Chapter Eleven

 

 

Jax moved past the corner of the mega store, praying River hadn’t noticed him leaving. Not that it had been his choice, but the last thing he needed was to add River to the equation. If one of these assholes got his hands on her, Jax wouldn’t be able to fight. He would give them anything they asked for as long as River was alive at the end.

This was what it meant to have a true weakness. He would fight for his brothers, but he would lie down and die for her.

At least the rain seemed to have stopped. The clouds overhead threatened more storms, but for now only the ground was wet.

“Any chance you want to explain why we’re being kidnapped?” Robert was rock solid.

It was sad but he ranked his brothers in the order in which he would like to be kidnapped with. Dante was last because he was the one most likely to give anyone up to save himself. Robert was the top of his list. Robert was cool under pressure.

“Keep moving, asshole. You know exactly why we’re taking you,” the man with the gun pressed to his spine said. “The group paying us wants you alive, but they’ll take your corpses, too.”

“Did you miss something, Jax? I thought you kept up with all the Deep Web conspiracies to vivisect us.” Robert was going to do something, likely the minute they got out of view of the parking lot.

“There are so many of them. It’s hard to keep up with.” Adrenaline started to pump through his system. Robert would make a move soon or he would. He would have to stay calm and not get lost in the fight. He couldn’t lose it if River had a chance of seeing him.

“We can do this easy, man.” The guy behind him had a deep voice, the better to threaten him with. “Or we can do it hard. We’re taking you to a private airfield. You’re going to take a little knockout drug and when you wake up they’ll do some tests. You’re some kind of medical freak or something.”

They would do far more than run a couple of tests. Whoever “they” were, they would likely lock he and Robert up and study them in the worst possible ways. He would be held in a cage again, away from the sun and the stars.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t go into that cage again.

He tamped down the panic. Big Tag would find them. He’d promised. If it all went to hell and they ended up taken, he would survive.

But it wasn’t going to get that far. His hands twitched, ready to work.

They rounded to the back of the building. There were huge trash bins, massive stacks of broken down boxes at the back of the store. It was quiet out here, the only sound the hum of enormous air-conditioning units. There was an eighteen-wheeler parked in a loading zone, but no one was out here now.

A hard shove to his back kept him shuffling along. It was obvious where they were going. A big black van stuck out like a sore thumb among the SUVs and Jeeps and trucks. A third man opened the back and he held zip ties in one hand.

He would be hog tied and bound for some lab if they didn’t do something and quickly.

But neither he nor Robert were carrying.

There was the sound of a ping and then the man escorting Robert was on the ground.

They weren’t carrying but someone was.

Jax brought his elbow up and back, meeting with his attacker’s solar plexus. There was a groan and the man’s hand moved. He twisted his body, instinct taking over. He’d been born knowing how to do this. He hadn’t known his name or who his people were, but he’d known how to fight. He kicked his assailant, sending the man to the ground. He fell on his back, his head cracking on the hard concrete.

Robert was on him in an instant, getting the gun in his hand. “Get the driver.”

Jax turned in time to see the driver raise a pistol. Before he could get the shot off, there was another ping and the man’s head suddenly sported a neat red hole in the center.

Jax turned again, trying to figure out who the hell was firing. How many people were after them? Were they caught in between two groups who wanted to open them up and find out all their secrets? He caught a shadow moving from behind the truck.

He was about to run after the man who’d helped them out, but Robert was cursing.

“This one’s dead, too. Damn it.” Robert got to his feet. “He hit his head when you put your foot half through his torso. Who the hell was the shooter? How many are we dealing with?”

He shook his head. “No idea. I only saw one and I didn’t see much more than a shadow. Should I go after him? He can’t have gotten far. Did Ezra send someone to watch us?”

Robert was staring at the space where the shooter must have stood. “No way. If that had been one of ours, he would have come to help us clean up the mess. Damn it. I wish we had one to question. I would like to know who they work for.”

He could figure out who they were and who they worked for, but he would need time and some information. They had bigger problems right now. If anyone walked out, the cops would be involved, and they weren’t in Bliss where the sheriff would help. “We need to get the bodies in the van and then look for any type of ID on these guys.”

He strode back to the van and hefted the driver’s body back inside. They would have to take the whole thing with them. Or rather someone else would because he and Robert needed to return to the store.

“Jax?”

His heart threatened to seize. River was coming and if she made that turn they would have a lot of explaining to do.

Robert winced. They were surrounded by dead bodies neither one of them wanted to explain to River and she was about to turn that corner. “You need to distract her. I’ll get the bodies in the van and meet you inside. I’ll call Tag and let him know we need a cleaner.”

Jax ran, sprinting toward the building. He got there just as she rounded the corner.

