Chapter 8
JAX
Jax couldn’t help but laugh at her statement, despite the glare he got from Savage. A few other brothers, like Ink and Razor, snickered too, which earned them the same look. Before Savage could go off, Jax turned Saylor’s chair toward him and put his hands on both armrests, boxing her in. Her blue eyes flashed with anger, determination, and a thread of fear as she regarded him. He hated seeing the fear there, but he also knew to use it to make her understand she couldn’t leave.
“Baby, you need to understand something about us,” he told her calmly. “We’re the kind of men that can’t let a woman walk out into danger, knowing that it might be the last time we see her breathing. We have taken on bigger men than this, and more of them, and come out on top. You’re surrounded by some of the most dangerous motherfuckers out there. Former SEALs, Special Forces, and other branches that don’t suffer fools or failures. This is the safest place for you to be, because these assholes aren’t going to stop until they catch you, and you’re dead.”
“You just heard that three men are after me,” she tossed back. “Why the hell do you want that problem? Most would be booting me out without blinking. Besides, you don’t know me. For all you know I’m some nut off the street.”
“You are,” Rogue blurted out, and her head whipped over to glare at him. Jax shot his VP a what-the-hell-are-you-doing glare, which of course Rogue ignored. “But that hasn’t stopped us from helping anyone else that’s come along. Razor and Codes’ Old Ladies included.”
“My woman’s not nuts,” Razor argued, glaring at him.
“Mine is, but it makes shit interesting,” Code grinned.
“Not the fucking point,” Jax grumbled at them, then looked back at Saylor. “I want that problem because if I let you walk out that door, and they kill you, I’ll never be able to live with that guilt. So I need you to stop fighting and stay. Please.”
She stared at him. Finally, she said, “I see why Esme said you all are bossy. You’re going to let me go. If I don’t want to stay here, you can’t make me.”
“I can if I tie you up and put you in the basement,” Savage repeated. “After your little threat, I’d be within my rights to.”
Saylor’s head whipped to him, and Jax wanted to groan. He knew Savage was pissed, but damn it, he could have done without the theatrics. If Savage wasn’t President, he’d have probably decked him by now to shut him up. “Touch me, and my threat will become a reality,” she warned him coldly.
“I’ve had enough of women threatening me,” Savage seethed, temper flaring and making his face and neck flush an unholy crimson.
“Enough,” Jax barked, fed up with all of it. “Saylor, don’t threaten our Prez unless you want some serious consequences,” he warned her, gaze hard and direct. She lifted her chin in defiance, and he tried not to be amused. Instead, he continued, “All of this arguing isn’t going to solve shit. I don’t want you to go. Simple as that. I want you to stay, where I know you’re safe and where we can protect you from these scumbags trying to kill you. You will not make it out of this town in that beat-up car, and the guy who runs the dealership and rental spot is a fucking sleazeball that will probably try to make you fuck him to get one. All you’re doing is running for the sake of your pride. It’s stupid, and you know it. We can help you, and you need to let us.”
“I don’t know you,” she reminded him bluntly. “Look, we fucked, and it was really good, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall into your arms and beg you to rescue me. For all I know, you’re going to pimp me out like your club girls and set me loose when you’ve used me up. I’d be an idiot to take you at your word.”
“We’re not that kind of club,” Fury told her sharply. “I get what you’re saying, and I also get why you’re on the defensive. But there comes a point when you’re being an idiot because you’re scared, and it’s going to get you nowhere. You’ve met our women; you really think we would treat them that way?”
“Old Ladies and random women are not the same,” Saylor returned.
“Fine, I’ll give you that,” Fury agreed. “But we wouldn’t treat our women, or our kids, as well as we do if we were just going to keep a stable of snatch for our own enjoyment. You’ve met the women, and you’ve heard the stories about the gun threats. Do you truly believe that we wouldn’t be walking around with bullet holes if we even attempted that?”
Saylor was quiet for a moment, and Jax could hear the wheels in her head turning. He shot Fury a quick, grateful look. At least someone was thinking with a cool head around here. Finally, after another long moment of silence, Saylor said, “You’re right.” She looked at Savage and said stiffly, “I’ll apologize for threatening you, but the fact remains that I don’t trust you, and if I want to go, no one is going to stop me.” Savage gave her a curt nod of acceptance.
