Saving Jax (14 page)

“He isn’t suspicious of me.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Darvin said.  “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Doesn’t matter?  Jade almost fucking died!”  Jax snarled again.

Darvin sighed.  “Jax, I know this has been rough on you but we’re at the finish line.  Just listen to the plan, okay?”

Jax grunted in reply and listened silently as Darvin talked for nearly five minutes.  Nausea was growing in his stomach and he sat down in the chair as Darvin finally stopped speaking.

“Well, what do you think?”  Darvin asked after a few seconds of silence.

“I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean you can’t do it?”  Darvin asked.  “It’s a good plan, Jax.”

“I just can’t, alright?”  He glanced at the door.  It was Mel he was thinking of.  If he followed through with this plan he would never see her again.

“You don’t have a choice, Jax.  If you ever want to get out of this life, you need to do it,” Darvin said slowly.  “There’s a whole lot of money and a warm beach with your name on it waiting for you.  You cannot back out on us now.  Do you hear me?”

“There has to be another way,” Jax said.

“There isn’t.  You know there isn’t.  It’s happening tomorrow night.  Be walking out of Harper’s grocery store at eight.  Golden won’t have enough time to cancel the drop and he’ll have to do it himself.”

Jax stayed silent and Darvin cleared his throat.  “I know about your relationship with Cal Thomas’ sister.”

“How the fuck do you know that?”

“Ms. Wilson told us.  If you care about her, you’ll do this now.  Sooner or later Golden will find out about her and then she’s going to be hurt.  Either by someone trying to get to you or by Golden himself.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do, and so do you,” Darvin said firmly.  “Tomorrow morning at nine, there will be a dry cleaning service knocking at your door.  The suit bag will have everything you need.”

Jax didn’t reply and Darvin sighed loudly.  “You need to do this, Jax.  You’ll never be free of him if you don’t.”

“Yeah,” he grunted.  “I have to go.”

“Are we on for tomorrow night or not, Jax?  I need to know.  We have a lot to set up in the next twenty-four hours.”

“Yes!”  Jax snapped.  “I have to go!”

He hung up and threw the phone in the small wastebasket with enough force to tip it over.  He rubbed his hand across his forehead and jerked in his chair when Mel said, “Who was that?”

He looked up.  Mel was standing in the doorway wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  Her hair was wet and she combed it nervously with her fingers as she stared at him.

“Who was that, Jax?”

“No one,” he muttered before swiveling his chair and staring out the window at the darkness.

“You’re lying to me.”

He swallowed thickly.  He had been a fool to think he could have a relationship with Mel.  Being with him would eventually get her killed.  His stomach rolled again with nausea as an image of Mel, her body broken and bleeding in some cold ditch, flickered through his mind.  Agent Darvin was right.  He was putting Mel in terrible danger and he would never forgive himself if she was hurt or killed.  He took a deep breath and steeled himself to break his butterfly’s heart.

“Jax?  Don’t ignore me.”

He turned around and scowled at her.  “Do you ever get tired of accusing me of lying?”

She twitched backwards before giving him her own scowl.  “Do you ever get tired of lying to me?”

He stood in front of her and, making his voice deliberately harsh, said, “Maybe if you weren’t so damn nosy about everything, I wouldn’t have to lie.”

She recoiled as if he had struck her and gave him a look of pain that stabbed him directly in the heart.  “You son of a bitch.”

“This isn’t working,” he said.

“What?  What the hell are you talking about, Jax?”

“I’ve made a mistake.  I can’t be with someone like you.”

“Someone like me?  What, someone who actually fucking cares about you?  Who worries about you?”

“Someone who constantly hovers.  Who thinks she can control me.”

“I’m not trying to control you!”  She shouted.

“You are, and I’m tired of it.  I think you should leave, Mel.”

She stared in shock at him before snarling, “You fucking asshole!”

She turned and ran from the office.  He stayed where he was, clenching his fist and struggling not to go after her as she gathered her stuff and stormed out of his life forever.  The front door slammed and he sank to the ground, burying his face in his trembling hand as his stomach churned.

He showed up the next afternoon, ringing the doorbell repeatedly until Jax finally opened the door and stared wearily at him. 

“You look like shit, Jax.”

“Good to see you too, Cal.  Did you bring your brother to kick my ass?”

“Let me in.”

“No.”

“Let me in, asshole.  We need to talk,” Cal snapped.

“No, we don’t.”

“I told you not to hurt her, Jax.  Do you remember that conversation?”

“It’s none of your business, Cal.”

“Oh yes it fucking is.  What the fuck is going on with you, Jax?  One minute you’re playing house with my sister and the next minute you’re kicking her out of your life.  Did you not care about her at all?”

“I said it wasn’t any of your business.  Go away,” Jax said.

