“You always take your father’s side. You’ve been doing it since you were a little kid. I had five boys and finally had my little girl. But that doesn’t matter to you. You only care about protecting him and listening to him.”

My mother was full-blown crying on the other end of the phone. I held it away from my ear and tried to keep my voice even. If she detected even a note of hostility, this was going to get worse faster. But I wasn’t going to let her push me around and accuse me of ridiculous things.

“Mom, that’s not true but I’m done arguing with you about it.” I had to bite my tongue past the urge to remind her of the truth. If I took anyone’s side in my parents’ drama, it was always hers. I’d encouraged her to get out. The year before I left, I even made arrangements to get her into an apartment and helped her look for jobs. She made me promise after promise then she finally pushed me too far one last time. I also knew this script by heart. Since I didn't outright agree with her, she’d start to scream at me in another minute.

“Look,” I said, “I need to get going. I’ve got to get to work.” I stopped myself just short of explaining to her why I had to leave so early for a shift that didn’t start for an hour. I still had to take the bus. If she knew my clunker of a car was dead, she’d do five minutes on how that was somehow a character flaw of mine as well.

“Maya Catherine ... don’t you blow me off.”

“I’m not. I just need to go to work. I’ll call you tomorrow. Promise.” Ugh. Why did I go and do that? Old habits are so hard to break sometimes.

“Fine.” She sniffled. “I could be dead by tomorrow.”

“You won’t be.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Right. I could be dead by tomorrow. Nobody knows that.”

“Don’t you make fun of me.”

“I’m not. Look, I just really need to get moving. I can’t afford to be late for work. I love you, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow. Josh is coming over for dinner tonight. Focus on that. Goodbye, Mom.”

I clicked off the phone. She might call again complaining that I hung up on her. I waited a couple of beats, holding my breath. Mercifully, she didn’t call. I wound my hair into a topknot and headed out the door. As I bounded down the outside stairwell, I heard the screech of the bus’s brakes down the block.

“Shit!” I yelled. My only hope was that Randall, the bus driver, would wait for me. He knew my schedule about as well as I did. The trouble was, he had his own to keep and it was going to take me at least a minute to run that far. It was hopeless.

“Dammit!” I yelled as I got to the north end of the parking lot. Randall had just pulled away and I heard the bus doors shut. I ran a few yards down the sidewalk, waving my arms like a lunatic, but the bus was too far down the street. I’d never catch it.

Hot tears stung my eyes. Even fifteen hundred miles away, my family’s dysfunction could touch me. I walked back to the parking lot, stopping at my shitty red Toyota. With nothing left to do, I slammed my palms against the hood and kicked one of the tires. Leaning against the driver’s side door, I buried my face in my hands and plotted my next step.

I could call a cab. Of course, round trip, that would seriously eat into my earnings for the night. But there was no other choice. Junior had a line of girls waiting for a chance to work at Cups. That much of his bravado was grounded in cold, hard facts. Turning my back to the street, I pulled out my phone and started to search for the number to the closest taxi service.

Before I punched in the first number, an engine roared behind me, sending a chill down my spine. It couldn’t be. Except, I knew it was. Straightening my back, I turned and faced the road.

Axle Hart’s mirrored aviator glasses flashed as he made a wide turn with his motorcycle and pulled up alongside me. His engine rumbled in time with my heartbeat as he slid his glasses down and looked at me. How did he do that? Was there some biker bat signal I subconsciously put out?

I tried not to stare. I tried to stay cool and casual, smiling back at him as he finally cut the motor and slid off the bike.

“What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms in front of me, feeling a little exposed. Of course, he’d only ever seen me in my skimpy Cups uniform, but somehow, outside the restaurant, I felt more naked than usual.

“I was in the neighborhood,” he said.

“Wow. Really? That’s a hell of a line.”

