Jax's X Game The Axelridge Series Book 2
Chapter 5

(Chapter song ‘Run' by AWOLNATION)

JAX

My eyes narrow and I lower my mace.

I glare at her baby blue eyes. “I already said hello.” I snarl. “And goodbye.” I point to the door as I carry my mace with me to my desk. I slam myself in my chair, kick my feet up on the top and slam the but end of the stick on the floor. I’m not putting up with her bullshit and I’m making sure that’s crystal fucking clear.

“Jaxton. I know seeing me again is a bit of a shock. I hate how we left things yesterday.” She stands tall and fixes her long, silky hair. The sun through my office window plays on it perfectly and I hate it.

“It’s not a shock, it’s a nightmare.” I growl.

“I realize I made some mistakes…” She inspects her fingernails. “I wanted to have a civil conversation with you before I left. Is that too much to ask?”

I drop my feet, drop my mace and lean on the desk. I raise a brow and curl my lip. “Mistakes.” I slap my hands on my desktop and stand. “Mistakes.” I throw my hand out to her as I walk around the desk. She takes a few steps back as I approach her, getting my back up. She may be only a few inches shorter than me, but I’m much fucking bigger when I’m pissed.

I get right in her face with a deep, dark growl. “You call ripping my fucking heart out and making me eat it, just to prove who had bigger balls, a mistake?”

Her eyes study my face. “It wasn’t because of…”

“I am talking!” I yell and she juts back with a tiny bit of shock.

I point in her face. “You want equality, fine. I’ll give you fucking equality. But I draw the fucking line at my field. You keep your ass away from the game.”

She scowls. “I have just as much right to play as you do.”

I get even closer. Her scent of licorice hits my nose and I ignore the fuck out it. “Until your balls become real, you won’t step one cleat on my field.”

She closes the gap. “If you’re threatened by me playing on the team, then it seems I’m not the pussy here.” She snarls.

I flare my eyes. “Stay out of my game, Audrey.”

She eyes me. “Make me, Jaxton.”

She whips around and her soft hair hits me in the face. She storms out the door and slams it.

The rage boils inside me and I grab my mace. With a thundering growl, I throw it at the door. The basketball sized, razor sharp, spiked ball shatters the door and I hear a loud yelp come from the front room. The splinters settle and Audrey is slowly dusting herself off as she glares at me. My mace is stuck in the wall beside the front entrance.

I just stare fire into her soul and tick my head. Shots fired.

She fixes her hair as she regains her prim and proper composure. “Alright, Jaxton. Have it your way. Game on.” She spins around and leaves.

My shoulders heave. My body sweats and my anger rages as the pieces of my door fall off and the dust settles.

“Lax is my game.” I clench.

I step through the door just as Griffin and Eddie run in.

“Whoa…” Eddie gasps as the giant hole in the wall.

I walk through the wreckage and pull my mace out of the wall. I glance at them and walk back through the debris on the floor.

“What in the hell, you bloody wanker!” Griffin steps in behind him.

“Go away, Griff!” I yell through the hole in my door.

“Dude. What happened? This isn’t cool.” Eddie motions to the door as they step through.

“I just got carried away.” I slump in my seat and lay my mace on the desk.

“Carried away? Your office is tattered! Is your head away? By Jesus. Jax, you kicked in the bollox or what?” Griffin leans on my desk.

I lean my elbow on it and rub my forehead. “You could say that.” I sigh.

“Was that Audrey I saw in the hall?” Eddie asks.

“Yep.” I say popping the ‘p'. I bring my hand down and run my fingers up and down my mace.

“What’s eatin’ ya, boy, that have ya doing this?” Griffin tries to replace my eyes.

I spin around in my seat. “I don’t know. I don’t know, Griff. All I know is that whenever she’s within a hundred feet of me, I want to explode. She just gets under my skin and I…lose my head.”

“What the hell?!”

I lean past Griffin to see Finn walking through the wreckage.

Eddie stands. “Audrey was here.”

He turns to me. “Really?” He motions to the door.

“She pissed me off!” I growl.

“So you tried to kill her?!” He questions.

“No…” I lean back and pick at my shirt. “Not intentionally.”

Finn walks up to my desk. “OK, Jax…We do not throw our weapons in the building.” He scolds.

