Dax had a plan, he had stayed up most of the night, but he was certain she was going to get on board with this. His problem was going all apeshit and not listening to her. She was a confident woman who knew what she wanted and had the discipline to wait. He was a horndog and would always be, he thought with a grin. Well, he didn’t fuck everything in sight, the horndog was only for Jas.
So, after dinner he when he went to his room, he plotted, and then he went to talk to Roger, and with his advice, he plotted more. Damn, he loved the guy; he wondered why he had never gotten married?
Dax got up and ready, already smelling breakfast, which he had no clue what it was, but if the smells were right, it was gonna be good, which was perfect, because then he was going to see if Jas wanted to do a little recon.
He couldn’t say ‘go hang out,’ she would never do that. But if he put it as part of their mission, she would respond. Was he being manipulative? Yes, he was. Was he being an ass? No, he was getting what he wanted.
Dax walked down the hallway and finally ended up in the dining room once again. Roger was already waiting, and he nodded at the old man whose eyes were dancing in humor.
“Oh, it is,” Roger replied, and Dax rolled his eyes. Last night Roger had been happy Dax was pulling his head out of his ass. It was harsh but true.
Jas walked in the room, took inventory, and then grabbed a plate, loaded it up and grabbed a large coffee, and went and sat by Roger. She was making a point, but he didn’t give a shit. It seemed overnight. She felt like keeping distance was going to make him stop. Dax almost laughed out loud.
He sat down across from her and said, “Good morning.”
Jas looked up, and her eyes were dead, yea she totally built the wall last night. Dax was ready to knock that bitch down. Roger asked.
“Has anyone checked the computer this morning?”
Jas shook her head, “I turned it on when I walked by the room. I am going back there after breakfast.”
Dax nodded, “I need to contact Loki about what they have discovered for my end. I need to know who the fuck sold me out. No one knew I was going to help. No one.”
“It has happened to more people than you would think. But after breakfast we will deal, I don’t want to ruin my eggs, they are amazing,” she said firmly and then put her head down and ate.
Dax smiled at Roger, yeah not happening, but she could live in her dream world for a little longer, because yes, the breakfast was amazing.
As the three ate in silence, Dax thought about how he was going to accomplish what he wanted to do today. It was not too harder, but Jas was stubborn, and she was the wild card, and he was going to make sure when the time came, she was going to be a Queen, not a Princess.
Dax got up first and walked into the office and grabbed the phone, and sat down on the plush leather couch. Hitting a number, he waited for someone to answer; he was surprised when a woman answered.
“Hello,” she said briskly.
“Uh, I am looking for Loki,” he said
“Shit, he is around here somewhere. Who is this, and why are you calling?” the woman snapped, and Dax pulled his phone away from his ear and wanted to laugh.
Then he said, “Dax.”
There was silence on the other end before the woman said, “He had been waiting for your call.”
Dax nodded, “Can you get him?”
“Okay, what did I say, ‘He HAD been waiting for you. And when you didn’t call, he had to go get his answers somewhere else. And let me tell you he was pissed the fuck off.”
“What exactly are you trying to say,” Dax said.
“Do you know who you are supposed to be protecting.”
“Shit, not this again. I know, save the threat to kill me because it is not going to stop me from claiming. Now, get me LOKI!” Dax snapped using his military hard as steel voice for when he trained. In the past, everyone listened when he used this tone; however, this woman actually laughed. He tilted his head and tried to make sure he was not going to flip the fuck off on her mother, but the voice just didn’t match.
“I am pretty sure you don’t want to go this route,” the woman said.
“My private life has nothing to do with this, and I am offended at this point how everyone keeps threatening me. Deal with it, she is mine, and I will protect her.”
There was more silence on the phone, and then he heard a loud sigh. “Young man, there is so much more to her story than you even know. When I say she has been through shit in her life no one should, I mean it. She didn’t come to Shady until she had already been traumatized so bad it took a long time for her to create a bond with her mother and fathers. She may have a tough exterior, but inside, she is just like everyone else and wants to have someone make her their priority in their life, and only her. Trust me, Jas is a one-woman man, not that it bothers her about the Ops, but it is not for her with her past.”
