Chapter 25
Theo
I'm at Jax's door with my stomach ready to leave this earth in my anxiety-riddled body.
I swear I have an ulcer, or I'm getting one.
Elias said to meet today. Then this morning he decided Jax's apartment was the best spot. Not sure why, since Jax is the most ill-prepared man on the goddamn planet.
But when Elias says meet, I don't question it. I can trust this man with my life, which in a way I kind of am right now. I know whatever he's about to tell me is going to impact all of our lives.
We can't just make a person disappear without consequences.
I knock twice—quick, hard taps I know Jax will recognize as my own. The door swings open a couple of seconds later, with Jax on the other side, yawning. His hair is a mess and he's dressed in only sweatpants. No shirt, no shoes, and no personal hygiene.
“It's two o'clock in the afternoon, Jax,” I scold him as I enter his place. It's got that distinct smell of him, something between smoke and spice.
“Night shift,” he deadpans, pointing to himself like he’s explaining a simple concept to a child. “Daytime is my nighttime, asshole.”
I roll my eyes, spotting Elias on the couch behind him. His jaw is set to maximum clench, and his hands are gripping his thighs so hard I wonder if they'll bruise tomorrow. He eases a fraction when he notices me, like he's relieved to not be the only adult in this meeting anymore.
Jax doesn't count. He’s a man-child.
I walk toward him but I don’t sit, sitting feels like pretending this is a normal hangout when it’s anything but. “You’re in a mood,” I point out as I lean against the armchair.
“Yeah.” Elias sighs, letting out a breath so heavy it could weigh the world down. “I’m usually in the business of saving lives, not… this.”
I get what he means.
Not sentencing someone to death.
I ease out of that, moving things along before we all settle too deep into this strange headspace we’re barreling toward. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I have someone who can handle Bash,” he answers, sitting up straighter, like the answer demanded more attention.
“You keep saying that,” Jax bites, stretching before he plops himself down on the couch beside Elias. His arm stretches along the back, resting behind Elias’ head as he turns to face him, a flirty smirk tugging on his lips. “I’m going to need more details than that, Daddy.”
“I swear I’m going to make you disappear next if you keep calling me that,” Elias snaps, but I see the way the tension eases from his shoulders.
Jax always has a way of pulling us out of our heads and into his stupidity.
It’s his best trait, the way he can ease anyone out of a spiral they don’t even realize they’re in.
“Go on. Tell me your sins. I’m listening.” Jax leans in, whispering that last sentence in Elias’ ear.
He groans in complaint, shoving Jax away as he rolls his eyes. “It’s Emil Ward.”
Jax sits straighter, sobering up so fast I almost laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so serious before, at least not since senior year when he was told he might not graduate.
I’m still pretty sure he slept with Ms. Calver to pass.
“Elias, you can’t be serious,” Jax mutters, his eyes glued to Elias’ face. “That guy isn’t known for charity. He isn’t known for anything other than making people’s lives worse.”
“I know.” Elias nods once, fully aware of what doing business with Emil means. And yet, for a smart man… here we are.
“Then what the hell?” Jax snaps, suddenly standing and pacing his living room floor, the boards creaking under him in protest.
“I saved his life once,” Elias explains, staring at his hands like he could picture it all now.
“It was a bad call. There was a guy in an alley, shot and bleeding out. I didn’t know who he was at the time, only that he wasn’t dead yet.
I kept him alive long enough to get to the hospital and then the doctors did the rest. He lived.
And once he was healed, he came looking for me.
” He looks back up at both of us, stilling Jax’s pacing for a moment.
“He handed me his card and said he pays his debts. Told me to call him if I ever need anything. So yesterday, I did.”
It sounds simple enough. It does. But we’re not idiots. Dealing with someone of Emil’s caliber can’t be as simple as calling him and saying we need someone gone.
“And he agreed to take out Bash? Just like that?” I question, wondering if Emil pictured murder when he gave Elias that card.
He might have. It’s probably no skin off his back.
“On two conditions.” Elias raises his index and middle finger, counting them off. “One: we don’t say his name again. Two: we get Bash alone and unconscious. His men will handle things from there.”
“Would he like us to do backflips while we hand him off, too?” Jax snaps, sarcasm thick in his tone, but he plops down next to Elias again all the same.
“I am sure he wouldn’t mind if we did,” Elias answers, tapping Jax’s elbow with his own in reassurance, because that’s what we always do for one another. We make life bearable, easier, worth it.
