Page 73 of Storm and Tempest

Zeyla hit the button for the front entrance to ease open, which it always did far too slowly.

“Careful,” Ramon said.

“Why hasn’t that team come at us yet? They were right here, and they followed us to the other wing.” Zeyla shook her head. “Maybe they went with Four and Five to protect them from us? Or they’re watching to see wherewego.”

Maizie grasped a handful of the back of his shirt, holding on tight.

They moved as a unit to the car, where Zeyla said, “Don’t leave until you see me. I’ll follow you.”

Ramon nodded. “Be fast.”

She sprinted away, presumably to grab her own car.

Jax slid into the back seat. “Maizie, take the front. Find where they went.”

“If you can,” Ramon added.

Jax caught the man’s gaze in the rearview and nodded. They were all feeling the pressure of this one. Maizie most of all.

“This was on the floor beside where you were lying.” Maizie held up a flash drive.

“I think Four was going to give it to me. Even despite his mission.”

“I’ll look at it after I check the cameras. But we can’t go too far away from the building, or I’ll lose access to their system.”

“Do what you can, then we get out of here.” Ramon turned the airflow up and the radio to a different channel. As long as he didn’t change Jax’s preset stations, they would be fine.

Jax watched Maizie race through command line after command line, typing at a frantic pace until she said, “They don’t have surveillance in or around the Edward Russell Jaxton wing.” She sounded frustrated. “There aren’t any cameras inside. Which makes sense for an ambush like that.”

Jax tried to get his head to stop swimming. He didn’t like being useless—he’d rather be at full strength to face whatever came next.

Finding his father and discovering what he knew aboutDominatus.What was the bad deal his dad had made? Maybe all that had been a false lead designed to send him in circles.

The factDominatuswanted Kenna—and presumably the baby—healthy and alive was a good thing. But it wasn’t as if he was about to find peace leaving them in the enemy’s hands.

It seemed as if that enemy didn’t want a war with Jax. They wanted him distracted, or convinced he’d never get her back. They didn’t want him looking for her. Jax was supposed to find his father before they sent someone to kill him, apparently. Or so Four said.

If he did that, they’d have leverage over him. A way to use his father to make his life miserable, just like they were doing with Amara…and maybe others.

Jax wasn’t going to be their pawn.

He also wasn’t going to leave his dad to face a trained killer.

Chapter Twenty

Jax jerked awake in the front seat of the car. The inside of his arm stung. The outside of his arm stung. His head felt like cotton had been stuffed inside it.

“Hey.” Ramon glanced over from the front seat.

They were on the freeway, but Jax didn’t bother trying to figure out where. He scrubbed his hands down his face. “Hey.”

“Gas station up ahead.” Ramon switched lanes.

“Maizie?”

From the back seat, the young woman said, “I’m good. Just working through the flash drive you got from those guys. You might wanna take a look when you’re all the way awake. It’s corporate stuff I don’t understand.”

“Okay.” Jax looked at Ramon. “How long was I out?”