Saving Axe Read online

  "But who said I was talking to the cops?"

  "Cade was in town yesterday," he said. "Saw you having coffee with Sherriff Easton."

  "What?" I couldn't keep the irritation out of my voice. Cade followed me into town and spied on my coffee date with Jed?

  "Oh, hell, now I've gone and done it," Stan said. "Sticking my nose in someplace it doesn't belong."

  "No, you're fine, Stan," I said. "So Cade thinks I'm running my mouth to the cops?"

  "No, I don't really think he thinks that," Stan said. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't inadvertently - "

  "What's his problem, then?" I interrupted.

  Stan didn't answer.

  Oh.

  "So he's jealous?" I asked. Unbelievable.

  So Cade suddenly thought my dating life was his business, and enough to talk to his father about it.

  "Oh boy," Stan said. "I don't think I should have said anything. I didn't mean to upset you."

  "No," I said. "I'm glad you did."

  Stan cleared his throat. "I think maybe I should be going."

  I threw myself into yard work, my irritation at Cade building even as I tried to stifle it by diving into a physical distraction. Getting a little dirt under my fingernails had never failed to work as a stress reliever, but now I found myself getting more and more worked up over the conversation I'd just had with Stan.

  So Cade thought I was colluding with the sheriff or was jealous that I went out on a date with Jed. Either way, it pissed me off.

  When I saw him riding toward the barn on one of the horses, I was so worked up about what he'd said to his dad about my dating life that I felt myself marching across the field on autopilot. I caught him just as he was walking out of the barn, and he stopped abruptly when he saw me, looking up from underneath that cowboy hat.

  And I wasn't going to let the fact that he looked sexy as hell in that hat and boots deter me from the fact that I was pissed the hell off at him.

  "What are you doing here, June? You should be hanging out down at the police station, shouldn't you?"

  That was it. That goddamn cocky attitude. Now I for sure wasn't distracted by that smug smile and those piercing eyes.

  "What, were you spying on me?"

  Cade shoved his thumbs in his belt loops, and stood there, unmoving. Something about seeing him stand there like that, casual, like he didn't give a shit, pissed me off even more. "I didn't spy on you, June. I just happened to walk by."

  I laughed. "Sure, you just happened to see me at Nina's."

  He shrugged. "If you want to have some fantasy that I'm interested in you enough to spy on you, go right ahead. It's not any of my business if you want to date some douchebag small town deputy,” Cade said, his tone mocking.

  "Better than dating some loser from a biker gang," I said.

  Cade's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

  I'd hurt him.

  Good.

  "Stay away from him until we're out of here, June," he said.

  "Do you think I'd do something that would jeopardize that family in there?" I asked. "I'm not stupid. And you're not going to tell me who I can and cannot see. My dating life is off limits. It's none of your business who I date, where I go, or what I do."

  "You think I give a shit who you date?" Cade asked, his voice louder now. "I couldn't care less who you choose to go out with. But it is my fucking concern when you're in bed with the deputy in town, while I’m trying to keep Crunch and April and MacKenzie safe.”

  “In bed with the town deputy?” I heard my voice rising, the sound shrill. “I’ll get in bed with whomever I want, wherever I want, Cade Austin. And that’s not going to ever be any of your business." I heard my words coming out faster, uncontrollable now. "And if you think I'm talking to Jed about Crunch and his family, you obviously don’t know me that well. Maybe you never did.”

  “Clearly not,” Cade said, a dark expression on his face. “Although you sure think you’ve got me pegged.”

  “I think whatever the hell you’re into now – all the criminal bullshit with the biker club or whatever - I don’t think the old Cade would have gotten involved in that one bit.”

  “That’s for damn sure,” he said. “And the old Cade wouldn’t have told you to go out with the deputy, like I’m doing right now. In fact, Jed sounds like the kind of guy who would be perfect for you.”

  I could have slapped him, slapped that stupid smug expression right off his face. “You’re probably right, Cade. At least I know now you’re not the kind of guy who’s perfect for me.” I didn’t stop to listen to whatever else he might have to say. I just turned on my heels and walked back toward my house.

  Axe

  I watched June walk back to her house, my blood pumping loudly in my ears. Shit, that woman had a way of getting under my skin. I stomped inside the barn, getting more and more furious by the second.

  Spying on her. Hell, she was full of herself, thinking I was obsessed with her. Like she was something special.

  She is something special, though, isn't she.

  I put that thought out of my head. No, she was a stuck up bitch. I thought she was the same June I used to know, but she'd morphed into someone else, an uptight snob.

  Some loser from a biker gang. That's how she saw me.

  I was done with that girl. Jed could have her.

  So why did I still feel so angry, thinking about the two of them together? And why did I just want to grab a fistful of hair at the nape of her neck, pull her toward me, cover her mouth with mine? And why couldn't I stop thinking about burying my head between her legs?

  I needed a drink.

  My fists clenched, I felt anger boiling up inside me. No, not a drink. I balled up my fist and punched, hard, at a rough plank leaning up against the wall of the barn. Once. Twice. Three times.

  Until my knuckles bled and my fist hurt so much I couldn't think about June anymore.

  I needed to let go. She wasn't mine.

  West Bend wasn't part of my life anymore.

  I needed to get the hell out of this town.

  It would be dangerous to stay here. I'd stretched it out for far too long already, staying here.

  But being here any longer would be dangerous for Crunch and his family. Dangerous for my dad. And dangerous for me.

  For my heart, anyway.

  RECONCILIATION

  I felt a spirit of love begin to stir

  Within my heart, long time unfelt til then.

  ~ Dante's La Vita Nuova (The New Life), Rosetti's translation

  Malibu, California

  Benicio’s Home

  "Maurice." Benicio rose as one of his men entered the room, impeccably clad in a suit tailor-made for his broad frame, and stood at attention in front of his desk, arms behind his back, his military experience and training oozing from every pore. Benicio sought men with military backgrounds, not only for his security team, but for his household staff as well, appreciating the precision and self-discipline that came with that background. This man, Maurice, was one of the best.

  “Sir,” Maurice began. "I have a full brief for you."

  Maurice was a well-built man, built like a tank to be more precise, and he was one of Benicio’s most impressive soldiers, loyal and disciplined to a fault. Maurice had been with him back in the early days, in the glory days when Benicio and his brother Guillermo were key political players in Panama, getting rich under General Noriega. When Noriega was ousted in the American invasion, Benicio had been set up by his traitorous brother; connected to illegal smuggling; and imprisoned for twenty years. Still, Maurice was loyal to Benicio, even when he came with Guillermo to the United States, where Guillermo's shipping connections made him a force to be reckoned with in the smuggling market. Maurice continued to provide intelligence to Benicio, waiting for the day when Benicio would return to deal with his brother's treachery. Last year, he had returned.

  And Guillermo had been dealt with, with the help of Benicio's daughter and the I