Jax's X Game The Axelridge Series Book 2
Chapter 22

(Chapter song ‘Word Up' by Korn)

JAX

“Audrey, what’s happening?”

She grabs my jacket and pulls me down. “Shush. Stay down.”

“Audrey!” I grit quietly.

The door opens and I get a piece of what she obviously suspected.

“EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR NOW!!”

We dart across the floor on our knees to the lobby desk and both rise to peek over the counter. I count at least 30 men dressed in body armor with full autos. The front of the building has been blown up and they are ushering people out of the conference room and throwing them on their stomachs while they aim guns at them.

Security and body guards are dead on the floor.

A few more cover the office people who came out the stairwell. Now I get why she didn’t want to use the stairs.

“Lycans." She grinds under her breath.

“Damn it. Vinnie.” I look to her.

“Unfortunately.” She says.

“He’s robbing you for diamonds?” I question.

“No.” She turns back to the scene. “Jaxtium.”

“Jaxtium? What the hell is that?” I look at her with confusion.

“No time.” She breathes. She grabs my jacket and pulls me to follow her. “That hallway leads to the back of the conference room. Stay low.”

“Are you nuts?” I bark quietly at her back.

She flips her hair and glances at me. “A little, yes.”

She peeks around the counter and when she sees an opportunity, she motions for me to follow.

We crawl across the floor and I glance at the backs of the men in tactical gear. Where the hell did they get all that?

Once down the hall, we stand and run to the back. She stops at a door and keys in a password on a key pad. She opens the door and we walk in.

“MOVE! MOVE! GET YOUR ASS MOVING OR YOUR DEAD!”

We hear the orders from the lycans in the main theater as we enter back stage.

I walk around and see crates full of rocks. “What’s this?” I pick it up and it almost feels like lava rock. I look over the sparkling metal in it.

She comes over and takes the rock from me. “I’ll explain later. Right now, I need to save these people.”

“Audrey, they’re lycans. Not only are they armed to the teeth, but they’re stronger than us without backup.” I say as I pull out my phone. “I’m calling the complex.”

“Yes. Tell them to bring body bags.” She walks to the curtain and peaks through the slit.

“Unless you have a super wolf or an armory in this place, they won’t let you get 10 feet near them.” I say as I join her at the curtain.

“I can if I can get to that.” She points out the curtain and I pull it back.

I drop the phone and my face falls. My mouth goes small as I slowly turn my head to her. The silver mace stood on display, front and center, with lycans searching the glass box covering it, for a way in.

“You…You’re him?” I whisper.

“No, I’m not.” I wave him off. “It’s complicated to explain. Just…I need that mace. Can you distract them for me?”

I look out and count five in the room. I suck in my top lip. “You can use that thing?”

She nods. “I designed it.”

I whip my head to her. “You stole my blueprints!” I grit in hushed anger.

“Not stole…borrowed!” She argues.

“When? When you were here last? When, Audrey?” I glare at her.

“I’m not getting into this with you right now. Go…distract!” She shoos me.

“We are having a massive talk later.” I throw a finger in her face then turn to the stage.

I suck in a breath and dart out of the curtains.

“Hey…um…you guys know where the john is? I’ve been looking forever and I really need to drain the snake.” I smirk with my hands outstretched.

“GET HIM!” One yells and I bolt to the edge of the stage. I jump off and run to the aisle. One grabs me and I land a punch in his face. Another wraps his arms around me and I elbow his gut, spin around and crush his jewel with my knee. I swing a right to another guy and jump on the seats. I hop across the rows as they fire on me and jump down to the aisle. I duck as the bullets whiz past my head. I slam into the door, bullet pierce it. I can hear screaming on the other side. I open the door, it shuts behind me and I freeze.

“Hands behind your head, asshole.”

I slowly put my hands behind my head and smirk. “I was just here for the mini quiche.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He grabs my arm and tosses me to the group of hostages. He forces me to my knees and I wait.

The five lycans come out of the room and the door closes.

“Is it clean?” One asks.

