Title: Angels in Leather
Author: Bella Jewel
Expected Release Date: February 15, 2014
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Synopsis
A girl on the run.
Her father gave her one task before he died. To deliver a package.
Now she has the baddest biker in the state after her.
He wants what she's got.
Secrets in both the past and the present threaten to destroy what she
is working so hard for.
He threatens to ruin her heart.
Two worlds will collide to make something explosive.
Chapter 1
Unedited and subject
to change.
You
can run but you can’t hide,
I
know what lies deep inside.
I
lower my glasses and rush across the road, head down, hoodie covering my head
and face. A small woman standing outside of the door, watches at me as I dart
around behind the gas station, backpack tightly wrapped around my shoulders,
clipped at the front. My sneakers are worn, and they squeak on the pavement as
I scurry into the ladies toilets. I rush into the small, crappy room, kicking
in the doors, and when I realize it’s empty, I lower my hood.
My
long blonde hair tumbles out when I remove the cap from my head that was
sitting firmly under my hoodie. It’s my usual look these days. Jeans, sneakers,
singlet top, hoodie and a cap. It’s the easiest look to disguise who I am when
I’m forced to get out in public. I lower my face, and turn on the tap, filling
my hands with water and splashing it on my skin. I close my eyes, letting the
cool feeling calm my nervous, frightened body.
They’ve
found me.
It’s
only the third time Axel Wraithe has managed to catch up with me in just over a
year, which isn’t bad considering he’s got sources and I don’t.
He’s
the President of the MC club Angel’s In Leather, and he’s been chasing me since
the moment my father sent me running with a case containing information on USB
Drives. I’ve never plugged the drives in to see what’s on them. Whatever is,
though, I imagine is extremely important. They wouldn’t be chasing me like
this, if it wasn’t important.
Axel
wouldn’t have let his men kill my father if it wasn’t something he needed.
Would
he?
I
still don’t know what went down that day, all I know is that whatever my father
has in this case, Axel wants. Axel and my father used to be best friends, until
my father started up his MC club Joker’s Runners, and they had a falling out.
They became sworn enemies, and were constantly at war, but more often then not,
it was kept at a certain limit. Then that one day, it went over.
I
found out after I started running that the Angel’s In Leather took out the
Joker’s Runners in a war that stopped the entire town just after my father
died. They were looking for the case. The case I’ve been running with for just
over a year. The case that’s clearly been more important than anything else
that’s come up in that time, because Axel hasn’t stopped looking for me.
Which
means I haven’t rested.
There
have been times I’ve wanted to just give in and let him take it from me, but
then I think of my father’s face the day he died in the front of our SUV, and
the desperation when he made me promise to run, and deliver this case. If I let
him down…I’ll never live happily. This is my mission, and sadly, it’s become my
life. I don’t have anything else. Without this…I’m nothing. I have nothing…no
one.
I
am struggling to find this Raide fellow, without recoursces, it’s very hard to
locate him, and until I do I can’t stop. So here I am, in a women’s bathroom,
trying to calm myself down and figure out a way to escape Axel a third time
around. He’s not an easy man to escape. He’s a god damned genius and he’s
managing to get closer and closer to me no matter what I do. I have to think of
something new. Maybe I’ll cut all my hair off and dye it red, or purple,
something crazy.
I
pat my face dry with my sleeve, and stare in the mirror at the empty blue eyes
looking back at me. Most girls my age would be out partying, being in love,
enjoying their life, their jobs, their friends….but me, I’m running, living a
criminal life that I never chose. On the rare days I get where I manage to
relax, I find myself imagining what it would be like to just be normal.
I
shake my head. It’s never going to happen.
I
hear the distinct rumble of Harley Davidson’s outside, and I know they’ve
stopped. I feel my palms become clammy, and my heart speeds up. I have to get
out of here and into the trees behind the gas station. They’re thick and lush,
and I can run for miles through them. The problem is getting out. This was the
closest place I could find to gather myself, and it took Axel a matter of
minutes to locate me. It’s never a coincidence with him. Never.
I
swallow, and lift my hair up onto the top of my head again, tucking it under my
cap. I pull my hoodie back over and grip the straps that are sitting around my
waist. My bag is strapped on as good as I can get it, because I don’t want it
to be taken from me. If it gets taken, then all this has been a waste of time
for me…and my father.