“Okay, so how do we get Bash away from his guard dog?” I get into planning, thinking logistics, since imagining worst-case scenarios does nothing for us.
Jax shrugs, slouching into the couch with an almost pout. “You tell us, Professor. You’re the resident genius.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why? Worried you can’t live up to it?” He eggs me on, and it works.
It always fucking works.
I flip him off, but he’s right. If any of us can come up with something good, it’d be me.
“Fine. First, we drug Bash.” I stand straight, holding my chin as I begin to walk around the living room in thought.
“We have to slip it to him early enough that it hits at the right time. Once he’s slurring words, we distract the guard. ”
“I’ll seduce him,” Jax offers, back to himself already, as he blows a kiss to God knows who.
“No.”
“Absolutely not.” Elias and I say in unison.
Jax pouts again, but it’s in jest as his lips curve. “Why? I’m sure he’s into blondes.”
“Just shut up and listen,” I throw out at him, resuming my thought process. “We just need to distract the guard for a moment. It could be just ten seconds, maybe twenty. Just enough time for us to slip Bash out the back door without him noticing.”
“And then point him in the wrong direction,” Elias adds, to which I nod, because at least that’s a helpful suggestion.
“I’ll act drunk, stumble, and spill my drink on him.”
“That’s believable. Embrace the awkward.” Jax laughs, raising his hand as if he were raising an imaginary glass in salute.
“Not awkward,” I counter. “Drunk.”
“Potato. Pahtato.” He shrugs it off, eyes gleaming with excitement now. “So, I slip Bash an expensive drink with more than he bargained for, throw Theo a drink that looks heavier on the alcohol than it is, and then keep Bash with me until he’s incapacitated enough to guide out.”
“Essentially, yes.” I nod, realizing that maybe too much of my plan relies on Jax. But this is his bar, his element. Surely he won’t fuck this up.
“Easy.” He smiles, all confidence and bright teeth. “I’ve got this in the bag. And what about Daddy Elias? Where will he be?”
“I’ll be outside.” Elias turns his entire body enough to fully face Jax on the couch.
He jumps, tackles him, and pins him against the cushions as he continues speaking, like none of it is happening.
“I’ll take Bash from you when you bring him out so you can slip back behind the bar before the guard notices you’re missing too. ”
“Ooo, don’t tease me.” Jax winks up at Elias, lifting his head so they’re only an inch apart.
“When the guard notices Bash is missing, you’ll have to direct him to the bathrooms, Jax. So you really can’t be gone long. Can you handle that?” I ask him, needing to keep them focused before they cross a line.
I have no problem with Elias’ pansexuality or Jax’s bi needs, but that doesn’t mean I want them fucking each other.
They’ve always toed that line but have never gone that far, worried what that would do to our friendship, to the three of us.
But now with us sharing Raine, maybe the line is getting even blurrier.
“Yeah, I can handle it,” he answers, but he’s not looking at me. He’s staring straight at Elias, like he’s giving him permission for something else entirely.
“Okay, so it’s settled,” I announce, loud enough for them to finally turn and look at me. “We do this tonight. Let’s go score some drugs.”
Jax laughs, and the mood shifts as Elias lets him go and sits back up.
“I’ll sneak something off the rig.”
I can’t stop myself from muttering, “Be careful,” knowing how much this job means to Elias. He can’t lose it.
By the time I pull my bike up in front of Raine’s house, my stomach is already a wreck.
It’s stupid, because it’s early afternoon.
Sun high and unapologetic, light everywhere, the kind of day where nothing bad is supposed to happen.
Someone down the street is mowing their lawn.
A dog barks once, then settles. Normal noises.
Normal time. But nothing about today is normal.
Nothing about what’s going to happen tonight is okay.
I kill the engine and sit there longer than I need to, helmet still on, hands tight around the grips.
Riding usually helps. The vibration, the focus, the way the world narrows to speed, balance, and wind.
Today, it barely took the edge off. The nerves are still there, crawling under my skin, making my chest feel tight and wrong.
I think it’s why I wound up here.
Wanting to see her.
I swing my leg off the bike and pull the helmet free, setting it on the seat. My hands are steady, which almost pisses me off. I don’t feel steady. I feel like something in me is winding too tight, like if I stop moving, it’ll snap.
Raine’s house looks the same as always. Small, lived-in, wind chimes hanging crooked, catching the light. The front window’s open, sunlight spilling across the floor inside.
It looks safe.