Axel sighed. “You mean can Lou fit you in?Ja,sure, Mantego. Bring her around. But I need just one thing.” He pointed to Fletcher, who looked ready to piss himself. “Maybe when you’re done, you could let me know so I can have a talk with that one. He’s been bothering my girlfriend.”
Mantego blinked. “You have a girlfriend?” That Mantego kept tabs on people was a known fact, but Axel hadn’t realized he’d been on the guy’s radar. He should have though. Anyone who did business with him probably factored into account.
He growled, “It’s not a big deal, you know.” Axel had no idea who’d taken over his mouth. This guy could carve him up like a turkey and truly bury the body. “Rena Jackson. She’s mine.”
“Ray’s Rena?” His eyes narrowed on Fletcher. “Oh, yes. I heard about graffiti and the fire. Hadn’t put two and two together though.Sure,I can do that. I’m happy to. And call me Mannie.” He stepped forward with his friends, and the others who’d converged in the parking lot joined them, stopping Fletcher’s buddies from running away.
Axel knew when to cut bait. He joined the others back inside.
Ray shouted, “Who wants drinks half off?”
A ton of cheers erupted, and people flocked to the bar.
Liam had been waiting and pulled Axel to the side. “What the fuck are you doing talking tohim?” He nodded to Mantego and the gang outside.
“We do his cars. He promised to drop Fletcher off once he’s done with him.”
Liam sighed. “Well, as long as he’s cleaning up outside, why not, right?” Then he smiled. “You know, I have some duct tape in my car. I think there’s a way we can work with that.”
* * *
Rena sighed. Wednesday night and she had nothing to do but count how many days it had been since she’d seen Axel. Only two, actually, but it felt like forever. Even worse, he hadn’t given her a valentine yesterday, though Monday he’d given her that white chocolate Reese’s heart. How sad that she’d actually choked it down, but only because it had been from him.
She missed being with him. Talking and texting were all well and good, but she missed seeing Axel’s smile, hearing his laugh. And, God, she missed having sex. How was he lasting so long? It had been a week and a half since they’d been intimate.
Her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Rena.” Axel’s low voice. She sighed. “I need you to come to my shop. Can you get here as soon as you can?”
“Why? Are you hurt?” Had he gotten into another fight at Ray’s?
“I’m fine. I have some things to say to you. To apologize as well. And I would like to do it here. Now.”
“Um, okay.” Weird, but since she had her car back and nothing else to doandshe missed Axel like crazy, she met him at his shop.
The lights were on, and her uncle’s car looked to be in the parking lot. Odd. She got out and went through the front. There, in the middle of the shop, tied up in duct tape and sitting on his ass, was Fletcher. On either side of him stood her uncle and Axel.
Fletcher saw her and tried to talk through his gag. Someone had clearly worked him over. He had black eyes, a bloodied and broken nose, and bruises on visible skin.
“You kidnapped Fletcher?” she squeaked, imagining her lover and her uncle going to jail for a very long time.
Uncle Liam grinned. “No. He’s with us voluntarily, aren’t you, son?” Her uncle rubbed his hands together, and Fletcher nodded so hard she feared he’d snap his own neck.
Axel kicked him, not hard, but enough to get his attention. “You have something to say to her,ja?” He removed the dirty rag from Fletcher’s mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Fletcher said, for once sounding sincere. “So very, very sorry. I shouldn’t have burned your salon or painted those ugly words.” Okay, that part didn’t sound so true. He scowled, saw Axel and Liam watching him, and swallowed hard. “I won’t bother you again. Ever. I swear on my life.”
Liam chuckled. “You got that right.”
Axel nodded, looking satisfied.
“Why? Why did you do that to me?” She had to know. “I was never anything but nice to you.”
“I…” He looked at Axel.
“Go ahead. Tell her the truth. Because you will never,ever,see her again. What he does to you is nothing compared to what I’ll do.”
