Hell on Wheels (Four Horsemen MC Book 6) (24 page)

Axel sighed, shaking it off. “Everyone thinks I’m still in love with her. I’m not. I thought I wanted what she had. Or maybe,” he mused, “I wanted what I thought she had.” There’s no such thing as the perfect suburban dream: the wife, the white house, the picket fence, the kids, and all the rest.  

“It’s normal to think about being with other people once in a while. You can’t help but notice. But she took it a step too far.” Eddie sighed. “I
noticed
Captain, back when I was still married to your father, but I didn’t do a damn thing about it. I loved Joker too much.”

“And look where it got you,” Axel said bitterly.

“Hold on a second. I know you and Ryker have got some daddy issues....”

He snorted. “Don’t say it like that. I’m not twirling on a stripper pole at night or anything. But yeah, Dad was an asshole.” His father had been a fuck-up, and Axel had vowed not to head down that same path. But here he was, driving headlong into a life of crime.

“You think you don’t deserve a good woman, just like your brother used to feel about Elizabeth.” She gave him a sly smile. “Charlie sure thinks you’re something special.”

“Charlie’s a thief, mom.” Not that he was one to talk. He was about to become a drug smuggler.

 And even though his words were harsh, he knew Charlie had a good heart, underneath her lawless exterior. She had a moral code of sorts and he respected that. The Horsemen might engage in vigilante justice, which was outside the law, but they served a greater good.

 “What she does and
who
she is are two different things,” Eddie insisted. “I don’t know the girl that well, but from what I’ve heard…she seems like good people to me. And she knows what she’s signing on for. Back when I met your father, I was naïve. I didn’t have a clue what I’d gotten myself into, but your Charlie has some street smarts.”

He smiled. His Charlie. Despite himself, he liked the sound of that. “Yeah, she can take care of herself.”

 “Aren’t you sick of bearing all your burdens by yourself? You need to let someone in. Someone real. Not a fantasy in your head. Marriage is something you have to work at and it’ll never be perfect. It’s being someone’s partner for the rest of your life. It
should
be hard work.” She rubbed the ring on her hand. “But the point is you’re in it together. You have someone to rely on. Someone at your side. And I think you could use someone in your corner.”

That sounded pretty damn good, actually. Now that he was president, life had gotten a lot lonelier. He didn’t have the club’s camaraderie anymore. Somedays, he didn’t feel like he had anything.

He needed to have a talk with Charlie. See if she was willing to stay? If she was up for more than a quick roll in the sheets.

 Axel hoped she wanted more.

Chapter Sixteen

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Dani asked.

“Hell, yes.” Charlie moved further into the shadows behind Perdition. They stood on either side of the back door. It was nearly four in the morning. She’d been waiting for the perfect time to pull off her plan and tonight was the night.

Dani’s Firebird was against the wall and the engine kept making pinging noises as it cooled. Every time it pinged, Charlie’s heart fluttered. She always got a blast of adrenaline before a job, and trying to harness that energy was a struggle.

“It’s just a pair of drawers,” Dani muttered. “It isn’t like he took dirty pictures of you or something.” Then she gasped. “Wait a second.
Did
he take dirty pictures of you in the maid uniform? Do you two have some sort of kinky thing going on?”

“Shut up!” Charlie hissed. “No, we don’t have anything kinky going on.”
More’s the pity
! “And you didn’t ask, but I might as well come clean. The whole ‘Axel has a maid fetish’ thing was a lie.”

Dani
hmpphed
. “Why did you lie?”

“It’s a club business thing. And as for the ‘just drawers’ comment, we’ll see how you feel when your panties are hanging in the wind for everyone to see.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What makes you think I’d be stupid enough to give my panties to a Horseman?”

Closing her eyes, Charlie summoned some patience. “Well, not all of us are as wise as you,
Danielle
.”

“I don’t like that name,
Char
.”

While Dani might hate ‘Danielle’, the nickname ‘Char’ had grown on Charlie. Though, she liked ‘Robin’
a bit better. Maybe because Axel called her that.
Right. Moon later. Steal now
. “Are we gonna do this or stand out here arguing all night?”

“We’ll break in.
After
you answer a question for me, Ms. Liar, Liar Pants on Fire. My help comes with a price tag. And believe me, you won’t be getting in without my assistance. I happen to know the security code.”

