Shattered (LOST #3)(81)

Jax backed out of the room. He tried not to touch anything, but, hell, it was his house. His fingerprints were going to be everywhere.

He went back down the stairs. Out the door. He hit the remote to open his gate—

And he saw Brent West standing there.

“Have a good trip out of town?” the detective asked. Brent took a step toward him. His hand went to the butt of his weapon. “Because I just got the most interesting tip about you.”

Jax lifted his hands. “It’s not what you think . . .”

Brent glanced over at Jax’s house. “I can’t help you anymore, man. I just . . . can’t.”

Jax knew he was well and truly fucked.

The sonofabitch out there had set him up, and he’d played right into the guy’s hands by letting his emotions rage out of control.

GABE’S PHONE RANG.

Sarah glanced over, wondering if one of their assistants had already struck pay dirt in South Carolina . . .

He frowned at the screen, then put the phone to his ear. “Spencer,” he said. His face tightened. “What the hell?” he demanded.

Sarah tensed.

“And why would I do that?” His gaze slanted toward Sarah. “That could be straight bullshit.”

Then his lips clamped together.

“I will destroy you if you’ve been playing us,” he promised.

Sarah had no clue what was happening.

Gabe lifted his phone and offered it to her. “It’s Jax.”

Her heart slammed into her chest. She took the phone, far too conscious of everyone staring at her. “H-Hello?”

“Sarah . . .” Jax said her name with longing, with need, and she ached.

“Why did you call Gabe?” she asked him, trying to calm her frantically racing heartbeat.

“Because I think you’ve switched phones a dozen times in the last few days. I don’t have your current number . . . and I figured you’d be with him.”

“Jax—”

“I don’t have long to talk, so just listen, okay?”

She could hear voices in the background. A siren?

“I’m using up my last favor, but I needed you to know . . . I’m sorry, Sarah.”

Her hold tightened on that phone.

“I was out of control at that prison. I never wanted you to see me that way, but hell, maybe I wasn’t hiding from you. I was hiding from myself.”

“What’s happening?”

“I’m going to jail. This kill wasn’t mine, but the body was in my place.”

What?

“Ron Tate. Shot in the shoulder . . .”

The shoulder . . . the shoulder . . .

“And with his throat slit. The cops are going to say I was enraged at him. I made the threats in front of everyone—”

Her mind spun. “I shot the man who—who came after Gabe and me—I shot him in the shoulder.”

Jax’s laughter was bitter. “Then maybe the cops will say I thought Ron was the one who’s been hunting you. That he was the one who took Molly. I wanted to stop him, so I did. I killed him.”

“Jax, please, don’t say anything else.” Because she had heard a siren in the background. If the cops were there, they would be paying careful attention to every word that he said.

And they’d use those words against him later.

“Fuck them, Sarah, I need you to know, I didn’t do this. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t use you. I won’t hurt you. You got to me, pretty Sarah. Know that. You made me want . . . so much.”

She had to swallow to clear the lump from her throat. “Jax, what can I do?”

“Watch your back. Because he’s out there, and he’s taking me away from you.”

She couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath. “I’m coming to the police station. We’ll fix this. Victoria is here. She can examine the body. She’ll find proof that you didn’t so this!”

“Sarah, there’s something you should know . . .”

“Jax, I didn’t know what my father had done!” The words were torn from her, tumbling out so fast. “I didn’t know, and I’m sorry.” She hadn’t been able to look at him without guilt eating her alive. He’d lost everything because of her father. Because—

“I love you,” he told her.

Then he hung up.

Sarah gazed down at the phone. She could hear the erratic sound of her own breathing. Could feel her too fast heartbeat shaking her chest.

This wasn’t right. It wasn’t—

He shouldn’t love me.

She’d wrecked him. She’d destroyed his life—her father had taken everything from him.

“Sarah?” Victoria said her name softly. She touched her shoulder.

Sarah jerked. “They’re arresting Jax.” She grabbed for Victoria’s hand. “They found a body at his house. I’m going to need your help, Viki, please.”

Victoria nodded. “Always.”

“YOUR LAWYER ISN’T going to be able to get you out of this one,” Cross said as he closed in on Jax. Yeah, it figured that guy would be there. Like a shark, smelling blood in the water. He’d just pulled up at Jax’s house. “Your ass is going down. You’re going to rot in jail, and that’s just where you belong. Locked up for the rest of your life.”