I
pull my sunglasses down over my eyes, and I peer out the window. And there he
is. I feel my body tingle with fear as I lay my eyes on Axel. He’s standing out
the front of the gas station, speaking to the young woman, flashing a photo at
her. I know it’s a photo of me. She nods, and points to the bathrooms. God
dammit. Axel lifts his head, and his eyes turn in my direction.
I
gasp.
The
years…they’ve been kind to him. The last few times he got close to me, it
wasn’t close enough for me to get a good look at him. To see how the years have
changed his face.
Axel
Wraithe is a gorgeous man, he always has been, but he’s got a heart of steel. I
remember as a little girl, in the years before he and my father had a falling
out, I used to think he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever met. He was
just a young man back then, but he had the kind of face that women would drool
over. Now…now he’s older, and more defined, and even more breathtaking.
He
has this thick black hair that sits messily on his head. His body is huge, tall
and well built, yet unlike most bikers, not covered in tattoos. He has a few,
but not many. His shoulder’s put most body builders to shame. His eyes are the
color of turquoise water, and are the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s got a
few days growth of stubble on his face, and his ears are filled with silver
hoops.
His
body is covered in all black clothes. Large, chunky black boots. Black jeans. A
black shirt covered with his black jacket, with, what I know, has a large angel
surrounded in fire on the back. Their club’s patch. He wears chains around his
neck and leather bands around his wrists, hanging off his jeans, he has silver
chains, topping off his look.
Axel
is about forty years old, and while he was my father’s best friend, he was ten
years younger than him. They met a few years after my parents had me. I know my
father helped him out of some bad things, and felt a connection to him. Things
went well right up until I was about ten, and that’s when my father created his
club and he and Axel had a massive falling out.
I
never saw Axel again…until the night he saved my life.
Now,
he’s standing, staring at the bathroom’s, a small, deadly smirk on his face.
Sweat trickles down my face as I turn, peering around the bathroom for an
escape. There’s a small, narrow window above the far toilet. It’s not locked,
and I could squeeze out of it with enough effort. I glance back out the window
and see Axel still staring at the bathroom, nodding to the lady as she speaks.
I
have minutes.
My
adrenalin spikes as I rush towards the toilet. I peer up at the window, and use
the toilet and basin to launch myself upwards. I take hold of the window sill
and use my free hand to rattle the window. It’s rusty, but it dislodges itself
easily enough. I shove it out, and it lands with a crash on the ground. My
heart begins to hammer.
I
unclip my backpack, there’s no way I can get through with it on my back. I peer
out the window, and when I see it’s clear, I shove the bag through and let it
drop down onto the ground. That’s when I hear the rattling on the toilet’s main
door. My heart lurches and I feel my jaw begin to tremble.
“Meadow,
you didn’t honestly think you could hide in a toilet, did you?”
Axel’s
voice has me freezing, but only for a split second. I’ve been running long
enough now to know how to keep myself from freezing for long enough to cause a
problem. I lift my leg up and try to be as quiet as possible as I jump three
times, and shove my body through the small gap. I lose my balance when I push
through too hard, and land on the dirt the other side with a thump. I roll,
gripping my bag and throwing it on quickly, before leaping to my feet.
And
there he is.
I
scream and leap backwards as he appears around the side of the building. Up
close, he’s powerful, huge and dominating. He has a tattoo of a bird on his
neck, and it seems to be staring at me, taunting me. I lift my eyes to meet his,
and I gasp softly. Beauty, it just doesn’t cover what he is. He can’t be
classed as beautiful. There is only one word I could ever use to describe him,
and that is…devastating.
“Hello
Cricket,” he purrs, using a nickname for me that he used to use when I was a
little girl. “Long time, no see.”
I
swallow, and grip my backpack. “Axel.”
He
smiles, showing me a row of perfect, white teeth. Two dimples appear in his
cheeks. “And here I was thinking you’d forgotten about me, I mean, you’ve been
running for me now for…what has it been, Cricket? Over a year?”
“One
year, three months and six days,” I whisper, shuffling backwards.
He
chuckles. “And you know I was going to catch up to you eventually, so we could
have avoided all this if you had just given me what I wanted back then.”
I
don’t say anything, I just grip my backpack straps tighter, and let my eyes
dart around behind my sunglasses to look for a way out. I see a thick mass of
trees behind him, probably about fifty meters. If I could get to them, I could hide
myself…I also see a pile of rusty metal poles in the corner, leaning against
the wall. I turn my body slightly toward them, and begin very slowly backing
up. Axel steps forward, suddenly gripping the side of my face. His other hand
grips my backpack. I snarl and shove, pushing hard enough to get him to let go.
