Chapter 3
JAX
“She’s running from something,” Jax announced to Rogue and Razor as he looked over the engine. He wasn’t sure why he thought that exactly, but his gut told him that was the case.
“Not our problem,” Rogue grunted.
Jax ignored him. Rogue was a grump on a good day, but they all knew if this woman needed help, he would be stepping up along with the rest to keep her safe. Jax glanced at Razor when he asked, “What makes you say that?”
Razor was his best friend. The two of them became close after getting patched in as members of the club. He stood eye to eye with Jax at six feet, with thick, curly dark hair, and dark eyes. He also kept a well-maintained beard, while Jax preferred to keep his face fairly clean-shaven. Razor was considered the pretty boy out of the two of them, but since he had an Old Lady now, he never so much as looked in another woman’s direction. Though Jax figured that was because he knew better, because his woman, a former mercenary, was liable to make him hurt in unimaginable ways if he did.
“Just a vibe,” Jax told him with a shrug. “She’s got a bag, and I’m pretty sure there’s a Glock in her purse.”
“Doesn’t mean she’s running,” Rogue argued, still scowling. “Lots of women carry them.”
“Yeah, but Jax is normally right about this stuff,” Razor pointed out. “So, what, you want to play Prince Charming and save her?”
Jax flipped him off. “No, just noting it. As it is, we’re probably going to have to help her find a place to stay or something, because this car is on its last legs. Engine needs to be completely overhauled, and there’s some other shit that needs fixed too if she wants to make it further than a couple hundred miles.” He pulled back and wiped his hands on the rag he kept in his pocket.
“How long, you think?” Razor asked.
“At least a week,” Jax finally answered after some thought. “And that’s if I don’t work on any other jobs but this one.”
“Fine,” Rogue said. “I’ll tell Esme.” He stalked away toward the side door that led to the reception and waiting area.
Once Rogue was out of earshot, Razor turned to him and asked, “Is that week timeline true, or are you trying to keep her around and figure out what she’s running from?”
A small part of him wanted to tell Razor that he was right, but instead he shook his head and replied, “It’s going to be a week. It’s an old car, and they need more time to get it right. I don’t know her, so I don’t need her to stay.”
Razor didn’t look convinced, but thankfully he dropped it. “Alright, brother. Well, hopefully she’s willing to let you do the work, and doesn’t just junk it and find something else.”
He could admit the thought of her leaving and never seeing her again had a twinge going in his belly, but outwardly he just shrugged. “Be a shame to waste a good car, but it’s up to her. I know you’re deliriously happy with your crazy Old Lady, but the rest of us aren’t all that ready to settle down just yet.”
Razor got that sappy smile on his face that made Jax want to roll his eyes. So he did. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Razor informed him.
“I’m missing out on all that sap, so I’m good,” Jax replied drily. “I’m happy for you, brother, don’t get me wrong, but with so many couples and babies around here, it’s really cramping the style of the rest of us.”
Razor scoffed. “Brother, you say that like you don’t use the club whores every other day.”
“I think we’re supposed to use the term ‘club girls’ now,” Jax reminded him. “Glitch and Karissa made that point enough times. And while I enjoy the ease of having them here, I’m starting to get bored. Not to mention, with so many of you fuckers getting hooked up with Old Ladies, the club girls are starting to get real pushy about how they want to be considered for the role from the rest of us.”
Razor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because that’s what brothers want – for every other brother to know what their girl feels like. They know better, but whatever. No one but the stupid Prospects promise them that shit.”
Jax had to agree. But before he could reply, the sound of the door from reception filled the shop and they both looked over to see Rogue walking back through, with Saylor and Esme right behind him. He looked harassed, and like he wanted to be anywhere else, but was managing, barely, to bite his tongue. Looked like having an Old Lady and twin teenage girls was starting to rub off on him.
Jax looked straight to Saylor, taking her in and thinking again that she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. And considering that all his brothers’ women were lookers, that was saying something. She was about five-six, with light blonde hair tied back in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and a few strands framing her face. Her full lips were currently pulled into a tight line, and her bright blue eyes held concern and irritation. She was a bit on the thinner side, but he could see lean muscles as she moved, and the tight jeans she wore showed off the slight swell of her hips. He normally preferred women with fuller figures, but this woman, she was reminding him that there were far more body types out there to appreciate. She still had her old bag slung over her shoulder. Did the woman ever put that down?
“She wants to talk to you,” Rogue grunted at him. “And the other one came along because apparently she thinks I’m going to scare her.”
Jax snickered at that, and ignored the angry glare Rogue sent his way. Instead, he focused on Saylor. “I assume you were hoping it would be a quick fix and then you’d be on your way?” he asked her.
“Yes. Why is it going to take a week, exactly?” she asked, her tone curious but slightly stressed.
