Page 167 of Shadowed Sins: Nitro

The evening air carries salt and threat as Sasha disappears into Beverly Hills traffic, leaving us with information that could reshape everything we thought we knew about recent events.

The valet brings our car around while my fingers drum against the drive in my jacket. Jax moves like someone desperate for answers but trained to wait. His energy radiates outward—restless, loyal, protective—all the traits that make him simultaneously charming and dangerous.

"We analyze this now." His voice carries that edge I've learned means his protective instincts are overriding everything else. "I can't—I need to know."

The desperation in his tone cuts deeper than expected.

I slide into the passenger seat, already pulling out my phone. "Vanessa. Are you available for emergency decryption?"

"Always. What've you got?"

Jax peels out of the restaurant parking lot with more aggression than necessary. His hands grip the steering wheel like he's trying to strangle answers from it.

"Military-grade encryption. High priority intelligence from a source."

"Can you send it over secure channels?"

"That's what I'm asking. How secure are we talking?"

Vanessa's pause tells me everything. "This level requires our hardened systems. No remote access. You need to come here."

Jax's knuckles go white against the leather. "How long?"

"Private airfield. One hour flight." I end the call and reach across the center console to touch his forearm. His muscles relax fractionally under my fingers.

He needs the contact to think clearly. Amazing how someone so capable of violence can crave such simple comfort.

"Santa Monica Airport," I tell him.

He changes lanes with surgical precision, his usual scattered energy focusing into laser intensity. "What if it's—what if he's been—"

"Whatever's on here, we handle it." I keep my hand on his arm, feeling his pulse steady under my touch. "No matter what we find."

The city blurs past us as Jax navigates through traffic with the same skill he uses for everything else—complete commitment, instinctive precision. His loyalty runs bone-deep, the kind that makes him dangerous to enemies and invaluable to anyone he claims as his.

Last night in that storage unit, watching him break down completely before finding strength I didn't know he possessed. He's mine now in ways I'm still discovering.

"Sixty-three minutes," I murmur, watching the airfield approach. "Then we know everything."

Whatever's on this drive, whatever truth Sasha's employer wants us to discover, we're walking into it as a unified force. The drive burns against my ribs like a promise of revelation.

***

Two hours later, San Francisco HQ.

Vanessa's fingers fly over her secured terminal while I pace behind her chair. Mira tracks my movement from her position by the door, her presence the only thing keeping me from completely spiraling.

"Military-grade encryption," Vanessa mutters. "Whoever made this is professional."

The war room door opens—Kade entering with Cole, both looking tense. They got the alert during our flight. Whatever's on this drive is big enough that everyone cleared their schedules.

[Continue with decryption...]

The team fills Vanessa's secured workspace like wolves sensing blood. Cole circles the room, checking exits. Asher positions himself near the door. Kade remains standing behind Vanessa's chair, ready to see everything first.

Jax moves like a caged animal, all restless energy and barely contained need for answers. He keeps reaching for me, then pulling back, then reaching again. I catch his hand on the third attempt.

"Obi Wan's running the decryption algorithms now," Vanessa murmurs, her fingers dancing across multiple keyboards. "Military-grade stuff. Whoever encrypted this knows their business."