“Yeah. He was the last.” One informs.

“Ok. Start loading.”

“Come on, Rey.” I grit as I hear the hostages whimper behind me.

If she doesn’t make a move soon…

Just as I thought that, the conference room door explodes.

“GET DOWN!” I yell to the hostages and we all hit the deck.

The mace flies into the room and hits three lycans. It carries them across the lobby and they hit the wall. The ball crushes their chests and they scream out in pain.

The mace rips out of their bodies and flies back into the dusty hole.

I watch carefully as a white boot steps out. White leather legs follow along with a white leather jacket. My face falls as I stare into a blacked out visor on a white bike helmet. She’s holding the mace in white gloved hands.

The lycans aim their weapons and she looks them over. “I don’t believe you were given an invitation.”

“Don’t move or your dead!” The lycan in front growls.

“Oh no, my poor, deluded lycan. I’m afraid you’re very wrong.”

She jumps into the air and flips. They fire on her as she comes down and lands in the group. She swings the mace and a lycans head explodes. She shoves the ball into the gut of another and spins in a circle. She lifts the mace and brings it down on another head.

“Audrey?” I watch in shocked confusion.

She gets grabbed and jams the but end into his stomach. She leaps for the second floor balcony and springs off it. She does a front roll and throws the mace when she’s lined0 up. They fire on her and the mace takes out two more.

Sirens come from outside and Enforcers fill the doorway.

“GO!GO!GO!” I push the hostages to the door and the Enforcers pull them away from the building.

I watch Audrey fight and think. “Fuck this.”

I shred my clothes and my light brow wolf shakes out his fur.

I jump on a guy and sink my teeth into his neck. His head changes to a wolf head and his arms change to long arms with claws. He rips me off and explodes out of his suit. His lycan grows and he roars. My wolf postures with a growling bark.

We clash and fly back, sinking into the wall of the lobby. I grab his throat and rip it out. I go back in and rip out his spine.

My wolf turns and sees Audrey bring her mace down on a head then swing and knock a gun with his hands still attached, off another lycan. He screams in agony, hugging his severed wrists.

‘Audrey! Look out!’ I link as a lycan comes up behind her and slams the but of his gun into her neck. She goes down and he aims at her back.

‘AUDREY!’

My wolf lets out a loud angry bark and rushes him. He turns his gun on me just as I lunge and hit him. I tear his head apart and look up just as Enforcers rush in and start a shoot out for those who didn’t die. The survivors run to the conference room and Audrey follows. I shift and chase her.

I see her leap on the stage and go behind the curtains.

I tear through and run backstage. I stop and see all the crates are empty. I hear tires squeal and run to a back door.

Audrey stops and flops a hand at her side. “Shit.”

I watch a black van exit the alley and turn down a street. She lowers her head and places a hand on her hip.

After trying to take in everything that just happened, I slowly step up behind her. I mean, she may be dressed in white, but could Audrey really be the guy I’ve been chasing this whole time. Thinking about what the Mace has done, is Audrey really capable of that? I need to get this out of my head.

“Rey…We need to…” I step to her just as the door bursts open and Audrey runs out.

The white mace turns to her.

“They didn’t.” She whined.

“I’m sorry, Rey. I tried.” The voice scrambler was still set to Russian as I do double takes between them.

She walks over and takes the mace. “I know. Thank you.”

“Um…hello?” I lean to them, wave and look at the both.

The White Mace flicks her head between me and Audrey. “Oh, shit.”

Audrey sighs and glances at me. “It’s alright. He was bound to replace out sooner or later."

The white mace stands in front of me. I am very confused and somewhat scared. “Ok, but don’t freak out.”

I stitch my brows together as she lifts her helmet off and long, light brown hair falls out.

I suddenly can't breathe. I stumble back, huff breaths and shake my head. My eyes sting and well with tears as my lip quivers. “No.” I swallow. “It can’t…Rey?”

Audrey nods. My brows stitch up and turn back to the young face that’s nine years younger than mine. Her blue eyes blink at me.

