30. Jax

Jax

D ane has been absent for the last three hours. We arrived back at their home, and he stalked up the dark hallway, sending me one furious glare, and vanishing into the cave he calls his bedroom.

Rafe leans into me, whispering his own commentary on the action movie I've already forgotten the name of. The movie is hilarious, or rather, Rafe is. I honestly can't recall much of the movie.

He has his arm over my shoulder, and I'm leaning into him. The strong citrus smell that is his is a blanket around me.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

I lift my eyes to find Dane staring down at us in challenge. I return my gaze to the screen.

"Dumbass."

Rafe laughs, a low chuckle that rumbles through his chest and vibrates into me.

"You kissed that thing," Dane roars.

Rafe frowns. "He's not really a thing, though, is he?"

"It's not a ‘he' it's an it! And when did you drink the Kool-aid?"

"G would beg to differ," I throw out.

"Why are you both okay with this?"

Any second now, he's going to stomp his foot like a two-year-old, and I'm going to have to put him in time out. I sit up and reach for the remote, pressing pause.

Rafe grumbles as I rearrange myself so I'm facing Dane. I clasp my hands around my knees, cock my head to the side, and paste my most polite expression on my face.

"Please…continue. I'm simply dying to know your opinion on the matter."

Dane starts to talk, but I stand up and walk over to the kitchen and start the coffee grinder.

He stops talking, and I turn it off.

"Sorry, Dane, did you say something?"

"You can't-"

Oh, I love it when people tell me I can't. I flick the switch on the grinder, and then turn on the tap and start doing the dishes.

"ALl RIGHT!"

I turn off the tap and the grinder and turn around.

"All right, he's a he and whatever." Dane looks deflated. "Just note, what you are doing is unnatural and creepy as fuck."

"Duly noted. Thanks for the input. I'll make sure to make certain it's notarized."

Dane lets out a sound of pure frustration. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

I cock my head to the side. "I'm not even trying, Dane. Imagine the hell I could create if I put my mind to it."

Dane watches me silently, and then scrubs a hand down his face. "Shit."

I hear a trilling from the bedroom and move towards it curiously. It's coming from the bedroom my stuff is in. I open the door and search through the items until I find the disposable phone Dad gave me. On the screen, it says River. I hesitate a moment, and then answer it.

"Hello?"

"Fuck, where the hell have you been? Your apartment is trashed, and your keys are on the floor."

"I'm staying with friends."

"Great. A little warning for your baby brother, please?"

There's something strange in his voice. "River, what's wrong?"

"Sparrow is ringing around, trying to find you. Keylore as well."

"The Pastor's trying to contact me?" Now, that sends a frisson of fear through me.

"Yes, are you changing your stance on religion?"

"Nope. Curious." I keep my tone jovial, but there's a sinking feeling inside. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Please, please, don't be what I think it is.

"Great, so you know, maybe you could, like, start carrying this phone around and maybe, I don't know, answer it occasionally?" River shouts.

I pull the phone away from my ear and grimace. "Fine, stop yelling at me. I'm fine."

"Fuck, you scared me. All these people going missing and dying."

"How did it go with the cops? You know, with Cherise?"

River is silent for a long moment, long enough that my anxiety returns, making my throat tight.

"Dad handled it. It's fine. He's paying for her funeral, and he's found a really good family to take in Zair." He sighs. "Come home soon. Dad's really worried."

"I'll try to get there today. I promise."

"Do that. Look, I got to go, something's going on, but promise me you'll text once a day. Please."

"I promise, Riv."

"Good, talk to you later."

"Bye, baby brother."

I pull the phone away and wander to the kitchen. Rafe looks at my face and stands up.

"What's up?"

"Keylore is looking for me."

Dane disappears, and when he comes stomping back, hands me a business card. I take it and dial in the numbers. The phone barely rings before Keylore answers the phone.

"Hello?"

He sounds frantic, almost hysterical. That gaping pit inside me opens up.

"Jacob? It's Jax, uh, Jackie."

He sobs on the other end of the phone, and I close my eyes as the world tilts to the left sharply.

"He took her. He took her, Jackie. Oh, god. Please, god, please."

"Jacob," I try to keep the tears out of my voice, but I can't. She's dead, and we all know it. There's nothing I can do.

"He sent a video. I'm sending it now. Martha, oh, please. I have to get off the phone in case…"

He hangs up, and I don't offer up the information that he won't ring for a ransom. That's not part of his MO.

I click the link of the video, and it opens on a black room. A tiny flame illuminates two hands. Male hands. He twirls my ring around and around. I heave. I left that in the apartment.

"You've been a very bad girl, Jojo."

My blood turns to ice, and my hairs raise up. I gasp, hold it, then gasp again. I can't tell if it's him or not. His voice is disguised, but it's close enough to Louis that I instantly feel violently sick.

