Axle's Brand (Death Chasers MC 3)

“What about what I said?” I ask him.

He studies my eyes for a moment, hesitating to answer. “I’ll figure something out. I can’t just accuse her of not being a victim and then her turn out to be a victim. It wouldn’t end well for you or me. Understand?”

I just nod, blowing out a breath. I knew it was treacherous territory. Hell, they trusted her enough to give her their account information. Which means they’re too loyal to her to question her loyalty.

Vicious little circle there.

He stands abruptly and finishes doing his jeans up, before he pulls his boots on and walks out.

And I drop back to the bed to stare at the ceiling, wondering if he even realized I told him I love him.

I almost died today. I suffered what can only be a mild case of PTSD that I wasn’t aware I had. Axle told me his inner, darkest, most painful secrets.

And I’m worried about if he caught onto my little declaration of love.

I’m apparently the queen of inappropriate timing and thoughts.

CHAPTER 29

AXLE

Just as I shut the door behind me, I freeze to my spot.

Sledge is sitting on a chair across from me, his eyes cast downward, and his hands clasped together.

“Liza is loyal to the club,” he says calmly, his eyes coming up at the end of that sentence.

Tensing, I step closer to him, but keep my body between him and the door that shields Maya.

“I know,” I say cautiously, warily gauging his body language that would trick someone into thinking he’s relaxed.

He glances at me then past me to the door, and I grow tenser. No doubt he heard all that. I assumed everyone was outside.

His gaze settles on me again.

“The way you’re protecting her, keeping yourself between me and her, that’s not something I’ve ever done for Liza. She would have kicked my ass for thinking she needed my protection,” he states emotionlessly.

I say nothing at first, but finally find something diplomatic to respond with. “Liza is tough.”

He nods slowly.

“She joined the Death Dealers at fifteen, worked her way into a respectable position at one of the bars. I was twenty when I joined the club. She was twenty-five, and she liked the way I looked. She wasn’t my piece of ass; I was hers.”

My arms cross over my chest as I try to figure out where he’s going with this.

“Mean as a rattlesnake, she was. Still is,” he says, smiling tightly. “Tough as a bear.” He pauses as he holds my gaze. “And cunning as a fox.”

Slowly, he stands, and I let my arms fall to my sides as we stand at almost even heights—me, just a little taller than him.

“She wouldn’t have screamed,” he says while looking down, confusing the hell out of me. “Even if they’d chopped her arms off, she wouldn’t have given them the satisfaction of screaming.”

His eyes come back up to mine, as I try to decide if he’s saying what I think he is.

“She would have fought,” he goes on, biting the words out like they’re acid. “She would have had skin under her nails. She’d have drawn their blood. They’d have had to beat her almost unconscious to get their hands on her, but there wasn’t a mark on her.”

I nod slowly, letting him know I understand. And honestly, I agree.

“She’s always thought me a fool,” he goes on, clearing his throat. “Always thought me too soft. Even hated it when I took Rush in because she thought it made me look weak to care about some kid. She always treated me like I was beneath Herrin, but good enough to warm her bed.”

He grabs a blunt that is idling on the table, lighting it and taking a long puff. As the smoke billows from his lips, he adds, “She’s loyal to the club. Just not ours.” His eyes move to the bedroom where Maya is. “And your girl is too smart to be fooled. She’s outside all this, looking in. And she knows how to run an operation four times the size of ours.”

“I’m aware,” I state dubiously.

“She’ll see shit we can’t. Listen to her. Because she saw through Liza immediately…probably saved lives today. It took me some calming down before I thought about it, and I felt like I was a fucking asshole for considering it. I’m glad I overheard her talking to you, because now I know I’m not a reprehensible piece of shit for my suspicions.”

That was a hell of a lot easier than I expected, but then again, I expected him to be emotionally attached. He seems resigned to the truth as though he’s been defeated by it already.

“How much does Liza know about Maya?” I ask as he reaches for the front door.

“Not a thing,” he answers, turning his head to look at me. “Never felt right telling her something that could be dangerous. But also…just didn’t feel right telling her at all. I guess that should have told me I was in the wrong relationship to begin with.”