“It’s Axel tonight, right?” Kace pulled out his phone. “Hey,” he said into the receiver. “We need a pickup…”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s able to drive,”came the tight response.
“Sam? Why do you have Axel’s phone?” Kace asked, lowering his voice, already knowing the answer. “Fuck, how bad is he?”
“Just get here before he does something even fucking stupider,”Sam growled down the line.“And be fast.”
Kace swallowed his own irritation, quickly organising an alternative pickup before returning his phone to his pocket. “Riley and Xee are on their way.”
Jax kept quiet, as was his usual response when he was angry. He would have heard the entire conversation.
Kace dragged a hand down his face. “Fuck.”
Chapter8
Kace
It was late, far too late for the bar to be so busy mid-week, and especially considering it was closer to morning than the night. The music beat loud enough to drown out general conversation, the centre filled with sweaty dancers while many of the tables were filled with people drinking colourful cocktails in which the bar was famous.
A few stares as Kace stepped inside, his body rigid as he made his way through the crowd. People jostled him by accident, immediately moving when they realised who he was, and what he was wearing. He had kept the leathers, Titus’s blood now dried as it flaked off with every stride. Kace breathed through his mouth, concentrating on a point across the room rather than the bodies that casually pressed against him.
A hand encircled his waist, a woman pressing herself along his back before he could step away. Swallowing the anger and panic he refused to acknowledge her, instead gently removing her arm before stepping out into the open. Anywhere else he would have reacted with violence, making sure the woman and anyone else who thought he was approachable knew not to touch. Ever. Blood Bar was essentially a second home for the Guardians, their faces known enough amongst the regulars as brothers of the owner. He couldn’t scare away customers with his hostility, not without pissing Riley off, not that his brother would be really angry if someone touched him without his permission. But it wouldn’t exactly go in his favour if he started painting the place with entrails when he was supposed to be fully in control.
If he decided he wanted to take someone up on their offer he would take them out back, face them against the wall and fuck them until they were both spent. And then he would send them away, all with the least amount of touching. It was nothing more than a carnal need, a mutual exchange of rough pleasure with definitely no fucking feelings. He cared little for women, and he never fucked the same one twice. He couldn’t risk being close to anyone for too long, just in case.
“You looking for who I think you’re looking for?” Payne, the newest bartender said when he approached.
Kace nodded, conscious that there were ears listening.
Payne crossed her arms, her skin a rich ebony that complimented the gold she had painted around her biceps. The fabric of her t-shirt stretched across strong shoulders, the Blood Bar logo a bright red high on her chest. “Sam took him out back.” Disappointment darkened the copper of her eyes.
“How bad?”
Payne visibly cringed, and that was answer enough. Lifting a hand in thanks he headed behind the bar to the emergency exit, the door already partially open as familiar voices drifted out.
“Here kitty, kitty,” Axel chuckled. “You know you want to come play.”
A hiss, followed by an audible smack. “Aye, if you carry on, I’ll happily sharpen my claws on your bones.”
A pause, Axel’s voice deepening. “Is that a promise?”
Kace pushed open the door, the alley outside bathed in shadows. Glass glittered on the cobbled stones, the lights that usually illuminated the alley directly behind the bar recently smashed. Sam’s long, pale blonde hair was unbound, the tie gripped in Axel’s fist along with a few broken strands.
“What has he taken?” Kace asked when Axel tilted his head towards him, his pupils blown with a smile that stretched his entire face.
“Hey there K, you joining the party?”
Sam glowered, his irises the same amber that they always were, but Kace could tell it was his leopard that prowled behind them. “I don’t know, I found him slumped in the fucking toilets.” He dragged a hand through his hair, tugging it behind his ears.
Axel returned his attention to the leopard who had worked at the bar for over a year, his smile faltering.
“He’s high as a fucking kite,” Sam continued. “He won’t tell me what he took, but I found a needle.”
Kace opened a connection to Axel.‘What the fuck did you take?’
Axel tilted his head, but he didn’t reply. Not that it truly mattered, not when it was unlikely to kill him.
“Sam, can you give us a minute?”
