I nod at her in approval. “Good. Now I need you to drive to your apartment. I’m going to ride behind you.”
She shakes her head and sighs. “Why? I’ll be fine, Axel. You must be here for something important. Don’t worry about me.”
I stop abruptly and pull her in front of me. “Jen, you are important.” I stop for a moment, unsure if I should continue and let her know I’ve been keeping a close eye on her for the last few weeks. “I worry about you every day. Now, you are going to get in the car and drive home with me behind you. I won’t be able to focus without knowing you’re home safe,” I say in a gruff voice. She blinks at me for a moment, then smiles.
“I missed you too,” she says as she closes the gap between us.
Before I know it, she is in my arms, and my lips are on hers. I trace the seam of her plump lips with my tongue, and she opens for me, allowing my tongue to explore every inch of her mouth. She fits so perfectly against my body I want to keep her there forever. She pulls away. “Okay fine, you can come home with me,” she says with a small laugh. I can’t help but smile at her. “But only if you– ” she stops talking as shouting rings out behind us. I move Jenna behind me and take the gun out from my waistband. I feel her shuffle behind me, trying to see what is happening. With my free hand, I reach back and squeeze her hip. “Jenna, be still,” I demand in a low voice.
She grips the back of my cut as I catch sight of what’s happening. I need to get Jenna into her car without bringing attention to us.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
jenna
“What the fuckdo you mean you ain’t starting shit? Why else would you have come here?” a man whose voice I don’t recognize yells. Axel pulls me behind his large frame, and I struggle to see around him. He pulls a gun from the back of his waistband, and I instantly freeze. Why does he need that?
“Shut the fuck up, Stab. You need to back off before this gets ugly. You don’t want to start this war,” another man says in a low growl. That voice I do recognize. I peek around Axel’s shoulder. Blaze and another equally terrifying man are face-to-face. They look like they are going to tear each other limb from limb. The other man, who I now know is named Stab, starts to laugh—a slow, creepy laugh that makes my skin crawl. Not even a second later, the man pulls out a gun and rests the barrel on Blaze’s temple.Great more guns.
I panic. Blaze has spent the last week staying at our apartment with Marley. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but I have come to realize that he actually is great. He takes the time to show how much he loves and cares for Marley, and that makes him okay in my book. I lightly gasp at the sight. Axel’s hand still rests on my hip, and he gives me a reassuring squeeze. I have been so focused on the two men arguing in front of me that Ihadn’t noticed the crowd that has formed around them. Both Hell’s Chasers and Reapers are surrounding both sides, guns drawn, waiting for someone to make the first move. Blaze stands calm at the center of the storm.
Axel slowly starts to walk me back toward the cars. Part of me wants him to stop, to not draw any attention to us. But he is the expert in this situation. I slowly move with him, keeping my body as close as possible to his. In what feels like only a few steps, my back is pressed to the cold metal of my car.
If I wasn’t so close to Axel, I probably wouldn’t hear him say, “Wait for me in the car, Jenna. Lock the doors.” I slowly unlock the driver’s side door and slide onto the soft leather seat. Axel keeps his back to me the whole time, staying focused on what is happening with Blaze. Before he closes the door, I look at the back of Axel’s cut and say a silent prayer. I didn’t tell Axel, but the nightmare I had the morning after we slept together was about him. And right now, it’s all I can think about.
I’m standing in the middle of a large, lush green yard. My white dress pools around me. Looking out into the orange and pink sunset, I feel content and safe. I slide my hands down the soft, buttery fabric and adjust my veil that sits at the back of my head. My thick auburn hair is pinned back on one side, the rest cascading down my back and shoulders in soft curls. My dress is an off-the-shoulder A-line wedding dress that accentuates my large breasts and small waist. A modest slit shows off my right leg and my gorgeous sparkly pumps.
I look down again, admiring my almost glowing gown, but now I have a large bouquet in my hands. I faintly hear a man off to the side of me and look around to see that I am not alone but in the middle of a wedding. My wedding.
Gazing out across the never-ending rows of people, I find Marley front and center next to my parents. They look so excited and happy, tears falling from their faces. I look offinto the distance again. The same sunset seems to have paused in place, leaving the perfect golden hue over the ceremony. I follow the gorgeous view to the man standing in front of me—Axel.
He is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. His broad, muscular form is perfectly fitted in a dark navy suit. His face is completely clean-shaven, and he smiles at me with the most adoring look. His chocolate eyes are illuminated by the soft orange glow of the sunset. I am now noticing that there are hints of blue throughout his irises. My breath hitches in my chest. I’m marrying Axel, the man who has set my world on fire.
The voice I heard only slightly before is loud and present. A minister is standing to the left of me and is asking me to repeat after him. I recite my vows and slide Axel’s ring onto his finger. Perfect fit. Then he turns to Axel, and they begin to go back and forth. The vows sound almost angelic from his mouth as he promises to love and cherish me. But as Axel continues to speak, blood starts to drip from his lips, and he becomes increasingly pale.
“Axel, stop. What’s happening?” I say in a voice that doesn’t sound like my own, a voice that only comes out as a whisper.
Axel drops to his knees, and I can now see blood pouring from his abdomen. I drop with him, screaming to the crowd of people around us, “Help him! Please, someone help him!” I feel hot tears leaking from my face as I grab onto the man in front of me. Axel’s body falls into me, and I hold his head tight to my chest.
I look up to my parents and Marley. They are all still smiling and showing the same excitement as before. What’s happening? Can’t they see Axel is hurt?!
All I can do is rock with Axel, holding him close and soothing him with words of promise, “You’re going to be fine! Look at me!” I say as I feel his body go limp against me.
“No, no, no!” I scream. This isn’t right. This can’t be happening.That’s when I woke up.
“Please be safe. I’ll wait for you right here,” I say to Axel, keeping my voice down. I want to grab him and pull him into the car with me, not let him rush into danger. But I also know this is a part of his life, the life I now find myself in.
Without looking back at me, Axel responds, “I’ll try, Angel. Keep your head down and don’t open the door for anyone but me.” He then starts to walk back to the crowd as the front door of the bar bursts open. Prince steps out with a deadly look on his face. I am too far now to hear what is being said, but within seconds, all hell breaks loose.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
axel
HavingJenna here makes this messy, makes me messy. I can’t turn back and look at her in her car. I know that if I do, I won’t be able to do what needs to be done. The club always has to come first, before anything else. I try to shake off the sinking feeling in my gut. Never once have I ever thought about putting anything or anyone before the club. I need to put as much distance as I can between Jenna and me after this is over. I want to punch myself. How the fuck am I supposed to do that when it has been hell staying away from her these past few weeks?You have to do it, rings in my head.Jenna needs someone who can give her a white picket fence and a stable life.This lifestyle isn’t right for her. I’m not right for her.
I take small, light steps toward the center of the crowd now forming in the parking lot. Before I make it to Blaze, the front door slams open. Prince saunters out with a dangerous smirk on his face. He looks calm, but his eyes glow with disgust and anger.
If Jenna wasn’t here, I would be excited at the idea of getting my hands dirty with Reaper blood. It’s the reason I was made Enforcer. I protect my Prez and club and make anyone pay who threatens either. I’m not ashamed of what I do. I know what has to be done, and I’m good at my job.
