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.
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