Welcome to Diablo Vista (Axl Dane #1) (5 page)

              Axl waited as Eric charged, drawing his arm back to knock Axl's head off. When someone throws a punch and misses, there's always a split second when they can be hit. Axl had also always known that timing beats power every time.

              Eric swung, and his fist looked almost as large as Axl's head. The entire bar by this time was watching, and a collective gasp was heard as they were all sure Eric was going to kill Axl right in front of them. Axl ducked at just the last second, Eric's huge fist brushing his hair as he took his own swing.

              Axl threw an uppercut just as hard as he could, catching Eric perfectly across the jaw. Axl heard something pop and a terrible pain shot through his hand.
Fuck, that's broke,
he thought.

              Eric's jaw wobbled on his face, and he continued the charge he'd made at Axl. This time, however, he was unconscious and hit the floor face first. Everyone was quiet, the only sound being the twangy sounds of the jukebox. Axl shook his hand out, the pain not as bad now. He looked down at Eric, who wasn't moving. His jaw was also oddly out of place. So it hadn't been Axl's hand that had been broken, it had been Eric's jaw.

              Axl looked around at the crowd, wondering if they would soon set upon him like a pack of wolves. Instead, a few Kingsnakes raised their beers to him and soon everyone went back to their business. No one even bothered to help Eric, and Axl assumed things like this probably happened here all the time. He slowly backed out, to find Gianna waiting on him.

              “What the hell just happened?” she said, unable to see inside since the bar had no windows.

              “Don't worry about it, let's go,” Axl said, taking her arm and pulling her towards the store parking lot.

              They had just made it into the lot when Todd called after them. “Hey, wait! Where the hell are you going?”

              Axl debated whether he should just keep walking, but decided he'd better go ahead and settle this now. “I'm taking her home to her mother since she's fifteen,” he said, daring Todd to protest.

              Todd had reached them by now, and stopped, his eyes bugging out of his head. Axl was once again surprised. Tonight had just been full of surprises.

              “She's fifteen? You're fifteen?” Todd said, directing his question at Gianna, who was standing behind Axl. Gianna nodded slowly.

              “Yes, so unless you want to go to jail I suggest you leave her alone,” Axl said, taking a step towards Todd. Todd had just seen Axl knock out the biggest man in the bar. Therefore, when Axl stepped forward, Todd stepped back.

              “Listen, man, I swear I had no idea. I thought she was twenty. I had no clue,” Todd said, still backing away.

              “Just leave her the hell alone. And listen, if I ever hear of you trying to pimp out another female, I will find you and beat the shit out of you. What I just did to Eric will seem like a damn day at the spa compared to what I'll do to you,” Axl said. He thought Todd needed a little roughing up to make his point, but he just didn't have time.

              “I promise, no more of that shit. I wouldn't have done it away,” Todd said, finally turning and slinking away.

              Axl scowled as he watched Todd go. The strangest part is he believed the little bastard. From the look on his face, there was no way he was faking his surprise, and he was sure he didn't have the balls to pimp out his girlfriend. But Todd was probably going to end up like the rest of the Kingsnakes, which wasn't a good future.

              Axl lead Gianna to his car, unlocking the door and opening it for her. “Wow, is this your car? That's pretty bad ass for an old guy,” Gianna said with a weak grin.

              Axl managed to grin back, glad to see she was able to smile. “Yeah, it's mine. And it's very bad ass, old guy or not.”

              Axl shut the door and walked to the driver's side, eyeing the bar to see if anyone would come out after them. No one did. He shrugged and climbed in.

CHAPTER FOUR

              Esteban leaned back in his chair so the escort could suck his cock easier as he talked on his cell phone. “Yeah, I'm at the hotel now,” he said. “And I do have her. She's with one of the boys now. So what happened there?” He listened, running his hand through the escort’s short black hair as she bobbed her head. She was a petite Asian, one of his regulars.

              “Yeah, that little pool boy? She's been fucking him a while,” Esteban said. Esteban was naked, his body showing his age but still not bad for a man over fifty. The escort was giving him an expert blowjob as he talked business, something that was a fetish of his.

              “What do you mean, a new guy?” Esteban asked. He was speaking to one of the two men he had watching his house when he was away. He had purchased the home across the street and set up two of the few men he halfway trusted there. No one knew about them but Esteban. This way he could still keep an eye on his wife and with her being none the wiser, he could see what she got up to when he was away. So far she'd only been fucking the pool boy. Eventually, Esteban would need to do something about that, but for now, he'd let her have her fun. It wasn't like he didn't get plenty on the side himself.