Jax relaxed slightly. One hurdle down, one to go. “Aren’t you tired of running, Saylor?” he asked her seriously. “You said you’ve been going for a month straight, and that’s damn tiring. Here, you can relax and do your work. You don’t have to stay here forever, but at least let us look into who’s after you, so you have the information you need to decide what to do next. Then if you want to leave, you’ll be free to go.” Not that he planned on letting her get very far, but if he needed to give her that illusion then he’d gladly lie.
Saylor eyed him suspiciously. “And how long will it take you to figure it out?”
“Depends on how fast we can get the information,” Code answered for him. “Me and Glitch will work on it, but these things take time. It will be faster if the two of us work together, but she has another job that can take her away from this stuff for long stretches of time. Hopefully we can have an answer within a week, and then make a plan.”
“A week?” she repeated doubtfully.
“Might be more, might be less, but a week is a safe bet,” Code replied.
“It’ll take me a week to get your car done anyway,” Jax reminded her. “So really, it’s no different than what you were planning.”
“But that’s to find the information, correct? Not to actually do anything about it?” Saylor asked.
“Depending on what we find, it could be a quick and easy resolution, but if it’s not, then you’re welcome to stay here until we figure it out,” Savage told her, seemingly having calmed down. “But previously, we’ve been able to handle things pretty damn quickly, and we have allies to call if we need more bodies to take care of the problem.”
Code and Razor groaned, earning chuckles from some of the others. Saylor arched a brow at Jax in confusion. “I’ll tell you later,” he promised her. “Now, are we done fighting? Because we need to get as much information from you as possible so we can get started.”
Saylor didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she slowly looked around the room, her eyes lingering on each brother. Not in a lustful way, but in an assessing one that said she was taking each man’s measure. Most held her stare, but when Ink grinned and winked at her Jax shot him a glare. Finally, her gaze came back to him. “I’ll stay until the end of the week. After that, we can discuss it.”
Jax so badly wanted to argue, but he forced himself to nod. “Alright.” Then he looked at Savage.
Savage’s gaze was hard, and Jax could tell he wanted to argue as well, but he must have realized the futility because he nodded and said, “Fine. You can continue to use the apartment over the warehouse, and you’ll have use of the clubhouse and bar while you’re here. I’m placing you under Jax’s supervision.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he continued, “That’s how shit works, so you’ll have to deal with it. You fuck up or do something that gets you in trouble, Jax will be the one to answer for it. So think about that before you create problems.”
“See, now that just makes me want to cause one,” Saylor sniffed.
Savage glared at her but then looked at Jax. “You really want to take that on?” he asked him.
Jax nodded. “I got her. I’ll keep her out of trouble.” A few snorts sounded, which earned a glare from Saylor.
“Your funeral. Now, why are these assholes after you in the first place?” he asked Saylor.
Saylor sighed. “Because when Leon made the mistake of beating me, I punched him back hard enough to make him pass out. When he was unconscious, a little black book fell out of his pocket, and when I picked it up, I saw it was notes he was using to cheat at the casinos. He brought it out during dinner too, but I kind of forgot about it while he was wailing on me. His gambling was what started the whole fight, so I decided to take it and make a point. I was going to burn it, but then I found a piece of paper with names and numbers in a secret compartment, and I figured out they had to be names and amounts owed to this Frank guy by the clients that Leon oversaw. Leon wants the book back, and I assume so does this Felix guy. I don’t understand the third guy, but maybe he’s another one of Frank’s hired goons, trying to get me out of the way faster.”
No one said anything for a moment. “Where is the book?” Rogue asked her.
“Safe,” she replied, though Jax saw the stiffening of her shoulders.
Rogue narrowed his eyes at her. “We can’t help you for shit if you’re holding out on us,” he barked. “So where is it?”
Saylor looked like she was going to argue, so Jax put his hand on her leg, stalling her. When she looked over at him, he said calmly, “You agreed to stay for the week until we can track these guys that are after you,” he reminded her. “You want to get out faster, then we need all the information. Including that book.”
She didn’t reply for a long moment. Finally, she answered tightly, “It’s in my bag in the apartment.”
