Page 18 of Cruel Savior

We drove past the main clubhouse, but in the dark, I couldn't make out much beyond the fact the building still looked the same. Because of Houston, Axel's best friend at the time, we'd all spent a fair amount of time out here as kids even though, at the time, Axel had not been part of the club. That part came with being best friends with the club president's son. Because of that, we'd had a certain amount of leeway on the property.

Coming here as a teenager had been a thrill. An act of rebellion against my father, who despite his standing in the community, was kind of an asshole. Everyone seemed to love him, but I was pretty sure what they really loved was his money. And while money couldn't buy respect, it did buy him a lot of power in the community and a new wife every few years. I'd like to think my mother had been an exception, but I kind of doubted it. A drunk driver had killed her only three years into the marriage and already the strain had begun to show.

I had only been three at the time so I shouldn't have remembered much, but I did. While I couldn't picture what my mother looked like outside of a picture, I did remember hiding in the kitchen cupboard when the two of them fought.

After her death, it was our nanny that held us together, not him. It definitely wasn't the string of stepmothers. After a decade away, so much continued just as it had before.

This club, for example. While it looked the same, I knew it had grown. Only how much I wasn’t sure.

However, when we drove past the main building, many newer ones came into focus. While I'd seen them on the drone footage, those grainy images had not done them justice. There were cute wooden cottages dotting all across the property, as well as a handful of larger cabins beyond the trees. And then there was the big building in the back that I couldn't see at the moment, but it was where the FBI suggested most of their illegal activity took place. The tree coverage over that area was intense and no drone could get a good look.

It wasn't anything more than a plausible guess because nothing—outside that one building they couldn't get access to—indicated anything but businesses that were run legitimately and above board. They paid taxes, they employed staff, they even gave back to the community more than any other company in the county.

When the truck finally halted and Axel threw it into park, we were in front of yet another cabin. This one medium in size with a wide front porch and lots of woodwork that made the entire structure blend with nature.

"Where are we?" I didn't want to sound stupid, but I had no clue how things worked inside the club. For all I knew this was a bunkhouse and I was about to be faced with a group of big, tattooed men who might not be too happy to see me.

"This is my place," He offered, pushing open his door and grabbing several bags from the seat behind him. "We'll be staying here for the time being."

My hand froze on the door handle as I let that soak in. Since I didn't know what I was supposed to say, I pushed my own door open and climbed out of his oversized truck. Axel certainly had an affinity for his vehicles. The custom Harley he rode was one of the most beautiful bikes I'd ever seen. I especially liked the matte black color scheme. With the lack of shiny chrome, the entire machine blended seamlessly together. It had made him a much harder target when I'd taken aim on him earlier.

How had that only been hours ago? It felt like days. Suddenly, the late hour and my lack of sleep chose that moment to catch up with me as I stifled a yawn before grabbing the duffel I'd packed. He marched up the walkway, while I trudged behind him, each step getting heavier and heavier. I don't know if it was the fatigue or the knowledge that I was about to walk into his personal space that was weighing me down.

Together at my father's cabin was one thing. There was nothing there to reveal much about either of us. But this was an entirely different situation. He opened the unlocked door and when he turned to hold the door open for me, I gave him a look.

"Locking a door out here isn't necessary. I trust my club brothers implicitly and I wasn't kidding about the security. The entire property is a mapped out set of laser security that will alert our team to even the slightest movement when enabled."

"Is it enabled now?"

"Yeah, it is. I saw the lights when we drove in. And no, no one else can see those lights and disable them. If you don't know where to look, you'll never find them."

I was skeptical that some lights could be that well-hidden, but I trusted the club was serious about their security. Motorcycle Clubs like theirs were not immune to enemies and they had to plan for all contingencies.

I stepped inside, and a moment later, he flicked the lights on, illuminating the space. I'm not sure if I was surprised or just grateful, but the place looked pretty awesome and cozy as hell. The main area was one big room, but each area was well defined by furniture in the living area and an island and cabinets in the kitchen.

I dropped my bag next to the door and made my way to the couch. All I wanted to do was close my eyes for just a few minutes. Maybe a quick catnap, and then we could get back to working on the case. With him watching us, there really wasn't any time to waste.

"Why don't you go ahead in the bedroom," he said, just as I collapsed on my side on the couch.I think he said something else, but I couldn't make it out and it was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

Chapter Eleven

Axel

By the nextmorning at dawn, I was too antsy to stay in bed any longer. Sleep had been fitful at best. I'd hoped to give Mandy more time to rest before she heard me moving around, but I couldn't sit still any longer. We'd both been dead on our feet last night, but her more so than me. I'd considered carrying her into the bedroom, so she could have the bed, but I was afraid to wake her.

She was strung tight, that much was obvious. The dark circles under her eyes spoke volumes as did the lack of fight she'd put up last night when I'd made the unilateral decision to move her to the compound. Between the lack of sleep and real food, life was taking its toll on her. I padded into the bathroom, quickly going through my morning routine as quietly as I could.

However, by the time I was dressed in a pair of ratty jeans and a warm sweatshirt, I couldn't stay in here any longer. There were too many things to handle. JD had gotten a quick rundown on what had happened, but there were more details to hash out. Only, when I exited the bedroom, I hadn't planned on finding Mandy sprawled on the couch, the blanket I'd placed over her tossed to the ground and the long-sleeved t-shirt she'd slept in riding just under her breasts exposing her smooth, flat stomach and the barely-there thong panties bisecting her perfect ass.

Fuck my life.

Under normal circumstances I would have sent a silent thank you out into the world to the designer of those panties, but these were not normal circumstances, and looking at that ass wasn't good for my mental health.

Look away.

Yeah, that was a realistic thought. Not.

Look the fuck away.

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