Saving Jax (15 page)

“It’s over,” Jade said softly.  “You should be happy, honey.  In three days, you’ll be living your new life.”

“Yeah,” Jax stared out the window of the safe house.  His arm was throbbing dully and he rubbed gingerly at his chest.  The bullet proof vest had saved his life after Agent Darvin shot him outside of the grocery store but it had left a hell of a bruise.

“Why did you go to the FBI?”  Jade asked.  “You never did say.”

“The hell of it is, there wasn’t one single reason,” he said.  “I just, I don’t know, was tired of the game.  Tired of watching him hurt people, tired of him making
me
hurt people, and I wanted to be free.”

She didn’t reply and he gave her a guilty look.  “Your father saved my life.”

She shook her head impatiently.  “Maybe that’s true and maybe it isn’t – we’ll never know.  But saving your life doesn’t mean you owe him your life, Jax.  You have nothing to feel guilty about.  He was a terrible man who did terrible things and what you did was the right thing to do.”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“I know you miss her,” Jade said.

He turned and sat across from her at the small kitchen table.  “I do.”

“We could tell her.  Now that Jimmy’s behind bars, we could tell her the truth.”

He laughed bitterly.  “What good would that do?  I’m leaving, remember?”

“You’ll be back for the trial.”

“In a year or two,” he said.  “Am I supposed to ask her to just wait for me?  Or, hell, I know – maybe I could ask her to go with me.  How do you think that conversation would go?”

“Jax – “

“Hey, Mel.  I know we’ve just met but would you like to leave your family and friends, your job, your entire fucking life, and go into witness protection with me?” 

“Honey, she might – “

“She might what, Jade?”  Jax asked wearily.  “She might say yes?  There’s no fucking way she will.  It’s better for her if she believes I’m dead, just like everyone else.”

“Maybe you should give her the chance to make that decision for herself,” Jade said.

He shook his head.  “No.  It’s better this way.”

“Jax – “

“I’m tired, Jade.  I’m going to lie down for a while.”

He left the kitchen and Jade chewed at her bottom lip for a moment before pulling out her cell phone.  She did a quick Google search and, with a nervous glance behind her, punched in the number.

The phone rang in her ear and she waited patiently until he answered.

“Hey, pretty boy.  It’s Jade.  I was wondering if you wanted to have that coffee?”

* * *

Cal parked in front of the small grey-coloured house and locked the car before starting up the sidewalk.  The door opened and he smiled at Jade.  “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey, come on in for a minute.”

He followed her into the house and stared curiously at the sparse furnishings.  “I like your place?”

She laughed.  “It’s not my house, Cal.”

“Okay, so why are we here?”

“I’ve got something I need to tell you.  Something important.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well…”

“Jade?  I can’t find the fucking juice.  I thought you said it was in the fridge but there isn’t…”

Jax stood in the doorway to the kitchen and stared silently at Cal before clearing his throat.  “Hello, Cal.”

“Holy fuck,” Cal breathed.

* * *

Mel screeched to a stop behind Cal’s car and jumped out of her car.  She ran up the sidewalk, her heart thudding loudly in her chest, and gave Cal a look of fear as he opened the door of the grey house.

“Cal?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Mel.  Just come in for a minute, okay?”

“You said it was an emergency.”

“Yeah, I kind of said that to get you out of the house.”

“Asshole,” she muttered as she followed him into the house.  “What is this place?”

“Come into the kitchen.”

She followed him down the narrow hallway into the kitchen and blinked in surprise when she saw Jade sitting at the table.

“Hello, Melanie.”

“Hello, Jade.  What are you doing here?”

“Will you sit down?  We need to talk.”

Frowning, Mel sat down in the chair across from her.  Cal pulled up a chair next to her and took her hand as Jade smiled nervously at her.

“Jimmy Golden’s been arrested.”

“Yeah, I saw it on the news,” Mel replied.  She swallowed past the lump in her throat and rubbed at her forehead.  She had spent most of the last two days crying wretchedly and her skull was throbbing and aching.

“He’s going to prison for a long time.  We caught him delivering the drugs himself,” Jade said.

“I guess that means you’re out of a job,” Mel said to Cal.  “What are you going to do now?”

