Shattered (LOST #3)(20)

Sarah paled, then quickly glanced around. In the next instant, she was grabbing him. “Do not,” she whispered, “threaten to kill someone in a public place!”

He laughed. Jax just couldn’t help it. “Oh, princess, I didn’t say anything about killing.” His reputation must have preceded him, again. It happened. Sometimes, that was good, and sometimes, that was bad.

She looked as if she wanted to question him, but then she gave a hard, negative shake of her head. “Just forget Eddie, okay? I’ll deal with him. After you and I are done, I’ll meet with Gabe and we’ll figure out the next step.”

He rather liked Gabe Spencer. Jax hadn’t thought he would. He genuinely liked only a handful of individuals in this world, and he respected even fewer. But he’d done his research on Gabe, and the ex-SEAL legitimately seemed to want to help others. So Jax had taken a chance and called the man today.

Then they’d had that little meet and greet in the hotel suite. Sure, a few of the LOST members—or, rather, two . . . Wade and Dean—had looked as if they’d like to slug Jax, not take his case, but he thought the whole deal had gone rather well. Or as well as he’d expected.

“You won’t tell me why you’re afraid?” Jax asked her. Because her fear was bothering him.

“I don’t know if there is even anything to fear yet. Sometimes, people facing jail will say anything to avoid getting locked up. Sometimes, they’ll act like they have intel or leverage or something that the cops need, hoping they can work out a deal. So the guy could just be bluffing. But I’ll figure all of that out. Right now, my focus is on you.” Her hold tightened on Jax. “Now, look, can we go someplace and just . . . talk? I have questions that I need to ask you before LOST can proceed.”

If they proceeded. He knew her team was still trying to decide if his story was real.

It’s real.

“Not in public.” His voice was close to a growl so he tried to soften that, adding, “The last thing I want is some dumbass in a coffee shop overhearing about my past. We’ll go back to my place, talk there.”

“Right.” She looked down and seemed to realize that she was holding tightly to him. Her hands immediately pulled back, as if she’d been burned. “We can take a cab.”

“No need.” He gave her a tiger’s smile. “I brought my motorcycle.”

One brow rose. “In those clothes?”

“Of course.” He paused a beat. “You seemed to like the ride last night.”

She bit on her lower lip.

He wanted to be the one biting that lip. “You want to hear all about my past, then come with me. I’ll give you every dark detail that you want to hear.” Details he’d never told to anyone else. But, as she’d slipped away from him that morning, he’d come to a decision.

It was time to know the truth. Time to finally figure out what had happened to him.

The past would be laid to rest and he could finally start focusing on the future.

“All right.” Her shoulders straightened. “Let’s go for that ride.”

Hell, yes. Soon, he’d have Sarah exactly where he wanted her.

They headed for the revolving glass doors that would take them out of the hotel. They’d taken only about four steps when Sarah’s phone gave a little beep. She paused and glanced apologetically up at him. “Sorry, I need to see”—her gaze dropped to the screen and her fingers swiped across the surface—“if it’s—”

Sarah sucked in a sharp breath. “No.”

He leaned closer to her, craning his head so that he could see the image that had just appeared on the screen.

“Please,” Sarah whispered. “No.” Her hand was trembling around the phone.

A photo filled the screen of her phone. A woman was in that photo—fairly young, with long red hair that was tangled around her terrified face. Blood slid from a cut on her cheek, and the woman’s arms appeared to be pulled behind her—tied behind her?

“I know her,” Sarah whispered. “She looks just like Gwen did.” A stark pause. “That’s his sister, Molly.”

“What the hell?” Jax demanded. Whose sister?

Sarah was frantically tapping on her screen. She called someone then—maybe the person who’d just sent that fucked-up picture to her? Sarah had the phone at her ear, and fear flashed across her face as she seemed to wait for someone to answer her call.

MOLLY’S PHONE WAS ringing. Right on time. Humming, he picked up that phone and turned on the speaker. After all, he needed to be able to hear all of this conversation—and so did Molly. He brought the phone in nice and close to Molly. In the darkness he’d created, the glow from the phone was the only light.

“Hello?” Ah, that slightly sharp and desperate voice would belong to Sarah Jacobs. Dr. Sarah Jacobs. “Who is this?” Sarah demanded.

With his left hand, he sliced the knife down Molly’s arm. She screamed. A high-pitched, desperate cry.

“Molly?” Sarah asked. “Molly Guthrie?”

Another slice of his knife had Molly screaming again.

“Stop!” Now it was Sarah who yelled. “I know you’re there . . .” Her voice dropped. “Why are you hurting Molly?”

He smiled. He’d been waiting for this moment for so long. When he’d seen her picture in the paper and realized that Sarah was in his town, he’d moved up his attack. Why go all the way to Atlanta and hunt her, when he could make her play the game right there, in his own backyard? Especially since she was already there and tangled up with Jax Fontaine. Too perfect.