Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

When we were finally tucked into my bed, I rolled over and laid on Jax's chest. Minx was on his other side, curled up next to him. We were the picture of domestic bliss, and it made me think about our conversation when we were at Fiona's and he'd brought up marriage. "Jax?"

"Hmm?" He ran his hand through my hair lazily.

"Are you really considering marriage?" It had been on my mind, but I hadn't really known how to bring it up.

Jax stiffened, making me lift my head to stare down at him.

"What is it?" I asked. "I'm not looking for a proposal if that's what's got you freaked out. I just want to know where your head's at."

He groaned and glanced away before meeting my eyes again. "It's not that. I just…" He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. "Before I was bitten, I thought that one day we'd probably get married. Maybe after the house on the beach was built. But now…" He grimaced. "I don't know if it's fair to ask that of you."

"Fair?" My voice was a few octaves higher than normal. "What does that even mean?"

"You know. I'd be asking you to sign up for this." He waved a hand, indicating himself.

I snorted a laugh. "Well, obviously."

"I mean, you'd be signing up to spend the rest of your life with a wolf shifter. I don't know if it's right to ask that of you."

"It's no worse than asking you to deal with a witch," I countered. He opened his mouth, and I could tell he was going to protest. I placed my hand over his lips and said, "Let's not worry about any of that, okay? We haven't even been dating a year. And after all the changes in our lives these last few months, I don't think either of us are ready to get married. So there's no reason to make that sort of decision now. But I will tell you that when I think about my future, you're always in it. And I do see rings eventually. I'm not going anywhere. Is that enough for now?"

His face brightened as he smiled up at me. "It's enough. Definitely enough."

"Good. Now kiss me. I've missed your lips."

"Since this morning?" he asked, looking amused.

"Yes."

In one swift motion, he grabbed me and flipped us so that I was lying on my back and Jax was hovering over me. And then without a word, he gave me a whole lot more than just a kiss.

"What's wrong?" Aunt Lucy asked when she picked up the call on the first ring.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" I asked as I poured cream into my coffee. It was Monday morning, just before eight. Normally I wouldn't call anyone that early, but I knew my aunt was an early riser. She'd likely gotten up with the sun.

"You almost never call before lunch time."

"True. But I had you on my mind and wanted to see when we can get everyone together for dinner. I missed you and Dad last night."

"Oh, we missed you, too. You should have been there, Marion. It was the best time."

"The card tournament?" I asked, trying to hide my skepticism. I liked playing cards, but the idea of meeting up for a tournament with a bunch of strangers made me cringe.

"Yes. We played a game called Rage. It was a blast, but the best part was the company. There was a woman who inherited her granddaddy's honeybee farm recently. I guess she grows a bunch of lavender, too. She and Tazia bonded immediately."

"I can see that." Tazia, who happened to be my neighbor and was dating my father, owned a floral business in town. She'd definitely be interested in someone who was in the honey and lavender business.

"Even Memphis liked her, and you know how he can be sometimes. Anyway, Fiona is a riot. We can't wait to go back next week."

"Fiona?" I repeated. Premonition Pointe wasn't a large town. The odds of there being two Fionas were low. Plus, Fiona Fitzgerald did have a large piece of property. We hadn't looked around, but it certainly looked like she had plenty of acreage for bees and a lavender farm. "Fiona Fitzgerald?"

"Yes! That's her. Do you know her?" Lucy asked.

"We've met." I paused, remembering the miserable woman who'd berated Kai and Jax over the broken water line. I couldn't imagine her mustering up even five minutes of delightfulness.

"Don't you just love her?" Lucy continued to gush.

"I'm not sure we had enough interaction for me to form an opinion," I lied. "I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Maybe we'll get you down to Hallucinations and you can see for yourself," Lucy said.

Doubtful. "Maybe. Hey, listen, Jax and I need to get going, but what about Saturday night? Are you and Gael free for family dinner? Hopefully with Dad and Tazia, too. I still have to call him." Gael was her boyfriend, and ever since they'd started dating, Aunt Lucy had been happier than ever.

"Saturday? Yeah, that should work. I'll tell your dad. Are you cooking or are we going out?"

"Thanks. I'll cook," I said, already wondering if I should just get takeout. If Ty and Kennedy and Charlotte and Denver also came, I'd be cooking for ten.

"Perfect. I'll bring dessert."

We said our goodbyes and I was just ending the call when Jax walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the coffee in my hand and said, "I thought we were headed out for breakfast."

"We are. I just needed a quick shot of caffeine first."

He reached out and took the mug from me. After he took a long sip, he handed it back. "Thanks."

"Sure." I downed the rest of it. "Let's go. I'm starving."

"After last night, I'm not surprised," he teased.

I felt my cheeks flush. Ever since he'd come home, we hadn't been able to keep our hands off each other.

Jax followed me to the Pointe of View Café. After breakfast, he was heading to his office, and I was meeting Charlotte at the dating agency so we could get to work on finding out what might have happened to Lacey.

"Thanks for taking the time to have breakfast with me," I said as we were being seated by the hostess.

He paused to kiss the top of my head before he sat across from me. "I wouldn't miss this for anything. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had those chocolate, peanut butter, whipped cream waffles they make?"

"I'm guessing a little over six weeks," I said, doing my best to keep the grimace off my face. The very idea of loading up with sugar and carbs for breakfast made me instantly crave a nap.

"Don't worry. I won't make you eat it," he said with a chuckle.

