77. Jax

77

Jax

Caged.

My wolf wanted to howl in fury, but we both stood against the walls, as far away from the bars as we could get, and waited, silently, for whatever the next move might be.

Emerson had me trapped. I doubted this was the end game.

To his credit, the detective seemed frustrated with the whole case. Things didn't make sense, and he'd been willing to let me go except that the chief stepped in and ordered him to hold me.

Maybe I was reading too much into it. Maybe it was just because their town wasn't used to murders, and they really did think I was guilty and didn't want to let me go.

That hope was dashed when the door opened and two officers stepped in, their batons in hand and cold smiles on their faces. I knew those officers. Jones and Whalen.

I didn't move as they stopped at the bars and beat their sticks against it. "You like to think you're a tough boy, don'tcha?" Jones taunted. "How tough you feeling now?"

Not saying a word, I watched as Whalen closed the door separating the prison from the rest of the offices. There were no windows here, but my wolf told me it was night. No doubt, everyone else had gone home.

"Strong silent type, huh?" Jones pulled out the gun and aimed it at my head. "I bet I could make you scream."

Kill him , my wolf snarled.

I'd never killed a human before, but I had a feeling I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I severed his head from the rest of his body. Unfortunately, logic weighed in. I couldn't even leave a mark on him or they'd be able to charge me.

So when Whalen looked at Jones hesitantly before opening the jail cell, I knew that this was going to hurt.

It wouldn't be an execution. The cameras might be turned off, but it was hard to hide a bullet in a body, especially if I didn't run.

And I wasn't running.

Jones put the gun down and pulled out his baton. "Now then, Mr. Bishop, why don't you tell me about those two women you killed. I promise things will go much smoother if you do."

I didn't say a word when Jones approached and poked me gently in the stomach. I didn't say a word when Jones reared back and slammed me in the stomach with the baton. Pain radiated through my body, and I took a few steps back and flexed my arms.

Inside me, my wolf howled and tried to surge to the surface. Quickly, I forced him back down.

The officer's eyes glittered with malice. It was easy to see that he was the kind of man who enjoyed inflicting pain.

"Jones," Whalen said quietly.

"Are you ready to talk now, big boy?" Jones said gleefully as he pulled the baton back again. This time, he aimed for the back of the knees. I buckled, and the baton came swiftly down on my back, slamming my head into the floor. Blood filled my mouth.

That was three. That was all Officer Jones was going to get.

"What's wrong, Bishop?" Jones crowed. "You just a big, dumb asshole, aren't you? Tell me what happened, and this will all be over!"

He swung the baton again, but I was on my feet and blocked it with my forearm. With a gasp, Jones stumbled back.

Whalen ran in, baton in hand, he didn't strike. With a snarl, Jones tried to hit me again. I blocked the blow again. I could have easily ripped it from his hands, but I had to be so damn careful.

Defensive moves only.

"I'm going to enjoy making you bleed," Jones hissed.

"Fuck, stop, Jones. There's someone in the station." Whalen looked at his phone and paled.

"Pull it together."

With bared teeth, Jones withdrew. "If I were you, I'd be thinking about that confession because I'll be back."

The bars of my cell slammed shut, and I leaned over and spit out blood. Less than a minute later, the door opened up again. I glanced up, ready to prepare myself for the next attack. It was Whalen who'd opened the door but not Jones who stepped through.

Anna took one look at me, snarled, and whirled around. "Did you do this to him? I will kill you!"

"Whoa!" Kenzi easily picked her up and settled her to the other side. "No touching the cops, remember?"

Turning back around, Anna raced to the cell. "Janelle cast a spell," she said quietly. "We can make these cops unlock the cells and walk you out right now."

Fuck, it was good to see her. Reaching out, I curved my hands around her face and took comfort that her bruises were fading. She looked stronger. "No."

"Told you," Kenzi said from the door. "Hurry up. We don't have much time."

"It's a contact spell," Anna sighed. "So it'll hold as long as I don't touch them, but it doesn't give us much time. They'll remember letting us in here and what we said. They'll just be pissed because they won't know why they let us. Listen, we have a plan to prove your innocence.

I'm just worried that we can't get it done before the boat leaves."

I glared at Kenzi. "You're not to do anything. You shouldn't even be out of the motel room."

"After Emerson was in my motel room, it didn't exactly feel safe anymore. Don't worry.

He's still hoping to force me to make the decision himself. I'm not leaving you."

"I gave you all an order."

"I'm your mate," Anna reminded me softly. "I superseded your order."

"Fuck…"

"No, Jax. Fuck you for even thinking I would leave you here. Fuck you for not busting out of this jail and leaving with us right now. You want to appease the humans? Fine, I'll appease the humans, but I'm only playing by their rules for two days. After that, I will use every tool at my disposal to break you out, even if I have to knock your sorry ass out to do it."

"Damn it, Anna, you're not used to pack life. We have just enough paperwork to make us a legitimate town in the eyes of the human law, but there's a reason we live so far up in the fucking mountains. You could risk exposure if the cops decide to travel up the mountain and arrest me."

"They wouldn't get that far. The rogues would kill them first," she said flatly.

"You'd risk innocent lives? Besides, they could just fly up in a helicopter."

Glancing around the jail cell, she scoffed. "Not on this budget, they couldn't."

"Weren't you the one who said that if our positions were reversed, you'd leave me? That's what I'm telling you to do. Leave me."

"Emerson isn't going to let the cops just release you. He will kill you in this cell. If you were safe, sure. I'd let you rot in here for all eternity, but I'm not going to let you die because of me."

"Anna. We need to leave," Kenzi hissed. "Now."

She stepped back from the bars. "Stay alive, alpha. I'll be back." She didn't even look back before she sauntered away, and panic welled inside of me. That damn woman had a way of making me feel so fucking helpless. Here I was, trapped in a cave, and she was going to die trying to get me out.