Dax opened one eye and was staring at the end of the barrel of a gun. He froze and didn’t move; he knew his eyes were crossed, but he couldn’t fucking make them move because he was more intent on seeing if he could see the bullet that was going to kill him. Jas, he thought, where the fuck is Jas, did they already have her.
He wanted to yell, but he thought before he said anything. “Uh, mornin’?” Well, that was slick, he thought, very nice. Wake up to a gun in your face and be polite. That should be on his tombstone. What the fuck was going on with him? Damn it, Jas had taken his man card, one night with her, and suddenly he was whipped. Shit.
“Damn it, Maxi, what did I tell you about scaring Dax!” Jas yelled from across the room. “Put that gun away.”
“Don’t think so,” Maxi said and pushed the gun closer. “I have strict instructions from your mom, and finding you in bed with a man was not one of them, so I am improvising.”
Dax cleared his throat and said, “Can I at least pull up the sheet?”
Jas laughed and came to the bed and threw the sheet over him. “Maxi, I am serious put the gun down. DO not make me grab my taser, you know I will.”
Suddenly he could see the man standing before him., he was cussing about someone who apparently used a taser against him. Well fuck, he was a little scary, then he turned his head and saw the large man standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips, and he was smirking. “Freedom said ‘well done,’” the Hulk said.
Jas grinned again and said, “Get out, the girls will be here in about four hours. We will be out in a few minutes.”
When the door shut, Jas jumped on top of his and kissed his long and deep. It made Dax forget two strange men had seen his cock, and there was a gun stuck in his face when he woke up. That seemed kinda important to talk about, but for some reason, he didn’t give a shit.
When she pulled back, she grinned, “Sorry, they all seem to think they are my father or something. I hate to tell you most of the Ops are like that. I always had to sneak out if I wanted to go on a date. That is Maxi and Easy.”
Dax frowned, “I know, and I am not sneaking anywhere. And tell them next time any of them sticks a gun in my face, I will not just sit here and be calm.”
Jas shook her head. “I will, I promise.”
“Then let’s go meet the family,” Dax said, sitting up. Jas almost made it off the bed before he grabbed her ankle and dragged her back. “Not so fast, that pathetic kiss is not a good way to wake up after last night. I need a little more enthusiastic morning kiss.”
Jas laughed, pulled his head down, and kissed him again, this time taking her time. By the time they pulled apart, both were panting.
“Get out of here, or I will never get my cock to fit in my jeans,” Dax said, and Jas moved across the bed again.
“Hurry up,” she said. “You have never seen those two eat, we may not get breakfast if we are too slow.”
Dax sighed, and he kissed her one last time and then stood and grabbed his jeans, while Jas watched and grinned, he really was the perfect man, a tight ass, six-pack abs, and damned if his shoulders and muscles were huge considering his waist.
He went into the bathroom while she grinned and walked out the door and ran right into Roger, who was coming out his door as well. He looked at her and the door and then back and her and laughed. “Oh, my dear, I just knew you were going to work out.”
Jas tilted her head in confusion and asked, “What does that mean?”
“Oh nothing,” Roger said and whistled as he walked down the hallway into the living area.
Men, she had way too many of them right now. Maxi, Easy, Roger and Dax, she should just throw up her hands and grab the bottle of whiskey right now. There was no way she was surviving this. And there was no way she was calling her mom again. Damn, she had already called too much. She was a woman, self-sufficient, ‘I am woman hear me roar.’ Yeah, she thought and then walked into the dining room where everyone was already meeting.
Easy stood from the chair and came to her. With his big arms, he enveloped her into a hug, and she wanted to laugh, what the fuck? He pulled back a little and looked at her closely.
“Did he hurt you?” Easy whispered, and Jas must have had a confused look on her face.
Finally, she got it, and Jas wanted to laugh. “No, Easy, I am fine.”
Maxi stood and walked over to her and took her from Easy’s arms into his own. And Jas almost sighed impatiently, but she looked at him in the eye. “I am fine, I swear.”
“I can see that honey,” Maxi said quietly and then continued. “But you know sometimes the first time…”
Jas choked on her spit and then started coughing, oh my God, what the fuck was she supposed to say. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. And they were so gonna tell her parents, shit.
