Page 53 of Triple the Danger

“I like him, but I don’t know if we’re a good fit. We have a lot to figure out. I don’t think I can live in the clubhouse, which means I’ll have to get a place in town here. Plus, I still have things at home to deal with. It’s not as simple as jumping in head first.”

“Why not?” Karissa asked, arching a brow. “That’s what Esme did with Fury. They knew each other for all of three days before they were living together and building their little family. I think when you know what you want, you should take it.”

“Is that what you thought that night you climbed into bed with me?” Taz asked her with a wicked grin. “You wanted my cock so badly after getting a look at it that you just couldn’t stay away? Xena, I’m not sure if I should be appalled or excited.”

Karissa levelled him with a bland look, even as Saylor’s mouth dropped open. Wren and Win both gagged. “The fact that you’re still alive astounds me,” she told him. “The only thing I was thinking that night was I didn’t realize they could make them that small. And stop talking about your dick in front of them.” She jerked her thumb at the scowling twins.

Taz winced. “Shit. Don’t tell your parents I said that,” he ordered.

“Idiot,” Ursa growled. Suddenly his phone rang, and he put it to his ear. He listened for a moment, then replied, “On it.” He hung up and said, “This little meeting is going to have to continue back at the clubhouse. Apparently, your third man showed up, and we have two hours before he’s back. Church has been called. That includes you three,” he said, pointing his finger at Saylor, Karissa, and Glitch. He looked at the twins, “Which means you two are going to stay put in the clubhouse until we figure shit out. Got it?”

Both girls nodded. They started heading back toward the clubhouse. Saylor couldn’t help but laugh when she heard one of the girls say, “You know, I think Daddy Bear here would make a great backup if shit goes south between Rogue and Scarlett. He’s tough while also being fair. And he’s a lot less growly.”

The other replied, “You have a point. But I still have Viking Daddy in the running as the top option. Mostly because he’s tall enough to help me reach things off the top of the fridge without having to climb it all the time and listen to Rogue laugh at me.”

Saylor glanced at Ursa, who was smirking, and Taz, who was grinning like an idiot. Karissa and Glitch shared an amused look. Apparently, this was a common discussion, since none of them appeared surprised.

When they got back to the clubhouse, Saylor instantly felt the tension in the common room where everyone was milling around. Her gaze went to Jax, who was quietly talking to Razor and Code in the corner. He didn’t seem to notice her arrival, so she took the opportunity to watch him for a moment.

Could she give up her whole life for him? Especially after only a couple of days? It wasn’t normal, right? Sure, there were examples of it working out right here, but that didn’t mean that she and Jax would fit that narrative themselves. This whole place was so male-dominated that, while she understood Ursa’s points, she wasn’t sure if she could live them herself. She was used to having her opinion matter. Not to mention, she had practically no belongings here. Everything was back home in her apartment. And, she had clients to answer to as well. She’d probably lose some of them, but she supposed she could gain new ones to make up for it. Damn, this whole thing was a mess, and not one she could make a decision on right now. Once this was all over, she would need some time to sit and process it.

“Church!” someone bellowed. The twins headed for the stairs, where Scarlett and Rogue were waiting. She saw Scarlett hug them both tight. Rogue looked awkward as hell, but both girls turned to him to give him a tight hug, and he seemed to relax. Maybe not everything was quite right in their world, but it would get there. She turned back and saw that Karissa and Glitch were heading for Church, their expressions carefully blank. But they didn’t pull away when their men came up to them and pulled them in tight.

Jax stopped just outside the Church room and held out his hand to her, waiting. Saylor looked at it, then him, and decided she needed to focus on the here and now, and not what would happen afterward.

She just hoped she didn’t make the wrong decision.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

JAX

Church was crowded with so many people, but Jax tried to pay attention to what was being said and not the woman in his lap. Saylor hadn’t fought him when he pulled her there the moment he sat down, so he hoped that whatever happened outside calmed her down. Or at least convinced her to give him the shot he wanted. No, needed.

“Alright,” Savage called out, silencing everyone. “Here’s what we got. Our third man, Felix, showed up at the gate demanding to talk to Saylor. He wants that book. It seems that he and his boss know all about Leon was blackmailing the counterfeiting ring for the template. Apparently, he wasn’t quiet about what he was doing, and it got back to Frank. Now, Frank wants the book, the template, and Jared Long. But to add to that, we have the issue that Frank has made everyone connected to the ring aware that he will be taking over. What that means, I don’t know, nor do I care.”

“So, what, he’s threatening to tell whoever this client is and have them cause problems if we don’t comply?” Fury asked.

Savage nodded. “That’s what it sounds like to me. Told him to give us two hours to decide what we’re going to do.”

“What about Saylor?” Ink asked.

Saylor stiffened, but Jax pressed his hand against her thigh to reassure her. “They don’t want Saylor,” Jax answered. “Or at least, this Felix guy has a thing about hurting women, so even if they did, he doesn’t seem the type to let it happen. He said she was free to continue on as normal.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t come back for her to tie up loose ends,” Rogue said bluntly. Saylor winced, and Jax glared angrily at Rogue. Rogue merely continued, “It’s a valid possibility we need to consider. Just handing this shit back doesn’t mean that Frank or this mysterious client won’t want to make absolutely sure that the secret can never get out.”

“He’s right,” Saylor said, patting Jax on his chest. Jax wasn’t soothed, and gave Rogue a hard look that let him know he was unhappy.

“Why don’t we make it clear that if they return for her, we’ll be ready to take them on and win?” Razor suggested. “We did the same with Esme’s cartel family, and so far, no problems.”

“These people don’t give a damn about that shit,” Ursa warned. “People who deal with this kind of thing, they have uses for that money, and they don’t want anyone in the way. So, the question is, has Saylor been mentioned to these people? Because if she has, there needs to be a plan in place to keep her safe for the rest of her life.” He gave Saylor a pointed look. “That would mean that you would either be on the run for the rest of your life, or we’d need to make you disappear. New life, new identity, everything, if shit goes that route.”

Saylor was silent for a moment before she said, “I’ve been running this long, so if I have to, I’ll keep doing it. If I have to change my name and my looks to stay alive, then I will.”

“You’ll be safe here without doing all that,” Jax assured her, fighting the panic at the idea of her leaving. Saylor didn’t say anything; just stared off into space, lost in thought.

“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Simba interjected. “Not to mention, we have a hacker here that could tell us pretty quickly if Saylor’s name has been shared with anyone.” He looked at Glitch pointedly.

“Might take me an hour, but yes, I can,” she agreed. She glanced at Code. “And if you help, we might be able to cut that down.”

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