Page 9

Jax

“E mma, calm down, it will be okay,” I say placing my hand on her shoulder as she is in full hysterics having a panic attack.

“How will it? They have my baby!” she howls in anguish.

“Emma just think for a second. Is there anywhere else he might be? What about your friend? Didn’t you say her son is in Max’s class and she often takes him to hers after school for you?”

She shakes her head, less certain now though, “She does, but she’s never done so without telling me before. She’d have called or texted me to let me know, wouldn’t she?”

“Call her, it’s worth a shot before we jump to conclusions.”

Emma nods, her hands shaking as she retrieves her phone and calls her friend.

“The lines dead!” she says her breath becoming frantic again.

“Alright, take a deep breath for me, Emma, can you do that?”

She nods and sucks in huge gulps of air.

“That’s good, Emma. Where does Jessica live, is it close? Could you direct me there?” I ask calmly and forcefully, trying to keep her focused.

She nods again and I lead her back to the car. With a task to focus on, Emma’s breathing calms a little as she directs me to Jessica’s but I can see the terror still in her eyes. She’s clinging to this life raft with all she can. If Max isn’t there, I don’t know what she’ll do.

***

Jessica’s home resembles a normal family home, the front yard littered with toys carelessly strewn, forgotten by her two kids. I know from the small background check that we did on Jessica to make sure she is who Emma thinks she is that she’s a divorced mother of three. A homemaker who lives off child support from her ex and a small baking business on the side. Mercifully, the lights are on inside, I follow as Emma races out of the car and up the driveway, hammering on the door with a closed fist.

“What’s taking so long?” Emma says, banging the door again when it isn’t immediately answered.

Without thinking, I grab Emma’s hand, interlinking her delicate fingers with mine, the gesture feels natural, yet I can’t remember the last time I held a woman’s hand. Emma looks at it in surprise.

“Emma, just breathe, give her a chance to make it to the door.”

Emma nods, squeezing my hand. The door opens and a ruddy-cheeked woman wearing a flour-covered apron around her sizeable frame answers the door. The smell of baking wafts toward us and the sound of children’s laughter can be heard. The place feels warm and inviting, the kind of clean, yet messy household where children turn it into a home. Upon seeing her friend, Emma pulls her hand from mine as if scalded. The woman glances at us both, clearly having noticed, but doesn’t comment. Though she does seem slightly taken aback by my presence, I don’t exactly look like the kind of guy hanging around in suburbia. Her wary gaze shifts from me and instead, she focuses her attention on Emma.

“Emma honey, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says her brow furrowing in concern.

“Is he here? Is Max here?” Before Jessica can answer Emma cries out into the hallway, “Max!”

“Yes, he’s here, Emma, what’s going on?” Jessica asks as the sound of Max excitedly yelling out, “Mommy!” rings out.

Emma visibly sags with relief as her little boy comes racing out of a back room and toward her.

“Mommy! We made cookies!” he declares.

Emma pulls him into a tight embrace, burying her nose into him and breathing him in before showering him in kisses.

“Mom!” he squirms and giggles, seemingly embarrassed at the display in front of his friend who had appeared behind him.

“Sorry sweetie, Mommy’s just so happy to see you,” Emma says, seeming to decide it is wise not to let Max know she thought he’d been taken. “Why don’t you go and get your things while the grown-ups talk?”

“Okay,” he agrees. “Auntie Jessica, can I take some cookies home for Mommy and our friends?”

“Yes of course dear, take as many as you like, Lucy will help you,” Jessica replies before calling out, “Lucy, come help the boys box up the cookies!”

A girl appears, the sound of pop music wafting out from the opened door. The girl’s still in the awkward phase of early adolescence where they’re too young to be considered a true teen but too old to be a child. She glances over at us, her face reddening as her eyes land on me and she scuttles off to the kitchen.

With the children now out of sight, Emma rounds on her friend. “Jessica, what the hell? Why didn’t you tell me you’d taken Max home? I was worried sick that something terrible had happened!”

Jessica tilts her head, “The school didn’t inform you? When I got there and saw poor Max waiting for you, I figured you must have gotten held up at work again, so I said I’d bring him home to wait for you, I asked them to let you know. Ben knocked my phone into the bath last night during bathtime, I haven’t had a chance yet to fix it or lese Id have texted you.”

Though she says this in a sickly sweet way, the subtle undertones of her judgment irk me. Not everyone can afford to care for their kids without working, Emma shouldn’t be seen as a worse mom for it. Perhaps I’m projecting, but I’m not buying Jessica’s holier than though, bit.

Emma shakes her head, Jessica’s words making her wince and I know she’s blaming herself already. “No, they didn’t… when I got there, I was worried sick that he’d been taken.”

Jessica looks at Emma with an expression bordering on pity. “Well, surely you must have realized he’d be with us, he comes here often enough and it’s not like there’s any danger in our small town. When Adam and I were little, we used to get up to all sorts of mischief after school, playing in the creek and returning home after dark, muddied and tan,” she says wistfully.