“Maxi, listen…” she started, and he shook his head.
“No one blames you, honey, you were away, on your own, spreading your wings, it is normal for you to make this decision. We just want to make sure you are good.”
Jas wanted to bury her head in the sand and go back to bed. Why were they here? What the hell was going on, she was going to kill her mother. She knew Shady had Creed send these guys to help since they ran into a snag. But damn, they were not supposed to be here, they were supposed to stay hidden.
“Why are you even here? I was told Mace and Marbles were coming, and they would remain in the background to watch.” Jas snapped and tried to step back.
“We were going to,” Easy said, and then he looked at Maxi, who finally said.
“We have cameras in the house.”
Jas’s eyes widened, and she looked at both men, and then she yelled, “What the fuck? Seriously?”
The guys shrugged, and she snapped and looked around and finally saw the small camera. Jas walked to it and said, “I do not appreciate this, it is an invasion of privacy.”
Maxi said softly behind her, “We just wanted…”
“Ok enough with this shit, first of all, you have no business being in my private life, it is mine. I set boundaries about this, and you have crossed them in a huge way. Second, what I do to do not do with Dax is none of your business, it is not part of the mission. And Third, stop treating me like I have no clue what sec is, I lost my virginity a long time ago, and have had sex a lot. Like right under your noses, so knock it off.” Jas snapped. “And yeah, it was all good, especially last night!”
She turned and saw Dax frozen in the doorway as he looked at Easy and Maxi, who had turned on him with murder in their eyes.
“Uh, I was just getting breakfast,” he said and then glared back. “And she is right, and it is none of your business.”
The room was silent as Roger moved around Dax and slapped his hands at the table and said, “Let’s stop the staring contest and have some of this wonder food.”
No one moved, and Jas felt and heard her phone ring in her back pocket. Fuck me, she thought and dropped her head. This was so not going to go well. Dax moved towards her and reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone and answered it.
“Yeah, before you go all psycho on me, I told you I was claiming her, and I just did. So, from now on, she is mine to deal with, mine to protect. So, let it go.” He growled. Then he was silent, but she was standing so close she could hear her mother’s voice, and she was slightly angry, well fuck Jas thought. Then she heard Cajun, and she breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his stern but calm voice. By the time she got back to the compound, everything would be good to go.
After a few moments, she heard a phone ring and Easy answered his phone and spoke softly into the mouthpiece so she couldn’t hear. Double-teaming, it had to be Freedom, and when Easy looked up and held out the phone, Jas grinned and grabbed it.
“Hey, Free,” she said into the phone, and she heard an exasperated sigh coming from the other end.
“Hey,” Freedom mimicked. “Do you think possibly you could have waited I don’t know a day or two before you did the dirty. I would have been able to calm her the fuck down.”
“Who, my mom,” Jas said, rolling her eyes.
“No, the mailman,” Freedom said sarcastically. “Of course, your mother, she had her clothes packed last night apparently. Thank goodness there are no cameras in the bedrooms. But still. Now, you need to call her in a few days after we have had a chance to speak to her.”
“Who is we,” Jas said softly.
“Me and Bob,” Freedom said, and Jas sucked in a breath.
“Oh, come on,” Jas said.
“Well, that is who I have to help me, everyone else wants to castrate that guy. So, go with it.” Freedom said and hung up.
Jas swore under her breath and then turned and saw Dax was off the phone as well. She shrugged as if to say, ‘this is my family.’ He grinned and shook his head and said, “Come on, let’s eat, the death threats made me hungry.”
Maxi laughed and said, “Those weren’t threats, but I agree I am hungry.”
Once when they were all settled, Jas asked, “When are Mace and Marbles set to arrive?”
“Easy looked at his watch and said, “About another five hours, until then we need to make sure the grounds are secure. We don’t know how they keep finding you, but they do. Data and Numbers are working with Maverick and Jugs to find if we have a leak somewhere. It is the only thing that makes sense, but whoever did it is good.”
Dax leaned back and asked. “So, let me get this right, ‘cause I feel like I am sneaking into the movie theater in the middle of the show. You all thought you had the man who was leaking information, but it turned out it wasn’t him.”
