“Leave it to Jax, then,” Wolf murmured.
I committed the man’s name to memory as Axe clapped his hands three times.
“You have your orders. We keep the patrol routes as scheduled, but those who usually patrol the main routes will move their efforts to our back and more secretive routes. That way, if she comes sniffing around, it looks like we’re preparing for her worst while leaving our best option open and vulnerable. That should be enough to catch her scent. Church is dismissed.”
25
AXTON
“That was a hell of a job you did up there.”
I stood with Brielle in the doorway of her bedroom as she tossed the file folder on top of the dresser next to the door. The way she moved beneath that fabric made me lick my lips, but goddamn it those clothes were too big. Those baggy ass pieces of cloth had to go. They covered up her curves way too much, and my eyes didn’t like that.
Then again, neither did my fingers, which hadn’t yet had a chance to touch her.
Brielle sighed heavily. “Honestly, I don’t know how the hell I didn’t put it together sooner.”
I shook my head. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were… dealing with a lot.”
She walked over to the bed and sank down onto its edge. “She’s really coming after me for my organs. My fucking organs, Axe.”
I walked over and perched beside her. “She isn’t getting anywhere near you. Not again. Not before we catch her.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that—”
I rubbed her back as her shoulders slumped forward. “You did so well up there.”
“Mmmmm, thank you.”
I slid my hand up and down the length of her spine. “You put things together that none of us would have ever seen coming. How did you know what all of that medical shit meant anyway?”
She shivered as my fingertips danced along her lower back. “Just with my mom and all. You sort of pick up on things.”
“Does she have hemophilia, too, or something?”
She pushed herself tighter against my palm as it splayed out over her lower back. “No, she’s in kidney failure.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
Silence filled the air between us before I cleared my throat. I wanted to tell her, but the words felt so unnatural. It had been a long time since I’d wanted to talk with someone like that. Since I wanted to reassure someone and protect them from the elements.
The words poured forth naturally, as if the universe itself had already made the decision for me. “I’m proud of you, Brielle.”
She swallowed hard before she leaned her head against my shoulder. “I wrote down my address on a piece of paper. It’s in one of the bedside table drawers.”
“Want us to check in on your parents?” I asked, my fingers migrating to her tangled hair.
She shook her head. “No, but if something happens to me, will you—”
I grabbed her hair, yanked her head back, and forced her gaze up to mine. “Nothing will happen to you, Brielle. Do you hear me?”
She didn’t flinch. “But if it does—”
I lowered my face to hers as a growl escaped my lips. “It won’t.”
She let out a shaky breath. “But if itdoes, Axe—just ‘if,’ okay?—will you please tell my parents? Will you tell them what happened to me? Will you give me back to them?”
