29. Ava
Ava
I’m so tired. My legs feel like they belong to someone else, heavy and clumsy, each step sinking deeper into the snow that sucks at my ruined socks and makes my feet scream with cold and pain. The woods blur around me in a haze of white and dark green.
My lungs burn with every ragged breath, the air so cold it feels like shards of ice stabbing deep into my chest. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep going out here.
The cold has seeped all the way into my bones, making my whole body shake with violent shivers that I can’t control.
My torn coat clings wet and useless against my skin, and the cuts from the glass sting fiercely wherever snow melts into them.
I’m frozen, tired, and scared in a way that makes me feel very far away. All I can think about is Jax. His strong arms. I keep whispering his name under my breath like a lifeline, my voice hoarse and cracking. “Jax. Jax, please.”
The cartel members are still out here. I can hear them.
Their voices carry through the forest in harsh bursts of Spanish, closer now, angry and determined.
Boots crunch heavily on snow somewhere behind me and to my left.
Flashlight beams sweep through the darkness like predatory eyes searching for prey.
Every snap of a branch makes my heart slam against my ribs.
They’re hunting me, and I’m running out of strength.
The fear sits heavy in my stomach, a cold knot that makes me want to curl up and hide, but I can’t. I have to keep going for Jax.
The snow’s falling heavier now, large fluffy flakes catching on my hair and melting against my flushed cheeks.
My breath comes in visible white puffs that disappear into the night.
I’m so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that I don’t see the wall of muscle until I run straight into it.
Strong arms catch me instantly, wrapping around me like steel bands and pulling me tight against a warm, solid chest.
“Ava,” Jax growls, voice deep and rough and filled with so much relief it makes fresh tears spill down my face. His big hand cradles the back of my head, fingers threading gently through my tangled hair. “You’re okay.”
Relief crashes over me like a warm wave, so powerful my knees buckle.
I sag against him, burying my face in his jacket and breathing him in deeply.
He smells like safety and home and everything I thought I might never have again.
His body heat sinks into my freezing skin, chasing away some of the terrible cold.
I cling to him, small hands fisting in his shirt as sobs shake me.
“Jax. You found me. I knew you would. My territorial marshal. I was so scared but I kept running like you taught me.”
He holds me tighter, one arm banded around my waist while the other strokes down my back in soothing passes.
His lips press to the top of my head, warm and fierce.
“That’s my good girl. You did so well, Ava.
So fucking strong. I’m so proud of you.” His voice is raw with emotion.
Even in the middle of the dark woods with danger all around, he makes me feel cherished.
But we’re not out of the clear yet. Shouts rise again nearby, cartel voices calling out. Jax tenses, his muscles hardening around me like armor. “I’m here now. They won’t touch you again.”
He lifts me effortlessly into his arms, cradling me against his chest as if I weigh nothing.
His heartbeat is steady under my ear, a reassuring rhythm that calms my frantic one.
We move fast through the trees, his boots crunching confidently through the snow while mine dangle uselessly.
The cold wind still bites at my exposed skin but Jax’s body blocks most of it, his heat radiating into me like a personal furnace.
Gunfire cracks in the distance, controlled and precise.
Jax’s team. I catch glimpses of them moving like shadows between the pines, Mason, Kane, Brock, Colt, and Ryker taking down the remaining threats with deadly efficiency.
Shouts turn to screams and then silence.
Jax carries me steadily toward the road, murmuring low dominating words against my hair.
“You’re mine, Ava. I love you, and I’m taking you home. ”
My heart flutters with hope and love and that familiar spark of desire only he can ignite.
Soon the woods thin and we reach the waiting SUVs.
Jax bundles me into the back seat, wrapping me in thick emergency blankets that smell faintly of clean wool and safety.
He climbs in beside me, pulling me onto his lap so I am straddled across his powerful thighs.
His hands roam over me gently, checking for injuries while his mouth finds mine in a deep, claiming kiss.
I moan softly into his mouth, melting against his chest as the heated tension between us crackles brighter than ever.
The team moves in, confirming the cartel men are down with quiet, controlled efficiency. The tension breaks. I’m safe. The nightmare is finally over.
“Go ahead and take her home. We can question her tomorrow. Feds will be here soon,” Mason says, nodding to Jax.
Jax holds my hand the entire drive home. “You’re never leaving my sight again,” he whispers softly. “I’m marrying you as soon as we get home. Then I’m keeping you in our bed for days, showing you how deep this love goes.”
I smile. “Yes, please. All the one-bed situations. All the growly mountain marshal loving. I want our HEA, Jax. With you.”
By the time we reach Timber Creek the sun is rising, painting the mountains in soft pinks and golds.
Jax carries me across the threshold of his solid, beautiful house like a bride.
He takes me straight to the bedroom, stripping my old clothes with gentle care before wrapping me in his huge bed with him.
His body covers mine, warm and protective, every touch filled with love and heated promise.
We’re safe. We’re together. And as he kisses me slow and deep, claiming me body and soul, I know our real story is just beginning.