“Hey,” she said, frowning at him. “What are you doing out here? I thought I left you with a list.”

They were way too close to the scene of his most recent crime. He did the only thing he knew would distract her. He kissed her, swift and hard, his hands dragging her against his body as his mouth made a meal of hers.

Her arms came around him as she softened and gave over.

“I should have known I would find you two making out,” Heather said. Jax looked up and she was shaking her head. “You know you can do that at home. We’re supposed to be working. Where the hell did Robert get off to? And I can’t find Andy, either.”

He ignored her, staring down at River. “Sorry, baby, Robert got talked into helping a guy change his tire. He’ll be back in a minute. I need to go and finish out my list.”

River shook her head, laughing. “I should have known better than to send you off with Robert.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “I’ll do it. But if Andy’s flirting with some chick, I’m not doing his work, too.”

She turned on her heels and strode away.

River took his hand. “Come on. If we hurry we can get back home and take Buster for a nice long walk before we go out tonight.”

If she’d been a couple of minutes earlier, she would have walked right into the killing field. They’d been lucky. Someone had been watching out for them today, but who knew what would happen tomorrow.

Did he have any right to bring her into this?

He forced a smile on his face and followed her, his brain whirling the whole time.

 

* * * *

 

Six hours later, River let her arms drift up around Jax’s shoulders as music pulsed through Trio. The band played a slow song, one that made it possible for her to get close to her man. Her kind of awkward, but still crazy hot man. He couldn’t dance. Not at all, but she loved that he tried for her.

He kissed the top of her head as the music changed. “I’m going to grab a beer, baby.”

She couldn’t seem to stop dancing. “Feel free. I think I’ll stay here a while.”

He looked around, nodding to Robert and Owen. Owen moved closer to her as though acknowledging that he would watch over her. Not that she needed anyone to watch her. She wasn’t the one who wandered off every time a stranger needed help.

Owen could dance. Robert wasn’t bad, but he didn’t have Owen’s natural rhythm. Still, she couldn’t help but think Jax had perfect rhythm when it counted. In bed.

She moved to the music. It was like her body had come awake after a long sleep. She felt different. Somehow these days and nights with Jax had brought her back to life. She didn’t spend every waking moment thinking about what she’d lost and plotting and planning a way to survive. The simple joys of life were pleasurable again, like waking up and rolling into his arms, taking the puppy outside for a walk, even going into work felt new.

It was as if the clouds had parted and she could see the sun for the first time in a year and a half.

It made her realize how deep she’d gotten into her own problems, her own darkness. Jax had forced her into the light again. It made her look at everything differently.

Andy bopped around the Harper twins, who were dancing with their wife, Rachel. He waved her way. At least there was a smile on his face now. The drive back from Alamosa seemed to have done wonders for him.

“Hey,” he said, shouting over the music. “I wanted to apologize.”

She moved to the back of the dance floor where she might be able to hear him. It did not escape her notice that one of the tourists immediately moved in on Owen. He was grinning as she twerked, his eyes wide as though he’d never seen a woman shake her ass before.

The whole crew knew how to do the wide-eyed thing to perfection. It had every single woman in the bar panting after them, but she’d noticed Jax could shut a chick down. He did it politely, but he was quick. Her bar fight might have taught him that she could defend her territory.

“What did you say?” She’d thought he’d apologized, but she could hear that again.

A sheepish expression crossed his face. “I’m sorry about earlier. I’ll watch the phones and keep the office open. Heather kind of read me the riot act on the way home. She’s right. I’m being overly cautious. We should get this job done so there’s no way they can ask for the money back. We need it. It’ll get us through the winter and we’ll be in good shape for the summer season. With the sun out this afternoon, it should be dry enough to go in a day.”

She hated the sound of that. A little more than twenty-four hours left before she had to start her job. If they found what he was looking for quickly, they had maybe three or four days before he would head back to LA.

How was it going so fast? She couldn’t think about it now. She had to live in the moment. “I’m glad. I think you’ll see it’s going to go well. Where is Heather? I thought she was coming with us tonight.”

He shrugged. “She said she had something she needed to handle. She dropped me off at the office and headed out. I think she’s got some kind of secret lover or something. She rushes off at the oddest times and she will not be upfront about where she’s going. Don’t get me wrong. I love that girl. She’s awesome, but she’s weird, too.”

She wasn’t sure she agreed about the secret lover. Heather seemed deeply in love with her ex-husband, but Andy was right about her regular disappearances lately. She was always careful about work. “I think she’s got some family issues, but she’s solid. She’s missed some client meetings, but I can’t imagine she’ll miss the actual job.”

She glanced over. Robert had walked off the dance floor and was talking to Jax, though he didn’t look happy about whatever Jax had said.

