Chapter 12
JAX
He got the text in the middle of the night, while he was curled around Saylor, who he somehow managed to convince to let him stay. Maybe it was the orgasms, or maybe it was that she had such a long, stressful day, but she didn’t fight him too hard on it. He never slept in a bed with a woman before, and while he figured he wouldn’t sleep at all, the moment he felt her relax, he wasn’t far behind her.
Yeah, he was screwed.
He became more certain of his predicament when the text came in and he didn’t want to look at or answer it. That wasn’t like him. He took his duties as part of the MC seriously, and that meant that when his brothers called, he answered immediately, no matter what. So, he forced himself to roll away from her and reached over to check his phone. He saw the message from Savage calling Church in fifteen minutes.
Carefully, he eased out of the bed, making his way out of the bedroom. He used the flashlight on his phone to find his clothes, but he whipped around when he heard the bedroom door open. “Sneaking out without saying goodbye?” Saylor asked him groggily, uncaring of her nudity as she watched him.
“Savage called Church,” he told her as he grabbed his pants and pulled them on, sans underwear. “Not sure why, but being this late, it must be important. I didn’t want to wake you.”
Saylor looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but instead, she merely nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you around.” Then she turned back into the bedroom.
“I’m coming back here when I’m done, Saylor,” he told her.
“Uh-huh,” she called back, and he could tell by her tone she didn’t believe him. Or maybe she just didn’t care. He tried not to get annoyed by that. Saylor had no reason to believe him, even if he wanted her to. She wasn’t a woman he was going to fuck and walk out on after he got his rocks off. He didn’t want her to see him that way, either. Still, he didn’t have time to plead his case, so he finished dressing and headed out of the apartment.
When he got to Church, only half the brothers were already there. Most were the ones that stayed in the clubhouse, but Rogue was also in his seat, looking grumpy as shit at having been pulled out of bed with his woman. For the first time, Jax understood his annoyance.
It was another few minutes before everyone else staggered in. Savage threw himself into his chair, his eyes bloodshot and face lined with fatigue. “This better be fucking good,” he muttered under his breath, making Jax smirk. Then Savage banged down the gavel and looked at Code. “Alright, let’s get to it so we can all get back to bed. Finally got the girls asleep before I left, and if they wake up before I get back, Royal is going to kill me.”
Code nodded, and he put up some images on his screen. “Glitch and I figured out who the third guy is. Saylor has stepped in some deep shit.”
Shit.Jax leaned forward as he watched Code pull up an image of the page of names and amounts that Saylor found in the little black book. But this time, there were pictures of men along the side.
“We identified everyone listed on the piece of paper, and as you can see from the pictures, they all look like regular Joes. Completely unassuming,” Code continued. “But from what I’ve been able to find, these men are actually well known, highly skilled counterfeiters. If you’re looking for fake cash for a buy, or even to pull the wool over a debt collector’s eyes, these are your guys. Not to mention, there is some chatter that they have been recruited by some bigger players to help get fake currency out of the states and into some other countries.”
“So, we’re not talking about a local counterfeiting scheme; we’re talking some serious players, and if that list got out, shit could go bad real quick and we’ll be right in the middle,” Fury summarized grimly.
Code nodded. “That’s the way it’s looking. These guys have some major backers, if the chatter is true. Enough that even if we brought in some of our allies, there is nothing stopping any of these bigger assholes from coming down hard and wiping us all out.” His lips pulled into a very thin line, and the tension in the room was thick.
Jax’s gut twisted at the realization of just what landed on their doorstep. Fuck. This was bad.
“Is this as bad as those traffickers coming after Scarlett and the girls?” Ink asked carefully. “Those bastards were bad. Hell, or when Esme’s father and ex were after her. We handled that shit, we can handle this if we’re careful.”
“The problem is that one of the men in this ring discovered she has the list,” Code continued. “The questions are, how did they figure it out? And how did they know it would have come from Leon?”
“And how did Leon learn of all this in the first place?” Savage added.
Code pulled up what looked to be text messages but were too small to read. “These are messages between Leon and one of the men in the ring, a Jared Long. Jared seems to be the unofficial ringleader. Where Leon pretended to be a banker, this guy is one. A bank manager, actually, and he also deals with investing for some high-profile clients. This guy has a lot to lose if his name is linked with this group.”
“And these messages, they say how Leon put all the pieces together?” Razor asked.
“Sort of,” Code hedged. “From what we can see, the messages started a little over a month ago. One of the other members of the ring, Curtis Lin, got into some trouble with good old Frank. Leon was dispatched to send a message about making sure that money was paid back. About a day after Leon got his orders from Frank, there’s a message to this Jared guy that he has twenty-four hours to hand over the cash, specifying that it has to be real, or he’d be informing Frank and the cops, leaving it up to fate on who got to them first.”
“Why the fuck didn’t they just kill him then, if he stumbled onto their little operation?” Jax wondered, frowning. “I mean, these guys are dealing with some big players, so they have them to call if there are any problems.”
“The lot of them look like a bunch of pansies, so they probably don’t want any blood directly on their hands,” Rogue guessed darkly.
