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 tight as I can get it, because I don’t want it to be taken from me. If that 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. Goddammit. Axel lifts his head, and he turns his eyes in my direction.

I gasp.

Axel Wraithe is a gorgeous man. He always has been, but he’s got a heart of steel. I remember as a young 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’ skin, it’s not covered in tattoos. He has a few, but not many.

His shoulders 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 that 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 thirty-two years old, and while he was my father’s friend, he was younger than him. Axel is ten years older than me, but even when I was just a young girl at ten, and he was twenty, we always got along. He was so carefree back then, so beautiful. Now he’s a monster with eyes that make you want to shrink inside yourself with fear.

He’s deadly.

He’s standing, staring at the bathrooms, with an empty expression on his face. Sweat trickles down my face as I turn, peering around the room 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 front 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 windowsill, and use my free hand to rattle the glass pane. 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 drop.

“Hiding in a toilet won’t stop me from finding you, Meadow.”

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 growls, using the nickname for me he used when I was a little girl. “Long time, no see.”

I swallow, and grip my backpack. “Axel.”

He smiles, but it’s empty. There’s something missing in his eyes, something that got taken from him a long time ago. Something that turned his heart into ice. “And here I was thinking you’d forgotten about me. I mean, you’ve been running from me now for...how long has it been?”

“One year, three months and six days,” I whisper, shuffling backwards.

His eyes pin mine, even though I’m wearing sunglasses, and they’re so intense I struggle to hold his gaze. “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 tighten my fingers around my pack straps, 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 wraps around my backpack.

“We’ll not continue to fucking play this game, Cricket,” he hisses, jerking me hard.

I bring my leg up, hitting him in the thigh. He snarls and steps backwards, shoving me as he goes. I stumble back into the wall with a wince. He crosses his big arms, and he looks like he’s trying to control his panting. Suddenly he doesn’t look beautiful anymore, instead, he disgusts me. His eyes burn into mine, and I know it’s taking all his strength not to throw me down and tie me up. Both of us know that in a place like this, he’ll never get me away.

“Don’t call me that, and we will continue to play this for as long as I need,” I growl, clenching my fists.

My body is trembling inside, and I’m getting hot in this hoodie. I want to lower it, but at the same time, I don’t want him seeing my face. Not now. I feel myself becoming flustered, though, and I know I don’t have a choice. If I pass out, he wins. And he needs to know that, no matter how hard he fights, I’ll fight harder.

“Why don’t you lower the hoodie, Meadow?” He purrs, but it’s in no way sexy. “Let me see you. It’s been a long time. Don’t you at least have the guts to look me in the eye?”

The asshole is challenging me. Straightening my shoulders, I decide I’ll let him see me, so he can see what kind of damage he’s doing to a young, innocent girl.

I take hold of my sunglasses and I pull them off, then I lower my hoodie and rip my cap off. The breeze feels cool; I was so hot. I inhale deeply, needing to feel the fresh air filling my lungs. I turn my eyes to Axel, and he’s staring at me, his face expressionless. I thought I saw a glimmer of something in them, but right away they’re hard again.

“Well haven’t you grown up,” he leers, letting his gaze travel slowly down my body and back up again. “Filled out real nice.”

Pig.

I cross my arms, giving him a hard stare.

“Are we goin’ to stand here all fuckin’ day, or are you goin’ to give me what I need?”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” I say, trying to stop my voice from trembling.

He glares at me, and his jaw ticks. “You are fuckin’ stupid, because you’ve been wastin’ your time running for me for the past year. I will get what I want; I always do.” His eyes crinkle, and a cruel smirk appears on his lips. “Just accept defeat graciously, like a lady. Give me the USB, and go back to living your life like a normal girl.”

“You know nothing about me, Axel. I’ll never be a normal girl. And if you think I’m going to believe your promises of freedom, you’re wrong. I’ve been around bikers before, remember my father? The one you killed? I know how it all works. I won’t let you get your hands on me, not now, not ever.”

He flinches at the mention of my father, and his eyes harden. He takes a step forward. I brace myself to run.

“Smart mouth for a girl trapped against a toilet wall with nowhere to go.”

“Again,” I say meekly, 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 pace, ignoring the sweat pouring down my face, and 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.