Ava
I’ve never been more scared in my life. My heart hammers against my ribs like it’s trying to escape, and every shadow outside the vehicle window looks like a cartel assassin ready to drag me into the darkness.
The snow has started falling again in thick, lazy flakes that swirl in the headlights, turning the mountain road into something out of a suspense novel I would’ve shelved in the thriller section back at the library.
Yet here I am, living it. And somehow I said yes when Jax laid out the plan.
He had pulled me close after we left the Alpha Pig, his big hands framing my face, and asked me to be bait.
Just enough of a trail for the cartel to come looking.
One last stand at the safe house not far from the restaurant where Mike Delaney would leak that I’m hiding.
Jax and his team would handle the rest. Take them all down in one go. End this nightmare for good.
I should’ve said no. I’m a librarian, not some action heroine.
But when those intense eyes locked on mine and he growled that he’d keep me safe, that he loved me enough to end this threat permanently, I felt it deep in my soul.
I love him. This feral marshal who makes my pulse quicken for all the right reasons.
So I trusted him. I said yes even though fear twists in my belly like a cold snake.
Now we drive back through the thickening snow toward that safe house.
I reach over and slip my hand into Jax’s on the center console, clinging to his rough, warm palm like it’s my only anchor.
His fingers close around mine immediately, strong and sure, sending a rush of heat up my arm that fights the chill seeping through the windows.
“You’re doing so good,” he says, voice gritty and raw wrapped in velvet. His thumb strokes over my knuckles in slow circles that make my breath catch. “My team’s already in place. This ends tonight.”
I nod, trying to keep my hope alive even as my voice comes out a little wobbly.
“I know. I trust you, Jax. It’s just… I keep picturing those men from the parking garage.
The way they looked at me. But then I look at you and remember how you feel when you’re holding me.
How safe I am when you’re inside me. That makes the scary parts feel smaller.
Sort of. Okay, maybe not smaller but at least manageable. ”
A low chuckle rumbles from his chest, deep and reassuring. He lifts our joined hands and presses a kiss to the back of mine, his stubble scraping deliciously against my skin.
The snow falls heavier now, blanketing the road in white.
Jax drives with steady confidence, one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around mine.
The wipers sweep back and forth in a rhythmic hush, clearing arcs through the flakes.
Looming pines line the narrow road, their branches heavy with fresh powder that glows under the headlights.
It’d be beautiful if I were not so terrified of what waits at the safe house.
I squeeze his hand tighter, drawing strength from the solid heat of him.
“Tell me again that we get our happy ending after this. A quiet cabin somewhere. Me organizing your bookshelves and you growling at anyone who comes too close. Lots of one-bed situations. Maybe even a real bed this time instead of an SUV seat.”
His grip tightens protectively. “We get everything, Ava. I’m going to marry you one day soon.
Put my ring on this finger so the whole world knows you’re mine.
Then I’m going to spend every night showing you exactly how deep my love goes.
Filthy and slow and hard until you can’t remember your own name. Just mine.”
Heat floods my cheeks and pools low in my belly despite the fear.
I shift in my seat, pressing my thighs together at the memory of him stretching me so perfectly.
“You can’t say things like that right now, Marshal Hartman.
Not when I’m trying to be brave bait lady.
It makes me want to climb into your lap again instead of facing dangerous criminals. ”
He glances over, eyes dark with hunger and love. “Soon. After we end this. Then I’m taking you somewhere no one will find us and keeping you in my bed for days.”
The safe house comes into view up ahead, a sturdy cabin tucked just off the road with warm lights glowing in the windows to sell the story.
Jax slows the SUV, his jaw set in that strong, alpha line I love so much.
Snow crunches under the tires as he pulls up close.
His team’s out there somewhere in the trees, invisible but ready.
I can feel their presence like a shield around us.
I hold onto his hand for one more heartbeat before we step out into the cold.
Flakes land on my lashes and melt against my flushed skin.
Jax pulls me against his side immediately, his arm wrapped tight around my waist as we hurry toward the door.
The wind whips snow around us, stinging my cheeks, but his body blocks most of it, warm and solid and mine.
We step inside the cabin, and the door clicks shut behind us. My heart races faster now, but Jax turns me in his arms and kisses me deep and claiming. His tongue sweeps in, tasting of need and forever, and for a moment the fear fades under the heat of him.
“I love you, Ava,” he growls against my lips. “Stay close. Let them come. We end this tonight.”
I nod, burying my face in his chest and breathing him in. I’ve never been more scared. But I’ve also never felt more loved. With Jax by my side, I can be the bait. I can wait for the cartel to show up. Because on the other side of this storm is our real life together.
And I can’t wait to start it.