Chapter 12

CHASE

Iwoke up this morning probably the happiest I've been in a long while. But all that was cut short when I received a text from Jax as I lay in bed watching my girl sleep.

Jax

I got another hit. Meet here at 11

Reality sunk in as I realized what was going to happen. I promised Brooke next time we found another one, she could be involved. So, I got her up and drove us to Jax's. Hand in hand, we walked in. The guys didn't say anything, only smiled when they saw us together.

Regret sinks in as I sit on his chair here, listening to Jax, I don't want her involved. I don't want her hurt, but I have to remember she took on these guys solo and came out still fighting. Do I think it took a part of her soul with her? Yes, I do because, inevitably, it does. I fight down the ring until the guy's unconscious, and I'm dragged off him, but at least I have an outlet. I'm wondering if the Twisted Brothers could help her with that too. Not that I'd put my girl in a ring, but an idea forms in my head, and I'm not sure if it's the worst idea I've ever had or if, at least this way, she has a way of dealing with it and learning to protect herself.

"So, I managed to decrypt one of the phones that B picked up." He gives a small smile to her, and I can see in his facial expression he's proud of her. I want to knock him out for looking at her like that. It's irrational, I know, but part of me wants to be the only man that looks at her, let alone like that. Jax chuckles at me, catching my expression, and I just scowl at him in response, pulling her closer to me. She looks up, rolling her eyes at me. "Brat," I whisper to her, and she just adorably pokes her tongue out at me.

"There was a group text there between James, a guy called Deacon, and another called Shane. I can't find anything on this Deacon guy, but Shane, I got lucky."

"How is this Shane guy involved?" Asher leans forward in his chair. His eyes are as cold as ice.

"They were talking about transporting James's latest acquisition."

"Meaning Brooke," I state.

He nods uncomfortably, and I clench my fists when I think about what could have happened to her. An image invades my thoughts of those fuckers violating my girl. Her eyes empty as her spirit and fierceness die as she accepts what is going to happen to her. Her limp and lifeless body just lying there for all to touch in ways that make me want to kill every single one of them.

I feel someone squeezing my hand, breaking me out of the white-hot rage seeping through me. I look down and Brooke's looking up at me.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm okay, remember. I'm here, and that dirtbag is rotting with the maggots in hell."She leans in, kissing the tip of my nose, and I pull her back into me and kiss the top of her forehead, relaxing back into the couch.

"Who's Deacon?" Asher asks.

"I don't know but I have a feeling he's not one of the grunts, just the way they were replying to him. It seemed more respectful. What concerns me is Jessie…well, Brooke was meant to be taken to him. When I looked through, it seems that pictures are sent of the girls to him, and he chooses where they go." Jax shuffles on his feet. "I think you got very lucky, B."

"Luck has nothing to do with it. Don't you know I'm a badass now?"

"Yeah, you are!" Asher chuckles, "As badass as a fluffy kitten."

"Hey." She scowls.

"Anyway, I'm working on this Deacon guy, but I think it's an alias as nothing came up, but I still have the computers running a search for him. But the other guy, well, his name is Shane Dempsey, and he's about an hour away. It looks like Shane and James have a standing poker game once a month with a few others. It's in two days. We need a plan we can't just go barging in."

"How do you know the other guys who will be there are involved? Surely it would be safer to get him at his house or something?" Brooke asks.

We all go quiet, exchanging looks between us. "We know," I say firmly, not wanting this up for discussion. She wants in and I won't stop her; she needs this but I'm not about to reveal something that could mess this up. It's not her choice—it's theirs, and it's that simple.

She looks up at me, I can't read her facial expression, but it's not good. I grab her hands, pulling her toward me.

"Baby, I told you, you can be in this, and we all support that, but there is stuff we can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"You're lying to me again, Chase, don't do that. Not after what you said last night."

"I'm not lying to you, Princess. I'm omitting the truth—there's a difference."

She rips her hands from mine before poking me in the chest. "Don't treat me like I'm still that little girl you met all those years ago. You're either honest with me, or we have a fundamental problem, and that future you described is gone."

Asher steps in, walking over to her getting on his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I get it B, I do, I get where your anger is coming from, I get that pain and that feeling of hopelessness, that you're in the dark and you can't get out."

I watch my girl take a sharp breath. "Go on."

"There are people involved in this, not just us, and we made a promise to them that we would keep the people they love safe. To do that, we can't share those secrets. Imagine if you're trying to keep a secret to keep Chase safe. Would you tell others, knowing his life could hang in the balance?"

