Page 5 of Traitorous Lies (Prey Security: Charlie Team #6)

Chapter

Three

Pain ricocheted through his skull, and dark dots danced in front of his eyes.

Jax clung to consciousness only because he knew he had to.

Monique was with him.

Sweet, shy Monique, who had dug her claws into him the moment he laid eyes on her without even realizing she’d done it, or that she possessed the kind of claws that could dig deep inside a man and make it almost impossible to break free.

Knowing he would only be with her for as long as it took to get the location of her reclusive father hadn't seemed to sink in. Nor did the fact he’d never get to crush his mouth to hers and kiss her until neither of them could breathe or fulfil whatever fantasies had been running through her head earlier.

She wasn't his to keep, but for now, she was his to protect.

Which was why it was imperative that he not pass out .

So somehow, he managed to fight off the thick, black sludge attempting to fill up his head and remain awake.

“Monique?” he called out her name, annoyed that his voice didn't come out as strong as he had hoped.

Still, he was going to work with what he had.

Luckily, they were in his vehicle, so he was armed.

Taking a weapon into the party had been impossible because guards with metal detector wands were at the front door, but he’d left them in his vehicle just in case.

Not that he’d been expecting trouble, but it seemed that someone didn't like that he’d managed to get to Monique.

Further proof if they’d needed any that her father was the final rapist they were looking for.

His pretty passenger didn’t answer, so he twisted in his seat to see her hanging limply against her seatbelt.

As much as he wanted to pull her free, check every inch of her body for injuries, and tend to them, the only time he could spare right now was to reach out and press his fingertips to her neck.

It wasn't until he felt the pulse bumping against them that Jax realized how scared he’d been that she’d been killed in the crash. Whatever this strange connection was that seemed to have sprung to life the second their eyes met, it wasn't something they would get the chance to explore.

Unfortunately.

“Sorry, princess, for bringing this mess right to you,” he said softly as he unsnapped his seatbelt and dropped to his feet right in front of Monique, since the car had landed on its side, with her closest to the ground, when it rolled down the side of a short hill.

Already above him, Jax heard people approaching. It would be fun to pretend that they were just other motorists there to help, but that would be a stupid assumption to make.

Only one car had been on the road with them and that was the car that had run them right off the road. Deliberately, no way to imagine otherwise. It had hit them twice with enough force to make him lose control.

Now those men were coming to get them.

No doubt killing him was the plan. Samson Kerr didn't really have a choice now that it was obvious they knew his name. Surely the man couldn’t be so cold-hearted as to have his daughter murdered, so Jax had to hope that these people were going to take Monique to a hospital.

They could pretend to be heroes who had found the Kerr princess alive in her wrecked car and saved her.

Monique would likely tell everyone when she woke up that the accident had been intentional, but she’d have a concussion and would be easily discredited.

That was the second-best scenario as far as he was concerned. The best would be both of them walking out of this alive.

Knowing he was weak and off his game, instead of opening fire on the approaching men, Jax instead reached up and opened his window.

The engine was still running, and miraculously, whatever damage had been done, the window system was still working.

Then he unsnapped Monique’s seatbelt and gathered her into his arms.

She didn't stir, and his fear for her rocketed up several notches.

Alive.

At least she’s alive.

For now, that would have to be enough.

Draping Monique’s unresponsive body over the side of the car, Jax then boosted himself up and over, jumping down to the ground beneath. Snatching Monique back up, he hurried to the closest trees.

A searchlight bounced through the trees, and he could hear voices as the men got closer.

Staying in the car would have been signing his death warrant, as that would be where they were expecting to find him, this at least bought him a little time.

It was no guarantee that he’d live to see the sunrise.

There were at least two other men since he could hear talking, but possibly more.

He was injured and a little shaky on his feet, and while he’d kill as many of them as he could, that was all he could do.

The second he fired that first shot, he’d give away his location and they’d return fire, because it was absolutely too much to hope that they weren't armed.

