The Axelridge Series Book 3 Marc's Stolen Heart

MARCUS

“Watch the pipe!”

I glance at Jax as I maneuver the pig through the sewers. “I’m watching it!”

“No, you’re not. Gimme that!” He snatches the remote from my hand.

“Eh!” I hold my hands out.

He points a finger in my face. “You can have it back when you learn to drive.” He grits.

I shake my head. “Between you and Sophie, I don’t know who’s worse.”

He watches the monitor as our moon lander type drone runs through the last quadrant of the infrastructure tunnels. He plants his feet on the table edge and rests the remote in his lap as he moves the directional sticks.

“How’s things between you two, anyway.” He mumbles as he drives.

I sit up, rub my palms on my shorts and grin. “Awe…ya know what? It’s amazing, man. She’s happy and…and healthy. Just…wow.” I say as I avoid looking at him and watch the screen.

I said what I’m encouraging is healthy, but I'm still internally fighting what I’ve been taught. One man, one woman. But I can’t shake what I feel for Dia. I’m not sure if she feels it too. I really want to know because I kind of get the feeling she thinks this is a perk of our fake relationship. Just fun for her. I’m not sure if she knows what I’m seriously considering.

My angels and I have had several rolls in the sheets together since the first time. Over the past month, Dias spent more times in my bed than her own.

I’ve also spent several one on one times with each, but Claudia still seems not at the same level. I’ve been trying to see where her hearts at, but she won’t tell me. She makes cute statements and kisses on me, but that’s it.

Then there’s Soph. I love her to death, but somethings different now. Since I opened the flood gates, she spends a lot of time with Dia. I can’t lay with her. Sophie always has to sleep in the middle. It feels like she’s a guard dog. It’s cute, but getting old. I want to be in the middle. I know I’m just whining, but I can’t help how I feel.

I’m going to have to talk to her about it. I feel like she’s purposely keeping me from Dia because she’s jealous of the attention Dia gets from me. The last thing I want is my girls acting jealous. I won’t play favorites, but Dia and I need private time too, if I’m going to make this work.

“So, she’s better?” Jax asks.

“Getting there. Dia has her seriously looking at school. They both went job hunting last week. I don’t know. It’s weird.” I huff a laugh and sit back.

“Isn’t Claudia supposed to be in the pack house?” He side eyes me then turns his eyes to the pig.

“She was. I…uh…I just figured she’s good for Soph, ya know? Sophie’s happy and I feel like I can’t take that from her.” I chew my lip as I try to hide my rising heart rate. Thoughts of Dias gorgeous body hit my brain and I have to secretly adjust myself.

“What about you? I thought you wanted her gone?” He asks.

“I did…” I glance at him then turn away. “I…I can make sacrifices.”

He turns to me. “You never sacrificed anything for one girl, let alone two.”

“I told you. I love Soph. She’s it for me.” I shrug.

Dia's it for me too.

“This is so weird. I’ve been putting up with you since we were kids…” He turns back to the monitor. “I can’t believe there’s a chance we could be related.”

“You could have had my ass arrested.” I warned him.

“Yeah, but then Sophie would be all up my ass instead of yours.” He leans back and grins.

I chuckle. “Thanks for that.” I clap his shoulder and shake my head.

“Hey! You guys take my chips!”

We turn the door as Eddie strolls in, leans on the door frame and crosses his arms.

He's sporting a concerned look and his eyes are slits. He must of smoked up and forgot where he put his afternoon snack. I don’t blame him. His anger is a huge welcome sign to his soul.

“No. Why the hell would we take your chips?” Jax scowls.

“Uh…to eat?” Eddie snorts as he shoots Jax a snarky look.

I point to the door. “What’s that sign say?”

He looks, uncrosses one arm and points to it. “No food.” He turns and grins, looking proud as he nods.

“Right. There’s no food allowed in this room, Ed.” I tilt my head and raise a brow.

He shoots a finger at me. “Ah…but chips aren’t food. They’re place holders FOR food.” He pats his stomach. “So, don’t hate on the chips. Where are they?” He eyes us both.

Jax rolls his eyes. “Not here.”

He looks around the small computer room. “Uh…OK. Sure.” He starts down the hall then comes back. “Hey, if you guys see my chips, tell them I’m looking for them. Thanks.” He salutes us, smacks the door frame and saunters out.

I look to Jax. “As much as want to smash Alistair to hell, it's times like this, I almost miss the demon freak.”

“I agree.” Jax chuckles and shakes his head.

He punches some keys on his keyboard between his sneakers and the blueprints of this section come up on my monitor. “Where are we?”

