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“You’re all set.” Axel leans up from the wall and tucks his phone back in his pocket. “While y’all were bullshitting, I ran everything by Diesel and Kane.”
Diesel and Kane are co-founders of the MC. They frown on getting involved in other MC zones unless absolutely necessary. I was hoping to leave them out of this for as long as possible and I’m pissed Axel took it upon himself to make plans without talking it over.
“What’d they say?” My tone is rougher than it needs to be.
“Tex has an old contact with a Death Ranger, so Diesel’s gonna reach out and see if there’s anything they can do to scare him a little.” Tex is a buddy of mine. He used to run with the Death Rangers but transferred out here with hopes for something less… brutal.
“I don’t want him to get hurt!” Oakley wipes away tears. “He’s a bad man, but he’s still my father. I… I don’t want that on my conscience.”
I glance toward Axel, unsure of what to say. We both know the Death Rangers don’t give warnings. They finish jobs the same day they start them. They’re the reason her ex was‘handled’so quickly.
I wrap Oakley in my arms. She doesn’t need this stress right now. She didn’t need it yesterday either, or the day before, or at all. Yet that’s all she’s gotten is stress after stress after stress. First with her ex, and now with this. All I want to do is make it better. “Let’s get you back to your room.”
“No! I need to know what’s going on.” Her hand rubs over her stomach.
Axel stands straight, tucking his thumb into his back pocket. “No offense, lady, but if my father were going to take my baby for personal gain, I’d want him dead. Come on… use your head.”
The comment isn’t wrong. It’s what I’ve been thinking all night, but I don’t like the way Axel’s talking to Oakley. I step toward him and widen my stance. “Apologize.”
He laughs under his breath. “For what, being reasonable?” He shakes his head and grins. “No. You’re looking at her with rose-colored glasses and you’re not using your head.” Axel looks away and back again. “You talked for three minutes and anyone with half a brain knows there’s no good solution here. He’s a massive asshole who won’t stop until he gets what he wants at any cost. If there was a good solution to any of this, we wouldn’t be having this fucking conversation.”
“Enough,” I growl and back him toward the stairs. If he weren’t so damn right, I’d punch him square in the jaw.
Chap steps between us. “The guys will be here any second to work. Let’s think this through and we can talk again at lunch.”
Seething, I stare toward Axel. I know he’s not the problem, but he’s the one standing here running his mouth.
“Seriously… move!” Chap continues. “She can stay here until this is sorted out. After that, I reckon a new place will do best for everyone. Got it?”
I drag in a deep breath and try to simmer as I twist toward Oakley. Her face is pale and there are heavy rings under her eyes. She’s exhausted and I should probably take her to see a doctor soon, though I’m not sure how to make that happen given the current climate of things.
Once the men have dispersed, Oakley stares up at me, her brown eyes round and questioning. “Do you think that guy is right about my dad? Should I want him…” She swallows hard and looks away.
Here I am again, sucking at emotions, unsure of what to say other than some smart-ass comment about what a piece of shit Axel is, but I know that doesn’t make any of this easier.
I pull Oakley against my chest and guide her toward the room. “We can talk about this later. Right now, I think you need some sleep.”
Chapter Seven
Oakley
The lodge is gorgeous. Stripped pine walls, wood plank floors, heavy custom furniture, and every fixture looks carefully chosen to blend with the forest we’re buried in. I slept through the ride up here, so I don’t know how far into the mountains we are, but judging by the view through the window, we’re in the middle of nowhere.
Mountains rise and fall, standing firm against the light blue sky. Each craggy silhouette displays like a tapestry as a low mist rolls in beneath the sunlight. I was in Rugged Mountain before, but this view is unreal. I see why they’re building a lodge here.
I roll into Knight and lay against his chest, pulling the small blanket up over my shoulders. “Are you awake?”
He clears his throat. “Nah, I’m fast asleep. You?”
“Same.”
“That’s good.” His tone is groggy and his rough fingers dance in circles on my bare shoulder. “What are you dreaming about?”
“I think I’m dreaming about what life will be like when all this is over.”
He sighs. “That’s nice. What’d you see?”
I twist the hair on his chest and snuggle in closer. I have a million fantasies I could ramble off but maybe he can’t handle all that. We never talked about what happened under the waterfall. Maybe he’s regretting every detail of that now and this whole lying in bed together thing is some weird obligation he feels to help the sad, pregnant lady.