I smirked at him, shaking my head. "How is it you always know what I'm thinking?"

"I know you, Marion Matched."

The waitress arrived with coffee and took our orders.

Once she retreated, Jax grinned at me. "Avocado toast?"

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Nothing. I could have bet cash money that's what you would get. See, Marion? I really do know you."

I liked this playful version of Jax. Ever since he'd been bitten by that wolf, he'd carried a cloud of darkness. But he seemed to have shed that gloom and was coming back to himself. I reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

"Jax? Marion?" a familiar male voice called.

I glanced up to see Kai headed straight for us and raised my hand in greeting. "Morning."

"Hey, Kai." Jax waved to the empty chair beside him. "Take a seat."

The haggard-looking alpha took him up on the offer and eyed my coffee cup.

I guarded it protectively as I waved at the waitress to get her attention and then pointed at Kai and my coffee cup. She hurried over, and Kai gave her a grateful smile.

"Rough night?" I asked.

Kai sucked down half the contents of his mug before he answered. "You could say that. I guess you heard about Lacey going missing."

"We did," Jax said. "We also got the impression the PPPD is looking to pin that on you."

"Ludicrous, isn't it? I don't know why they aren't looking at her ex. That John guy. There's a reason she has a restraining order against him," Kai said with a scoff.

I frowned. "Wasn't he arrested? I assumed he was in custody."

"Not according to my sources," Kai said, holding his cup of coffee with both hands. "He was released in less than twenty-four hours."

"Are you sure they aren't looking into him?" Jax asked, his expression troubled.

Kai gave him a half shrug. "I can't be positive, but I do know someone with some insider knowledge. Unless they are lying or have been lied to, then no, they aren't looking at him. The detectives think he left town as soon as he was released."

"And they haven't followed up?" I gasped out.

"Not that I'm aware of," Kai said.

"Well, that changes everything doesn't it?" Anger surged through my veins. This was starting to look more and more like a specific vendetta against Kai and the pack. "That's just downright irresponsible. If John was looking to abduct Lacey, wouldn't it make sense to put the cops off his trail and make it look like he left?"

"Any thinking person would check in to that," Jax agreed.

"They would if they cared at all about justice." Kai's tone was matter of fact as if he'd witnessed this scenario before. It made me all the more outraged.

"We'll just have to make them care," I said. "I'll have my guy run background checks on both Lacey and John and see if we can catch any leads on where John might be."

Kai stared at me, looking perplexed.

"What?"

"Why would you do that? Go out of your way to find information on them?" Kai asked.

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because most people don't like to get involved." He clutched his mug tightly when he added, "Especially when it involves wolves."

I let out a small huff. "If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty attached to my wolf." I slid my hand over Jax's and squeezed. "Plus, it's just wrong the way the PPPD is treating you. Someone has to stand up for you guys." I gave him a teasing smile. "Just consider it part of my service. I can't have one of my most eligible bachelors being framed for an abduction, now can I?"

"So you're basically saying you'll do anything for love?" he quipped.

Jax snorted a laugh.

I grinned at Kai. "Something like that." But then I sobered as the image of the boy they'd saved from the waves a few days before flashed through my mind. "Do you happen to know where Cody is?" The idea that John may have abducted that little boy made my stomach turn.

"Cody is with his grandmother. Apparently somewhere up north," Kai said. "My contact was able to tell me that much but nothing more specific. And honestly, I don't want to know. The less I'm connected to this the better. If we end up in court, I don't want to have to testify that I was checking into his whereabouts."

Relief rushed through me, but my heart also broke for what Cody must be going through with his mother missing. I prayed his grandmother's home was a safe and loving environment. He was going to need it.

"You don't need to look into anything," I reassured Kai. "My sister and I are on it. Plus, I have a coven as backup."

He blinked at me, clearly shocked. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. And you can't stop me either," I said with a smirk.

Jax chuckled. "That's true."

"The cops aren't going to find anything connecting me or the pack to this," Kai said. "I think, for now, it's better if we just see where this goes. I've already called my lawyer. He can handle it."

I could see why Kai was willing to let it ride. He'd probably been dealing with this type of discrimination his entire wolf existence. It seemed obvious to me that his strategy was to make nice, be helpful, and eventually break through people's bigotry. And while I certainly admired that approach, I couldn't just sit back and do nothing about Lacey. Nor could I put up with a police force that was so blatantly bigoted that they would sacrifice a woman's safety just to take down someone they hated for no justifiable reason. But was it the entire police force, or did Stone and Wallis have a personal beef with Kai?

"That's probably a good plan," I told Kai. Then I gave him a small smile. "But I'm still going to do what I have to do."

"I can't talk you out of it?" Kai asked.

"You can try, but you won't get anywhere," Jax said. "Let's just say that backing down isn't in her nature."

I chuckled softly. Jax was right. When I was determined, backing down wasn't an option. Not today. Not ever.

"Hey, Kai?" I asked.

He glanced up from his coffee.

"Have you had any interactions with Stone or Wallis before this? Is there a reason they'd be coming after you for something?"

"You think they might be targeting me for something other than just being a wolf?" he asked curiously.

"Maybe? I don't know. Just thinking out loud."

He shook his head. "No. As far as I know, I've never met them before moving to Premonition Pointe."

"So they just have a bug up their ass. Got it," I quipped.

As Jax and Kai chuckled, I decided it was time to visit the Premonition Pointe police chief.