Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,35
headed your way now. I’m sorry, man. I know how much you cared about her.”
Steele’s words hit like a bomb. Ax’s breath whooshed from his lungs as he dropped onto the bed. Emma was dead?
Chapter Thirteen
AX WAS DRESSED and downstairs by the time Lucy arrived. After giving him a hug, she made a pot of coffee. They filled their cups and sat at the kitchen table. She was thorough in her questioning. Had he seen anything? No. Did he walk Emma to the door? No. Did he leave directly after dropping her off? Yes. She had him walk through the entire evening’s events, minute by minute. Three cups later, he was fully prepared. By the time the police arrived, he was so caffeinated, his hands were shaking.
Austin PD considered the club a bunch of low-life thugs. The club thought the PD was corrupt as hell. The two were like oil and water, but ever since Carver and Steele had kissed and made up, they’d been on better terms. This meant that instead of dragging him downtown and making him jump through a million hoops, they cut straight to the chase. He answered their questions, and they let him go with the understanding that there may be more. As it was an ongoing investigation, the police couldn’t tell him much, just that Emma was found in her bedroom, there were no signs of forced entry, and that they were waiting on the coroner’s report.
Lucy took off shortly after the police left. He was numb. All he could think about was Emma. Guilt ate at him, to the point where he felt sick. He should have been with her. Had she crashed at his place after the bonfire, like they’d planned, she would still be alive. This was his fault. His mind raced, the pressure of Emma’s death making his chest ache. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he grabbed his keys and helmet, and hit the road.
Riding helped to clear his head. He never should have started it up with Emma. She was right when she said she didn’t fit into his world. Selfishly, he’d wanted to prove—to himself and everyone else—that Sage no longer mattered and that he’d moved on. What a joke.
Sometime later, he pulled into a convenience store to buy water. Before getting back on the road, he checked his phone. Steele, Ink, and Sage had called. He was about to call Steele back when his phone rang. Sledge’s name popped up, and he answered, “Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Oh, God. Oh, fuck, something’s happened to Aimee. There’s blood everywhere, and I can’t feel her pulse. I think she might be dead.” Sledge was in a full-on panic.
Ax quickly mounted his bike. “Where are you?”
“At the house. I rode by after work and found her in the garage. Someone beat the shit out of her.”
“Have you called 9-1-1? If not, you need to hang up and call them now.”
“I called. They’re on the way.”
“Don’t move her.”
“I’m not. I should have been here. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”
The sound of Sledge’s tears gutted him. First Emma and now Aimee. Was it coincidence, or was someone targeting their women?
“The ambulance is here,” Sledge finally announced. “Over here!” he called out.
“Go, I’ll call Steele, and we’ll meet you at the hospital,” Ax told him.
It took Ax a little over thirty minutes to get to the hospital. Steele and Ink rolled in just as he was shutting off his bike, and they walked in together.
Sledge was in the waiting room. Ax saw the blood and let out a quiet curse.
“Get him cleaned up. I’ll see if I can find out how she’s doing,” Steele said.
While Steele tried to get some information from the nurses, Ax and Ink walked Sledge to the bathroom. Sledge took one look in the mirror and lost it. Ax grabbed him before he ripped the dryer off the wall, and Sledge tried to shake him off. He was a strong motherfucker. It took both of them to subdue his crazy ass. Once Sledge was calm enough to reason with, they got him cleaned up.
They returned to find half the club in the waiting room. Not long after that, the doctor stepped in. He told Sledge that Aimee had regained consciousness and was asking for him, but because they were worried about the gash on the back of her head, they were going to get a scan first. After that, he could see her.
Ax and Steele stayed with