Page 27 of The Eleventh Hour

I shake my head and jerk myself back to reality. The agony on Rafael’s face is howling deep inside me.

“The chances…”

“We know. We just need to be sure we tried everything,” Dane snarls, and I finally recognise the anger for what it is. Pain. “It's been six years. No one’s even looking for him.”

I close my eyes. “If Louis,” I stop and clear my throat, “knew anything. We might find something here. Maybe.” God, I don’t want to give them hope. They don’t deserve to have it ripped away.

Dane straightens. “I’ll take anything at the moment.”

Rafael reaches over and closes his hand over mine on the chain-link fence. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Louis was smarter than I ever imagined. I’m still trying to unravel his lies.” I sigh. “Right, come on, let me give you the tour of where we grew up.”

Both of them turn to look at me in surprise.

Jax

I’ve got one leg half way in the car when I see a piece of paper stuck under the windshield. I climb out and snatch it into my hands, hoping no one saw.

On the paper is a simple drawing of a dahlia. My hand shakes, and I swallow hard over and over, but my mouth just keeps salivating. I stumble towards the side of the road and put my head down and take a few deep breaths to calm the dizziness.

“Jax?”

I hold up one hand and spit before standing up straight and putting the paper in my pocket.

The brand on my hip, with almost the exact same design, throbs painfully. I rub it absently, and then force myself to stop.

“Psychosomatic,” I growl to myself and put my hand on the door again.

“Jax!”

I let out a small, surprised noise and meet Dane’s scowling face in the car before I realise it wasn’t him that spoke. I turn nervously and relax when I realise it’s Mason.

“Mase. Fuck, you scared the shit outta me.”

He comes over, moving into my space, and presses a kiss to my cheek, ignoring the way I stiffen and shift slightly away. What the hell is he doing? My head is throbbing. Dane’s door opens, and then he and Rafael are standing with me sandwiched between them. Mason looks at them with his cold amber eyes and grunts.

“What’s up, Mason?” I ask with exhaustion in my voice. How did he find me?

“Who are these guys?” Mason bites out, his glare landing first on Rafe, then on Dane.

“Friends,” I snap back as my hackles rise. Since when does Mason think he owns me?

“Who are you?” Dane shoots back and stands to his full height. He and Mason are about the same size, both with thick shoulders padded with muscle, but somehow, Dane seems bigger, deadlier.

I roll my eyes at the pair of them.

“A friend,” Mason snaps, and then he looks at me and pouts. I clench my hand, and Rafael covers it. He squeezes lightly, and I feel myself relax. I glance at him in surprise, and he winks at me.

“Wanted to know if you wanted to go to a party at the Red Shard,” Mason grumbles.

I shake my head. “Not my scene. You know I don’t fuck with the gangs. I know River’s filled you in on me.”

He doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. “Andy and Stevie are there.”

I freeze, those five words destroying my last shreds of cool. “What the fuck are you doing here if they’re there?” I bellow at him. A sick, slimy feeling grips my insides, and a tiny voice in my head whines.

He winces and frowns. “I work for the Harmon family, not vice versa. I don’t decide where the girls drink.”

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