Axle took a step toward me. I had to crane my neck to keep eye contact with him. His eyes flickered over me, sending twin emotions racing through me. On the one hand, I wished I had a coat or something to cover myself with. On the other, I can’t deny that this guy sent my hormones into overdrive. How could he not? Everything about him was raw and male with a rugged, dangerous sex appeal he didn’t even seem aware of. Which made it all the more irresistible.

“Port Az is tiny, Maya. Though I’m not gonna deny I was curious.”

“Curious about what?” I held my breath.

“Curious about you,” he answered. God, there was no pretense with this guy. I knew with absolute certainty he was used to going after exactly what he wanted. And getting it.

“It wasn’t hard to figure out,” he went on. “I mean, the Number 23 only stops along Vista Drive and the Vista Arms is the only apartment complex in town.”

“So you’re checking up on me?”

Axle cocked his head to the side. The corner of his mouth twitched and he gave me a tiny smirk. It was the closest I’d seen to him smiling. A bold thought flickered through me. Instinct told me this man wasn’t used to having things to smile about. The desire to change that kindled low in my gut.

“Yes,” he answered. Again, no pretense. My breath hitched.

“What if I told you I don’t know how I feel about that? I mean, how do I know you’re not dangerous, Axle?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

Oh yes. He was dangerous. “I’m just on my way to work.”

He took another step toward me. “Is that your car?”

I was still leaning against the Toyota. A moment. One heartbeat. I could see the next few moments playing out like a scene from a movie. I could stop it. Change the trajectory. Except, God help me, I didn’t want to.

“It’s dead,” I said. “Hasn’t started in over a week.”

“Ah,” Axle said. He stepped around me and ran his hand along the hood. His fingers were rough, his hands broad and strong. “Why don’t you let me take a look at it?”

“You don’t have to do that.”

He turned to me. “I know. Let me do it anyway. I can call the guys and have ’em tow it back to the shop. We run a garage off the highway.”

I pushed myself away from the car door and turned to face him. “I don’t ... I can’t ... I’m saving money to get it fixed. The guy over at Murray’s Auto said it was the starter. He can get me in next week.”

Axle’s back went up. His nostrils flared. “Murray will rip you off. He says everything’s the starter. And I didn’t ask you to pay me.”

I took a step back. “Well, I won’t let you or anyone else give me something for free.”

Axle leaned against the car. He slid his sunglasses off the top of his head and tucked them into the collar of his t-shirt. “Oh, I didn’t say I’d do it for free.”

Heat flared through me. God help me, the implication in his eyes set my nerves on edge in all the best ways. What was I doing? I knew he was dangerous. Anyone would know that. He was rough and bold and used to getting anything he wanted. But I was drawn to every last bit of it even though I knew it was probably the worst thing for me.

If this was my year of taking risks, Axle Hart was the biggest risk of all.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

Axle crossed his arms in front of him and leaned against my car in a casual posture. He was bold and confident while I felt weak in the knees.

“You can’t. You shouldn’t. But I’m offering anyway. In the meantime, you’re going to be late for work and the cab drivers around here are worse scammers than what you’ll find at Murray’s. Let me give you a ride down to the docks. I’d feel better about that anyway.”

“Better than what?”

“Than letting you walk even a few blocks on your own looking the way you do.”

He looked closer. Axle showed no shame as he raked his eyes over me. The skirt Junior made us wear barely covered my ass. We wore little black spandex panties over our regular underwear. The halter top tied under my breasts, and I wore a push-up bra. It was a feast for the male eyes and if any of my brothers saw me in this, they’d throw a fit. But this was my life. My choice. And making it had set me free.

“All right,” I said, though my voice sounded foreign to me. Little Maya Ballard from Monroe, Michigan ... the good girl who took care of everyone else before herself was still deeply rooted inside of me. She would never do something like this. She worked at the library, never dated anyone her parents didn’t approve of. She never made waves or caused drama because there was so much drama waiting for her at home. She just wanted peace. She just wanted to take the safe and easy route.

Fuck her.

