Page 105 of Jax & Knox

"She's shaking," he says under his breath, quiet enough that only I can hear.

"I know."

I cross to her, cup her face in both hands, and make her look at me. Really look at me. "He's not going to touch you. He's not going to touch our boy. And when this is over, you're coming home with us. For good. No more looking over your shoulder. No more wondering if today's the day he shows up. I'm going to make sure of it."

She leans into both of us when Jax steps up beside me, and I feel the way her body is still braced for impact, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hate it. I hate that Justin put this fear in her, that he's made her doubt her own safety, that he's stolen her peace. But I'm going to give it back to her. One way or another.

Once she's in the bedroom with the door cracked so she can hear if Owen wakes, Jax and I step out onto the porch. The night is thick and quiet except for the wind in the pines, that low whisper that sounds almost like voices if you listen too closely. The air is cold enough to see our breath, and somewhere in the distance an owl calls out, hunting.

"We can't sit here and wait for him to find us," I say, staring out into the darkness beyond the porch light's reach.

"No."

I pull out the burner phone Mason gave me last week and dial the number he provided, a contact who still has access to certain databases, the kind that law enforcement uses but civilians aren't supposed to touch. Twenty minutes later, after some careful conversation and the promise of cash payment, I have a partial plate, a motel name two towns over, and confirmation that Justin's been flashing cash and asking about a woman with a toddler. Asking the wrong people the wrong questions, leaving a trail a blind man could follow.

"He's not careful," I tell Jax, feeling a grim satisfaction settle in my gut. "He's angry and sloppy. That works for us. Angry men make mistakes."

We call it in. Mason greenlights the plan without hesitation: Steele, Riot, Rook, and Switch meet us at a secondary location at 0300. We leave Tiny and a prospect on the cabin perimeter with orders to shoot first and ask questions never if anyone they don't recognize tries to approach. Jax stays with Ainsley and Owen. I go hunting.

Leaving her feels like cutting something vital out of my chest, like leaving behind a piece of myself that I might not get back. But sitting still while that bastard breathes, while he plans whatever twisted revenge he's got cooking in his sick mind, is worse. I have to move. I have to act. I have to end this before it gets worse.

I walk back inside, my boots heavy on the wooden floor. Ainsley is sitting on the edge of the couch, Owen asleep against her chest, one tiny hand fisted in her shirt. Her eyes find mine immediately, and I see the question there before she even opens her mouth.

"You're leaving," she says. It's not a question. She knows me well enough by now to read my body language, to see the shift from protector to hunter.

"Just for a few hours. We know where he is. We're going to end this tonight, one way or another."

"Knox—"

I kneel in front of her, my hands on her thighs, grounding both of us. "Jax stays here with you. He's one of the best fighters I know, and he'll die before he lets anything happen to you or Owen. Tiny and a prospect are on the perimeter with rifles and night vision. You're safe. I promise you. This cabin is a fortress, and every approach is covered."

Her eyes fill with tears that she's too proud to let fall. "What if something happens to you? What if he's not alone? What if this is a trap?"

"It won't. It's not. And even if it is, I'm better than him. We're better than whatever he's got planned."

"You don't know that. You can't know that."

I lean forward and press my forehead to hers, breathing in her scent, memorizing the feel of her. "I'm coming back. I always come back. You and Owen are my whole world now. Nothing's going to keep me from you. Not Justin. Not anyone."

She nods, but I can see the fear in her eyes, the terror of losing someone she loves again. I understand it. I feel it too, every time I think about what Justin could do if we don't stop him.

I kiss her once, hard and possessive, pouring everything I can't say into it. Then I stand, my knees cracking, and Jax walks me to the door.

"Keep them safe," I tell him, my hand on his shoulder, squeezing once.

"Always, brother. You know that."

"I know. And Jax? If something goes wrong, if this turns into something bigger than we thought, you get them out. You forget about me, about the club, about everything except getting Ainsley and Owen somewhere safe. Understood?"

His jaw tightens. "It won't come to that."

"But if it does."

"If it does, I'll get them out. You have my word."

That's all I need.

The ride to the secondary location takes forty minutes, my bike eating up the dark highway, the wind cold against my face even through my helmet. Steele, Riot, Rook, and Switch are already there when I arrive, engines idling, faces hard behind their visors. They're armed, ready, and absolutely lethal. These are the brothers I'd choose for something like this, experienced, ruthless when necessary, and smart enough to know when to hold back and when to pull the trigger.