Page 80 of Jax

Time to dig my grave.

With steady feet I forced myself over the kitchen threshold and followed him through the hallway and out of the open doorway. He was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps and upon my arrival, he slowed his stride to match mine until we were walking side by side.

We headed over to the barn in silence where I saw some of the other members of the club gathered. I recognized Mallory’s husband, the huge dark-haired man looming over the others. I saw Mint and Pretty both giving me a weary look as I was escorted by the giant man to what I assumed would be my end. Or something of a traumatizing nature.

The only person I didn’t see, however, was Jax.

“Um, where’s Jax?” I pulled the courage to ask.

At first, he didn’t react, and I thought he didn’t hear me.

“He’s waiting for you.”

Oh.

The walk felt like a lifetime and a single second both at the same time.

I jumped at the hand at my back, Wolf’s huge paw covering most of my shoulder blades and then some as he pushed me away from the ground and toward the huge door, not letting me stop in the group of boys that felt more like an oasis with every step he took me away from them.

My heart began to race as he led me into the barn. Max was out in the pasture, mowing on the shreds of grass growing around the edge of the fence. The only few bunches the glutton had yet to eat. She lifted her head for a moment, and I gave her a look of hope.

Save me!

I’d like to say that Max gave me a glance of concern, but she didn’t. She put her head back down and went back to rubbing her snout into the roots near the posts, not even giving me a passing thought. After everything I had done, I would have hoped to be more of a priority for that horse than her damn food.

Fat pig.

I heard a loud huff from the pasture.

I tutted, but the moment of annoyance was too little to break my nervousness as we stepped into the barn’s shade. My eyes adjusted from the bright sun to the dim barn, and I saw his silhouette over near the saddles.

“Jax,” Wolf barked, causing the six-foot man to jump out of his skin. He whipped around to face his president, eyes flickering from the man’s face to mine, confusion radiating from him.

“Get it done.” With that, Wolf gave me a shove, my feet stumbling forward, catching myself just before I hit the floor.

He then turned and walked out the door without looking back.

“What the hell?” I grumbled, watching his empty face.

This is not the adventure I signed up for….

I looked back to Jax, hoping he had some answers for me, even though I expected to see him just as confused as I was. Whatever Wolf had said when he left must have carried some meaning because Jax’s expression hadchanged.

He, too, was looking at the space Wolf had abandoned, the doorway filled with bright Oregon daylight, but unlike me, his face was one of resolution… of understanding.

“Jax…?” I muttered, taking a cautious, timid step toward him.

His gaze turned to me in a smooth sweep, hair flicking around his eyes causing his arm to brush it out of the way. He was wearing a white flannel shirt, the sleeves rolled all the way up to his elbows exposing the collective mandala of tattoos. These were Polynesian, Jax had told me before. They were symbolic and although he had told me what they meant, I couldn’t recall the words. It didn’t take from their steady beauty, however, and my eyes were caught by them at every one of his movements.

So much so, I didn’t notice how close they grew until the warm smell of crisp fall grass, and the slight stench of sweat caught my attention. He must have been doing something in the barn, unaware of his brothers’ gathering, as I noticed the worn rag tucked through one of the belt loops of his jeans.

“Ronnie,” Jax coaxed my eyes upwards. His hair, pushed back across the top of his head, was rebelling, falling forward as it swayed in front of my vision and his. Deep brown eyes looked past it, as if it wasn’t even there, wasn’t even a distraction, and he looked at my face.

“What?” I whispered, not sure why I did but unable to bring my voice any louder.

“That talk I promised you,” he said, his rough hand coming around my wrist. “We’re about to have it.”

“We are?”

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