Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
KEANE
Something happened between the time Jax and I left this morning to go back to the Rossi estate to now, and if this motherfucker doesn’t lower his gun, I’m going to break his hand. As soon as Jax and I entered Falcon Tower, we were swarmed by eight of Declan’s men and had our weapons taken. Jax lost it when one of the guards tried to take his knife. Let’s just say that there are now four men lying bloodied and unconscious on the floor, with three more sitting on top of an enraged Jax.
Jax is still lost in his blood rage from earlier, and these stupid assholes are making it worse.
“Stand down,” Liam barks to the men as he hits the lobby and takes in the scene before him.
The guard next to me relaxes his stance and lowers his weapon.
“Jesus, feck, get the hell off him,” Liam tells the other three men piled on top of Jax. He must be pissed because I’ve never heard his Irish accent so thick before.
Jax holds grudges, so as soon as he’s able to stand, he punches one guy in the face, knees the other in the balls, and kicks the third.
A shrill whistle rings out. “Jax! Don’t make me tase your ass. Both of you, come with me,” Liam tells us, already walking off and returning to the bay of elevators.
As soon as the doors close, I tell him, “We found one of Julio’s men.”
“Fill me in later,” Liam curtly replies.
The quiet dinging indicating each floor as we rise seems to get louder and louder in the silence of the lift. Thank God there isn’t any crappy elevator music pumping out.
“Why were we greeted with guns in our faces? If Declan thinks he can back out of our agreement?—”
“Declan was shot.”
How can three words make this day go from bad to even worse?
“What happened? Why didn’t anyone call us?”
A migraine starts throbbing like a jackhammer behind my eyes from the stress. I think Rafe had the right idea. This shit just isn’t worth it anymore. Not if it means Andie will constantly be in harm’s way. We’ve been lucky so far in this dangerous life that we lead, but luck only holds out for so long.
Jax shoves Liam back against the lift wall before I can do it myself, his face full of worry and anger. “Where’s Andie?”
Liam doesn’t put up a fight or try to push Jax away from him. “She’s safe. But she’s hurting. She’s locked herself in her room and won’t let us in.”
“Then pick her damn lock,” I shout at him. Stupid jackass.
Liam’s eyes slice to me. “The drive-by was meant for her. Declan took the hit instead. He’s still in surgery, and Andie went ballistic when Pearson made her leave the hospital and come back here.”
It feels like he just tossed a grenade into my chest. Alejandro came after my woman. Again.
Jax explodes. “That motherfucker!” He punches the elevator wall, denting the panel in with each hit.
“Jax, calm the hell down. Focus on Andie. She needs you.”
His fist stops mid-flight, and his chest rises and falls with effort as he tries to rein himself in.
Liam and I exchange looks. “What do you need us to do?” I ask him.
“Save our girl. She’s hurting,” he says as the doors open to Andie’s floor.
I shove his shoulder to stop him from exiting. “We’ve got this.”
I expect him to argue and am shocked when he doesn’t.
Liam speaks to a few of the guards, letting them know to give me and Jax access to any floor, room, or whatever the hell else we want.
Jax immediately takes off down the hallway to Andie’s room. If there’s anyone that can help her, it’s him. The two of them share a soul-deep connection that I hope one day I’ll have with her. I’m not jealous of what Jax has with her. We each carry something in ourselves that fills a void in Andie. And as much as I dislike even thinking it, I can’t ignore Liam’s place in all of it. We’re like Aristotle’s four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Or perhaps, we’re more like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Andie is the goddess who controls us. Whatever. I’m not making any sense. I need a drink.
Tessa is curled up on the sofa, quietly crying. She looks like shit.
“You okay?”
Sniffling, she wipes her nose on her shoulder. “No.”
Tessa is such a tiny thing, physically, but her inner strength and her heart are fucking huge. As well as her big brain. The girl is smart like Jax.
“How do you do it? How do you keep your humanity, your soul… your morality?”
With sadness, I curl my thumbs around the belt loops of my trousers and try to let her down gently. “You don’t.”
She bites on her bottom lip, mulling that over. “If that were true, then you wouldn’t be able to love her like you do. None of you would.”
I consider the truth of that. See, like I said. Smart girl.
“If you’re wondering how I know, it’s clear as day.” She pauses for a beat, nibbling her lip again. “Please don’t hurt her.”
That’s a promise I can keep. “I won’t. Not in the way you mean.”
Because Andie and I will always fight. We’ll argue. We’ll disagree on just about everything. We’ll want to strangle one another on a daily basis. It’s who we are. But we’ll love each other just as fiercely. Just as passionately.
Liam drops down next to Tessa, and she takes the opportunity to dig her feet under his spread thighs.
“Your feet are fucking frigid.”
She smiles at him, still sniffling. “Deal with it.”
“Pearson will let us know when Declan is out of surgery or if anything changes.” Liam tilts his head toward the hallway, his silent way of telling me to get my ass back there to Andie. But he doesn’t need to say anything because I’m already walking away.
“Angel, open the damn door,” Jax shouts, pounding on it with a fist.
“Anything?” I ask him.
“No. Stubborn fucking woman.”
Andie should know better. Not even locked doors will keep us from getting to her.
“Step back and plant your ass here until I say otherwise,” I tell him, right before I kick the door in.