JAX
The pain in my head was relentless.
It felt like shards of glass were stabbing into the backs of my eyes. The cherry on top was the roiling nausea, the tuna-sandwich returning for an unwanted sequel.
My patience was razor fucking thin.
“There’s nothing else here,” Ryle was saying, his tone bordering on a whine. I was impressed that his attention span had lasted this long. “We’ve looked everywhere. Whatever he’s hiding—if he’s hiding anything—it’s probably in the safe or kept off-site.”
“I agree,” Zola said, unsurprisingly. “This is a giant waste of our time. We’ve done our part. It’s time to lie low and forget this weird crusade.”
I grunted and jammed my knuckle into my throbbing eye. “Is that how you all feel?”
There was an incomprehensible murmur. I blinked hard and focused on each of them.
Nate was avoiding my gaze, Callum was suspiciously quiet, and Madoc was staring at the doorway where Olivia had fled moments ago.
Whether they admitted it or not, they were rattled.
The mansion was freakishly clean. There were no photographs on the walls, no certificates or sentimental tokens to Salvadore’s name.
Everything was so impersonal that you’d be forgiven for believing it was a giant setup.
A trap. Hiding the real operation somewhere behind it.
I wasn’t one for conspiracy theories. I was practical, relying on hard facts. We had nothing on Salvadore, just a kink room, a safe, and a possible drug problem. But I relied on my gut as well, even when it was acting up like a fucking asshole.
I turned to Callum. “Tell me to leave.”
Callum grimaced. “We should. Whole fucking place has me hackles up.” He rapped his knuckles hard on the table. “Rooms are sterile. Even the staff quarters are clean. Old dog runs his house like a military camp.”
As a disgraced Royal Marine, Callum would know. He scratched distractedly at the giant anchor tattoo across his forearm.
Next, I turned to Madoc, who appeared lost in thought. Then his hands stilled on Olivia’s knife. “She’s not working alone.”
My gut twisted. “What do you mean?”
“She has a benefactor,” Madoc said, returning his intense gaze to the doorway as if it were enough to summon her back. “Someone fed her the information to get her here.”
“So they took advantage of a sad girl,” Zola said, dropping the tablet on the table with a resigned thunk. “It’s a dick move, but it’s not our problem. Salvadore probably has enemies far and wide.”
“You think it’s a setup?” I asked Madoc.
He knew the true gravity of my question and its implications.
Madoc was a predator in his own right. He could slip into the minds of monsters and not lose himself, at least not where anyone could see it.
He was rarely wrong, which was why he took his time to respond. He considered his words carefully.
One word and we’d blow the place to smithereens.
“Yes,” Madoc said. “And no.”
Callum snorted. “Unambiguous as always, lad.”
Madoc ignored him, his mind a thousand miles away. I knew it was a fragile system and didn’t want to interrupt, even if my headache was quickly eating up my patience.
Finally, Madoc tilted his head, coming to a decision.
“She is meant to be here,” he said, holding the knife to his face and examining it affectionately.
“I don’t believe in coincidences. We want to rob him, she wants to ruin him.
It seems our interests are aligned. And so are those of our overlords. ”
“What are you saying exactly?” Zola asked with a suspicious frown.
Madoc smiled. “What if it’s the same overlord?”
“Dr. Z?” I frowned at him. That couldn’t be true.
“Either him, or someone in direct competition. A new player.” Madoc’s eyes snapped up as we heard footsteps approaching. “Meet the new recruit.”
When Olivia walked in, the room was silent, and everyone swiveled toward her, unblinking. She hesitated, one hand twisting the strap of her backpack. “What’s going on?” she asked nervously, looking at me. “Did you find something?”
“Not yet.” I shot Madoc a hard look. He returned it, unsmiling. “Alright, fuck it. We’ll do another sweep, be more thorough this time.”
“How thorough?” Olivia asked.
“Crawlspaces and vents,” I said. “Everything but the foundation.”
Ryle jerked to his feet and hefted his pack onto the table. “First, a small recharge. I can’t hear anything over Cal’s stomach. Here.” He tossed two protein bars and a packet of granola at me. “Sharing is caring,” he said, shooting a meaningful look at Olivia.
A swell of gratitude rose in my chest. I could see the renewed determination on their faces—Zola even picked up the tablet again, laser focused on the screen—taking Madoc’s words to heart.
If Olivia were working for Dr. Z or someone in direct competition, it was better to keep her close.
