CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

 

Diplomacy had never felt more like bodyguard status. Jax stood in the back of the Vegas conference room with Jared as he took in the scene and hoped that Boss Man would never force him through such a bullshit life lesson again. Whether this was punishment or he was actually supposed to learn how to keep his attitude in check, there wasn't much to be said for office work.

At this point, Jax wasn't even sure what was to be said for Seven. He wasn't looking for a relationship. Certain complications came with that kind of responsibility—and it wasn't just her, but Bianca and Nolan too. It was almost more important that he thought about them first. All Seven wanted for those kids was a normal life, and him popping in and out because of her wasn't fair.

But damn, it wasn't fair to run away from all three just because…

Jared cracked his knuckles, and they both trailed behind the assortment of gang—businessmen who had come to their agreement peacefully.

Not that he and Jared didn't want to take out a few of the fuckers. But that was a conversation for another day. For the moment, there was peace in ganglandia for the purpose of financial gain. They filed out of the conference room to where everyone had checked both phones and weapons as though it were normal. And actually, it was. Though Jax hated being around most of these people unarmed.

A stir of conversation grew louder as the group bottlenecked, and a crick of trepidation swept down Jax's back. His senses went on high alert as adrenaline swept through the air, spreading like wildfire, though he didn't know what was wrong.

A quick glance at Jared confirmed he felt the shift also.

"What is it?" Jared mumbled. He took a step left, tilting his head so that Jax went wide and right.

He saw nothing abnormal except for a few terse looks around cell phones while others casually ambled away with fist bumps and chin lifts goodbye.

The group of men parted. Sugar appeared in the middle as they split, and Jax's stomach dropped as he focused on the hard set of her jaw. Her searching gaze locked on to Jared, and she picked up speed. As though they had a silent conversation that sounded alarms, Boss Man rushed ahead and met her halfway. She held a phone outstretched for him as gang members crowded closer. Jax split from the group and pushed through the Niners and the Brotherhood, past Mayhem, then demanded his phone and weapon while keeping an eye on Sugar and Jared.

He had nothing of interest and holstered his sidearm, studying the pack until Seven extracted herself from Mayhem.

Her bright eyes were dead, and her lips had gone ashen as a limp hand reached toward Jax.

"Seven?" Her step faltered, and he surged forward to catch her before she stumbled. "Seven!"

She crumbled in his arms as he pulled her close. Jax twisted, looking for a chair and then his boss, wondering what the fuck was happening.

"Seven, get the fuck over here," Johnny snapped.

Hawke's arm flung out and slapped across Johnny's leather cut. It wasn't to hold the VP back but rather put up a line that shouldn't be crossed.

"Seven, back here. We've got to talk. Now." Hawke dropped his arm from Johnny's chest, but his authority over the situation remained. He lifted his chin. " No disrespect to you, but we have club business to take care of."

Seven didn't move, and Jax wasn't letting go.

"I'm not going to tell you again," Hawke growled.

She buried her fingers into Jax's flesh, whimpering as though her soul cried. Jax wrapped his arms around her tighter than before. "What the hell is going on?"

Jared and Sugar moved next to Hawke as Ethan and Tex moved next to Johnny, forming a semicircle around Jax and Seven.

"Boss Man, what?"

Seven pressed her forehead against his chest, answering, "He has them."

The shaky shadow of her was hauntingly hollow, and still, he wasn't connecting the dots.

"He, who?" What were they talking about? "The kids?" Jax thought the kids' dad was long gone, in jail because of all this goddamn drug business. Hadn't that been the problem to begin with?

Jared tossed the phone Sugar had rushed in, and Jax caught it one-handed. The screen was open to a message from Parker to Sugar.

 

Hernán knows about Mayhem's meeting. Victoria was run off the road and handcuffed to the steering wheel. Suarez cartel took both kids. Get in that meeting and tell Jared.

 

"What the…" Jax knew better than to trust the gangs and their networks. No amount of money and benefits would keep them quiet. Why hurt Seven? He tossed the phone back to Jared. "What are we gonna do?"

