14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ivy

Later that week, Lacy and I were enjoying a girls night out after class. We were gossiping over greasy food and drinks.

Lacy began gushing about Drake, talking about how he wanted to whisk her away for the weekend. Just as she finished talking, her phone started ringing and Drake's name flashed on the screen.

Answering the phone, a wide grin spread over Lacy's face. It made me happy to see her so in love with Drake. He was a great guy, and I knew they were perfect for each other.

"Hey baby," she said into the phone. "I am at Wild Things with Ivy. I don't know, it's kind of a girl's night," she said, her eyes glancing at me. It was obvious Drake wanted to join us, and I didn't mind if he did.

"Invite him," I said, pointing to the phone.

"Are you sure?" Lacy mouthed, as she looked at me. Nodding my head, I assured her it was fine with me.

By the time we finished our appetizers, Drake and Axel walked through the restaurant doors. My heart stopped when I saw Axel, his eyes instantly finding mine.

I smiled, and then looked at Lacy who only shrugged and gave me her infamous evil grin, telling me she knew all along he was coming, too.

When the guys began approaching the table, I saw Drake was carrying a suitcase.

"What is this?" I asked, peeking around him.

Grabbing Lacy out of her seat, Drake kissed her with so much passion I was sure everyone in the room could feel it. "I am taking my beautiful girl away for the weekend," he said.

"Are you serious?" Lacy screamed, jumping up and down.

I laughed watching them.

"Yes, now we need to go. We will take your car," Drake said.

"How long has this been planned?" Lacy asked, narrowing her eyes at Darke. I could see she was excited beyond measure.

"A while," Drake teased. "Come on, Axel gave me a ride here. That's why I told you to drive your car tonight," Drake finished .

"You told me to bring it to the shop later for an oil change," Lacy gasped. "You are so naughty," she laughed.

"You have no idea just how naughty I am, but you will find out this weekend," Drake said, kissing Lacy and then pulling her away from the table. We all said goodbye as Lacy waved goodbye.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Axel said, raising his brows and licking his lips.

Ugh, the things that man could do to me.

"What do you have planned?" I asked, trying to hide my blushing cheeks.

"I need to finish up some stuff at the shop then I thought we could just find something to do," he winked.

Realizing I couldn't think of anything better to do than watching Axel work on a bike, his muscles taut and strained as he sweated… even now I have to fan myself just thinking about it.

We left the restaurant and I hopped on Axel's bike. I loved how he kept my helmet with him at all times, like he was always ready for me.

Once we arrived at the shop, I sat in an old metal chair near the back wall of the Ravens Clubhouse shop. A radio sat in the shop's small office, blaring an old AC DC song as two other guys were working on bikes too. The shop was small, but well taken care of. It was obvious this wasn't just a job for these men. No, this was a passion .

Now, as I sat watching Axel, I could tell I had made the right decision coming here. There was nothing sexier than a man working on a bike.

"Are you hungry?" Axel asked. He was bent over the front of the bike looking down at the engine, or some other part I didn't know the name of, as he talked to me. His butt, which was nicely in my vision, looked perfect as his form moved around the bike.

"Starving," I sighed, licking my lips. There were a few things I would like to take a bite out of here.

"She looks thirsty to me," Axel's brother, Drake called.

I couldn't believe he had caught me staring at Axel and was throwing shade my way.

Noticing my stare, Axel looked over at me and laughed as he grabbed a wrench and started twisting parts. A naughty twinkle in his eye told me I was not as sneaky as I thought I had been. He shook his head as he began to talk. "You know; I see you checking me out. What, do you have a thing for bike mechanics?" he asked, slowly sauntering over to me, wiping his hands on a rag he had in his pocket.

Trying to hide my embarrassment, I could feel my cheeks flushing as he moved slowly toward me. He had caught me.

"Just looking," I teased.

"Sure," he laughed, as he threw the dirty towel at me.

Kicking it away, I jumped. I was wearing a very expensive pair of light jeans and did not need grease stains ruining them. "Hey, I don't want to get dirty," I squealed, as Axel came after me, ready to attack .

He picked me up in his arms and began swinging me around as I kicked and screamed with delight.

"So, you work security for the clubhouse, work at the bar, and now you work as a mechanic. Is there anything you don't do?" I ask.

I am so impressed with how hard Axel works. Most people look at these guys and think they are just a bunch of arrogant, cocky assholes. When really, they are sweet, caring, hardworking guys.

"You two lovebirds stop that," one of the guys yelled, from underneath the car he was working on. "If you break something, I am kicking Axel's ass," he grumbled.

Still laughing, Axel put me down and held up his hands, showing me he was surrendering. Fixing my shirt and my hair, I shouldered past him while giving him a sly smile.

***

Hours later, Axel and I stumbled into my empty apartment. With Lacy gone with Drake, the place felt empty. Axel and I were laughing about a comedy we had just watched. We had stopped to watch a movie and get another drink before returning back to my place. The sounds of our laughter filled the empty space.

Holding onto one another, we lost our balance and began to tumble onto the couch. Axel turned so that he fell first, his back bouncing off my soft sofa. I landed against his rock-hard chest with a thud, but my laughter softened the blow. As our faces came mere inches apart, our eyes locked and I could see the wildfire blazing inside his eyes. He was drinking me in and I was about to give him a taste.

Suddenly, our laughter subsided and the mood in the room swiftly shifted from fun to dark and heavy. Axel and I had been pretty hot and heavy since becoming official. I have been in committed relationships before, but with Axel, everything felt different.

I felt different.

Axel leaned his head up and I could feel his hot and heavy breaths against my quivering lips. The bulge in his pants rubbed against my sensitive area and I could feel my body tingle with desire.

