AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Go for a ride or something,” Gunner said, his face filling with concern.
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m not doing that. I need to be here to watch over her.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Watch over her?That’s an interesting choice of words there, Axle.”
My lip twitched. He always had a way of seeing through my bullshit, like I did for him. “I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”
His eyes went wide as a smile crept across his face. “Ohshit,man. You reallydohave feelings for her, don’t you?”
“No,” I snapped. “I don’t havefeelings.”
He burst into laughter. “Cold blooded killer Axle has met his match.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I kicked him under that table. “You know as well as I do thatnothingcan happen between Rachel and me. I’ll lose my damn patch. You heard Viper.”
His laughter faded with that remark. “Yeah, you’re right… But she won’t be here forever.”
“Yeah, Viper might want to hand her to over to Victor Sanchez.” The name sent a chill down my spine and a burst of anger in my chest.
Gunner shook his head. “Nah, he wouldn’t do that. Rachel isn’t the enemy, her stupid brother is. Viper is just hot over the money owed to Charlie. If he can get that, it’ll be grand.”
I bit the inside of my chew, not stopping until I tasted copper. “I’m worried that’s what it will take to get the money.”
“Damn, you’reworried.” Gunner blinked at me, like I was a stranger or something. “That’s something I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say. Normal Axle would just be telling us to off her and go on.”
“I don’t kill women.”
“Not unless you have a reason,” he pointed out. “But yeah, all I’m saying is that whatever is you got going on with Rachel must be strong enough to ward off the logical—or maybe not so logical—side of you. It’s not a bad thing…maybe concerning, though. Of all the fucking women…,” His voice trailed off as he paused to rub his eyes. “But is it mutual or are you just obsessed with her?” The way he said the wordobsessedmade my skin crawl. I wasn’t a fucking stalker, or creep in general.
“It’s mutual,” I said with confidence. “Though,” my confidence started to drain. “She might be playing a game to get favor—or maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome. I don’t know.”
“Kind of hard to know when you’re keeping her locked in your basement,” Gunner cackled, tipping his head back. “Oh man, only you would fall for someone in this situation. Viper will have your head.”
“You’re not gonna fucking tell him.”
“We all know you’re sweet on her,” his voice grew serious. “But yeah, I won’t be telling. That’s the fastest way to get your ass into bigger trouble—or panic Viper enough to make a rash decision. He’s freaking the fuck out over this money.”
“Itisa lot of money,” I admitted, leaning back in the chair. “And I don’t think—”
The sound of a phone ringing on the table cut our conversation short, and we exchanged glances as I swept up the burner phone of Rachel’s. I glanced at the blocked number, holding it out for Gunner to see.
“Answer it,” I said, tossing it to him.
“You answer it.”
I rolled my eyes, hitting the accept button. “Yeah?”
“I wanna talk to my sister,” Chaz’s voice came over the line.
“Hmm,” I began, chuckling. “That’s quite a way to put in a request. You’ve gone silent for days… For all you know, she’s dead.”
“She better not be fucking dead,” he growled on the other end, and I couldn’t help but smile at the reaction—though it wasverydifferent than the previous one. “I can have half the money to you tomorrow. Tell me the drop and it’ll be there.”
I ignored the hopeful look on Gunner’s face. “And then the remaining half? When you gonna have that, Chaz?”
“I don’t know,” he snapped. “But you can’t fucking keep my sister locked up like this. The whole damn FBI is gonna be out looking for her.”
I let out a sigh, rolling my eyes at the threat. “Yeah, we both know you ain’t reported her missing. That would meanyoumight get in trouble, and you’d rather your sister end up dead than you go to prison again.”
