Page 105 of Break Me Not

I grabbed her knee and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks again.”

She turned to me with a mischievous smile. “Anytime. I have to admit that was a little exhilarating. I can't wait to see what our next outing will be.”

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

I still had a lot of work to do, but I was going to make this work. I would rely on every single person I’d met and trust they would help me see it through.

I leaned back against my seat and took a deep breath.

They won't harm a hair on your head, Jax. I will end them all before they do.

Jax

Three weeks later

I expected to see a hot redheaded MILF coming to pick me up from jail, but I was only slightly disappointed when it turned out to be her daughter instead.

“Get in,” Claire snapped, opening the passenger door to a new car that definitely wasn't hers.

“Wow, look at you,” I said as I sat down. The interior was light in creams and browns. It suited her. She gave me a forced smile and sped out of the parking lot as fast as she could.

We drove for about five minutes before she decided to even talk to me. I used the time to plug my phone into her USB charger. It was dead after weeks of not using it.

“I'm not mad at you,” she finally said, her eyes still on the road. “Even after knowing about you having my mom as a roomie at your apartment and certainly not sleeping in separate rooms.”

“Claire—”

“I haven’t forgotten about you either.”

“Then why aren't you looking at me?”

She turned to me as if to disprove my claim before adding, “And neither has Mom.”

The mention of her mother was like a punch to my gut.

I had waited. After the arraignment, they told me I wasn't allowed out on bail. Every day, I hoped she missed me. That she would come to visit me. But she never did.

Laura came a couple of times, never revealing much, and then yesterday I got the notice that I was being released.

Not a single peep from Liz, though. I tried to reach out. I tried to call her. Claire had picked up once and said she couldn't talk much. It was a surprise that she was even here to pick me up.

The only person I was able to really talk to was Sloan, but of course she told me to suck it up and make some friends, saying they might come in handy at some point.

My team had mostly been released, and they were out doing their work, based on what they had managed to report back.

But all I thought about was Liz. From morning to night, and even in my dreams, it was only her.

And all her silence hurt.

“Then why didn't she come?” My voice cracked at the end, even though I was trying to hold it together.

“She's been… busy. Also, I visited your mom a couple of times. Brought her some food, chatted for a bit, and I didn't tell her about you—obviously. She's been doing good. Apparently, she joined a music group, and it's helping.”

I took a shaky breath in and nodded.

“Okay. Okay. So… what is happening?”

Her fingers twisted around the steering wheel, her grip so tight I was afraid it might snap off entirely.