Title: Angels
in Leather
Author: Bella
Jewel
Expected Release
Date: February 15, 2014
Model: Miles Logan
Photographer: Jennifer Tanner
Photography
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.</
span>
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.</
span>
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.</
span>
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.</
span>
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?”</
span>
“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.</
span>
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.</
span>
“Stop, Meadow, do yourself a favor!” Axel bellows.</
span>
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.”</
span>
“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.</
span>
“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.
About the Author
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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