Page 47 of Dangerous Lies

Dear God above, what do we do now?

TWENTY-SIX

Escape wasn’t possible.

Jax remained motionless, forcing his mind to process the options instead of reacting on instinct. One wrong move could get both him and Megan killed. He had to be strategic. To shut down his emotions. Relying on his training was the only way they’d survive this.

That, and prayer.

Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom I need.

Noah and Dawson were en route. Jax had lost contact with them, but they knew the location and were heading for the barn. It would take time for them to traverse the woods, and they’d have to approach with caution, but they were coming. He just had to buy them time.

His gaze swept the dimly lit storage room, snagging on a ladder in the corner. It led to a small loft space. Jax crossed the room and tested the wood with his weight. It held. He prayed the beams above were just as sturdy.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the barn in a stark white glow. A thunderous boom followed, shaking the entire structure. Rain hammered against the tin roof, a relentless drumbeat. The storm might work in his favor.

“I’m getting impatient.” Douglas’s voice still carried that unnerving playfulness, but frustration bled into the edges. “Maybe you need some motivation. Allow me to introduce my guest.”

A muffled cry echoed through the barn. Desperate. Panicked.

“Please,” Cody pleaded. “I don’t want to die. Please?—”

The sickening crack of a slap cut him off. Then Douglas’s singsong voice rang out, colder than before. “Come out, Jax. Don’t make me hunt for you. It’ll only make things worse.”

Jax didn’t want to consider how much worse things could get.

Douglas had them trapped. And now he had a hostage.

He wrapped an arm around Megan’s waist and pulled her toward the ladder, pressing her back against his chest. Bending low, he whispered in her ear, “Get into the loft. Spread out your weight and be silent. Noah and Dawson will be here, with backup, soon.”

Her head turned, her lips a breath from his. It was too dark to see her expression, but he could feel the tension in her body. “What are you going to do?”

There was no time for an argument. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I can’t.” Her voice was thick with tears. “We need to stay together?—”

“No.” His tone was sharp and harsh, but the mere thought of Megan putting herself in harm’s way… it crippled him. Jax leaned closer. Megan’s perfume filled his senses and her hair brushed softly against his cheek as he put his mouth near her ear. “I love you.”

He felt rather than heard her sharp intake of breath. Jax wished he could see her expression. He should have told her earlier—back at the house, when she’d bared her heart to him. But he’d been too tangled up in his family’s grief, still convinced that loving her was a betrayal. Of his family. Of Oliver.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Loving Megan had changed him. He’d been lost—drowning in guilt and anger—and she had pulled him back, showing him a path forward paved with God’s grace. Jax saw people’s mistakes. Megan saw their potential. She lived by kindness, forgiveness, and understanding.

She was everything Jax hadn’t realized he needed.

“I love you,” he whispered again. The timing was horrible, but she had to understand what was at stake. “Please, sweetheart. Do this for me. I can’t function unless I know you’re safe.”

Megan hesitated and then nodded. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed, Jax Taylor, or I’ll never forgive you.”

A ghost of a smile curved his lips at the steel in her voice. Then her mouth brushed against his. Sweet. Tender. Full of promises neither of them could be sure would ever become reality. Then, crowbar in hand, Megan scaled the ladder with the silence and precision of a trained operative. The only sound confirming she’d reached the loft was a faint rustling from the birds in the rafters.

Relief swept through him. She was safe—for now.

Jax turned on his heel, flexing his fingers around his gun to adjust his grip. He eased across the storage room, removed the screwdriver from the door, and cracked it open.

Darkness yawned beyond the threshold. Pitch-black and deadly.

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