He shrugged.  “You know me, I always find something.”

“Right,” she muttered.  “Listen, I’m sorry, maybe you think I’d be happy that Jimmy Golden is behind bars and I guess I am, but I don’t get why you had to drag me over here just to tell me that.”

“There’s more, Melanie,” Jade said gently.  “Jax was working with the FBI to bring Golden down.  It’s because of him that we knew where the drop was going to be.”

Mel’s mouth dropped open.  “Jax was – was working with the FBI?”

“Yes.  For a few months now.  He came to them and offered to help put Jimmy away.  We accepted and promised him a new life.  Somewhere far away from this city.”

Mel wiped at the tears that were starting to flow down her cheeks.  “Too bad he’s dead, huh?  You didn’t do a very good job of protecting your own fucking brother, did you?”

Jade winced and Cal squeezed her hand.  “Mel, it’s not like that.”

“It is,” she said dully.  “Jax is dead and telling me that he actually was a good guy, doesn’t make me feel any fucking better.”

“Jax isn’t dead,” Cal said quietly.

She twitched all over and gave him an accusing look.  “Don’t, Cal.  I’m tired of the fucking games.”

“He isn’t,” Jade said.  “We faked his death so that Jimmy would have to make the drop himself and we could arrest him.  It was the only way to ensure that he went to prison for life.  He needed to make the deal and the only way to do that was if both of his lieutenants were dead.”

Mel stared blankly at her before switching her gaze to Cal.  “He’s dead, Cal.  You told me two days ago, remember?”

He nodded solemnly.  “I thought he was dead, Mel.”

Jade leaned forward.  “We faked his death, Mel.  We put a bullet proof vest on him and one of our agents, pretending to be one of Chan’s men, shot him in front of the grocery store.  We put blood packs on him that burst on impact, and we planted another agent in the grocery store who posed as a doctor and pronounced him dead.  He kept the civilians away from Jax until we could get his “body” out of there.”

“I don’t understand what is happening,” Mel whispered.  “Why are you fucking with me like this?”

There was movement in the doorway and her gaze flickered upward.  Cal made a soft noise of alarm as her face paled and her body swayed.

“Jax?”  She whispered.

“Hello, butterfly.”

She shook off Cal’s hand and staggered to her feet before lurching toward him.  She reached out with a trembling hand and touched his face.  “You’re alive.”

“I am.  I’m so sorry I lied to you, butterfly.”

“You’re alive,” she repeated.

“Yes.”  He stroked her hair lightly and then flinched when she punched him in the stomach.

“You asshole!”  She shouted before punching him again.  “I thought you were dead!  Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have – “

“Jackass!  Dickhead!  Motherfucker!”  She shouted before wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and yanking him downward.

“Bastard!”  She muttered and kissed him fiercely.

He kissed her back and after a moment Jade stood and gave Cal a pointed look.  He followed her out of the room as Mel tore her mouth free and rested her forehead against Jax’s.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

“Liar,” he replied.

He took her hand and led her to the table.  “Sit down, butterfly.  You’re shaking like a leaf.”

She nearly fell into the chair and he steadied her with his good hand as he sat down beside her.  She reached out and touched his face lightly and he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand.

“Tell me,” she said.  “Tell me everything.”

* * *

“Wait,” Court opened the bottle of beer and set it in front of Julie before opening his own.  “He asked her to go into witness protection with him?”

“Yes,” Cal said impatiently as he paced the spacious kitchen in Julie’s house.  “Pay attention, Courtney.  Jesus!  Jade and I convinced Jax that he needed to tell Melanie he was alive, to give her the chance to decide if she wanted to go with him.  He told her the truth about everything and then asked her to disappear with him.  She was so happy to realize he was alive that I thought they were just going to ride off into the fucking sunset together but she said no.”

“She said no?”  Julie set her beer bottle down with a surprised thump.  “Really?”

“Yes, really!  Jade and I were waiting in the living room for them and the next thing you know Mel comes flying out of the kitchen sobbing her eyes out, and leaves.”

“I can’t believe she said no,” Julie said quietly.

“Why wouldn’t she?”  Court asked.  “She barely knows the guy and he might be on the straight and narrow now but he worked for a drug dealer for nearly his entire life.”