I lean and read the map. “Turn right and we’re at the secondary water reservoir.”

“Ok.” He controls the pig to the door which separates the main section from this one. It was locked up 10 years ago due to our increase in surface water reservoirs and two additional tanks in the newer additions.

He moves the pig to the large metal door with an electronic keypad. “Patch me in.” He points to me.

“What do you say?” I scowl at him.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Before I smash your head in.”

My lips shrink and I look at him. “You really need to work on those violent tendencies.”

He groans and shakes his head.

I patch him into the door controls and he moves the camera around the door. “It looks pushed out.”

I shrug. “Probably just warped.”

He ticks his head in agreement and enters the code for the door.

The door creaks, cracks and stops.

Jax drops his shoes to the floor and leans to the monitor. “Ok.”

“Punch the code in again.” I suggest.

He does and nothing happens.

“Give me that.” I take the remote from him.

“Hey!”

“Shush.” I snap.

I back the pig up and with full motor, drive him into the door and it moved a tiny bit.”

“Excuse me!” He growls as he grabs the remote from me. “Expensive advanced equipment! Do you know how much budget money went into that thing?!” He grits as he points to the monitor.

“Sorry!” I bark.

“You better be.” He snarls then proceeds to back up the pig and ram it into the door. It moves a little more.

I arch a brow at him.

He glances at me. “I built it…I break it.”

“What about the budget?”

He shrugs. “It’s Finn's money, not mine.”

He leans to the monitor more as he backs the pig up again. He rams the drone into the door and a huge creak came over the mic.

The door seems to almost pulse. Water starts to trickle out the crack in the door.

“What the…” Jax moves the drone closer for a better look.

The door lets out a loud creak and sounds of pins flying off it cause us to look at each other and back at the screen.

Jax moves the camera up to the top of the door and the next thing we know, the door flies off and a tidal wave of water bursts out of it.

“WHOA!” We both say at the same time.

The rapid water picks up the pig and the camera shows it being tossed all around as it rides the rapids into the tunnels.

‘ALERT! DRONE MALFUNCTION! ALERT! DRONE MALFUNCTION!’

“No shit!” Jax growls as he slams the key to stop the alarm.

The wave dies down and the drone lands on its head. The tunnel is upside down and still under water, but it's shallow enough to ground the machine.

Jax throws the remote on the table. “Guess we better go get it.” He stands.

“By we, I’m sure you mean me.” I furrow my brow.

“Of course, I don’t want hives.” Jax says as he heads to the door.

“You’re a shifter. You don’t get hives.” I argue as I call out his bullshit.

“I might. So, I will avoid the situation and send you down instead.” He struts out of the room.

“I really hate ya, ya know that?” I say to his back.

He cackles as I shut the door with a groan.

****

I wade through the water wearing ugly hip waders and cursing Jax under my breath.

It stinks to high heaven and it’s made worse since the water stirred all the shit up.

I find the pig on his side. “Damn, buddy. OK…Come on…ya had enough…on your feet…” I hang my torch on my pants and pull the dog sized robot back onto his treads. I squat down and look him over.

‘Pigs housing’s flooded. We’ll have to dry him out to use him again.’ I link.

‘OK. We'll pick him up later.’ Jax links back.

‘The waters still flowing here. There’s a decent current to it.’

‘It's got to be coming from somewhere.’

‘The lake?’

‘Too high up.’

I walk down the tunnel to the room where the door broke off. I step through and this room is just as flooded as the tunnels. Mechanical towers are a quarter underwater and papers float by me as I walk to the other side of the small room. I lift my torch to a door that leads to the reservoir room. I don’t see anything wrong with it.

I walk and shine my light around the back wall. I stop my light and shake my head.

‘See anything?’

‘Yep…One of the closed off rooms has a cracked wall. I’m investigating now.’

I step to the hole in the concrete. Water is flowing over the bottom edge of it like a broken dam. The hole is about 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall. There’s a pile of concrete just below. They look eroded.

As I shine my torch into the hole, my jaw drops.

‘Uh…Jaxton. Ya better get down here.’

‘No way! I just showered!’

I turn to the door behind me. ‘Get your prissy ass down here! Ya gonna wanna see this!’

Fifteen minutes later, Jax is standing beside me in hip waders and his arms crossed.

Inside the reservoir room, the water is flooded to a point you can’t even see the water tank anymore. In the center of where the tank should be, a giant, white fountain of water spouts up about 3 feet into the air, filling the room.

I point to it and look at Jax. “That ain’t right.”

“The Island has a leak?”

Our mouths shrink, we look to each other and back at the fountain.

“No wonder the water bill's so high.”