16. Mia
Chapter sixteen
Mia
M ia's breath hitched as she stumbled on a twisted tree root, her ankle giving way beneath her. The pain shot up her leg like lightning, causing her to cry out and collapse on the damp earth. She struggled against the gnarled wood that trapped her foot, fear making her heart race.
"Great," she hissed, realizing that she was well and truly stuck. Panic bubbled inside her as she imagined Jax catching up to her, his eyes full of betrayal and anger.
The forest was alive with the sounds of insects and distant birdcalls, but the noise of life only served to make Mia feel more alone. Cold sweat trickled down her back, and she shivered despite the humidity clinging to her skin.
She tugged again at her trapped foot. Her green eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Jax or a way to free herself from the tree root's grip. Her chest tightened with each passing moment, her mind racing through scenarios of what Jax might do when he found her.
"Come on, Mia," she whispered to herself, desperation making her voice shake. "You've been through worse."
She tried to recall the words of her favorite books, seeking comfort in their familiar stories.
“What would Mowgli do?” she asked herself. “Alone in the forest?” She paused. “What would Shere Khan do?”
She wished she had her Baloo stuffie with her right now. He’d be good company. But all she had was the pain in her ankle and a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Mia huddled against the damp earth, her breaths shallow and trembling. The once-peaceful forest now felt like a menacing labyrinth. Her heart raced with each snap of a twig or rustle in the underbrush.
"Mia!" Jax’s voice rang out suddenly, close enough to make her flinch.
Panic surged through her veins, and she pressed herself further into the dirt, trying to become invisible.
"Where are you?" he called again, desperation lacing his tone.
"Damn it," Mia muttered silently, fighting the urge to call out to him. She knew she couldn't trust him, not after what she'd seen. But the fear clawing at her insides begged her to reconsider.
"Please . . . just give me a sign you're okay," Jax pleaded, his voice cracking slightly.
Mia held her breath, praying he wouldn't find her, but her resolve wavered. Could she really run from him? He'd been her lifeline, her one connection to a world outside her cage. And yet, one text had shattered that fragile trust.
"Shit, Mia." Jax's voice was closer now, the panic in his words only amplifying her own terror. "Where did you go? It’s dangerous out there. Just let me know you're safe."
Safe? Mia thought bitterly. As if I could ever be safe.
Jax’s steps grew closer now, and then, all of a sudden, they stopped.
"Found ya."
Mia’s heart pounded in her chest as Jax's voice rang out triumphantly. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping against hope that he hadn’t actually seen her concealed among the twisted tree roots. The damp earth pressed uncomfortably against her cheek as she held herself as still as possible.
“Mia . . . I can see you,” Jax said, his voice now softer, tinged with a mix of relief and worry. His gaze bore into her, and Mia could sense the conflict raging within him.
She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with a mixture of defiance and fear. “What do you want?” she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside her.
Jax knelt beside her, his brow furrowed with concern. “I want to help you, Mia. You’re hurt, and we need to get out of here before Viper finds us.”
"Stay away from me," Mia spat, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to pull her foot free. Her ankle throbbed with pain, and her chest tightened with fear.
"Please, Mia," Jax implored, his hazel eyes swimming with regret. "Just let me explain."
"Explain?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "You lied to me, Jax. You're no better than the rest of them."
"Let me help you," he insisted, taking a step closer. "I never meant to hurt you, I swear."
"Stay back!" Mia warned, her heart hammering in her chest. "Just leave me alone!"
But as she looked into his eyes, those pleading, sorrowful eyes, she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to at least give Jax a chance to explain. Only yesterday, he was her Daddy. Making her feel amazing things. Looking after her like nobody else had done. It couldn’t all have been an act, could it?
"Mia, listen to me. There's something you need to know."
"Like how you lied to me?" Mia snapped, her green eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Jax took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confession. "About Viper."
“What are you talking about? Who’s Viper?”
“Years ago, I worked as an ethical hacker. Do you know what that is?”
Mia shook her head.
“I worked for large organizations, testing their computer systems to find security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminal hackers. That’s where I met Viper, or TechSavvy as he called himself back then. He was an ethical hacker, too—or at least, we all thought he was ethical, until I discovered what his alter-ego, Viper, was up to. He was siphoning off private company details, financial information, and even goddamn money for himself.”
Mia frowned. “I don’t see what this has got to do with anything.”