“You owe her an explanation.”

Jax glared at him.  “What do you want me to say, Cal?  That I finally came to my senses and realized how bad I was for her?  We almost died less than a fucking week ago.  What if Mel had been there?  Did you think about that?  What if she had been there to see me and that fucking asshole Chan hired had killed her?  She isn’t safe with me and you know it!  I’m not good enough for her!”

“Jax, you can’t – “

“Leave me alone, Cal,” Jax said.  “I made a mistake and I’m sorry I hurt Melanie but I can’t change the past.”

Cal stared silently at him before shaking his head.  “You’re such a fucking idiot that you don’t even realize you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.  But you’re right about one thing – you’re not good enough for her.”

He walked to his car and drove away as Jax shut the door and stared at the black suit bag hanging on the hook in the hallway.  He was doing the right thing so why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

“Al, we forgot the potatoes.”

“We didn’t forget the potatoes, Marjorie.”

“I’m telling you we did.”  The woman, she was in her late sixties with short grey hair, stopped at the door and began to rummage through the shopping bags she held.

“We can’t leave here without the potatoes.  Todd loves potatoes and I want his birthday dinner to be special.  He’s our only boy and he – “

Al sighed and ran his hand through his own grey hair.  “I distinctly remember buying them, Marjorie.”

“Then the cashier forgot to give them to us.  Be a dear and run back to the till, would you?”

“Are you sure they’re not at the bottom of the bag?”

“Oh for heaven’s sake!”  Marjorie gave him an exasperated look.  “I know what a bag of potatoes looks like, Al.  I’m telling you – they’re not in here.”

Al continued to hesitate and she said irritably, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

She turned to march back to the till and nearly ran into the tall, dark-haired man standing behind her.  He was wearing a thick jacket, the left sleeve swung empty, and she could see the strap of a hospital sling around his neck.  She studied the scar that ran from his temple down his throat.

“Oh!  I’m so sorry!”  She took a step back, eyeing him nervously.

He nodded in acknowledgement and skirted around her before pushing open the door and leaving the store.  She stared after him for a moment as Al made a noise of impatience

“Marjorie, are you going back to the till or not?  There’s a new ‘Cops’ on tonight and I’m going to miss it if we don’t – “

There was a loud bang from outside the store and Marjorie let loose with a shrill scream as the large glass window in the front of the grocery store exploded with a jagged cough.  There was another round of gunfire, this one even louder than the first, and the man with the scar was driven back through the broken window.  He landed with a hard thump on the tile floor and Marjorie screamed again when blood pooled beneath his body.

A crowd of people were gathering and a man fought his way through them.

“Let me through!  I’m a doctor!”  He shouted. 

The crowd parted and the man kneeled beside the scarred man.  The pool of blood had grown and the man wasn’t moving.  The doctor pressed his fingers against the man’s throat and Marjorie gave Al a horrified look when he shook his head.

“He’s dead.”

* * *

“Come in!”  Jimmy barked irritably.

The door to his office opened and Cal walked in. His face was pale and his mouth trembling and Jimmy frowned at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Mr. Golden, I – “

“Never mind, I don’t have time for this shit.” Jimmy said.  “Where the fuck is Jax?  He was supposed to be here twenty goddamn minutes ago.”

“Mr. Golden,” Cal whispered, “There’s been a…”

He trailed off and Jimmy gave him an impatient look.  “What the fuck, Thomas?  Spit it out already.”

“Jax is dead,” Cal said bluntly.

Jimmy froze before slumping back in his chair.  “What happened?”

He was shot just outside of a grocery store on the south side.  He – there was a doctor in the store but Jax died immediately.”

Cal rubbed his mouth with a trembling hand as Jimmy stared blankly at him.

“Mr. Golden?  Are you – “

“Get out.”

“Mr. Golden, maybe I should call someone for you?”

“Get. Out.”  Jimmy said slowly. 

When Cal didn’t move, Jimmy shouted, “Get the fuck out!”

“Yes, sir,” Cal closed the door and Jimmy sat quietly for a moment before with a loud scream of rage he sent the stuff on his desk crashing to the floor with a sweep of his arm.

He sat back and stared at the ceiling for nearly two minutes before sitting forward and picking up his cell phone from the floor.  He would mourn the death of Jax later.  He had less than half an hour until the drop and he had no one to deliver it.

For a moment he considered sending Cal before cursing under his breath.  The pretty boy would shit his pants if he delivered a shipment to his new clients.  They weren’t exactly model citizens and, besides, he couldn’t trust Cal.  He barely knew him.  He had trusted Jax and he had trusted Mulroney and now both of them were dead less than a week apart.  He didn’t have a choice – he would have to make the drop himself.