“You’ve got an old car here that needs a bit more than just the cooling system looked at,” he explained. “The engine is on its last legs, and there are a handful of smaller issues that need to be addressed. Truthfully, the whole thing needs to be junked. The biggest job will be the engine. I’m your engine guy, but in these older cars, it takes time, and I’ll need to order some parts since we don’t have them all in stock. We have suppliers that can get things to us next day, but then I need to work on it and that takes time.”
“Would it be better to junk it and get a new one?” she asked bluntly.
Jax shrugged. “It could be, but many newer cars aren’t as reliable as the older ones. More electronics to break. You could get another junker, I suppose, but you’ll run into the same problem eventually, and you might not get so lucky next time to land right on a mechanic’s doorstep. Or to deal with one so nice and handsome as myself,” he added with a wink. Esme scoffed behind her, and Razor snickered.
Saylor didn’t seem to notice or care about his attempt at flirtation, and just asked, “Are there any good car lots around for me to check out? I have plans, I don’t know if I can wait around a week.”
There was something in her voice, in that part of her statement, that only added to his certainty that she was running from something. Still, he replied, “There is, but it’s a Friday, and the one in town closes at two, which was half an hour ago. So the soonest you’ll be able to get to one is maybe tomorrow if they decide to open, or Monday if they don’t.”
She looked away from him, contemplating. He could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to decide what to do. Then she said, “I need to make a call,” and headed toward the reception door without looking back. Esme followed her, but the rest of them stayed put.
“Alright, yeah, she’s running from something,” Rogue huffed in irritation as soon as the door shut. Then he looked at Jax and added, “And before you go trying to get your dick wet with her, have Code run a background check. Any shit coming our way, we want to be aware of.”
Being VP, Rogue had the pull to order him around, but Jax shook his head. “If she wants to tell us, then she can. And I’m not looking to wet my anything, I’m just trying to help her out.” Razor and Rogue gave him yeah-right looks, and he flipped them off. “Just because a woman is attractive doesn’t mean my dick pulls at her like a magnet.”
Razor scoffed. “Dude, we both know you’re full of shit. The amount of tail you’ve been with, that argument isn’t flying.”
Jax ignored him and turned to clean up his bench. Until Saylor came back in, he wasn’t working on anything else, so might as well get shit tidied. Most of his brothers didn’t realize how much he needed his space to be clean and well-kept. It was a habit growing up, and some shrink would probably tell him it was his way of keeping his life in order when everything else around him was in constant chaos. As far as he was concerned, he wanted his shit left where it was supposed to be so he could easily find it. He didn’t have OCD, but it irked him when Razor or Rogue took shit from his bench and then put it back in random places. He usually let things go, but on his bad days, he’d tell them to fuck off. Today was a good day, so he just calmly put everything back in its rightful place.
After about ten minutes, and his area cleaned up, Saylor and Esme came back in, and Saylor looked annoyed but resigned. “You said a week?” she asked him curtly.
He arched a brow in surprise at her tone, but nodded. “I’ll order the parts today and get it done by next Friday. The parts should be here tomorrow or Monday at the latest, since they don”t deliver on Sunday. And I’ve already cleared it that this job will be the only one I work on. So you might luck out, and I get done faster if things go well.”
“I don’t suppose you could give me an estimate for how much it’ll cost?”
“I can do that now,” he offered, “and Esme can type it all up and give it to you.” Esme nodded when he looked to her for confirmation.
“It looks like I don’t have much choice,” Saylor sighed. “So, yeah, if you can do that, I’d appreciate that.” Then she turned and followed Esme back to the reception area, and he trailed behind her. His gaze dipped down to her ass, taking in the firm globes, and he had to force himself to look away. Damn, he wanted to sink his teeth into her and see what happened.
When they walked into the reception area, he grabbed the pad of paper that Esme handed him and then moved to take the chair beside Saylor and got to work writing. He bit back a smile when he saw her arch a brow and look at him, but he kept working. Normally he liked to sit on the edge of Esme’s desk and do this, but yeah, this was a much better option today. Not to mention, with Esme’s mood earlier, he wouldn’t put it past her to stab him with a pen or something.
No one said anything as he worked, and when he was finally finished, he stood and handed the pad to Esme, then he turned to Saylor. “The safest thing to do is leave your car in the shop until it’s fixed, so I’m afraid you’re going to be without it for a few days.”
She sighed, and he saw her shoulders tighten ever so slightly. He would have missed it if he wasn’t looking straight at her. “Then I guess I better find a hotel to stay at. Are there any close by? Or even a rental car company I could check out, so I’m not stuck in my room the entire time?”
“There’s one at the car dealership, but as I said, they’re closed,” Jax told her with a wry smile. She huffed out an annoyed breath. “I can take you there tomorrow when they’re open, so you’re not stranded.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Saylor argued. “If you just tell me where it is, I can get a cab or walk from whatever hotel I end up at. Which is another thing I need to look at finding.”
“Or, you can stay in the apartment over the warehouse,” Rogue grunted. Jax managed to hide his surprise. Normally that wasn’t offered to anyone outside the brothers, or Royal. “Place is empty, and no one will bother you. Then Jax can take you to find a car and hotel room tomorrow.”