Johnny surged forward. "We aren't going to do anything, motherfucker."

"Stand down, goddamn it," Hawke barked. "This is your goddamn fault."

Johnny spun toward Hawke. "My goddamn fault? You want to talk about—"

"I would be very careful about what you say in the open," Tex said.

"If you're not Mayhem, get the fuck out of here," Hawke ordered, and the remainder of the Niners started to walk.

But the Brotherhood didn't move. "If we have a problem with Hernán, you know this deal is off the table. That was part of it. The contract conveys. That means all distribution partners, everyone from production to the last distributor that helps somebody sniff it up their nose, is thrilled. Do you read me?" The man with the wretched Brotherhood tattoo across his throat moved toward Hawke. "If you had us come down here, do this song and dance, and it was in bad faith? You will have a war on your hands. And not just from the Brotherhood."

"Get the fuck out of my hotel if you want to speak to me like that," Hawke said, stepping forward. "Hernán is happy when his bank account is happy. You threaten me, I'll bleed you out on the carpet before you can say don't slice open my ink."

Neither man stood down, and Johnny's jitters started to twitch next to Tex, evidence that he hadn't taken a hit of whatever he needed recently. Everyone was armed, and emotions were high. The area was close quarters, and what they needed to do was focus on Seven, Nolan, and Bianca.

"Seven, let's get this worked out," Hawke said with a much lower voice, as though he were trying to cool his own rage, lure her back toward Mayhem, and keep everything good with the Brotherhood.

The phone Sugar had given Jared vibrated, and not missing a beat, Boss Man swiped the screen. His face darkened as he listened, offering only a grunt before he ended the call and turned toward Hawke. "How do you plan on correcting Hernán?"

Hawke barely shook his head, but the tension flexed in his jaw. "We will deal with the business of Mayhem momentarily."

Jared took an aggressive step forward, challenging Hawke. " You think that you can fix this? Titan has been on the sidelines, watching your mistake after damn mistake. And you don't want to partner with us now? When this is what we do best? Fools."

"They're my kids, and I didn't say no," Seven whispered. "What does Johnny have to do with this?"

"What the fuck does anyone have to do with any of this?" Johnny threw his arms out, twitching his fingers. "If we had left good enough alone, none of this would've happened."

Hawke snarled at Jared. "You obviously know more than we do right now. You could share."

"You're obviously," Sugar snapped, mocking his snarl, "going to play with those kids' lives because you have"—Sugar threw her fingers in the air, making air quotes—"club business. And you don't even know what's up. Is that right?"

"They think Bianca and Nolan are Johnny's blood," Jared explained.

"No," Seven cried, collapsing against Jax.

Johnny let out a string of curse words, spinning in his boots and slamming his fist against the wall. Tex grabbed him back and threw him in line.

"You know whose fault this is?" Johnny paced back and forth, cracking his neck side to side, working his shoulders up and down.

Jax couldn't wait to hear who that asshole was going to blame. Whatever beauties were going to fall out of his tweaking, meth–mouth would have been comedy if it weren't for such a serious situation.

"I'm going to shove my hand through your face if you don't shut your mouth," Tex barked.

Johnny snarled and spun, but he didn't stop in front of Tex as he twisted to face Jax. His gaze dropped to Seven. "You."

She balked. "Me?"

"If you had just let them go. But no, you have to take care of the world. You have to have kids to what, fix what was done to you?"

Cold, white fury shook through Jax with such rapid fire that he saw the hotel shake around them. But before he could hold back Seven or funnel his fury to his own fists, Tex swung, and the back of Johnny's skull smacked against the wall. The coke head dropped into a pile of motorcycle leather, cut, and knocked-out tweaker.

Seven's anger and fear vibrated. This was hell; Jax was holding living, breathing pain. He had never experienced her fear, the kind that sliced through muscles and tore at his sanity. He'd never cared in a personal way before. "We'll get them back, princess. I promise."

Nothing would stop him from making this right. Jax turned, holding Seven's hand, and watched Deacon Lanes thunder down the hall.