Page 5 of Axel (Riders of Retribution #1)
Axel
Cliff’s office is surprisingly clean for the kind of rough and tumble man he is.
When I first met him, I had no idea that the bastard with dusty boots and cigarette burns on the hem of his t-shirt would be a total neat-freak.
Looks can be deceiving though, and our president takes pride in keeping his workspace spic and span.
“How’s the leg?” Cliff asks as the silence between us stretches out uncomfortably.
“Hurts like hell,” I grunt, not bothering to sugarcoat it.
“Good,” he replies, leaning back in his chair and drumming his knuckles against the arm. “Maybe you’ll learn a lesson about planning ahead instead of storming into a situation. That leg is what happens when you’re not thinking.”
I grit my teeth, swallowing down a retort. I’m already on thin ice with our president, and probably the rest of the club if I’m being honest. If he says it’s good that my leg hurts like hell, then it’s good.
I wait for him to continue, feeling the anger roll off of him in waves.
He’s had a temper as long as I’ve known him, but he’s measured about it.
I’ve always respected the way his anger is righteous and directed at the proper people.
I’ve never had it directed at me, though, and my respect is turning into fear.
“So, are you going to tell me what the fuck you were thinking, or are you going to just stand there like a fucking idiot?” he says when it becomes obvious I’m not going to offer up any explanation without prompting.
“Can’t say I was thinking too much,” I say, knowing the best way to soften the blow of whatever punishment I’m about to be dealt is to agree with him.
“I just saw the Apex Runners roughing up some girl in front of her house while we were on our ride. I went back out to assess the situation, and one of them had their hands on her. I just acted to keep her safe.”
“By killing a prominent member of our rival MC?” Cliff says, his tone dry and matter-of-fact.
“I couldn’t just stand by and let that happen,” I say. “They were hurting her, and if I hadn’t stepped in, fuck knows what they would have done to her.”
Cliff makes a dissatisfied noise in the back of his throat. That’s better than I was expecting. Honestly, I figured he’d take my patch and tell me to get the hell out of Rio Lunas. Right now, I assume he’s begrudgingly understanding my sense of justice.
“This isn’t good, Axel,” he says after a few seconds of stewing. “Actually… this is fucking awful.”
“I know, Cliff.”
He cuts me off with a death glare. I get his message loud and clear – I shouldn’t speak anymore unless he asks me a direct question.
“They’re going to retaliate,” he mutters. “There’s no ifs about that. They aren’t the kind of club to let something like this go. Hell, if one of their guys killed one of our members, we’d already be on the way to their clubhouse, guns blazing.”
He’s right. This is the kind of thing that our MC wouldn’t let slide. I just wasn’t thinking about what would happen after that encounter. The only thing I cared about was making sure that Hazel was safe. I assumed that I’d just figure everything out after the fact.
That time is now. And my president is fucking pissed.
“Every single member of this club needs to be on high alert,” Cliff says, thinking out loud rather than talking to me. “We’ll need to up security around the clubhouse and club activities. And we’ll need more armed riders for any rides we take.”
He locks eyes with me and I nod in agreement. Although, at this point, even if I disagreed with him, I’d nod. I’m in deep shit, so I’m in no position to be offering criticism, constructive or otherwise.
“I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with you yet,” he says, his voice ice cold, but his glare burning hot. “So don’t you for a fucking second think the only punishment you’re getting off with is your bum leg.”
“I assumed the gunshot would be the least of my worries,” I mutter, holding his gaze.
“Glad to hear you aren’t entirely braindead,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Axel.”
“You know the Riders of Retribution are my top priority,” I say, standing up straighter.
These men gave me purpose when I was lost. If it weren’t for them, I’d probably have ended up just like my alcoholic mother.
“Whatever I need to do to make up for this, I’ll do it without complaint. That’s a promise.”
“Good,” Cliff says, looking me up and down. After a second of contemplation, he says, “So what do you think about that girl you tried to get yourself killed over?”
“She was nice,” I say with a shrug, the corners of my mouth lifting without my permission. “Saved my ass. Pretty too.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard from Slash,” he says.
I have to bite my tongue as the jealous monster living inside me tries to roar to life.
I don’t have anything to worry about. Slash is harmless and doesn’t have a lick of charm when it comes to women.
Still, just the idea of another man looking at Hazel and seeing how gorgeous she is makes me sick.
I’ll fucking kill him if he tries anything.
“Why are you asking about Hazel?” I say, clearing my throat to cover the uncharacteristic swell of emotions. I just met this woman and she’s already doing things to me that I can’t explain.
“Ah, so you know her name,” Cliff says, narrowing his eyes at me. “Funny. I thought you said you didn’t know who she was.”
“I didn’t,” I say, resisting the urge to puff my chest out. “But she did sew my leg up. We exchanged names. I’m polite, unlike some of the members of this club.”
“Yet you’re the only one that decided to get into a firefight on your own.”
“Even after I make up for this, I’m never going to live it down, am I?” I observe.
That gets Cliff’s stony facade to crack. He smirks, seemingly pleased that I’ve accepted my fate. That bodes well for me.
“You’re damn right you aren’t,” he confirms out loud before glancing at the clock on his wall. “Alright, Axel. I’m calling this meeting to an end, but I’ve got something you can do for me to start making up for your stupidity.”
“What’s that?” I ask, bracing myself for something that’s going to be hell on my injury.
“Leave Hazel alone.”
For a minute, the entire room goes quiet. I want to believe I haven’t heard him correctly, that he isn’t asking me to abandon this girl. It’s not an option.
“What do you mean?” I say, measured and slow.
“I mean that I’m going to need you to stay away from her,” Cliff says like it’s that simple, like I can just pretend we never met, like I can ignore the fire that’s burning hot in my chest for her. “Don’t ride by her house, don’t contact her. Hell, try not to think about her.”
“But they were going to hurt her!” I shout, unable to keep myself under control.
The outburst is so unlike me that he’s stunned into silence.
When he recovers, there’s an odd look on his face.
I brace myself to be chewed out for it, but instead, he’s reasonable, talking to me calmly.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he can read the thoughts on my face; he’s known me since I was eighteen.
Spending nine years working with someone in high stakes situations will give you a pretty good sense of their emotions.
“Listen, Axel,” he says, waiting until I release the tension from my jaw to continue. “She’s obviously mixed up in some serious shit with these guys. Do you really think that hanging around her is going to help her situation?”
I grind my teeth. I refuse to admit he’s right, even if he does have a point. I was right to protect her, but my presence must have stirred things up.
“If you really insist on hanging around her, that’s fine,” he says with a defeated sigh. “But wait until we’ve cleaned up the mess you’ve made. Poking around her business isn’t going to do anyone any good. Now get the hell out of here. Go rest up. I’m calling an emergency meeting tomorrow.”
“Understood,” I say before leaving the office.
As I head out of the clubhouse, I know that I should listen to him.
My loyalty to the Riders of Retribution is unwavering.
Following orders is usually second nature to me.
But now… I just can’t shake the sense of duty I feel toward Hazel.
She needs help. Whatever danger she’s in, she’s not going to get out of it alone.
And that’s something I can’t ignore.