“Have a Prospect go grab it,” Savage told Fury, who nodded and stood, rounding the table to head for the door. “Alright, anything else?” he asked her.
Saylor shook her head. “I’ve been running for a month and have been able to stay ahead of them, other than that whole business in Florida, and today. I tried to take random routes to throw them off, but I guess it’s not working too well if Leon found me so fast.”
“We need to check her car for trackers,” Steel suggested. “Could be he managed to slip something in her car, or on her, and that’s how he’s keeping up with her.”
“Wouldn’t that mean he would always be right on her ass?” Ink pointed out.
“Not if he’s stopping to sleep, eat, or piss,” Steel replied. “How long did you usually stay around the places you stopped at?” he asked her.
“Sometimes for the night if I needed sleep, but mostly I have been constantly moving,” she answered. “There were a few times that I would stop at a hotel and then walk somewhere to get something to eat. When I got back, I could have sworn someone was in my room, but no one ever approached me. I saw a few different vehicles following me, always far enough back so I couldn’t get the plates or models of the cars, but I could see the colors.”
“Was it always the same color, or at least the same shape?” Jax asked her.
Saylor shook her head. “I’ve seen a white car, a silver car, and a dark colored one. I couldn’t tell you if they were all the same model or anything though. The only thing was that they were all cars, not trucks or SUVs.”
“Did you get a good look at the car that prick was driving?” Savaged asked Ice, and Steel.
“Fucker left on foot, we didn’t see or hear a car,” Ice answered grimly. “And no sign of one from the road. Either he hid it, or he’s using some other mode of transportation.”
“There’s a little known dirt road not far from the one you take to get to the pond,” Jax butted in. “But there’s a lot of trees and sometimes if you go by too quickly, you don’t realize it’s there. He could have been hiding there and waited for you to leave.”
“Fuck,” Ice hissed. “I forgot about that one.”
“Too late to worry about it now,” Steel agreed.
“When you’re doing your search, see if any of these idiots after her rented cars or just driving around in their own,” Savage ordered Code, who nodded and typed something on his laptop. “What color is your ex’s car?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “He either walked to meet me, or I picked him up. He told me the first couple times his car was in the shop with some major issues, and I didn’t question it. I do know he had some car keys on a hook in his apartment. I did ask him about them, and he said they were his spares because he was always locking his keys in the car.”
“You don’t think that’s true?” Ink asked.
She shrugged. “Seems odd to me to have a couple different spare keys, but I guess anything is possible. And now knowing he works for Frank, it could be those are for cars Frank wants him to use.”
“She has a point,” Jax agreed. “Do we know how big of an operation this Frank guy is running?”
“Big enough that the local cops are trying to link multiple assaults and murders to him,” Saylor replied. “He’s known as a mean SOB, and when things don’t go his way, he gets violent. But he’s been good at staying ahead of the law and weaseling his way out of trouble.”
“Probably gets his men to do all the work so he can’t be incriminated,” Ice said grimly. “That’s what a lot of these scumbags do.”
“I wonder how much reach he has,” Razor questioned with a frown. He looked at Saylor. “Did your ex say if Frank mostly kept his operation local?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t ask, and I doubt he would volunteer that information. He told me he was a banker.”
“Still, even if he doesn’t have reach past his own territory, he’s probably got allies in other areas he can call on if he needs them,” Code suggested. “Glitch and I can look into his known associates and see if we can find any connections that could be a problem.”
“Good,” Savage said with a nod. The door opened and Fury walked in, carrying Saylor’s bag. He walked over to Saylor and handed it to her.
Saylor hesitated for a moment before she opened the bag, rooted around, and then stopped, lifting her gaze to glare at Fury. He smirked at her. “Did you really think I was going to let you have access to a gun?” he asked her.
“It’s still my property. I wouldn’t actually shoot anyone,” she griped as she rooted around some more until she finally pulled out a small black book, setting it on the table.
Jax picked it up. It didn’t look like anything special. A little black notebook with a small red ribbon, no bigger than his hand. Easily carried and easily concealed. He opened it and flipped through it, taking in the messy scrawl that filled half the pages. Some of the notes didn’t make sense, while others did. But he didn’t see the list Saylor mentioned. He opened the book to the hard exterior, looking on the inside flap and running his thumb over it. Then he went to the back and did the same. He felt nothing. He glanced at Saylor expectantly. “Where’s the list?”
