The Axelridge Series Book 4 Griff's Red Card

IVY

“Come on!” I grit as I try to unstick the zipper on my dry suit. It will help cover our skin and protect us from being cloned. We will also have full regulator masks to cover our faces. If only I could get this damn zipper!

I fiddle with the edge if it, pull and curse behind my lips as I fight with it at my stomach.

“Darn it!” I throw my hands down and blow my hair out of my eye. I look down, press my lips together and try again.

“Here, let me before ye banjax it.”

I glance up and Griffin is standing in front me with his hands on his hips. “I can do it.” I mumble to my chest.

I feel him lean close. “Miss. Let me do it. Yer heads not right for it.”

I whip my head up. “What’s that supposed to mean?” My tone was probably a little more offended than I intended.

He smiles with a chuckle. “It means, you’re too frustrated to get it. Let me use my calmer hands.”

My lips and jaw fall. “Oh.”

I drop my hands and he takes hold of the zipper. Instantly, I feel like I’m four years old. I place my hand on my hips as I turn my head to the water consuming Axelridge.

My brow scrunches as I feel a soft touch on my stomach. I get tingles and look to where I feel it.

He has the back of his hand resting on the skin just below my belly button and my middle does a flip. I watch as he picks the rubber out of the teeth of the zipper.

“Bollix.”

“What?” I try to see what he’s doing.

“It’s torn a bit. Just there. I got the zip, but yer gonna need to seal that, right?” He says as he sets the zipper.

I feel my skin get goosebumps as he starts to glide the heavy duty zipper up my body. I quietly let out a shaky breath as his hands reach the divide between my breast. He stops, hesitates then quickly lets go.

“I…Ya got it from there, lass, I’m sure.” He lets out a nervous chuckle and rubs his nape.

I feel my cheeks heat as I finish zipping up. “Thank you.” I raise my eyes to him.

“Welcome, love.” We lock eyes for a moment. “Oi…” He reaches out and pinches the bridge of my glasses between his fingers and pulls them off my eyes. I squint in the fuzziness of my vision.

“Can’t be losing these wee things again.” He leans to me. “Ye go broke replacing ‘em.” He laughs and so do I.

“My contacts are in my bag.” I look around for it in my watered vision.

“Ah! Got it.”

I see his colors move though the blurriness and he brings me my bag. I find them and put them in. Blinking a few times to set them, I meet Griffins eyes. “Thank you, again.”

He's close enough that I’m starting to sweat. His scent floats around me and I lock with his smiling, blue eyes.

“Anytime, lass.” He looks me over. “Get suited up, ya? I best be getting ‘er on. I’ll miss the boat!” He spins and throws his hands up as he walks away.

The butterflies flutter away as I watch him get ready for the dive. He may upset me. Always wanting the last word or proving me wrong, but underneath that, I’m starting to see a soft side. A gentle side that really is a bit messy in the perfectionist wrap. He’s really becoming likeable to me, even though we still argue, but it’s weird. Even his arguing makes me like him more.

“Ivy.”

“Hmm.” I slowly turn to Marcus.

He smiles and glances at Griffin. “What’s that look?”

“What look?” I ask as we walk to the edge of the Security Complex roof.

“The eyes. The eyes never lie. You like him.” He smirks.

“Ok. Maybe, I do. I never really didn’t like him, but…” I flop my arms down at my aides and stop.

“He’s hard to get along with.” Marcus folds his arms.

“Sometimes. Lately though…” My eyes wander back to Griffin.

“Griffin…is unique. His family is small. His pack is even smaller. It’s literally a handful of family living in Axelridge. I guess he feels he needs to be louder because of it.” Marcus glances at Griffin then turns back to me. “It seems ya make him quiet.”

I giggle. “I don’t know how.”

He leans in. “Trust me, you women have powers ya don’t even know, but they can have us falling to our knees.” He takes one more look at Griffin. “Keep on him. I feel it.”

“Feel what?” My lips fall as I stare at him.

“You’ll see.”

He taps his nose with his finger and walks away.

I watch Marcus leave and think about the kiss we shared. It was a fabulous kiss, but could I see myself being with Griffin? He can be nice, but he also can be boisterous, angry and, at times, extremely annoying. Could I live with that? Should I accept it as a part of him? Am I attracted to loud Griffin, soft Griffin or both? There really is no other way to find out, the question is do I want to go that deep with him?