Charlie bit the inside of her cheek. “You should’ve mentioned conditions before you agreed to the caper.”

“Yes, but now we’re in place and you’re desperate to get inside. This is the perfect time to negotiate,” Dani said sweetly. “I need to know how Axel got your panties in the first place. You never told me and Lex, and we’ve been speculatin’ ever since.”

“That’s private.”

Dani whistled. “How private are we talking?”

“You know, what this town needs is a lot less gossip.” Charlie stared sightlessly at the blacktop.

“Quit your bellyachin’ and spill.”

Charlie blurted it all out. “He asked for them when he took me to garage for the first time. He said it was a club tradition and not a big deal.”

 Yet, it felt like a big deal.
She might not want them on display for everyone to see, but Axel had tucked them in his back pocket. Why would he walk around with her panties? Did he think of her every time he touched them? A pleasurable shiver rippled through her body, one that had nothing to do with the chilly night wind.

Dani laughed softly. “Axel’s never made a contribution to the panty line. Does that tell you anything? Here’s a hint…it’s a big deal.”

“You think so?” Charlie wasn’t sure. He kept pushing her away.

“Oh, my God, do the math,” Dani said with a groan. “He’s so jealous he can’t see straight.”

“That doesn’t mean he likes me. He’s territorial.”

“You’re the only one he feels territorial about. He pretty much ignores women–hellions, bored housewives who come to the shop for a good ogle, cougars who eye his junk.”

“I offered,” she muttered, embarrassed. “But he turned me down.”

Dani slapped a palm on the wall. “What a dumbass.”

“Hey!”

“Him, not you. You gonna give up?” Dani asked.

“Uh, well, the alternative is stalking him, and since I don’t want to be
that
girl, I’m moving on. Besides, I won’t be in Hell for long anyway. Axel is a ‘kids and dog’ type, even if he thinks he can’t have it. Maybe he should find a hometown girl.”

Like Dani. Dani was pretty, funny, and…

“What?” Dani asked, head tilting to the side. She hit the flashlight function on her cellphone, providing some dim illumination. “You have sad puppy face.”

“Maybe you and—”

“Stop it. We already did this,” Dani said firmly. “Besides, I’ve already had one Rollins brother. I’m not collecting them all.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped. “You and Ryker?”

 “Yeah,” she admitted. “And that was a poor life decision. Please, don’t mention it to Elizabeth.”

“She doesn’t know?”

“About me
specifically
? Nah, I don’t think so. And I can’t ask.” Dani cleared her throat “But she knows Ryker got around town before he met her.  And it wasn’t a big deal. I had a one night stand with Ryker on my eighteenth birthday. I had a teenage crush on him. And he was a handsome older man. I doubt Ryker gives it much thought. Lord knows I wish I could forget, but he was my…uh, first.”

And Dani couldn’t get away from them in a town this small. Ever. “I guess you don’t feel sisterly towards
him
, huh?”

Dani snickered. “Never did. I told you, he’s the hotter brother. Okay, enough talk. It’s cold as a frosted frog out here. Let’s do a panty raid. This is your caper, so you can do the honors.”

 “How’d you get the security code?” Charlie knelt in front of the door and withdrew her lock pick kit. She had a leather case with several kinds of picks. After placing the wrench in the door, she raked the pins into place.

 “The code is Ryker’s birthday and he’s the one who had it installed. It was an easy guess. I keep meanin’ to say somethin’, but then I couldn’t walk in whenever I felt like it.”

“You go to Perdition after hours?” Charlie asked.

“Call me crazy but sometimes, I like to play pool without a bunch of hairy bikers,” Dani said. “And just so we’re clear, you’re getting your drawers and that’s it. No alcohol, no cash from the register, and nothing else.”

Charlie held up her hand. “Scout’s honor, I’m only after lingerie.”

“Were you a scout?”

“Nope.”

“Then why did you…never mind. Come on, let’s do this. We have to be quiet when we get inside,” Dani said. “The brothers crash here after they’ve had too much to drink or if they want to screw a hellion and don’t want an awkward morning-after scene. I have to do some scary and super quiet bed checks before I play pool.”

“Do we have to check beds now?” Charlie asked.