“That still doesn’t explain why they haven’t gone to whoever they’re in business with,” Savage pointed out. “Or how the hell they figured out Saylor has their names.”
Code clicked another button. This time, a different message came up on screen, and Jax could read it clearly.
Leon: If you don’t want your names added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list, you’ll help me find this bitch because she’s got your names and information, and the moment she figures out what she has, you’re all fucked. You can kiss your lives goodbye when your so-called clients find out.
Jax’s frown deepened as he stared at the screen. “Wait, this makes it sound like Leon ordered these guys to go after Saylor,” he remarked. “And it also sounds like whatever the deal is with these clients is about to go south if Saylor releases those names.”
“Probably because if those names get leaked and the Feds figure out how they tie to whatever operation they’re building, it’s game over. Not to mention, if the Feds are smart, they could use this information to ID the key players from other countries and block their access in the states,” Code added tightly.
“But what the hell kind of leverage does Leon have to be able to order them to do this?” Rogue wondered. “I mean, again, one call to their clients and this Leon asshole, and Saylor by association, would be gone less than a week later.”
“Are we sure the person who shot at her isn’t one of their clients?” Steel asked quietly. “Maybe they’ve already made that call.”
“Nah, those guys don’t shoot to miss, and they wouldn’t be wasting time like this,” Code said firmly. Considering he worked for the Feds at one time, he would know. “Not to mention, they would have either killed her the first night she stopped, or she would have been shipped off out of the country first to pay the price for what she took. These assholes aren’t only into counterfeiting. They’re into running drugs, guns, and people.”
“Fucking hell, these bastards never go away,” Rogue seethed, his hands fisting on the table.
“What we need to do is deal with this Leon asshole first,” Savage grumbled. “And we need to figure out what it is that Leon has over this ring that is keeping them calling in the big guns.”
“How does Frank’s guy fit into this?” Ice suddenly asked. “I mean, we’ve figured out the connection with Leon, who is clearly up to some shady shit. But if he’s got the power over this group and not Frank, I can’t imagine Frank is too pleased about that.”
“Maybe Leon gave some kind of bullshit story on why he had to go after Saylor,” Razor suggested, his lips pursed thoughtfully. “I mean, Frank’s not just going to let one of his enforcers skip town for a freaking month. Maybe Leon told him a partial truth, that Saylor took the book and there are some names or something else in it that Frank doesn’t want her having. Maybe Frank gave him the okay to go after her and bring her and the book back, not realizing just what is actually in the book.”
“Then why would Frank’s guy be after her, too?” Jax asked, confused. “It doesn’t make much sense.”
“It does when you realize this Felix bastard left after Leon did, which is why he’s so far behind,” Code answered. He pulled up a few more things on the screen. “If you look at Felix’s bank statements and the GPS log on his vehicle, he left the city one week after Leon did.”
“You think Frank got impatient waiting?” Jax asked him.
Code nodded. “He probably figured that Leon was taking too long and sent his right-hand man to handle the job.”
“Is there anything to suggest that Frank has figured out what Leon’s up to?” Fury wondered, looking at Code curiously.
Code shrugged. “Anything’s possible, but I haven’t found anything on Frank’s phone. Well, his known phone. I imagine he’s got a few burners, and I haven’t been able to locate those records. Glitch is working on this, too, but her team is just finishing up an excursion, so she’s tied up with that for the next few hours at least. There are a lot of pieces still not fitting into place here, but it’s likely that the third person is one of the men in that ring.”
“I’m making a new rule that the rest of you single fuckers need to pick calm, stable women,” Savage decreed darkly. “A fucking teacher, or a nurse, or something.”
No one said anything, but then Ice snorted softly. “You really think someone in that line of work is going to be okay with the shit we do around here?” he pointed out. “Face it, Savage, you need to accept that the women we seem to attract are either going to be trouble or bring it to us to solve.”
“Don’t let the women hear you say that,” Razor warned him. “They’ve been very clear that they don’t want us to solve shit for them, and I, for one, don’t need to listen to all that over again.”
“What we need to do is set up patrols until we can figure out how dangerous these bastards are going to be,” Rogue remarked, changing the subject back to the issue at hand. “I wouldn’t put it past any of them to be stupid enough to try and come on the grounds somehow to get to her.”
Savage nodded. “We’ll set up rotations. No one leaves the compound alone. Especially the Old Ladies and the kids. And no outside visitors. I have half a mind to kick out the club girls, but I don’t want to hear any bitching or complaining.”
“We need to go into lockdown?” Steel asked.
“Not yet,” Savage answered after a moment’s thought. “I don’t think we’re at the point that we need to lock shit down entirely, but we need to keep things monitored, and we can’t do that if we have too many people around. I want two men on the gate at all times, and then patrols. Code, you and Glitch have all the cameras and whatever other security shit you need up and operating?”
Code nodded. “Yep. Anyone or anything, even an animal, gets on our property, we’ll know about it. Glitch and I are also working on tracking Leon’s phone, but he’s got the location turned off, which makes it more difficult. We know he’s in town, but not where. I’ll start on the men in this ring once we’re done. See if I can figure out who our third guy is.”