“Ya ready, lass?” He walks up to me with his rubber hood up over his hair. His blonde curls are sticking out the front and a goofy smile plays on his lips.

I fold my arms, smile with a chuckle and look him over. “Yes.” I raise my chin. “Yes, I am.”

“Grand." He grins and picks up the rest of his gear.

****

After climbing down the side of the four story portion of the Complex, we drop into the water and hang onto a life line before letting go and going under.

Peter, Marcus, Griffin, Adam and Jax swim just ahead as I explore the world I’ve known for years that’s underwater. It’s so different now, I almost can’t believe what I see.

Cars overturned and pushed against the fences. Some smashed into the side of the building. It’s horrible, but you have to respect the beauty of the water around us.

I swim to catch up with the guys as we make our way into the lot.

‘Don’t get too close to the cars and watch for debris.’ Peter instructs.

One wrong move and we could be stabbed with how much twisted metal there is. The water is still filled with garbage and God knows what else. It floats by at 5 miles an hour. Not strong, but not gentle either. We have to be careful.

‘The office is above, the rock can’t have been thrown far.’ Griffin says.

‘Based on this current, the weight of the rock and the force of the wave that hit us, the rock could actually be beyond the fence, Griffin.' I suggest.

‘It's not, lass. I have it figured.’ He responds as he stops at a car. ‘Adam! Give us a hand.’

‘Griffin!’ I try to get his attention to tell him that the north fence is down and judging by the flow of the debris in this lot, everything seems to be pushing toward it.

‘Ivy, let us work.’ He turns to me, holds a hand up and joins Adam.

‘What do you need?’ Adam swims over and links.

‘Be a lad and lift the car to have a looksee.’ He points to a red car at the base of a pile of other cars.

‘Only if you never use the word ‘looksee' again.’ Adam floats and turns to Griffin with attitude.

‘Don’t mock my words, fella.’ Griffin growls.

‘That word makes me feel…uncomfortable.’

Griffin sighs. ‘Just lift the car.’

Adam plants his feet on the pavement and lifts the car. The other Alphas help with the search.

Fine, I think to myself, while they’re doing that, I’ll be finding the rock.

I swim to the section of the fence that’s down. The number of cars around it looks like a pile up accident.

I swim down to the pavement and try looking under the cars. It’s hard to see with everything so, I take out my flashlight.

Hanging onto a door handle, I lower myself and flash the light under. The garbage and dirt under them lights up and I begin to scan every inch that I see.

The light circle travels across the mud and stops. In the muck, I see a black, rough shape with some red and a pulsing white light.

‘Gotcha.’ I grin and try to figure out how to get it.

It’s four cars deep in the center of the pile. I memorize the area underneath and swim up to try and follow it above.

Above it, is cars that are upside down on top of the ones underneath. My air spreads around me as I inspect the gaps between the cars. If I can squeeze myself in between, I might be able to get close enough to the rock and grab it.

Following two cars smashed together, I find a gap large enough to get through. Under that, is a small tunnel made from hoods, trunks and rooves. It’s narrow, but my body is small enough to move through it.

I start to see the white pulsing light beyond the space between two bumpers. I spread myself over the gap and reach an arm down. I can’t quite reach it.

Leaning down more, I see my fingers move sand. ‘Come on…’

I reach more and my fingers touch it. Just as my fingers wrap around it, I slip with a yelp deeper into the gap. A piece of a car cuts into my suit and slices my arm. I scream into my mask and look at my bleeding arm.

My eyes move from my arm to the white rock which is now pulsing red.

My eyes widen. “Uh, crap.”

My body heats and I explode in a red light out of the cars. The force throws them and I’m propelled through the water toward the broken fence.

I hit the chain-link and it’s support pole breaks in half breaks. As I fall back on the fence, my leg barely missing the bottom piece of the pole. “Oh, God…” I pant and blow out a sigh of relief.

I feel like I’m on fire and the rock is still glowing red in my hand, but the color is dying down. I raise it to my eyes and stare at it because it felt like it targeted me.

‘IVY!!!’

I look up to see the dead clone of myself floating above the debris pile, drowned. It shakes then breaks apart into water.

The Alphas swim over the cars in a mad panic once they realized what had happened.

“Ivy! You ok?” Griffin breathes as he checks me over.

‘I found…the rock.’ I pant as I hold up the white lighted rock and they all surround it then turn their heads to me as I flop back on the fence.