Page 5 of Crush's Fall

“I’ll talk to him and see what I can find out.”

She gave a nod and stormed out of his office. Rather than focus on her worry or her confusion, she focused on her anger at having a mate from an enemy club. How cruel could nature be? Magic? Science? Hormones? Whatever the hell created shifters. Regardless of the source, she didn’t appreciate the tough spot she’d been put in.

Axle

After making his way down to the basement of the clubhouse, Axle stopped just inside the room where they were holding the Hell’s Dogs member, Lucifer.

The man looked to be of average height, maybe a little shorter than most of the Howlers, but Axle wouldn’t call him short. He wasn’t the most muscular man, but he had obvious power, especially in his arms and chest. He could tell by the way the man’s tee stretched across those areas that the man spent some time working on his physical fitness. Axle wondered if only muscle strength was important to Lucifer, or if that priority also stretched to character. If he had any chance of saving his life, it was having some kind of moral code that aligned with The Howlers and The Claws. For Crush’s sake, Axle really hoped Lucifer had something good inside of him.

The man in question was sitting on a metal folding chair in the middle of the room with his arms tied together behind his back and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair.

Off to the right, Dragon was casually leaning against the stone wall, looking bored. Rock, who had relieved Ranger, was doing the same on the left. Bullet was standing just to the left of the door, his arms crossed across his chest and his feet spread and planted, but his angry eyes were locked on Lucifer.

Lucifer was staring back at Bullet, smirking, and seemed to enjoy Bullet’s annoyance.

Axle wondered how much Bullet had figured out. The other possibility was Lucifer had been running his mouth about Crush. He wouldn’t discount that.

Axle stepped in front of Lucifer, blocking his view of Bullet. “So, how exactly do you plan to save your life?”

Lucifer let out a humorless chuckle. “Thighs of Steel told me my death was a given.”

By the very feline-like sound Bullet made, which made sense since he was a tiger shifter, Axle assumed the man was talking about Crush.

Axle ignored Bullet, but he noted the look of surprise on Lucifer’s face. He just smiled and replied, “Well, I happen to be president of these assholes. If I tell them to take your head, they will take your head.”

“Fucking gladly,” Bullet bit out.

“If I tell them to drag you through the streets, they will tie you to the back of a truck and drag you through the streets.”

“My truck is in the lot,” Rock commented, like he was offering to let Axle borrow it to move a couch.

“If I told them you get to keep your life… for now, they would watch you like a dog watching a steak on the grill, but they would let you keep your life.” Axle glanced behind him at Bullet, then he met Lucifer’s stare again. “Unless you keep talking about Bullet’s sister that way. I won’t get in the middle of a man defending his sister’s honor.” Axle knew if he told Bullet to back off, he would, but Lucifer didn’t need to know that. “So, again, how exactly do you plan to save your life?”

Lucifer was silent for a long moment. Then he dropped the smirk and asked, “If I give up everything I know about what the Kentucky chapter is planning, will you let me go?”

Axle shrugged. “Depends on what you know. If it’s useful to us, we’ll consider it. Your only other option is to die.” Axle crouched down in front of Lucifer, his arms resting on his bent knees. “What’s it going to be?”

Lucifer glanced up at Bullet, then back at Axle. “I have two conditions. First one, make him leave.”

Axle didn’t feel any threat from Lucifer. The man had been checked for weapons, and he was tied up. He couldn’t do anything to Axle that he couldn’t handle, even if he wasn’t restrained. “Rock. Bullet. Leave.” He didn’t bother telling Dragon to leave. As an enforcer for the club, when Pike wasn’t around, Dragon technically was responsible for Axle’s safety. Dragon would fight him on it.

Bullet cursed under his breath as he left the room, followed by Rock.

Once they were gone, Axle asked, “What’s the other condition?”

Lucifer lifted his chin a bit and said, “I’ll only speak to her.”

CHAPTER THREE

Crush

Sittingatthebarin the Howlers clubhouse, Crush took another drink of her beer, ignoring the looks from the other people in the room. Pinky, Nails, and Pumps were sitting at a table in the corner, behind Crush and to the left. Trip was sitting on a stool down the bar, leaning back against the wall. She knew Axle’s VP, Skull, was at a table with Smoke and Zero, because she saw them when she walked in. They were all staring. She could feel their eyes on her.

Crush just took another drink of her beer and stared at the wall behind the bar. They all wanted to know why she saved Lucifer. They wanted to know what she was thinking. Well, they could keep fucking wondering. She was barely able to get the words out when she told Axle. She wasn’t ready to go through it again.

“Since when do we let douchebags we have locked up decide who gets to be in the room when they’re interrogated,” Bullet bitched as he came down the hall with Rock. The sound of her brother’s irritated voice set her on edge even more. He stepped into the room and took a seat on the stool a couple down from her. Rock took the stool on the other side of Bullet.

“We don’t know he’s a douchebag,” Crush uttered before she could stop the words from coming out.Damn it!What was wrong with her?

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