Page 5 of Axel

Still, I’d much rather stay here with the gorgeous angel that patched me up and blushes so easily.

“Of course he does,” I say, glancing back toward the dining room where Hazel is standing and watching our interaction. There’s an expression etched on her face that I can’t read, but I don’t have the time to get to the bottom of it. “Well, let’s get out of here.”

Slash snorts and says, “You’re going to leave without pants?”

“I woke up without them on,” I say, glaring at him and daring him to make another joke about it.

“I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t riding your bike,” he laughs as he heads toward the door. “I can’t imagine that’d be a fun experience for you.”

I grunt in response, following him from the house, and feeling Hazel’s eyes on me the entire time. When we get outside, the scene is clear; there are no signs of the gunfight that took place. The MC even went through the trouble of rinsing away the evidence of the bloodshed on the gravel.

Our club’s truck is parked in the driveway, a trailer attached to the hitch. My bike is already loaded and secured on the back. I can tell a lot of work was done on my behalf while I was out.

“The nurse in there said you lost a lot of blood, but she doesn’t think that’s why you passed out,” Slash says as we get into the cab. “Guess you must just be a little bitch.”

“Ha, ha,” I respond humorlessly. As soon as I’m seated, the pain in my leg starts to subside. “So, how long was I down?”

“Not long,” he says as he starts the vehicle and expertly backs out of the driveway. “We took care of the body for you. And the guy’s bike.”

“I saw,” I say, watching as the scenery passes us by, longing for the feel of the air against my skin. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it. You know we’ll always clean up your messes.”

I stifle a sigh. I’m not usually one to make messes. I’ve devoted my life to this club, and I take care to do things by the book. Ultimately, I’d like to be in charge of this organization one day, but I’ll have to put in my time and work my way up in the ranks. This stunt I pulled is definitely going to set me back a few paces.

“You know Axel, I didn’t take you for the kind of person to act like an idiot for a girl,” Slash says, a devious smile on his ugly face.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I shoot back.

“Oh, come on,” he says, unashamed. “I have eyes, man. That nurse was hot as hell.”

“That’s not why I stepped in,” I reply, because it’s the truth. I didn’t know that those guys were roughing up the most beautiful woman on Earth. I just saw injustice and corrected it.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Slash says, clearly trying to get a rise out of me.

“Fuck off,” I say, making it clear that this conversation isn’t going to go any further.

The truth is, he’s right. Now that I’ve met Hazel and seen her up close, I’d do anything for her. Fuck. I’ll kill anyone that lays a fucking hand on her. I’ve already dropped one body to keep her safe. I have no qualms about doing it again.

As long as we’re both alive, I’m going to be her protector.

Chapter 4

Hazel

“Hazel, this is bad,” my dad says as soon as the door closes behind Axel and his chatty friend. “What the fuck is going on? Why were the Apex Runners here? Why did those other guys show up?”

“Dad, I already told you I don’t know why they showed up,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. I wish I could step away and calm myself down, but my dad has a habit of flying off the handle if left alone with big feelings for too long. It’s the reason that we’re in this mess in the first place. “The Apex Runners showed up because they needed me while I was at work.”

“I thought they knew your schedule,” my dad says, grabbing at his hair anxiously. “I thought…”

“They do know my schedule,” I say, sinking onto the couch next to him. “It’s just… I guess they want me at their beck and call at all hours.”

“That was never part of the deal,” he murmurs, familiar guilt seeping into his voice.

“That’s what I told them,” I sigh, resting my head against the back of the couch. “Apparently, they want more.”

“That’s the problem with these guys,” my dad says. “They always want more. They’re never satisfied with what they’ve got.”

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