“Nah, this should be quick. In and out.”

Charlie grimaced. “Okay then. We’ll be fast and quiet.” When she finished, Dani opened the door and entered the pin on the keypad.

No alarm. Neat. If only Beauregard’s safe was so easy to crack.

Charlie still felt jittery, the adrenaline in her veins urging her to move faster. She hopped on top of the bar and located her underwear on the line. Unfortunately, she was too short to reach them. She could barely graze the edge of the panties.

“Can’t get it, huh?” Dani asked, peering up at her. Her expression was bored. “For a thief, you’re kinda slow.”

Charlie felt like she was on the burglar edition of “Beat the Clock” or something. “Shut up. I’m a great thief,” she muttered. Charlie strained, standing on her tiptoes, reaching far above her head, but the panties remained just out of her grasp.

“Why are you so desperate to have these back anyway?”

“Where I come from, these would be called evidence.” Or maybe she was making a little statement to Axel. “Are you gonna stand there making smart remarks or help me?”

Dani started poking around behind the bar. “Okay, lemme look for something you can stand on.”

Charlie tried and her foot slipped, sending a bottle of Grey Goose crashing to the floor. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

And they both stopped moving and listened. No footfalls.

“Come on, let’s go,” Dani whispered. “Before you wake someone up.”

“Not without my underwear!” Charlie hissed, trying to reach them again.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” a man’s voice said.

Charlie groaned as she saw Justice step into the room. His hair was sleep-tousled and he’d pulled a sawed-off shotgun on them.

Oh, damn. He looked pissed.

Craptastic.

***

“You broke into Perdition?”

Axel sat at one of the tables in Perdition and Charlie stood a couple feet from him, with her arms wrapped around her chest. The lights were still off and the place was empty now. Justice had taken Dani home, so it was just the two of them.

Charlie didn’t respond, but her expression spoke for her.  
Yeah, isn’t it obvious?

“I can’t believe you did this…actually, I can.”

“Well, it’s your fault. You’re the one who put my underwear on display.”

Axel had the decency to look ashamed. “About that, I’m sorry, I—”

She held up a hand. “Save it. Your apology is way too late.”

Axel tried another tactic. “Why did you bring Dani into it, too? You’re a terrible influence.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Charlie rolled her eyes. Dani, Miss Grand Theft Auto, had them all fooled somehow. While she wanted to deny the accusation, Charlie wouldn’t out her friend. Yeah, Dani was her friend…Charlie had finally made one. Or two counting Lexi.  And honor among thieves and all that. Besides, if Dani kept her thievery quiet, she must have a good reason.

“No, I’m
very
, very serious right now. Like you should be.” He crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”

Charlie hesitated.

There was something…
edgy
in his eyes. She’d pegged Axel as being tightly wound, but somehow, he’d come undone. His eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed. Something had changed. But what?

 Charlie didn’t know what was going on, what emotion possessed him. Lust? Anger? A mixture of the two?

 “Why?” she asked.

“Because I’m going to punish you,” he said softly.

And she gulped.

“I said if you pulled a stunt like this again…”

“You’d spank me,” she said. Charlie could practically slice the sexual tension in the room.

A wicked thrill went through her. She bit her lower lip. “I thought you were kidding.” She should be upset, angry. But somehow, the idea of being draped over his lap, with his hands all over her backside, held an erotic appeal.

“I’m not.”

She took a hesitant step forward and that’s all it took. Axel stood up and hauled her over his lap as she squirmed in his arms. Suddenly, she found herself lying across his knees, his muscular arm holding her in place.

 “Hey, wait,” she protested.

But he’d already slid her black
break and enter
leggings down and palmed her panties. His hand felt so big, so warm.

“Are you going to hang those up, too?”

“No, I’m going to gag you with them if you don’t be quiet.” His voice was a husky rasp.

God, why did the thought of that turn her on? He slipped a hand between her legs and rubbed the rough silk with the pad of his thumb. “Mmm, these are wet.”

“I—” Suddenly, she couldn’t speak. Right now, she had trouble thinking.

“What? No comeback?” Axel pushed the underwear down her hips and thighs, until they were around her ankles along with the pants. Then he plunged his other hand into her shirt, beneath her bra to cup her breast. He tweaked her nipple and they both groaned.