Easy shrugged and said, “Yep, whoever it is, is wreaking havoc using top-secret information to blow covers or hurt family members.”
“What is his end game?” Dax asked, and Jas turned to him.
“We don’t know, but we do know that whatever is gonna be on the drive is going to help us finally get rid of this asshole forever. He has ruined the lives of too many people. Besides, Doc and the Sisters have been turning down gigs due to all of this.”
Dax frowned, “So you help with the things the Sisters are doing?”
Jas nodded, “Yep, as well as the Furies. The Ops and the Lady Riders are retired, but they are still helping with their contacts. It affects them too since they tried to take out our compound, and I was shot.”
Dax leaned back, he had seen her wound and figured it was something other than a gunshot wound, at least he hoped so because it would really piss him off is someone shot his woman. Didn’t matter if he didn’t know her then, she as still his.
Maxi leaned forward and said, “This bastard is high up and knows shit that a normal analyst would know. And he has power, they are always a step ahead of us, and we end up in a fucking shoot out. I hate shootouts because then I have to kill and maim people. I hate that.”
Dax stared at Maxi and then turned to Jas, who was shaking her head and laughing quietly. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing,” Jas said, patting his hand. “Now, tell me why you are really here?”
Easy and Maxi both froze, and then Maxi cursed under his breath and looked at his brother, who said quietly. “Why do you think there is something up?”
“Because you were assigned to get Fin home, and since I know there was no way you got him home and back, something is up. Where is Fin at?”
“He is in San Diego,” Maxi said confidently.
“Really? And how did he get there, may I ask?” Jas said with an even voice.
Maxi leaned back and then said, “We called in a few favors and got him on a military transport, he was picked up by Slider and Cajun this morning.”
It was Dax’s turn, Jas had talked about her uncle last night, he knew how she felt about him. Though he didn’t know the whole story, he was certain that them sending Fin back alone meant that they were in seriously deep shit.”
“Come on, guys, spit it out so we can deal with it,” Dax said.
Easy turned and glared at him, and when Dax matched his stare there was silence in the room. It lasted for a few minutes before Jas snapped, “Come on, guys, let’s not find out who had a bigger dick. Get on with it.”
“There was already a bunch of chatter about Tick suddenly appearing in Paris, because of that, it seems everyone in the military and the government are curious as to why he was there. Especially when he is currently supposed to be in Ireland.” Maxi said slowly.
“No one should have noticed Tick was gone,” Dax said slowly, he knew the man could slip in and out of places without anyone knowing. If he was suddenly on the radar, then so were they, no matter where they were, they were going to be found, no matter what.
Jas shook her head. “So, we are going to have company?”
Easy nodded, “According to some other intel, you have had company since you left San Diego.”
Her eyebrows went up quickly, and she said, “The fuck you say, I made sure no one was following me.”
“They didn’t have to follow you; they knew where you were going and just went at the same time. You wouldn’t have spotted them because they blended into the tourists and never looked at you once. Data checked all the security, and he couldn’t pick out who was following you,” Maxi said.
“How, though, I mean okay, they put trackers on the bikes, but there is no other way they could have gotten anything on either of us,” Jas said, knowing what Dax told her last night about how his apartment was shot the fuck up. They shouldn’t have known about him or her. But they did, and Jas was fucking confused, no one in the clubs would turn against them, she knew it because she trusted all of them with her life and her family’s life. If she thought one thing was hinkey, she would have said something.
Easy shook his head, “We have no clue, all buildings were searched for listening devices, all computers are being searched for spyware, and everyone in the clubs are being questioned. But honestly, I don’t think that is how they are getting their information.”
“What do you mean?” Jas asked, and Maxi sighed and then said.
“You better tell her, if not Shady will, and that will turn into a huge lecture with Shady sending even more people out here.”
“We think it is someone from the base, that is the only people any of us has had visiting,” Easy said slowly.
Dax glared, “You are saying one of us, one of our own in helping this prick out?”
“It is the only thing that makes sense. I admit I have been over there more than once, and so has most of the guys in the Ops and the Furies. According to Data, all they would have had to do was wear the right device in, and they could copy, phones, computers, anything electronic,” Easy said.
