Saving Axe Read online

  Mad Dog’s Old Lady wasn’t around. She was hands off, more and more lately, turning a blind eye to Mad Dog’s wandering one. Me, I would want my old lady to have the cojones to kick me in the nuts if I got out of line like that. I might be an asshole, but if I ever did find someone, I wouldn’t mess it all up screwing around on her with trash like that.

  Sam walked over, hips swaying, jeans sitting so low on her hips I could see her thong inches above the waistband.

  “Hey, Axe,” she said, her voice a sing-song. She stood close to me, her red lacquered fingernail tracing the seam on my cut. “I missed you, baby.”

  “What the hell are you doing here, Sam?” I was done with her. I’d told her as much the other day.

  Sam kissed me hard on the lips, and I tasted liquor on her breath. “Baby, you need to take me in the back room.”

  “You need to get the hell out of here,” I said. “You’re not welcome.” Even when I said it, I could feel myself getting hard just looking at her. Damn it.

  “Don’t be like that, baby,” Sam said. “I’m sorry for what happened.” She pouted. I hated when she did that. Then she leaned in, her breath warm against my ear. “I need you inside me.” She slid her palm against my cock, and I groaned.

  “Give me a minute, Sam.” I needed to step back from her, remind myself why I wasn’t with her. She was hot, that was for sure, but she was also crazy. And an addict. And I kept getting sucked into her whirlwind when I was with her. Two days ago, we'd had a blowout, and I was gone. I was. Until she put coke on her nipples and told me to lick it off.

  Sam pouted. “Do I have to find someone else?”

  Pushing her away, I headed for the bar. “Do whatever you want, Sam. Maybe try going home.”

  “You’re such an asshole, Axe.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her flounce to the other side of the room where she joined one of her girlfriends on the couch. I rolled my eyes. Sure, I was horny, but I didn’t need her brand of crazy tonight. I nodded at the prospect behind the bar. “Gimme a bottle of Jack.”

  “You want a glass, man?”

  “Just the bottle.”

  The prospect raised his eyebrows. “One of those days?”

  “Shut the fuck up.” He handed me the bottle and I took a swig, savoring the feeling of the alcohol burning on the way down my throat. That was better. “You seen Crunch around here anywhere?”

  “Oh yeah, man, I saw him a couple hours ago. Haven’t seen him recently though." Crunch probably wasn't here. He wasn't much for the parties anymore. Having his kid had calmed him down a bit, at least where the fighting and the partying was concerned.

  I hoped I’d be that way if I ever had a kid. More mellow.

  I took another swig of the whiskey. Some father I’d make.

  I caught Sam’s eye across the room, where she’d found the lap of one of the new patches and was giving him a full view of her tits in her tank top.

  Christ, Sam knew how to piss me off.

  That guy thought he was about to get lucky. He wasn’t.

  I took another drag from the bottle, and walked over to her, pulling her by the arm off the new patch.

  “Get the fuck off his lap,” I said.

  “Come on, man,” the new patch complained as I pulled Sam by the wrist toward a back room. She liked it when I was crazy and possessive, knew what to do to push my buttons. I hated her for that.

  I pounded on the door, not waiting for a response before I opened it. Tank was passed out in bed, his pants down, flaccid dick against his thigh. Two girls were sprawled out in bed beside him naked, making out.

  “Hey! You can’t just barge in here!”

  “Get your shit,” I said, picking up wadded up clothing from the bottom of the bed and tossing it at them. “We’re using the room.”

  “We’re busy!”

  “I said, get out. And wake him up.” The man roused, shaking his head and mumbling incoherently. “Tank!” I yelled, loud enough for him to hear. “Get the fuck out of here. I need the room.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, tucking his cock back inside his pants and stumbling out with the girls.

  Sam wasted no time helping me out of my clothes, and I pushed her up against the wall, forcefully, probably too forcefully. I didn't give a shit if I bruised her or not. Sliding my hand under her shirt, I felt her nipple harden to my touch, and she moaned. I reached into my back pocket for a condom, pausing from kissing her long enough to roll it onto my length before returning my attention to her. She yanked her jeans down over her hips.

  Gripping the back of her legs, I lifted her up against the wall, plunging myself into her, my thrusts hard and fierce. She kissed me hungrily, pulling my head against her. I fucked her, not caring if she came or not. It was solely about my own pleasure. Sam liked it rough; she got off on it. When she came, she screamed into my ear, digging her fingernails into my neck. I came right after her, nearly collapsing into her. We stood there for a minute, her legs around my waist.

  Sam leaned her head back against the wall, sighing. "Damn, Axe. That was good. You've been holding out on me."

  When I let go of her legs, her feet hit the ground, the clank of her heels against the floor loud in the room. I straightened myself, tossing the condom in a nearby trash can. "Maybe if you stopped being so fucking crazy."

  "Aw, Axe," she said, buttoning her pants as she sauntered up to me. I didn't know why I did this to myself, hooking up with her. I couldn't stand her. "Why do you have to be so mean, baby?"

  "Why do you have to be such a crazy bitch?"

  "What do you mean, baby?"

  "Crazy, like, throwing a fucking ashtray at my head. Calling me a million times in a row. Shit, you forget you tried to stab me?"

  "Axe, that was days ago," she said. "Ancient history. Anyway." Her voice trailed off as she rummaged through her purse. "You want to do a line?"

  I sighed when I saw what she was offering. "I don't want to do it anymore. It's too much. And you promised you would stop doing that shit. You've got a kid, for fuck's sake."

  She laughed. "You're not my father, Cade. Don't be an asshole."

  "Why don't you go home? Is Tyler with the babysitter?" I watched as she bent over the table and came up, holding her nostril.

  "Why don't you fuck off? He doesn't need a babysitter. He’s asleep."

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Sam?” I asked, grabbing her by the arm, my fingers leaving red welts. “You left that fucking kid home alone? What, are you some kind of psycho?”

  “He’ll be fine,” she said, rubbing her nose.

  “No fucking way,” I said. “Fuck.” I pushed past her on the way out the door, sliding open my cell phone and dialing Mad Dog's Old Lady. She'd take care of this. “Kate? Sorry it’s so late. Yeah, you too. Need you to do me a favor. You remember Sam? I know, I know, I don’t need a lecture. Need you to run over to her house and keep an eye on her kid. She’s all fucked up.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Present Day

  I shook off the memory. Sam had been a low point in my life. Fuck, there was a lot of time in the club that had been a low point. The entire last year had been one giant valley. But that night, with Sam at the clubhouse fucking me and doing coke while her kid slept at home alone? At least that was the last straw, the thing that made get the hell away from her toxic ass.

  It didn't get me away from the club though, or out of the bottle. I'd sunk into those as far as I could.

  Until now. Until June.

  June

  Snuggling up under the duvet in my bed, I stretched out, luxuriating in the fact that I didn't have to get up, go anywhere, or do anything. Bailey was out exploring the yard, ecstatic that she had more space than she could ever want to roam. From my window, I could see the expanse of space between Stan's house and mine, the grass glistening with morning dew. This house was the refuge I'd been looking for, even if West Bend was bringing up old memories.

  Memories of my family.