He leaves as quickly as he came, the door jingling behind him. I let out a long breath and look at Jax across the remains of our desserts. The pie plate is nearly empty, crumbs and melted ice cream the only evidence left. My heart races with a mix of adrenaline and that deep, glowing love I feel for this man.
Jax squeezes my knee, his voice edged with control. “You did good. I’ll be right back.” He leaves the booth to chase after Mike.
22
Jax
“Mike. Hold up.”
He turns, eyebrows raised in the dim glow of the mason jar lights.
“Run it tonight,” I tell him, voice firm and unwavering. My eyes flick once toward Ava, who sits watching me with those trusting eyes that make my chest tighten with need. “No delays. I need that story live and loud before sunrise. Safe house in town. You know what we discussed.”
Mike nods without hesitation, a knowing glint in his expression. “I can do that. Give me an hour to polish and file. It’ll hit the wires and the morning papers hard. You two stay safe out there.”
“Appreciate it.” I clap him once on the shoulder, firm enough to seal the deal, then watch him step out into the night. The door swings shut behind him, cutting off the cold draft. Good. One piece moving exactly where I need it.
I stand there a moment, the low hum of the late-night kitchen and the crackle of the fireplace filling the quiet restaurant. Mybody still carries the memory of Ava from the SUV, her tight heat wrapped around me, those soft whimpers and the way she came so perfectly on my cock. Fuck. I love that woman. Deep. Primal. The kind of love that makes a man ready to tear the world apart to keep her.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see Brock’s name on the screen. I answer while stepping toward the window, keeping one eye on Ava in the booth. Her fingers trace patterns on the barn-wood table, that little smile playing on her lips as she glances around at the weird decor again.
“Brock,” I say, voice rough.
“We’re in position,” he replies, steady and solid like always. “Cabin’s stocked. Perimeter’s set. Ready when you are, brother.”
A slow smile spreads across my face, the first real one in hours. Tension eases from my shoulders as the plan clicks tighter into place. “Good. We’re moving now. Keep the others looped in quiet. I owe you for this.”
“Anything for family. Watch your six.”
I end the call and pocket the phone, the weight of it lighter now. Everything is falling into line. The story will run. The cartel will come and we’ll be ready. Brock and the team have our six.
I spin around to head back to Ava. The warm golden light from the hanging jars washes over me as I approach our booth. Ava looks up, her cheeks still faintly flushed from earlier, eyes sparkling with a mix of nerves and excitement that makes me want to haul her back into the SUV and bury myself inside her all over again.
I slide into the seat across from her, reaching over to grab her small hands in mine. Her skin’s soft and warm against my rough palms. I stroke my thumbs over her knuckles, feeling the delicate bones there, already imagining a ring on one of them someday soon.
“Everything’s moving,” I tell her. “Mike’s running the story tonight. Brock’s team is ready for us. Thiswillwork.”
Her breath catches in that cute way I love, and she squeezes my hands back. The tension between us crackles hot and alive even in this public space.
I’m going to keep this woman. Love her hard. Protect her with everything I’ve got. The Steel Mountains are about to become our forever, and I can’t wait to start claiming every inch of that future tonight.
“Ready?” I ask, already standing and pulling her gently to her feet.
Her smile lights up the whole damn room. “With you? Always.”
I keep her close as we walk out, my hand firm on her lower back, guiding her through the door and into the cold night where our new life waits. The SUV engine rumbles to life, and I pull her in for one more deep kiss before we drive, tasting pie and promise on her tongue. This is it. The beginning of us. And I’ve never been more certain.
23
Ava
I’ve never been more scared in my life. My heart hammers against my ribs like it’s trying to escape, and every shadow outside the vehicle window looks like a cartel assassin ready to drag me into the darkness. The snow has started falling again in thick, lazy flakes that swirl in the headlights, turning the mountain road into something out of a suspense novel I would’ve shelved in the thriller section back at the library. Yet here I am, living it. And somehow I said yes when Jax laid out the plan.
He had pulled me close after we left the Alpha Pig, his big hands framing my face, and asked me to be bait. Just enough of a trail for the cartel to come looking. One last stand at the safe house not far from the restaurant where Mike Delaney would leak that I’m hiding. Jax and his team would handle the rest. Take them all down in one go. End this nightmare for good.
I should’ve said no. I’m a librarian, not some action heroine. But when those intense eyes locked on mine and he growled that he’d keep me safe, that he loved me enough to end this threatpermanently, I felt it deep in my soul. I love him. This feral marshal who makes my pulse quicken for all the right reasons. So I trusted him. I said yes even though fear twists in my belly like a cold snake.
Now we drive back through the thickening snow toward that safe house. I reach over and slip my hand into Jax’s on the center console, clinging to his rough, warm palm like it’s my only anchor. His fingers close around mine immediately, strong and sure, sending a rush of heat up my arm that fights the chill seeping through the windows.
