Page 59 of Brandishing Balance (Devil’s Psychos MC #3)
Axel
T he Englewood warehouses were in the heart of the south side of Chicago. A place not welcome to outsiders or even safe for the locals that lived there. My brothers and I rode with Trick, Ransom, a couple of Ravagers Knights, plus the soldiers from both the Irish Outfit and the Seratelli family.
Each room was set up as either a jail cell that housed dozens of naked women, or an empty room set up as a filming studio full of BDSM equipment that made my blood boil.
I hated these fuckers with a passion. The women were all quiet, their eyes distrustful as they took us in.
“We’re looking for a woman, Alessia Seratelli. ”
Gasps went around the room, but they all shook their heads.
We moved on, kept moving. The lack of security down here was insane. Where were all their soldiers? Surely, they weren’t all upstairs being killed by our guys?
The next room we came upon, a naked woman was screaming and fighting a man who pinned her down on the bed. Lights and film equipment were on and pointed at them, the red lights on and clearly rolling.
I didn’t hesitate, I shot once, my aim true.
The bullet penetrated the side of his skull, blowing half it off upon exiting the other side, splattering the poor women beneath him with blood and brain matter.
Her screams took on a different tone and pitch as she became hysterical, trying to push the body off her.
I rushed forward, pushing the heavy jackass off her naked body.
Thank God he was still dressed. I could only hope he hadn’t had time to violate her yet.
Blaze ripped the sheet out from under their bodies and quickly tossed it over the woman.
I ripped off a pillowcase and got in her face.
“Hey, hey,” I said roughly, raising my voice to be heard over her screams. “Look at me.”
She seemed to snap out of it. “You’re OK. He’s gone. He won’t hurt you anymore.”
Taking a deep breath, her crystal blue eyes were wide as she searched mine.
“Let me clean up your face.” I held up the pillowcase.
She nodded slowly. “Who are you?”
“The names Axel. And you’re Alessia Seratelli,” I stated as I wiped the blood and brain matter from her face. I had a copy of her picture on my phone that Marcos sent out to everyone to help find Leo’s sister.
“How’d you know?” she asked, her voice low and wary.
“My crew is working with your brother and his men.”
“Leo’s here?” Her voice grew more frantic.
“No, no, he’s not here. He’s at the other location.” I tried to soothe her.
She calmed a bit, realizing he wasn’t here. “I don’t want to see him.”
I froze. That was not part of the plan.
“Hey, beautiful. My name is Phoenix, let’s get you upright.” Phoenix helped her sit up and wrap the sheet around her body. “Why don’t you want to see your brother?”
Alessia only shook her head in response, holding the sheet tightly around herself.
I sighed. This was not good.
Blaze stepped forward. “Alright, Alessia. We’ll figure it out. I’m Blaze. These are my brothers.”
Alessia looked wide-eyed between the three of us, her gaze taking in the leather cuts. “You’re bikers?”
I nodded. “Like I said, our crew is working with your brother’s men to rescue you and shut down Dax Hillcrest and Las Serpientes.”
Phoenix crouched down beside the bed and rested his hand on the mattress next to Alessia, not touching her. “I have to ask before we move you, did he rape you? It looks like he was still clothed.”
Alessia shook her head. “No one did. I fought back while he stripped me, but he didn’t get a chance to get his clothes off.” Tears well in her eyes as she spoke softly.
“Brave girl,” Phoenix said. “Anything hurt?”
“My ribs are sore, I’m sure I’ll have bruises everywhere.” She sighed. “I’m OK to move.”
Phoenix nodded and stood up slowly. Looking at me, he nodded toward the door. I followed him away while Blaze picked up her clothes from the floor. “Here, get dressed, we won’t look.”
We turned our backs to her as Blaze walked over to join us. “We’ve got to move out.”
“She’s adamant that she doesn’t go back to her brother,” Phoenix said.
“It’s not our call to make. Seratelli wants his sister. We can’t interfere.” I rubbed hand over my scruffy jaw. “I’m gonna call Marcos and give him the update. We’ll let him and Seratelli decide what to do.”
“Don’t tell my brother you found me.” Alessia spoke from right behind me, her voice a demand.
I looked over my shoulder at her. She was fully dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt, though I could tell they were some high-end brands and not your typical Walmart shit. “Not my call to make, Firecracker. I have orders to follow.”
“You’re not my brother’s soldier, use your own damn brain. I don’t want to be locked up in my father’s mansion. Or worse, my mother’s.” Her voice grew more demanding and assertive as she.
“Again, not my call to make. If you’re dressed, we’re going to move out.” I didn’t give her a chance to respond as I walked off, leading the way out of the fucking basement of Hillcrest’s sex dungeon.