“Who is this?” Dax asked softly, and then he heard a chuckle.
“My name is Carole, and I am Loki’s mother,” she said. “I am Jas’s honorary Grandmother, and the women you are dealing with, I am not even exaggerating a little, will kill you and hide the body is you fuck this shit up. That girl has stolen the hearts of all four clubs, and all four clubs will do what they must do to make sure she is protected, not smothered Jas wouldn’t allow that. No, but she will allow them to protect her. She needs that connect, when she shares her story, you will know.”
Dax frowned and then said as Roger walked in. “Can you have your son call me?”
Roger smiled and held his hand out. Dax shrugged and handed the phone to Roger before the woman had a chance to say a word.
“Caro?” Roger said and then laughed. “Too many years, I think. Apparently, I am coming home finally.”
He paused and turned almost as if hiding something from Dax. So, Dax turned and didn’t hear what Roger was saying, but he did hear the tone he was using and damned if Dax wasn’t surprised by that. But right now, that wasn’t his problem, his problem had just walked into the room and went directly to the desk and sat down.
Dax was hoping that Fling got his message. He walked to stand beside her as she phoned Fling, who answered right away.
“Jas,” he said grimly. “Sorry, this shit did not go as planned.
Jas heard Doc and then saw her come on the screen and shook her head. “Easy my ass is what you are thinking, right? Well, I think we need to stop talking about easy because until this shit is over, there is no easy. Everything gets fucked up. Anyway, Mace is already working on how the assholes go the information. Your tickets and Dax’s new name should have held up. They didn’t, we need to get you more. For now, you act like tourists, make yourself known in the community, Mace, Marbles, Maxi and Easy are already on their way there. They are your back up, they will not be staying at the house, and they will be close, they will be following you when you go out. Make no mistake, your cover has been busted, but they don’t know exactly where you are. And before you ask, no, your mother didn’t plan this the Sisters did. Although just so you know, your mother and the Lady Riders are plotting something. They are being too quiet.”
Jas rolled her eyes, “Shit on a stick.”
“Well, that is one way to put it. Just saying, I am holding them off for as long as I can, and I will warn you if I hear anything,” Doc said.
“Talk to Bob, she will help you. She is the only one who is reasonable about me.”
“Will do,” Doc said. “Also, the girls are bringing more firepower for you as well. They will drop it off with Lena, you do not see them. We are looking to see how we can get you all back home in a different way. There is no way we are going to risk you getting in an airplane with someone bound and determined to take you guys out. They will crash the plane is my guess.”
“Great,” Dax muttered.
Doc smiled and shook head and moved back. Fling leaned closer and said, “We are thinking boat.”
Then she heard Maverick in the background. “Oh, hell no, have you ever seen the Titanic, they could hit an iceberg.”
Fling looked over his shoulder and glared at her. “We were thinking more like from the Mediterranean.”
Jas smiled. “Awesome, but in the opposite direction. What are we hearing about Bus?”
“There could still be an iceberg, you never know. That’s a better excuse,” Shady grumbled.
“Bus’s cover is being put into place as we speak, but we need that drive to get him what they need to complete the mission,” Fling said. “Make no mistake, they are looking for you. We have heard a lot of chatter. We need you to do a little recognizance later tonight and for the next few nights. We need to know if anyone is looking for you. I will send you the address for where they are staying, but as I said, don’t make contact unless you need to.”
Jas nodded, “We can handle it. Anything you need, let us know. We have nothing better to do than watch Spanish TV and eat Lena’s food.”
Jas heard Mace from somewhere in the room. “I also have a few buddies who were just released from duty waiting for us to give them the go. Just so you don’t shoot them, we are sending you their pictures. Other than that, it is a waiting game.”
“Gotta ya,” Jas said, and they said their goodbyes and hung up. Roger had gotten off the phone and was standing there listening as well. He looked at Dax and nodded.
Jas pushed back from the desk and looked at Dax. “Get ready to go out and see what we can find out. Creed gave me a few contacts we can go to. Find out if there is anyone looking for us. Plus, I believe Maxi and Easy will be here today, I just want to make sure we see where they are and don’t shoot them like they asked.”
