Page 19

I push the front door open and am immediately greeted by a blast of warmth from within the house. I shrug off my jacket and kick off my shoes, rubbing my hands together to warm them up as I walk towards the office. Jax is right where I left him an hour ago when I headed outside to try and clear my head.

He smiles warmly at me, and I swear I’ll never get used to the way I feel when his eyes linger on me before he motions for me to take a seat beside him. I barely have time to brush my lips against his before Ryan comes striding into the room, his frustration a palpable presence around him.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I sink into the chair beside Jax.

“We intercepted Winston,” he says, walking towards us.

I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but it’s not this.

“You found him? What happened?” I stammer, caught off guard.

“Things went sideways, and he was eliminated by our guys. Much to our annoyance.”

I look to Jax, his jaw feathering with frustration.

“I wanted to have a little talk with him first,” Jax says, his voice calm despite the tension rolling off his body.

“And we almost had Rhett, but he lost our tail just outside of Paris,” Ryan says, his irritation flowing into his voice as he looks at Jax.

Jax drums his fingers against the stone table slowly, and I can practically hear the gears turning in his head.

“How exactly did he manage to lose our guys, when he wasn’t supposed to even know he was being followed?” he asks, and I can tell he’s trying to keep his own frustration in check.

“Trust me, you’ll be the first to know when I get to the bottom of this.”

Jax nods and I look between the two of them.

“Is this the first time something like this has happened? What do we do next?” I ask out of curiosity.

“I think you give us too much credit sometimes, love,” Jax says, placing his hand over my own.

“Most of the time things go smoothly,” Ryan says with a wink. “But this isn’t the first time a plan hasn’t gone the way we want it to.”

“In terms of this specific situation, the plan is slightly more challenging…” Jax muses.

“Yeah, because it’s a lot harder to find, capture, and bring someone back here when you want them alive throughout the process,” Ryan drawls.

“So if this plan is so challenging… then why not make a different plan?” I ask.

“Because someone is out for blood,” Ryan says with a dramatic eyeroll. “And someone won’t let anyone else take credit for any revenge that’s going to be had.”

I steal a glance at Jax, who only smiles at me in return, and it’s the only confirmation I need to know that Ryan is giving a pretty accurate explanation.

“And before you ask,” Ryan says, “I already suggested that we all go overseas and find him ourselves, but someone got blacklisted from flights last year.”

“You did what now?” I say, my mouth open in shock.

Jax simply smiles at me. “A mild over-reaction from the law enforcement in this country.”

“How does that even happen?” I ask in surprise.

Jax responds with a mischievous smile. “Just a little misinterpretation of some federal laws.”

“If by misinterpretation you mean a blatant disregard,” Ryan says, and I make a mental note to ask for the full story later.

“So, if we can’t go to Rhett ourselves, but it’s too hard to bring him back here, then what’s the plan?” I ask, looking at Jax. “He clearly knows something’s up if he managed to lose your guys. So how are you meant to catch him now?”

“I think,” Jax says slowly, “it’s time to call in a few favors.”

I give him a questioning look, unsure of what he means.

“Ryan, reach out to McDougall and his group. See if they can help get a new tail on Rhett. And check in with the Dimarco family. They’ve got people everywhere nowadays, and they owe us for the last deal we did. Tell them I don’t want him sneezing without us knowing about it.”

“On it,” Ryan says, pulling up his phone and firing off a few texts, as I sit here, trying not to look dumbfounded at just how global Jax’s business clearly is.

“Do you think he knows what’s in store for him?” I ask.

“He knew from the second he took you that he wasn’t going to make it out of this without Jax coming after him. And after what he did… what he allowed to happen while you were under his watch… he’d be stupid to think this is going to end with him anything but dead,” Ryan says, and despite his cheerful tone I can see the flicker of violence in his gaze. “We’ve been tailing him for weeks now, but you’re right, it’s not easy to catch him and bring him back here.”

“And you’re willing to put this much effort into finding him… an international manhunt?”

“Yep,” says Ryan with a smile.

“And no chance of this plan of yours changing?” I ask Jax.

“Not at all,” he says with another smile.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re stubborn?”

“I think Ryan does at least once a day,” Jax says, his eyes flashing with humor.

“Probably more actually,” Ryan chips in.

“And what about Tanner?” Bile rises in my throat as his name leaves my lips. “What will happen with him?”

“As far as we know he hasn’t left the country,” Ryan says as he stands up. “It’s only a matter of time before we find him, and when we do—”

“He’ll wish he was already dead,” Jax finishes for him.