She reached out and took the book, turning to the back of it, and even though he checked and felt nothing, she used her fingernail to gently pull back the edge of the inside cover, revealing a very carefully hidden fake seam in the cover that was so small he was shocked that something could fit there. Then she extracted a sheet of paper, neatly folded. She handed it over to Savage as soon as he held out his hand.
“Holy shit, how the hell did you find that?” Jax asked, shocked.
“My nail caught on it one night,” she explained. “At first I thought I just ripped it, but when I started to pull it back a little bit more, I felt it give. I don’t know how Leon did it, but honestly, that’s when I knew that I needed to run, far and fast.”
“How many names are on the list?” Fury asked Savage.
“Seven. But they’re not full names. It’s first initial and last name, and then some random amounts and symbols. Never seen this kind of shit in my life,” he grumbled, handing the list to Code.
Code’s eyes narrowed on the list. “Me either. But everyone has their own system of recording things. I’ll work on running these names to figure out who they are and how much they owe this Frank guy.”
“Good,” Savage said. Then he turned to Saylor. “Anything else we need to know?”
Saylor shrugged. “Probably, but nothing I can think of now. What I want to know is when you’re giving me my gun back.”
“When hell freezes over. If you do think of anything to add, let Jax know immediately,” Savage ordered. She scowled at him but didn’t reply. Jax tried not to smile. He could already see he was going to have his hands full, but he also nodded when Savage looked to him for confirmation. “Someone look over her car to see if there is anything there that shouldn’t be. If you find something, smash it. Code, get the Prospects pictures of Saylor’s ex and this Felix asshole so they don’t accidentally let them on the grounds or in the bar. With Esme at the desk and answering calls at the shop means there is a chance one of these assholes could try and get their car in. So Rogue and Fury, you keep an eye out.” Both men nodded. “Good. Now, I’m going home to be with my woman and kids.” He banged down his gavel, stood, and then stalked out of the room.
“He’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t he?” Saylor remarked as she slowly stood. The room filled with snickers and grins. But when Saylor moved to leave the room, Jax gripped her arm to stop her. She turned her head to glare at him.
“I don’t think so,” he told her with narrowed eyes. “We have some things to discuss. Now, are you going to leave quietly, or do I need to carry you again?”
“And here I thought you learned your lesson the first time you manhandled me,” she sneered. “I’m not talking anymore, Jax.”
“Well, that’s too damn bad.” He ignored the grins and smirks aimed his way as he pulled her toward the door. She didn’t fight him this time, but he could all but feel the waves of anger rolling off her. That was fine, he was ready for whatever she decided to throw at him. Instead of heading for the apartment, he switched directions and headed for the stairs. He was going to need a smaller space so she couldn’t run off on him.
“Where the hell do you think you’re taking me?” she demanded, trying to dig in her heels. Instead of answering, he stopped, spun around, and scooped her up into his arms, only tightening his grip when she tried to struggle and push away. “Put me down,” she barked at him, which he promptly ignored as he headed up the stairs.
“Call if you need help, brother,” Ink shouted, laughter in his voice.
A grin pulled at his lips, but he didn’t answer. He just tightened his hold, picked up his pace, and tuned out Saylor cursing at him. When he finally reached his room, he managed to get the door open and then stalked inside, kicking the door shut behind him. He set Saylor down, and managed to dodge the punch she aimed at his head, and the knee heading for his groin again. Instead, he gripped her wrists, spun her into the door, and pinned her arms above her head. She struggled some more, but he managed to get his knee between her legs before she could use them to lash out again. “Enough,” he grunted.
Her blue eyes flared, making them look like icy blue glaciers. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” she hissed.
“I’m the man that saved your ass today,” he replied sharply, making her stiffen, and her face flush with fury. It was a dick thing to say, but he didn’t get the feeling that Saylor was going to listen otherwise. He was learning pretty quickly this woman was a lot like his brother’s Old Ladies. Headstrong, stubborn, and damn ferocious when they were pissed off. Good thing he’d watched the other men handle their women and picked up a few tricks along the way, because he was going to need to use them all with her.