“He’s a good guy, Court,” Cal snapped.  “Don’t be so judgemental.”

Court stared at him.  “What has gotten into you, Cal?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is our baby sister you’re talking about.  Do you really want her disappearing from our lives, forever?  What about mom and dad?  What about us?  I don’t want to never see her again.”

“I told you – it’s not forever.  A year, maybe two at the most.  Jax will testify at the trial and then once the trial is over he promised Mel they would move back here.”

“Cal, it’s still a year of not talking to her, of not knowing if she is safe or happy or – “

“Jax makes her happy.  I think she’s in love with him and I know he’s in love with her,” Cal said.

“They aren’t in love,” Court said.  “They barely know each other and – “

“Hello Mr. Pot,” Julie said.  “Have you met Mr. Kettle?”

“It’s different with us, Jules,” Court protested.

“No, it isn’t,” Julie said.

“That’s why we need to do an intervention,” Cal said.

“An intervention?”  Court took a swig of his beer as Cal nodded anxiously.

“Yes, a love intervention!”

Court nearly spit beer all over the table.  “Christ, Cal.  Melanie’s a grown woman, she doesn’t need us interfering with her love life.”

Julie frowned at him. “If it hadn’t been for Mel doing a ‘love intervention’ with us, we wouldn’t be together now, Court.”

Court hesitated before setting his beer bottle down with a loud thump.  “Shit, you’re right.”

He studied Cal for a moment.  “You know mom and dad are going to kill us for talking her into this, right?”

“I do,” Cal said.  “It’s worth it.”

“Fine.  Let’s go.”  Court grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her up as Cal cheered loudly and followed them out of the kitchen.

* * *

“Let us in, Mel!  We know you’re in there!”  Cal hollered before pounding on the door again.

“Maybe she isn’t home,” Julie said.

“She is!  I know she is.”  He reached up to pound on the door again as Mel yanked it open.

“What the hell, Cal?  It’s late – are you trying to get the neighbours to call the cops?”

He pushed past her and with a soft sigh, Mel stepped back so that Court and Julie could follow him.

“We’re here to do an intervention, Melanie Thomas,” Cal said dramatically.

“An intervention?”

“Yes.  A love intervention.  Jax Anderson loves you and I know you love him too and you’re making a huge mistake by just letting him walk away.  If you don’t go with him, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life and – “

“Cal,” Court said.

Cal waved his hand irritably at him.  “Not now, Court.  I’m on a roll.”

He grabbed Mel by the shoulders and shook her lightly.  “You play it too safe, Mel.  It’s time you stopped looking after Court and me and lived your life.  You deserve to be happy and – “

“Cal,” Court repeated.

Ignoring him, Cal said, “You convinced Court that he was meant to be with Julie and you were right.  Look how happy they are!  You deserve that too and I think – “

“CALVIN!”

“What, Court?  Christ, can’t you see I’m trying to talk some sense into our sister?”  Cal glared at him.

Court pointed behind him and Cal turned to see the two large suitcases sitting in the middle of the room.  He gave Mel a puzzled look.  “Mel?  What’s going on?”

“What does it look like?” Court said dryly.  “Our love intervention isn’t necessary.”

Cal stared wide-eyed at Mel.  “You’re going with him?”

Mel nodded.  “Yes.  Well, I think I am.  I mean, I did quit my job this morning, I called Jade and told her I changed my mind, and in the morning I’m going to mom and dad’s place and breaking the news to them.  Of course, I have exactly twenty-four hours to get my entire apartment packed up and moved into storage and that’s not exactly going smoothly.”

“We’ll pack up your apartment and get your stuff to storage for you, honey,” Julie said.

“We will?”  Court asked.

Julie whacked him on the arm.  “Yes, Court.  We will.”

“You mean you’ll use your boatload of money to hire someone to come in and pack up her apartment for us, right?”  Court said hopefully.

She laughed and he grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead as Cal threw his arms around Mel and hugged her hard.

“What did Jax say?”  He asked.

“He doesn’t know yet.”

“What?  Why not?”

“Because I still had to try and get my shit into storage and I still have to tell mom and dad.  There’s no guarantee that dad won’t kidnap me and take me to the cabin once I tell them.”