12. Jax
12
JAX
“ S o they were the same ones who were rough when they questioned her?” Jax could barely keep his temper in check at the thought. “Bring them to me,” he commanded his men, and they left his office without hesitation.
Moments later, his men came barging in with the security detail who’d found Emma and Kiyan down in his secret underground lab facility.
As the twenty men stood at attention before him, Jax looked them over, his mind churning.
They are Diesel’s lap dogs. Therefore, they cannot be trusted. There is only one way this will end.
Jax stood from his chair and folded his arms behind his back as he walked over to them, schooling his face to neutral severity. “This is all of them?”
“Yes, sir,” one of my men answered with a quick nod.
“Thank you. My men can go now.” Behind his back, Jax removed his gloves before setting them down on the desk.
They hesitated for a moment, unsure if they should leave him alone with Diesel’s men.
Jax glared at them as his eyes shifted, the lupine yellow showing them that he wouldn’t tolerate anything but absolute obedience. “Leave.”
They quickly filed out, closing the door behind them and locking it.
“I appreciate your service to my company, but I’m afraid you’re no longer needed here.” Jax stared all twenty of them down, then ran his tongue over the fangs that had already extended.
Jax’s claws ripped from his nail beds, and his pelt tore through his skin as he shifted into a half-crazed, heaving werewolf.
His vision went black, but the sounds of flesh tearing and hoarse screams echoed in his ears. It did little to deter him, though.
These were the same hopeless cries he’d heard in Facility B countless times before, which these men would torture out of those prisoners down there. They were getting what they deserved.
If I’d known things would end up like this… When Jax opened his eyes, the room was eerily still and quiet. He collapsed to the floor, his fur slick with blood. So much suffering. If only I’d known…
The taste of copper was bitter against his tongue.
The room was no longer regal.
The white carpets were soaked beyond repair, strewn with pieces of furniture and ornaments.
The walls were stained and clawed clean through.
The only thing still left was the catastrophe that was him.
I’m done being a pawn in my uncle’s plan. He won’t take anything else from me…
Jax sank into himself and reverted to his human form, sore and jittery from the high of letting his wolf out.
The door to his office opened, and the horrified looks of his men said it all.
One of them even ran out, and the sounds of vomiting echoed through the halls shortly after.
“Get the cleaners in here, keep everyone away from this area, and bring me fresh clothes.” Jax brought himself to his feet, and his men nodded in submission.
“Yes, sir.”
An uneasy feeling crept into Jax’s chest, constricting his breathing. As remorseless as he’d been just now, he couldn’t keep the shame and regret from oozing through the cracks.
E mma’s long lashes fluttered, making him wonder what kind of dream she was having. She had been asleep for nearly the whole day.
Jax was glad for that. She was going to be sore as hell the moment she woke. Those fucking bastards had done more than “question” her…
The rage swelled anew within Jax's chest. If he could kill them twice, he would have.
Jax gently ran his fingers over her cheekbone, pushing her silky hair back from her face. He felt drawn in by her, and he didn't know why.
There was something about her that was so familiar , yet he couldn't pinpoint it. All he knew was that there was some kind of bond between them. Why else would he kill to protect her?
“Who are you really, Uremma Mirth?” he murmured to her, though her only response was a delicate sigh through her slightly parted lips. “And what is it about you that’s consumed me so completely?”
The voice inside his head seemed to know something. “It’s because she reminds you of her …”
Lea.
Not that anything could ever reconcile what had already been done—especially not since she was dead and forever gone now—but he couldn’t help but think he could make things play out differently for Emma.
He’d be damned if he abandoned her to the same fate as Lea?—
Jax's marking began to burn with an unexpected ferocity.
He reached over, digging his nails into his flesh as if that would make the pain subside.
Suddenly, Emma jumped up and hissed, grabbing her shoulder as well. Her eyes trailed up to his in horror. “Jax?!”
Jax’s mind was running too fast for him to catch even a single thought. Could it be? Was Emma actually…? He stared at the bruised and confused woman before him, almost overcome with wonder, but only until reason caught up with him.
