Page 50 of Triple the Danger

“I was wondering what happened to Wren and Win, but I never imagined it was anything like that. The poor girls. But is it always like this?” Saylor asked curiously once they were out of earshot.

Jax sighed. “No, not normally. But when it comes to those girls, Rogue is not rational. He may not say it, but he loves them more than he loves anyone else, and when they hurt, he hurts ten thousand times more, because he feels like he’s failed. And when he’s being an idiot and Scarlett points it out, it’s like a hammer to the gut for him.”

“And what’s going to happen to Tom?”

Jax shrugged. “I don’t know. Rogue can technically block him from getting his patch since he’s VP, but I think Savage would have the final decision if the table vote was split. I can honestly say Tom is one of the best Prospects we’ve had in a long time, and losing him would be a damn shame. He’s young and wants to prove himself; I don’t think he expected to have to handle something like this with the girls. Hell, none of us were expecting them. He’s going to have to talk to Rogue at some point once things calm down. If he does, he’ll get some major respect from me, because I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. But what he really needs to do is make it up to Wren. Honestly though, I agree with some of the points that he made.”

“Like what?”

“Like she shouldn’t have gone back to the clearing after getting Win to the clubhouse. Whether they like it or not, Tom was right. It’s his job to protect them, not the other way around.”

Saylor narrowed her eyes. “So, what? Because she’s a girl, she can’t protect people? I mean, whether you want to admit it or not, if she hadn’t gone back, Tom would be dead right now.”

“Because she’s still a kid,” Jax replied calmly. “The whole point of Tom being a Prospect is to show the club he has what it takes to be one of us. Part of that is protecting those we love and care about. Our women, our children. He should be the one to face the danger, not sitting back and letting a sixteen year old girl do it for him.”

Saylor said nothing for a moment. “So, if she let him die today, you’d be happy with her for doing what the women are supposed to do, and he’d be a hero?” she finally asked. “But if Wren died because of her own choice, and because he couldn’t get to her quick enough, he would be seen as a traitor and not worthy of your club?” There was no change in her voice, but the words hit him like bullets. “Have I got that right, Jax?” She looked around the room at the rest of the men eavesdropping shamelessly. “And you would all go along with it, because that’s what MCs do, right? They stick together. They don’t let the women get involved in club business, and when they do, they’re in shit for it. When they stand up for something, or when they put themselves in danger to protect you and yours, they’re told they shouldn’t have done that. They should have let the men handle it, right? If he died, well, he was a hero. But if we as women step in front of you, to take that bullet or that pain, that’s us not trusting you or doubting your manhood in some way, right? When in reality, they are doing the exact same thing you would do for them.” Her fierce gaze came back to his and dread settled into his gut. “If that is what you’re saying, then I don’t know if I want to stay here.” Then she headed for the door.

Jax was moving instantly, but a hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back. He turned his head to snarl at the person who dared to stop him. Behind him was Warg, held his gaze and said calmly, “Ursa will follow her. You need to let her cool off before you go charging after her or you’re going to lose her. Trust me.”

“Why the fuck should I trust you?” Jax demanded, wrenching himself away.

Warg gave him a cool look and replied, “Because I’ve been in your shoes, and I didn’t do that, and I lost her. You want to keep her, you let her cool the hell down and you talk to her once she’s feeling less pissed.”

Jax eyed him angrily, and then he turned and headed for the door. He didn’t care what Warg had been through in the past. He wasn’t about to lose Saylor. However, just as he reached the doorway, his phone rang, making him stop when he saw Tom’s name on the screen. “What, Prospect?” he barked.

“There’s a man here demanding to speak to Saylor,” Tom told him calmly. “Says his name is Felix and that she’ll know why he’s here.”

Jax froze. Fuck. “Tell him I’ll be right down,” he told him briskly. Then he turned and called, “Someone get Savage. Tell him the final man in this equation is at the gate. I’m heading down there now.”

“Not alone you’re not,” Razor said firmly.

“I’m behind you,” Warg said. “Copper, you and Tiger go around and get behind this bastard in case he tries another drive-by like the other fuckers did.”

“Copy that,” Copper agreed as he and Tiger hurried away.

“Code, watch the gate,” Razor called out. “And make sure that Taz and Ursa know what the hell is going on.”

“On it,” Code echoed as he rushed to his office.

“I’m done with this shit,” Jax said angrily as he, Razor, and Warg headed for the gate.

“You and me both, brother,” Razor said grimly. “I’m already in the doghouse with Karissa, and none of this is helping me get out.”

“I think we’re all in the doghouse,” Warg corrected. “This whole situation is just showing us why.”

Neither Jax nor Razor replied, but Jax had to agree. But if Saylor thought that she was leaving, he would show her how very wrong she was. After today, after almost losing her, again, he wasn’t about to give up and let her act like everything between them was nothing more than a speed bump in the road of her life. She was his, and if he had to lock her in his room to keep her, he would.

When they finally reached the gate, he stared at the man on the other side, leaning casually against his black SUV, wearing a suit that looked like it cost a pretty penny, and a dark, foreboding expression. His eyes were shaded by aviator sunglasses, and when he saw them approaching, he straightened, a frown pulling at his mouth. “It’s been far too quick for a sex change, so I can assume none of you are Saylor,” he said levelly.

“Cut the shit, asshole,” Jax snapped at him. “What do you want with Saylor?”

The man merely lifted his sunglasses to the top of his head. “That is between her and I. Now, we have a couple of options. You can bring her here and let me speak with her, or we can settle this in a far less civilized manner.”

None of them hesitated, pulling their guns and pointing them straight at him. Felix didn’t even flinch. He held their gazes and waited. “I’m going to ask you one more time, before I kill you where you stand,” Jax told him coldly. “What do you want with Saylor?”

Felix remained silent for a long time, seemingly weighing his options. Finally, he said, “She has something that belongs to my boss, and we want it back. It seems that she got the jump on one of our men and took a book that doesn’t belong to her.”

“You mean the book that belonged to your former colleague,” Razor corrected stonily.

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