Jax (Titan #9)(88)



"Well, um, yes—"

"And if you ever so much as speak to my wife with that haughty attitude, you'll be looking for a job. I don't care if I have to replace you myself. Now, tell me what I can do to make Taini's situation easier. What do you need? Money? Medicine? An insurance card?"

"Um… no. I believe I misinterpreted the situation. I'm, well, I apologize."

"I'm sure." Jax took a deep breath, trying to chill out. "If there is something that might help Taini, please tell me, and I might be able to make it available."

"A friend, even socially or casually, who could come over. To just sit with her. I think she would appreciate that. She hasn't been with us long, and… I think that it would help."

Jax squeezed his eyes shut, not having a clue what to do. Short of calling through the Sweet Hills telephone book, he didn't know anybody other than Victoria and Ryder—that wasn't true, actually. "Okay, thanks very much." He hung up then quickly Googled the phone number for The Perky Cup.

The phone rang twice before Sidney answered. "It's a happy day at The Perky Cup. What do you need?"

"Sidney, it's Jax. I need a favor."

"Oh, okay. Is everything o—"

"Not at all, Sid. Can you help me?" He sent up a quick prayer that Sidney would listen and not ask a thousand questions, because Jax was at the end of his rope.

"Yes."

Sidney didn't say a word after that. Jax could've kissed the guy. "Would Taini recognize your face?"

"Taini as in Seven's mom?"

"Yes, do you know another Taini?"

"No, but yes, she would recognize me." Then not another word.

God, Jax loved Sidney. "Can you leave work and have someone cover for you?"

"Nobody else is here. June left early, and Peter called in."

Again, Sidney for the win. His information was concise and done. Not great intel, but still, Jax could work with that. "I need you to get everybody out of the coffee shop and close up. Don't need to sweep the floors. Don't have to wrap the muffins or dump the coffee. Just kick their asses out and lock the door behind you."

"Jax, I'm sure this is probably cool with Seven, but I'd like to talk to her first. This is our biggest moneymaking day of the week, and we need the money. So…"

"Whatever revenue you expected for today, I will make up the difference personally and double it. Are you okay with that? Because Seven can't come to the phone right now, and I need you to trust me." He ground his teeth. "In lieu of not trusting me, which nobody in this goddamn world seems to do, I'll wire you cash. Just shut down and go see Taini. Seven can't be there. Victoria can't be there. Ryder can't be there. And Taini is alone after she had a seizure, and I don't know who the fuck else to call. Where do you want the money wired?"

"Hang on." The phone muffled, but in the background, Jax heard, "Sorry, everyone, we're closing early. You have to go." More rustling. "Okay, I'm back. I don't need money wired. What nursing home is she at?"

Jax dropped back on the bed and ran his hand into his hair, feeling as though he were running a small job with untrained operatives that had just worked out well. He filled Sidney in with all the information available, hung up, and went to go find Boss Man so he could be fired.





CHAPTER FORTY-SIX


With his head held high and his shoulders back, Jax knocked on the closed conference room door then let himself in to a room full of bikers, Sugar, and Jared. It wasn't often that a boulder of tension lodged in his chest, but it was there now. Part of that was frustration that he couldn't do as much as he wanted to help Seven with the team, and part of that was disappointment.

Boss Man stood up. "Hey, I've been taking calls out here." Then he brushed past Jax and moved to the small conference room next to where they were.

Jax turned on his heel and followed. He should be happy it wasn't a public flogging. They'd all had verbal ass-kickings by Jared—Jax more than others. But he would be flat out lying if he said his ego wanted to get canned with a live studio audience.

Closing the door behind him, he turned around and said, "Look, no hard feelings. I'll head out. That's the way these things go sometimes." Then again, if Jared thought he had murdered Deacon, maybe volunteering to leave the city wasn't the best thing to do.

Boss Man paced the length of the small room with one arm across his chest and the other one propped under his chin until he squared to Jax. "When I don't know a situation, I send out for reports. Parker pulls intel, siphons data. I'll ask you guys for recon. The team will get what we need. But if I don't know, I'll ask. And"—Jared straightened his arms—"when I'm wrong, I need to own that shit. Say that I'm wrong. I'm not perfect, and I don't expect you to be."

He stopped, and Jax let the I'm not perfect sink in.

Jared ran his hand over his beard, shaking his head reflectively. "The way I came at you earlier today? I had assumptions, and that's on me. I'm sorry. Even if I still have questions, I owe you more than I gave you."

Jax stared, overwhelmed.

"When it comes to standing by my men, I see loyalty like I do consistency. Like I do the truth. There are very rare exceptions when that shit's not black and white." He dropped his hand from his beard. "And you? You're consistent. You call it like you see it. Not even one to talk shit behind someone's back. You give no fucks. Just say it to their faces. No one questions where they stand with you."

Cristin Harber's Books