He stands back with a smirk.
“Don’t
touch me!” I hiss.
His
smirk widens. “Nice disguise you have there, but you know, when you live in a
disguise, people start looking for it. Should have changed it, Cricket.”
“Don’t
call me that,” I growl, gripping the straps on my backpack even tighter.
“Take
off your hoodie, Meadow,” he rasps. “Let me see you. Let me see the girl who
has fucked my life up for the past year. It’s been so long, hasn’t it? Last time
I saw those baby blue eyes, you were jumpin’ off a bridge tryin’ to end your
life.”
I
flinch and anger builds in my chest.
I
let go of my backpack and grip my sunglasses and I pull them off, then I lower
my hoodie and rip my cap off. I want him to see me. I want him to look into my
eyes and see the determination there. He won’t beat me, it doesn’t matter how
hard he tries – I’ll try harder. I lift my face and I stare him right in the
eyes. And it’s because of that, I notice his reaction.
His
body flinches, only just barely, and his eyes widen. He hasn’t seen me since
that awful night. Our interaction after that, was done with me being fully
covered. I stand on trembling legs as he takes me in, letting his eyes move
over my body. I notice when he narrows his eyes, that he has small lines beside
his eyes, the only indication of his age.
“Well
fuck me, Cricket. You grew up and became a knock out, and here you are, wastin’
it by runnin’ when all you have to do, is give me what I want and you can go on
your way. Wouldn't it be nice to be a normal girl?”
“Do
you think I’m stupid?” I say, trying to stop my voice from trembling.
He
glares at me. “You are fuckin’ stupid, because you’ve been wastin’ your time
running for me for the past year.”
“And
I’ll continue running from you, Axel. I won’t stop. And if you think I’m going
to fall for your promises of freedom for me if I hand over the goods, then you
know nothing about me. I’ve lived with bikers before, remember? I’ve seen the
promises made. You’ll not get your hands on me…”
His
eyes harden and he takes a step forward. I brace myself to run.
“Is
that so? Funny, because you’re the one trapped against a toilet wall with no
where to go.”
“Again,”
I whisper, reaching around behind me and gripping the long metal poles I’ve
been edging closer to. “You don’t know me, if you knew me, you’d know that I
know what I’m doing by now, and no one traps me against a wall.”
I
swing the pole. His body moves to block it, but it hits his hands so hard he
goes reeling back with a roar. I swing it again, connecting with his kneecaps.
When he drops to the ground, I run. It’s one thing I do know how to do. I put
my head down, my arms by my side and I run as fast as I can move.
I
hear Axel’s bellow, and I know he’s calling for his men. I have seconds. I hit
the trees just as I hear the shouts beginning to grow louder behind me. I skid
to my left, running through a narrow set of tall trees, in an attempt to get
into the thicker shrubs. My sneakers crunch, and I know there’s no way I can
pull this off quietly, but I will pull it off.
I
hear the sounds of boots crunching in the distance, and I have no doubt Axel
has his entire group of men spreading out to chase me. My adrenalin spikes, and
I pick up my face, ignoring the sweat pouring down my face, or the branches
scratching into my skin. I won’t let him beat me now, not after everything I’ve
fought for.
I
pick up my pace when I come to a clearing, running hard and fast. It’s never
good to be caught in a clearing, I’ve learned that. I put my head down, and run
as hard as I can. I can hardly breathe through my panting, it’s so intense. The
sweat begins to fill my eyes and it burns. I blink rapidly, lifting my hand to
swipe it quickly across, trying to remove some of it. It only makes it worse.
“Stop,
Meadow, do yourself a favor!” Axel bellows.
I
look over my shoulder to see him and six other men running towards me. My
adrenalin spikes and I focus my attention in front of me. The only thing I can
see is a large river off what looks like a small ledge. My heart skitters. Can
I jump off that?
“Stop
now and I’ll make it easier for you.”
I
don’t have a choice.
I
have to jump.
I
run to the edge, and skid to a stop as I look down at the flowing water. My
entire body stiffens and my breath hitches. Memories of that night on the
bridge flash through my mind. My skin begins to prickle, and it becomes even
harder to breathe. It’s not the same, you can swim now and the water is nice,
clear and safe. You won’t die. You just have to get over the other side.