I pulled out my phone and called Marcos immediately, letting him know what was going on. Him and Leonardo were outside the city in Cicero, but there were several Seratelli brothers here with us.
I heard her mumble under her breath and Phoenix laughed.
Irritation rolled down my spine. Leave it to some prissy mafia princess to be all pissy about going home to her don of a brother.
I need to call Marcos and Leo to get here faster.
The faster they got here, the faster we would unload her to Leo, then help shut down this fucking trafficking ring.
We trudged up the stairs and out of the main warehouse, ignoring all the bodies on the ground.
I glanced back, stopping briefly, wondering if we should shield Alessia from it—too late.
She was already looking around in wide-eyed horror.
As if having a dude’s head explode in front of her wasn’t bad enough, now she had to see the floor littered with bodies.
She crashed into my back as she took in the carnage. Startled, she looked up at me with wide doe eyes. Her crystalline blue eyes were so breathtaking, paired with her high cheekbones and full lips that were currently wobbling.
“Hey.” I dropped my voice low and bent down slightly. At six-five, I towered over her barely five-foot frame. I cupped the side of her face, my hand so large compared to how tiny she was. I rubbed my thumb over her cheekbone. “Hey, it’s going to be OK. Just look at me, OK?”
Alessia nodded, but her lower lip wobbled again.
Using her face, I pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her. “Shh.”
“ALESSIA!” a deep voice rang out across the warehouse.
Alessia startled, then started sobbing in my arms. “I don’t want to go with him.
Please don’t make me go with him. Please, Axel, please.
” She clung to shirt, her fingers wrapping around the fabric and holding on so tight.
She looked up at me with those crystalline doe eyes leaking tears and my gut clenched.
Mine.
I growled the word in my mind. My breath caught in my throat at the conviction of my thoughts. I nodded once at her. “Alright, Firecracker. We’ll keep you safe.”
I heard Blaze’s and Phoenix’s sharp intake of breath behind me, before Seratelli stormed over to us, his blue eyes wild. His black hair was in disarray, like he’d been running his fingers through the perfect coif.
“Alessia!” the man barked her name as he walked up to us.
Alessia clung to me and I hugged her tightly.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, not recognizing the man as a Seratelli brother.
“Fredrico Accardi. Who the hell are you?” He spat, moving closer.
Alessia clung to me tighter, telling me everything I needed to know.
“The Psycho that’s going to kick your ass if you don’t back the fuck up.” I growled, baring my teeth.
It made him pause. He looked us over, Blaze and Phoenix flanking me, Alessia’s face buried in my chest as she clung to me. He gritted his teeth. “Alessia, come.” He barked the words like she was a dog.
Alessia shook her head and wrapped her arms around my waist, under my cut, clinging to me.
“She’s not going anywhere with you.”
Blaze and Phoenix closed rank in front of us, blocking Accardi’s view of Alessia.
Fredrico glared as he looked over their cuts. “Biker scum.”
I smirked. “Yeah, well. Good to see you and all. We’re gonna go now.”
“The fuck you are.” Accardi took a step toward us.
Blaze stepped toward him, getting in his face.
“Come on, Firecracker,” I murmured and nudged her along.
Alessia pulled away enough to be able to see where we were going, leaving one arm around my waist, her fist wrapped around the back of shirt. Her long brown hair fell forward, covering her face as she kept her head down, not looking at Accardi.
Whatever he had done to earn that level of distrust from the Seratelli beauty, was enough for me to instantly despise the man.
“ALESSIA!” He shouted her name after us.
“Come on, Firecracker. Let’s get you out of here.” I led her over to my bike, glancing back to see Blaze and Phoenix still squaring off against Accardi. “Ever ridden a motorcycle?”
Alessia wiped her face and shook her head.
“Alright, just hold on to me and we’ll take it slow. I lean, you lean, got me?”
She let go of my shirt and finally looked up at me. Those fucking eyes killed me, a shot right through my soul. “Please don’t take me to my brother. I can’t face him yet.”
I swallowed and nodded. “Alright. We’ll go to my place.” At my motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Dyna, I pulled out an extra helmet from my saddle bag and turned back to Alessia. Placing it on her head, I didn’t give her the chance to try to do the straps. I did them for her.
She didn’t seem to mind though. Her eyes roaming over my face as I worked the straps through the d-rings.
Boots pounded on the pavement as Blaze and Phoenix jogged over. “He’s going to get your brothers. We gotta go now if you don’t want to leave with them.”
Alessia’s eyes grew wide and she nodded immediately. “Please.”
“Let’s go.” I was shooting myself in the foot, probably betraying my club, but there was nothing I wouldn’t do for those wide crystalline blue eyes.