"Ivy," he breathed. That one simple word said so much and had so much meaning. Something told me tonight would be more than just wild and lust filled sex. We were ready to make love. I allowed my head to fall closer to his and just as our lips were about to collide, a pounding against my front door startled us both.

"What the hell?" Axel yelled, as my door burst open.

Standing in front of us was Blaze, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Don't you answer your phone?" Axel yelled, as he stood in my doorway.

"What is going on?" I asked, my eyes darting between the brothers.

Axel helped me stand and I noticed as he shifted himself to hide his hard-on .

"I have been trying to call you for an hour. Someone caught the bar on fire," Blaze said, his voice shaking as he spoke. " is leaving work now to come and see what we need."

My heart sank to the pits of my stomach as his words sank in. Their bar was on fire?

"What are you talking about?" Axel yelled, as he reached into his pocket for his phone.

I did the same and retrieved my phone from the purse I had dropped when we stumbled into my apartment. We both had several missed calls and texts.

Shit, this was bad.

Axel ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace the floor. I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Everything will be ok," I said, even though I wasn't sure if it would be.

"Axel, we need to get to the bar. Drake is there and Ryder is on his way. He should get here later tonight," Blaze said as he turned to leave.

We followed closely behind him and I could feel Axel shaking in my arms. I grabbed his hand and held on, letting him know I was here and wouldn't leave his side. I may not be someone's ‘old lady' like those classic biker movies portray, but I am a committed girl who is a ride or die chick.

Jumping onto his bike, Axel handed me my helmet and we took off speeding through the streets. The smell of smoke filled the air and a sense of dread hung heavy over us. The night sky had a haze to it and I knew it must be from the fire .

Flashing red and yellow lights met us as we turned the corner for the street where the bar was located. Fire Trucks, police cruisers, and what looked like hundreds of bikes were scattered all along the road. After quickly parking, Axel ran to the scene with me quickly in tow.

"What the hell happened?" Axel screamed as he fell to his knees.

Dropping next to him, I held his head in my hands as he cried. I couldn't hold back my tears either. The bar was completely destroyed. All that was left was the outside brick walls, a shell of a building that housed so many memories for the Raven Boys.

I held Axel as he yelled, screamed, and cursed. He was broken and angered and with each emotion he projected, I felt myself taking on his hurt too. I couldn't believe this was happening.

After a few minutes, a police officer came over to talk with the guys. He had politely given them time to grieve before questioning.

"I am so sorry about your loss. This bar has been a positive staple in this community for years. We have always appreciated the world the bikers who called this place home have done for our veterans. I know you are upset, but I need to ask if you would have any idea how this could happen?" the officer questioned.

Even he looked distraught by the smoldering ashes in front of us. It was true, over the time that I had gotten to know Axel and his brothers I had learned that the Twisted Kingdom Clubhouse was more than just a bar. It was a home where men and women who rode motorcycles came to chat and catch up. It was a place where they would meet before escorting a fallen soldier or officers body to its final resting place. It was a place where the bikers would arrange cross-country road trips to raise money for local children's hospitals. It wasn't just a place to drink. It was a home. And now, it is gone.

"The building was really old. Maybe the wiring sparked the fire?" Blaze asked, as he stared into the smoke. stood by his side, tears streaming down her face.

The young officer shook his head. "Hasn't anyone told you?" he asked.

"Told us what?" I asked, my own curiosity and anger swirling.

Glancing at me the officer looked down at his pad of notes. "A group of men were seen running from the bar before people inside the bar called in the fire. Thankfully, everyone got out in time, but as you can see, it was destroyed."

I didn't need to ask any more questions. A gut-wrenching pain shot through me. Axel and Drake had been threatened by a lowlife and I wouldn't put it past him to do something like this. From what the guys had told me, Chuck was a bad guy. Not only was he brutal toward women, but he had spent several years in prison on assault and robbery charges. He was a menace to the biker name.

"Fuck," Axel yelled out. "I am going to kill those bastards," he stated, as he looked over at Blaze.

Raging, Blaze pulled out his phone and began texting someone.

"Hold on boys," the officer said, raising his arms to calm the situation. "We don't have a suspect yet. Let us investigate this and interview the witnesses. Don't try to solve this mess yourselves," he warned .

Axel only stood there, his fists clenched at his sides. His jaw tensed and I could see the anger building in his eyes. He was beyond mad, this had become personal. Suddenly, fear began to settle within me and I was afraid for Axel. I had seen his anger take control once before. The last thing I wanted was for Axel to hurt Chuck and be taken away from me.

Turning to him, I cupped his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. "Axel, please. I know this is bad but don't go do anything that would take you away from me," I cried.

Axel's eyes met mine as he leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Ivy, I just lost the last piece of my father and grandfather that I had left. My family and memories just burned to ashes. This is war," he said as he let go of my hands and forced me to step away from him.

Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to breathe. He couldn't walk away right now. He needed me. I needed him.

"Axel," I cried, begging him to stop.

He began to run to his bike, ignoring my calls for him.

"Blaze, you have to stop him," I yelled, grabbing Blaze by the arm.

"Blaze, you can't let him do anything stupid. Think about what we went through," pleaded with him.

I had heard stories about what Blaze and went through and hopefully, Blaze could stop Axel.

Shaking his head, no, Blaze turned to me with sad eyes. "We can't let Chuck get away with this," he said as he ran over to his bike .

The two brothers sidled up together and nodded at one another. As Axel jumped on his bike and kicked the stand back, he turned to look at me one last time.

"I love you, Ivy," he said, as the bike roared to life and then he was gone.

I was left standing in the dark street, a heavy smoke hanging around my body as the man I love drove away.