Page 28 of Jax & Knox

"The car," I whisper, my voice hoarse and broken. "Outside. It's⁠⁠—"

"Knox is checking it out right now," Jax says, his voice calm and steady. "Guy was lost looking for some campground. Knox pointed him in the right direction."

Relief floods through me, so intense it makes me dizzy.

"It wasn't him," I whisper.

"No. It wasn't him."

I close my eyes and press my forehead against my knees, my whole body shaking. "I thought⁠⁠—"

"I know."

"I couldn't breathe. I thought he was going to⁠⁠—"

"I know, Ainsley. But he didn't. And he won't. We've got you. Both of us. Nobody's getting to Owen. We've got eyes outside, we've got the doors locked, and we've got you."

I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him so badly.

But I've heard promises before. And they've all been broken.

"Come on," Jax says gently, offering me his hand. "Let's get you home."

Home. The cottage. Not the backroom.

I take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet. My legs are still shaky, but I manage to stay upright. He keeps his hand on the small of my back as we walk, guiding me through the bar, past the few patrons who are pretending not to stare.

The drive to the cottage is quiet.

Jax drives while I sit in the passenger seat, my hands still trembling, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the landscape, and everything feels surreal, like I'm watching this happen to someone else.

When we pull up to the cottage, Jax kills the engine and turns to me.

"You okay?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm not okay. I had a panic attack because a car pulled up outside. That's the definition of a mess."

"That's the definition of trauma," Jax says, his voice firm. "And it's not your fault."

I don't know what to say to that.

He gets out and comes around to my side, opening the door and offering me his hand again. I take it, and he helps me out of the truck.

Inside the cottage, everything is quiet. Lucy must have brought Owen back to the backroom at Perdition. The thought makes my chest tight all over again.

"He's safe," Jax says, reading my expression. "Lucy's got him. She'll keep him there until we come back for him."

I nod, even though I'm not sure I believe him.

Jax guides me to the couch and sits me down, then disappears into the kitchen. He returns with a glass of water and hands it to me.

"Drink," he says.

I do, the cool water soothing my raw throat.

"I need to tell you something," Jax says, sitting down beside me. "We're making some changes. Security changes. Knox is going to upgrade the cameras around the property. We're also going to change your schedule at Perdition, no more predictable shifts. And I'm getting you a new phone. One that Justin can't trace."

I look at him, surprised. "You think he's⁠⁠—"