Axle’s eyes glinted with danger as he held his hand out to me and led me to the back of his bike. He handed me the helmet he’d had strapped to the back. I put it on and watched Axle lift one leg and straddle the Harley. Now it was my turn. He slid his sunglasses back in place, hiding those dark, penetrating eyes. I took a breath. This was my last chance to back out. I looked back toward the apartment and thought for the dozenth time about how the smarter thing to do would be to walk away and wait for a cab anyway.

I didn’t.

Letting out the breath I held, I threw my leg over the back of the bike and straddled it. My heart pounding, I slid my arms around Axle’s waist. His abs felt like granite as I tried to lock my fingers around them. Axle kicked the starter and revved the engine. The bike roared to life between my legs and heat pooled there.

“Hold on!” he shouted over the thunder of the engine. Then he let out the throttle and picked up speed down the street.

I had to remind myself to breathe as we rocketed down Vista Drive. I squeezed Axle tight, loving the feel of his rough jeans against my legs. I felt naked. God, I almost was as the wind blew back my skirt. Axle smelled clean and strong. I inhaled the scent of leather and musk, my cheek pressed against the intricate embroidery on the back of his vest. The emblem of the Dark Saints M.C. covered his back, that kneeling angel with great wings and a sword at its feet.

The bike was part of Axle as he skillfully took the curves toward the dock. I found myself wishing Cups was farther away. It was only twenty blocks and a straight shot from my apartment. I felt like I could ride this bike with Axle forever. A part of me wanted to.

But the ride was over fast and Axle slowed as we got within a block of the restaurant. I lifted my cheek from him and tapped him on the shoulder. Looking back, he pulled to the curb and cut the engine.

“Better let me off here,” I said, swallowing hard.

Before he could protest, I climbed off the bike and pulled off the helmet. My hair had to be a wreck so I lifted my arms to redo the topknot.

“Everything okay?” he asked. He slid off his glasses again and his eyes filled with concern that heated my blood just as much as the ride had.

“Yeah. It’s just ... I don’t know ... I think it’s better if they don’t see me with you.”

I wished I hadn’t said it. But the minute I did, Axle’s eyes flashed with understanding. He nodded. “Maybe you’re right. But I don’t want you walking home alone tonight. Not even to the bus stop.”

“It’s two blocks,” I protested.

“I don’t care. I can pick you up. What time do you get off?”

I dropped my hands from my hair. “Axle, no. I can’t ask you to do that. You’ve done too much already.”

“What if I won’t take no for an answer?”

Smirking, I crossed my arms in front of me. “Something tells me you will. I mean it. I can manage. But I promise, I’ll make sure one of the bouncers sees me out or I’ll walk with one of the other girls.”

He looked like he was going to argue with me for a minute, but something caught his eye over my shoulder and he dropped it. “Okay. Do that. In the meantime, I wasn’t kidding about your car. I’ll have the guys come pick it up. I’ll call you tomorrow after we have a diagnosis. On that I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I sighed, blowing a hair out of my eye. “Fine. But I’m going to pay for it.”

Axle spread his hands. “Suit yourself. Just do me a favor and watch your back tonight, okay? And every night.”

I bit my lip past the retort I wanted to give him. I wanted to ask him to watch it for me. On instinct, I knew he would anyway. I settled for giving him a genuine smile and a loose salute. I reached into my purse and pulled out my car key. When I tossed it to him, he caught it one-handed and shot me a quick wink that made my knees melt. Then I turned and headed for the back door of Cups.

I was still breathless when I made it to the break room. Wendy was waiting for me, leaning against the doorway. She wouldn’t move as I tried to get past her. Her eyes flashed with contempt I didn’t understand.

“Hey, Wendy.” I smiled at her. It did nothing to disarm her.

“You having fun?” she asked.

She kept her arms crossed and stood in a wide stance, keeping me from getting into the break room without needing to push her out of the way. I contemplated doing just that since I sure didn’t like the look she was giving me.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, keeping my voice light. I wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit but hoped I could defuse whatever she had up her ass without a full-on confrontation.

“That depends on you,” she answered. “You’re going to want to watch it.”

