My gaze sweeps through the crowd, lingering on Axel for a few seconds before I find the president of the Apex Runners. I hold my chin up high and take a few steps toward him.
“You have a lot of nerve. I’ve saved your lives multiple times,” I say before pointing to the men I’ve worked on one by one. “He’d be dead if it weren’t for me. So would he. Him too! And you. I’ve made house calls for your family. I’ve done so fucking much. I’ve been accommodating and given more than you asked for. The debt is settled. Now. It’s gone beyond repayment. It’s extortion.”
The president scowls, taking a step toward me and puffing up his chest. He says, “You don’t get to decide when the debt is paid off, bitch.”
Before I can say anything, before he can get any closer, Axel darts forward. He reels back, wielding his gun in his right hand. It comes down hard against the president’s face, and he goes straight to the ground. He lies there like a rag doll, and the quietness of the crowd stretches on around us.
“We’re finished here,” Axel says, voice commanding. His eyes sweep across the crowd gathered. “The debt is fuckin’ settled. So take your fuckin’ president and get out of here.”
I hold my breath until the Apex Runners start moving. One of them steps forward, scooping their unconscious president from the gravel. As they walk to their bikes and the van, I say, “And let my dad out before you leave.”
They do as I say, and my dad scrambles out the minute they open the van. He runs through the crowd to the house, standing on the front porch with his hand on the doorknob. When I shift my gaze to Axel, he’s watching my father with a puzzled look on his face.
The Riders of Retribution stay silent as the Apex Runners leave my yard. Then, the man I can only assume is the president starts barking out orders. He asks who’s wounded, and when they start to gather, I hop into action.
“Dad, get my first aid kit,” I yell as I start triaging the injured bikers.
“Are you a nurse or something?” the president says as I drop onto my knees next to a man with a bullet in his shoulder.
“I am,” I confirm, glancing at the doorway where my dad is running toward me with my kit. “I’m going to stop the bleeding here, then I’m going to move this whole operation inside.”
“And you’re Axel’s girl?” he asks.
I feel Axel’s eyes on me as I answer his question. With pride, I say, “I am.”
Chapter 11
Axel
Somehow, I managed to get out of this whole mess unscathed. It seems like the Apex Runners aren’t very good shots. A few of our guys got clipped, but most of us only have a few bruises. One of the members who was shot didn’t even want Hazel to look at him.
She’s a hard-ass, though. I’ve never seen a grown man wither under a woman’s gaze the way he broke when she refused to take no for an answer. I think I’ve truly met my match in her.
Once everyone’s given the all clear from her, Cliff instructs them to get the hell out of Hazel’s house. I stay where I am. I don’t intend on leaving my angel, not after the events of the last few hours. She’s taken care of everyone else, but no one has stopped to check on her.
That’s my job. She’s my girl, after all.
“Axel,” Cliff says, stopping in front of me.
“Yeah, I know,” I say, preparing myself to get my ass handed to me. “I didn’t listen to you and got us into trouble.”
“That’s not what I was going to say,” he says with a smirk. “But we are going to talk about that when you get back. I’m not going to make you come to the clubhouse right now.”
“Then what’s up?”
“That girl you’ve got… she’s a keeper,” he says, leveling me with a strict look. “Don’t you fuck this up.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I say. “I like her far too much.”
“Better tell her,” Cliff says before clapping me on the shoulder and leaving the house.
As soon as the door closes behind him, I’m left alone with Hazel – shortly after the Apex Runners left, her dad went out in his car to clear his head. I can’t say I blame him. God knows what he went through before we got here.
She walks into the living room where I’m standing with my hands in my pockets. She offers me a kind smile, brushing a few strands of blonde hair out of her face. I give her a smile in return, sticking my hand out for her to take hold of.
“I’m ready to talk now,” she murmurs as she laces our fingers together. “But… Can we go to my bedroom? I’d prefer if we weren’t around the mess.”
“Of course,” I say, letting her lead me out of the living room where the Apex Runners were clearly attempting to find valuables while they waited for her to arrive.
