Axel Bloodmoon loves his life in the M.C. Danger abounds and there’s lots of willing women to be had. But when he goes on a mission to rescue some abducted women, things don’t turn out quite as he’d planned. One sniff of Amelia and his cat is convinced she belongs to them. Stubborn beast!
Amelia Juarez had thought she would be sold to the highest paying brothel, but then Axel and his men came to the rescue. Her inner beast, a finicky olingo, is more than ready to set up house with the hot as hades Native American biker. Just one problem…he isn’t interested.
When Axel gives her the cold shoulder and refuses to acknowledge her as his mate, she takes matters into her own hands. One or way or another that cat is going to be hers – no matter what she has to do.
Axel crept around the side of the house, Ghost on his tail and the other three fanned out. They’d done a little recon two nights ago, and while Axel wasn’t sure they were prepared to make a move yet, he knew the young girls inside couldn’t wait any longer. His fists clenched as he thought about the horrors they’d faced. Ghost had taken out the guards at the foot of the drive while Whisper had taken out the ones by the house. From what Axel could see through the window, there was another guard on the main level of the house and the girls were being kept in the basement. He’d be willing to bet there was another guard down there. His heart pounded as he contemplated their next move.
Axel pushed the comm unit in his ear. “I want Whisper and Crimson at the back door. Ghost and I will take the front. Viper, you’re on lookout.”
Viper’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Copy that.”
Axel waited for his men to get into position and then he kicked in the front door, his Glock 9 pointed straight ahead. The guard on the main level was momentarily startled, dropping the donut he’d been stuffing into his fat face, and reached for the gun tucked into his pants. Axel smiled. “Don’t even think about it, asshole.”
Crimson and Whisper stormed into the room, weapons at the ready. Axel’s nape pricked and he wondered where the boss man had gotten off to. No way he hadn’t heard the noise of the front door crashing in. He didn’t have to wait for long.
The barrel of a shotgun pressed against the base of his skull and Axel raised his hands.
“Drop your weapons. All of you,” the man said from behind him.
Axel watched the other gunman and his men. Crimson’s eye twitched, which meant he was about to seriously lose his shit. Axel saw Crimson’s gun raise and he dropped to the ground just as a round was fired into the asshole with the shotgun, blood spraying him as the body fell. He felt the thud of the body hitting the floor, but didn’t take his eyes off Crimson. The guard swung toward Crimson, poised for a fight, but Axel leapt to his feet and tackled him from behind, knocking the gun from his hand.
Axel grabbed the guard’s head in both hands and slammed it against the hardwood floor several times. Venom rolled through his veins as he thought of those helpless females down below. “Thieving bastard! Stealing women off the streets.”
He bounced the man’s head off the floor a few more times. Bones crunched and blood pooled on the wood surface before Axel stopped, his hands stained red. His chest heaved with panted breaths as he rose to his feet, picking up the discarded gun and tucking it into the back of his pants. With a nod of his head, he led the way down the stairs and into the basement while wiping the blood off his hands and onto his jeans.
The door stood ajar with only the whimpers of women to be heard in the darkness below. Axel was no fool and knew they would be protected. He motioned for Whisper to join him and they entered the room together, weapons trained straight ahead. It was so dark in the room that a human wouldn’t be able to see his hand in front of his face, but with his feline sight, Axel caught the movement of women in cages and a shadowy figure in the corner moving toward them silently and quickly. He fired, but the person didn’t slow down. Before Axel could get off another round, a body much smaller than his slammed him to the ground. The air rushed from his lungs and he gasped for breath as Whisper tried to pull the attacker away.
Whisper jerked the figure back, a knife held to his throat, as Axel stood and flicked on the light. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. It wasn’t a man in Whisper’s arms, but an average sized female. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she stared at him with such hatred that he fought not to take a step backward. Hostility poured off her in waves as she struggled against the arm holding her.
“What should I do with her?” Whisper asked.
“She was helping them sell these women, probably helped lure them into the trap, I don’t give a fuck what you do with her. Just keep her the hell away from me.” Axel’s M.C. wasn’t into hurting women, but he would be willing to make an exception this time. Anyone willing to sell women should be taken out, and in the most painful of ways.
Whisper gave him a sinister smile before dragging the blade of his knife across her throat and tossing the body to the ground as she gurgled her last breath. Axel focused on the women in cages, feeling disgust for the men and woman they had killed as each caged female cowered. He looked over his shoulder as Crimson joined them.
“We need to find the key to these cages.” Axel looked at his brothers. “Then we need to get them to the safety of the clubhouse while we figure this shit out.”
Crimson dangled a key in front of Axel’s face. “Already on it.”
Axel snatched it from his grasp and began unlocking cages. Six total, with six women who looked terrified of them. Each bedraggled and bruised. As the cage doors swung open, they faced another dilemma. None of the women looked like they were going to go with Axel and his brothers willingly, but he didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t very well call in the old ladies. It was his job as Sergeant at Arms to make sure they were safe, not put them in harm’s way.
He walked up to each cage, peering in as he thought of a way to extract the women without harming them further. When he came to the last cage, he saw a woman with matted, golden hair which trailed down her back and shoulders. Her wide, frightened, blue eyes assessing him; his inner beast perked up. Mine! The cat inside yowled and Axel fought to keep the beast at bay. He didn’t know why his cat wanted to claim the woman, but it was the first time he’d had such a reaction to anyone.
The young woman’s nostrils flared and she jerked her gaze toward him. A tremor raked her body, but she slowly rose to her feet, her naked body riddled with bruises. The sight made him want to kill those sorry excuses for men all over again, and at the same time, he wanted to draw her closer, wrap his arms around her and shield her from harm.
What the fuck?
As she drew near, he allowed himself to take in her scent, hoping she didn’t fear him as the others did. Under the scent of pain and sweat was sweet honeysuckle. His cat purred and rubbed against him, wanting to get closer. Those guileless blue eyes of hers called to him. She stopped a foot away, placed her hand on his chest, then leaned in close and—sniffed him? His eyebrows shot up at the unexpected move and he leaned down to sniff along her hair and neck. Shifter!
“Where are your people?” he asked.
“I don’t have any.”
Ours! The cat insisted again. Like fuck, Axel growled back at the pesky feline.
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