Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jaxon sat at the head of Sabre’s conference table and fought to keep his fists from clenching.
The chaos at the square still burned hot in his mind.
One minute, Tazzy had been waving her ridiculous glittery sign and teasing him to come get her.
The next, she had three red splotches blooming across her chest and had dropped to her knees.
For the worst few minutes of his life, he thought he’d lost her. If the General had been using a real gun, he would have. No doubt that was the intended message.
Clear as day, the General had stood on the northeast corner of the square and taunted him.
The bastard had tipped his hat like a gentleman before disappearing into the crowd.
That was probably for the best because, if he’d reached the General, Jaxon would be in a cell right now instead of sitting here with his brothers.
Meanwhile, the county would be trying to figure out how to bury what was left of the General’s body. That thought of that made him smile.
The rest of the Sabre crew filled the chairs around the table. Ravage leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Zane sat, silent, at the far end of the room and watched everything with keen interest.
Reid kept his voice even but firm when he spoke.
“I need you to be straight with me, Jaxon. You gonna be able to keep your shit together, or do we have to be worried about you doing something that lands you back in prison? ‘Cause that would be the General’s wet dream come true. It might even be the reason he keeps coming after you and Tazzy. But if that happens, he’d be free to do whatever the hell he wants to Tazzy without you being able to stop him.
When you feel like going after him by yourself again, you think about that. ”
Jaxon met Reid’s gaze. “I’m not going back inside. For a minute today, I lost control, but I have it locked down now. I promised Tazzy I’d never leave her again, and I’m not gonna break that promise. So, to answer your question, I have my shit together.”
Hutch nodded once. “Good. Because we’re putting together a plan to fix this and we need you to be a part of it.”
Gage leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table.
“We all saw what happened out there. Believe me, if anyone gets it, it’s me.
I might not have been in prison, but that man cost me ten years that could have been spent with Breezy in my arms.” Gage looked around the table.
“Hell, everyone sitting at this table has a reason to see the General behind bars. But that’s history.
We need to focus on the here and now. So tell us what happened after the cops showed up today. Did Ezra get anything useful?”
Jaxon rubbed a hand over his jaw. The stubble scraped under his palm. “Maybe. Truth is, I don’t know. Digging into how I keep seeing the General seemed important to him. He took my statement, and he listened to my account of how the General stood there, clear as day.”
Sawyer nodded. “Problem is, the Darling Police Department’s monitoring equipment shows the General sitting pretty at Graceview Retreat Center.”
Now that was interesting. “How do you know that?” Jaxon asked.
“Please.” Sawyer rolled his eyes. “I’ve been hacking into the police computers since I got the message from Reid about what happened to you eight years ago.”
That tracked. “Twice now I’ve seen him, and twice they verified he was at Graceview,” Jaxon said.
“So, Ezra’s not doubting me, he just can’t figure out how the man’s pulling it off.
Just between us, he’s checking below the radar to see if anyone on the DPD is on the take.
Getting prints off the airsoft gun is a possibility, but everybody here knows he’s not going to find anything except my prints.
The General is too careful for those kinds of rookie mistakes. ”
Deke gave a low grunt. “Of course he is. That bastard has been playing games for years. It’s about time we got ahead of him.”
Law shifted in his chair. “Speaking of games, what about that note you found on Tazzy’s porch last night? You said it was from him. You sure?”
Jaxon reached into his back pocket and pulled out the folded paper. He slid it across the table. “Tazzy has no security at her place. I should have taken care of that when I first got back. But I didn’t, so no cameras caught him. That means, again, I got no proof. But I know it is him.
Reid glanced at Ravage. “Go ahead and read the note, Ravage, just to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Ravage stepped forward and picked up the note. He scanned it, and his jaw tightened. “Did you really think you could keep her safe? An eye for an eye, remember?”
Sawyer motioned for Ravage to give him the note.
“Fuck,” Ravage said. “That’s straight up nothing but a power play. He stood on her porch while you were inside with her. He wanted you to know he could get that close.”
Sawyer read the note and cursed under his breath.
“I’ll get to work on security for her house as soon as we’re done here.
Motion lights, cameras on every corner, and reinforced locks.
But Jaxon, you should think about moving her into Arcadian Hills with the rest of us.
