Page 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Summerville Dax

N ot having Dani at his house, to have her staying with essentially people who are strangers, drives Dax insane. He feels like he's lost his wife all over again so soon after getting her back. Deep down, he understands she needs space, but he can't take it much longer. All he's wanted for years is to have her back, and she isn't staying in his house with him. She won't even let him touch her.

Colt sits in the clubhouse watching Dax, and it annoys the President he basically has a babysitter. Nothing matters anymore but Dani, and he hasn't seen her in days.

“Dude, relax,” Colt says, standing and placing his hands on Dax's shoulders. “She's fine. She's going to be fine.”

“Relax? How the fuck do you expect me to relax? My wife, the one I thought was fucking dead for years, wants to live with a stranger over me. How would you feel if you were in my position?” he shouts. “Huh? I don't think you'd be all relaxed and shit.”

Instead of a response, Colt pulls him into the Chapel while the other members in the main room stare at them, and he forces Dax to sit. “Lex isn't a stranger. She's an old lady, and on top of that, well, I think it goes without saying that she's a woman. We have no idea what Dani went through, but it's clear she doesn't trust men. Even you.”

“How can I believe this will make anything better? Lex doesn't know me. She doesn't know Dani. What if, after Dani opens up, she decides to leave?”

“Nothing Lex says will keep her or push her away from you. That's going to be Dani's decision, but you have the best chance of keeping her if you give her space and let her feel comfortable. It's clear she still feels trapped in those fucking basements.”

“You realize how hard it is to believe all that, right? No offense to you or your wife... I'm sure you're great people, but how can you expect me to blindly trust people I don't really know that well?”

Nodding, he pulls out his phone. “Fair enough.”

“What are you doing?”

Putting the phone on speaker, it rings until a voice answers, “Hey, Colt.”

“Hey, Tripp. I've got Dax with me. I need a favor. Do you have somewhere quiet you can go?”

“Yeah, you caught me at the clubhouse. Need me to grab Dad?”

“Might not be a bad idea,” he says.

Dax watches him with suspicion. He called to tell on him to the President and his son? “What's this about?”

He holds up a finger, and Tripp says, “Okay, we're both here. What's up? Everything okay?”

“You know we got Dani out of that fucking basement, right?” Colt asks.

“Yeah, we vaguely remember,” Jennings jokes.

Colt cracks a smile, but Dax finds nothing funny about the situation. “She's having a hard time adjusting outside the fucked-up prison she was held in. She's staying at our house with Lex.”

“That's a good idea,” Tripp says.

“Yeah, but Dax doesn't know Lex like we do. I was hoping you could give him a little insight. Help him feel a little more comfortable with Lex spending time with Dani.”

“Well, yeah. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd have Avery if it wasn't for Lex. Not all Lex, but she played a part. When we thought she died, and then she came back, she was a shell of herself. Being kidnapped, set on fire by a club bunny from our own club, and plummeting to your death will probably do that to anyone. Lex was there for her. She acted as a sort of protector and made it safe for Avery to come back into her own again.”

Narrowing his eyes, Dax shakes his head. “You attribute all of that to Lex?”

“Not all of it, no, but she helped set the groundwork for my wife. I really don't know if Avery would still be here or not without having that anchor who could understand a little about what she was going through. And I'll die defending Lex. I owe her more than anyone.”

He shakes his head. “She helped just by being there?”

“Man, I wish I could explain it, but she has this uncanny combination of tough love and fierce protectiveness. She kicked Avery's ass, figuratively, when it was needed. To get her out of her own mental hell she was in because she lost a lot more than a year when we thought she was dead. But there was never a doubt that Lex wouldn't jump in and kill anyone who tried to hurt her. The best way I think I can describe it is like a big sister.”

“Tripp used Lex as a bodyguard to keep Melody away from him after he was done with her because the bunny was scared as hell of Lex. And when we found out she was the one who helped kidnap Avery, she helped scare her shitless while the older old ladies gave Melody a taste of her own medicine,” Colt says. “There's a reason they called my wife the Female Psycho.”

“Dax, I know you don't know Lex,” Jennings says, “but she's going to do so much more for Dani than you or any other man of the club could. If I was in your position, I'd be losing my fucking mind, too, but I'm guessing she's not transitioning well at home with you if she's staying with them. It sucks, and I can only imagine how you feel, but you have to do what's best for Dani, not Dax.”

Sighing, he puts his head in his hands. “I hate not being able to be near her. To just know she's really back. Sometimes, when I wake up to find her gone, it feels like getting her back was just a dream. A dream I never want to wake up from again.”

“But you want her to be the Dani you remember, and I get it. You loved her. Everyone did. But that Dani might not be able to come back. We don't know what happened in the basements. I know shit like that fucks with their heads, no matter how strong they are. Lex's experience changed her, and she was only locked up for three days,” Colt says.

“Lex is a safe place for Dani, Dax,” Jennings almost commands. “We really should have done more to protect Lex when she was here, but I have to believe everything happens for a reason.”

“Yeah, Dad, I'd like you to tell that to Avery,” Tripp says with a laugh. “She's still pissed that Lex left us. Especially when she found out you were part of the reason.”

Colt smirks. “Avery and Lex have always had a good connection. Remember when Avery came out swinging and beat the shit out of Melody on Christmas? I think the only other time I've seen Lex look so proud was when our kids took their first steps.”