“She
won’t jump,” I hear Axel yell.
“Hurry
it up!” someone else bellows.
I
hear the sound of boots crunching coming closer. God, if they get hold of me
now, all this has been for nothing. I stare down at the water, and goosebumps
break out over my skin. I can’t breathe, I can hardly concentrate. I know
they’ll get me any moment. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Promise
me, Meadow…”
My
father’s words spring back into my mind and I know I have to do this. So,
without opening my eyes, I jump. It happens in what feels like slow motion, my
entire body plummets to the water below. I hit it flat on my stomach, knocking
the wind out of me. I sink quickly, even though I can swim now, the panic has
my body stiffening in fear.
I
begin to struggle.
My
backpack is too heavy.
I
shake my head from side to side, keeping my mouth clamped shut, kicking my legs
as hard as I can. I feel a set of hard arms go around me, and I sieze. I’m
slowly being pulled to the surface, on that surface I’ll be taken somewhere I
don’t want to go. At the realization of that, I start kicking harder, until I
hit the person holding me.
When
I surface, I gasp a breath of air in, and I kick hard towards the other side. I
hear Axel’s crackled voice sound out behind me. “Stop fuckin’ running Cricket,
we’re not going to keep doing this.”
Oh
yes we are.
I
kick harder, using everything inside me to get to the other side. I reach the
bank and launch myself up, gripping the sides with my hands. I’m about to pull
my body up, when those arms go around me again and yank me back down. With a
scream, I go crashing back into the water. Axel has me, and he spins my body
around so I’m facing him. Up close I can see his eyes, and I hate that he makes
my heart flutter.
I’m
supposed to hate him.
“Quit
this fuckin’ bullshit and just give in.”
“No,”
I growl, shoving at his chest.
“I
won’t play this game with you any longer, Cricket. If I have to, I will hurt
you.”
I
lean in close. “Does it look like I care?”
He
growls and pins me tighter against his body. When I’m this close to him, and my
body is pressing against his, I can feel every part of him. His powerful form
is twice the size of mine, and a good solid foot taller. His arms tighten
around me, and I know I have to think quickly. I stare up at him, meeting those
devastating eyes.
“Please,”
I whisper. “Don’t do this to me.”
His
eyes soften a touch, but only a touch. “Then give me what I want.”
I’m
playing, only he doesn’t know it.
“I
cared about you Axel, can’t you just remember that and let me go. Remember how
once, you cared for me too.”
He
shakes his head. “Nice try, Cricket. It ain’t gonna work.”
I
let my eyes fill with fake tears. “He was all I had left and you took him from
me, now you’re going to take the last of him and leave me with what?”
He
narrows his gaze. “You’ll find a way, that’s what strong people do.”
“No,
Axel, that’s what you would do. I’m not you.”
“Girl
I knew wouldn’t have a problem being that strong.”
“I’m
not the girl you once knew, I grew up, Axel. Or hadn’t you noticed?”
I
press myself harder against him and he growls. I want to lean up and kiss him,
I can smell his masculine scent and it’s killing me that it’s affecting my
control. I realize I’m staring at his lips, and I quickly turn away, biting
mine.
“Stop
fuckin’ doin’ that,” he murmurs.
I
look back up at him, and slowly I lean up so my lips just graze his ear. I’m
having him on, I need to escape, but my body is betraying me, because it’s
enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. “Doing what?” I murmur.
“Fuckin’
hell, stop,” he growls.
I
let a warm puff of air tickle his neck, and then I lean down, and I bite him so
hard I draw blood. His bellow of pain as he reels backwards is enough to let me
know it fucking hurt. I spin quickly, not looking back. I launch up onto the
bank, and without stopping, I run into the line of trees.
“I’ll
fuckin’ find you, Willow,” Axel roars. “Mark my fuckin’ words.”
I
have no doubt he will.
But
like always, I’ll find a way to escape him.
I
always do.
Author Bio
Bella Jewel is an
Aussie girl through and through. She spent her life in Western Australia,
growing up in many different areas of the state. She now currently lives in
Perth with her husband, children and mass amounts of pets. She's crazy, fun,
outgoing and friendly. Writing is her passion, she started at the young age of
18 but finally got the courage up to publish, and her first novel Hell's
Knights was released in August 2013.
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