It’s a gated subdivision that’s built for families like ours.
It’d be a lot harder for the General to stroll up to your front door if you were there. ”
Jaxon shook his head. “I just came from a gated community, brother. They aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.” A chuckle went around the room.
“I’ll think about it, but it won’t be happening soon.
First off, I got no money for building houses.
That should change now that my conviction’s been overturned.
But they haven’t released my bank accounts yet.
Another thing I can blame the General for, I’m sure.
But that’s not the only reason. Seriously, I spent eight years living behind a gate.
I’m not crazy about building a house inside one.
But if it’s the safest place for Tazzy, I’ll look into it. But no promises, not yet at least.”
Zane cleared his throat. “My old man is mixed up in all this somehow. I mean, more than just being the General’s lawyer. Don’t underestimate him. In a lot of ways, Phillip Thorne is worse than the General. Jaxon, that note that was put under the door at DA’s office?”
Jaxon nodded. “What about it?”
“There’s something about it, that doesn’t sit right with me. It couldn’t have come from my Dad, and not just because it would get him disbarred. He is too slick to leave something that obvious. So, if neither my dad nor the General sent it, then who did?”
Ravage nodded at Zane. “I still got ears in the Lawless Warriors who stuck with the Society. I’ll reach out and see if anyone heard whispers about that tip. Somebody inside is feeding information, and it’s most likely not some random do-gooder.”
Law tapped the table with two fingers. “Connor and I will work our sources inside the Society, too. We’ve still got a few guys who owe us favors.
If the note at the DA’s office came from one of their people, we’ll find out.
And we’ll make sure that information highway isn’t a two-way street.
We can’t have loose lips feeding the General intel. ”
“Jaxon, you need eyes on Tazzy anytime you can’t be right beside her.” Gage told Jaxon something he already knew.
“I’d already thought of that.” Jaxon turned to Reid. “I want someone on her any time I’m not. I’m not leavin’ her exposed.”
“Brick and me will handle that,” Ravage said. “We might not be Sabre, but since Lovie is my daughter, we’re family through her. If we can’t cover her, we’ll let you know so you can take over. She won’t ever be alone.”
Deke nodded. “We should also talk about the protest itself. The Musketiaras did a good job out there of putting a target on themselves. Then, sure enough, the General turned it into a target range. We need to make sure that the next time they have a noble cause to champion, we set up better perimeter control. No more open squares where he can hide in the crowd.”
Hutch rubbed the back of his neck. “Agreed. We’ll coordinate with the girls on future plans.
I doubt they’ll be giving up their protests anytime soon, but I don’t like being blindsided like we were today—something I recommend we all make clear to our Little activists.
The last thing Tazzy, or any of us, needs is another scare like today. ”
Jaxon’s chest tightened at the mention of Tazzy.
He’d left her in the Little Room with the rest of the girls so she could decompress and have some fun.
“She is tougher than she looks, but today rattled her. For a second, we both thought she’d taken a real bullet.
There is no way he’s getting that close again. ”
Reid studied him for a long moment. “You sure you’re steady, Jaxon? We’re going to back your play no matter what. But we need to know your head’s in the game. Otherwise, we’re all at risk.”
Jaxon let out a slow breath. “I’m steady.
My greatest fear, the reason I endured prison, almost became a reality today.
It settled something in me, so my rage and my clouded judgment are done.
It fucks me that it caused me to make a big mistake today.
But now I’m clear about what game he’s playing.
Now I’m here, and I’m focused. We’ll take him down, but we’ll do it smart.
And we won’t give him any easy targets.”
Sawyer folded the note and slid it back to Jaxon. “I’ll have the new security system installed by tomorrow night. Our camera systems send alerts straight to all our phones. If anyone crosses the perimeter you set, we’ll know before they reach the door.”
Connor added, “And we’ll keep digging into the monitoring equipment at Graceview. The General is spoofing the system somehow. With Ezra on our side, we’ll figure it out.”
Law glanced at Ravage. “You good with coordinating between the Ruthless Saints and Sabre on Tazzy’s protection?”
Ravage gave a single nod. “Solid as a steel wall. Brick is already on standby. Tazzy will have eyes on her twenty-four-seven when Jaxon can’t be there.”