“Man, I don't think my kids taking their first steps made me as proud as I was of my girl that day,” Tripp laughs. “Dax, you gotta understand that Lex is a woman of the club through and through. Avery told me that the women out here had a get together about what to do to keep themselves and the kids safe from the Slashers. They were all scared, and Avery entertained the idea of leaving with my kids. New identities and everything, never to come back.”

Dax's eyes glare up at Colt. “Did you know about this?”

“I did. I only know what side a few of the old ladies fell on for sure, but if you see the divide of the clubhouse, it's a little obvious.”

“Avery wanted to leave, and Lex told her and everyone else it was a stupid idea. Truth be told, Lex should have been the first one to say she wanted out, considering the leader wanted her and didn't hide what he wanted to do to her if he got her. But Lex fought for the men. She also told Avery she was the one person she couldn't hold this decision against and would still be there if she ever needed anything. That's what changed Avery's mind, thank God.”

Staring at the phone, Colt sighs. “I didn't know about Avery.”

“Lex knows how much the club took from her, and even though she didn't agree, she told Avery she understood if she chose to run. Mom told me, too, when I talked to her. She said Lex looked ready to explode when they talked about this plan, but she waited until Autumn pissed her off. Everyone backed down then because as scared as they were of the Slashers, I think they're more scared of Lex when she’s pissed.”

“The thought of Avery wanting to leave still breaks my damn heart,” Jennings says. “That right there explains why we trust her.”

“I’m scared,” Dax admits. “I'm scared of losing my wife again.”

Colt nods and looks him in the eyes. “My wife isn't a saint. Well, not to you people. To me, she's a damned angel sent from heaven, but she's going to do her best to help both you and Dani.”

Jennings sighs loud enough to echo in the small room. “Yeah, she can still be a pain in the ass. How'd she get Dani out to your house?”

“She went toe to toe with me,” Dax says. “And she won. Damn it. I heard she went up against Chance, too, defending Kara when she showed up to check on Dani. When she stood up to me, I think she might've scared a few people.”

“She does that,” Jennings says with a chuckle. “I was really kind of hoping you two would hate it out there in Summerville, but when I saw her at the wedding, she looked different. Better.”

Sitting down, Colt rests his elbows on the table. “She is. Just like how Lex is with Dani, Summerville doesn't have expectations of Lex. She was able to just be her. It kind of helps that the club bunnies here don't need punches or slaps. Although, I think she does kind of miss the violence a little.”

“Dad says she took in another stray. Who is it?” Tripp asks.

“Venom.”

He bursts into laughter. “She likes the crazies, doesn't she? He seems like a good guy to have on your side.”

“He is,” Dax says. “I don’t remember if you were with us, Tripp, but he jumped onto the men in that house like he was crowd surfing in a mosh pit at a heavy metal concert, and he just took those motherfuckers down. He's the one who suggested calling Lex when Dani wouldn't leave with us. I think he's taken to Lex, too, because he was jumping up next to Colt when I got in Lex's face. I never would've hit her, but I don't think he wanted to take any chances.”

“If you had hit her, she'd have hit you back. And it would have hurt,” Jennings says. “She’s knocked a few of our guys around and on their asses when needed. Don’t get us started on the bunnies. They back down the moment Lex walks in.”

“It's kind of a scary thing because she has to get really fucking mad,” Tripp says.

Colt nods. “I've never gotten a punch from her, and I don't plan to ever get one. But don't get in her face and piss her off if you want to stay on your feet, that's for sure. She doesn't take shit. Well... not a lot of it. Thanks, guys. We'll talk to you later.”

“Let us know what you need when you decide what to do with the Kingsmen. We'll be ready to ride,” Jennings says.

After they hang up, Dax stands and paces again. “It still makes me nervous, Colt.”

“Dax, it's going to be okay. But I do have an idea of what you're going through. When Lex was kidnapped, she wasn't held for as long as Dani, but she was in rough shape when we finally got to her. Pulling her out of that basement was the scariest shit I've ever seen. Passed out in my arms as I carried her, and I had a sick flashback of that when we got Dani out.”

“What do I do?”

“Use all this pent-up energy to decide what you want to do with those fucking Kingsmen. How you want to take them down and make them regret what they did, including breaking into a few houses here.”

He sits back down. “I still don't know why they wanted her. And why they didn't tell us they had her... were they going to keep her forever?”

“I have no idea. It honestly reminds me of the Havoc Outlaws.”

“The who?”

“Psycho's club. His father was the President. They did shit just because it was sick and twisted. There was no reason behind it, and they didn't really care to get credit. Including raping and killing a daughter of the club. Let us believe it was the Devil’s Advocates for a decade.”

What if it is these guys? “What happened to them?”

“My wife purposely got kidnapped with a plan she concocted with another one of our strays, and snipers took out most of them. Psycho killed his father and his brother. Slit one's throat and gutted the other like a fish. His nickname's very fitting.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah,” he says and laughs. “I think it goes without saying that Venom's just the new Psycho. Shep was the other one, and now we have Bodie and Venom. She's like a fucking lightning rod for men who don't have anyone else.”

Letting out a deep breath, he rolls his shoulders. “Okay, I do feel a little better about all of this. I still don't fucking like it, but I'm trusting the process.”

“That's progress.”