Free Welcome to Diablo Vista (Axl Dane #1) by Crow Gray Page A

cool,” Geoff said, giving the newcomers a slack-jawed stare.
                  “That bastard. He must have screwed the cartel,” Rosita said. Axl turned to look at her and saw the anger burning in her eyes. She looked sexy as hell.
                  The men started to swarm from the truck when two more cars drove into the neighborhood. They were both Cadillac SUVs, and they stopped on the road just before reaching the house. The men who had come in the pick-ups, the majority of which appeared to be Latin, stopped and watched the cars as if unsure about the new arrivals. Several men in black suits exited the two SUVs. They were all wearing sunglasses, and carrying some type of compact sub-machine gun. What was most striking about them was the fact several also had samurai swords strapped to their backs.
                  “Fuck, they must be Yakuza,” Axl said.
                  “Yakuza?” Trista asked.
                  “The Japanese Mafia. Shit, just what the hell was Esteban into?” Axl said. His contacts had never been able to get specifics on Esteban's business, but it looked much deeper than Axl had assumed.
                  “So why are they here?” Rosita asked.
                  “I'm not sure,” Axl said, realizing they should probably get the hell out but too intrigued to leave yet.
                  The two groups were having a stare down, neither speaking nor moving. Axl was beginning to wonder what would end the standoff when the sound of Harley Davidson V-Twins split the air. A mass of motorcycles had joined the melee, the bikers driving all over the lawn both in front and behind the house, their method of egress not as limited as the men in the larger vehicles.
                  “Oh shit,” Axl said, recognizing the new group as the Kingsnakes. How the fuck did they find me?
                  As if on cue, all three groups opened fire on one another, the bikers managing to shoot as they rode. There seemed to be no alliances as each group was attacking the others. Within seconds several men had died, blood staining the lawn as the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air. The sound was almost unbearable as the quiet suburbs were turned into a war zone within seconds.
                  “Out the window, now,” Axl said, running to the back window and looking down.
                  “There's some bushes down below. It's a long drop, but they should break our fall,” Trista explained.
                  “Yeah, it's a surprisingly easy jump to make, and the landing isn't bad at all,” Geoff added.
                  Axl gave Geoff a quizzical look, then realized the surfer boy had probably had to make a quick exit before. As if to prove the point, Geoff opened the window expertly and waved Trista over.
                  “Geoff, you go first, then I'll send down Trista and Rosita. I'll be down right after,” Axl said, drawing his python.
                  Geoff didn't need to be asked twice, hopping into the bushes. Axl watched the door, gun at the ready as Trista jumped down, then Rosita.
                  As Axl moved to the window, a familiar voice greeted him. “You aren't going anywhere you bastard,” Ed Sharp said, exiting from the bathroom waving his pistol. Axl cursed as he realized he had forgotten all about Ed, who must have recovered while they were outside watching the action.
                  “Ed, we don't have time for this,” Axl said, realizing he'd probably have to shoot Ed this time.
                  “Shut up! Fuck you!” Ed said, stepping out of the bathroom and standing in front of the open window. “I'm sick of your bullshit! I'm going to--”
                  Ed's next words would forever be unfinished as bullets from outside the open window stitched across