Page 48 of Triple the Danger

“Get this piece of shit down to the Box,” Savage barked. “We’ll deal with him shortly. Jax, get Saylor back to the clubhouse. Tom, get your ass back to Church. We need to debrief you.”

People moved to comply, and Saylor forced herself to open her eyes and look around. She saw the Dragons members but didn’t see any of the Predators. She frowned, wondering where they were, but then Jax scooped her up, derailing her train of thought. She tried to tell herself she should be pushing him away and telling him she could walk. She was still wired, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she passed out. But instead she remained quiet.

When they finally made it back to the clubhouse, she realized the Predators were all there, looking grim as they milled around both Karissa and Glitch, who were sitting on the couches. Karissa’s temple already stitched, and Glitch held an ice pack to her head, a pained look on her face.

Saylor sighed with relief, seeing that they were alright. “Put me down,” she ordered Jax. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave in and set her on her feet. She moved quickly toward the other women. “Thank God you’re alright,” she breathed when she reached them.

“Glad to see you’re the same,” Karissa said with a pained smile.

There was a commotion behind her, and they turned to see Fury and Steel dragging the bloodied and bruised man, who was struggling wildly. “Let go of me!” he screamed. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Oh goody,” Taz said dramatically as he rubbed his hands together. “A new toy.” A few people chuckled while most rolled their eyes. Fury and Steel completely ignored him and dragged the still screaming man down the basement steps. Huh, looked like the Box was down in the basement somewhere.

Suddenly, stomping footsteps sounded, Rogue still looked like a thundercloud as he left the infirmary, and he was cradling a dozing Scarlett in his arms. He carried her up the steps, ignoring everyone else. Saylor wasn’t sure what had happened to her, but clearly, the bastard got to her too before he went after the girls. Guilt engulfed her. She watched as a grim-faced Ice followed in Rogue‘s wake. Evidently he wasn’t about to leave him alone for too long.

“It’s not your fault,” Jax murmured in her ear, his hand stroking soothingly down her back. She didn’t reply, because he was wrong. It was her fault. If she weren’t here, this would never have happened.

“Church in two hours,” Savage announced. “Saylor, you’ll be included, because we need to get some shit figured out. Karissa, Glitch, if you’re up to it, that includes you as well.” Then he turned and headed for Doc’s infirmary, his entire body strung tight.

Karissa and Glitch exchanged a silent look. Saylor knew they were wondering if he was inviting them because of what happened or because he respected they were members of the Predators. Their men hovered around them, their faces masks of turmoil and concern.

“Come on, baby, let’s get you cleaned up,” Jax told her gently, taking her hand.

“I want to check on the girls first,” she told him firmly. She wouldn’t be able to settle until she was sure they were okay. Jax looked like he wanted to argue, but finally nodded and he led her to Doc’s infirmary. Inside, she saw two beds set up, but they were pushed together so the girls could be close to each other. Win’s head was bandaged with her eyes closed, the blood cleaned away. Her face was white, as she limply held her twin’s hand. Wren was out cold, her head also bandaged. Her top was askew as Doc worked on closing the long graze on her side.

He glanced over at them when they walked in. “Wash up before you come any closer,” he ordered. “And you, Saylor, as soon as I’m done here, I’m looking at your arm.”

“I’m fine,” she told him as they moved to the sink to wash their hands. “Focus on them. They need it. Is Scarlett alright?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s going to have a hell of a headache from where the bastard hit her on the back of the head, and has a good sized bump,” Doc answered briskly. He put in his final stitch, and then quickly bandaged the wound and pulled Wren’s shirt down. “As soon as these two are conscious, they’re going to have to work like hell to calm Rogue down because he’s a breath away from losing his shit. Ice barely prevented him from destroying this place, and he only managed it by saying that if he did, I wouldn’t be able to help the twins.” He looked at Jax, and Jax gave a grim nod.

“Will they wake up soon?” Saylor asked, approaching the bed. She gently reached out and gently stroked Win’s forehead.

“Probably in a few hours,” Doc replied as he rolled his chair away from Wren. “The two of them are damn stubborn, so I can’t see that they’re going to be kept down long. Now, let’s see to your arm.” Saylor forced herself to stay still, letting him clean her up. He determined that the graze was too shallow for stitches, meaning she got off damn lucky.

Jax never left her side, his quiet strength just what she needed to keep from falling apart. When she was done, he took her hand. “Let’s get you upstairs.”

“I don’t want to leave them,” Saylor argued.

“I’ll be with them,” Doc assured her. “You can’t do anything, Saylor. And the fewer people in here when Rogue returns, the better.”

She hesitated, but she also knew he was right, so she allowed Jax to pull her from the room and upstairs to his. She heard voices behind her, but she only stopped when Rogue came storming out of a room, Ice right behind him as he softly closed the door. Rogue didn’t even look at them, his whole focus on getting back downstairs.

Jax pulled her into his room, shut the door, and then led her into his bathroom. He started the shower and then turned back to her, but he didn’t start helping her undress. Instead, he let his eyes roam her face for a moment, then reached out and hauled her into him, burying his face in her hair. “When Win came stumbling in, and we heard those shots, I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. The lump in her throat grew, and she tried to swallow back the tears that were threatening to spill. Then he pulled his head back and peered down at her. “I need you to stay here, Saylor. Even though this shit is going to be all done after tonight, I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here and see what we can build. Never wanted anything like it in my life until you.”

She stared up at him, unable to speak. “Jax,” she whispered.

“No, don’t deny it yet,” Jax told her quickly. “Let’s get you cleaned up, do Church, and then we’ll talk about it later. Okay? Just…just think about it.”

She nodded slowly. What else could she do?

Jax helped her out of her clothes, and then quickly shucked his own, before they climbed into the shower. She lifted her face to the water, letting it wash over her for a long moment, needing to ground herself. Her adrenaline was finally crashing, and the shakes took over. She tried to stop it, but Jax wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into him. “You’re safe, baby,” he murmured in her ear, squeezing her tight. “It’s over. No more running.”

The dam broke. She turned, buried her face in his chest, and let the tears fall. She was not a crier. Ever. She didn’t even cry when Leon beat her. Not once. Maybe she was at her breaking point, but all the pain, the fear, the loneliness, it all came pouring out. Jax held her tight, soothing her as the water rained down over them. He murmured gentle words, rubbed her back, and kissed away her tears when she lifted her head to look up at him. She closed her eyes and relaxed into him. God, she never realized how much she wanted this.

The feeling that someone was there for her in every sense. Sure, she had Mater, and he would have held her if she cried, but he wouldn’t know what to do with her. He’d be awkward as shit. Not Jax. No, he seemed to know what she needed instinctively, and he soothed something inside her she didn’t know needed soothing. And she didn’t want him to stop, and it scared the shit out of her.

Finally, the tears stopped, and she let the water wash away the rest. “Sorry,” she said huskily.

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