“What the hell is this, Wendy? I need to clock in and get out on the floor. Aimee’s already starting to seat my section.”

“Axle,” she said, pushing herself off the doorframe. “I saw you pull up with him. I’m going to do you a favor and warn you once. Stay away from him.”

The heat of anger crawled up my spine. I wasn’t going to let her bully me. “You can mind your own business.”

She got in my face and poked me in the shoulder. My fists curled at my sides. “Axle’s off limits. You got that?”

“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. And look, I don’t want trouble from you. How about I’ll keep to my own business and you keep to yours?”

“Well, that’s what I want too. Axle is my business. So, you can stop shaking your ass in his direction. He’s interested in you because you’re fresh meat. Don’t kid yourself thinking it’s anything more than that.”

I wanted to rip her fucking face off. Where the hell was this coming from? In the few weeks I’d been at Cups, I’d never seen Wendy or any of the other girls having anything to do with Axle or any other members of the Dark Saints. He’d given me a ride to work. That’s all. At least, that’s what I was currently trying to tell myself. But even if I wanted it to be more than that, it was my business and mine alone.

“Whatever, Wendy. Just get the hell out of my way.”

Smirking, she finally spread her hands wide and stepped to the side. “You’ve been warned. Okay? Just do your job here and you’ll have no trouble from me.”

“Great.”

Shaking my head, I grabbed an apron from a hook near the door and clocked in. I kept my back to the door and after a few seconds, Wendy finally left and headed for the bar.

I was seething. It took extra effort to keep a smile on my face as I served my tables. I could feel Wendy’s eyes boring into me all evening. I also couldn’t help watching the front door wondering if Axle might show up tonight. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted him to. Badly. He stirred something in me that made my heartbeat quicken. Wendy’s ham-fisted warning only made me want to piss her off. I didn’t shake my ass at Axle, but knew it bothered her and considering how much of a bitch she was about it, I wanted to rub her face in it. Not very mature of me, I know.

About an hour into my shift, when the dinner crowd started to pick up, I saw Wendy talking to Aimee in the corner of the bar. She was eyeing me the entire time. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I knew the two of them were talking about me. To lend even more credence to my suspicion, Aimee looked back at me. Her lips pursed into a humorless line and when she turned back to Wendy, she nodded at her.

Things went from bad to worse after that. Aimee stopped seating tables in my section. At first, I thought maybe some of the regulars had asked for one of the other girls specially. I was still new here so that kind of thing happened. But after the fifth time, I knew it was no coincidence. Every time I tried to catch Aimee’s attention to ask her what the hell, she seemed to make herself scarce.

By ten o’clock, I only had about twenty dollars in my pocket. I saw Aimee with her back to me, standing near the hostess’s station, so I made my move. Tapping her on the shoulder, I turned her to face me.

“Something you want to tell me, Aimee?”

She had a big smile on her face when she made eye contact with me. “You having some trouble, hun?” she asked, playing dumb. “Do you need help with something? I can send a busboy over.”

“No, I don’t need any help. I just need to know why you’re skipping my tables. You’ve been double and triple seating Kirsten and Nikki all night and I’ve had three tables in three hours. Look, I don’t have time to dick around. I know Wendy said something to you. I don’t want drama. Whatever she told you, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Hmm. Well, then you better talk to Wendy about that. As far as your tables, I don’t know what to tell you. You’re still in training.”

“What? Since when? Says who?”

Aimee shrugged. “Not my call. Take it up with Junior.”

“I will.”

“Suit yourself. I saw him head out back a few minutes ago. He’s probably having a cigarette. But hurry back.”

“Why? You obviously have no plans to seat me anyway.”

Aimee plastered another smile on her face and turned to the group of men walking in the front door. I stepped away from her podium and went back to my section. Aimee turned, grabbing a stack of menus. Then she walked the new group straight into Veronica’s section, snubbing me once again.

