Page 10 of Axle
“Good,” I said. “And if you get even a whiff of someone sniffing our way, you tell me first.”
“We’ll go from there, but I’ll be honest, brother. While this shit is above my level, it’ll go a lot faster if I had some help.”
Edge cocked his head. “Got someone in mind?”
“Deviant,” Jax replied without hesitation.
Deviant was another tech genius who belonged to an MC in Tennessee we had very close ties with. The Iron Rogues’ road captain, Storm, had been a friend of Kane’s since childhood. And one of their enforcers, Racer, helped manage Kane’s tracks and races in that state. He was a brilliant driver, one-of-a-fucking kind, and he also happened to be my brother-in-law. We’dtraded help many times and trusted them almost as much as we did each other.
“I’ll run it by the prez,” Edge conceded. “And let him know we have a situation bigger than a stray with pretty eyes. He’ll want to look her in the face before he cosigns your plan.”
“Not tonight,” I said. “She needs to rest.”
Nitro shoved off the wall. “And you need to babysit.”
“I need to make sure she’s safe,” I snapped, stepping out before I could decide to put a hole in anyone who didn’t agree.
The hallway outside Jax’s office was dim, lined with framed photos of championship nights and charity runs and an old panorama of Kane and Edge standing on either side of their father in front of a junkyard Chevy that won trophies it had no right to win. The clubhouse was filled with its usual nighttime sounds—laughter in the common room, a pool ball cracking off a break, a low run of bass from somebody’s speaker—but underneath was a thick thread of alert I only felt when things were turning.
The Redline Kings was more than a motorcycle club, it was a brotherhood. We were family—by choice, not by blood. Our bond was forged with loyalty and trust. To the club, and to each other. We stood together against our enemies. A threat to one brother meant they were facing the wrath of the whole club. So it wasn’t surprising that tension was already in the air, and the boys felt the storm coming.
My angel would have a solid wall of protection from the MC, but most importantly, I wouldn’t let anyone touch her. And although she didn’t know it yet, I was pretty fucking certain I wouldn’t be letting her go.
The walk back to the clinic was fast. I didn’t like leaving her alone, even if Cage had secured the building.
5
AXLE
Cage stood just outside his office when I pushed through the front door into the reception area. He didn’t glance up as he scribbled on a paper chart. “She’s stable. No concussion. You’re lucky.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it,” I said.
He snorted. “Sure. Because the angle of impact, helmet you said didn’t fit, and a leather jacket older than you didn’t factor in at all. Good to know. Gonna write that in the notes. ‘Medical miracle due to Axle’s iron will.’”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “I am a god.”
He finally looked up, and his mouth curved slowly. “Yeah? Explain why your divine ass still needs me to patch up your miracles.”
“Because if I fixed everything myself, you’d feel useless.”
Cage smirked. “I’m still writing ‘dumb luck’ in the chart.”
I shrugged, done with the banter and ready to get to my angel.
“You taking her upstairs?”
“Yeah.”
He jerked his chin toward the closest exam room. “She’s half awake, half pissed, and fully stubborn. Try not to argue with her—she’ll lose on points but you’ll lose blood pressure.”
I found her sitting up slowly when I came in, looking like she was testing the strength in her legs.
She looked up, startled, and tensed when she saw me. That wariness was still in her eyes. But there was no fear.
Just a woman with her back to the wall and her fists still up.
Good.
