Axle races down the stairs with incredible speed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the man pleads, but Axle doesn’t hesitate. He tackles the man to the ground, the impact echoing on the wooden floor. With urgency, Axle straddles him, pulls back his arm, and delivers a punch that lands with a sickening crunch.
Startled by the sudden violence, I jump. My medication and the glass of water slip from my grasp. The glass shatters on the floor, breaking into tiny shards. The crash catches Axle’s attention, and he stops and glances up at me. When he sees my concerned expression, he slowly rises. The guy underneath him rolls to his side, groaning and holding his nose.
Cash and Twitch rush in as Reaper storms down the stairs.
Axle takes cautious steps toward me. “Everything’s okay...” he says soothingly as the glass crunches under his boots.
“What happened?” Reaper booms.
The weight of the gaze of everyone in the room makes my skin prickle, but my throat tightens, leaving me unable to utter a single word.
“Piece of shit put his hands on Elena,” Axle spits. He looks like he’s holding himself back from going another round with the man on the floor.
Reaper’s eyes cut to the man and his two friends, who have come over to help him up. “You three are never getting patched in... get out.”
Axle wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry,” he says softly into my neck, his words muffled.
“Everyone out!” Reaper yells. Twitch and Cash start moving around the room, waking people up and telling those who are awake to leave.
Axle leans back and observes me. “Are you okay?”
My breathing is still heavy, but I nod. “I am... He just startled me.” I couldn’t decide what frightened me more: the man who believed it was acceptable to grab me like that or Axle’s talent for rapidly switching from zero to death row.
“Can someone clean this mess up?” Axle yells.
“I’ll do it,” Mercedez says, then scurries away.
He looks down, bends over to pick up the pill bottle, and reads the label. He takes a step closer to me and gently asks, “Are these yours?”
“Yes.”
He passes them to me. Mercedez gets to work with the broom, cleaning up the glass.
Axle frowns. “I’ll pick you up so that you don’t get cut by glass.”
I nod, and he picks me up with ease. I wrap my legs around his waist.
“I’ve got you,” he says as he walks through the mess to the kitchen. He sets my feet on the floor before he opens the fridge to pull out a bottle of water, which he passes to me. He peeks at the pill bottle in my hand, tilting his head. “What are they for?”
“It’s my anxiety medication,” I say before opening the lid and pulling out two tablets and taking them with a gulp of water.
Even though I’m wary of Axle, the deep frown on his face makes my heart contract. I go to him and touch his arm. “Please don’t hurt someone like that again. It was a shock... to see you like that.”
He blinks at me, then chuckles briefly. “You see my cut, yeah?” He points to the patch on his vest.
I bite my lip and nod.
“I won’t let anyone touch you.” He directs his attention to my bottle of tablets once more. “And now you’re going to be scared to come back thanks to that trash.”
Cash walks in and leans against the wall. “Are you okay?” he asks me.
“Yes, thanks.” I’m not, but I appreciate his kindness in asking.
Reaper walks in. “No more parties for a while. I’ve had enough of randoms coming to our clubhouse.” His eyes meet mine. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head.
Reaper turns to Axle, his eyes narrow. “I mean it. No more parties.”
