Saving Axe Read online

  It was a nice fantasy.

  Was it possible?

  You can't change who you are.

  "On the other hand," Crunch said. "If we ditched everything, it would mean Mad Dog gets away with killing Tank..." His voice trailed off.

  Back to reality.

  "If we take care of Mad Dog, you know what that means," I said.

  "War."

  "Mad Dog started it."

  "We just need to figure out if we're willing to finish it," Crunch said.

  Inferno Motorcycle Club

  Los Angeles, California

  “The three men killed were our brothers," Mad Dog said. "Tank, Axe, and Crunch were our family. We will never forget them. And we will avenge their deaths."

  Mad Dog looked meaningfully at Mud from across the room. Mud knew what that look was about. It meant that Mad Dog was finished with his tearful speech about brotherhood and loss, and was ready to get down to business. He nudged Tink and Fats.

  "In the back," Mud whispered.

  One at a time, the three backed away from the gathering of club members, who were busy drinking and regaling each other with stories.

  Toasting their fallen brothers.

  It was a spontaneous, informal memorial service of sorts, a reaction to the news reports of the bodies discovered in Benicio's warehouse. The brothers were angry. They wanted blood. And it happened in Benicio's warehouse, which meant Benicio was involved. It was a new day for Mad Dog.

  In the back room, Mad Dog gathered his allies.

  “Now,” he said. “Axe was one of the closest people in the world to me. I considered him like family, and I meant every word of what I said out there. It pained me to have to get rid of him, but he was in the way. So, understand that if I erased him, I would not hesitate to do the same to any of you who cross me. This is your only warning. You won’t get a second one.”

  “Understood, Prez,” Mud said. “You have our undivided loyalty.”

  “Good,” Mad Dog said. “Now, onto the business at hand. The Veep is still gone, but he’ll be back soon.”

  “Has anyone been in contact with him?” Fats asked.

  Mad Dog shook his head. “He’s off the grid. On his honeymoon.” He rolled his eyes. “Overseas- told us he was going to Mexico, but I wouldn’t put it past him to tell us he was going one place and go another. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is he’s out of contact, and he will be back.”

  “You have a plan, Prez?” Tink asked.

  Mad Dog smiled, the expression not a pleasant one. “Of course I do. He needs to be dealt with. But we need to play this right. We can't afford any fuck-ups."

  June

  "Hey, June." Stan waved as he came walking up to the deck. Bailey ran out to greet him, and he bent over to pat her. Satisfied, she ran off to sniff the yard.

  I waved back, my paintbrush in hand. "Good morning."

  "This place is really coming along nicely," he said. "It's shaping up real well. I saw you out here working on the porch, and thought I’d stop by and see if you needed any help with the house.”

  “Oh, things are going fine here,” I said. “I won’t say no to help with the sealing, if you want to give me a hand. But don’t you have other things to do?”

  Stan shrugged. “Cade and Joe went into town to run an errand, and honestly, between the two of them, they’ve got everything on the ranch caught up. April and MacKenzie are napping, and I didn't want to disturb them. I was just sitting on the front porch having a cup of coffee, and saw you out here. I couldn’t just watch while you worked on the porch.”

  “Well, here you go then.” I handed him a paintbrush. “You’re more than welcome to help.”

  We painted in silence for a while, before Stan spoke. "I just can't tell you how glad I am that you came back to West Bend, June."

  "That's nice of you to say." I moved along the porch railing, the rhythmic movement of the paintbrush soothing.

  "It's the truth," Stan said. "It's selfish of me, and I'll admit it. I know Cade and Crunch's family are back here due to trouble, but having all of you back here has made me the happiest I've been since Molly died."

  "It's nice to have family around."

  Stan bent over, painting the underside of the porch railing. "Having a kid around again," he said. "It's like stepping back in time. Back to when you all were kids. I always considered you like - well, I'd say like a daughter, but then that makes it sound weird, since you and Cade used to date."

  I laughed. "No, it's not weird," I said. "I know what you mean. I always thought of you and Molly fondly."

  "I've always been real proud of you, too, June. When I'd heard you became a Navy doctor and all."

  It was funny, hearing that from Stan didn't rub me the same way it did when Jed said it. When Stan said it, I felt warm, happy.

  "June," he said. "I'm sorry if I stirred things up between you and Cade."

  I had to turn away to hide a smile. There it was, the reason he'd come over. All the pretense, in order to apologize.

  He and Cade were cut from the same cloth.

  "It's okay, Stan," I said. "You didn't stir up anything."

  "Now, I know that's not true," he said. "And I insulted you, implying that you'd be talking to a cop about Crunch and his family."

  I shook my head. "It was really okay, Stan."

  "That's good to hear," he said. "I wouldn't want to have wanted to stir things up with the two of you."

  I was beginning to realize that Stan was as bad as one of the old ladies down at the hair salon, meddling in my personal life. I couldn't tell if he was trying to get Cade and I together, or warn me off of him.

  Stan studied me carefully. “I fought in ‘Nam. I drifted for a while when I came back, was a little lost there for a bit. Got mixed up in some bad stuff.”

  “What happened to change things for you?”

  “Meeting Cade's mother is what happened to me,” Stan said. “She gave me a reason to live, a reason to get my head out of my ass.”

  I walked over to the bucket, dipped my brush in the paint, returned to the porch. I didn't have a response for that. Was he comparing Cade and I to him and Molly?

  Stan waited a while before he spoke again. "I've seen the way Cade looks at you. It's the same way I used to look at his mother."

  “What?” My voice caught in my throat. No, that wasn’t right. Stan was mistaken. Cade did not have feelings for me. “But – but you’re the one who warned me away from him. When he first got here.”

  Stan nodded. “I was wrong to say that.”

  No.

  I was not Cade's savior.

  We did not belong together.

  When I didn't respond, Stan finished his piece of the railing in silence, then wiped his hands on his jeans. "How would you feel about taking a ride tomorrow?"

  "Me?" I asked. "Stan, I haven't been on a horse in years. I haven't ridden since I left West Bend."

  Stan nodded. "I know you haven't, June. We took Sassy for you. She only passed on a couple years ago, right after Molly died. She was a gorgeous horse."

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. Sassy was just a colt when I'd left here. I'd bought her with my savings, two years worth of summer earnings before my parents would agree to chip in and let me buy her. Cade had helped me train her, the whole year before I’d left West Bend. I’d been raised around horses, sitting on the back of horses before I could ride a bicycle, but Sassy was special because she was entirely mine. When I’d had to leave her behind, I was devastated. I’d lost everything, and to lose her too, was too much.

  "I know," I said. "My aunt mentioned it. I'm really grateful."

  "You know she had a colt," Stan said.

  "She did?" No, I didn't know.

  "Yep," he said.

  "I haven't been able to ride, Stan," I said. "I don't even know if I can anymore."

  And I'd only even gone near the barn once since I'd been back here, too. To yell at Cade.

  Stan nodded. "A mare,"