              “That pimp that's always in the neighborhood? Ed Sharp? Was that guy at my house? What the fuck?” Esteban asked. He knew that guy; he'd even used his services a few times. He seemed nothing at all like Trista's type.

              “Do you think she's banging him or what? Right. Right, I got ya. Any idea what the fuck he'd be doing there then?” Esteban asked, taking a minute to reach down and roll the escort's nipples between his fingers. She moaned around his cock on cue. What was her name anyway? Mai Ling? Lai Bing? Mai Tai? He could never remember their names.

              “Do you know if he does anything other than pimp? Right, I don't think so either. That's a fucking mystery is what that is. No, no don't do anything like that. Just keep an eye on things, let me know if he comes back. Anything else going on? Okay. Nah, I'll be back sometime in the morning before daylight. Just got a few things to take care of here. Adios,” Esteban said, hanging up his cell phone. He set it on the table beside him and took a sip of his margarita, almost forgetting that he was being blown. He couldn't figure out why the hell a lowlife pimp like Ed Sharp would be at his house visiting Trista. It was one thing for her to bang the pool boy, that was almost expected of a woman like her. But that greasy pimp. Nah, that was something else.

              Esteban decided to put it out of his mind and gripped the escort’s head in his hands, starting to thrust his hips now as he fucked her mouth. “Yeah, that's it, suck that cock,” he said.

              She sucked harder, trying her best to please him. He reached down lower and ran his fingers over her slit. Unlike most women nowadays, this girl had a bush. He liked bald pussy just fine, but sometimes a little hair could add variety. He ran his fingers all over until he found her clit, hearing her squeal on his shaft as he rubbed it. “Yeah, that's the spot huh? Get up here and ride this dick now,” he said.

              She complied, climbing onto his lap and putting her shins over his knees as she took his cock in her hands. She slipped a condom on him, leaving him to wonder just where the hell she'd gotten it since she was only wearing stiletto heels and nothing else. He felt the tight rubber grip him as she slid down, taking him deep. She started to bounce on his prick, with short, forceful bounces. He leaned forward and sucked her nipples, squeezing her A-cup breasts. She moaned something in his ear that wasn't English. Come to think of it, he'd never heard her speak other than a few words of English. She probably didn't even know the language.

              He reached back and cupped her tiny ass in his hands, squeezing it and helping her ride him. She began to moan louder, little high pitched squeals that he'd never heard any women make other than Asians. He thought he'd heard she was Filipino, but he wasn't positive that this escort was since he used a few.

              He gripped her ass and started fucking her harder now, thrusting up as he pulled her down. She was so petite, and her pussy was so ridiculously tight, that he knew he'd be coming soon. He bit her nipple as he got close, hard enough she cried out. Her scream of pain set him off, and he groaned loudly as he spilled his seed. She continued to bounce, keeping up her little moans until he finally slapped her ass as a signal she could stop.

              She climbed off of his cock, actually bowing to him as she removed the condom and scampered from the room. That was something else he liked about escorts—once he came, they got the fuck out. None of the cuddling and sweet talk shit he had to put up with from his wife. That was probably why they so rarely had sex these days, at least with each other.

              Esteban sipped his margarita and then lit a cigar, taking a long drag. No Smoking room, my ass. He thought about the big plan that would be taking place in just a few days, and a jolt of excitement passed through his entire body. If things worked out like he planned, he'd soon be able to retire in style and to hell with this drug dealing rat race. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked down to see his cock was hard again. Thinking of his brilliant plan had excited him. He wondered if he could catch that little Asian before she left.

CHAPTER FIVE

              Axl woke up and reached onto the nightstand, picking up the check he earned the night before. He was still surprised at how easy it had been. Of course, any minute now he could have a crowd of pissed-off bikers at his door, but so far things couldn't have gone better. He'd taken Gianna straight to her mom's, and the two had reconciled. She's decided to stay there and finish school at least. Axl wasn't sure if she'd do it, but as he'd said, it wasn't his problem anymore. He'd been paid, and as long as the check cleared, he didn't plan on seeing either Gianna or her mother again.

              Axl knew if the Kingsnakes or Eric wanted to find him, they could. He was a private detective after all, and people had to be able to find him in order to hire him. But he knew the type, and unless they just happened to be in the neighborhood, they probably would leave him alone. Hell, Eric probably wouldn't even remember what had happened unless someone told him. He wished he hadn't broken his jaw, as that may give Eric incentive he otherwise wouldn't have had. Axl shrugged and climbed out of bed. It wasn't something he was going to solve today.