Find out what we could. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
“Come,” I said, and like an eager little lamb, she followed me back to the balcony.
It was cooler than before, with the sun partially obscured by a new formation of greyish clouds. I didn’t like the look of them, even if the fresh wind felt heavenly on my feverish skin. I breathed it in while Olivia watched me in bemusement.
“You’re actually getting fresh air this time,” she said at my questioning look. “I thought it was code for smoking.”
“It can be both.”
I started on the granola as Olivia beelined to the patio furniture and tried to arrange the chairs closer together. I watched her struggle for a moment, trying not to laugh, and then I leaned over and dragged them toward me one-handed.
Her eyes widened, lingering on the bulge of my arm. “Show off,” she said. “Here I was convinced they were just show muscles.”
I flexed, and she purposely looked away, but not before I caught the faint flush on her cheeks. I wasn’t usually a show-off, but for some reason, she brought it out in me. I wanted to go full caveman on her, grunt and beat my chest like a silverback gorilla.
“Were you talking about me before I walked in?” she asked as she sat delicately in the chair and crossed her legs. This wasn’t a tea party, so I purposely sat too close to her, knocking my knee into hers.
“Yes.” I grinned at her answering glare.
“I knew it,” she said crossly. “It reminded me of high school.”
“Poor misunderstood prom queen.”
She bristled, like I knew she would. But she regained her composure, leaned back, and hugged her knees to her chest. Her skin was so smooth, so unmarred by scars or tattoos. She probably had the same ridiculous skin care routine as Nate.
“Something tells me you didn’t finish high school,” she said, all snooty.
“You calling me stupid?”
“Am I wrong?”
“About me being stupid? No. About high school? Half yes.”
“What does that mean?
I ripped open the protein bars and handed her one. “I got my GED in prison.”
She inspected the bar with a vaguely disgusted look before my words clicked, and she blanched. “You were incarcerated?”
“Well, I wasn’t there for meatloaf Mondays.”
“No, I mean, yes, obviously. I’m just…surprised.” She blinked at me owlishly. “I’ve never met an ex-con before.”
“Technically, you’ve met three.”
“What?” Her eyes went impossibly wide, still holding out the protein bar like a dirty sock. “Who else?”
“Not my story to tell. Eat before it melts.”
She made another face before she took a tentative bite and chewed like she expected it to bite her back. “Huh.”
“Meathead boyfriend never shared his protein?”
“Ex-boyfriend. And Heath isn’t a meathead.”
I choked. “Heath? Fuck, you can’t make this up.”
She flushed again but finished the bar and stared at her sticky fingers in distress. After a minute, she gave me a defiant look and wiped her hand on my shoulder. I made a point of licking my fingers clean before reaching for my cigarettes.
“Are you going to tell me what you did?” she asked tightly, like she hated that she was curious. Or maybe she was scared. I considered lying, pretending I did something truly egregious, just to get her riled up.
Then my head throbbed, as if punishing me for my impure thoughts. Better not push it. “I punched a cop.”
“That’s all?”
“I had priors. Petty thieving, grand larceny. Got me two years inside because the judge didn’t like the look of me.”
“That’s understandable.” She smirked at me. “Bet you wore sweatpants to court and, like, hit on the jury or something.”
I pressed my hand to my chest. “You have such a low opinion of me. I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”
“You’ve been everything but nice,” she said with an eyeroll.
“Do you—” I cut off with a hiss. My head exploded; the pain was so sharp that I was convinced my brain was oozing out of my ears. I slammed my eyes shut, riding it out.
Vaguely, I heard the sound of a chair scraping back, then a soft hand settled gently on my forearm.
“Are you okay?”
Gritting my teeth, I squinted up at her, where she was suddenly standing over me. “Need a minute.”
“Can I try something?”
“Unless it’s a bullet, don’t bother.”
“Not a bullet,” she said with a cute tinkling laugh. The sound didn’t make my headache worse, which was surprising. The others knew to steer clear of me when I was suffering like this. I usually craved silence.
I didn’t want her to be quiet. I wanted her to laugh again. I wanted—
Suddenly, delicate hands landed on my shoulders. I tensed automatically, which didn’t help the pressure cooker in my skull. “What are you doing?”
“Helping.” She sounded so confident, so sure of herself. I allowed it for no other reason than I was already in Hell. What more could she do to me?
