Page 79 of Axe
“Um, you can hardly walk without that ugly as fuck pained look taking over your face. How the hell you gonna have my back?” I tried for a joke to lighten the mood. But what I had said was very true.
“Don’t fucking care,” he said, flashing me a smile and his stupid fucking dimples made him look like a damn kid. “I can still shoot and hobble.”
“You’re a fucking idiot, man.” I shook my head.
That fucking guy. In all honesty, it made me smile. It made me proud. This club was full of good men. Men that had each other’s backs no matter what. Even if they were barely able to stay standing.
“I just…” Chris said shaking his head. “I won’t even try to talk him out of it. I know it won’t do any damn good.”
“True.” I laughed. “Here’s your keys, man, thanks for letting me take it. But I don’t think you should leave. Reagan’s in my room down the hall.” I pointed for good measure.
“Alright.” He took one last look at Brand, shook his head, then worked his way down the hall.
“The fuck’s up with that?” I asked.
“What?” Brand said, slightly confused. Though I had an idea he knew what I was getting at. “Two dudes can’t be best friends without people thinking somethings going on?”
I grunted. It wasn’t really any of my business, and honestly, I didn’t care either way.
“You know, come to think of it, I’ve never really seen you with a pussy.” My lips twitched. I was just giving him shit. Although, it was the truth.
He eyed me trying to figure out if I was messing with him or not.
“You a virgin, Brand?” I asked not completely aware that my brain to mouth filter was in off position.
“No, asshole, I’m not.” His cheeks held a pink tint to them but it didn’t feel like he was getting defensive. “Not that it is any of your business, I’m just not a fan of sleeping with random women. Especially ones that just about everyone I know has been in. Not that I’m judging. It’s just not for me.”
“Hmm,” I said taking in his words. Hell, I could respect that. “I’m just messing, brother. And for the record, I couldn’t give a shit what you like. You’re still a brother to me.”
“Allison has turned you weird,” he said his eyes unsure as he took me in. “I mean like normal weird.”
I laughed.
I fucking laughed.
There was that damn word.
Normal.
“Let’s go,” Bocca’s voice called out from the end of the hall. “You, too, Brand.” His head jerked in the direction of church.
“We’ve got this, man. It will all be okay.” He slapped my back and did his best to walk down the hall like he wasn’t in pain.
“Now,” Cal said starting the meeting, “I know Axe wants to go ridin’ off right now. And while I partly agree with him, I want to take a moment to at least get some sort of plan together. We don’t have enough time to call in all those that said they’d help. But I did call the other chapters and told them to gear up. Let’s get everythin’ out on the table and fuckin’ figure this out.”
I didn’t miss the look that Diesel briefly threw my way before his eyes cut to look at pretty much anything that wasn’t me. He was still pissed at me and honestly, I couldn’t blame him.
“First, Ethel is doin’ better. She woke up and had one hell of a story to tell. Have a feelin’ that Mercer’s boy, Steve, is now part of Savage’s crew. He was here lookin’ for info about Allison. Guess, Savage somehow got wind she was here, and as most of you know by now, he has taken her again.”
Cal let out a sad, heavy breath.
Mercer had once belonged to the club. His life took a wrong turn and he started getting heavy into drugs. That, in turn, brought out a nasty side of him, and after he roughed up one of the club girls, he was voted out. Then, his little girl went missing. Turned out, the girl wasn’t missing but dead and he had something to do with it. Needless to say, Diesel took care of him and now he was eating dirt God knew where.
I was trying to stay strong but inside I felt like I was crumbling. I felt lost and confused. I just wanted her back. No, Ineededher back.
“So, we need a damn plan and we need it right fuckin’ now. Bocca, what you got on his place. That’s assumin’ he took her back there. It’s all we’ve got to go on, so we’re gonna have to go with it.”
Cal shook his head. It was clear that we were without a fucking clue right then. He was right, Savage might not have even taken her back to his clubhouse. For all we knew, he could have been halfway to Mexico with my fucking woman.