Their boss had realized the second he made contact with Monique, and it was clear somebody had been watching her at the party and reported back to her father that she’d left with him, that the game was over.

They had his name, and with the entire might of Prey Security behind them, they would make sure that Samson Kerr paid for his crimes.

Jax was just thankful that the entire rest of his family was sequestered away on Delta Team’s remote property.

Nobody outside Delta Team other than Eagle Oswald himself knew where the property was located.

They’d all been blindfolded as soon as they stepped onto the plane, and those blindfolds were not removed until they were on the property.

The relief of knowing no one could get to his family, that even if Samson Kerr had him killed, his brothers would still get justice for their parents, had him breathing easier as he propped Monique up against a tree trunk and got into position.

The light got closer, and the men’s voices louder. Listening carefully, he was able to distinguish six distinct voices.

Not great odds.

If he hadn't been injured, Jax was sure he could take them all out without receiving a scratch, but as it was, it was taking half of his energy just to remain awake and on his feet. He’d be lucky if he were able to shoot straight and kill the first man with one shot without that shot going wide.

Forcing every atom of his body to focus on the task at hand, reminding himself of the consequences of failing, Jax let out a breath, shoved the pain away, and lifted his weapon, aiming it at the man who was tentatively approaching the wrecked vehicle.

At least the men were smart enough to know he was a threat. Every other team that had been sent after his family had been decimated, and Jax hoped he wasn't about to ruin that streak.

Monique needs you.

Those words whispering through his mind helped to steady him further, and the grogginess and pain of the head injury faded a little more. His hands stopped shaking, and he lined up ready to take the shot.

If he was quick enough, he could take out at least two, maybe even three of the men before they had a chance to react and do anything about it. Right now, he had the fact that they believed he and Monique were still in the vehicle, dead or at least incapacitated, working to his advantage .

But as soon as he fired that first shot, he lost the element of surprise.

So he had to make the most of these first seconds.

In his career as a SEAL and then with Prey, Jax had killed before, he had no qualms about taking the lives of these men. They were the enemy, and they’d come to kill him, and at the very least hurt Monique.

What kind of father ordered people to run a car off a dangerous mountain road while his daughter was sitting inside it?

Samson Kerr was a rapist and there was every chance he’d laid his dirty hands on his own daughter.

For a second, anger almost claimed the calm he was striving so hard for, but at the last second he was able to shove it away.

Time to even the playing field a little.

Just as the man at the vehicle leaned over the open window to look inside and Jax readied himself to take the first shot, already locking into place in his mind the positions of the other five men, Monique stirred beside him.

“Jaxon!” she screeched, jerking upright in a panic and giving away their location before he had a chance to fire any bullets.

October 31 st

8:59 P.M.

Pain and terror mixed and twisted inside her until Monique couldn’t fight against it.

With no comprehension of where she was or what had happened beyond the crushing understanding that something was wrong, her shattered mind reached for the first thing it could think of that made it feel safe.

An anchor in the storm of confusion.

Jaxon.

Jerking upright, Monique screamed his name as loud as she could, knowing only that she needed him, that if he was there, everything would somehow manage to be okay .

No sooner had she called out to him than the sounds of something loud rocketed through the air, making her whimper and curl in on herself.

What was going on?

Think, Monique.

The pep talk did little to cut through the fog of fear that had settled around her. It was so thick that she couldn’t seem to see through it.

Something bad had happened, of that she was certain. Something to cause the hammering pain inside her head.

She remembered the Halloween ball, remembered meeting Jaxon, remembered leaving with him, talking in his car, and then …

Nothing.

Just pain and fear and confusion.

“Shh, princess, it’s going to be okay.”

The words cut through the fog, clearing it a little, and she reached out blindly needing to touch him, feel him, to know that Jaxon was really there.

Her fingertips brushed against something soft, warm, and firm. Jaxon. Here, beside her, safe.

Only the loud bangs didn't stop, and they were quickly washing away any semblance of security, knowing Jaxon was here had given her.