No. Those animals had beaten her to a pulp barely a day ago, of course she’d be in pain. It was only a coincidence…
In truth, the most concerning question was, Why the fuck am I so set on hoping Lea has returned somehow?
“Are you going to kill me now?” Emma’s eyes hardened in a way Jax had never seen before.
In that instant, he realized that she was a hell of a lot stronger, fiercer, and certainly more familiar with the crueler side of the world than he had given her credit for.
Jax slowly tucked his hand into his robes, careful not to make any sudden moves.
The air between them was thick with anticipation.
Then he pulled out a small vial and folded her hand over it.
He looked deeply into her eyes, wanting her to see his true intent there, and said, “If I was going to kill you, don't you think I would have done it while you were sleeping?”
“We both know that’s not your style anyway,” she ground out, her gaze piercing right into him—to where his soul might have resided once.
J ax had just settled down in the conference hall when he was disturbed by one of his assistants.
“Sir, Mr. Ransom left you a message.” Every warning sign was going off in his head. I guess I’ve been waiting for this. “He said he wants to see you immediately, and assured me you would know where to meet him.” She kept her head tucked down, unwilling to look him in the eye.
She was afraid of him now, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d walked in on the massacre in his office right before his men had been able to seal off the area.
Jax pushed out of his seat, and fixed his robes as he walked by his assistant. She shuddered as if the cold itself had just blown past her. And then there was the sound of her terrified heart pounding in his ears. He had to put her out of her misery.
He turned to her suddenly, but made sure to keep his distance. “You are dismissed as my assistant. Feel free to leave immediately if that’s what you wish.”
She ducked her head down, blurted a hurried “thank you, sir,” and made quick work of leaving his presence.
His senses were all heightened, and his muscles pulled tight and ready for a fight, as he made his way to the underground facility where his uncle was waiting for him.
The wall evaporated around him momentarily, allowing him to enter the dark hallway.
Diesel was already there. He could sense his presence.
The closer he got, the stronger the stench of blood and ruin became, which always seemed to trail behind Diesel wherever he went.
Sure, Jax had supported his uncle through many wicked things, but it was almost like he was coming up on his breaking point lately. More and more, he found he couldn’t look the other way anymore.
How am I going to explain things to him? he wondered as he descended the stairs. If he finds out that Emma was down here, he's going to want her head. I can't let him find out about her.
He knew his uncle would be suspicious of what had truly happened here, and would come knocking on Jax’s front door before long, but he had to find a way to keep Diesel’s attention from Emma for as long as he could.
“There you are. You are a very difficult man to get a hold of. You must be very busy,” his uncle said as Jax reached the bottom step, eyeing him up and down as if he already knew something.
“It's not easy keeping up with two businesses. I'm sure you would know. Now what's this all about? I have a lot of work to do.” As hard as he tried to exude confidence, the underlying nervousness still showed up in the minute tapping of his fingers against the folds of his robe, and in the strange pitch to his voice.
“Then I won’t bore you with pleasantries. Do you know who these intruders were who’d breached the lab?” Diesel was angling for names, which was a relief. He had no clue who had broken into the facility, much less that his son had been involved.
“It doesn't matter who they were. I took care of it already. We won't have to worry about anything being leaked about our family.” Jax managed to keep his mind focused.
Diesel furrowed his brows. “Where are the men who captured the intruders? I want to speak with them as well.”
“Can't you keep track of your men, Uncle? It's bad enough I have to keep tabs on my own people. I don't have the time nor the patience to keep tabs on yours.” Jax pinched the bridge of his nose, pretending to be exasperated.
“You need not worry about that. I can handle my own.” Diesel looked at Jax with cold analysis. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Not yet. “Sorry to take time away from your busy schedule. I'll be on my way.”
Diesel strode past him, and for a moment, Jax thought he might have gotten away with it. That was until his uncle turned on the ball of his foot to stare Jax down again. “When we speak again, be sure to have a more put-together story ready for me.”
It was as if the air had been knocked out of Jax. His lungs felt like they were filled with liquid. He could hardly breathe.
All he could do was nod, swallowing the horror and defeat threatening to show on his face.
Diesel was on to him.
Lunaira, help us all.