Chapter Twenty-Two

Axel laid in the bed across the hallway from Claire well into the night with no sleep on the horizon. After hearing about Cash going missing, he couldn’t stop the feeling that Claire would be next. He knew she was a target just because she made it out, but he also knew that she was protected at the pack house, more so than anywhere else. Axel turned onto his side and stared at the closed bedroom door. A slight chill from the air conditioner slid over his bare torso, but he didn’t mind the coolness. He ran on the warm side, anyway. His nightstand clock read 5 AM, which was really too early to get up, but he didn't have a choice because sleep was not coming to him. Shoving the covers from his legs, he stood up and stalked out of the room and into the quiet hallway. Axel pressed his ear against her bedroom door and listened to the soft sound of her breathing before making his way into the kitchen. The moonlight shone through the kitchen window, brightening the island and the silhouet