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“What’s going on?” Jax asked.
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “I want you to stay here at Mason’s while Mariah and I visit the prison.”
“What?” His fists clenched. “Why?”
“Let’s be real. It’s not going to take Tomas long to figure out who hacked him. He might already know. He’s going to be gunning for you, Jax.”
Mariah bit her lip as she fidgeted, turning her worried gaze to Jax. “He will, Jax. You know it’s true. He tried to have you killed already.”
Jax pressed his lips into a thin line. “And he failed. You don’t need to go alone. You need as much protection as possible.”
I shook my head. “We can’t let you get hurt. I won’t let him get his hands on you. Once he starts tracking you down—”
“He won’t. I can’t be tracked. Everything I’ve done is completely untraceable. And even if he suspects it was me, it’s not like he can prove it. What’s he going to do?”
“We don’t know,” Mariah said, and I could tell she agreed with me. “And we don’t want to find out. Maybe you should go underground again.”
She didn’t look like she liked the idea, and neither did Jax.
“No way. I’m not going to hide. Not now when things are coming together.” His face was turning red, his anger and frustration evident.
“Jax,” Mariah said softly, reaching across the table and resting her hand on top of his. “Please try to understand where we’re coming from. I can’t lose you. I won’t take this risk. And besides,” she said when he looked like he was going to protest again. “I need to know Sofia is safe.”
“Sofia?”
She nodded. “We decided to leave her here with Mason and Analise, but they’re only human. It would make me feel so much better if I knew you were here to look after her and protect her.”
He angled his head, his lips pursed. “Now you’re playing dirty.”
“Please, Jax.” Mariah gripped his hand, a pleading look in her eyes.
“Fine,” he said with a huff. “But you have to swear you’ll take extra precautions. I can’t lose you two, either.”
“Believe me. I’ll guard Mariah with my life.”
“Thank you, Jax,” Mariah breathed, relief pulsing from her. “Sofia will be much safer here with you looking after her.”
Jax glanced at me. “Does she always get her way?”
I smirked. “Usually.”
Mariah climbed into the passenger seat while I slid behind the wheel of my car and started the engine. We’d repacked enough of our belongings to stay overnight near the prison. Even though it was only a four-hour drive, I wanted to have a base nearby in case Mariah wasn’t up for it after visiting with Leonardo Steel tomorrow morning.
“I hate leaving her,” she said, turning in her seat to look at the building as we pulled away from the curb. I glanced over to see her nervously tapping her fingers on her thigh.
“Everything will be fine,” I said, reaching out to take her hand. “Our girl is in good hands.”
Her warm fingers intertwined with mine, and she offered me a small smile. “I know. That doesn’t make it easy, though. I just keep thinking of all the times Tomas was one step ahead of us.”
“But he’s not anymore. We’re running this game now. Not him.”
She nodded, but I could sense the worry threading through her as the drive wore on.
We'd barely been on the road for an hour when my phone rang. Glancing at the screen, my fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “It’s Tomas.”
That hadn’t taken long at all. I smiled in satisfaction, knowing for sure now that our plan was working. That still didn’t make me want to speak to the bastard.
“Put it on speaker,” Mariah urged, reaching for her own phone. “I’ll record the call.”
