Maddog (Black Reign MC #10)

Chapter One

Jax

“Let me get this straight.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the headache threatening to split my skull open. Funny how that worked when I talked to Holly. “You’re voluntarily going to a country with a level four travel advisory . Unarmed. With a bunch of college students. With no security to speak of. Have I got that right?” I tried to keep my voice low and even, to fight my way through the rage that she’d be so cavalier with her life.

“Sweet God, could you be a bigger buzzkill?” Holly, ever the little ray of sarcastic sunshine, sounded like she was exasperated with me. Or, quite possibly, like she thought I was being unreasonable.

“Answer the question, Holly.” If I let her distract me, she’d talk her way around the point I was trying to make and hang up before I could forbid her from going. Not that it was going to help. Holly always did what she wanted. Usually, only her mother was able to knock some sense into her.

“You do realize you’re not the boss of me. Right?”

“I realize that, when you’re considering putting your life in danger for no good fuckin’ reason, someone has to rein you in. I’m surprised Wrath even considered letting you go, much less gave his blessing.” The silence on the other end was deafening. “You didn’t tell him.” It wasn’t a question.

“Again, not your business, Jax. This is my life and I’m living it. If I get into trouble, I’ll accept the consequences.”

“Even if it costs you your life?” I tried to go for a matter-of-fact tone, but my words came out a low growl.

“Even if it costs me my life.”

Neither of us spoke for long moments, the silence so long I was afraid the call had dropped. Then she sighed.

“Look, Jax. I’ve got a sat phone. Even if there’s no cell coverage where we’re at, Shotgun will be able to see where I am. He and Esther are great with that shit. If we get into trouble, I can call him. They can either send someone to come get me or let me work it out myself. I’m only agreeing to any of this so my mom doesn’t worry.”

“Did you at least tell Celeste? Because I don’t see your mother letting you do something like this at all.”

“No one lets me do anything, Jax.” Holly’s tone was hard and firm. She was barely out of her teens, yet I’d never met anyone more in control of her life. Which was to say she lived in utter chaos most of the time, but that was exactly the way she liked it. “But yes. I told her what I was doing. She’s not happy about it, but she knows she can’t talk me out of it.”

“Did you ever stop to think how your mother and father would feel if you got hurt or killed? I realize it could happen anywhere, but going to Columbia increases those chances exponentially over anywhere in the U.S. She almost lost you once and gave everything she had to keep you alive. Don’t you think you’re being incredibly selfish?” I winced. Yeah, this wasn’t my finest moment. Had I been trying to push her away I couldn’t have done a better job.

“Go fuck yourself, Jax.” She disconnected the call.

“Motherfuck!” I hissed the expletive under my breath. I knew better. I fucking knew better. The best way to get Holly to do anything other than what you wanted her to do was to tell her she had to do it. Pushing her into doing what you wanted was even worse. Trying to lay a guilt trip on her? Yeah. I’d just guaranteed Holly’s heading straight to Columbia on that humanitarian aid expedition.

I pressed her contact and waited for her to answer the Facetime call. She let it go to voicemail once, so I tried again. She picked up this time and… yeah. She hated me right now.

“Got nothin’ else to say to you, asshole.” I recognized that mulish look on her face. She thought I was going to try to talk her out of going again, but I knew better than that.

“Can you give me two days, Holly? Two days and I’ll go with you. You can still do what you do with your college friends, but I can make sure you’re safe.”

“We’ve got plenty of security. There’s no need for that.”

“Holly. Two days.”

She shrugged one delicate shoulder, a look of indifference and disinterest on her face. “Sorry, Jax. I don’t make the schedule. Plane leaves tomorrow morning at six.”

I wanted to throttle the younger woman. She was constantly bucking me, doing exactly the opposite of what I wanted her to do. To be fair, I was twelve years older than she was, and had decided she’d be mine long before I should have. I’d been sixteen when she came to the compound with Wrath and Celeste. She’d been a precocious but sickly child of four. She’d survived leukemia like a champ, never letting anything get to her. No matter how sick I’d seen her from the chemo, the girl had no “quit” in her. I knew because I’d been with her for the last few treatments. Which she’d not appreciated. I’d insisted, because she’d been so mad at me she hadn’t focused on all the needles and unpleasantness. I’d been happy to take her wrath then, even if what remained of the kid in me had been slightly hurt that she hadn’t accepted me as her protector.

Even when she was so young, I’d been drawn to her. She was this little pixie who’d absolutely cut you if you displeased her, but needed someone looking after her. I’d taken that task on my own, growing into a man protecting the girl until she’d started becoming a woman. The plain truth was, it scared me the first time I caught sight of her in a bikini at the pool. Freaked me the absolute fuck out. Once I’d come to terms with my feelings for Holly, I’d inserted myself into her life but kept playing the part of mean and annoying older brother. Why? Because I knew if she learned to stand up to me, she always would. And if she could stand up to me, she could stand up to anyone.

“Holly, I’m half a fuckin’ world away right now. All I’m asking for is two fuckin’ days. It’s the right thing to do and you know it. I may be a bastard, but I would never let anything happen to you.”

Her expression didn’t change. “I don’t need your protection, Jax. Shotgun and Esther have my back. I’ll be fine. Besides, the father of one of the students going is a senator. They always have security.”