“Whatever, dad.” I scowl. “I’ll pay for it. I didn’t hit her, but I think she’s sufficiently pissed now.”

Finn leans on the desk. “I will not tolerate this Complex being a battleground for your relationship issues.”

“OK. Fine. I got it.” I say with attitude.

“I get maintenance up here and expect a bill.” He stands straight. “You got the reports?”

“Only some.” I hand him the reports I’ve done.

“Hey, guys. You want to give us a minute?” He turns to Griffin and Eddie.

“Aye. I’ll prepare Marcus. He's gonna lose his arse over this.” He shakes his head as he steps through the hole in my door.

I lean back. “Finn. I told you. I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.” I say in a really condescending tone because I just want to wallow in my anger and my self pity.

He lowers his head and presses his lips together. “That’s not what I want to talk about. Though I hope this doesn’t happen again. Anyway, I need to ask you…Have you been to Phoenix City in the last six months or so?”

I scrunch my brow. “No. Why?”

“You sure.” He sounds like he’s calling me a liar.

I sit up and lean on my desk. “Yes. If I’m not here, I’m at my pack. You know this.”

“I know, but…” He drops 8x10 photos on my desk.

I pick up the photos and my face falls. I look them over intently, flipping through the multiple times in complete disbelief. I slowly rise out of my chair and raise my head to Finn. “You think…Where? How?”

“Owen brought them to me. They call him The Black Mace. I have to ask, Jax because of how this looks.” Finn puts his hands in his pockets.

I flip the photo of the black biker with my mace. “This isn’t me, Finn.”

“He has your mace, Jax. The only prototype.” Finn says with concern.

“How?! How does this asshole have my mace?!” I grit.

“That’s what I want to replace out. Jax. He’s killing Lycans. Not just bad ones. All of them. He attacked a school for troubled lycans and hurt a bunch of kids. I need you to tell me this wasn’t you, Jax.” He searches my face for answers.

“Look. I may have a special hatred for lycans, but kids? Finn, who do you think I am? I know the difference between the Vinellis and kids. This wasn’t me! What asshole does that?” I slam the photos down on my desktop.

He picks them up. “Alright. I believe you. Can Cy vouch for you…”

I was about to protest when he put up his hand. “Just so I can tell Phoenix.”

“Yes…If you’re looking for a solid alibi, I’ve been down at the sport arena for this tournament and the playoffs. Finn, I’m a friend. How can you even question this?” I cross my arms and glare at him.

He looks around my office then back at me. “I’m sorry, Jax, but come on. You haven’t exactly been dealing with your anger issues lately. Add the only mace like yours in existence…Even you have to admit, it looks suspicious.”

I lean on my desk, narrow my eyes and point at him. “That is not me. If I ever replace the fucker, I’ll make sure he knows who he just fucked with.”

Finn nods. “Owen said to watch out for him because he hasn’t been seen in a few weeks. The last thing we need is a vigilante running around the city and the other thing we don’t need is one of our council members getting hurt because he went on a man hunt. If he does show up, you don’t engage, Jax.”

“Fuck that! He’s posing as me! I’m gonna engage all over his ass!” I growl.

“I'm telling you this as Head Alpha and a friend. Don't. You call us. I mean it.” He glares at me and throws his boss mode at me.

“Well, I’ll leave that up to him. He steps on my turf, I am not responsible for what happens.” I challenge back.

He nods. “I get that. Protect your pack, but leave Axelridge to me.”

“Fine.”

He taps my desk. “Ok. Don’t worry. No one is accusing you of anything. I’ll let Phoenix know this is a copycat.” He walks to my office door and scans the hole. “Jax. No more outburst or I’ll have to take your mace away.” He says as he steps through the hole.

“Yes, mom.” I smirk.

I sit down at my desk and turn my computer on. I type in my blueprints for my mace. There’s no signs of hacking through my files.

I rest my elbows on my desk and lace my fingers together. Resting my mouth on my fingers, I think. Who would even want to impersonate me? I have so much shit, they’d have to be three times as damaged as me to even think it.

Maybe it was a Phoenix problem. Maybe they got themselves killed messing with the wrong lycan. Hopefully, whoever it was is gone now and I don’t even have to think about it.

With the tournament and Audrey, I have enough to fucking worry about.

The Black Mace…what a douche name.