Perceive by K E Osborn

 

 

AXEL

 

As I pace back and forth in the waiting room of the emergency room at the hospital, all I want is for the damn doctor to come out and tell us something. Hell, I’d take any fucking news over this damn silence.

Kenzi’s migraine got worse, so she’s sleeping it off on the two-seater loveseat, while the rest of the SO7 and my mom and dad pack the area looking like a mob of angry bystanders. Jack is on his way, in fact, he should be here any second. I need to inform him and the team about what Kenzi told me, but I want to tell them all together. It’s vital information, and if she’s correct, then all our suspicions could be confirmed.

With heavy steps, I pace back and forth, feeling this impending doom swallowing me. I might have Kenzi back, but what the hell kind of life would this be without my older brother. The guy always on my back, the man pushing me to be better, to be the man I was born to be. The days I wanted to give up the fight and give in, he was there reminding me why I was searching. He was always there waiting for the day I would find Kenzi.

Ruin was as much a part of this as I was. One of us was always going to end up taking a bullet for her. But if he dies, then that’s on me because I should have been watching her. I left her in that damn kitchen when I should have known better. Me, of all people, know how tenacious Kenzi is. There’s no way she would’ve stayed in there when the people she cares about are out there fighting for her. I guess I just underestimated her—the new her. Maybe the old her is still in there. Well, parts of her. It might not be coming back in memory, but she’s still in there in spirit, and that’s why she came out.

To fight.

Like the badass she is.

I should’ve known better.

If I did, I would’ve been by her side and been the one protecting her.

My feet stomp harder than necessary as my dad walks up halting my movements. “It’s not your fault, kid.”

With furrowed brows, I stop, looking at him. “What?”

“Ruin getting hurt is not on you. He threw himself in front of a friend because he loves her like we all do. Any one of us would have done what he did… including you. So, don’t go around thinking if you had done this or did that, then things would be different. We all needed to see her. We were having a great time. No one could have predicted that fucker would find her. Do not blame yourself. None of us do.”

“The clubhouse, Dad, it’s been ripped apart.”

He scoffs. “You think Jack isn’t gonna pick up the tab for that?” He chuckles.

“You’re lucky Jack is a standup sonofabitch. And yes, The Agency will pick up the tab for the renovations of the clubhouse. Kace already spoke to me about it. As for Rix finding out where you were, that’s another matter we need to discuss,” Jack blurts out walking with purposeful strides toward us all.

An angry expression crosses his features, and I tense upon seeing my boss.

He’s furious.

And I don’t blame him.

“SO7, a word,” he instructs, pulling us to a quiet section of the waiting room. I fold my blood-stained arms over my chest waiting for Jack’s verbal onslaught.

“Axel, this was a shitshow.” I wanna throw back a ‘no shit,’ but I keep my mouth shut. “This is a little exercise in why we don’t let informants out before their due time. Because word gets out and their captors come searching…” His eyes turn darker if that’s even possible. “I don’t know how the hell Hendrix found her. I honestly don’t care, but we have a hell of a mess to clean up, and when the local PD is involved, they start asking damn questions. Even when Kace showed his badge, they still want to know what the fuck special agents are doing here. This is going to take more to clean up than you fuckers realize.”

“At least he didn’t get Kenzi in the process,” I cut back.

Jack lets out a loud laugh. “Yeah, because that’s all that matters when millions of dollars of infrastructure is torn to shreds and lives hang in the balance…” With a deep breath he continues, “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Cruise, because this woman is becoming a headache for The Agency—”

“Dad!” Kace cuts Jack off.

As Jack exhales, I grind my teeth together. “Look, all I’m saying is that this fight cost us. It may cost us dearly if Ruin doesn’t pull through, and we’re nowhere closer to getting Hendrix on a leash than we were. In fact, we may have pushed him further away. The girl hasn’t even given us anything useful to work with… no leads, nothing.”

Cracking my neck to the side, I exhale. “That’s not entirely accurate.”

They all spin to me, raising their eyebrows. “If you’re holding out on us, Axel, so help me God,” Jack grunts out.

“She’s only just told me. Something Rix said to her jogged her memory.”

“Well?”

“When she was in her cell at The Agency, she was paid a visit by one of our guys. He tried to attack her. She fought him off, but he called her Mac… only Hendrix’s men call her that.”

Jack folds his arms over his chest. “Who was it?”

“She said he called her, little lady.”

“Motherfucker… Brandon!” Tanner grumbles under her breath.

Jack huffs. “We all know Brandon is a wild card. But unless we have proof, we can’t do shit. We need to draw him out. We will think of something. If he’s working for Hendrix, then he’s definitely playing the field of options. We know things don’t add up whenever Brandon is involved. So, I’ll do some digging and see what we can come up with.”

