Page 69 of Storm and Tempest

“Neither do we,” Ramon said.

“What do you have to tell us?” Jax needed this over with, because the threat level had just gone up substantially. Clearly this man wanted to convey something more than a not-so-veiled threat.

Maizie wasn’t going to be sacrificed in the fight to get Kenna back. He wasn’t willing to allow her to give herself up any more than he would dangle her out as bait. He wanted his wife back, sure. But the person he would be if he lost everyone he cared about in the process wasn’t the kind of man who could find that peace he’d been talking to Ramon about.

It didn’t matter if he was FBI or a freelance investigator, a construction worker or an architect, he was going to be the man who did everything he could to save his family.

Everymember of his family.

Four swallowed. “Call your dog off.”

“He doesn’t work for me. He works for the woman you kidnapped.”

Ramon stepped back, but didn’t go far.

“Your father made a bad deal. He’s on the run.” Four blinked. “Dominatusis offering you the chance to bring him in before they send an operative to take out your father.”

“What deal?”

“Above my paygrade,” Four said. “But his time is running out.”

Just another of their distractions. “I want my wife back.”

“So you’ll sacrifice your father to get her?”

“Of course not.Dominatusis running on borrowed time. You all can’t keep ruining people’s lives. I’m not living the rest of my life always looking over my shoulder, wondering when one of your operatives is going to show up and take my children from me or take my wife.”

“You think any of us have a choice in this?”

“Then make a choice.” Jax was going to offer him freedom. “Leave with us. Get out and stay out.”

“Live my life on the run?”

“We can protect you,” Jax said. “It’s not foolproof, but it’s better than being their errand boy. Isn’t it?”

“You wanna give me a life, a place to retire, and set me up like it’s witness protection?”

Jax nodded. “It’s up to you.”

“The only way this ends is with blood and pain. For any of us.”

Ramon said, “We’ve had our share, so you aren’t going to scare us with that. It’s time to rewrite the ending. For you. For all of us. And for Kenna.”

“There’s nothing you can do for her,” Four muttered.

Jax wasn’t going to accept that.

Not ever.

Chapter Nineteen

Jax stared at the older man, a guyDominatushad sent to tell him that his father was in trouble. To get him to go after his dad before they did. Which didn’t make sense. He wanted to end this conversation, but without more information than he had, he couldn’t do much.

“Explain how that doctor, Marcus Buzard, is in a photo and video when Kenna killed him months ago.” Jax had an idea what the answer might be, but he wanted to hear it from this man.

Four shifted his stance, impatience in his movements. “Who knows how many of him there are?”

“So they’re cloning people?”