mean he could be arrested if he got too close to me or Nate. If they could catch him before it was too late.
That was a big if.
We’d purchased a smartwatch for Nate that had GPS tracking capabilities, and Reese had placed another tracker in his shoe. He had apps on his phone that would connect to both, so if the worst happened and we couldn’t find Nate, the trackers would lead us right to him.
They were comforting, but I still worried about things like the trackers dropping their signal or Nate losing the watch.
I hadn’t ruled out trying to convince my mom to intervene.
She didn’t have any actual power in the club, but she had Stryker’s ear.
She could whisper what she wanted, and he might give it to her.
And if what she wanted was for her daughter and grandson to be left alone, he could make Axel stop.
If Axel went against a direct order from club leadership, his life would be forfeit.
Of course, my mother would have to return my call first, and so far she hadn’t. And depressing as it was, there was no guarantee she’d take my side.
On the morning of the third day, with no end to our seclusion in sight, I decided to convince Reese that I needed to go back to work.
I dressed in my Copper Kettle T-shirt and name tag, and put my hair up in a ponytail. When I emerged from the bedroom, I found Reese in the kitchen. He took one look at me and his jaw hitched.
“No,” he said.
“Hear me out.”
“No.”
Frustrated, I put my hands on my hips. “I can’t afford to take an extended vacation just because my ex might be lurking in town. I need this job.”
“Might be lurking in town?”
“Let’s be honest, no one has seen him. Maybe I was wrong.”
“Do you really think that?”
“I don’t know anymore. But I do know I can’t sit here indefinitely.”
Crossing his arms, he growled, and I tried to ignore what that did to my insides.
“The Copper Kettle is one of the safest places in town,” I continued.
“The SPS are always there. Heck, my boss is their president or whatever. Can you imagine if Axel actually came into the restaurant? They’d have him surrounded in two seconds.
What could he possibly do? And Nate’s safe here.
Your dad won’t leave his side, and your brothers are constantly coming to check on things. No one is getting past the HDS.”
His brow furrowed. “HDS?”
“Haven Defense System.”
He shook his head with a smirk. “Fine. But I’ll drive you.”
“I can live with that.”
I found Nate out back with Paul and let him know I was going to work for the day. I assured him I’d be safe, and he seemed to believe me. Paul didn’t protest, but he did cast a questioning glance at Reese.
We took Paul’s truck to make it less likely we’d be recognized, and Reese would be sure he wasn’t followed when he drove back to his parents’ place.
Dark clouds had rolled in, obscuring the mountain peaks, and intermittent peals of thunder rumbled. Reese said summer storms weren’t unheard of, and sure enough, on the way into town, the downpour began.
A few days before, the sidewalks in the little downtown had been bustling with people. Now the weather chased everyone indoors, and the streets were nearly empty. It made me feel better. Fewer places for Axel to hide.
If he was even in town.
Reese parked outside the Copper Kettle, but instead of dropping me off, he walked me in. When I came out from the back after clocking in, he’d seated himself at the counter. I wondered if he was going to sit there all day while I worked.
The rain continued, and only a handful of customers came in.
I took orders, brought out plates of food, and refilled mugs of coffee.
One of the locals asked me how I was doing, and I assured him I was fine.
Another told me he thought he’d seen a man matching Axel’s description, but it turned out it was just his neighbor. I thanked him for being on the lookout.
Stan and Russell came in, taking seats at the counter, and I filled their mugs with coffee. Reese glanced out the window, then at his watch. He’d long since cleaned his plate of the breakfast he’d ordered, so I moved down the counter to clear his dishes.
“You don’t have to sit here all day,” I said quietly. “Why don’t you go check on Nate?”
“I just texted Dad. They’re fine.”
“More coffee, then?”
The subtle smile he gave me reminded me of when he’d come into the diner in Arizona. How my heart would flutter every time I saw him. When I’d wondered if maybe, just maybe, he was flirting with me.
Before I could stop myself, I leaned across the counter and pressed my lips to his. The kiss didn’t last long, but the quick brush of his tongue set me on fire.
His phone buzzed, and surprise flashed across his face as he read the message.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Luke thinks Axel might be at a motel in Pinecrest.”
“Seriously?”
“He’s not positive, but one of his mechanics was up there and drove around to have a look just in case. He saw someone who could be Axel.”
“Are you going to go check it out?”
His eyes met mine and he hesitated.
“You should,” I said. “Nothing’s going on here.”
He nodded once. “Okay. I’ll be back before you’re off work.”
“I’ll be here.”
He stood and leaned over the counter to kiss me before saying goodbye. Biting my lower lip, I watched him leave.
“That’s a good man you’ve got there, Summer,” Stan said after the door closed behind Reese.
I let out a dreamy sigh. “A very good man.”
The rain didn’t let up, and after a minor rush around lunchtime, business had slowed to a trickle.
