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Before he can answer, Savage is already talking. “The only true blind spots with Walker Security are none. We aren’t bitch-ass men who are too busy thinking with the head in our pants to get our jobs done. We have cameras in excess and in places no one but us knows exist. Whoever wore this jacket came from somewhere, and we’ll catch them there.”
I rub the thin material of the jacket. “Unless the coat was under another coat,” I suggest. “This could easily be folded up and slipped into a suit jacket or a purse.”
“We’ll know who went to that side of the building,” Savage says. “It’s not like we’re looking for a needle in a haystack. Guests aren’t standing in line to walk the dark castle paths.”
“Right,” I say. “Good point.”
“I do have those on occasion,” Savage says. “Never when alcohol is involved, which is why I don’t drink on the job.”
I don’t laugh. I’m too used to Savage’s sniping and too freaked out to be entertained. “Whoever this is knows the castle. They’d have to be smart enough to know how to avoid the cameras. What if they went through Jax’s tower?”
“That door is bolted from the inside,” Jax says, rejecting that idea. “So even if someone had the door code, they couldn’t get in. That didn’t happen.”
“Unless they unbolted it from the inside,” I argue.
“Nope,” Savage says. “That means getting past the security panel at the front door. That didn’t happen either. We’d know. And for the record, every question from this point forward is answered with ‘What the fuck is going on?’ until I know what the fuck is going on.”
“Why would the security systems work and not the rest of the power?” I challenge. “That makes no sense.”
“Aside from those battery-operated cameras I mentioned before tonight,” Savage replies, “the power outage isn’t related to the actual tower. It’s the east side of the castle. Another reason I know the tower door wasn’t breached. Now,” he pauses for effect, “what thefuckis going on?” He looks between us. “One of you? Both of you?”
I hug myself, rubbing my arms. “I need to talk to Jax.Alone.This is between me and Jax.”
Savage scowls. “What do I look like? Someone else’s chopped beef sandwich you don’t want? I’m here. I’m involved. I’m the one protecting you.”
“It’s between me and Jax,” I snap. “Until it’s not.”
His gaze shifts between us, and the fact that Jax is stiff and silent, must convince Savage that we’re fighting, because he says, “All right. All right. I get it. You two have a thing to deal with, but consider me the best couples counselor on planet Earth. Whatever the problem is between you two, get naked.Later.Get naked later because it solves everything except for me not knowingwhat the fuck is going onwhile trying to protect you both.”
“Someone left a note for Emma,” Jax says. “She tore it up and threw it in the water while the person in the red coat watched.” His hand settles at my waist. “The rest, Emma’s about to tell me. When we’re alone, at the beach house.”
“No,” I say, grabbing Jax’s arm and turning to face him. “We need to stay here and talk. Because we need to talk to her. Don’t you want to talk to her?”
His jaw clenches. “It’s not her.” His voice is low, taut.
“It’s the person who left me that note,” I say softly. “That’s what matters.”
“I have a man coming to escort you both to the beach house,” Savage announces.
“I’m not leaving until we find her,” I say, twisting around to face him again. “I need to stay here and help find the person who left me that note. Maybe I’ll see something that won’t mean anything to your men.” I try to walk around him.
Jax catches my arm, pulling me in profile to him and Savage. “They’ll find her,” he says softly.
“He’s right,” Savage agrees. “WhenI findhim or her, you’ll know. And I sayhim or herbecause you’ve told me nothing to convince me this is a woman. In fact, I know about as much as a guy trying to guess the gender of a baby in a woman’s belly thathe didn’t put there. That’s right. It’s a 50/50 shot for me. Do you not see what a problem this is, Emma?”
He’s right. I’m not giving him enough to go on here, but Jax isn’t speaking up either. He doesn’t want me to bring up his mother, and I think I should. But I don’t. I need to talk to Jax right here and now. “Step away and let us talk, Savage.”
Footsteps sound, and my gaze jerks to the tall, sandy brown-haired man stepping to Savage’s side. “This is Smith,” Savage says, without looking at him. “He’s not a pussy. That’s a good thing when protecting you, in case you didn’t know.”
Jax turns me to face him, his hands coming down on my arms. “Let them do their jobs. Let’s go home where we can talk.”
Home.
That word again.
That place we might have shared, that I was really considering sharing with this man, but this secret all but ensures I will not. “The reality here is that the person who left me that DNA test and the note expects a response. They want something. Justice? Revenge? I don’t know that answer, I can’t know that answer, but all options feel dangerous.” I need to tell him about the DNA test and it hits me that his reaction might not be good. I owe him privacy when I do this and I need that to be now. And suddenly itfeels smart to get us out of the line of fire until we decide if we’re targets.
Ifhe’sa target.
