I don’t ask. Jax doesn’t do shit without a reason. He’s not petty either, so I can trust that this is a big deal. But I have to admit that this hasn’t happened in the past few months. I don’t know what changed, but it’s clearly got him on edge.
Thirty minutes later, we’re crawling down a residential street in Anaheim. Houses with manicured lawns. Normal. Quiet.
Jax slows in front of a house. It’s a one-story, beige with brown trim, and a black SUV parked in the driveway.
He pulls over two houses down and kills the engine.
I look at the house, then at him.
“Looks normal,” I say.
He gets out without a word.
I check the time. 10:47 PM. Then I follow him across the street.
We stay low but move fast. The Honda’s parked at an angle, blocking part of the driveway.
“Don’t be seen,” Jax says, looking into the SUV.
We cut around to the side of the house where thick bushes line the property. Perfect cover.
The curtains are closed, but light spills through the cracks.
Jax crouches behind the bushes. “Stay here. Keep lookout.”
Then he disappears around the corner.
I don’t know what the fuck we’re doing here, sneaking around someone’s property. Jax doesn’t pull shit like this anymore. He’s been fine for three years. No fights. No trouble. Just hockey and keeping his head down.
Yeah, he has a past that haunts him, but don’t we all?
A man’s voice explodes from inside.
“Tigerlily!”
Then it’s quiet.
I hear the anger in the man’s voice. Raw. Barely controlled. Now he’s whispering something I can’t make out. There are a few swear words in there.
I move, duck low, and sneak up to the house. I press my back against the siding beneath the window.
A light flickers to my right. I shift over, staying below the window line.
Then I hear a soft voice. Female. Whispering.
“Don’t worry, Zinnia. It’s going to be okay. Please don’t cry.”
Soft whimpers. A younger girl.
“Just stay in here. I’m going to calm him down.”
The younger girl’s voice cracks. “You shouldn’t have gone to the hockey game. You made him so mad.”
My blood runs cold.
The fuck?
“Did he hit you?” she asks.
