Page 50 of Jax

"Please . . . just give me a sign you're okay," Jax pleaded, his voice cracking slightly.

Mia held her breath, praying he wouldn't find her, but her resolve wavered. Could she really run from him? He'd been her lifeline, her one connection to a world outside her cage. And yet, one text had shattered that fragile trust.

"Shit, Mia." Jax's voice was closer now, the panic in his words only amplifying her own terror. "Where did you go? It’s dangerous out there. Just let me know you're safe."

Safe?Mia thought bitterly.As if I could ever be safe.

Jax’s steps grew closer now, and then, all of a sudden, they stopped.

"Found ya."

Mia’s heart pounded in her chest as Jax's voice rang out triumphantly. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping against hope that he hadn’t actually seen her concealed among the twisted tree roots. The damp earth pressed uncomfortably against her cheek as she held herself as still as possible.

“Mia . . . I can see you,” Jax said, his voice now softer, tinged with a mix of relief and worry. His gaze bore into her, and Mia could sense the conflict raging within him.

She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with a mixture of defiance and fear. “What do you want?” she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside her.

Jax knelt beside her, his brow furrowed with concern. “I want to help you, Mia. You’re hurt, and we need to get out of here before Viper finds us.”

"Stay away from me," Mia spat, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to pull her foot free. Her ankle throbbed with pain, and her chest tightened with fear.

"Please, Mia," Jax implored, his hazel eyes swimming with regret. "Just let me explain."

"Explain?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "You lied to me, Jax. You're no better than the rest of them."

"Let me help you," he insisted, taking a step closer. "I never meant to hurt you, I swear."

"Stay back!" Mia warned, her heart hammering in her chest. "Just leave me alone!"

But as she looked into his eyes, those pleading, sorrowful eyes, she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to at least give Jax a chance to explain. Only yesterday, he was her Daddy. Making her feel amazing things. Looking after her like nobody else had done. It couldn’t all have been an act, could it?

"Mia, listen to me. There's something you need to know."

"Like how you lied to me?" Mia snapped, her green eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Jax took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confession. "About Viper."

“What are you talking about? Who’s Viper?”

“Years ago, I worked as an ethical hacker. Do you know what that is?”

Mia shook her head.

“I worked for large organizations, testing their computer systems to find security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminal hackers. That’s where I met Viper, or TechSavvy as he called himself back then. He was an ethical hacker, too—or at least, we all thought he was ethical, until I discovered what his alter-ego, Viper, was up to. He was siphoning off private company details, financial information, and even goddamn money for himself.”

Mia frowned. “I don’t see what this has got to do with anything.”

“Well, I was the one who turned him in to the authorities. I got him arrested and he swore vengeance. God knows how he got out of going to prison. Maybe he went for a while and got out, hell, I don’t know. But anyway, I hadn’t heard a thing from him in years. And then this morning I saw this text message from him. Telling me to give you back.” Jax scratched his beard.

“Me? Why would any of this involve me?”

“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I suspect that it wasn’t about me at first. There’s a lot of cash to be made in trafficking, and I think Viper got into the industry for that very reason. The strip club you were working at had the tightest online security I’ve ever seen. I’m convinced that was Viper’s doing. Problem is, when I came back into his life, breaking you out of the strip club,then it became personal again. Viper won’t stop at anything to take you away from me, to make my mission fail.”

Mia's heart raced as she processed the information. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I didn't want to scare you." Jax's voice softened as he looked at her, the guilt evident in his gaze. "Viper is a dangerous man. He’s got the whole internet at his fingertips, which means he has eyes everywhere. Wherever you go, Mia, he can find you.” He paused. “But I’m gonna put a stop to it. I just need to get us to safety first. Somewhere he can never find us.”

"I thought you said he could find us anywhere," Mia muttered, her thoughts racing.

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