“How do we know this isn’t Leon or someone else on Frank’s payroll?” Fury asked.
“Again, Leon is a terrible shot,” Saylor snorted. “And also, Leon’s hands aren’t that big , and that’s a pretty decent sized handgun.” Fury narrowed his eyes at her, and she ignored him. She didn’t care if she was being rude. They were forcing her to be here, so they could deal with it.
“One of Frank’s men then,” Jax suggested. He glanced at her. “You ever meet any of them?”
She shook her head. “I never met any of Leon’s friends. We were only dating for two months, and in that time, we only went out on four or five dates before the last night to see him. He told me that he worked at a bank. He wore a suit all the time, so I never questioned it.”
“All of Frank’s known men have tattoos all up their arms,” Glitch interrupts. “This guy doesn’t have a single one.”
“So who the hell is he?” Savage grumbled. “I don’t like unknowns.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll keep working on it,” Glitch replied. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.” Then the screen went blank, and Code chuckled.
“She’s gone,” he told everyone.
“I’m still gonna be having words with her about this shit,” Savage warned him darkly. “She knows the rules.”
“You’re not yelling at my Old Lady, Prez. I’ll talk to her, and if you want to talk to her nicely, you can. But she’s been damn helpful, and she only hacked in to tell us the information and left. That’s living up to her end of the deal, if you ask me.”
Savage looked like he wanted to argue but instead, turned his focus to Saylor. “You have three men after you, so if you think we’re going to let you waltz out of here, you can fucking forget it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him in warning. “You can’t order me to do shit,” she tossed back at him. “I’m not one of your women, or one of your club girls. If I want to leave and take my chances, then you can’t stop me. And if you do, then I can see why so many women have aimed a gun in your face.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAX
Jax couldn’t help but laugh at her statement, despite the glare he got from Savage. A few other brothers, like Ink and Razor, snickered too, which earned them the same look. Before Savage could go off, Jax turned Saylor’s chair toward him and put his hands on both armrests, boxing her in. Her blue eyes flashed with anger, determination, and a thread of fear as she regarded him. He hated seeing the fear there, but he also knew to use it to make her understand she couldn’t leave.
“Baby, you need to understand something about us,” he told her calmly. “We’re the kind of men that can’t let a woman walk out into danger, knowing that it might be the last time we see her breathing. We have taken on bigger men than this, and more of them, and come out on top. You’re surrounded by some of the most dangerous motherfuckers out there. Former SEALs, Special Forces, and other branches that don’t suffer fools or failures. This is the safest place for you to be, because these assholes aren’t going to stop until they catch you, and you’re dead.”
“You just heard that three men are after me,” she tossed back. “Why the hell do you want that problem? Most would be booting me out without blinking. Besides, you don’t know me. For all you know I’m some nut off the street.”
“You are,” Rogue blurted out, and her head whipped over to glare at him. Jax shot his VP a what-the-hell-are-you-doing glare, which of course Rogue ignored. “But that hasn’t stopped us from helping anyone else that’s come along. Razor and Codes’ Old Ladies included.”
“My woman’s not nuts,” Razor argued, glaring at him.
“Mine is, but it makes shit interesting,” Code grinned.
“Not the fucking point,” Jax grumbled at them, then looked back at Saylor. “I want that problem because if I let you walk out that door, and they kill you, I’ll never be able to live with that guilt. So I need you to stop fighting and stay. Please.”
She stared at him. Finally, she said, “I see why Esme said you all are bossy. You’re going to let me go. If I don’t want to stay here, you can’t make me.”
“I can if I tie you up and put you in the basement,” Savage repeated. “After your little threat, I’d be within my rights to.”
Saylor’s head whipped to him, and Jax wanted to groan. He knew Savage was pissed, but damn it, he could have done without the theatrics. If Savage wasn’t President, he’d have probably decked him by now to shut him up. “Touch me, and my threat will become a reality,” she warned him coldly.
“I’ve had enough of women threatening me,” Savage seethed, temper flaring and making his face and neck flush an unholy crimson.
“Enough,” Jax barked, fed up with all of it. “Saylor, don’t threaten our Prez unless you want some serious consequences,” he warned her, gaze hard and direct. She lifted her chin in defiance, and he tried not to be amused. Instead, he continued, “All of this arguing isn’t going to solve shit. I don’t want you to go. Simple as that. I want you to stay, where I know you’re safe and where we can protect you from these scumbags trying to kill you. You will not make it out of this town in that beat-up car, and the guy who runs the dealership and rental spot is a fucking sleazeball that will probably try to make you fuck him to get one. All you’re doing is running for the sake of your pride. It’s stupid, and you know it. We can help you, and you need to let us.”
“I don’t know you,” she reminded him bluntly. “Look, we fucked, and it was really good, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall into your arms and beg you to rescue me. For all I know, you’re going to pimp me out like your club girls and set me loose when you’ve used me up. I’d be an idiot to take you at your word.”
“We’re not that kind of club,” Fury told her sharply. “I get what you’re saying, and I also get why you’re on the defensive. But there comes a point when you’re being an idiot because you’re scared, and it’s going to get you nowhere. You’ve met our women; you really think we would treat them that way?”
“Old Ladies and random women are not the same,” Saylor returned.
“Fine, I’ll give you that,” Fury agreed. “But we wouldn’t treat our women, or our kids, as well as we do if we were just going to keep a stable of snatch for our own enjoyment. You’ve met the women, and you’ve heard the stories about the gun threats. Do you truly believe that we wouldn’t be walking around with bullet holes if we even attempted that?”