“Fucking Chan,” he suddenly muttered, “When I’m done with you, you’re going to wish your mother had never spread her legs for your fuckhead of a father.”

* * *

Mel looked up from the nurses’ station.  “Cal?  What are you doing here?”

“Is there somewhere private we can talk, Mel?”  Cal was white as a ghost and he was rubbing compulsively at his mouth.

“What’s wrong?”  She hurried around the desk and grabbed his arm.  “What’s wrong, Cal?”

“Somewhere private, please, Mel,” he said hoarsely.

She led him into a supply room and shut the door.  “You’re scaring me, Cal.”

“Something bad has happened, Mel,” he said.

Her eyes widened, “Are mom and dad okay?”

“They’re fine.”

“Court, is he – “

“He’s fine too,” he interrupted.  “It’s Jax.”

“What about him?”  She whispered.

“He’s gone, Mel.  I’m so sorry.”

“What do you mean, he’s gone?”

“He – he’s dead.  He was shot outside of a grocery store earlier tonight.”

“No.”  She staggered back and Cal rushed forward and caught her as her knees buckled.

“No!”  She shouted and hit him in the chest with her fists.  “That isn’t funny, Cal!  He’s not dead!”

“He is, Mel.  I’m so sorry, but he is,” Cal said.

She stared blankly at him before bursting into tears.  He pushed her head against her chest and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered repeatedly as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

* * *

Jimmy opened the trunk of his car and removed a large leather bag.  Holding it tightly, he took a quick glance around before walking quickly into the empty warehouse.  He blinked and held his hand up when a flashlight shone in his face.

“Get that fucking light out of my face,” he snapped.

The light clicked out and a moment later, the warehouse was filled with dim light as his client turned on the headlights of his car.

“Mr. Golden, I didn’t expect to see you personally delivering.”  The man, he was dark-haired with a swarthy complexion, leaned against the car.  There were two other men with him, both of them covered in tattoos, and they watched with bored expressions on their faces as Jimmy walked toward them.

“There was a problem with my associates,” Jimmy said.

“I heard.”

“Did you?”  Jimmy said.

“Yes.  News travels fast in this city, don’t you think?”

“Do you have my money?”  Jimmy asked impatiently.

“Do you have my product?”

Jimmy unzipped the bag and showed the man the contents.  It was filled to the brim with packets of white powder and the man smiled before reaching for it.  Jimmy pulled it back.

“Money first.”

“Of course.  You will, I assume, be sticking around while we ensure the product is good,” the man said.

“It’s good,” Jimmy grunted.

“I’m sure it is.  But we’re still going to check.  It’ll give you time to count the cash.”  The man nodded to his two companions.  The first moved to the trunk of the car and pulled out a briefcase as the second one casually moved his jacket back to reveal the gun tucked into his waistband.

Jimmy rolled his eyes but said nothing as he exchanged bags with the man.  He watched as the man set the bag on the hood of his car and withdrew a package of the fine white powder.

“Is this really necessary?  You know the product is – “

“FBI!  Don’t move!”

Jimmy reached for the gun in the holster at his waist as a dozen FBI agents, dressed all in black and carrying automatic weapons, surrounded them.

“Hands up!  Don’t move!”  They screamed repeatedly.

With an angry snarl, Jimmy lifted his hands as the agents quickly subdued the other men.

As one of the armed agents handcuffed his hands behind his back, a man in a dark suit approached him, smiling benignly.  “Hello, Mr. Golden.”

“Agent Darvin, you’re looking well.”

“Thank you.”  The man straightened his suit sleeves.  “It’s a new suit.  Figured I’d dress up for such a special occasion.”

“You know my lawyers will have me out in less than three hours, Agent Darvin.  Just like always.”

“Not this time, Mr. Golden,” Agent Darvin said softly.  “And you know it.”

Jimmy cleared his throat, “You have no idea – “

“Oh, I think he does.”  A soft voice said behind him.

He craned his head and stared at the woman as she smiled at him.  “Hello, dad.”

“Arresting your own father is a new low for you, Jade.”

“Actually, I consider it my biggest triumph,” she said.

“How did you know I would be here?”  He asked suddenly.

“You don’t need to know the details.  It’s not going to help you when I put you in prison for the rest of your miserable life.”

He gave her a tight smile, “I’ll never spend a single night in prison, Jade.”

She smiled again.  “We both know that isn’t true.”

She started to walk away and he shouted after her, “Jade!  Wait – I can make you a deal!  I have plenty of information and I’ll – “

She turned and put her finger against her lips.  “No, Jimmy.  No deals.”

“You can’t do this to me!  I’m your father!”  He screamed angrily.

She studied him silently for a moment.  “Good-bye, dad.”

She walked out of the warehouse, a smile of triumph on her lips as Jimmy screamed angrily behind her.