Page 11 of Redemption

Axel

“Miss me, Hellcat?” I laugh and lean my side against the railing as my bare feet rub against the cool concrete.

“What part of I want this shit handled quietly didn’t you understand?” asks a low lethal voice that does not belong to Charlee.

“Ash?” My stomach drops at the same time my body tenses. I should have known he’d resort to using her phone when I wouldn’t pick up for him. A cool breeze blows past and I do my best not to shiver. Maybe I should have put some clothes on before coming out here, but the look on Kelsey’s face when she saw me in nothing but this towel was worth every bit of hypothermia I suffer for it.

“Who the fuck else would it be?” Fatherhood has not mellowed him out one bit. He’s still got a quick trigger temper, well unless it comes to Charlee and Lily. They get the teddy bear and we get the beast.

“Oh, I don’t know. Since it’s Charlee’s number, maybe I expected to hear her sexy voice instead of having my ass chewed out by you, Dad.”

“Cut the shit, Ax. You’ve been avoiding my calls for a couple of days and if you do that again I’m going to put my boot so far up your ass you’ll taste the leather for weeks.”

“That sounds pleasant.” I hold the phone on my shoulder and light up a cigarette. Something tells me I’m gonna need an entire fucking pack when this conversation is over. “Did you just call to ream my ass or does this bitch fest have an actual point?” I exhale a cloud of smoke and watch it float off until it disappears.

Asher grows quiet for a minute and I brace for the volcano that’s about to erupt, but to my surprise he keeps his cool. “Both. I can’t dig into this mess until I have more to go on. All I got from Zane was they were some Irish fucks who took shots at you. Who did you piss off this time?”

“Why do y’all assume that this shit is happening because of me?” My eyes narrow as I scan the cars in the parking lot making sure our new friends haven’t found us yet.

“Maybe because you’ve always thought with your dick and probably fucked over the wrong girl this time?”

An elderly couple happen to be heading my way and I’m sure they can hear every word Asher spews from where they are. “Morning.” I tip my head at them and smile like my mama taught me.

Their faces pinch together the closer they get. Both of their gazes trail from my towel up to the tattoos covering my chest while Asher is still in the middle of his rant. I take a long slow drag off my cigarette and wink causing their steps to falter for a split second.

A muscle ticks in my jaw at Asher’s bullshit, so I respond with the first thing that pops in my head. “You know I haven’t got pussy in two years. I’ve jerked-off so many times I’m surprised my hands don’t have calluses.”

The old woman scoffs and her husband pulls her along faster until they’re tucked away in their room and slamming the door.

“I don’t have the patience to deal with your bullshit this morning,” he sighs into the phone as crying echos in the background.

“What’s wrong with my Wild Flower?” Hearing her cry like that puts everything else on pause. Lily has us all wrapped around her tiny fingers.

“Nothing. She’s just fussy and not sleeping much, which means between this and your shit neither am I or Charlee.”

“Is that normal?” My eyebrows pinch together as I rub my thumb along my bottom lip.

“Fuck if I know. I just know we won’t get any rest until you get your asses back here in one piece.”

“Same, brother.” I flick the ash from my cigarette over the railing and watch it fall, trying to soothe my itching need to have Wildcat at home, in my bed, where she belongs.

“Come straight here. Don’t take Kelsey home, no matter how much she puts up a fight, until we know what’s going on.”

“Trust me, I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

“Do you think she knows anything that might helps us figure this shit out?”

“No. She seems to think this is all my fault. I’m thinking we need to have a chat with the Governor. He’s the one who hired us to come get her in the first place and something isn’t sitting right with me.”

“Agreed. I’ve left a few messages and he hasn’t returned them.” He breathes a heavy sigh into the phone and it doesn’t take a mind reader to know his gut is telling him something is up.

“You think he’s ghosting us?” A muscle ticks in my jaw at the thought.

“If past experience has taught me anything at all it’s that we can’t rule out a damn thing until we have more information to go on. I’ll keep digging, but you need to talk to her and see if she knows something about her dad or any of his business associates.”

“I’ll try, but I think I have better chances of getting punched in the balls.”

He laughs into the phone. “She’s going to make you work for it, as she should.”

“Funny fucker. It’s your fault I’m in this mess to begin with.” I shake my head and push off the railing.

“I told you not to keep playing with fire, but you didn’t listen. Now, you’ve made your bed and you have to lie in it. Suck it up, Ax. You’ve had pussy at your beck and call for years and finally have one that won’t put up with your shit.”

“This the advice you plan on giving Lily when she starts dating because you suck at it.”

“God damn it, Ax!” I hold the phone away from ear to keep from going deaf as he continues to ream my ass. He sounds like a pitbull raging through the phone and I probably shouldn’t bust his balls like that, but what are baby brothers for? She won’t be dating period, but it doesn’t mean I can’t have my fun. He shouts a few more times before hanging up.

I stay outside a few more minutes and finish my second cigarette until I feel I’ve given Kelsey enough time to shower and do all that girlie shit she likes to do.

Images of her wet and naked in the shower has all the blood rushing south, but it’s the fire behind her eyes when I piss her off that has my dick standing at full attention. I stroll back into the room wearing the biggest shit-eating grin and whistling the entire way.

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