Chapter 25 - Anton

Who does Jax think he is? How dare he mess with Joyce’s head? I was relieved that she didn’t get swayed by him. But I also knew I had to handle the issue before it got out of hand.

Turning back, I looked at Joyce. She was so fragile; I couldn’t imagine what I would do if something happened to her. Walking closer, I spoke softly. “Joyce, I know he is your family, but I have to ensure he doesn’t mess with us again.”

There was sadness in her eyes as she looked at me. “I know you need to do this,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “He is still my blood, and I don’t want him dead.”

Bending down on one knee, I held her hands. What she was asking of me wasn’t going to be easy. But I didn’t want to do anything that could cause a rift between us. I only wanted her to be safe and happy. “I will try my best to ensure nothing happens to him, but I can’t make any promises,” I said.

She gazed into my eyes as she spoke. “What are your plans? How are you going to deal with Jax?”

Smiling tenderly at her, I spoke in a clear tone. “I don’t mind sharing my plans with you. I want us to be open with one another.”

Her entire being appeared to light up as I spoke, and I felt my heart skipping a beat. Continuing, I kept my tone calm. “I was planning on trying to get close so I could persuade him to stay clear of this mess. But if he didn’t agree, I would have knocked him out and dropped him somewhere very far from any form of life, hoping he would stay away long enough for us to finish.”

She laughed and then fell silent. “What if that wasn’t possible?” she questioned.

“If it meant saving you, I would do whatever was needed,” I replied.

Joyce sighed, lowering her head. I held her hand and waited as she took a couple of deep, slow breaths. “How about this?” she finally said. “If you can keep Jax alive while you take care of this matter, I will officially join your operations.”

This wasn’t a bad idea. She would be an asset. “Okay, so then you must get a meeting with him. We need to know who he works for to assess the situation,” I said, watching her reaction.

“Okay,” Joyce replied without hesitation.

“If you don’t mind, I would like you to wear an earpiece. It isn’t two-way, so you will also have to keep an open line on your phone. You will be able to hear us with the earpiece, but we won’t hear you.”

Joyce sat for a bit before replying sharply. “Fine, I can work with that.”

We decided it would be best to call and find out if Jax would meet with Joyce. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number. As it rang, she took a couple of deep breaths.

Jax had a deeper voice than I imagined. “Joyce,” he said as he answered. “Is everything okay? How can I help?”

“Yes, everything is okay,” she started with. Joyce inhaled deeply again before continuing. “Would it be possible to meet me tomorrow?”

There was a long pause before his voice came through the line. “Of course, we can meet. Do you have a place and time, or should I give you one?”

Joyce looked at me curiously. I scribbled on a piece of paper. Joyce read it as I held it up for her. “There’s this little park close to South Beach; do you know it?”

“Yes, I do,” Jax replied.

“In the middle by the hotdog stand is two benches. I’ll be there just before two,” Joyce added.

After a short pause, Jax answered, sounding a bit too eager. “That sounds great. You say around two, which works for my schedule.”

“Thank you,” Joyce replied. “I will then see you tomorrow.” As she hung up, she just stared at me. We sat there staring at each other for a bit once the call was made and the meeting set.

I wasn’t able to quite wrap my head around it all and felt sure Joye was battling as well. The fact that he easily agreed to the meeting made me a bit nervous. He didn’t even argue about the time or place. I could only hope we weren’t setting ourselves up.

Deciding we needed to do something to distract us, I spoke up. “Joyce, would you like to take a ride with me?”

She smiled warmly, nodding in agreement. “Alright, let’s go,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to my bike. I had come home on it instead of my truck as I needed to feel the wind on my face.

As we drove, the sun started its descent. I drove around for a bit, and then I remembered Tasha telling me about this new place that she had visited. It had great food, good music, and a dance floor. It was close to the beach, and I was sure Joyce could use some fresh air.

Pulling into the parking area, I knew why Tasha liked it. There were a hundred lights, a small deck and I could hear the ocean. It looked like something out of a romance novel. Quiet with a slow vibe of romantic music and lots of booths.

We were greeted with smiles as we entered, and the waitress led us out to the deck. In the distance we could see the lights of the city and, to the other side, the ships on the ocean. Between drinks and snacks, we danced the night away, allowing our bodies to move to the beat of the music.

After a couple of intense slow dances, I could feel every muscle in my body twitching. I haven’t danced this much in a long time. Even though I was active and fit, dancing strained my muscles differently. Taking her hand, we took a walk. It was a little distance to the beach but not too far.

Reaching the sand, we took off our shoes as we went. I listened as she spoke about her parents and the ideas they had for her life. The evening was perfect. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was coming.