Dax nodded, and Roger said, “I am staying here; Carole is planning on calling back with more information. And Loki is also calling soon. I need to see if they have found out anything as well.”
“With all four clubs checking their contacts, they will find out,” Jas said confidently.
Damn it, she thought as she walked into her room. Being close to Dax was driving him batshit crazy, all his hormones were flying off him. It was driving her nuts, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold him off because right now she wanted him just as bad. Fuck, she was truly a Lady Rider, see a man, and instantly they are yours.
That just pissed her off. With a sigh, she went to the closet. When she had finished dinner, Jas had hung up all the clothes Dax bought for her. Lena had a biker bitch taste in clothes. It was awesome really. She pulled out brown leather pants and a cream-colored shirt. Grabbing underwear and a bra, she walked into the bathroom to make up her face and touch up the roots of her hair before they went out.
Jas’s hair had been fuchsia for a long time, looking at the woman in the mirror was slightly strange. But she liked the color. Leaning over her skin was golden tanned since she was always riding her bike. Using it to her advantage, she grabbed some foundation and began to transform herself. Freedom had taught her this; with a grimace, she wondered how Free was doing. Because out of all them she was the sweetest. But even saying that, she would also be the first one to pull a gun while crying and shoot a man’s nuts off. She would probably apologize after. She was strong but emotional. It was entertaining sometimes because Jas knew for a fact, she used it against her men to get what she wanted.
Maybe she should call Free, she would totally know what to do. If Jas called Bob, she would tell her to fuck that boy out of her system, and that is not what she wanted. Waiting for a few minutes, Jas picked up the phone and called the only normal Lady Rider, which was questionable, but still, to her, she seemed normal.
“Freedom?” she said into the phone, and then she rolled her eyes when she could hear Free sniffle. “You cry, I hang up.”
“I know,” Freedom said shakily. “But you called me, not Harmony or the others for advice. Me.”
“How do you know I was calling you for advice?” Jas drawled.
“Because we saw him on the computer and he is hot as hell, you are hot as hell, and according to Bob, there was going to be some playtime in Madrid. Slider and Cajun are pissed, and Shady is whittling, did you know she knew how to whittle? I mean who does that anymore, and when I asked her what the hell she was doing, she said making an arrow. I am pretty sure she doesn’t have a bow, but you never know with her, she totally could, and would be good at it,” Freedom said. “So, I know you wouldn’t call your mother or Harmony. They would fly over there just to stick him with a knife for any thoughts he had. And Bob, well, that would just be a sex talk nothing else. The others are taking sides either they want you to go for it, or they want you to remain virtuous. So, I am the only one left who would not push you either way.” Freedom said and then continued. “So, I am assuming you would like some advice because you are attracted to the man?”
Jas laughed and said, “Yep, and you are totally right about that shit. So, what should I do? I mean I am on a mission, and it is my first, I don’t want to fuck it up because my mind is on other things.”
“Like fucking the man’s brains out?” Freedom laughed.
“Yeah, that would be the advice I need,” Jas said with a huff.
“Okay, do a list. Pros and Cons,” Freedom said.
“Why? I mean, the pros and cons are obvious, really the question is do I actually like this guy and want him alive. I am pretty sure that my mother and dads already have plans to kill him since he announced he was claiming me.”
Freedom laughed, “Funny story about that…”
“Please don’t tell me.” Jas groaned, and Freedom laughed.
“They were talking about the ‘Boo Box.’”
“OMG they are crazy, all of them, you have to stop them Free, you have to.” Jas snarled. “I really do not want to kill them, but I will. This is getting out of hand. They keep threatening him, and it is pissing me off. Like I am not an adult who has a brain of her own and knows exactly what I want. I mean, it’s not like I am thinking about fucking him because to piss off my mother and dads. I am seriously attracted to him. But I am on a mission, how do I handle this?”
Freedom was silent, and then she said softly in her mothering voice, which Jas loved. Freedom was the only one who could pull it off in the group. Plus, she was the one who patched up Jas more than once and would ‘kiss her boo boo’s away’ no matter how old she was. So, she knew this was going to give her good advice, she would not want anyone killed here. “Okay, on a scale on one to ten, how attracted are you?”