She smiles a smile that looks exactly like my mother’s. “Hey, Jax.”

I grab my hair then scrub a hand down face stopping at my lips. My eyes fill with tears as reality hits me. I stare at her, studying her. She was 8 when I lost her.

She steps to me, her eyes well up too. “I missed you.” She hitches.

I can’t take it. I cover my eyes and let it out. She slams into me and I hug her within and inch of her life.

I screamed her name. I begged whoever would listen to save her. I beg them to take me instead. The survivors guilt I had inside, came flooding back.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” I quietly cry on her head.

“I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry I hid. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn’t want to get in your way.” She cries on my chest.

I pull her head back, hold her cheeks then wipe her hair out of her face.

My own cheeks are soaked and my face is pained and elated at the same time. “What? No. No, Soph…How could you…Fuck…” I hug her again, barely able to contain the whining cry that was coming from me. “I called for you for so long…I just wanted to hear you…Just one word…That’s all I wanted.” I hitched as my words stutter. “That’s all I ever wanted. Just to hear you again.”

Audrey walks up with her arms around her waist. “I returned after the attack. They had searched the pack house, but could only recover six bodies plus you.” She places her hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “The lycans took her. Tortured her for days then left her dead.”

Sophie sobs harder on me as I look into Audrey’s eyes. “No…They didn’t...” I whine as she nods her head buried in my arms. “Rey, no…” I shake my head and hug her tighter.

“I found her in a warehouse on the brink and nursed her back to health. She vowed revenge when she learned the fate of her family. She wanted to replace you, but I knew you’d only deter her. I advised her to stay secret.” Audrey tucks Sophie’s hair behind her ear.

I push Sophie to the side, wipe my face off and shove myself in her space. “You’re damn right I would have deterred her.” I wipe my nose with my sleeve, aggressively. “How could you keep this from me?! Me?!! You have no idea the kind of hell I went through!” I yell in her face as more tears fall.

“YES, I DO, JAXTON! Yes, I do. I lost just as much as you have. We lost just as much. What you don’t understand is that we deserve as much vengeance as you do! We didn’t tell you because we knew you’d take that from us and I wasn’t haven’t it. She deserves to kill Vinnie without you getting in her way!" She flares her eyes at me as Sophie holds herself and wipes her nose.

I scrub my face and look at Sophie. “So this is what you do? Try to get yourself killed.”

“Jax, I've been fighting a long time. I’m sorry, but you don’t get to tell me to stop.” She looks into my eyes. “I shouldn’t have lied, but Rey's right. Ever since we were little, you kept us in a bubble. Nobody could touch us. That was good in a way, but I don’t need that bubble now. I agreed because this is more important than me or you. I can’t have you stop me. I need to do this.”

“I asked if you trusted me. You said yes. Sophie is a strong, beautiful woman who’s had to take care of herself and she’s proven time and time again that she is a survivor. Just like you. Don’t be angry. You should be proud of who she’s become.” Audrey places an arm around my sister and I study both women’s faces.

“Yeah.” I scrub a hand up my face and into my hair. They’re right. Who the hell am I to argue that. For years, my sisters were my pride and joy. I did keep them in a bubble. I controlled them just as I did Audrey. I was just so afraid of losing them. Now that I see what they can do without me…I’m a damn fool. If I wasn’t so controlling, Sophie would have come to me. This is definitely eye opening for me.

She tilts her head and locks my eyes. “This is Vinnie’s fault. He made her. I can’t stand in her way, I can only make sure she has the skills and tools to keep her as safe as I can. Being her brother, you should do the same.”

I glance at Sophie and wipe my nose. I know I’m making the biggest mistake of my life. I raise my arm. “Come here, kid.”

She runs into my arms and I hug her head. I swallow the lump and look at Audrey. “Thank you.”

She smiles and wipes a little tear. “You’re welcome.”

I don’t know if I can stay silent about the vigilante thing, but one things for sure, if Sophie is determined to take Vinnie out, she won’t be doing it alone.