Page 69 of Roots of the Wicked

“Yes, Dad, I have jotted down Karl Vicente’s name and his number. He has the inside track on the most popular media outlets and is the man to go to when you don’t want something getting out.”

Jax’s eager fingers worked the keyboard so fast, it didn’t appear she was typing anything that made sense. With the phone I gave her on speaker, she typed like a mad woman.

“I can’t tell you why I need this done. I’ll owe you. Can we leave it at that?”

TK took a long while to give her an answer.

“Okay. You’ll owe me, and you know I’ll collect.” He replied.

“Stop fucking thinking about me owing you, and fucking do what I asked you to do. I don’t have a lot of time.” She yelled toward the phone with such fierce intensity, the vein in her neck appeared to vibrate.

The way she cursed at TK, I was sure he would hang up, but he seemed more cheerful after her harsh words.

“Sure, J. I’m already on it. I can narrow down the places the drone could’ve passed and been spotted on camera flying back into this city. Finding it could lead us right to the operator. Finding the media outlets they may have submitted something to is even better and will likely be easier to track down. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Jax thanked him before she swiped the phone off.

This wasn’t the time to be trivial, but it bothered me knowing TK wanted her. She refused to acknowledge it, but they had a special bond. Now, she owed him, and I wasn’t okay with what he may want to collect.

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll call you back later.” I hung up before his reply.

A stack of questions sat on the tip of my lips, as I sat on the couch next to Jax. My eyes landed on her working fingers.

“Are you sure you should be asking someone like TK for help. He wants you, and I don’t like it.”

“Unfortunately, he’s the only one I know who can give me what I need right now.”

The statement hurt, burning my heart to ash before the flakes were carried away by the wind.

She paused her typing, considering what she’d just said. “Need, as in technical help.”

And just like that, she had replenished my devastated heart.

I lifted my phone to my ear after dialing Karl Vicente like my father had suggested. I hadn’t realized I had been on the phone with Karl for fifteen minutes, but he was sure he could identify what news outlet or outlets that may have received updates on us. Before I updated Jax with the positive news, and apologized again, she raised a hand to stop my words.

“I know, Chase, but I can’t sit idly by and not make attempts to protect my privacy. I’m starting to build my life. I don’t want it derailed before it’s had a chance to start. If my name gets blasted in the media, I want it to be about my mind, not about who I’m dating. Plus, I can’t possibly take being exposed to the world again. It’s a shot I’m not willing to take. This is one of the reasons I specifically told you I didn’t want to get involved with you or anyone else.”

She was lashing out.

“I didn’t want any of this to happen, and I’ve done my best to protect our privacy.” She turned away, still mumbling her frustration.

A mixture of anger and irritation was written in her tight expression. She’d never stopped typing. Her expression change from anger, to confusion, to worry, her face frowning one moment and relaxing the next.

She didn’t acknowledge me after I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She kept going, building her own brand of damage control. The phone I loaned her started to chime as I prepared to make more calls.

“It’s for you.” She pointed to the phone. “One person knows to call me on that phone, and I promised you I wouldn’t compromise it or your computer, so the call is for you.”

Unsure, I eased the phone up to my ear. “Hello.”

The frantic voice on the line, stalled me. “Chase, what the hell are you doing? It’s about time you answered your phone. Turn on the television.”

Blake’s irritating voice grated on my nerves.

“Did you call Dad’s fixer? You know how many times he’s kept dad’s many affairs out of the news?”

Running around the room, I hunted for the remote. There was no need to search for a channel, the first thing I noticed flashing on screen, was Jax’s beautifully tattooed back and her rear end barely covered by her tiny blue bikini. Her sexy legs encircled my waist, her head rested on my shoulder, the backdrop of our photo was my yacht. My face was a surreal mixture of shock and awe, staring up into the lens of that fucking drone.

“Chase, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. I told you this would happen. Told you she was trouble. You need to let her go before things get worse.” Blake badgered on.

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