Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,49

in touch.”

Ax watched them drive away. It was finally over. On his way inside, he snagged his phone and gun from his saddlebag and a beer from the fridge, then he parked his ass on the sofa and called Steele.

Thirty minutes later, Steele pulled into his driveway. Doc was with him.

“That’s a beauty,” Doc said when he saw Ax’s eye. “It’ll need stitching.”

Steele leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.

Ax scowled at him. “You can’t honestly be mad right now.”

“Damn right I’m mad. We put the buddy system in place for a reason.”

“Come on.” Ax rolled his eyes, but only one moved because the other had officially swollen shut.

“Come on? You could have been killed!” Steele shouted.

“Yes, but I wasn’t. I’m here, and I’m alive, and Carlos is fucking gone, so cut me some slack, why don’t you!”

“What if something had happened to Tiny? Have you thought about that? You didn’t just compromise yourself. You compromised one of your brothers. I need a VP who’s a team player, not a maverick. Give me the keys to your bike. Doc can drive you back to The Cave after he stitches you up.”

Ax tossed him the keys.

“One more move like that and you’re out of the running,” Steele said, then he walked out the door.

Fuck!” Ax shouted, hurling his beer across the room. It hit the door and shattered across the kitchen floor.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Doc grumbled.

Chapter Eighteen

LOCKDOWNS WERE A communal affair. Other than Sunday, it was the only time the club came together as one. After her horrific experience in Mexico, Sage had to admit she loved it. She loved her nights with Alex and her days with the Ol’ ladies. Lucy was her bestie, but she was enjoying getting to know Reyn and LuLu. She liked helping with meals and was thrilled that Petal had friends to play with. As much as she enjoyed the constant noise and activity, she missed her personal space. It had been months since she’d vegged on the sofa with a book or binged watched a show on TV—months since she’d been able to zone out while giving a facial or peel. Two days ago, she wouldn’t let herself think about those things, but after her talk with Alex, it was all she could think about. For the first time in months, she felt a tiny spark of hope. At the same time, she felt hopeless. She’d given up her house and job and missed them both. She hated that she owed Alex money and that he refused to let her pay him back. She was worried that Lucy wouldn’t be able to get her out of the marriage with Carlos and was terrified that by being here, she was going to cause a war with the cartel. The club had saved her after Gibbs’s death, and they were doing it again. As much as she wanted to give in to that nugget of hope and to start making plans for the future, she was afraid—afraid that the second she did, Carlos would swoop in and pull the rug out from under her.

“What do you think, Sage?” Aimee asked, cutting into her thoughts.

They were making fajitas for dinner. Lucy was in charge of chopping the onions and peppers. Reyn was in charge of grilling while LuLu handled the queso. That left Sage with the guacamole. Aimee—who was sitting at the kitchen island—wouldn’t stop yammering on about the damn salon.

Sage added the garlic, chili powder, lime, and a pinch of salt to the avocados. “What do I think about what?”

“I was saying that we need to find the right place. It has to have at least four stations; otherwise, we won’t make any money.”

While she tried to think of a polite way to shut Aimee down, Lucy said, “You have to get a masseuse.”

LuLu sliced ten perfect cubes of cheese and dropped them into the double boiler. “I could talk to Arlan. He’s constantly looking for new investment opportunities. I bet he would jump at the idea.”

Sage minced a jalapeno, her anxiety increasing with each slice of the blade. No to the salon, no to the masseuse, and no to Steele investing.

“Can we get a free service before it opens?” Reyn asked.

Aimee started clapping. “Once I get my license, I’ll cut your hair for free!”

“No!” Sage snapped. “No free anything. No masseuse and no salon.” She pointed her knife at LuLu. “And no one’s talking to Steele because it isn’t happening.” She