Page 13 of Hard as Stone (Stoneheart MC #2)

AXEL

“ U p! Up!”

From my spot in the clubhouse doorway, I watch Steel—our newest prospect—lift one of Hawk’s two-year-old twins overhead. The toddler squeals with delight, her sister hanging onto Steel’s leg, determined to get her turn.

The prospect is supposed to be learning club business, yet here he is playing fairy princess, complete with a plastic tiara perched on his head. Hard to maintain a badass biker image with pink glitter in your beard.

“My tuwn!” Amy—or maybe it’s Abby, I still can’t tell them apart—tugs at Steel’s cut.

The clubhouse has changed since these kids became part of our MC family when their aunt Andi took them in after their mother took off with some loser.

Where scantily clad women once draped themselves over leather furniture, there are now scattered toys and sippy cups.

The back room that used to host our wilder parties has been converted into a playroom.

Some of our older members grumbled about it at first, saying Hawk and Andi literally live across the street and didn’t need extra space over here, but watching Hawk transform from our hardcore sergeant-at-arms into a man who makes dinosaur-shaped pancakes—it’s changed us all for the better.

“Girls,” Andi calls from where she’s attempting to change baby Adam on the couch while he tries to twist around and crawl away. “Let Steel breathe a minute.”

But the prospect just grins, scooping up both toddlers. “I got them.”

The scene hits me in the gut—this makeshift family we’ve created, the way these abandoned kids found a home with us, how they’ve wrapped the toughest bastards I know around their tiny fingers.

It’s everything I want with Poppy, and that realization terrifies me.

The same way she terrifies me—this urge to protect, to provide, to be the kind of man who deserves her trust. Not just the Road Captain using her for information.

“Chapel. Now,” Stone’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

“Time for church, boys,” I call out, watching as the other members start filing through the clubhouse and out toward the chapel.

The old carriage house was converted long before my time, making it the perfect place for our meeting space—just far enough from the main house to keep club business private.

We chose this location because of the land. The massive block backs onto the quiet and poorer area of town, filled with those who are likely to ignore any after-dark dealings.

The yard stretches the length of the block, complete with the original buildings.

The MC has made good use of every one of those buildings, from the original farmhouse which gives our leadership and guests a place to lay their heads, to the bunkhouse houses where prospects and visiting members can catch some sleep, while barns and sheds now store bikes and equipment instead of hay and livestock.

The compound contains everything we need—including some hiding places for stuff we don’t want the locals cops getting a whiff of.

Steel sets the girls down gently. “Sorry princesses, duty calls.”

I ruffle the girls’ hair as I pass. “Be good for Andi.”

Inside the chapel, the mood shifts as we gather around the table.

Maps and documents cover every surface—proof of Summit’s systematic takeover of our town.

We’ve been fighting their bogus code violations and strong-arm tactics for months, even managed to block them from creating a corridor straight through the west side that would have run through Duck’s garage.

But they keep finding new ways to push our people out.

I take my seat, trying to focus on club business instead of the way Poppy felt in my arms last night.

The memory of her soft curves pressed against me, the taste of her lips, the way she’d looked wrapped in my jacket—it’s all I can think about.

But I force those thoughts away as Stone calls the meeting to order.

“All right brothers, we’ve got a lot to cover,” Stone says, his mouth turned down. “Summit’s pushing hard on the west side. Three more families got eviction notices this week.”

“On what grounds?” Lee asks, leaning forward.

“‘Health and safety concerns,’” Stone quotes with a sneer. “Same bullshit they pulled with Mrs. Wilson. Suddenly, every house on that block is ‘structurally unsound.’ There’s also some shit about sewerage pipes and whatnot, but what it boils down to is sweet fucking bullshit.”

“Convenient timing,” Duck adds, shuffling through some papers. “Right when their road crew starts tearing up access routes and laying pipes for those properties. Give them more evidence of the issues with that neighborhood.”

My jaw clenches. Poppy’s crew. Though from what I can tell, she has no idea how their work is being used to isolate these families.

“Had some customers cancel on me at the garage too,” Duck continues. “Said the roadblocks kept turning them around.”

“Speaking of the road crews turning people around.” Lee smirks in my direction. “How’s your traffic controller research going, brother?”

“Fuck off.” I attempt a growl, but it’s hard to get worked up when I’m still riding high from last night.

“That good, huh?” Tank chuckles. “Must be why you took the long way home last night. She give you any insight into what Summit has planned? A little…pillow talk, perhaps?”

I glare at Tank, resisting the urge to reach across the table and slap him. “She doesn’t know anything. Far as I can tell, she and her brothers are just doing the job they were hired for.”

“And her old man?” Stone asks, eyeing me carefully. “You get any read on him?”

I shake my head. “Haven’t had much interaction with him. But from what Poppy’s said, he seems pretty cozy with the city officials and Summit execs.”

Stone’s eyes narrow. “Cozy how?”

I hesitate, not wanting to implicate Poppy or her family without solid proof. “Just that he has a lot of meetings with them. Seems eager to impress.”

“Could be nothing,” Tank offers. “Guy’s running a construction company, probably just wants to keep the contracts coming.”

“Or he could be in Summit’s pocket,” Cash counters. “Helping them isolate the west side in exchange for kickbacks.”

The thought makes my stomach turn. I think of Poppy’s fierce defense of her family’s work, her genuine confusion about the armed guards. If her father is working with Summit, she has no idea.

“We need to know for sure,” Stone says, his voice grim. “Axel, I want you to keep getting close to the girl. See what else you can find out about her family’s involvement.”