I tried not to think about what Reese was doing. I didn’t know what would happen if he found Axel. Would a confrontation turn deadly? Would Reese be safe? Helplessness ate at me. I called my mother again during my break, hoping to get through, but like before, she didn’t answer.
About half an hour before my shift ended, Rob came out of his office.
“It’s awfully quiet, and I don’t see that changing,” he said. “You might as well go home.”
“I need to wait for Reese to pick me up. Are you sure there’s nothing else you want me to do before I go?”
“Looks like everything is covered. Why don’t you have a seat and get off your feet while you wait?”
“Thanks, Rob.” My feet were killing me. “I’ll do that.”
“I have your paycheck, too. Let me get that for you.”
How had I forgotten it was payday? That was a good indication of how distracted I’d been.
Rob brought my check and handed it to me.
After thanking him, I glanced outside. Still raining.
I didn’t particularly want to get wet, but there was an ATM only a block away, and it was under cover.
It would only take a minute to deposit my check.
And it would be a better use of my time while I waited for Reese.
Shouldering my purse, I went outside and hurried up the sidewalk. A distant peal of thunder rumbled, but I didn’t see any lightning. I wondered how long the storm would last.
Sheltered from the rain by an overhang, I made my deposit. The ATM spit out my card, and I slipped it back into my wallet and tucked it in my purse.
“Hey, Sum Sum.”
Alarm made my heart race and my stomach knot. I turned, and there he was, standing a few feet away in a light gray zip-up hoodie.
Axel’s lack of facial hair made him look younger—like when we’d met. There was something in his brown eyes that reminded me of the man who’d offered me a ride on his bike. Who’d made my teenage heart flutter with a tantalizing mix of attraction and a little bit of fear.
Standing face-to-face with him now, I didn’t feel any of that. Only anger.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone sharp.
The corners of his mouth lifted, as if he found my question amusing. “You know why I’m here.”
“You can’t have him.”
“He’s my son.”
“No, he’s not. You got me pregnant. That doesn’t make you his father.”
“Actually, it does.” He took a step closer. “You know, if you’d have cooperated, it wouldn’t have come to this. We could have worked it out.”
“I’m not stupid, Axel. If I let you anywhere near him, I’d never see him again.”
“What makes you think you can keep him from me? Because I did time?”
“The fact that you’re a felon is the least of your faults.”
He grinned again. “You’re not wrong.”
“You’re wasting your time.” I glanced up and down the street, already suspecting there was no one around. “He’s not here.”
“I know. And I know you think I won’t find him. But I will.”
“No, you won’t.”
“You think that thug you’re with is going to stop me? Bitch, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Rage seared through me. I wanted to rip out his throat. My fingers twitched, and I could feel the edges of my temper fraying, ready to snap like a worn rope.
Axel clicked his tongue three times as he lowered the zipper on his hoodie, revealing a gun tucked into his pants. “Don’t think about it, sweetheart. You’re not getting your claws on me.”
“You can threaten me with that thing all you want. I’m not telling you where he is.”
“Doesn’t matter, Sum Sum. I’m going to find him and take him. We’ll disappear, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Gritting my teeth, I glared daggers at him.
“He’s mine. My son. But don’t you worry.
He’ll be fine. I’m going to get myself an old lady to take care of him.
And I’ll be there to teach him everything he needs to know so when he’s old enough, he’ll be ready to join Mayhem.
It’ll take a while to undo the damage you’ve done, but I’ll turn him into a real man. ”
“Like hell you will.”
“I always liked your fire,” he said with another grin. “Too bad it didn’t work out.”
“If you were the last man on earth and the survival of the human race depended on us, the very first chance I got, I’d put a bullet in your head.”
“That should not be turning me on, but you’re still a hot-ass bitch.”
Clenching my teeth, I held myself back from lunging at him.
He laughed and pulled out the gun, letting his arm hang at his side. But the message was clear.
“I wish I could just shoot you,” he said, shaking his head with dismay. “Stryker wouldn’t give a shit, but if it made Roxi mad, I’d be in trouble.”
“If you’re not going to kill me, what are you doing?”
Licking his bottom lip, he stepped in close. My back tightened, and I tasted bile in the back of my throat.
“I won’t stop until I have my son.” His voice was low and menacing as he traced the barrel of the gun down my cheek. “I know how much you hate Mayhem. How hard you’ve tried to keep him away from us. But you already failed. You’ll never be rid of us. And Nate’s going to turn out just like me.”
I swallowed hard, my stomach turning at the stench of cigarettes on his breath. A car turned up the street and he stepped back, slipping the gun into his pants. With another malevolent grin, he took off between the buildings and disappeared from sight.
The car drove by, but it wasn’t anyone I knew.
Shaken and dripping with rain, I hurried back to the restaurant to call Reese.