Page 26 of Atlas (The Chaos Demons MC #6)

It’s met with silence before she asks, “Where are you?”

“Heading home. Just passed the Tesco by the east gate.”

“No, don’t go home.” Her tone changes. Commanding. “Hold on.”

I hear her shifting the phone, muttering quickly, and then another voice in the background. Male. Firm. Axel.

“Rue,” she says again, more serious now. “Axel says go somewhere busy. A shop, anywhere with people. Don’t go back to the flat and don’t try to come here. We don’t know if they’re following you.”

My stomach drops as I take another frantic look around. “I’m fine,” I murmur, but even I don’t believe it. My heart is still racing. My mouth is dry.

“You’re not fine. I can hear it in your voice.”

I duck into the Co-op on the corner, pretending to browse the meal deal fridge as I press the phone tighter to my ear. “I’m inside a shop,” I say quietly.

“Good. Stay there. Axel’s sending someone to come get you. Don’t talk to anyone else.”

“I hate this,” I whisper.

“I know,” she murmurs. “Just stay put. They’ll be with you soon, okay?”

I nod even though she can’t see me.

It’s seconds before I see him duck into the shop, sending my heart into a panic. Atlas. His eyes search until they land on me, and something in them changes, like he was holding his breath until this exact moment.

He heads for me, and even though I’m relieved, I’m still pissed. “Is this a joke?”

“We don’t have time for a discussion,” he mutters. “We have to get you out of here.”

“There must be twenty other biker’s he could have sent . . .”

“And they would have asked for my permission first. Permission I was never gonna give, so Axel sent me, it was quicker.”

I look past him as people enter the shop. I exhale. “Fine, whatever.”

He holds out a hoody and I stare at it. “Put it on,” he directs.

I hesitate, before reluctantly taking it and shoving my arms through.

His scent wraps around me, causing a deep ache in my heart.

Atlas reaches for the zipper and makes quick work of fastening it, before placing a cap on my head, and pulling the hood up.

“We’re gonna go out the front and get straight on my bike. ”

The thought of being on his bike again pains me, but I follow him anyway, keeping my head down as he throws his leg over the bike and starts the engine.

I slide on behind and his hands curl under my knees and tug me close.

He then guides my arms around his waist. “Press your cheek to my back,” he instructs.

“We’re leaving the helmets off.” I don’t argue, pressing myself against his back and closing my eyes.

Yesterday this all felt so thrilling, but today it just hurts. The sooner I’m home, the better.

We ride a short distance, before the bike slows and I open my eyes. I sit up straighter realising we’re at the club. As he drives through the gates, one of the bikers closes them and chains the front.

He parks the bike alongside the rest and I notice there seems to be a lot more than usual.

I climb off as Kasey rushes out, throwing her arms around me. “Thank God you’re okay.”

I remove the cap. “Why am I here?” I whisper.

She glances at Atlas, slipping her hand in mine and leading me farther away. “Axel is putting the club on lockdown.”

“What does that mean?”

“That we have to stay here until it’s safe.”

I frown. “It was just a guy. Maybe I overreacted.”

“I told you they know who Mr. D is, right?” I nod. “Well, it seems he’s a big deal. Until they’ve executed a plan, we’re locked down.”

I rub my brow in irritation. “And how long will that take?”

“I don’t know. But Axel is sending someone to get your stuff later. You can work from the club.”

I groan. “I can’t teach English to my students with the club going on in the background.”

“Axel promised he’d sort you a quiet space.”

We go inside where Axel is waiting. “Office,” he says bluntly, turning and heading there.

Kasey arches her brows at me before we follow. Atlas joins us, closing the office door as we sit down.

“What happened?” Axel asks.

“I was walking through the park and some guy approached me. He felt . . . off, unsafe.” I feel Atlas stiffen at my words. “He approached me, asked if I was Rue Carter. When I said yes, he said he knew Kasey.”

“What did he look like?” Atlas demands.

I ignore him, keeping my eyes fixed to Axel. “Then he asked me to give Kasey a message. He said to tell her ‘he was still looking for her and he was close.’”

Axel’s eyes flit to Atlas before he asks, “What did he look like?”

“Thin, middle aged. White. He wasn’t out of place, just . . . odd.”

“And those were his exact words?” he asks. I nod.

“Okay. I’m keeping the club locked down until it’s safe.”

“Isn’t that an overreaction?” I ask. “He could have been an old friend of Kasey’s.”

“This goes deeper than Kasey. The guy we traced has other connections to the club.”

“Anita,” I mutter, and Atlas’s head whips my way.

“I told her,” Kasey admits.

“I have a meeting with her lawyer in five minutes,” Axel continues. “Until I know more, I want you to stay at the club too. My dad wouldn’t forgive me if I let anything happen to you or Kasey.”