“Good,” Savage replied.
“Steel and I will check the surrounding woods for any vantage points that they might use for surveillance,” Ice volunteered, glancing at Steel for confirmation. Steel nodded. “They were smart enough to follow her and bold enough to take a shot once; they’ll do it again. Especially if they can’t get onto the grounds.”
“Agreed,” Savage replied. “I don’t want any surprises. Code, you or Glitch find anything else on these assholes, you let me know.” Code nodded. Savage turned his gaze to Jax. “If you’re serious about this woman, you might need to consider moving her into your room here at the clubhouse instead of the apartment. We’re safe, but if someone gets past us and gets into that apartment, we might not hear anything until it’s too late. That going to be a problem?”
Jax knew full well what Savage was asking. No one else but Savage and Razor knew how much he hated having someone in his space, or how he preferred to keep everything neat and clean. But that was something he was going to have to deal with if Saylor was going to be a part of his life. Even though he was apprehensive, he replied, “I’ll talk to her. She probably won’t be too happy, but I’ll handle it.”
Razor snickered. “Might want to wear a cup so she can’t get near your balls, brother. If you’re not careful, she might bust one next time.”
Jax flipped him off. “Fuck off,” he told him, without much heat. “I’ll talk to her later this morning and then get her moved into my space. The only other thing we might need is some space for her to work. The apartment was good for that.”
“She can’t work in the common room?” Rogue asked.
“I can’t imagine she’d want to risk someone looking over her shoulder,” Jax shrugged. At least, he knew he wouldn’t. “I’ll talk to her. For now, she can use the desk in my room. If she needs more space, we can use the apartment, and I’ll be there to keep watch.”
“We can figure that shit out later,” Savage decreed. “It’s fucking late, and I need to get some sleep before I have to get up with the babies. Rogue, I’ll leave it to you to figure out the patrol shifts, starting now. If anyone sees or hears anything suspicious, you let us know. We need to make sure these bastards don’t catch us by surprise.” He banged down the gavel, ending Church. He stalked out, leaving the rest of them to work with Rogue on the first schedule.
Lucky him, he was up first, but at least he had Razor with him. He tried not to groan, seeing as he had to also work on Saylor’s car later, but he’d grab a nap at some point. He’d done this kind of shit on less sleep before, so there was no point in bitching.
He and Razor headed out, and they agreed that the two of them would go in opposite directions and meet up when they crossed paths. He checked his gun, and then set out along the right side of the property, closest to the road, his eyes and ears trained for anything out of the ordinary. He hadn’t had to do patrols like this much since he was patched in, but he supposed that there was no harm in making sure that his skills were up to par.
When he was a Prospect, the idea of screwing up filled him with so much anxiety that, for a time, he considered calling it quits. That was just before Razor joined him as a Prospect, and they became such close friends. He could admit that if Razor hadn’t been with him, he probably would have left. Now, the thought of quitting made him so angry at himself. You didn’t quit when shit got hard. That was what he always told himself, anyway.
He continued along the edge of the treeline, scanning as he went, but he was struggling to turn off his brain. Something he couldn’t allow to happen, not tonight when he was supposed to be listening and watching carefully. Distractions were not allowed. He stopped, looked around, and took a deep breath before continuing on.
The night was mostly silent but for the odd rustling wind blowing through the trees or the sound of some wildlife. The hoot of an owl; twigs snapping under the foot of a deer; or the sound of crickets filling the air every so often. All normal and nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he didn’t let his guard down.
He forced his mind to stay attuned to his surroundings as he walked the rest of the perimeter until he came upon Razor. “Nothing?” Razor asked him quietly.
Jax shook his head. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t watching us, but I have a feeling that they’re not overnight stake-out kind of guys. And this Leon asshole is probably going to lay low until he figures out his next move, knowing that Saylor is with us.”
“Maybe he’s going to meet up with whoever the third guy is,” Razor suggested. “Work out a plan between the two of them.”
“Definitely possible,” Jax agreed.
“Alright, we’ll keep on going. Ice and Ink are going to relieve us in three hours. We’ll have enough time to get a bit of sleep before heading into the shop,” he added with a wry look. “Wanna bet Rogue is going to be a bear?”
“He probably won’t show up until midday so he can get in some time with his woman,” Jax predicted with a roll of his eyes.
“Nah, he’ll take the girls to school and Scarlett to work. He won’t want to leave them to chance.”
That did make sense, Jax agreed. If there was ever any potential of a threat, no matter how small, Rogue instantly went into protection mode. Something he could understand, especially with what they went through. However, he wondered how the hell the man was going to cope when the girls went off to college.
He and Razor continued on their way, and Jax tried hard not to let any of the thoughts in his head take over. He’d have time to think while he worked later, and not focusing was asking for trouble. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell to tell Saylor everything they found out up to this point. Or to the fact that she was going to have to move into his room in the clubhouse.
He tried not to let that stress him out. It was a problem for later; right now, he had to focus. He continued to walk through the dark until Ice and Ink came out to relieve them.