The hell with it. Fuming, I headed for the back door having no choice but to take this up with Junior myself. The one table I did have was already cashed out. My section was a barren wasteland. I got a sympathetic look from Marcus, one of the busboys. It bolstered me a little to know I had maybe one friend on the floor tonight. Steeling myself for whatever bullshit Junior might dish out, I pushed through the back door and went outside.

The back door opened to an alley between Cups and a cigar shop. A big blue dumpster sat against the left wall lit by a halogen streetlamp. Sure enough, Junior stood with his back to me at the end of the alley where it opened to a short boardwalk next to the water.

I opened my mouth to call out to him, then froze. Junior wasn’t alone. At first, whoever he was talking to stayed hidden in the shadows. Then I heard a familiar voice raise in fear.

“Junior, I’m on your side, man. I swear it,” Cory said.

Junior lifted a fist and pinned Cory to the brick wall. He was almost half a foot shorter than Cory, but Cory didn’t budge, held there by fear rather than brute strength. My heart pounded so loud I was afraid they might hear it. Whatever this was, every instinct in my body told me to hide.

“And those are just words. You can prove whose side you’re on by actions.”

“I will. I swear to God, man. I will.”

“You’re getting cocky, Cory,” Junior said. “You forget who’s in charge.”

“No, no, man. We’re clear on that. I swear it. I’m just trying to look out for you. That’s all. This shit is bad news. I told you what happened to my cousin last year. I mean ... Junior ... if I caught wind of what you’re trying to do, somebody else will. It’s too small a town, and what happened with your old man ...”

“Is that a threat?” Junior stepped back. The dumpster concealed part of his body. I could just see his head and shoulders above it. Cory lifted his arms in surrender. Sweat beaded his brow and the collar of his black t-shirt stretched wide, exposing his clavicle where Junior had bunched it in his fist.

“No, man. Shit. You gotta chill out. This shit is just getting out of hand. I don’t want to be a part of it, okay? You don’t need me.”

Junior’s eyes widened. He dropped his shoulder then landed a hard blow right across Cory’s cheek. Cory’s head bounced against the brick wall and I don’t know how he managed to stay on his feet let alone keep his hands at his sides. A red welt started to form. Growing up with five brothers, I knew that kind of wound would turn deep purple within a few hours.

“Junior, come on. I’m begging you.”

“You’re weak, Cory. I’m disappointed. You’re no use to me if I can’t trust you.”

Cory’s lips quivered. God, he looked like he was about to cry. What the hell did Junior have on him? I wanted to be anywhere else but where I was, but instinct told me this would only get worse if Junior saw me standing there. I weighed my options. The only route of escape was back through the service door into the bar. But the minute I tried to open it, Junior and Cory would either hear the hinges creak, or the sound of raised voices as the crowd inside thickened. How they hadn’t heard me open the door in the first place I couldn’t guess.

“I said you can trust me. No harm, no foul, right? You’ll never hear another word from me about any of it, Junior. On my mother’s life, I swear. But I’m telling you, this is a bad idea. I mean, really bad. You don’t want to poke the bear.”

Whatever Cory meant by that, it incensed Junior. He boxed Cory’s ears, making him stagger to the side. Cory put his hands up to shield his face from the next blow that came, but did nothing else to defend himself. Junior was merciless. The thick, wet sound of Junior’s blows against Cory’s head and body echoed through the alley. I covered my mouth to keep from crying out. Junior looked possessed, delighting in Cory’s muffled cries of agony as he beat the shit out of him.

Cory took it for at least thirty seconds, before he finally sank down out of sight behind the dumpster.

“That’s what I thought you said, you piece of shit,” Junior said, leaning down. I heard him suck back air then spit in Cory’s face. The foghorn of a cargo ship further down the bay went off, startling Junior enough to make him freeze. The hollow clang of a captain’s bell drew Junior’s attention further. It meant the drawbridge on the Azrael bridge was about to go up.

I seized my chance. As bile churned in my throat, I gripped the door handle, praying the sounds from the bay would conceal any noise I made. I didn’t look back as I slipped inside the bar and made my escape.