Axel (Reapers MC #17) - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,1

drugs. She’s not a good person. She has issues and she lets those demons overrun her life.”

“The money I’m giving your mother doesn’t even matter. I have something set up to take care of you when you turn twenty-five, which far surpasses the money I’ve given her. Everyone has demons, Rosa. When you’re an adult you’ll understand.”

“Maybe, but I highly doubt I’ll be doing drugs.”

“Never say never,” he murmurs under his breath and I’m not even surprised. This is the guy who snaps and says the stupidest shit whenever he gets upset.

I shake my head, knowing he won’t be doing anything except shipping me back to my mother. “You don’t give a crap about me either. What you care about is your precious contraband getting across the border,” I seethe.

Within an instant, he’s risen from his chair and he’s wrapped a hand around my throat. He proceeds to shove me against the wall and his nostrils flare. If anything’s for certain, I got my temper from him. “How dare you say such things. You are my blood, Rosa, but no one speaks to me in this manner, not even my own daughter.”

“If you’re going to send me anywhere, send me to Uncle Alejandro. He’ll take me in, and he won’t treat me like my mother does. I’m fifteen, almost sixteen. I’m not a child and I have a voice, a voice that needs to be heard. I can go to Canada and live with him and Leti and—”

“Enough!” he roars, slamming the wall beside my head he releases my neck and walks away from me. “You act as if you know what’s going on, Rosa, but you don’t. You are a child. You don’t understand how the world works yet and for your own sake I hope you don’t have to know for a long time. I hope my position will protect you from the cruelty of it all.” He grows quiet and shakes his head, sits back down in his chair and picks up his glass of tequila sitting on the table next to his chair. He’s always drinking tequila, calls it the cure, the way to settle any problem.

In actuality, I think all alcoholics say that type of crap.

“What are you going to do with me?” I question, wanting some sort of answer. I need to know my fate so I can do whatever I need to ensure I won’t go back to my mother. I don’t want to be around her and I’ll do anything to stay away from her.

After taking a sip of tequila, he stares at me dead in the eyes and for the first time today I believe he’s being honest. “I don’t know, mija. I don’t fucking know.”

Chapter One

No matter how much you revisit the past there is nothing new to see

~ The Love Bits

Axel

“Bet you’ll be happy to get out of this cramped little thing,” I say to my brother, Grim, lookin’ around the trailer his ol’ lady was renting before they got together. Since they’ve been an item, Grim’s been living here with her and her three daughters. Natalie, his ol’ lady is pregnant with his baby now and they’re finally startin’ to talk about moving into somethin’ a bit bigger.

“Yeah, I will, just need to make sure we can get everything sorted to get a nice modular put up on the property at the club before the baby’s born. Zane already gave me the go ahead and everything.”

I nod, confirming I heard him. “That’s fuckin’ great, man. So, you need help with anythin’ or whatever?” I’m sure there’s a shit ton to get started on, but I know nothing about construction. I mean, I could build a damn bird house if the kids wanted to do a project like that, but I’m not versed enough to build a deck or any advanced shit like that.

“Only help I need is figurin’ out how the fuck I’m gonna get a loan.” Grim scratches the back of his head and leans his neck against the back of the couch. “Banks don’t exactly give loans out easily, you know?”

“How much money you need?” I have a little bit saved up, so if I can help them I will. It’s what family does after all, and we’re family. Ruby, Grim, and I all share the same deadbeat father. Our dad was shit, but fuck our moms were the best, they banded together and made sure we always had a relationship growin’ up. Even Grim and