Page 27 of Storm and Tempest

Ramon probably expected Jax to say more than that, but he didn’t. He was too busy trying to figure out who in his office was dirty and working forDominatus.Ordering people to their deaths and squashing all kinds of investigations.

He liked Special Agent Herron, and under different circumstances would call the wife and mother a friend.

Jax tapped his fingers on his lap and watched the back door of the bar.

“How long is this going to take?” Ramon grumbled.

“Could be hours.”

“That’s why you should let me go in. Shake some trees.”

“When you told me you take out your issues on innocent people in bars?” Jax almost smiled.

“They might not be innocent.”

“How do you know?” Jax eyed him. “Some kind of instinct?”

Ramon shifted in his seat. “Maizie looks people up. If someone has an outstanding warrant and I happen to leave the guy somewhere he’ll be found and receive medical attention, I figure I’m doing the law a favor. Soon as they run his ID, they’ll take him into custody.”

“A public service.” Jax shook his head. “Sounds like a ‘Kenna’ way to do it.”

“Actually, it was Bruce who suggested it, but I guess it might be something she would say. Since you guys got married, she’s had a lot on her mind, with not feeling good and everything that was going on. I’m just glad I got to help at the silo.”

“So am I.” Jax figured that was as close as he was going to get to the apology that Ramon likely didn’t think he needed to offer.

“Wish I could find those old guys. I wanna do a public service on their?—”

“I know what you mean,” Jax cut in. Then he bit the bullet. “Thanks for coming out with me today.”

“You think she’d forgive me if I let anything happen to you?”

Jax nearly chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose she would.”

His phone buzzed, and he checked the screen. It was the number for the taskforce that the president had set up to take care ofDominatusin the US. Jax had connected with them after being imprisoned in the UK earlier this year. He’d been roped into an operation in Europe that meant leaving Kenna behind, but when the president asked, it wasn’t advisable to say no.

Right now, Jax didn’t have privacy to make an update, and with what he’d learned today, he needed to find out what else he could uncover so the report would be fuller. And he needed to do it when Ramon wasn’t in the car.

Jax didn’t like that he had been keeping the updates from Kenna and her team, but given the situation and the fact that even his office had been compromised, he had to keep things tight. The president had promised to turn over anything that related to Kenna, but Jax wasn’t going to hold his breath waiting for intel from up top. Every call was about what Jax had found, and even those were few and far between. Today there might actually be something to report.

Maybe the president knew who the Imperatoris might be.

“Movement,” Ramon commented.

Which jogged Jax out of his thoughts as the back door opened and Special Agent Farlan came out. They watched him gesture widely as he talked on his phone.

“This is a waste of time.” Ramon shifted in his seat. “He’s probably lying to his girlfriend about why he didn’t come home yet.”

“This is police work,” Jax said.

While Farlan talked, Special Agent Herron stepped out. She had tied back her short dark-brown hair, her sunglasses pushed up to the top of her head. When Farlan saw her, he ended his phone call and spoke to her.

Herron’s body language immediately went on the defensive.

“Lover’s tiff,” Ramon said.

Jax watched the interplay. Herron said something and Farlan moved in, his body language aggressive. She pointed her finger in his face and said something.

Farlan stomped away, chastised and unhappy, back into the bar.