I glance at Emma in surprise, wondering if the Adam Jessica mentioned could be her husband. Surely it must be, but why wouldn’t Emma have mentioned that? Though I suppose why would she? It’s clear she doesn’t like to talk about him much. But, if Jessica has a connection with Adam and he’s the reason these guys are after Max, then her house might be known to them and therefore no safer than his own. She hasn’t confided in Jessica about the risk against Max, another curious choice. I resolve to talk to Emma on the way home about it.

“No, Jessica, I didn’t know where he was because no one told me,” Emma says through gritted teeth trying to keep her voice level.

“Oh, you poor thing of course you must have been worried sick! I’ll have a word with the school, they shouldn’t have scared you like that. Now of course I understand they must have been eager to get home, working as hard as they do, and that they can’t give extra care and attention to parents who need more help than others with caring for their children, but the least they could do was pass on my message.”

Again, I bristle at her barely veiled insinuations, while Emma wilts further. “Well, at least he’s safe, thank you for looking after him.”

“Oh it’s no bother, little Max is an angel, he’s just like one of my own to me!” Jessica pauses for a moment before looking around as if surprised to find us still standing on the porch. “My, how rude of me to make you stand outside this whole time! Would you and your… friend…” she finally looks at me, the disapproval evident in her eyes, “Like to come inside for something to eat? Dinner’s almost ready, you’re welcome to join us. Little Maxi could use a good meal, he’s been getting mighty skinny of late. Boys at this age need proper home-cooked meals, which I know you working moms can’t always provide, being so busy with your careers and all.”

Now this lady’s starting to piss me off. Emma again flinches at her words. No wonder she judges her parenting if this is the kind of friend she has.

I decide to answer for Emma, there’s no way I’m going to sit through a whole dinner with this woman showing off her ‘superior’ parenting skills and home. “Sorry, no can do, as much as I’d love to see the rest of your beautiful home and try your cooking, I promised Emma and Max I’d take them out somewhere special for dinner tonight. Perhaps another time.”

I flash her a grin and she’s barely able to hide her shudder, I intimidate her. Good.

“How nice of you Mr.?” she replies, her gaze flicking to Emma. I’m surprised the nosy bitch didn’t ask who I was the moment we arrived.

“Oh, yes sorry. This is my friend, Jax. Well, my brother’s friend…” Emma says, flustered and not knowing what else to divulge.

Jessica sniffs disapprovingly, though I can tell she’s aware of Emma’s brother’s connection to the Iron Serpents and that she’s correctly guessed I’m one, as she moves her hand to rest on the door as though involuntarily trying to get rid of us as fast as possible. “Nice to meet you,” she says, though her body language says otherwise. “Maxi, your Momma’s ready to go!” she calls out.

Max reappears clutching his school bag and a Tupperware container stuffed full of cookies. “Look, Mommy! Lucy said I could have extra to share with Mason and Ty when we get home!”

Jessica’s eyes widen with surprise, and likely jealousy, at the mention of two more men at Emma’s home. I chuckle to myself, I’ve got a pretty strong idea I know exactly the kind of small-town small-minded woman Jessica is.

“That’s nice of you sweetie. Now say goodbye and thank you to Auntie Jessica,” Emma says awkwardly, avoiding her friend’s questioning gaze.

“Thank you!” he says, giving her a brief hug before turning his attention to me. “Hi Jax, I have a cookie for you too! Do you want it now?”

“Thanks, lil’ man, I think I’ll save it for after dinner, we don’t wanna spoil our appetites, do we?” I say bending down so I’m at eye level with him. He shakes his head, and I ruffle his hair. “Go on and get in the truck with your mom, I’m gonna say goodbye to Miss Jessica.”

Emma shoots me a nervous glance, but I nod and smile at her reassuringly. “Bye, Jessica, I’ll speak to you soon,” she says before walking toward the truck, Max’s hand in hers.

Jessica looks startled to be left alone with me, caught like a deer in headlamps. “You be sure to get that phone fixed, as a mother, you know exactly how terrified she must have felt not knowing where her baby was. We don’t want that happening again now, do we? To her or anyone else.”

I let the words linger. I’d never dream of harming a child, no matter who their parent was, or what they’d done. But Jessica doesn’t know that. Hopefully, this will scare some sense into her, and she’ll think twice before waltzing off with someone’s kid without letting them know like she’s doing them a favor. Jessica shakes her head mutely with a gulp.

“You have a good night now,” I say before heading to the car, I hear the door immediately slam behind me by a shaken Jessica.

“Now, where do you guys wanna go for dinner?” I ask as I get in.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that…” Emma says shaking her head, “You’ve done so much already for us.”

“Nonsense, I want to. Besides, I figure you could use some downtime after everything,” I insist and Emma smiles gratefully at me.

Her smile lights up her face, I just know I’m gonna become addicted to making her smile. I also know Mason is going to tear me a new one when we get back. This is the exact opposite of keeping my distance and not getting involved beyond what we’re here to do.

But right now, with Emma and Mason laughing and smiling happily, I couldn’t care less about following the rules.