Drake tenses, narrowing his eyes. So Drex adds, “You’re holding out on us. I get why, but now the Hell Breathers are under the impression you’ve joined us, since my arrival at your place seemed so abrupt. Now there’s nothing to lose.”
Drake curses, running a hand over his hair. “Why can’t I just tat and stay out of this shit?”
Axle’s laughter startles me, and I look over Drex’s shoulder to see him in the entryway. I tense against Drex, who is still holding me.
“Ain’t no one gonna hurt you, baby. Relax,” Drex says before running his nose along my jaw, gently kissing a spot near my ear.
Axle’s laughter dies, and he seems to sober before giving me what resembles an apologetic look. As if that makes everything okay.
Then again, he did let me go with Drake instead of insisting I go with them to the executioner’s lair.
“Come on. We have shit to go over,” Drex tells the other two.
He carries me as though he’s worried I might run away if my feet hit the ground. His arms are locked around me as he climbs into the SUV, keeping me strapped to his waist.
“No bike?” I ask, mostly to distract myself from reading too much into his actions.
“Concussion,” he answers, pointing to his head.
“That explains the unusual greeting,” I mutter dryly.
He softly laughs, but it tapers off quickly. “Don’t run away again.” The seriousness is edged with a hint of warning in his tone. I swallow hard, suddenly not feeling so safe.
“What happens if I do?” I ask hoarsely.
He leans forward, letting his lips almost brush mine, close enough for us to exchange breaths.
“I’ll find you.”
A shiver slides down my spine, but he starts kissing me, and I drink in the effect he has on me. His hands slide into my hair so that he can properly devour me, but he pulls back, leaving me leaning in and hungry for more.
“I’ll end up fucking you in the car if I keep kissing you,” he murmurs before pressing one last chaste kiss to my lips.
For a man who claims to not be a fan of kissing, he’s damn good at it, and I’m left reeling from the rush.
“But when we get back,” he whispers, still keeping his lips close to mine, “I’ll kiss every inch of your body. When I get done, you’ll never want to run again.”
Chapter 4
DREX
Pop keeps talking, but I’m barely listening. Eve is upstairs waiting for me, yet we’re still going over the same shit. My skin is crawling, and I’m not sure if it’s impatience or adrenaline.
“Drex?” Pop prompts, drawing me out of my own head.
I look up to see all eyes are on me, and I have no clue what answer they’re waiting on. Pop frowns and bristles, acting irritated with me.
“Your head injury messing with your attention span?” he asks.
Rush, for once, doesn’t give me a smug look of superiority. His scowl is focused on Pop. Then again, most of the club is pissed at him for holding out on us.
“Nah, Pop. Just sick of repeating the same shit.”
He looks taken aback by my fuck-you attitude. It’s sure as hell a new form of disrespect from me. But he shouldn’t have pissed me off.
Truth? I suddenly don’t give a damn about any of this. No one here is concerned with the fact that any one of us could have been killed. I just happened to be the target. The only thing anyone is worried about is how or if to retaliate and if they’ll strike again.
Talks of war aren’t exactly easy. No one wants it. War means casualties and a lot of heat from the feds. Wars get noticed and get people like us killed or tossed in prison. Wars are stupid for business. That’s what everyone is focused on.
More truth? I would be doing the same thing.
I wouldn’t even think to give a damn if someone nearly died. I’d be worried more about the club. It’s how we operate. Yet I was worried about Eve. Just like she was worried about me, even though she has every right to want me dead.
“I want Eve to get out more. Obviously Benny has plans for her, but if he tried killing Drake for what he knows or might have told you, that means Eve probably doesn’t know a damn thing. But if she gets out, Benny might approach her. It’s becoming more apparent that we’re not using her to her full potential, and according to the others, she’s grown attached to you. So I doubt she’ll turn on us. Use her.”
My teeth grind, but I rein in my temper.
“Why? We know Benny is out for blood. What’s the point in putting Eve out there as bait?”
If they see her as my weakness, then Benny and his guys might find out. Someone in the club or someone close to the club had to have told him where I live. There’s no other way he could have known.