Page 5 of Bruised MC Bear

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Axe nearly spilledhis coffee all over his boots as he rushed inside the front door of the clubhouse. Fuck. Silas and Sabrina were still around. They would definitely rip him a new one for being late, but meeting Little Miss Curvy made it all the more worthwhile. He’d already made up his mind about what he’d do tonight. Some reconnaissance was at the top of the agenda, starting with the address that fell out of Angel’s purse. Sure, tracking her down was a real no-no, considering he’d only just met her. And yes, he was thinking with his dick. Still, this Dean Roman meeting, tacked on to her reaction to that phone call, made him curious to find out more.

“Axe, are you coming or what? Prez has been pacing around like a caged zoo animal,” Tate asked from his seat closest to the meeting room door. That proud papa had been wound tight since his old lady, Molly, had their kid a few months ago.

Axe rolled his eyes and stepped into the meeting room. “I’m here, ain’t I? Got held up in traffic. Are we waiting for Cole?”

Sabrina explained she had a client to contact, and left the meeting room.

Silas grunted, straightening up in the chair at the head of the conference table. “Not this time. He’s taking care of something for Jenny’s old lady in Vegas. First things first. Your assignments for the next two weeks are on the roster. There’s a copy for you here on the side table. Grab a sheet to get moving. Axe, get Dean’s copy over to him at the warehouse.”

“No problem, Prez.”

“Tate, we have you doing double time this week, because you fucking begged for it like a little bitch—”

“Get back to me when you have to afford diapers by the crate, brother,” Tate said with a broad smile on his face. “I need the goddamned money.”

Silas ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve got some serious shit to go over with Axe, but let’s get Dean’s post-initiation ceremony tied up with a bow. Is everyone ready? Do we all know what we’re doing?”

Axe leaned back in his chair. “Fuck yeah. It’s all set.”

That was about the point where Axe tuned out, simply because he was more interested in how exactly Silas would try to get him to agree to these ridiculous security clearances.

Tate got to his feet after the run-through that Axe had mostly ignored. “Get your shit together,” he said to Axe before leaving.

Silas turned to Axe. “The buck stops here, my friend. I’m not going to sit here wasting your time or candy-coating anything. We need this contract, so you’re going to have to take one for the team.” He pointed at a stack of paper about an inch thick. “Fill out this background check.”

Axe nodded. “It sounds to me like the discussion is over, because what I’m hearing is an order from my Prez.”

“It’s how it has to be,” Silas confirmed, leaning forward as he tapped the documents.

“Fine,” Axe answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll fall in line, but don’t expect me to like it. And definitely don’t freak the fuck out if it turns out that I’m the deal breaker because I can’t get cleared for some reason.”

“I won’t. By the way, Sabrina got in touch with Vincent. It turns out that he’s only looking for extra perimeter security staff. Nothing too complicated. We’re taking him on as a client.”

Axe smiled, pleased at the news. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“I’ll need you to do an assessment of his property today,” Silas added.

“That’s no biggie. I’ve lived there countless times over the years.” He took out his phone and sent a quick text to check on whether Vincent was home. “Glad you and the old lady came to your senses. He’s good people.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Vincent Belmont is still a three hundred and seventy-something-year-old vamp, last time I checked. I’m not sure he qualifies aspeople, seeing as how he’s fuckingundead, and all.”

“Stop busting my balls, Prez. You know what I’m saying.”

“All right. Go make us some fucking vamp money,” Silas shouted, laughing as he and Axe bumped fists.

“Done. You need anything else from me today? I’ve got a few things to check out, so I may be off the radar tonight.”

“Let me guess. You’re chasing tail again.”

“Well, there’s that,” Axe admitted. “But what choice do I got? I’m pretty much the last man standing around here without an old lady…except for Dean, anyway.”

“So what? That just means you’ve got your pick of the twisted claws.”

“Come on. They’re the entertainment, not old lady candidates.”

“I don’t know,” Silas muttered, shaking his head. “I noticed Dean eying the one with the bright pink hair.”