I give a slight nod.

“You can sleep in the room next to Kasey,” he adds.

We head out of the office and Atlas rushes after me. “Can we talk?”

“No.”

“Please, Rue.”

“She said no,” Kasey replies, taking my hand and dragging my upstairs.

Anita

“I think he’s overreacting,” I say, folding my arms as Tom pulls up outside the Chaos Demons’ clubhouse. “And what exactly could Axel possibly have on Damien? They don’t even move in the same universe.”

Tom puts the car in park, his jaw tense. “I don’t know. But Axel said it could help, and I trust him.”

“Do you?” I shoot him a sideways look. “Because yesterday you were lecturing me to steer clear of men like Atlas. Now you’re personally chauffeuring me to their doorstep for safekeeping?”

“I had a conversation,” he says simply. “Things have changed.”

I stare at him, confused. “Since when are you on friendly terms with the club?”

Tom exhales like this has been a long time coming. “I’ve known Axel for a while. Longer than you think.” His fingers drum on the steering wheel, then stop. “Maybe I was out of line yesterday. I saw something between you and Atlas. I didn’t like it.”

I blink. “What are you saying, Tom?”

Before he can answer, the passenger door swings open and Lexi grins at me like she’s just won the lottery. “Welcome home.”

I slide out reluctantly. “This isn’t my home.”

“Oh, come on, Nita. You love us, and we love you,” she sings, tugging me into a hug that smells of leather, perfume, and danger.

Despite everything, I smile. “I guess it’ll be good to catch up.”

Axel doesn’t waste time. The second we’re inside, he takes us to the office. He closes the door, and the air shifts, heavier, more serious. We sit, but Axel doesn’t.

“I’ll get to the point,” he says, tone clipped. “Damien’s involved in illegal activity.”

I straighten in my chair, a laugh catching in my throat. “Sorry, my ex , Damien? Damien Carpenter? The man who gets hives if his Champagne isn’t the right temperature?”

Axel slides a photo across the desk. “That Damien. He’s got a hitman looking for a twenty-one-year-old girl we’re protecting.”

I blink at the photo. It’s Damien all right—expensive coat, arrogant tilt of the chin. I shake my head. “You must be mistaken.”

“I’m not.” Axel’s voice is low but firm. “He thinks she stole from him, and now, he wants payback.”

“Okay, well, how much money are we talking here?” I ask, instantly regretting how flippant it sounds.

“A few grand.”

I frown. “That’s nothing to Damien. He spends that on wine.”

“He doesn’t care about the money. He cares that she embarrassed him. That she made him look stupid. Men like Damien don’t forgive that.”

I lean back slowly, heart beginning to twist. “So, what, he’s sending someone to hurt her? Because his pride’s dented?”

“He’s already sent someone,” Axel says grimly. “A man approached Rue earlier today and told her to pass the message to her sister that Damien is looking for her.”

The room spins a little.

I’d known Damien was cruel, calculated, even vicious when he didn’t get his own way or he felt he was losing control of a situation. But outside of our marriage, he was always cool and calm. Everyone around us, always loved him. His charm. His charisma. Hell, it’s how I fell into his trap.

“Wait, how does he even know Kasey?”

Axel takes a seat. “That’s where I think we can help you.” I wait for him to continue. “Atlas mentioned the custody case.” I shift uncomfortably. “Couldn’t you use this to get your kid back?”

I glance at Tom, who looks pensive. “Depends on what you have and if it’s purely hearsay.”

“He was sleeping with Kasey,” Axel says bluntly. “For a long time.”

“How long?” I ask warily.

“Well, let’s put it this way, she was still in school when she met him.”

I inhale sharply. “Underage?”

“It was on and off for years. He’d pick her up, have sex, drop her home. A few times, he introduced her to other men.”

Tom leans forward. “He arranged that?”

Axel nods. “And he handled payment.”

“Like a pimp?” I gasp.

“She got older, he lost interest in the sex side of things, but he did have her babysit a few times.”

My mouth drops open in surprise. “What?”

“He would pay her to sit with the kid while he went off till all hours, sometimes even days.”

“No, he wouldn’t have done that.”

“She could probably tell you more. But I’d say paying a prostitute to look after the kid rather than arrange proper childcare, might not look good.”

Tom nods. “We might be able to use it if she’d give us a signed statement to say it’s true. But I’m sure Damien would argue it’s not true and say you’d paid someone to lie.”

“But it could put doubt in the judge’s mind,” I add.

“Are there any police records?” asks Tom. “Anything that ties him to this other life you’re saying he has?”

Axel shakes his head. “No. We’re working on it.”