I twist the handle and walk out, finding Drake still sitting in his chair, working on a sketch. His eyes barely come up to meet mine, and he returns his attention to whatever he’s drawing.
“Assholes galore in there. Just needed some fresh air,” I lie, taking a seat across from him.
He snorts and shakes his head. “Gotta do better than that. Drex doesn’t just come looking for any girl but Eve. There’s more to you than simply being Axle’s girl.”
“I’m not Axle’s girl. He’s actually the asshole I’m mostly avoiding.” I prop my feet up, checking out some of the artwork and pictures of tats he has hanging all around the room.
I’ve never wanted a tattoo before, but if he really did do all this work, I might change my mind. He’s a seriously talented artist.
“If you’re not his girl, why are you sleeping in his bed?”
I study a very odd daisy that has the word “Cocksucker” written on it. That’s just weird. And somewhat random. But I kind of want it.
“I don’t know you well enough to give you that story. And to be honest, you’d have to really love drama to even want the story.”
I hear the pencil when it stops scratching the surface of the paper, and I look back to see him studying me.
“If you have trouble tied to your name, warn me now. I’ve already been half killed the last time the club brought in a girl.”
I smirk as I get more comfortable. “Eve? The girl from the burbs?”
He adjusts in his seat like he’s wary of me.
“Whatever trouble she had, I can guarantee you I come with a hell of a lot more. You sure you want me to spill my secrets?”
He hesitates, then finally he groans as he goes back to sketching. “On second thought, just sit there and look pretty. Secrets just get people shot or wrecked or killed. I’ll pass.”
“I should probably go.”
“They’ll be out there. Just wait it out. They’ll move their search elsewhere if you’re that important to them,” he argues.
“Why are you letting me hide in here?” I decide to ask.
He grins as he looks up and winks at me. “Because I love pissing off Drex. It’s my favorite hobby.”
CHAPTER 14
AXLE
I’m going to kill that stupid motherfucker.
“Find her?” I ask Drex over the phone as I walk back down the alley toward the warehouse.
“No. It’s like she vanished into thin fucking air. She not answering her phone? I saw her leave with it.”
“If she was answering her phone, I wouldn’t be asking if you’d found her,” I snap.
Byson is a dead man walking if anything happens to Maya because he scared her. I never expected her to spook so easily after seeing her in that warehouse full of corpses. And certainly not if she really is a Family Head.
Which calls everything she said into question once again.
“Damn it,” Drex hisses. “I need to deal with something. I’ll meet you back at the clubhouse when I can. Dash is still checking all the neighboring stores and restaurants that were still open. She couldn’t have gotten that damn far.”
I hang up on him, trying not to crush my phone. Just as I near the warehouse, I hear feminine laughter—laughter I know too damn well to mistake it.
I glance over at the tattoo shop that has the blinds drawn shut, but the lights are still on, and two silhouettes are there.
Apparently I’m going to have to kick Drake’s ass tonight, too.
I start to go jerk the door open, when I hear the conversation going on.
“Roller skates?”
“It’s…a long story,” she says, still lightly laughing. “And one I probably won’t ever live down.”
“If you and Axle aren’t bumping uglies, why’re you in his bed? Just a cover?” Drake is asking.
That has me tilting my head in confusion. She’s fucking telling Drake this shit?
“Apparently it’s just a cover. Which has me feeling like a total jackass after tonight—the really embarrassing situation I already explained. Hence the reason I’m done with the club. I was only here as a favor to Sarah and because I wanted to see Big and Surly again.”
Big and—
“Big and Surly?” Drake asks the question my mind was trying to form.
“Axle. The prick who made me feel like a waste of breath tonight. I guess it’s my own fault for throwing myself at him and dressing like a girl who was asking for it. But…I don’t know. I’m just done. I don’t have time for his mind-fuckery.”
Ah. So this is what melodramatic is.
It had nothing to do with Byson and everything to do with that damn lap dance I had to stop before I fucked her in front of everyone. The point of the party was to conduct business. Not give a show to every member in there.
Rolling my damn eyes, I start to open the door, when I hear Drake responding.