Forsaken Duty (Red Team #9)(42)

“I’d kill for some coffee,” Val said.

“Nothing for me.” Max was always wired, always ready for a fight. Owen had hired him for that…and for his staunch sense of honor. His moral compass was sometimes something only he understood, but it always led him to the right place.

“Addy’s finishing getting her things and Troy’s packed up,” Owen said. “She’ll be down shortly.”

Max walked around the large salon like a caged panther badly in need of a run. “Why’d you take off?”

“It’s complicated,” Owen said.

“I’m a bright guy. Lay it out for me.”

“Jax was my only link to Addy. I wasn’t about to lose the chance to see her.” Owen looked at Jax, who was propped against a side table, arms and legs crossed, looking on with calm interest. “And at the time, I didn’t know which side Jax was on. I was anticipating a trap. I couldn’t risk leading you guys into it.”

Val nodded toward Owen’s face with its fading bruises. “Looks like you were right.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t Jax’s doing,” Owen said.

Max wasn’t convinced. He paused in front of Jax and glared at him. “No?”

“Edwards and his guys broadsided us,” Owen said.

Max looked over at Owen. “And you think that was a coincidence?”

Owen gritted his teeth. He and Max were on the same wave length. “I think we weren’t careful and didn’t watch our tail when we left Winchester’s. He took us to an abandoned sanitarium way out east and worked us over. He wanted to know who was funding me.” Owen looked at Val. “I didn’t tell him, but I did ask about my son, which made him take off.”

Val nodded. “We found Lion and his pride. All the cubs are safe…except for Beetle. Your son. Edwards took him from the pride. We didn’t know why he’d singled Beetle out. I guess we do now.”

Owen went quiet as he thought that over. “Any news where he’s holding Augie?”

“No,” Max said.

“Has he made any demands?”

“No,” Val said.

“There a reason you couldn’t have let us know what the fuck was up?” Max asked. “Looks like you and Jax are real cosy now.”

“We only got cosy yesterday.” Jax grinned.

“Addy’s sick. I didn’t know with what or if it was contagious. Took a while for me to feel it was safe to bring you in. And the truth is, once I was here and had Addy again, I wanted the time I took.” Owen shook his head. “Screw that. I wanted to drop off the face of the earth so I could be alone with her. I still want that.”

Max blinked then nodded. “Well, I’m gonna need time to trust you again.”

“You never trusted me.”

“True, that.”

“We do what we have to do,” Owen said. “Sometimes that means doing it on our own.”

“And yet you want us to be a team.”

“I’m not wedded to a team paradigm. I am only about ending the Omnis. I believe we’re stronger together, whether we move in lockstep as a team or as lone operators.”

“You don’t get it—”

Owen cut Max off. “Oh, I do. I like your anger; it keeps you edgy and aware. And I trust you whether you trust me or not. The rest”—he waved a hand between them—“you’ll have to fucking deal with.”

Max moved closer, up into his face. “I lost everything, Owen—my entire goddamned family—only to find we’re being played like game pieces.”

“You want to talk about losses? How about losing the woman you loved your entire life to Edwards? How about learning he tortured her for years? That she had a son you never knew about, and he was ripped away from her in a brutal attack? Talk about lost trust—her parents did this to her. We’ve all been played. We’re about to turn this game on its head. You in or out?”

“In. Fucking in. How about you?”

Owen bared his teeth. “Oh, I’m in.”

Max glared at him a while longer, then nodded. “First, we get your boy back. Then we start cutting throats. I’m done giving them a chance to be human. They can tell God their bullshit stories.”

Owen stood in silence after Max moved away to resume his edgy pacing around the room. He was a hard guy to deal with. Rangy and impatient, but loyal to a fault. Owen was lucky to have him on the team—lucky to have every one of his team members.

Fuck knew he was going to need them.

Spencer brought a coffee tray into the salon and set it on a table. He fixed a cup for everyone except Max. Addy came to the door. She looked pale. Even her makeup couldn’t cover the shadows that were big around her eyes. Owen was glad she hadn’t put her wig on. She wore a cream-colored blouse that hung loose over tight jean leggings that were tucked into brown, knee-hi high-heeled boots. A yellow, cable knit sweater covered her from shoulders to thighs. Her nervous gaze made the rounds of the room, then settled on him.

Owen set his coffee down and went over to her. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but knew that might not be welcomed yet. “Addy, this my friend, Max Cameron, and my cousin, Val Parker. They’re on my team. You’re safe with them. So is Troy.”