“He’s the enforcer when we need it. You don’t fuck with Axel and live to talk about it.”
That had been the last time I’d asked for details about Axel.
“Sure, thanks,” I smiled as he took a seat next to me.
“You holdin’ up okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I am,” I nodded. I saw Sal’s eyes snap over to us and narrow as he watched Axel. They’d always had some tension between them. I wasn’t sure the cause, but immediately grew concerned this could be the catalyst for a fire I did not want to be in the middle of.
Axel shifted in his seat and cleared his throat as though he was about to ask me something.
“What thefuckare you doing?” Sal demanded, suddenly towering over us, his face a picture of menace.
Axel looked up with narrowed eyes. “If you hadn’t interrupted, I was about to catch up with Kat,” he replied, completely unbothered by Sal’s anger. “The guys and I, we got used to lookin’ out for her,” he glared, shocking the hell out of me.
Judging from the look on Sal’s face, this was coming out of nowhere and was unlikely to end well.
“Come again?” Sal growled.
“Yeah, man,” he stated as though Sal was slow on the uptake. “This is a good woman you’ve got here. Do you know she fucking slept at the garage?” he demanded.
Sal’s eyes grew wide in surprise before creasing in question toward me.
I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
“Didn’t think so,” Axel muttered, shaking his head as Wes and Mack wandered over to assess the tension.
“You got something to say?” Sal demanded, his fists balled at his sides.
“Sal man, you’re my brother,” Axel replied, his tone decidedly calmer. “But fuck man, take care with this one.” He cocked his head in my direction. “She didn’t deserve that shit. And with or without you, she’s part of this family,” he added firmly.
Well, hell. I was still new to the MC lifestyle, but even I knew it was huge that Axel was making such a statement.
The two men eyed each other, the tension so thick it was stifling. And then, Sal took a deep, measured breath. He tore his hand through his already unruly head of hair and sighed. “No argument from me on that, man,” he agreed. “I should have been here.”
I felt my head spin with confusion.
I was suddenly so angry at Sal. How dare he leave the way he did and then come barreling back into my life making such proclamations?
“This is so fucked up,” I muttered quietly to no one in particular.
“Kat,” Sal’s deep voice rumbled, clearly not wanting to have this conversation here.
Well, too fucking bad!
“No!” I shook my head as I stood up, not caring if people were staring. “You have the audacity to come bursting back into my life and act like you have some say over it. You cannot be believed!” I exclaimed, yanking my arm away when he tried to hold onto me and stalked toward the street. I didn’t know where I was going, but I wasn’t staying here.
I got a half-block away before strong arms grabbed me from behind, stopping me in my tracks. I immediately tried to get out from his embrace.
“I’m sorry, all right? Really fucking sorry,” his deep voice murmured in my ear. His words were enough to make me freeze up completely, and I stood stiffly in his arms.
I turned to him and pushed him away. “How could you do that to me?” I choked. “You turned me inside out. And now what? You’re back to try to do it again?” I ranted, wiping the tears that had started to fall with the back of my hand. “I tried hard enough the first time and it was never good enough!” I exclaimed.
“It was never you, baby,” he said as he shook his head sadly.
“Oh, so this is the ‘it’s not you it’s me speech’? That’s rich,” I scoffed.
“It’s different now. I’m different,” he said quietly, his dark eyes piercing mine.