“My father taught the General everything he knows about staying one step ahead of the law. If Phillip Thorne is pulling strings behind the scenes, I’ll do everything I can to help you spot it.
As bad as all of you want him taken down, I want it more.
Jaxon, you may not know how my own father killed my mother and tried to break my sister, Lovie.
Sabre took me in and made me part of their family.
That makes you and Tazzy family, too. You know what I think?
I think that worthless sperm donor is never touching a member of my family again. ”
Nobody had to say another word. Zane had said it all. Even so, the weight of everything they faced sat heavy between them.
Jaxon pushed his chair back. “I need to get my girl home. She’s had enough for one day. I’ll talk to her about Arcadian Hills and see how she feels.”
Reid stood as well. “Fair enough. The offer’s always there. You want it, we’ll make it happen the same day.”
Hutch clapped Jaxon on the shoulder as he passed. “Go take care of Tazzy. We’ll keep working the angles here. We’ve been at war with the General for years. It’s time we finished it.”
Gage added, “Keep us posted on how she’s doing. If she needs anything, you know the girls will step up. I’d bet good money she’s being spoiled rotten back in the Little room right now.”
Deke grinned a little. “Those Musketiaras stick together, that’s for damn sure. Tazzy is in good hands with them.”
Law nodded toward the door. “We’ve got your back, brother. Always.”
It seemed everyone wanted Jaxon to know how committed they were to protecting him and Tazzy.
Ravage caught Jaxon’s eye one last time. “Brick and I will have surveillance locations set up and ready in the woods near your house by nightfall. You focus on her. We’ll take care of everything else.”
Jaxon walked down the hall toward the Little Room.
The conversation still echoed in his head.
Every man in that room had their own reasons for wanting the General gone.
The first was to protect their Littles. The second was simple…
justice long overdue. The trick would be taking down the threat without losing themselves in the process.
He felt the weight of that responsibility on his shoulders as well, but it didn’t feel heavy.
It felt like carrying your share of the burden for a change.
He pushed open the door to the Little Room and found Tazzy curled in her black swinging chair. She appeared to be dozing and hadn’t noticed he was there.
No one else saw him either, because they were still talking.
“I want to know how you get away with it,” Lovie said. “No way would my Daddy let me stay up like that. What is Deke thinking?”
Suzi shook her head. “Oh, he doesn’t know.”
“Okay, now we all want to know how you managed that,” Lele said.
Suzi shrugged. “My Daddy is a hard sleeper. Once he’s asleep, I can pretty much do whatever I want.”
“Oh, really?” “I’ll make sure to tell him you said that.”
All eyes turned to Jaxon. The look of shock on their faces almost made him smile.
Suki gasped. “No! Don’t do that, Jaxon. Please?”
But Jaxon didn’t answer. Instead, he walked past her and held out his hand to Tazzy. “Time to wake up and go home, Darkling. I’ve got you.”
A sleepy smile graced her face as her eyelids fluttered open. “Hello, Daddy.”
Jaxon picked up her margarita glass and took a sip.
“I’ll be talking to Hutch as well.”
Georgia shot up like a rocket. “Why would you think Hutch, of all people, would be the one you need to talk to?”
“You’re kidding, right?” said Jaxon.
Putting down the glass, he held out his hand to Tazzy again. Now she was wide awake. “Yes, Daddy.” For a minute, he thought she was going to salute.
She slipped her fingers into his and stood. There were quick hugs and whispered promises to check on her later. Jaxon tucked her against his side as they left the warehouse. The sun sat low in the sky now.
Jaxon pulled out of the lot and headed toward home. Feeling the rumble of the bike under them felt good, as did Tazzy’s arms around his waist. The General had shown his hand today in broad daylight, a miscalculation he would live to regret.
It probably never occurred to the man that Jaxon wasn’t alone anymore.
In doing so, the General did something that would have taken a lot longer to accomplish otherwise.
He convinced Jaxon that he wasn’t alone anymore.
After being in prison for eight years, accepting in his heart that he had a family of brothers who would stand with him and a woman who trusted him to keep her safe had been hard. But he knew better now.
The General wouldn’t win. Not this time. Not ever again.