Then she started rubbing me, digging her thumbs in the valley between my shoulder blades. It was phenomenal. Fucking biblical. A guttural groan punched out of me, my head rolling forward at the exquisite pressure release. Her gentle breath brushed the back of my neck.
“Jeez, you’re so tight.”
“I live with morons.”
She laughed quietly. Mindfully. My chest cracked a little. “You should stretch more,” she said. “I learned that lesson the hard way. Your body will snap like a rubber band if you don’t.” She paused, then added: “Not that you’ll listen to me, of course.”
“Keep doing that, and I’ll sell you my soul.” Or whatever was left of it.
Her tiny, glorious hands worked their way down my back, unknotting my spine, rearranging my very core. Unbelievably, the pain in my head started to ease, allowing other sensations to surface. Like the throbbing between my legs.
I shifted, trying to adjust without alerting her to the fact that a twenty-second massage had me popping a boner like a preteen. I didn’t want her to stop. Pretty sure I’d start begging if she did.
She returned to my shoulders and started on my neck. That shitty motel mattress had done a number on it, which spoke volumes about how precious I’d become. Gone were the days when I could sleep rough on the sidewalk or park bench; those volatile years when anywhere was better than home.
Then her fingers brushed the crow tattoo behind my ear, and I stiffened for a whole different reason. She lingered, not rubbing but examining, tracing its shape. “It really is you…” she breathed.
I reacted like a spring trap. My hand locked on her wrist, the bones so delicate that I fought the urge to snap her like a twig. I tugged her forward harshly, so she had no choice but to bend over my shoulder, her breath hitching in shock.
“What do you mean it’s really me?”
Her hair tickled my cheek as she spluttered: “N-nothing, really. I’ve just, um, heard about you.”
Madoc was right.
“You mean you lied.”
“What? No!” She started to struggle, trying to free her wrist, but all it did was press her body against my back.
I was still hard as rock, which was annoying but not unexpected.
I had more rage boners than normal ones and knew it wouldn’t go down until I beat it like it owed me money. “You’re hurting me,” she complained.
“Who have you been talking to?”
“Lots of people!” She snapped. “You think I just stumbled across everything in my binder? I had to get creative. Find some shady characters with access to shady networks.”
Like the dark web. That made sense. Most of our scores were sold on the black market, and our reputation was known among the sordid circles who funded it. Still, I didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
I snapped to my feet and shoved her hard against the glass doors. The frame shuddered dangerously. For a second, I imagined pressing her against it for an entirely different reason, and the answering throb in my cock only heightened my anger.
“Jax—”
“No.” I reached up and gripped her ponytail tight in my fist, using it to wrench her face up towards mine. She liked to hide, but I wouldn’t accept that shit. “Did you know we were going to be here?”
She made a pained noise, but her eyes were burning with defiance. “Of course not.”
“Convince me.”
“Fuck you.”
My grin was menacing, and I knew she regretted those words when her face paled dramatically. “Is that what you really want, princess?”
“I—no.”
I snarled as I used her ponytail to turn her head sideways and pressed into her body.
Her eyes widened at the jut of my erection, followed by a beautiful flush that spread all the way down her neck.
“So predictable,” I growled, dragging my lips over her ear.
“Uptight little rich girl wants to be fucked by the trash.”
Oliva bristled and tugged uselessly at my fist in her hair.
“Let. Me. Go.” Her mouth said one thing, her body something else.
“Now.” She was arching toward me, her hips seeking mine before she wrenched herself backward.
Her glare was an added aphrodisiac. She wanted to murder me, and God, I wanted to let her try.
But I didn’t trust her. And I sure as shit wasn’t about to let her get under my skin.
“No more lies.” I gave her hair a final warning tug. “Do it again, princess, and I’ll kill you. Put my crew in danger, and I’ll take my time with it.”
She went still. Her lashes fluttered, tears dampening them beautifully. “I’m here for Molly,” she said. “That’s it. Don’t put your trust issues on me. I’ve been nothing but transparent. You’ve been shady as hell.”
“I’m the bad guy, princess. Shady comes with the territory.”
Her jaw clicked shut. She glared and cried and promised vengeance with her eyes, and I almost kissed her. Instead, I released my grip and took a step back. She immediately sagged in relief, then turned to the doors, opening them with a violent snap.
Of course, she had to have the last word. “Touch me like that again, Jax, and I’ll dig up every dirty skeleton you have.”
It was only once I was alone that I realized my headache was gone.