Page 27 of Marked for Obsession

“So you have no idea who this man is?” Declan motioned to the dead guy on the floor.

Jax shot his brother a deep scowl. “Told you a hundred times already, I’ve never seen the son of a bitch before in my life.”

“Get pissed if you want, but you called me, remember?”

Grady chose that moment to butt in. “Look, Jax. Your brother and I are just trying to make sure the story’s straight, all right?”

“It’s not a story, Detective.” The soft voice came from Jax’s left.

All three men turned to see Poppy walking toward them with one hand holding an ice pack against her cheek and a slight limp in her stride. She was still wearing the oversized Navy t-shirt, but while they’d waited for the calvary to arrive, Jax had gone into her room and grabbed a pair of yoga pants for her to put on.

It was a shame, really. He rather enjoyed looking at those deliciously smooth and toned legs. So would every other man in this room, hence the pants.

He thought back to that brief moment when he’d held her in his arms and carried her to the couch. Despite her having almost died minutes prior, and despite the bloody stiff lying less than five feet away, Jax had been filled with a sensation he’d never experienced before.

He was immediately aroused, sure. But that seemed to be a common theme when Poppy was around. No, there was more to it than that. Something that had him feeling on edge even more than the fact that he’d shot a man dead.

When he’d picked her up and she’d held on to him so tightly, for Jax it had almost felt like he was finally…

Home.

“Everything Jax said is the truth,” Poppy spoke again as she joined them. The renewed strength in her voice was a welcomed sound. “Just like everything I told the police before, not that they wanted to listen. I really did see two men shove someone into the trunk of a car last Thursday night. And today,thatman”—she pointed to the newly deceased—“really did break into my apartment and put a gun to my head. The truth is, if Jax and Ivan hadn’t shown up when they did, it would bemybody on the floor instead of his.”

Her eyes became glossy with a new round of unshed tears, but she straightened her shoulders and blinked them away. Jax could tell she was trying to be strong, but he could see the fear she still felt lying just beneath the surface.

Another powerful surge of anger filled every cell in Jax’s body. Anger toward a man he could no longer punish.

The bastard’s death had been too quick. Easy. Jax should’ve taken his time before killing him. Perhaps merely wounding him so he could torture the asshole slowly.

Yes, the longer he stared back at Poppy, the more Jax wished for a do-over. One that would afford him the opportunity to make an example out of the man he’d shot. A warning to anyone daring to hurt what was his.

What the fuck, dude? She’s not yours. Not even a little bit.

As usual, his subconscious was spot fucking on. Poppy wasn’t his. She never would be.

A woman like that deserved someone good. Kind. Someone who lived a nice, quiet, and most importantlysafelife. Someone who believed in true love and happy ever afters.

Yes, a woman the likes of Penelope Jane Campbell deserved a man who most definitely was…

Not me.

Not that he wanted any of that, anyway. Because he didn’t.

Lying to yourself now, I see.

“Jax?” Poppy’s voice cut through his wandering thoughts. “You okay?”

Blinking his wandering thoughts away, Jax put all that other unsettling bullshit aside and focused on the matter at hand. Meeting her wary gaze, he responded with a question of his own.

“What did the medics say?”

“They cleaned up the blood and removed a few small pieces of glass from my soles. Then they wrapped them with gauze and had me put on a pair of socks to help keep them protected.” She glanced down at her socked feet. “It looked a lot worse than it truly was. Who knew feet could bleed so much?”

That last bit was accompanied by a tiny smirk, and Jax knew she was attempting to lighten the mood.

She’s a tough one, all right.

Physically the woman was bruised and a little shaken, but otherwise appeared to be okay. Jax had suspected as much but hearing the confirmation from a medical professional helped to set his racing mind at ease.

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