Chapter 9
Jax paced the length of the operations room, Noah on a computer and Logan in a wheelchair, his leg outstretched and covered in a camouflage patterned cast.
His femur had been snapped in two when he hit the ground. He would have been dead if Noah hadn’t grabbed him and held onto him until they hit the tree line, his parachute failing completely. The accident threw them off course by nearly a half mile.
It was Noah who got Logan out of those woods and back to safety, Noah’s medical skills that kept Logan from bleeding out and dying. It would be six months or more before Logan’s leg healed completely.
Cowboy leaned over Noah’s shoulder, chanting, “Come on you motherfucker. Where the hell are you?”
Austin’s geolocation beacon was malfunctioning, only broadcasting a signal intermittently. The last time they connected, it showed he was inside Longwood Ranch.
“I can’t believe he went in there alone,” said Jax. “It was careless. No—stupid.” He ran a hand through his hair.
Cowboy moved to a chair and sat in it backwards. “It was the timetable. He knew if he didn’t try for the compound, he wouldn’t have time to get back here and regroup.”
“Doesn’t do him or the senator’s daughter a shit ton of good if he’s dead,” said Jax.
“He just might make it,” said Cowboy.
“If he does, I’m going to fire his ass. I don’t need a renegade I can’t trust to make good decisions running loose out there.”
“He knows her,” said Noah. All heads turned in his direction.
“Come again?” asked Cowboy.
“When we were on the tarmac waiting to takeoff, he told me she’d once been his girlfriend. He didn’t tell you guys that?”
Jax put his hands on his hips. “Fuck.” He shook his head. “Double fuck. Why didn’t somebody share this little tidbit of information with me? He had no business going up in that plane in the first place.”
Cowboy shrugged. “We knew the Lanes were personal friends of his. That’s why they came to us.”
“Being friends with an old man and screwing that man’s daughter on an ongoing basis is not the same thing,” said Jax. “Do any of you think he went into The Community alone because he felt a sense of duty to the senator and his wife?”
No one answered.
“That’s right,” said Jax. “He went in there because he’s making decisions with his dick instead of his goddamn brain. We need to mobilize. Get the fuck back out there in case he needs our help.”
“Noah, you and I go wheels up within the hour. You ready to jump out of a plane again after what happened the last time?” asked Cowboy.
“Absofuckinlutely.”
“Good. No fancy moves this time.” Cowboy winked.
“Happy to oblige.”