Chapter 71
“Feel better?”
“Mhm,” I muttered.
“What’s your name?”
“Why do you ask?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. What the fuck was wrong with me?
He stared at me with wide eyes. “Because it’s the polite thing to ask.”
Damn, I hated it when I had to apologize for being an ass. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m Daniel Erickson.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ax.”
My mouth fell open and I scrambled as far away from him as I could. “Ax? As in you’re gonna chop me up and kill me, ax? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
He groaned and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “No. As in short for Axel.”
“Ax? You look like that—” I gestured up and down his huge body, “—and your name is Ax?”
“Yeah.” It was more of a miserable sigh than a word.
I smacked my forehead. “Shit, I’m being a jerk.” My brain-to-mouth filter was something I’d worked hard to acquire and it didn’t always work. It would have been great if it hadn’t malfunctioned now, though, because if Axel—no way I was calling him Ax—really was a serial killer, I sure as hell wasn’t doing myself any favors. I might as well have worn a red loin cloth to a bull-fighting arena.
“You’re not so bad.”
“Yes, I am. I’m sorry. I know I can be a shithead, but in my defense, you’re fucking intimidating.”
“And you have a surprisingly dirty mouth for someone so…swanky.”
“Don’t I know it?” My mouth had gotten me in trouble countless times. I’d gotten better at not saying the first thing that popped into my head, but if I was stressed or angry, shit just spilled out.
“Where you goin’, Danny?”
“Daniel,” I corrected.
“Sorry,” he said but didn’t look it. I had a feeling I’d be stuck with “Danny” for the entire drive. “Where to?”
“Town, I guess.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I haven’t really thought this through properly,” I muttered.
“You don’t say.”
“What the fuck do you mean?” I grimaced at the combativeness in my voice, but he just shrugged.
“You’re not exactly dressed for the weather.”
“I forgot to grab my jacket when I ran out.” I loved that jacket. It was fluffy and downy and so warm I could have fallen asleep in Siberia and still been comfy when I woke up in the morning
“Wanna go back for it?”
“No!” I ran my fingers through my hair and shivered as I came in contact with the wetness. “No,” I repeated, a little calmer. “I guess I’m going to a hotel for the evening.”
“You betcha.” After checking the road for traffic, he pulled away. 2
We rode in silence for a few minutes. The visibility was close to zero and he crept along the empty road, going fifteen miles an hour. I toed off my wet shoes and placed my frigid feet by the floor vent spewing out hot air. A happy sigh slipped out.
“So, wanna tell me why you’re out walkin’ in this weather, all by yourself on Christmas Day, Danny?”
“Daniel.”
“Sure.”
I sighed. “I spent the day with my family. My uncle is a mean drunk and a bigot and I couldn’t keep listening to him insulting everyone.”
“He a racist or what?”
“It would be easier to list who he doesn’t hate. When I left, he’d talked shit about women, people of color, Jews, Muslims, gays, and even Christ himself for forgiving whores and other ‘white trash.’” I made air quotes with my fingers. “I tried explaining that Jesus and his people weren’t exactly white, but that didn’t go over well.”
Axel chuckled. “He sounds like a great guy.”
“You have no idea.” I leaned my temple on the headrest and looked at him. “What about you?”
“I spent all day at my sister’s house. Picked up Ma and went over bright ‘n early to make pancakes for my niece. Brought a tall stack of gifts, too.”
“I bet your niece liked that.”
The corners of his mouth turned up in a wide, happy smile, transforming him from frightening into a cuddly teddy bear. A teddy bear with tattoos, but still. “She did. She was disappointed at first that Santa couldn’t find her house, but I explained he’d left her presents at my place.”
“Huh. How come Santa could find your house and not hers?”
“I guess Rudolph isn’t equipped with GPS.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me and poured out. He was nothing like I’d expected when I’d first laid eyes on him. The way his voice softened when he talked about his niece was adorable, and I hadn’t thought it possible for a hulk like him. “You’re funny,” I said.