Page 83 of Storm and Tempest

Right now, he was thinking he trusted her more than he trusted Bruce, though maybe that wasn’t fair. Still, when the bullets started flying, Zeyla had jumped on Maizie and taken the hit. That counted in his estimation.

Ramon nodded. “She saved Maizie. She didn’t even think about it, she just dove. I saw her do it.”

“If Maizie is good, I’m good.”

“Agreed.” Ramon shoved all the medical packages in the trash, and Jax left him washing his hands.

Zeyla stood in the hall, her shirt back in place. “I’m not strong like her.”

At first, he thought she might be talking about Maizie, but he said, “Kenna?”

Zeyla nodded. “I’m not a survivor.”

How could that possibly be true? “You’ve been through more than most people, and you’re still here.” He shifted to let Ramon exit the bathroom, then leaned against the wall. “No one else can judge what we’ve been through unless they lived it with us.” He motioned to Ramon, then himself. “We have our own vices, our own nightmares, and things we’d love to forget, but we never will.”

She stared at him as if she didn’t know whether to scream or burst into tears.

“I’m an addict,” Jax admitted. “Maybe I’ve been trying to forget that for so long that I’d forgotten there might be something else out there for me than the FBI. Being a fed was a safety net, a way to make sure I was the man I needed to be. Walking away might not be my choice necessarily, but I should be able to be the best version of myself no matter the circumstances. That’s how I’ll know I’ve really beaten the addiction.”

“I wanted a sister.”

Jax said, “So did she.”

“I found one. She’s in the kitchen.” Ramon cleared his throat. “And I have Kenna, too. Because I need the safety net still. I’m not ready to be out there on my own.”

Zeyla sniffed.

“You had your mother,” Jax pointed out.

“My mother isn’t someone youhave. Bruce needs to realize that.” Zeyla slid her hands in her pockets, her arms tight to her sides. Nervous, and unsure of herself. “But she wants to destroyDominatusas much as I do. We just don’t know how.”

“We’re gonna figure that out,” he told her. “As a family. Together.”

Zeyla stared at him, something like wonder on her face. “Together.”

Ramon nodded. “We get Kenna back, and we take them down.”

Jax pushed off the wall, but before he could say something, the house alarm chimed. “Someone is here.” He went to the front door while the others gathered with Maizie in the kitchen, moving out of sight.

Jolene wandered across the hall behind him, unbothered by what was happening.

He checked the peep hole. “Someone order a pizza?”

But he knew the answer.

Jax slid open the entry table drawer and grabbed the revolver Kenna kept there. He checked it was loaded, then cracked the door an inch. “Can I help you?”

“They’re watching.” It was his father. “Let me in.”

Jax swung the door wide. “Come in. I’ll grab some cash.”

As if he would ever do that with a pizza guy, but if someone was listening or watching them, it made more sense. Until the pizza guy didn’t leave and they’d know something was going on.

His dad stepped in, and Jax shut the door behind him. Edward Jaxton slid the branded pizza ballcap off his head, sending his gray hair all over. It curled around his ears on the sides, and down on his forehead in an odd way. But the old man didn’t fix it, which told Jax a whole lot about how he was doing right now.

His dad followed him to the kitchen, putting the pizza on the counter. “It’s hot, and I paid them a whole lot for it. We probably don’t have much time.”

“Edward Jaxton, my father.” Jax motioned. “This is Maizie, Ramon, and Zeyla.” His daughter, his friend, and his wife’s closest relative.