Saylor’s face was one of suspicion. “You either want me close to keep tabs on me, or you’re being far too generous to someone you don’t know,” she finally said, the tone of her voice matching the look on her face.
“They’re big on rescuing women,” Esme butted in, rolling her eyes for dramatic effect, making Saylor turn to look at her. “I was running from my ex, and they all but forced me to hide away here until I was safe. Big hero complexes with this group. They don’t mean anything else, other than they want to offer it and take a bit of the worry off your shoulders, even if it’s just for the night. And they’re right, no one will bother you up there, and then it’s handy for Jax to take you into town tomorrow. If it makes you feel safer, I’m just down the road, along with some other Old Ladies, and we have two female former military badasses around too that will make sure no one messes with you.”
Saylor arched a brow at that. “Something tells me you’re not going to be much help tonight,” she said with a smirk. Esme grinned wickedly and shrugged. Jax wasn’t sure what that was about, but clearly Esme did. Saylor turned and looked back at him, and then at Razor and Rogue for a moment, before finally looking back at Jax once more. He held her gaze, careful to keep his entire demeanor calm and unconcerned. He didn’t want her to feel pressured into anything. If she really wanted to go into town, he’d take her, but the idea of her being closer was a hell of a lot better. Finally, after another few silent seconds, she sighed and said, “You’re sure your President isn’t going to have a problem with me staying here? Especially not knowing who I am?”
“Only if you try to shoot at me like my woman did when I walked through the door,” a deep voice drawled, making everyone turn to see Savage, their President, coming inside. Just like with Rogue, most were intimidated by their six-five leader, who sported pure muscle, dark hair, and a dark stare that could cut a person to the quick. Though that never worked on the women, no matter how much he tried. Jax glanced at Saylor, who was watching Savage cautiously, but she didn’t look all that frightened.
“Do you enter without knocking?” Saylor asked him as she tilted her head back to stare up at him. “I mean, if you do that, it’s kind of your own fault, don’t you think?”
Esme snickered, and Razor outright laughed. Jax grinned, as Savage narrowed his eyes at Saylor. Rogue just sighed and turned away, clearly done with the whole conversation. “You’re going to cause trouble, I can already tell,” Savage predicted, hands going to his hips.
Saylor gave him a smile that was sharp, but to Jax, made her look sexy as hell. He wanted that smile aimed at him, and barely resisted the urge to pull her back into him and away from Prez. Shit. He needed to get a hold of himself.
“That depends on if trouble finds me first,” Saylor replied. “Look, I don’t have to stay here, it was your guy who offered. I’m just as happy to head to a hotel, as long as someone can take me or call me a cab to get there. After that, you won’t have to see me again until I come to pick up my car.”
Jax gave Savage a pointed look behind her back, and Savage rolled his eyes, understanding that there was a reason that it was offered. “Never said you couldn’t stay. What I am saying is if you start shooting people, we’re going to have a problem. You don’t, then we’re right as rain. The only rules are that you don’t go into the clubhouse alone, you need to have one of the women or a brother with you; and you don’t go wandering around the grounds by yourself. We have things all over the place and if you fall and hurt yourself, or get stuck, we might not find you for a bit. You’re welcome to go to the bar, though. Got it?”
Saylor arched a brow, but nodded. “Alright.”
“I’ll help you get settled in,” Esme offered. “The other women will be excited to meet you. We like badass women around here that aren’t afraid to stand up to the men.”
Razor snorted. “Understatement of the century,” he drawled, earning a glare from Savage.
“Esme, get one of the twins, Karissa, or Glitch to help you, and don’t overdo it or your man will have my ass,” Savage ordered. He turned to leave, but Saylor stopped him with a sharp clearing of her throat.
“I didn’t agree to stay,” she pointed out drily.
“You’re staying,” Savage said simply, before turning and walking out.
“Bossy, remember?” Esme reminded her before Saylor could unleash the temper simmering in her eyes. “No point in fighting right now. Let’s go and get you set up, and then I’ll introduce you to some of the other women before I go find my man and jump his bones.”
Saylor looked like she wanted to argue, but sighed in defeat and nodded. “Fine. If that’s the way he is with his woman, I can see why she shot at him,” she told Esme as she followed her toward the reception door without a backward glance.
Esme laughed. “Trust me, we’ve all wanted to shoot our men one time or another. Well, maybe not Scarlett, Rogue’s Old Lady, but she’d get back at him another way.” The door shut behind them, and Jax could only grin at it.
“Fucking hell,” Rogue hissed, irritated. “You seriously want her?”
Jax wasn’t a man who normally admitted much, but this time, he nodded and said, “Yeah, I want her.” He wasn’t sure what it was about her. Saylor was a woman that had a story he wanted to hear, and he wanted to be part of the next chapter.
And he was going to enjoy watching her rile up Savage along with the rest of the women. That in itself was worth the ribbing he was going to get from his brothers.