Page 31 of Bruised MC Bear

15

Axe

Axe droveinto the dark parking lot and cut the minivan engine.

Angel put her hand on the door handle. “I’ll get us a room,” she huffed, only looking at him for a split second.

“No. You stay with the van. Do you mind telling me why you’re upset this time?”

She glared at him. “We haven’t stopped for eight hours, and dammit, I know we’ve been driving in a weird circular pattern for at least six of those. On what part of the planet is that kind of bladder control expectation okay?”

“It’s called staying off the main roads, honey. And you could have peed behind those bushes.”

“Yeah, right. Look, it’s easier if I stand and wait,” she announced. She jumped out of the minivan and stormed off to wait on the pavement.

“You should know how sexy you look when you’re ticked off,” Axe teased, eyes trained on her ass, already picturing what he imagined would be some more scorching hot nights on the road with her.

Getting out, he headed over to the motel registration desk. This wasn’t any old place. Well yes, it was another shithole, but he had picked this particular shithole for a reason. After he paid and got his keys, he stepped around back and pulled out his phone. It was time to check in with Silas and determine what this new development with the panthers meant. Silas probably had no idea he had gone this far. Axe had to wonder whether the Panther’s Arizona Chapter President, Kit Reese, was in the dark too. Axe rolled his shoulders, absently listening to the ring over the end of the line.

“Yo, brother,” Silas answered. “What’s going down? No one’s heard from you all day.”

“I ran into some more trouble. Before I get into it, let me ask, has anything changed for our deal with Kit Reese?”

“Changed how?”

Axe gave Silas the update on the note slipped under the door, and on his suspicion that they were still being followed.

“Motherfucker,” Silas shouted. “I thought we were done with this bullshit. Are you sure it was Kit’s people?”

“The pricks who attacked us at the library were panthers for sure, but you’re right that I didn’t recognize any of them. Fuck, I should have checked the plates.”

“I did.” Angel had probably seen him come around to the side of the building. She stood there with her arms folded. “What?” she asked defensively. “I need to go. Stat. So what if I followed you?”

Axe shook his head. “You were supposed to stay with the car. Just tell me what you saw.”

“Well, I noticed the plates, and I think I remember the first few letters and numbers. I would have had the entire thing on my phone if you didn’t smash my sim card,” she grumbled.

“Hang on, Si,” Axe said, motioning to Angel. “Did you notice whether it was Nevada or Arizona plates?”

“Neither,” she disclosed. “But if I tell you which state it was, can we stay somewhere nicer?”

“Not a chance. Tell me what state,” he ordered.

Angel scowled, scrunching up her nose at him. “It was Louisiana, all right?” she answered, sticking her hand out. “Now, give me that room key before I have an accident.”

“Did you get that, Si?” Axe spoke into the phone again, distractedly placing the key in Angel’s hand. He slowly headed back to the vehicle.

“Got it. It doesn’t sound like Kit’s people.”

“True,” Axe agreed. “But who? The only connection to Louisiana is Molly’s old boyfriend, I think,” Axe suggested about Molly Davenport, Tate’s old lady. “But that dude had nothing to do with the panthers.”

“There may be more to it than that. Cindy mentioned that Molly’s family lived out there when her father was killed.”

“I remember. Tate and I were there when your mom told us about it too. Mr. Davenport was sniffing around for details on reversing the shifter gene. It’s a myth, probably. What I don’t get is why they would want to get to me, let alone take Angel.”

“Who knows,” Silas muttered, sounding perplexed. “I’ll get Dean on it, and while he’s checking it out, I’ll have a talk with Kit.”

“Sounds good.”