She shakes her head furiously. "Okay, then you get it. It's really as simple as that. Don't be mad, B. It hurts us too much, we've already dealt with so much pain, we can't deal with you hating us again."

She leans forward pulling him into a hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I didn't hate you, Asher, I hated myself." She looks over at Jax. "I'm sorry."

Asher stands up, ruffling her hair. "It's fine, B, but next time, we're telling Chase to chain you to the bed."

I smirk. "That's not a bad idea, you know."

She grins and punches me in the shoulder again. "Don't give him any ideas." She laughs, the mood in the room lightening for just a moment.

I pull her back into my arms before going serious again. "So, we have two days to plan this. How many people go to this poker game?"

"Unknown, we think six," Jax grimaces.

"Okay, three of us," Brooke clears her throat, "Four. Sorry, B." Asher smirks, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "We can do it. But it's going to be tough. We need to capture at least Shane; I want to know who Deacon is."

"Agreed, it's not like we can just set fire to their cars," I tease, knowing Brooke's preferred way.

"Hey, it works, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does." I pull her into my lap this time, needing to be closer to her.

"I think Devin can hook us up, and I'm taking Brooke to Levi," I say.

"Excuse me? Why are you taking me to that psychopath?"

"To train," Asher says simply, and I nod. She looks confused, but I give her ten minutes with Levi before she understands exactly why I'm sending her there.

"Take my car, go home. You need to change into something more, well…something to train in." I tap her high heels she still has on from last night. "I'll get Jax to drop me off at yours in an hour before we head over to them, but baby, when you're over there, you need to wear that choker."

"Wait, what? why?"

"They have certain rules. Last night, the guys owed me a favor, so they kept an eye on you. Today, I'm asking them a favor which means they owe me shit all. You need to show you're mine. And no, I won't go into any more detail."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine, but don't think I'm wearing that property shit all the time." She jumps up, kissing me on the cheek. "I'll see you in an hour. Don't keep me waiting." She smirks.

"Yeah, yeah, hellcat. Calm down."

She laughs, "I like that new nickname. It feels more like me now." I don't have a chance to respond before she waves at the boys, grabs my keys from the side, and disappears out the door.

"Are you sure Levi is the right choice?" Jax asks.

Asher nods, "Guys gone through some shit, but he wouldn't hurt her and wouldn't risk her safety."

Jax pauses to think, walking over to his fridge and grabbing three beers from them before handing them to us. "Okay, what was that about your plans for the future, by the way?"

I twist the bottle open the lid, sighing.

"I might have asked her to marry me yesterday."

Asher bursts out laughing, smacking his knee, the beer threatening to spill out the bottle. "You what? Dude, you just got her back, and you're proposing…I think, in total, your entire in-a-relationship status consists of maybe three days. Wait, I didn't see a ring on her finger."

I throw the beer cap at him. "Well, it wasn't exactly planned—it just kinda came out."

"I bet that wasn't the only thing that came yesterday." Jax smirks. "I saw you both this morning; you can't stop touching her."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to risk losing her again. She's my addiction and you know it."

"What did she say?" Asher sobers up, suddenly serious. He pushes his hair from his face as he leans back into the chair.

"One day."

"One day what?"

"She said one day."

"Yeah, well, that's because your proposal sucked ass and you know it. Girl was a wreck when you left, and then you're proposing to her." Jax shakes his head, "Don't you guys know you have to do the romance shit with girls when you do that kinda stuff."

"Changing the subject…" I state, getting uncomfortable with this conversation. She said yes to me, that means she's my fiancée, right? Or did I just fuck this up entirely and not really get an answer? One day means yes. Right?

"What was that shit, Asher, about needing to protect someone," I say, veering away from the conversation that's making me nervous.

He shrugs, "Truth, isn't it? Or at least as close to the truth as we can be."

"We agreed we wouldn't tell her. We can't risk them, and we can't risk her. If she finds out the full story, this all goes up in smoke, and then we're all fucked." I swallow hard, knowing soon I'm going to be dealing with a shit ton of trouble. It's on the horizon, but better to put it off as long as I can. "Have they checked in yet?"

Jax shakes his head, "Not today, but they do every week. They'll be fine, Chase. I built their cover well enough, and they have been in this for a while now, they know what to do if they get in trouble."

I take a sip of my beer, quietly mulling over the storm that's about to arrive. The trouble is, I don't know if it's coming for these fucking lowlifes or for us.