“Well, I’m going to head home. I’ll walk. It’s not far.” Andy lived in a rented cabin in the valley. It was roughly a half a mile from the center of town. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She gave him a smile and turned her attention back to the band. Jax looked like he was having a serious talk. She decided to give him some space.

“You having fun?”

She glanced up and into the eyes of a handsome man. He had warm brown eyes and the kind of scruff one got from careful grooming. He looked a bit out of place in his dress shirt and smart-looking suspenders. He was wearing a shiny pair of loafers. Definitely a tourist, and one from a big city. He was a hottie, for sure, though he had nothing on her Jax. Jax didn’t bother with fashion and she would bet this man read GQ and kept up with a better skin care regime than she had. Still, with the music playing and the world seemingly softer than it had been before, she grinned up at him. “I am having a blast. Are you here with your family?”

The band slowed down, the song changing to a ballad. Owen pulled the blonde close, getting his hands on her. She looked up at him with a seductive smile. It looked like Jax wouldn’t be the only one getting busy tonight.

“I’m here for you, River.”

A chill went across her skin. She hadn’t told him her name. “Who are you?”

He reached in his pocket and passed her his identification. “I’m the man who’s going to save you from a whole lot of jail time. Your boyfriend has been lying to you. He’s not who you think he is and he’s going to lead you into trouble. Come with me and I’ll show you exactly who the man you call Jax Seaborne is.”

She carefully read the ID. It looked real. A hollow opened in her gut. Could this be happening again? “I don’t believe you.”

This was some kind of trick because she couldn’t go through this again. But then hadn’t she been waiting for the floor to fall out from under her since the moment she’d woken up and he’d been gone? Maybe she’d been waiting for it since the second she’d realized he “wanted” her.

“I’ll show you his arrest warrants,” the man replied, a humiliating sympathy in his eyes. “Or you can keep going down the road you’re going down and face the consequences. Shouldn’t you know what they are?”

“Consequences?” Should she run back to Jax? Beg him to tell her this was all some mistake? He had warrants? For what?

She might think this was some play by her ex-husband, but he was sitting in a jail cell. He didn’t have any money left to hire a hit man. He wouldn’t know Jax’s name.

But this man obviously did. She handed him back his very official-looking badge.

“The consequences are far-reaching, and they affect more than you.” He held his hands up. “I’m not here to hurt you. I promise. I’m the only one willing to tell you the truth.”

“Jax told me what he’s looking for.” And he’d told her it could be dangerous.

“But he hasn’t told you why,” the man pointed out. “I’m sure he gave you some story about how he’s filming urban legends.” He studied her intently. “Or perhaps he’s trying to expose some environmental issue that no one knows about. Ah, that’s it. Clever, but then he’s working with the best. Ezra Fain isn’t who he says he is either. He’s a disgraced CIA operative who’s willing to start a war that could burn us all down. I’m here to stop it and you’re the only one who can help me.”

She stared at him for a moment.

He stared back. “I’m also the only one who can keep you out of jail.”

Did he know about the money Jax had stolen? It was sitting in her bank account. It would look like she’d taken it.

What would she have given for an authority figure to have shown up looking for Matt before he’d taken everything from her?

“Who are you?” She couldn’t seem to wrap her brain around what he was saying. It wasn’t possible.

“You can call me Mr. Green,” he said solemnly. “Or Levi, if you prefer. Please come with me. I can save you a lot of trouble.”

She glanced back and realized she knew nothing about her lover.

It was stupid. She should run back to Jax, but the weight of her own history made her turn.

She walked straight over to where Ty was sitting. “I need a favor.”

Ty looked up, his shoulders straightening. “Of course.”

She pointed back at the man who claimed to be a CIA employee. “I’m going to leave with that man. His name is Levi Green. If he murders me, memorize his face.”

Ty’s eyes widened. “Whoa, are you sure?”

She had to come up with a good reason on the fly or Ty would insist on going with her. “I’m planning a surprise for Jax and he’s going to help.”

Ty grinned. “Because he got you Buster? I should have known you would feel the need to pay him back. What are you doing? Setting up something hot?”

She smiled, praying it reached her eyes. “Something like that. I’ve talked to Mr. Green on the phone before, but a girl can’t be too careful.”

“Well, he’s probably been caught on the security cameras. He’s pretty stupid if he’s planning on hurting you,” Ty replied, nodding over at Green, who gave him a jaunty wave and didn’t try to hide his face.

“I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll be back in a while.” She turned and walked to where she’d left Green. She’d done everything she could to be safe, but she had to know. “I’m ready.”

She followed Levi Green out of the bar and worried her world was about to crumble around her. Again.