Abort, abort. Wrong tone, dipshit.
“What...?” she stammers. “Why?”
I drag in a breath, tempering the adrenaline rushing through me to soften my tone. “You’re coming with me, love. Pack your things.”
That British chick did a number on you. Real Casanova shit.
“No,” Jax rasps, his voice like sandpaper. He hauls himself up and shuffles left to shield her. “No, you can’t—”
“You better shut the fuck up.”
He clenches his teeth, fingers twitching toward the gun at his hip. I’m faster. My Glock is out, the barrel denting his forehead before he draws.
“Nah, ah, ah,” I chirp. “Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to kill you,” I scoff, amusement tugging my lips. “Well, that’s a lie, isn’t it? Of course Iwantto kill you. Ican’t, but Iwillif you force my hand. Ishouldkill you for putting yours on her—”
“I didn’t!” he snarls, both hands rising to signal defeat. “Let’s just calm down alright? You don’t understand—”
“Don’tlie. She didn’t bruise herself.Youdid that.”
I cut back to Leilani who hasn’t moved from the spot, still shaking, doe eyes flicking between us.
“Hey, you’re fine. You’re safe.” I push the barrel further into Jax’s skin. “He’s not touching you again. Go grab your things.”
A broken whimper leaves her. “But—”
“Ohplease!” Jax groans, rolling his eyes. “She’s playing you, man. Don’t fucking fall for it.”
“Shut up!” Leilani yells, making a weak attempt at throwing the wine glass. “Please, I...” she chokes, tears wetting her eyelashes. “I don’t want to be here, I—”
My grip on the gun falters for half a second while my body’s begging to wrap her in my arms.
“Koby!” Jax snaps. “You have no idea what you’re doing. You think you’re saving her? Listen to me. If you take her—”
I’ve had enough of his bullshit.
I slam my gun against his skull and he drops into an unconscious heap. The pressure point on the temple never fails to bring even the biggest men to their knees.
Thank you, Broadway.
He showed me that spot years ago. His mother knew all about pressure points. Not just those that help you relax, but also those that can leave someone comatose, paralyzed, or even dead if pressed with enough force.
Handy knowledge, I admit.
Leilani backs further into the wall. We don’t have long before Jax wakes up. Ideally, we should be on the road, heading for the safe house when it happens.
And I still need to swing by Carter’s.
This little conundrum will take some explaining. Hopefully, once he sees his sister’s best friend sporting a bruise the size of Jax’s palm on her face, he’ll be on my side. He might even use it to his advantage when negotiating with Blaze.
I cross the room, watching Leilani for any signs of fear. Scared people lash out. While I can’t imagine she has a violent bone in her body, she did Jax’s face some damage, so...caution.
“What did he do to you?” I ask.
What scared such a sweet, pliant girl enough to fight a losing battle? She’s tiny. Two heads shorter than me, petite, dainty... She must’ve taken him by surprise, caught him off guard. I doubt she got her hands on him. The scratches running across his face are probably the result of a wine glass shattering against his cheekbone.
“He...” She pauses, blinking fresh tears away. “He—”
“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you again. And I sure as fuck won’t, so please, grab your things, okay? I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
