Shattered (LOST #3)(25)

Sighing, Jax stepped into her path. “Have a little faith in me, would you?” Then he walked around to the back of the building. Sarah hurried to keep up with his fast steps. When they got to the back of the bar—a place that smelled of piss and alcohol—the door there was shut, too, but Jax slammed his fist against that door. Once, twice, three times—

And the door opened.

“What the fuck?” an angry bald man snarled. “We’re closed, asshole. Closed until sunset—” The guy broke off, swallowed, and squeaked out, “Jax?”

Jax smiled. “Figured you’d be here, Ron. I knew you kept your place in the back.”

Ron lifted his hands. “I don’t want any trouble.”

Everyone seemed to expect trouble from Jax. That couldn’t be good. Sarah glanced at Jax from the corner of her eye. His features were set, almost grim, and she realized then—yes, he looks like he’s here to kick ass.

“I’m looking for a girl,” Jax told him.

Ron’s eyes darted toward Sarah. “Why? You’ve got a pretty one right here.” He flashed a nervous smile at Sarah. “Hey there, sweet thing.”

Jax moved, putting his body in front of Sarah’s. “Molly Guthrie,” Jax enunciated slowly. “The girl you’ve got washing dishes here at night. I need to find her.”

Sarah craned so that she could see around Jax.

Ron backed up a step. “Little M? She’s not here. Haven’t seen her since her shift ended last night.” He was sweating a bit. “Go try her house. Or the college. She’s got day classes. Go look there.”

But Jax shook his head. “I want to come in the bar, Ron.”

“Wh-Why?”

“Because Molly is missing. You said she was here last night—”

“She left around four! I swear!”

“But Ron, you and I both know . . . you can get a little . . . rough sometimes.” And an even darker note had entered Jax’s voice.

Sarah moved a few steps forward and glanced between the two men. The air seemed to vibrate with tension.

“I told you what would happen,” Jax continued, and she saw that his hands had fisted, “if I heard that you hurt another lady.”

“I didn’t hurt her, I swear!” Ron said. He was sweating buckets then. “I didn’t touch Molly!”

Sarah wished that she had her phone so she could show the guy that someone had hurt Molly. “When she left,” Sarah said, “was she by herself? Was she taking a cab? A—”

Ron snapped his fingers together. “Her brother!” He beamed at them. “That brother of hers . . . I heard her say that he was coming to meet her. Eddie always comes when she has the late shift.” His lips twisted. “Something about wanting to make sure she gets home safe.” He stroked his chin. “Her mom was murdered, by that sadistic fuck Murphy.”

Sarah kept her gaze on him.

“So the brother walks her home when she stays late. I know, the kid’s younger than Molly. The guy probably doesn’t intimidate any damn one, but he’s usually around, dogging her steps at night.”

Only her brother hadn’t been there to walk Molly home last night. Because he’d been in jail. He came to attack me, and got locked up . . . so Eddie wasn’t there to see Molly home safely.

And had that been just what the abductor wanted?

He told me where you’d be. Her breathing came faster. Maybe . . . maybe it had all been a diversion.

“Talk to the brother!” Ron said again, his voice growing stronger as he seemed to become more confident. “He knows everything about her.” He swiped his sweaty forehead. When his hand moved like that, Sarah saw the bruises on his knuckles. “If you ask me,” Ron muttered. “That creepy kid has too much interest in his sister, if you know what I mean.” His hand started to drop down.

But Jax caught Ron’s wrist. He’d obviously seen the bruises, too. “Been fighting, Ron?”

Ron tried to pull away. Jax wasn’t letting him go.

“Why won’t you let me in the bar?” Jax murmured.

Ron’s breath was panting out. “I-It’s closed!”

Jax shook his head. “I told you what would happen if I found out you’d hurt another girl . . .” His voice had turned absolutely arctic.

“Uh, Jax,” Sarah began.

“You should have listened,” Jax said. Then he shoved Ron back, hard enough to send the guy sprawling right onto his ass. Then Jax leapt forward, even as Sarah lunged after him.

But he was so fast. In an instant, he was crouched over Ron. His left hand had clenched around the guy’s shirt, and his right was a tight fist, a fist poised to drive into Ron’s face.

Sarah grabbed Jax’s arm. “Stop it!” she yelled at him. “You can’t do this!”

Pulling against him was like pulling against steel. There was absolutely no give in the man at all.

“I can do plenty,” Jax murmured. “And I will.”

“No!” Ron screamed.

And . . . the door to the right, the door marked private—flew open. A woman shot out, a woman with long red hair. A woman armed with a knife. She yelled and came right at Sarah.

But Jax pushed Sarah out of the way. He shot toward the woman and yanked the knife right out of her hand. The woman attacked him with her nails then. Hitting and punching and—