Jas looked at the phone, “10.”
“Okay, is it just sexual, or do you want to get to know him?”
Jas paused, “I want to get to know him.”
“Okay, good, now do you trust him?” Free asked, and Jas closed her eyes, that was the question, did she trust him or not. She could screw someone for a night and not trust them. But Dax was talking about claiming, and it was something she was unsure of. Trust was a big thing for her, and so far, she had not made up her mind.
“I don’t know,” Jas said truthfully.
Free sighed and said, “You need to figure that out before you sleep with him. ‘Cause honey, this man is bound and determined to claim you, and there is nothing you can do about it unless you are saying no. You know how these guys are, you grew up around the club. It is like they have some type of radar, and when they find the woman for them, that is it. Easy and Poke would never cheat on me, they would never leave me unprotected. I am their priority, me and Jewel, there is nothing they wouldn’t do for us. That is what you deserve, you know it.”
Jas shook her head and said, “You are right, I need to think about it.”
“My advice?” Freedom said. “Figure it out sooner rather than later. If he is the real deal, he will hand you the moon, and baby girl you deserve it. Plus, if he claimed you already, your parents definitely won’t kill him, it would make you upset.”
Jas laughed and hung up the phone, she had her question, now she needed to figure out the answer.
Dax leaned down and kissed her, Jas groaned and opened her mouth at the kiss. It had been building all day, from the moment they left the house to do recognizance and make contact with a few people. At first, they had just walked the neighborhood, and no one looked out of place, most people were friendly and waved at them as Dax grabbed her hand and waved back. Jas looked at him in surprise, but she didn’t pull her hand away. They made their way down to the main street where all the vendors were and also where all of Doc’s contacts were.
Jas and Dax made their rounds and just nodded and smiled at the contacts, so they knew they were in town. Otherwise, they had talked to the vendors and bought different kinds of food to taste, and Jas grabbed some souvenirs for the kids. They would love their little toys.
As they reached the outside café, Dax pulled her into the quaint little place and got them a table outside on the patio. They had a perfect view of the sunset; it was almost as if he planned it, she thought on more than one occasion. They made small talk and laughed with each other. Anyone passing by would have thought they were lovers. They touched each other constantly, and Dax had finally moved from across the table to sit right next to her as they received their food. Dax claimed to want to share so they could taste everything that was ordered.
They had a bottle of wine and just talked about trivial things like you would on a first date, nothing heavy. Dinner was awesome, and so was walking with Dax alone and under the stars. Shit, she sounded like a fucking whiny girl. That was not here, she was not squishy.
They made their way back to the house, walking hand in hand and talking quietly as if they were both afraid to break the mood. This was so much different for Jas, she wasn’t used to the romance thing, most the guys she went out with expected her to put out if she didn’t, then she was a tease if she did, she was a whore. This is why she liked older men; they didn’t play those games. But the question was still there.
Throughout the night, Jas had noticed Dax putting himself between her and anyone who could hurt her. In fact, once when a man brushed up against her while she was standing at a stall, Dax had moved quickly, letting him know she wasn’t alone. When Jas had looked, the stranger had looked at her up and down and then shrugged. Asshole.
See, this is why she liked older men, they knew what they wanted and how to get it without being a complete dickwad. All the guys in the club were confident without being a dick, okay except for Loki, who thought he was Adonis. They all liked to let him have his illusion cause the crying was so damn loud when they told him he was not all that and a bag of chips. The dude who had brushed against her looked like a parasite, someone who would get what he wanted no matter what. For some reason, Dax felt like he needed to protect her.
It didn’t feel like smothering like her family. It made her feel a little special, like she was the only one in the world who mattered to him. Which of course, had made her think, but she was feeling so good, she had just let it pass and figured she would deal with it later. But as the night grew darker and they neared the house they were staying at, Jas became more convinced that she did like it, and she knew Dax would have her back no matter what. It was important to her that he did, and only knowing him for a week, it still felt like he knew him for longer. She knew none of his passed, but it didn’t matter, she knew what kind of man he was, and because of that, she wanted him. She wasn’t so sure about the whole claiming thing, but she would deal later, she thought. This was going to happen, no doubt about it.