The other woman shook her head. “No needles, no drugs. It’ll just be me and Poppy having a conversation.”
Jax returned his focus back to Poppy. “You really okay with this?”
“If it’ll help find the men I saw that night? Absolutely.”
He hesitated a moment longer. “Fine. We’ll try it. But if it gets to be too much—”
“We’ll stop immediately,” Isobel assured them all.
Poppy turned to her. “What do I need to do?”
Because the idea of helping Jax and the cops find the men responsible for sending her attacker to her apartment yesterday sounded pretty damn good. No matter what she had to do to make it happen.
“It’s quite simple, really.” The pretty brunette smiled back at her. “You can have a seat on the couch, and I’ll sit next to you. We’ll dim the lights a bit to make the space more comfortable, and then I’m going to have you walk me through the events from that night. I’ll ask you questions along the way, and if at any time you feel uncomfortable or want to stop, just tell me. Okay?”
Sounds simple enough.
“If you’re good here, I need to find Grady to see if a possible lead panned out.” Declan made his way to the door.
When Jax turned to follow, Poppy blurted out, “You’re not staying?”
Swiveling his head around, Jax brought his dark eyes back to hers. “Do you want me to?”
I really, really do,
A fact that she hated admitting.
He’d been a giant grouch on the drive here, either staying silent or grunting out short, one or two-word responses to her attempts at small talk. In addition, his attitude toward Declan and Isobel had been nothing short of rude.
A sliver of guilt set in as Poppy acknowledged the fact that she was most likely the cause. Or rather the unexpected turn the evening before had taken.
Jax hadn’t broached the topic, of course. But the awkward tension still arcing between them was all the proof she needed.
In a moment of emboldened confidence, she’d practically thrown herself at him. Sure, Jax kissed her back…
Kissed me. Held me. Gave me the best, most intense orgasm of my life.
But then, almost immediately, his entire demeanor had changed. Within seconds of her release, he’d shut himself down and completely shut her out.
None of that mattered now, though. Their reason for being here had nothing to do with them and everything to do with helping to take some very bad men off the streets.
Later, once they were back at Jax’s place, Poppy would absolutely clear the air. She’d apologize for her inappropriate behavior and promise to never let it happen again.
But for now, despite the cold shoulder routine, she couldn’t deny the sense of safety and protection his presence still created.
“Please.” She gave Jax a quick nod before turning to Isobel. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course.”
Declan slapped a hand on Jax’s shoulder. “Come find me when you’re done.” To Poppy he said, “Good luck.”
And then he was gone.
“Okay, then.” Isobel smiled. “Let’s get started. Jax, could you please dim the lights?”
Poppy watched as he went to the round plastic knob mounted on the wall near the door. Turning it counterclockwise, the room dimmed to an almost intimate setting.
“Thank you. Poppy, if you’d like to take a seat…”