Saving Jax (9 page)

“This is an important day, Jax.”

When Jax didn’t reply, Mr. Golden rapped sharply on his desk.  “Jax!”

“Sorry, Mr. Golden.”  Jax forced himself to pay attention as Jimmy frowned deeply.  Christ, he needed to get it together.  It had been nearly a week since he had seen Mel and his obsession with her was growing.  He had thought that spending the night with her would have ended his obsession but fuck, he had never been more wrong about anything in his life.  He supposed he should count himself lucky that he didn’t have her cell number or he’d be texting her like a lovesick puppy and begging for another round in the sack.

“Jax!”

He shook his head to clear it and gazed into Jimmy Golden’s disgruntled face.  “Sorry¸ sir.”

“What is going on with you?”  Jimmy asked.

“Nothing, sir.”

“Then get your head out of the clouds and back in the game.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jimmy tapped one finger on his desk.  “I’m promoting you to lieutenant.”

Jax’s eyes widened and he stared in disbelief at Jimmy.  The older man nodded.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Thank you, Mr. Golden.”

“You’re welcome.  Hell, I should have promoted you the minute that fucker Chan sent me Johnson’s goddamn head in that cooler but I – well, you’re like a son to me, Jax, and I didn’t want you to end up the same way.”

Jax felt a small trickle of guilt run down his spine.  He shook it off immediately.  Now was not the time to start thinking that Golden was a nice guy.  He might have saved his life as a teenager but Jax had paid that debt repeatedly.  He didn’t owe Golden anything.”

Jimmy suddenly laughed.  “You could kill a man with your bare hands and I’m worried that Chan will get to you.”

“I won’t let you down, sir,” Jax said solemnly.

“I know you won’t, son,” Jimmy replied.  “I’m meeting with Mulroney tomorrow at two.  I want you to be there.”

“Yes, sir.”  He sat a moment longer as Jimmy studied the computer screen in front of him.

Jimmy glanced up and with an impatient wave, said, “You’re dismissed, Jax.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He left Jimmy’s office and headed into the club.  He sat at the bar, nodding his thanks when the bartender, Rachel, set a whiskey in front of him, and sipped at it.  He needed to inform Darvin that he’d been promoted.  As soon as he was told the shipment drop location, he’d pass the information along and he’d finally be free of the controlling bastard.

He took another sip of whiskey, barely feeling the burn in his throat, before staring moodily at the top of the bar.  If he was lucky in another month he’d be doing exactly what the FBI agent had promised – lying on a warm beach where no one had ever heard of Jax Anderson or Jimmy Golden.

What about Mel?

He shoved that voice out of his head.  What about her?  They had slept together once and neither of them wanted anything more. 

Are you sure about that?

Positive.  He didn’t date.  Giving Jimmy Golden any type of leverage over you was a very bad idea, he had seen it numerous times over the years.  Mulroney’s wife was missing the pinkie on her right hand because Mulroney had fucked up.  He had decided years ago that he wouldn’t give Golden that type of power over him and he’d never wavered from that.

Sleeping with her one more time wouldn’t be dangerous
, his mind whispered persuasively. 
Golden would never suspect that you and a woman like Melanie Thomas would ever be sleeping together.  She’s about as far from your type as you can get.

That was very true but the thought of Golden hurting Mel made his stomach twist and, for the first time in years, a trickle of fear slithered down his spine.  He wouldn’t let Mel be tormented or used as some kind of pawn by Golden.  The best thing to do was to stay as far away from Melanie Thomas as he possibly could.

“Jesus, Jax, who died?”

Cal sat down next to him, adjusting his tie, before clapping Jax on the back.

“Hey, Cal.”  Jax swallowed the last of his whiskey and put his hand over the glass when Rachel appeared with a bottle.  She gave him a slow and seductive smile and he stared evenly at her until she flushed and moved away.  The woman had been trying to seduce him since she started three months ago but he had no interest in her.  She hadn’t yet realized what a bad idea it was to sleep with anyone in Golden’s employment.

“You tapping that?”  Cal asked.

Jax shook his head and Cal grinned at him.  “Why not?  She’s looking at you like you’re a piece of candy.”

“She’s not my type and she works for Golden.  I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

“Fair enough,” Cal shrugged.  “I, on the other hand, don’t have a problem with it.” 

