"This time, it's different."
"I've heard that five times before. Whatever. Do you know where Uncle Max has been? I've been trying to get a hold of him for a couple of weeks."
"I saw him the other day. He told me he has to go out of town on some business, but he'd be back in time for my wedding."
"What business?"
"He didn't say. Why?"
"I need to talk to him. Gotta go."
"I know. I'll see you at the wedding in two weeks. Bye, dear."
He grunted then hung up. Fuck! If I go to the sham wedding, at least I can talk to Uncle Max. The more Axe thought about his uncle being where Baylee was, the more convinced he was that the man was involved. Axe had done the math, and his uncle was in Denver around the same time Baylee's mother was killed.
* * *
Hawk received the confirmation from their brothers down south: the Skull Crushers were dealing meth in Insurgents' territory. Steel had told Hawk they were starting shit on his turf in Puebla, and he and his brothers were preparing for a war.
"We think there's only three of them. It's like they're scouting the area to see how far they can go," Banger said.
"They didn't get far last night. I threw them outta Dream House then me, Rags, and Jax beat the shit out of ‘em." Rock put his fist in the air as his brothers congratulated him and the other two for keeping scum out of the gentleman's club the Insurgents owned.
"They need to be taught respect," Banger said, his blue eyes blocks of ice.
The other members nodded and sounded their agreement.
"We need to show them to stay the fuck outta Insurgents' territory. These fuckers are the tip of the iceberg. We gotta stop it now. I'm sending Jerry, Axe, Puck, PJ, Rags, and Chas to confront them tonight. Make sure they can never do this shit again."
After church, the brothers shuffled out to the great room to eat the barbecue buffet Banger had brought in from the club's restaurant.
"How's it goin' with the sexy architect?" Chas asked.
"Fine, but some fucker is doing some bad shit to her. I'm trying to find out who the fuck he is. No way I'm letting him hurt my woman," Axe explained.
The minute he said "my woman," he regretted it; Chas, Jerry, and Jax stared at him, then laughed.
"Fuck, never thought I'd see the day when the mighty pussy-chaser would fall. Welcome to the club, brother," Jax said.
Axe brooded as they teased him.
"What happened to you tellin' Chas and Jax they were fucking stupid to take old ladies? You've worn the stud title too long. Now us single brothers can take over." Jerry poked Axe in the ribs.
Axe glared at him. "At least I'm hot after a woman I can have. You're so fucked up over Kylie that you can't even talk right when she's in the room."
"You're fucked. No way," Jerry protested.
Axe tilted his head back and glanced at the others. "Am I crazy, or does he get a boner every time Kylie's around?"
They all laughed. Jerry slammed his shot glass on the bar, shattering it.
Jax patted his back. "Lighten up, dude. We're having fun fuckin' with you, but you must know you're asking for a whole lot of trouble if you get your dick anywhere near Kylie."
"Banger will kill your ass," Chas said.
Jerry wiped the blood oozing from his cut finger. "Kylie's hot, but she's too innocent. I like women who know what the fuck they're doin'."
"Who says she doesn't? She's on her own at college, and I hear the parties can be pretty wild," Axe teased.
Jerry stiffened. "Shut the fuck up. No one's messin' with Kylie at college."
Jax cuffed Jerry's shoulder. "Maybe she's messin' with someone." He wiggled his eyebrows.
Jerry shoved Jax who, smile gone, puffed up his chest and moved into Jerry's space. "What the fuck?"
Jerry, tense and rigid, said, "Just shut the fuck up ‘bout Kylie. She's not a whore. She's not doin' shit at college."
Axe smiled. "Sounds like you got some personal information. You wouldn't be checking on her, would you?"
Jerry pushed away from the bar. "I'll see you all tonight." He stormed off.
"Fuck, he has been stalking her. Well, I'll be damned." Axe took a long pull of his beer while the other guys snickered.
"He has it bad." Chas shook his head. "He's also got a death wish."
"Last thing I'd wanna do is fuck with Banger." Axe popped the top off his beer.
