Axle's Brand (Death Chasers MC 3)

It’s just the six of us at the table. Dash, Drex, Sledge, Jude, Rush, and me. This table used to host a lot more.

“Most will side with Herrin since he’s the P,” Sledge says in a gruff tone. “But the young guns will possibly toss away their patches for a chance to come here and move up with Drex.”

Drex stands, pushing his chair back, and he presses his hands down on the table as he leans over it.

“We still have the money coming in from our businesses. I’ll cash it all out for the time being. I’ll have Liza bring the deposit bags here every night from the strip club. The salon is also in my name. I’ll have Colleen bring the bags here from it. Someone needs to escort them daily and take different routes. Multiple escorts, actually. Only guys you know you can trust.”

His phone beeps, and he pulls it out, looking at it as I turn to face Sledge.

“You know Herrin better than any of us. When’s he going to hit? And should we hit first?”

He shakes his head. “You hit first, and the remaining charters will all side with him. If he hits first, you’re going to win more love, though loyalties will still be divided. Herrin is unpredictable, so there’s no telling when he’ll hit. But you can be sure it’s coming.”

“So we hit first, and we get shunned. We get hit first, and we might win some guys,” Rush states dryly. “Great fucking brotherhood we have.”

Sledge tenses just barely as he glances over at his adopted son. “What’s going on here is a fucked up situation that no one was prepared for. There’s not a rule book on how to deal with it.”

“Eve is coming in,” Drex says before pocketing his phone, and Rush closes his mouth, swallowing down whatever he was going to say.

That’s another change. Drex has an old lady now. It’s because of her that he finally understood his father wasn’t the legend or leader he thought he was.

Our eyes all cut to the door when Eve walks in, and she arches an eyebrow when she sees us.

“Do I have something on my face?” she asks, then touches her face like she’s searching for the phantom issue.

When I look away, Drex is smiling at her, and that has me rolling my eyes. He hasn’t gone soft, if that’s what you’re thinking.

“What’s the verdict?” she asks, and everyone shifts uncomfortably.

We know Eve isn’t a snitch, but giving her details is still a little too worrisome. Well, to everyone but Drex.

“The verdict is that we’re about to go scope out those potential clients I told you about. Stay here and upstairs until I get back. Lock the door, too,” he tells her firmly.

She flicks her gaze around the table, and her eyes meet his. “Be careful. Herrin is out for you. He could be setting you up.”

Sledge is the first to laugh, and I chuckle under my breath. It’s funny seeing someone worry over Drex.

He tugs her to him, his grin turning mocking as she lets him manhandle her.

“We know how to vet them,” Rush tells her acidly, but she doesn’t even pay him any attention. He runs hot and cold where Eve is concerned. More cold than hot. He hated Herrin more than any of us, so he’s thankful to her for at least getting this ball rolling.

When Drex and Eve start kissing, we all get up and walk out, because you never know when things will escalate with them, and Drex isn’t afraid of exhibition.

None of us say anything as we all go to our temporary rooms within the warehouse to get ready for the ride to meet our newest possible clients.

I collapse to my bed, covering my eyes with my arm as I try to get a few seconds of sleep. It seems like I get less and less of it the older I get.

CHAPTER 7

MAYA

“Tomorrow is the third shipment,” I tell Sarah as she stares at a knife blade like it’s fascinating.

She’s been in and out of here a lot lately, and I don’t know what’s going on.

“My team is supposed to contact me when it’s done,” I go on, expecting her to at least be curious.

She stabs the knife into the table and looks down at her phone when it chimes with a text. I know the different tunes on her phone and what they mean—that’s how much she’s been around.

“You’re ignoring me,” I decide to say as I roller skate around in a circle, trying to work out my nerves. I’ve cleared the large room out to give me room to skate in for times like these.

She looks up from her phone and smirks at me.

“How many favors do you owe me?” she asks.

“I’m sure you have an accurate tab on you somewhere,” I tell her, since she’s pretty adamant about telling me when I owe her yet another favor, though she’s yet to use any of said favors.