"Very, very bad girl. I don't like this side of you, darling. You remember what happens when you do the wrong thing?"

My mouth moves with the word, even if I don't quite say it aloud.

"Punishment?" Dane asks in a low, deep voice quivering with rage. I shake my head. Not punishment, not to me, never to me.

"You have been so busy, busy with those guys," I lift my gaze and unerringly find Dane and Rafe. They have targets on them now. I did that.

"You have been seeing our old friends. Poor, dear Jacob, he wasn't good for much, but he had the words I needed."

I wince.

"You found Lee." He pauses in his monologue. "Now that surprised me. I thought I'd made sure all the ties were cut. I guess I'll have to make another sweep of making sure Lee Banewood stays dead and buried."

I suck in another breath, and it's like a train rumbling in my chest.

"This punishment is for you." The man in the video laughs. "Say hello to the camera, Martha, love."

I recoil from the dead, hopeless look in her eyes. Those dead eyes are an accusation. Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you stop him? Why can't you find him? Not smart enough, not fast enough, not enough.

Dane rips the phone out of my hands and passes it to Rafe, and then I'm in his arms, pressed up against his chest, those strong, broad arms wrapped around me so tight.

"You're more than enough. You're enough. Don't let him win. Not in this."

I curl myself closer to him. My body is shaking.

"I don't know where to look."

Dane strokes my back in long, soothing movements.

"I have no idea how to find them. Terrance, Martha. I don't know."

"It's okay, it's not your job," Dane says firmly.

"I'm the only one who can."

"Enough," Dane snaps and pulls away. He only goes so far before he drags me to the counter and pushes me into a seat. "Louis made his own choices, and him taking these people now is not your responsibility or job. You're as much a victim as anyone else."

"You almost sound like you believe that." The words slip out bitterly.

Dane stops and stares into space. "I do. I do believe that."

I wasn't aware of how cold I was until that warm spark lit to life inside me, warming from the inside out.

"It's not Louis," I say faintly.

Dane ignores me and pulls out several packages and starts putting something together. I watch him absently until Rafe returns, walking up to me and leaning against my side.

"I called Jacob back. He's refusing to alert the police. Martha was taken from their home last night when she put the garbage cans out. No one saw anything. That video was sent to his phone at 11:11pm."

I shudder. "Evil son of a bitch."

"You aren't wrong. So, what do we do?"

I deflate. "I don't even know. We need to know more about Louis and his habits, I guess."

Dane grunts. "He went to the library during hours. It was open, but where was he the rest of the time?"

"Grandfather's house?"

"No, I checked it. Cecil's house mysteriously caught fire three months after he died, just before it sold. The block is empty land."

"Fine, so there's somewhere else." Rafe shrugs and rests his chin on my shoulder.

Dane slides a bowl of ice-cream towards me. I stare down at it, and my eyebrows raise. I have never, ever seen anything as decadent as this. Choc chips, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, over ice-cream with strawberries, blackberries, and real cream.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I ask him.

He blinks and looks at the bowl. "Shut up and try it."

I do as he suggests and fall into a new form of heaven. Rafe snags a spoon and helps me eat it.

"Wow, that was superb."

Dane looks away. "My mother used to make it before…"

"Thank you," I say, knowing that he literally just gave me a part of himself.

He clears his throat. "No problem. I'm sorry about what I said about your friend."

"Gideon?"

Dane winces but nods.

"Why did you go so pale when he hit you?"

Dane looks away. "It's just something." He holds his breath, and then expels it. "It just reminded me of someone. It was nothing."

I watch him for a moment, but he lifts his gaze to mine and pins me with an expression that I can't decipher. It's painfully raw, and there's something in it that I understand and recognise on an instinctual level. The thought crosses my mind that this here is a man who knows what it's like to be alone in a crowd, who knows how to survive. This is a kindred soul.

And then it's gone, and Rafe is bundling me up, shepherding me towards the bedroom.

"Get dressed."

I frown and open my mouth, but he presses his finger against my lips. "Warm clothes, jacket. There should be stuff in the wardrobe. Dane went shopping. Find something you can cover your face with."

"Rafe?" I growl.

"Please, just a few more moments."

I go and open the wardrobe and find an entire collection in my size. I pull out a dark jumper and a jacket that drop to the back of my knees.

I emerge and look at the two of them. Dane is rushing around, collecting his belongings. As I approach, they turn and head for the door.

"What's going on?"

"We need to get you home right now."

I scowl. "What is going on, Rafael?" I snap loudly.

He winces but stops and turns to face me. "Someone told the press. They are camped out at the Harmon house right now. Your father called. He needs you to come home."

I blanch, wobble, and then run for the door.