“But there are people in the military being put in danger, dying because of all this shit. What would be the end game? What the fuck would anyone get out of all this? It makes no sense.” Dax said, and Jas nodded.
“I agree, has anyone figured out what is the end game?”
“Nope,” Maxi said. “We were hoping the information you were getting was going to be what we needed to identify who we are up against.”
Dax frowned, “If there was a possibility of this shit going sideways, why send Jas?”
“Excuse me?” She snapped, and Dax rolled his eyes.
“You know that is not what I meant; I know you can take care of yourself; you have shown that. But even at that, if it is a SEAL or someone more trained, it wouldn’t matter what you knew, you would be dead.”
Roger, who had been silent the whole time while they were talking, eating, and drinking coffee, seeming to listen intently but not sharing anything said.
“It is someone higher up,” Roger said softly, and everyone turned and looked at him.
Maxi frowned, “We haven’t had anyone higher up come to the compound. All of them are guys we know.”
Roger nodded and then said, “Let me call Carole real quick, and I will be back.”
Maxi shrugged and said, “Do your thing, we will eat.”
Jas and Dax were walking the perimeter after breakfast since Roger had not returned. Instead, the short phone call had turned into a conference call, which was lasting a long freaking time.
“So, what is it like being raised in the club?” Dax asked, and Jas laughed.
“I wish I knew totally.”
“What do you mean?” He asked.
Jas stopped and turned towards him and started, “Listen, it is a very long story and a very fucked up story. It all began with my mom. Her mother was the wicked witch of the west, east, north, and south all rolled in one.”
Dax listened as they walked, and he became more pissed and more pissed as the story went on. He really wished some of these people were alive, because he would kill them again. How had she even survived it and come out even halfway sane was his question, but he didn’t ask.
They moved into the living room where Maxi was sitting, and even though Jas was talking, he didn’t leave. Instead, he listened and watched Dax, Easy came in and did the same thing. Dax figured they were going to see if he was judgmental or what. Pushing it back, he looked Jas in the eyes while she talked. Finally, when she was done, she sighed and said, “And that’s the way we became the Brady Bunch.”
Dax smiled, she had put it behind her, that was good, although he would have helped her. That was some serious fucked up shit though. “So, your uncle is slightly younger than you.”
Jas laughed, “Yeah, he won’t admit it, though.”
Dax nodded and continued. “Listen, everyone has a story of something shitty, some more than others. Mine is shitty just because I have no family, and the one I built was just taken away from me when I was injured. I really don’t think the government really understands when you are wounded next to your brothers, and then are told you have to retire it take a bit of our soul out.”
Jas listened to him as he explained what happened to him. They traded the sucky stories, and unfortunately, it wasn’t private, but Dax was not going to quibble about it, these guys were her family, and he understood they were going to make sure he didn’t say the wrong thing to her. As he explained his shit, he saw both men staring at each other, and then they both stood and walked out of the room.
Jas moved closer to him, and she whispered, “You passed the test.”
“I figured as much,” Dax said, leaning closer to her. “And just so you know, what I said was true, I don’t give a shit where you came from, who you were to stay alive. The only thing I care about is that you are right here, and we are getting to know one another. If this didn’t prove we were meant to be together, it changed not one thing.”
Jas bit her lip. She hated she was totally insecure. She hadn’t been this way in a long time. And she knew she was vulnerable because she trusted him, she realized. She trusted him with her life and with her body. Fuck, how had this happened? “Stop, be an asshole fast. I had squishy feelings!”
Dax looked surprised and then shook his head. “Nope, I can be an asshole, I know, but I can also do squishy.”
“No, you won’t make it in the club,” Jas whined. “All of them are jerks about women. I mean, they don’t let them do anything dangerous, blah blah blah.”
Dax frowned and said, “Well, you won’t be doing anything dangerous either. Just ‘cause I am being squishy right now, it is because first I feel the connection, second, I was hoping to get in your pants in the next hour or so, and third, because I am the man, so anything dangerous I will be taking care of.”
“Shit,” she heard from behind her, and she turned Maxi was standing there with his phone in his hand. “Yeah, he really just said that.”
“Who are you talking to?” Jas snapped.
“Shay says you didn’t answer your phone.” Maxi grinned.