He winked at Rachel, who had moved to the far end of the bar, and she rolled her eyes before turning her back to them.

“I feel like Rachel may not be receptive to your charm, Calvin,” Jax said.

“Not yet but I’ll win her over,” Cal said.  “Seriously though, is everything okay?  You looked like you were about a million miles away when I sat down.”

For one brief moment, Jax pictured himself telling Cal that he was obsessed with his sister.  That he had taken her to his bed and now couldn’t stop thinking about her.  He dismissed the ridiculous idea immediately.  Mel had specifically asked him not to tell Cal and he wouldn’t disappoint her.  Besides, Cal was a good guy but if he was in his place, he sure as hell wouldn’t want to hear some guy talking about fucking his baby sister.

Jimmy had asked him to win Cal’s trust, to become friends with him, and the ironic thing was he actually did like Cal.  They had gone to a baseball game two nights ago and he had been surprised at how much he enjoyed it.  Cal was a talker and Jax had subtly encouraged the family stories.  It was pathetic but he wanted to know more about Melanie.

He sighed inwardly.  Cal was smart and funny and totally wasting his potential working for Jimmy.  Another twinge of guilt went through him.  He wondered briefly if Cal would go back to working for the escort agency when Jimmy’s drug empire finally caved in.  Hell, there were more than a few innocent people who worked in the night club and Jimmy’s chain of restaurants who would suffer when their boss was arrested.

You can’t think about that.  Golden needs to be stopped and you know that.

Yeah, he did.

“Jax?”

“Just tired,” he said abruptly.

Cal studied him carefully for a moment before slapping him on the back.  “Mom wants me to invite you to the family barbeque this weekend.”

“What?”

“Family. Barbeque.  Last one of the summer.”  Cal grinned at him.  “It’s a tradition.”

“If it’s a family barbeque then I shouldn’t go,” Jax said.

“Nah, it’s not like that.  My mom is forever inviting poor little orphan waif’s like yourself to our family functions.”

“Orphan waif?”

Cal shrugged.  “I know you don’t have any family.  Hell, from what I’ve heard around the club you don’t have that many friends either.”

“I like my space,” Jax grunted.

“If you don’t come to the barbeque, you’ll never get a nickname from my mom.  Is that what you want, Jax?  Is it?”  Cal asked dramatically.

Jax bit back his smile.  He couldn’t go to the barbeque.  Melanie would be there and he needed to stay away from her.  It didn’t matter if all he could think about was her soft voice and warm body or the way she had looked when she was coming.  He had asked her for one night and gotten it.  He needed to forget her.

“Well?”  Cal asked?  “Are you coming or not?”

“Sure.”

Asshole!

“Great!”  Cal slapped him on the back before standing and buttoning his jacket.  “It’s on Sunday.  Dinner starts around five but you can show up any time after three.  Okay?”

“Should I bring anything?”

“Nah.  Mom will have enough food to feed an army.  Are you sticking around tonight?”

Jax shook his head.  “No, Mr. Golden is hosting a dinner party at his place.  I’ll be at that for a few hours and then heading home.”

“Count yourself lucky,” Cal said.  “Apparently we have some ‘B-list’ movie star coming in tonight and he’s invited about thirty of his closest friends.  It’s going to be a fucking zoo in here.”

As Cal walked away, Jax rubbed wearily at his forehead.  He shouldn’t have said he would go to the damn barbeque but the thought of seeing Mel again was too tempting to resist.  Besides, it’s not like they were going to have sex in the bathroom again.  In a few weeks’ time Jax Anderson would be gone and he’d never see her again.  There was no harm in going to the barbeque just to see her, to smell her sweet scent, one last time.

* * *

Jax studied the produce in front of him before selecting a fresh bunch of carrots, their green tops damp, and placing it in the shopping basket slung over his arm.  It was a twenty-four hour grocery store but at two in the morning, there was only one other person roaming the produce aisle.  The old man shuffled out of produce and toward the dairy section, his cane making a rhythmic thumping on the worn linoleum, as a third man appeared. 

He carried a shopping basket as well and he placed potatoes and a head of cauliflower in it as he moved toward Jax.  He picked up a green pepper, testing the weight of it in his hand, and without looking at Jax, said, “What’s the news?”

