Chapter Sixteen
Axl
“We’ve got a fucking problem,” Dex says.
I shift the phone on my ear and bite back a joke about his sex life. The seriousness of his tone means this is no laughing matter.
“What?” I ask, noticing Caitlin stepping off her bike and smiling at the guy pumping our gas. He seems dumbstruck as she walks off, her sexy hips swaying with that natural, easy gait she’s had all day.
“Some asshole was punking around.”
The moment he says it, something ugly twists in my gut. I have a feeling I know who he’s talking about.
“He was asking questions about some bird. I told him I don’t know shit.” I hear him spit on the other end and know he’s calling me from work and isn’t totally sure who might be listening. His discretion is smart. “He’ll be back. Want me to take out the trash?” he asks.
We both know he’s offering to make the fucker disappear. But only an idiot would say something like that on an open phone line. Reasonable doubt. We’d spent years in and out of the system after dad fucking quit on us. We’d learned what to say, how to drop off a map, and how to throw people off our trail. But when he’d gone good, I’d gotten in deeper. A lot deeper. So deep I should never have gotten out.
“No,” I say. I’d never let my brother do my dirty work. This fucker is my problem. And I already have an idea how to handle him.
Glancing over at Caitlin, I notice how her chin is held high. How her eyes sparkle while her helmet hangs from her hand. The wind whips at her hair and the grin on her face grows as she combs it back out of her face with her fingers. She’s ready.
Her gaze is locked on me even as all eyes in this shithole are on her. The relaxed set to her shoulders and her carefree smile tell me she’s not afraid of her own shadow anymore. Talking to me did something for her. It changed how she saw things. Changed her mind about herself, who she wants to be and what she wants from life. Carl will never hold her back again; she won’t let him.
“You sure?” Dex asks.
“I’m sure. Got to go, man. Don’t forget Smith.” Of course, Smith is the Smith and Wesson pistol locked in my desk. Who knows what the dumb fuck might do. Warning Dex is natural now as it has been all these years.
He agrees and we hang up right as Caitlin comes to a stop in front of me. “Who was that?” She asks, a smile toying with the corners of her lips.
“Dex.”
Something in her expression shifts, as if she feels the danger in the air. “Oh. Is he okay?”
Her worry about my brother is heartwarming. “He’s fine. Let’s get to our room.” I pull my helmet on and she nods, doing the same. A moment later, I’m watching her throw a graceful leg over her bike and noticing the admiring glances of guys around us. And I want to fucking hit every last one of them.
She pulls out and I’m hot on her tail as she leads the way. All the riding has really put her at ease. She’s comfortable, at home even, on her bike now. It’s good to see. I meant it when I said she’s a natural. There’s just some uncanny sixth sense she has regarding where her body leaves off and the machine begins. She bridges that gap and becomes one with the motorcycle in a way I can feel but can’t explain for shit.
Once we pull into our hotel, she parks right up front and is off her bike in a moment. Her hair spills free as she takes off her helmet and I walk up and in the front door with her.
“So what did Dex have to say?” she asks, tucking her helmet under her arm while she walks.
“Actually,” I say and she instantly tenses up. “I have to go for a little while. He needs me and it’s not something I can do over the phone.”
Fear rolls through her and I see goose bumps prickle up her neck as she unzips her jacket. “I’ll come right back and meet up with you after,” I promise.
We step into the elevator and she turns to me when the door closes. “I think that’ll be okay. I mean, you’ve already done so much for me.”
I sense the struggle in her. She wants to beg me to stay. She wants to tell me she needs me. And if she does, I’m ready to tell her she doesn’t. But she says nothing. When the elevator opens on our floor, she pushes past with a smile at the people waiting. I keep up with her as we head to our room.
“So I’ll be back in a couple days,” I tell her and she nods, grinning up at me like she can hide her panic with a smile. At our door, I watch her pull out her key card and open the lock. And I remember that first night running. She refused the card. She didn’t want to hold onto one. Didn’t want to leave the room.
I want to tell her I’m proud of her. That she’s making huge strides.
But I don’t say anything like that. Instead, I pull her into my arms. Her eyes lock on mine and I bring my lips down on hers. All the tension seeps out of her and she moans a little. Instantly, I’m so hard I can’t see straight.
Fuck. It takes everything I have to step back instead of moving her back into the room, locking the door and trying to get my fill of her.
“I’ve got to go,” I say. But I can’t leave. Something roots me here, some need to help her, warn her, prepare her. Brushing a lock of her hair back from the curve of her cheek, the corners of my lips twitch as a shiver runs through her. The way her lips part is enough to drive me wild and I focus on her eyes.
“Don’t let the demons win,” I say softly.