“And their priority will be the senator’s kid. They won’t give two shits about you or the others.”

“And if you were with me, you’d give a shit about the others?” Oh, the sarcasm was strong with this one…

“Of course not. But I’d care about you. I’d be the one protecting you and I’d do it with my life.”

She snorted, scowling at me over the video. “Dramatic much?”

“Holly --”

“No. You listen to me! Nothing’s going to happen. And if it does, I’ll deal. I don’t want or need your help, Jax.”

“You’re wrong there, baby. You need all my help you can get. But I’m telling you right now, if you don’t wait for me, when I find you, I will turn you over my knee and blister your bare ass until you don’t sit for a fuckin’ week.”

Oh, that got her attention. The resolution of the new phones Shotgun had gotten from Argent Tech recently was so great, I could actually see the sweat erupt on her brow. She sucked in a breath and her face and neck flushed a becoming pink. The pulse at her throat beat like mad. All of which, of course, meant pissed her the fuck off something fierce.

“Go find something to do and stay out of my life. Mm’k?” She gave me a saccharine smile before disconnecting the call again.

“I’m really gonna spank that little brat when I see her again.”

“Didn’t know you had a kid, Jax.” Loki clapped me on the back as he walked by. The grin on his grizzled face told me he was fully aware I didn’t actually have a kid.

“You know better.” I fell into step beside him as we made our way to the transport back to the States. We were headed home from a high-profile protection detail with ExFil. Thankfully, it had been an exceedingly boring assignment. I knew Holly had been planning something but hadn’t figured out what it was when the assignment came down. So, of course, she waited until I left before letting anyone know she was going.

“Hmm. Woman, then.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Loki appeared to think about that, giving it serious consideration. “You know. I think you might be right about that.”

There was a beat of silence before we both chuckled. Again, Loki clapped me on the back and we boarded the big troop carrier headed back to South Carolina and ExFil.

I strapped myself in and pulled out my phone. I shot a text to Shotgun, needing him to look into what the fuck was going on. If Shotgun wouldn’t help me, I’d take it to Holly’s daddy. No way Wrath approved of this or would allow it. I’m surprised El Diablo hadn’t put a stop to it because no way he didn’t know.

Me: What outfit is Holly going to Columbia with ?

Shotgun: Holly’s going to Columbia ?

Me: What she said .

There was a long pause before the dots signifying Shotgun’s reply appeared.

Shotgun: There’s a charter flying out of Miami International. Fifteen passengers, including one VIP. Looks like she’s a passenger .

Me: When’s it leave ?

Shotgun: 6PM tonight .

The little witch had lied to me! Probably hadn’t expected I’d be thorough enough to actually check myself. She knew I was out of the country. She also knew how these tours worked and the timeline. Little hellion likely thought I’d wait until I got back to South Carolina. The flight was only ten hours, so when I landed I’d still have a couple of hours before she was supposed to leave.

Me: Find out if Wrath knows. Stop the fuckin’ plane .

Shotgun: On that already, but they already left. They were ready early and there was a window for them to depart .

I was truly going to beat her ass when I got to Holly. Right there in front of God and everyone. Her daddy’d have to get over it.

Me: Get details. I’ll talk to Samson and see if he’ll get El Diablo to approve transport to her .

Shotgun: He will. What would you do if he didn’t ?

Me: Steal something and go get her myself .

Shotgun: ?????????

Me: Smartass !

Cain, our boss at ExFil, didn’t spare any expense to keep us all safe. As a result, we all had a personal sat phone. It’s how I’d been able to contact Holly before, and now Shotgun. I debated my next move. Shotgun would contact Wrath. But if he heard this from someone other than me, he might think I would avoid coming to him with something to do with Holly.

“Fuck.” I swore as I pulled up Wrath’s number. It went to voicemail, so I tried again. He picked up on the third ring this time.

“What the fuck do you mean Holly’s run off to Columbia?” his voice roared through the phone and I winced. The Bluetooth was connected to the headset in my helmet, so there was no way to get away from a very pissed-off Wrath.

“Don’t yell, you bastard,” I growled. “I’m on my way back to headquarters.”

“Why didn’t you tell me the second you found out about this?”

“Because I found out about it ten minutes ago. The first five was spent loading my gear onto the transport, the next five texting Shotgun for information. You were my first actual call. Jesus!”

“Shotgun’s preparing you a flight plan. What do you need?”

That kinda threw me. “You’re sending me after her? Voluntarily?”

“Who the fuck else would I send after her? Are you saying you don’t want the job?”

“Oh, I was going whether or not you wanted me to. I just didn’t expect you to actually agree with me.”

“Dumbass. You’ve loved Holly since you first saw her when she was four. Only person who has as big a reason for needing her safe as Celeste and I do, is you.”

I took a couple of deep breaths before I spoke next. “To be clear, Wrath. I do love your daughter. The claim I already put out there still stands. I intend to make Holly my old lady.”

“Yeah? Then you might want to start calling her by her road name. No daughter of mine is gonna sit by passively while her man takes care of every little thing for her. Not unless that’s what she wants. And we both know Holly isn’t the shrinking violet type.”

“I can see your point. And it’s a small price to pay to soften her up for me.” I couldn’t keep the humor out of my voice. “Maddog, it is.”