              After showering, he dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt and headed downstairs to his office. He had a small office downtown with an apartment above it and a garage below ground. He parked his Vette there as well as a modified Ford Bronco he used for special assignments. Work had been slow lately, and he wasn't expecting any calls.

              He sat at his desk and pulled out his ledger, trying to see how far in the hole he was this month. He was surprised to hear a knock at his door. He was even more surprised to see a very attractive female at the door when he opened it. He took a minute to look her over, seeing a very hot blond in a tight red dress with red high heels, the outfit completed by red sunglasses. He saw her head tilt and realized she was giving him the once over as well, although probably for different reasons. He looked down and saw how shabbily he was dressed, then realized he hadn't even spoken to her yet.

              “Oh, sorry. I'm Axl Dane, Private Investigator. Can I help you?” he asked, fully expecting her to either be at the wrong place or for her to just try to sell him something.

              “I know who you are, and I'd like to speak to you. Do I need to make an appointment or can I come in?” she asked. Axl stepped back and waved her inside.

              “I'm sorry I look so dumpy. I wasn't expecting a client today,” he explained. He also realized he was a pretty shitty P.I., as he should always be prepared for clients. He knew that would never happen, though.

              “It's okay. You look fine,” she said. Axl could have sworn he detected a hint of something in the way she said it, but he wasn't sure.

              “Have a seat,” he said, indicating the one chair in his office other than the one behind his desk. There were files and stacks of paperwork everywhere. He hadn't noticed just how messy his office was until this immaculate female showed up, looking so out of place.

              “It's the maid's day off,” he said, trying to crack a joke. She didn't do so much as smile.

              “I have a problem, and I've heard you are the man to see if you need a problem solved,” she said, taking her sunglasses off and sliding them into her purse, also red.

              “I hope I can help,” Axl said. Something about her looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. “Can I ask how you heard about me?”

              “I remember you from—a long time ago,” she said, volunteering no further information.

              Axl racked his brain to place her, but nothing was coming to him. He leaned back in his chair. “What seems to be your problem?”

              “I need your assurance this is all confidential before we go any further,” she said, suddenly fidgeting. Her calm demeanor had been shattered, and now Axl was even more curious as to what brought her here.

              “Anything you tell me is completely confidential,” he assured her. That wasn't entirely true, because if she said something about a possible murder he'd need to act on it. But he'd deal with that when the time came.

              “I mean it. This is very sensitive information. Life or death stuff,” she said solemnly.

              Axl nodded. “It won't leave this room.”

              She tilted her head. “You don't have any connections with drug cartels, do you?” she said.

              Axl was taken aback by the question. “No, I don't.”

              “Would you tell me if you were?”

              “I'm not. What's this about?” Axl said, losing patience.

              She sighed. “My name is Trista Morales. My husband is Esteban Morales.”

              “Ah,” Axl said. “Now I see why you mentioned the cartels. I have no connection to them or, to your husband.” Axl knew who Esteban was. He worked some type of pipeline for the Mexican Cartels, but beyond that he didn't know much about him. He wasn't a big fish, but he wasn't exactly a small fry either.

              Trista began to fidget again, and Axl thought she was about to fall out of the chair. “Maybe this is a mistake. I should just go.”

              “No, you're here now. Tell me your problem, and I'll tell you honestly if I can help. If I can't, maybe I can at least give you some advice,” Axl said. He didn't want to get involved in any type of cartel business if he could help it.

              “There are some–things–in my past my husband doesn't know about. And if he found out, he'd probably kill me,” she said.

              “What things?” Axl asked.

              “Fuck, this is harder than I thought. I'm just going to tell you the whole story, and you sort it out yourself. Do you know who Ed Sharp is?”

              “The pimp? Yeah, I know who he is,” Axl said, wondering what connection a greasy little punk like Sharp would have to Esteban Morales.

              “I used to work for Ed Sharp several years ago,” Trista said.

              “When you say work for–”

              “I was a whore, Mr. Dane. Let's just say it like it is.”

              “Just call me Axl,” he said, feeling like an idiot by responding to her statement with that.

              “Fine. I was a whore, Axl.”

              Axl winced at her words. “This was a long time ago, right?”

              “It was a few years ago, around six. So not recent, but that's not exactly a lifetime ago either.”

              “How old are you?”

              “I'm twenty-nine.”

              “So you weren't much more than a kid when you worked for Sharp.”

              “I started working for him at twenty-one, hardly a kid.”

              “It looks younger every day,” Axl said, thinking of his own birthday approaching.

              “Regardless, I was a prostitute. I managed to get away from Ed. I changed my name. I built a whole new life for myself. I married Esteban, and my life is good now.”