I nod. “Thank you, Jack.”

He grumbles under his breath something unintelligible, then finishes with, “Don’t thank me, thank Kenzi if something comes through.”

He’s giving me whiplash. First, he’s against her, now he’s for her. Man needs a stiff drink or something else right now.

“She’s already come through, now we’re the ones who have to find the dirt.”

Jack nods, seeming to be calming down a little. “It’s been a huge day. We all need to be here for Ruin… if he pulls through.”

“He’s going to be just fine,” someone calls out from behind us. We all turn to the doctor who’s walking over to Mom and Dad.

My heart slams against my chest wall as I take off, my feet don’t even feel like they hit the floor as I skid over to the doctor. He looks me over as I hear Kenzi murmur behind me.

“He has three entry points into his torso, but somehow, someone or something was watching over him. Every single bullet missed his major organs. He has some extensive tissue injuries, but we were able to repair the damage and remove the bullets and associated fragments. We also gave him some blood to help him along, but with time, he will make a full recovery.”

My head tips up to the sky, relief flooding through me as warmth finally fills my body. A pair of arms wrap around my waist, and I glance down to see Kenzi snuggling into my side. Smiling, I wrap myself around her, planting a tender kiss on the top of her head. It might be too much affection, but honestly, right now, I’m so fucking happy I don’t even care.

“Thank you, doctor! Thank you so fucking much,” Mom calls out, rushing forward, embracing the doctor. His eyes widen as he stands there like a stunned mullet, letting Mom hug him.

I let out a laugh.

“Let the man breathe, Jinxy…” Dad reaches forward. “Thank you, doctor, we really appreciate everything you’ve done for him. When can we take him home?”

“He will need some extensive recovery time. It’s best if he stays in the hospital for as long as possible while in recovery… I’d say at least three to six weeks.”

I widen my eyes as Dad shakes his head. “We have a doctor on staff at the club. If we have the place kitted out, can we bring him home sooner?”

The doctor grimaces. “He needs to stay in for at least one week. That’s non-negotiable, but after that, we can discuss his options as he heals. How does that sound?”

“Deal.”

My dad is making deals with the doctor, and it makes me snicker to myself.

But my brother is going to be okay.

And right now, that’s all that matters.

“Can we see him?” I ask.

“He can have two visitors at a time.”

I glance at Mom and Dad. “Go, take your time. We’ll be here when you get out.”

Mom leans in, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I love you, Axel.”

I smirk, rolling my eyes as they turn, rushing off with the doctor.

Kenzi smiles up at me. “He’s gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, he’ll be just fine… go back and rest. I have to talk to Jack for a second, but I’ll be right with you, okay?”

She hesitates glancing at Jack and the team, but then nods and walks back over to the loveseat and lying down on it.

I’m sure Jack can already sense something is coming as he crosses his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes on me. “I’m not going to like what comes out of your mouth next, am I?”

I glance over my shoulder at Kenzi, then back at Jack. “I know the shit that happened today was fucking crazy. I know Hendrix still being on the loose is problematic. But honestly, in all good conscience, after the shit Kenzi has seen today, I can’t let her go back to a cell after that.”

Kace goes to say something, but Jack holds up his hand to stop him. “You’re telling me, you want Kenzi to stay out in the open where Rix can come for another attack to claim her?”

This is gonna be a hard sell. “I’m saying… for her emotional well-being, she needs to be somewhere she feels safe. Protected. Somewhere we can all watch out for her.”

Jack snorts out a laugh. “And where is that exactly?”

A slow grin forms on Kace’s face. “Our street, more aptly, Axel’s home. If she stays with Axel, she has the rest of the SO7 in the neighboring houses to keep them safe.”

Kace is always so fucking smart.

Jack exhales like he’s thinking this through. “You want Kenzi to stay at your place tonight? That’s a little forward of you?”

I scowl. “Jack, c’mon… she needs someone to help her with all these emotions. The man she thought rescued her, tried to shoot her today. Then a man she’s supposed to have grown up with nearly died for her. She is going to be feeling all kinds of mixed-up ways… that’s it, nothing more.”

Jack turns to Kace. “If we do this, you and the rest of the team are to be on guard the entire time. No one knows where the SO7 live, but if word got out, if Hendrix found out and came for her…”

Kace nods. “I know what it could mean. He won’t find out. No one else will know besides us that she’s coming home. That way if Brandon is a double agent, he can’t leak anything.”

Everyone nods in agreement.

Great.

Now comes the hard part.

Convincing Kenzi.