“Well, I was the one who turned him in to the authorities. I got him arrested and he swore vengeance. God knows how he got out of going to prison. Maybe he went for a while and got out, hell, I don’t know. But anyway, I hadn’t heard a thing from him in years. And then this morning I saw this text message from him. Telling me to give you back.” Jax scratched his beard.
“Me? Why would any of this involve me?”
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I suspect that it wasn’t about me at first. There’s a lot of cash to be made in trafficking, and I think Viper got into the industry for that very reason. The strip club you were working at had the tightest online security I’ve ever seen. I’m convinced that was Viper’s doing. Problem is, when I came back into his life, breaking you out of the strip club, then it became personal again. Viper won’t stop at anything to take you away from me, to make my mission fail.”
Mia's heart raced as she processed the information. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I didn't want to scare you." Jax's voice softened as he looked at her, the guilt evident in his gaze. "Viper is a dangerous man. He’s got the whole internet at his fingertips, which means he has eyes everywhere. Wherever you go, Mia, he can find you.” He paused. “But I’m gonna put a stop to it. I just need to get us to safety first. Somewhere he can never find us.”
"I thought you said he could find us anywhere," Mia muttered, her thoughts racing.
“That’s why we need to go as remote as possible. High up in the mountains. I know of several locations that will keep us hidden.”
Mia swallowed. High up in the mountains? She didn’t like the sound of this one bit. Then she remembered the text messages she'd seen on Jax's phone—the ones that had sent her running in the first place. "I saw your message to Savannah, Jax. Why did you say you weren't taking me back to her?"
Jax frowned, confused. "Savannah? What are you talking about?"
"Your texts, Jax," Mia said, exasperation seeping into her words. "When I saw you texting her that you weren't taking me back, I thought—"
"Wait." Jax held up a hand, his expression clearing. "You misunderstood. That wasn't Savannah. It was Viper."
"Viper?" Mia's heart skipped a beat.
"His old nickname," Jax admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "TechSavvy, or Savvy for short. I never changed it in my contacts."
"Jesus," Mia breathed, her anger dissipating as the truth sank in. "God, I should never have snooped. I’m so sorry.”
“Darling I don’t blame you. You had a right to know the truth,” said Jax. “I’m so sorry I kept it from you. I thought I was protecting you. But you’re strong enough to know what’s going on. I should respect that. I promise you, from now on, you’re going to be kept in the loop on everything. We’re partners in this.”
Mia nodded. “Partners. Right. So, what now . . . partner?"
Jax reached down to the root trapping Mia's foot. “I’m gonna set you free, babygirl,” he said. “Then I’m gonna take you back to the tent. We pack up lightning fast then get the hell outta here.”
"Okay, but how are we supposed to outrun him if he's tracking us?" Panic bubbled in Mia's chest, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Relax," Jax soothed, rubbing her shoulder gently as he pulled her away from the tree root, letting her lean all her weight on him. "We just need to stay ahead of him, be smart about our movements. My phone is secure now, so he won't be getting any more updates on our location. After I sent the message, I put it in something called a Faraday pouch. He’ll be able to figure out the location of my last message, but my phone’s no longer trackable."
A terrible thought occurred to Mia. “Jax,” she whispered, “when I looked at your phone, I got it out of a black pouch thingy.” She grimaced. “But I didn’t put it back in there after.”
Jax's face went from surprise to disbelief in a matter of seconds. "You what?" he snapped, anger flashing in his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't think about it. I was just... scared and confused."
For a tense moment, Jax stared at her, his jaw clenched tight. Then, taking a deep breath, his expression softened. He sighed and ran a hand through his messy brown hair. "It's alright, Mia. You didn't know any better. But this changes things."
"Can Viper find us now?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Change of plan.”
"Change of plan? How?" She felt panic rising within her, threatening to swallow her whole.
"First things first," he said, pausing to survey their surroundings. "We need to race back to the car and grab our stuff. Then, we'll get the hell away from here and reach out to my brothers at Paladin Security."
"Your brothers?" she asked, surprised. "They think you’re in rehab."
"Well, I’ll have to come clean," he replied. "We're family—we watch each other's backs. They'll help us, no questions asked."
Mia couldn't help but feel envious of the bond Jax shared with his siblings. It was something she'd never known.
"Okay," she agreed, trying to push her envy aside. "Let's find that safe place and call them."
"Good plan." Jax smiled at her before pressing forward through the woods.