              Axl detected a note of untruth in her last statement but didn't question it. “So what's the problem?”

              “My husband has no clue he's married to a whore.”

              “A former whore,” Axl said, wincing again. He hadn't meant to call her a whore.

              “Still, a whore. He's very big on appearances, Axl. If he finds out, I have no doubt he'll kill me along with anyone else who could possibly reveal such a dire secret.”

              Axl realized that now meant him as well. Great. “So I take it something is going on to worry you? I mean you didn't just get married did you?”

              “No, we've been together a few years. But the other day, Ed Sharp showed up. At my house.”

              Axl ran his fingers through his hair in thought. “I can see how that could be a problem. Was Esteban there?”

              “No, he wasn't. But Ed Sharp was quick to tell me if I didn't do as he said he'd leave some type of anonymous tip with my husband letting him know all of the sordid details of my past.”

              “Wouldn't that also put him in danger? I mean if Esteban started researching your background there'd be a good chance he'd find out Ed Sharp had been your pimp, right?”

              “Axl, have you ever met Ed Sharp? Let's just say he probably hasn't thought that far ahead.”

              Axl nodded. Ed Sharp's name had always been humorous to him. If there was one thing Ed wasn't, it was sharp.

              “So what, he's asking for money then?”

              Trista looked down at the floor as if studying the carpet. “Money, and more. He made me do things with him. Things I haven't done in a very long time. Things I'd rather forget.” Trista flushed as she said the words, trying not to get so excited when she thought back. She still hated herself for enjoying the sex so much, but that type of sex was something she had always craved and didn't get much of lately.

              “Jesus. What a bastard,” Axl said, either missing or misreading the thrill that had passed through Trista.

              “He comes in and out of the neighborhood on business all the time so the guards won't stop him. I can't exactly ask them to, either, without some explanation. I need your help in dealing with him. What do you suggest? Can you make him go away?” Trista said, crossing her legs and making Axl's mind go blank for a second.

              “I'm not sure what you're implying, but I don't take contracts,” Axl said.

              “I didn't think you would, but something has to be done. If you can help me, I can pay you well,” Trista said. She knew she'd have to dip into her private fund in order to pay Axl, but that was a small cost considering the stakes.

              Axl thought a second. “I can probably put enough of a scare into him he'll leave you alone. I'm sure he knows who I am, and my reputation—let's just say bad doesn't begin to cover it.”

              “I know your reputation. It's why I came to you. Like I said, I remember you.”

              Axl scrutinized her. He had seen many of Sharp's girls come and go over the years, but this one he didn't remember. And he was sure he'd remember her.

              “You're trying to place me aren't you?” Trista said.

              Axl cleared his throat. “I was seeing if I remembered you, yes.”

              “I had short, brunette hair back then. I almost always wore short skirts with high heels. My name was Cindy.”

              Axl tried to put all that together with the hot blonde facing him, but it was clicking. Then he looked into her eyes and remembered. The eyes always gave it away.

              “I remember you. I was never sure if you were a prostitute or just Ed's girlfriend. He never seemed to let you get too far out of his sight.”

              “That was me. I thought I'd finally gotten away from the bastard, but then he popped back up. Please, help me.”

              Axl nodded. “I think I can help. Let's go over some details.”

              The pair spent the next several minutes going over exact details of Ed's visit, leaving out the sexual parts.

              “So you think he'll show up again when your husband goes on another of these business trips?” Axl asked.

              “Yes, he said as much.”

              “All right. I want to get this handled before then, though. Leave it to me. Give me your number and I'll let you know how things progress.”

              She nodded, pulling out her cell phone and texting him. “That's my number. Please text before you call. Esteban doesn't know I have this phone, so no worries there.”

              Axl checked his cell phone, making sure he'd received the text and he had the number. “Looks good. I'll contact you within the next day or two.”

              Trista reached into her purse and pulled out a plain white envelope, sliding it across the desk. “I don't know your rates, but I think that should get us started.”

              Axl took the envelope. It was thick, and when he peeked inside, all he saw were Franklins. “That works. Just lay low and wait to hear from me. If that bastard shows up again, let me know. Otherwise, don't call me, I'll call you.”

              She nodded and walked out without saying a word. Axl couldn't help but admire her ass as she left. Once she'd gone, he sat back at his desk and considered the enormity of what he'd just undertaken. Esteban Morales? The Cartels? What the fuck was he thinking?

              He felt the envelope again and sighed. He wanted to get this over with quickly, so he picked up his cell phone and dialed.