“I’m in.  He promoted me earlier today.”

Agent Darvin placed the green pepper in his basket and picked up an eggplant.  “That’s very good news.  When’s the next deal?”

“I don’t know yet.  I’ll let you know,” Jax replied.

“Good.”

Keeping his eyes on the spinach in front of him, Jax said, “As soon as I tell you, I want out.”

“We can’t do that.  Not yet.”

“Bullshit.  I told you I’d find out where he was delivering drugs and you said you’d give me a new life.”

“And we will.  But unless Golden’s there himself, we can’t bust him.  We need him personally delivering it and we need you to help make that happen.”

“It’s never going to happen.  I told you - he’s not stupid,” Jax said.

“If he was left with no choice, he would,” the agent said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you find out where the next drug deal is and let us worry about the rest.”

“Just how the hell are you going to do that?”

“Like I said - don’t worry about it.  Just find out the information we need.”

With a soft snort of disgust, Jax walked away.

* * *

“Butterfly, you’re short a place setting,” Darla said.

Mel frowned at the picnic table and mentally counted in her head.  “I’m not, Mom.”

“You are.  I told Cal to bring Jax with him.”

“You what?”  Mel glanced down at herself as Julie set out the wineglasses.

“I told Cal to bring Jax with him,” Darla repeated.

“Why would you do that?”  Mel rubbed frantically at the stain on the front of her sundress.  She groaned inwardly as she remembered the state of her hair.  She hadn’t done anything with it this morning, just threw her damp hair into a bun on the top of her head, and she wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup.

“Because I know you like him, butterfly,” Darla said cheerfully.

Mel gaped at her mother before staring accusingly at Julie.  Julie shook her head.  “I didn’t say anything, Mel, I swear.”

“Oh please, I’m your mother,” Darla snorted.  “Do you really think I need someone else to tell me when my girl likes a boy?”

“I don’t like Jax Anderson, mom,” Mel lied hotly.

“No?”  Darla said cheerfully.  “Well then what do you care if he comes to the barbeque today?”

“I don’t,” Mel said.  “Excuse me.”

She hurried toward the patio doors and shut it behind her before bolting up the stairs to the bathroom.  It was locked and she rattled the doorknob as Court yelled, “Occupied!”

“I know you’re playing Candy Crush in there, Court!”  She snapped.

“Am not.  I just can’t be rushed when I’m peeing,” he said conversationally.  “Use the one downstairs.”

She rolled her eyes and marched down the hall to her old bedroom.  Her parents had converted it into a guest room, but her old bed was still there as well as her vanity, and she bent and checked her reflection in the mirror.

“Dammit,” she sighed.  Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a rat’s nest on top of her head and she had a zit starting on her chin.

“I’m going to kill my mother,” she muttered to herself as she poked at the zit.

“Matricide doesn’t seem to be your thing, butterfly.”

She whipped around, staring wide-eyed at Jax Anderson.  He was standing in the doorway and he let his gaze drop down her body as a slow grin crossed his face.

Mel’s pulse was starting to pound and she licked her lips as she looked him over.  He was wearing a tight-fitting green t-shirt with faded and worn jeans and he looked positively delicious.  A vision of being under him, of tracing her fingers across his abs, brought a surge of wetness to her panties and she inhaled sharply.  Fuck, she wanted him badly.

She had thought she was done with him after their night together.  She had left early the next morning, he hadn’t asked her to stay, and she had spent the last week doing her best to forget exactly how it felt to be in Jax Anderson’s bed.  She thought she’d done a good job of it.  It wasn’t like she had thought of him the entire week, maybe only half of it.

She took a deep breath and smoothed her sundress nervously before starting toward him.  She would say hello and not act like she wanted to fuck him senseless.  She would have some goddamn self-control.

Jax watched as Mel took a deep breath and smoothed her dress.  She looked amazing – her hair was piled on top of her head and her face was free of makeup.  He could smell her perfume and he reached out and touched her arm as she walked by him.

“Hello, butterfly.  Have you missed me?” 

He ached to wrap his hand around her arm, push her up against the wall and bury himself deep inside of her.  The smell of her perfume was all around him and he swallowed heavily as she turned to face him.