Jas rolled her eyes and turned back and glared at Dax. “Um, I hate to tell you, that one I feel the connection as well, two there is no way in hell you are getting into my pants in the next hour or so because three we will be arguing about your foolish ideas of not letting me complete my mission.”
Dax shook his head, “Honey, come on, you know this shit is about to get real. I get how you can take care of yourself, but I am here now, so you will be my back up.”
Jas saw red, and she pushed away from him and shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Why?” Dax asked, and then Maxi laughed loudly. He had claimed her it was his right to protect her, Dax knew he made that perfectly clear.
“Fuck yeah, this is fucking hilarious am I on speaker,” he said and then laughed. “Yeah, Bob, he just said Jas can be his back up. I know right, Easy is hiding the knives.”
“Maybe we need to think about this again,” Jas snapped and crossed her arms over her chest, which made Dax hard, well he had been hard anyway ‘cause she was wearing a sweet little pair of shorts and a black tank top. Sexy as fuck, he thought and then looked into her eyes. Uh yeah, he was in trouble.
“You are taking this out of context, all I meant was…” Dax started, and Jas held up her hand.
“Nope, not listening. Do you think I need to be a good little woman and stand behind you? That is so not going to work for me, I mean, I just told you how I grew up, I told you the things I have seen. If you think for one second, it scared me into being terrified at shit you are so wrong.”
“I don’t think you are terrified; I think you are reckless. And you are mine, which means you are mine to protect!” he snapped and stood.
“Oh snap,” Maxi said, and Dax really wanted to hit that guy. He was making things worse and damned if he was going to back down. He meant what he said.
“Oh, really? Now I am a terrified woman who is reckless and needs your protection? How exactly does that work, I mean how can I be afraid and yet do stupid things that could get me killed,” she snapped, and Roger walked into the room and held up a finger then saw Maxi and Easy smiling, and Jas and Dax squaring off. He lowered his hand and leaned against the door jam.
“That is not what I said,” Dax said calmly. “I was trying to say, I feel like you still have a little bit to learn. The thing with the bike was cool and all, but what if you had flipped it over? You didn’t think it thorough; you just went for it. There are four of us here now, and two more coming, I figured all three of you would take our backs.”
Jas’s eyes bugged out. She felt her blood pressure rising, she wouldn’t be surprised if a vein was popping out on her temple. Did he really just say that. Seriously?
Maxi whispered into the phone, “Doc, are the girls on the ground yet? Don’t let the come here yet, he is just talking crazy shit now.”
Dax glared at him and snapped. “Stop it, are you telling me you would follow Jas into the line of fire?”
Jas turned and stared at Maxi who smiled and said, “Uh yeah, I know who trained her, and I also have seen her trained in hand to hand combat, as well as knives, guns and a rocket launcher, but she is not allowed to use the last one ‘cause she sunk a boat in the middle of Coronado Bay. Thank God no one was on it. But what I am saying is Jas and the other women in both clubs. Could probably kick my ass, your ass, Easy’s ass, and not even break a sweat. Hell, Shay was in labor when she killed her mom and drove an ambulance to the hospital.”
Easy piped up, “Yeah, and Harmony totally got pissed at a Starbucks ‘cause a gang banger made her drop her bagel. She stabbed him in the neck with a spork. No shit, a plastic spork. You do not fuck with the Lady Riders or the Sisters, they will shank your ass.”
Dax held up his head because he was going to say something stupid, and Jas grabbed his arm turned and threw him on the floor towards the door. Then turned and walked to where he was laying on his back, and his legs were spread enough, she took her boot and put it on his crotch and said.
“Wanna rethink what you were going to say?”
Dax’s eyes widened, and he looked at her foot and then the other three men who were laughing, Maxi giving whoever was on the phone a play by play of what just happened.
Fuck, he thought and dropped his head back down, he had fifty or more pounds on him, and she had handled him like a pussy. “I am waiting,” Jas said, pushing down a little on his dick.
Dax looked up and glared at her and said, “I am sorry, but if you wanna use that later, I would suggest you remove your foot.”
Jas rolled her eyes and then stepped back and looked at Roger, who was smiling big and said, “You have news?”
Roger nodded and said, “Yes, and two women are coming in the front gate.”