Page 49 of Phantom’s Mate

She said, “I’m the last person anyone should ask why life—or death—isn’t fair. But I do know what it’s like to go through both of them with walls around you, never letting anyone in. Barely giving anyone a chance to even get close enough to let you down again.”

She couldn’t tell if she was getting through to him, but she plowed on. “I’m not saying Jax deserves what he has. Maybe none of us do.” She put her hand on his arm, running it softly up to his shoulder, and cupping his face. “Maybe love is just a gift.”

He did meet her eyes then, his feelings for her burning in his gaze.

She said, “Will taking down Jax, destroying that family, really be justice? And will it make you feel any less alone?”

He held her eyes for a long moment. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, they heard gunfire in the distance. Dimly, from inside the headquarters, a radio crackled. “Alpha! Delta team! We’re under attack!”

Chapter 23

Nick and Britt both dashed through the wall back into Jax’s headquarters, just as two of his lieutenants burst in the front door.

“Report,” Jax said immediately.

“It’s fucking Trey, with some kind of mercenaries.”

“Damn. They want the artifacts.” Jax spoke into his radio. “Delta team, hold the perimeter!”

Forgetting she was a ghost and couldn’t get hurt, Nick said to Britt, “Stay here.”

He traveled quickly through the spirit world in the direction of the gunfire, and rose up in the air to get a better view of the situation.

There were over a dozen mercenaries, at a quick count. Well-armed professionals.

He found their leader and swooped down in time to hear him giving orders. “Team 1, draw off the defenders. Team 2, circle around to the other side and do the same. The rest of you are with me—we’ll go to the headquarters and retrieve the artifacts, plus anything else of value.”

Nick didn’t think he had enough men for that, until he saw the gleam of gold on the guy’s wrist, and Trey right behind him. He didn’t look like he was there under duress, the dick.

That gold armband was a Draken artifact. And hell only knew what it did, but if Trey had found out how to use it—this could be very, very bad.

Nick traveled back to the HQ, getting there well ahead of the mercenaries. Britt was still there, in the corner, and a trapdoor in the floor was open. There were stairs going down, and two of Jax’s men were just disappearing down them with the last crate of weapons. Jax handed down the artifact case, and then turned to his mate.

“Take Maxim and hide in the tunnel. Stay there, unless you hear them coming after you. If they do, shoot them.”

She nodded.

He held her tight for a moment, kissed the baby, and sent her down the stairs.

Jax’s radio crackled again. “HQ—at least three of them broke through the perimeter, heading your way. Trey is with them, so they know what we have—but not where it is. We’re proceeding as if they plan to use the women and cubs as hostages.”

“Copy on the sitrep,” Jax said. “Proceed.” He went totally still, eyes narrowed—it was obvious the gears of his brain were whirring. Then he bounded back down into the tunnel, and came back a minute later with the artifact case. One of the lieutenants was pressed against the wall by the window, looking out, while the other one obviously awaited orders.

Jax said to his men, “Colobo, you lead the defense of the barn; Liddy, you take your squad and defend HQ until you can’t anymore. Call back everyone you can raise, to defend the barn.”

Colobo asked carefully, “What are you going to be doing?”

“Creating a diversion. Think they’re monitoring our comms?”

Colobo spat. “Probably. Depends how much they got out of Trey.”

“In this particular instance, I’m hoping he gave them the comms channels. Liddy, get a couple of guys to cover my retreat.”

“Should we lead the enemy in another direction?”

“No. Tell them to give me a head start, and then lead the bastards right to me.”

Nick’s first thought was, It seems like I’m not going to have to kill Jax after all.