Chapter 2

The compound looked like a fortress. High fences topped with razor wire surrounded a cluster of buildings. Guard towers stood at each corner. Men with guns patrolled the perimeter.

Axel's bike rumbled through the main gate. The other riders peeled off toward a large garage. He kept going, deeper into the compound.

"Welcome to hell," he said over his shoulder.

Ivy said nothing. Her arms ached from holding on for the past hour. Her dress was soaked through, clinging to her skin.

He stopped in front of a two-story building. Neon signs buzzed in the windows of what looked like a bar. Music and laughter spilled out into the night.

"Get off."

Ivy slid off the bike, her legs unsteady. Axel killed the engine and stood. He was taller than she'd realized. Built like a brick wall.

The bar doors swung open. Men in Black Vultures vests stumbled out, bottles in hand. They stopped when they saw Ivy.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" A man with a gray beard and gold teeth grinned at her. "She's a pretty little thing."

"Hands off, Bulldog." Axel's voice carried a warning.

"Relax, Prez. Just looking." Bulldog circled Ivy like a shark. "You gonna share with your brothers?"

"No." The word hit like a hammer. Final. Absolute.

Another man laughed. "Since when do you go soft, Axel? Usually you let us have our fun."

Axel stepped between them and Ivy. "She's mine. Anyone touches her answers to me."

"Yours?" A woman emerged from the bar. Blonde hair, leather pants, too much makeup. "Since when do you keep pets?"

"Since tonight, Candy." Axel grabbed Ivy's arm. "Move."

He pulled her toward the building. The others watched them go, whispering among themselves.

Inside, the place reeked of beer and cigarettes. Pool tables dominated the main room. Men played cards in dark corners. Everything was stained and worn.

Axel led her up a narrow staircase. The second floor was quieter. A long hallway lined with doors. He stopped at the last door, pulling out a key.

"This is where you'll stay." He shoved the door open. The room was small. A bed. A dresser. A single window with bars across it. Like a prison cell with furniture.

"There's a bathroom through that door. You'll find clothes in the dresser." He stepped back into the hallway. "Don't try to leave. There's nowhere to go."

"Wait." Ivy turned to face him. "What do you want from me?"

Something flickered in his eyes. Dark. Painful.

"What I want?" He stepped closer, backing her against the wall. "I want you to suffer the way my family suffered."

"I don't understand."

"You will." His hand pressed against the wall beside her head. "Your stepfather killed someone I loved. Someone who meant everything to me."

Ivy's breath caught. "My stepfather?"

"Thomas Reed. Lying, cheating, murdering piece of trash." Axel's voice was barely controlled rage. "He gunned down my brother in cold blood. Now I have his precious stepdaughter."

"He's not precious to me. He sold me tonight, remember?"

"Doesn't matter." Axel pushed away from the wall. "You're his blood. That's enough."

"I'm not his blood. He married my mother when I was sixteen. I barely know him."

"Not my problem."

He started to leave. Ivy grabbed his arm.

"Please. I had nothing to do with whatever happened to your brother."

He looked down at her hand on his arm. She jerked it back.

"You're right," he said quietly. "You had nothing to do with it. But you're here. And he's not. So you'll pay the price he should have paid."

"You're going to kill me?"

"Death would be too easy." He stepped into the hallway. "I'm going to break you. Piece by piece. Until there's nothing left."

The door slammed shut. A lock clicked.

Ivy stood frozen for a long moment. Then she ran to the window, pulling at the bars. They didn't budge.

She tried the door. Locked from the outside. She was trapped. In a room. In a compound. With a man who wanted to destroy her for something she didn't do.

She slid down the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. Tears came then. Hot and angry and helpless.

Somewhere in the building, a motorcycle roared to life. Then another. The sound faded as they rode away into the night.

Ivy wiped her eyes and looked around the room again. The dresser held men's clothes. Too big, but they were dry.

She changed out of her wet dress, rolling up sleeves and pant legs. The mirror showed a stranger looking back. Pale. Frightened. Lost. But alive.

Tomorrow she'd figure out how to escape. Tonight, she'd survive.

She curled up on the bed, still wearing the oversized clothes. The pillow smelled like leather and motor oil.

Outside her window, she could hear the compound settling into sleep. Voices fading. Engines quieting. In the distance, a wolf howled. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

Either way, Ivy knew she was in the middle of something dark and dangerous. And Axel Cross was just getting started.