Chapter 16
LARK
I woke with Jaxton’s warmth wrapped around me. His arm was banded across my waist, the weight of it pinning me to the mattress, his heat pressed solidly against my back. The steady rhythm of his breath tickling the curve of my neck told me he’d finally gotten some rest.
For a long moment, I just lay there, my eyes closed while I soaked in the peace of having him near. His chest rose and fell against me, reminding me I wasn’t alone in the fight anymore, no matter how bad it got.
The past two years had been nothing but running and hiding, nights spent in crappy apartments filled with silence that felt like it would swallow me whole.
This was the opposite of that. Solid and safe. Something I hadn’t dared to dream of ever having until I met Jaxton.
His arm tightened when I shifted slightly, drawing me closer. His voice was rough with sleep when he murmured, “It’s over.”
I froze. “What is?”
“The threat.” He nuzzled the back of my hair, his lips brushing my shoulder. “It’s been handled, but no one besides my club and our trusted contacts can ever know.”
The news sank into me, loosening muscles I hadn’t realized were still locked tight.
After everything I’d gone through over the past two years, it was hard to believe it was really over.
But Jaxton would never have told me I was safe if it wasn’t true.
He’d already proven how much my well-being meant to him.
I twisted just enough in his embrace to glance at him over my shoulder. His eyes were still heavy-lidded, but the satisfaction there was unmistakable. The threat to me was really over. I didn’t need to hide anymore. I could get my life back…or even better, build one with Jaxton.
“You look like you barely slept,” I whispered.
His mouth curved, and desire flared in his gray orbs. “Got enough.”
He shifted, rolling me onto my back and bracing himself above me, caging me in with his body. His kiss was soft at first, like he was easing me into it, then deepened with a hunger that quickly roared through my body.
I sighed against his mouth, my fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his neck, pulling him closer. My body arched to meet his, desperate for the weight of him.
“Jax.” My voice came out shaky and full of need.
He groaned into my mouth, the sound vibrating through me. His palm slid up my side, rough heat against bare skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. I lost myself in his kiss like there wasn’t a world outside this room. For me, there wasn’t now that he’d taken care of the threat to me.
But I was proved wrong when there was a knock on the door.
Jaxton tore his mouth from mine, a growl low in his chest. “Motherfucker.”
“Marshals are here,” Drift’s voice called from the hallway.
“Fuck.” Jaxton’s muttered curse was low and vicious. He rolled off me, shoving to his feet with a scowl. “Kane probably let those assholes in just to watch me lose my shit.”
I sat up fast, heart pounding. “The marshals?”
“Stay here,” he ordered, already yanking a shirt over his head.
His tone left no room for argument, but I wasn’t about to be left behind when it was my future at stake. “Absolutely not. If they want to talk about me, then I’m going to be there.”
His eyes cut to me, hard and unyielding. “Lark?—”
“No.” I got up and started to pull on leggings and a tank top, my voice shaky but firm. “This is my life. If the danger’s really over, you don’t get to lock me in a room while you guys make choices I have to live with.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. For a second, I thought he’d physically bar the door. Then, with a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh, he pulled a phone I didn’t recognize from his pocket.
“Fine.” His fingers flew across the screen before he lifted the burner cell to his ear, voice clipped when whoever he called answered. “Yeah. It’s me. Consider this a reminder of the favors you owe. I’m cashing one in now.”
He walked into the closet and muttered something I couldn’t hear, then hung up as he strode back toward me, sliding the phone away with lethal calm. His gaze locked on me again. “Stay close. And don’t let them rattle you.”
We didn’t waste any time heading to Kane’s office. The club president was seated behind his large desk. He didn’t say a word as Jaxton guided me inside, his palm heavy at the small of my back.
Two men stood near the opposite wall. I recognized Helix immediately since he’d checked in on me a few times since I moved to Crossbend. It took me a moment to remember the other’s name. I’d only met Marshal Gomez once when I first arrived in town.
Gomez inclined his head, his tone even. “I know this isn’t easy, but we believe it’s in your best interest to relocate. Fresh location, and a new cover. For your safety.”
I’d heard the same thing before, but it didn’t fill me with the same dread this time. Not with what Jaxton had told me.
Before I could tell them I wanted to stay, Jaxton’s arm slid in front of me. His body blocked mine, a solid wall of muscle, shifting me back a step until I stood behind him.
“She’s not moving anywhere.”
My pulse thundered as I stared at the marshals over his shoulder, assuming he didn’t include them in his circle of trusted contacts who could know about whatever went down last night.
“You don’t get to decide where she goes, Bishop.” Helix’s lip curled in a sneer. “This woman is under federal protection, and she will do as we damn well say.”
The words hit me like a hammer. My knees went weak, my breath catching in my chest. Doing what I was told had been my reality for two years. I’d had no voice, just running and hiding at their command. But I did my best not to panic. To trust that Jaxton would find a way to make them back off.
Then his voice cut through the room. “She can leave the program any time.”
I blinked, certain I’d misheard. My gaze shot to him, but he wasn’t looking at me. His gray eyes were locked on Helix, murder written in the hard line of his jaw.
Finally, he turned to me and asked, “They never told you that, did they?”
Helix stiffened, his face mottling red. “You think you can stand there and dictate to me?”
He took a step forward, shoulders squaring like he meant to go chest to chest with Jaxton.
My stomach lurched. I wanted to tell him to stop, that even though he carried a badge, he was no match for the man I’d fallen head over heels in love with.
“Try it.” Jaxton’s voice dropped to something so dangerous my skin prickled. “See what happens.”
For a long moment, the air was razor-wire tense. Helix’s nostrils flared. My nails dug into my palms to keep from trembling. I had a feeling that if Helix so much as breathed wrong, he’d end up flat on the office floor. Or with a bullet in his skull, which would chance me losing Jax.
Then a shrill buzz cut the silence. The older marshal’s phone vibrated in his hand. He looked at it once and hesitated.
“Answer it,” Jaxton growled. “Unless you want to explain to your boss why you ignored his call.”
Gomez paled. He fumbled the phone to his ear. “Yes, sir. Yes…understood.” His gaze flicked nervously toward Helix. “No, sir. It won’t happen again. Yes, sir.”
When he ended the call, the color had drained from his face. He slid the phone back into his pocket and cleared his throat. “Apologies. We…we overstepped.” His hand closed on Helix’s arm, firm enough to make the younger man jerk. “Let’s go.”
Helix sputtered, fury sparking in his eyes, but one look at Gomez’s face had him shutting his mouth with a snap.
They turned for the door. Gomez gave me a tight nod on the way out. “Again, my apologies.”
The door shut behind them, leaving the office suddenly too quiet. My lungs finally expanded, shaky with relief.
I touched Jaxton’s back, grounding myself in his solid presence. “Who was that on the phone?”
He finally looked at me, his mouth curving into a smirk. “Someone very high up their food chain who owes me a few favors.”
Kane laughed. “More like a few dozen.”
Jaxton didn’t give Kane the chance to say anything else. He turned on his heel, his hand finding mine and tugging me firmly out of the office like the conversation was already behind us.
I stumbled to keep up with his long strides, my pulse still racing, but the weight on my chest had lifted. “Where are we going?”
“To celebrate," he said without looking back, his tone filled with satisfaction. “Threat’s handled. Marshals tucked their tails. Time to remind you what that means.”