"Now, tell us what's goin' on with your woman, and how we can help," Jax said.
Axe clapped Chas and Jax on the back. "This shit started when Baylee was eight years old … "
Chapter Twenty-One
Standing in the alleyway, smoking joints, the Insurgents brothers cussed up a storm as they waited for the three Skull Crushers to show up.
"They're late. When they get here, I get the first punch." PJ inhaled deeply. "Fuck, this is good stuff."
"You know we only cultivate the best," Chas said as he lit up another roach.
Everyone stiffened and grew silent as a slight clack on the concrete reverberated against the brick walls. Rock stealthily crept toward the alley's entrance then hid behind a commercial dumpster as a lone figure entered the alley. When he passed Rock, he stopped and surveyed the area then moved on. Before he passed the second dumpster, Rock was on him, pounding him to the ground, his knee pushing into the man's back.
"Where are the other fuckers?" Rock slammed the guy's face into the pavement.
"No. Stop. It's me, Rodney. Stop."
Axe came over and, with his boot's toe, he turned the man's face sideways. Even though it was a dark, moonless night, Axe could see the blood flowing from Rodney's face. In the darkness of night, it appeared as misshapen birth marks.
"That you, Rodney?" Axe asked.
"Yeah. Get him off me. I can't fuckin' breathe."
Rock jumped up, his thick fists gripping Rodney's shirt, taking him up with him as he rose. "Didn't know it was you," he said when he set Rodney on his feet.
"What the hell you doing here?" Rags asked as he and the others approached the wiry man.
"Came to update you on the Skull Crushers." He darted his eyes from one member to the other.
Rodney had been an informant for several years for the Insurgents. He was a pothead, and he ran in junkie circles. If someone new was dealing in Pinewood Springs, he'd know it. In exchange for information, the brothers papered his wallet and gave him prime weed. They had a working relationship, but Rodney was never a part of the club. If he betrayed them, they'd slit his throat in a second.
"So, what's the word?" Axe asked.
"They split. They got word you were aiming for them, so they got out. Went back south, as I heard it. They had a few meth deals, but they skipped."
"Who told them?" Rock leaned down and put his face an inch away from Rodney's. "It wouldn't have been you, would it?"
"No. No way. Absolutely no way." Rodney stepped back from Rock, bumping into Chas's strong chest.
"You wouldn't be fuckin' us around, would you?" Chas stared at him. "You didn't tip them off for a few baggies of crystal, did you?"
"Fuck no. Shit, guys, we go back some years. I never did you no wrong. No way. No fuckin' way. I heard they split from some junkies who wanted more crystal. They said they weren't around, but would let them know when they'd be back. I'm cool, guys. I didn't do you no wrong. I swear."
"He's cool," Jax said as Rodney's shoulders slumped.
"If we find out you're shittin' us, you're a dead man." Rock punched Rodney in the kidneys.
The man howled and doubled over. Axe threw five crisp one hundred dollar bills along with a paper bag filled with quality marijuana. "You did good, man. Later."
The members shuffled out of the alley, their boots clicking on the pavement. As they rounded the corner, Axe saw Rodney, bowled over, collecting his pay and weed.
* * *
Baylee was a welcome sight to Axe as she stepped aside and let him pass into her new room. It resembled her old one except it was reversed, the bed on the left. He drew her flush to him, loving the way her tits crushed against him. He kissed her, savoring the minty taste in her mouth.
"You look beat," she said while she stroked his back.
"I am, babe."
He led her to the bed, pulling her down with him as he sat. Axe kicked off his boots then stretched out on the bed, tugging her close to him. Twisting a few strands of silky hair around his finger, he kissed the top of her head.
"I see you're settled into your new room. How was your day?" he asked.
"Okay."
"No more flowers?"
"No. I gave the flowers to Tina, and when Palmer called to see if I received them, I asked him not to send any more."
He squeezed her hard, trying to bring her as close as he could to him without suffocating her. "I'm glad."
She traced the outlines of the tattoos on his arm. "I fell asleep a couple of hours ago. I had another nightmare."