“That sounds…safe.”
“Wouldn’t suggest it if it wasn’t.”
“So…what?” Wade’s tone reeked of incredulousness. “You just gonna Lone Ranger it?”
Jax stared back at a man he’d once helped Noah save. “Seeing as how the only people I trust are in this room, yeah. That’s pretty much the plan.”
Declan clearly had other thoughts. “Poppy’s a witness to a crime involving the subject of a massive federal investigation. Not sure this is up to you or her.”
To his brother, Jax countered with, “There seems to be some confusion, so let me set the record straight. I’m not asking permission to be in charge of Poppy’s protection. I’m telling you…this is how it’s going to be.”
Unless Poppy objected, which would be the start of a whole different argument.
“If you trust us like you claim”—Grady interjected—“then at least let us take shifts.”
“Appreciate the offer.” In truth, he did. “But I’ve got this covered.”
Grady flipped him the bird while Declan butted back in. “This is big, Jax. I get that you’re the badass Navy SEAL and all, but even you can’t win a fight if De Luca brings the full force of the Mons Leones after your asses.”
Jax didn’t miss the worry staring back at him through his brother’s gaze. It was touching and, if he were being honest, warmed his heart to know Declan really did care.
But this was his fight. And trust aside, he wasn’t putting Poppy’s life in anyone’s hands but his.
It was crazy. Maniacal at best. But ever since he’d tasted those sweet, luscious lips of hers, something inside him had begun to change.
There was this possessiveness about him that hadn’t been there before. A powerful, primal need he couldn’t begin to explain.
He saw her, and he wanted. He tasted her—touchedher—and he needed more. And as far as her protection was concerned…
It has to be me.Ihave to be the one to keep her safe.
Another one of those pesky new Alpha male traits he’d suddenly inherited. Funny thing, though. They only seemed to exist where Poppy was concerned.
“You can’t put a case together if you’re locked away in the middle of nowhere sitting on your asses,” Jax informed the group. “So you guys just worry about collecting your evidence, and I’ll focus on keeping Poppy alive.” With Declan and the others still looking unconvinced, he played the only card he had left.
“You owe me, brother.” He looked around the room. “In fact, with the exception of Mr. Clean over there, you all owe me. And you can pay me back by doing your jobs and taking that son of a bitch De Luca down.”
More than ready to leave, Jax pushed himself to his feet and offered his hand to the woman in the chair next to his. He didn’t grab hers or try to force her to take his.
Instead he stood silently, letting her know without words that the choice was hers.
Searching Poppy’s hypnotic eyes for any trace of the uncertainty reflected there a few minutes before, Jax was relieved as fuck to see that it was gone.
Poppy slid her palm against his, the electric current from her touch nearly singeing him upon contact. Curling his fingers around her delicate hand, Jax kept his hold gentle as he pulled her to her feet and led her toward the door.
As they made their way to the front of the room, Noah handed Maggie the remote before stepping around her to presumably walk them out. Accepting that the meeting had come to an end, Maggie pressed a button to, Jax assumed, turn off the screen.
But rather than power down, the up close and personal photo of David Santoro on those courthouse steps zoomed out, revealing the entire image.
Standing beside their dead floater stood Frank De Luca, himself. Both men were smiling wide, and given the photographers and reporters pointing their cameras and mics behind him, Jax inferred that the picture had been taken after one of De Luca’s many trials.
Gasping, Poppy pulled him to a stop. Her wide-eyed gaze was fixated on the screen, and her cheeks became pale. Almost as if she’d seen a ghost.
“That’s him.”
“That’s Santoro, yeah.” Jax nodded. “And the asshole beside him is Frank De Luca.”
But Poppy was already shaking her head.