I nod, ignoring the twist of guilt in my gut. Using Poppy for information feels wrong, especially after last night. But I push those feelings aside. The club comes first. It has to.

“What about the cartel angle?” Lee asks.

“We know Summit’s getting funding from them from the document Axel found in their records room last month.

Could be they’re laundering money through these construction projects too?

Maybe we slowed their developments down so much that they’ve had to improvise? ”

Stone nods. “It’s possible. Which is why we need to know exactly what Bennett Construction is up to. Axel, see if you can get a look at their books. Maybe even talk to Maria and see if she can find out something. She lives right near them in Paradise, right?”

I nod, feeling uneasy about involving Jack’s widow. “Yeah, she’s a few trailers down from the Bennetts. But I don’t want to put her in any danger.”

“Just ask her to keep an ear out,” Stone says. “No need for her to go digging. If Bennett’s involved with Summit and the cartel, there might be something a neighbor could see.”

I reluctantly agree, though the thought of using Maria and Poppy both for information sits heavy in my gut.

“What about the city contracts?” Cash asks. “Any way we can get a look at those? Might give us some insight into what Summit’s really up to with all this construction.”

Stone nods. “Good thinking. Duck, you still got that contact in the permit office?”

“Ethel?” Duck chuckles. “Yeah, she’s still there. Sweet on me ever since I fixed her car last winter. Bet I could get her to ‘accidentally’ leave some files out next time I stop by to chat.”

“Do it,” Stone orders. “And see if you can find anything on Bennett Construction while you’re at it. Any connections to Summit or discrepancies in their paperwork.”

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, not liking the idea of digging into Poppy’s family business. But I know it’s necessary. If her father is working with Summit and the cartel, we need to know.

The meeting continues, with reports on Summit’s latest moves and updates on our efforts to protect the west side.

But my mind keeps drifting back to Poppy.

To the way she’d looked at me last night, all soft and trusting.

The feel of her in my arms. How right she looked on my bike. In my jacket. Christ, what am I doing?

“Axel?” Stone’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You got anything to add?”

“No.” I straighten in my chair. “Just thinking we need more concrete proof before we move on any of this.”

The rest of church passes in a haze of plans and possibilities. When Stone finally calls it, I’m the first one out the door, needing air, needing space to think.

I find myself in the garage, methodically checking my bike’s oil just to have something to do with my hands. But even the familiar routine can’t quiet the war in my head.

The club needs information. Needs to know how deep Summit’s corruption goes, how many families are at risk. And Poppy—through her father’s involvement—could be the key to unraveling it all.

But last night hadn’t been about intelligence gathering. The way she’d melted into my kiss, trusted me enough to climb on my bike, to let me take her home... that was real. And fuck if I don’t want more.

Want to take her to dinner somewhere nice, not just the bar. Want to learn what makes her laugh, what dreams she’s got buried under all that family obligation. Want to show her she deserves better than being everyone else’s support system.

“You’re thinking awful hard about that oil dipstick, brother.”

I glance up to find Lee leaning against the workbench, that knowing smirk still on his face.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, kid?” I growl, but Lee just smirks.

“Nah. I’m enjoying the show.” He crosses his arms. “Not every day we get to watch the Road Captain fall ass over teakettle for a girl.”

“I’m not—” But the protest dies in my throat. Because maybe I am. Maybe that’s the real problem.

Lee’s expression softens slightly. “You know, nothing in the bylaws says you can’t do both.”

“Both?”

“Help the club and get the girl.” He shrugs. “Just be straight with her when the time comes. She seems like the type who can handle the truth.”

I think of Poppy’s sharp mind, how she’s already picking up on things not adding up with the construction contracts. Maybe Lee’s right. Maybe there’s a way to balance club loyalty with whatever this thing is growing between us.

But first, I need to do this right.

I wipe my hands on a shop rag, decision made. “You know the name of that fancy restaurant Hawk took Andi to?”

Lee’s grin widens. “Planning a proper date, Road Captain?”

“Shut up and answer me.”

“Man, everyone knows the one place in this county where you have to wear a fucking tie to eat a great steak.” Lee shakes his head.

“La Bella Vita. Though you’d have to ask Hawk or Andi to be sure he didn’t take her some place else.

” He huffs. “Never met a girl worth taking to a place like that. I mean, dude. A fucking tie?”

“La Bella Vita.” I test the name on my tongue, already knowing it’ll cost me more than a week’s take from the club. But something about Poppy makes me want to do this right.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Lee muses, watching me. “The Road Captain going soft over the feistiest girl I think I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not going soft.” But even I can hear the lie in my voice.

Lee just laughs, pushing off the workbench. “Sure, brother. Keep telling yourself that.”

I flip him off as he heads for the clubhouse, his laughter trailing behind him. But he’s not entirely wrong. Something about Poppy Bennett makes me want things I’ve never wanted before. Makes me want to be better than I am.

With a sigh, I grab my cut and head inside. Time to swallow my pride and ask Hawk about that restaurant. Maybe Andi will even take pity on me and help make the reservation.

Because Lee’s right about one thing—I’ve never met a girl worth wearing a tie for either.

Until now.

But as I reach for my phone to text her, Stone’s words echo in my head, ‘ keep getting close to the girl .’ Guilt sits heavy in my chest as I type.

Axel

Dinner tomorrow night? Somewhere nice.

Because while I’m planning dates and dreaming of a future, her family might be neck-deep in cartel business. And sooner or later, I’ll have to choose between protecting her and protecting the club.