“Black hair. Purple eyes. Soon to be a corpse, if I’ve got any say in the matter. Does that answer your question? Because—”
“Something was off though.” Her eyes clouded, the wrinkle between them deepening. “I could’ve sworn he was wearing a glamour. And it looked like—”
“Haley, I willgladlyanalyze everything from his glamour to his hairstyle to his fashion choices to the twinkle in his fucking eyes, in whatever level of excruciating detail you wish, but not until I know you’re safe and we’re both far, far away from this fucking cage. Now take your pick of weapons from the dead guy, and let’s go.”
I finally got through to her. Her eyes cleared, and she nodded once before kneeling down to search the guard. Would’ve been great if she could’ve taken his uniform, but it was covered in blood. We’d have to figure out another disguise for her on the way.
She took his belt and holsters, along with a stake and two daggers. “Damn. As much as I’d love to play around with that crossbow, it’s too bulky to run with.”
“Devastatingly sexyandtactical?” I couldn’t help but grin. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
“There are lots of reasons you like me. Now get us the hell out of here, sinner.”
11
JAX
Follow me, angel.” I grabbed her hand and we headed for the gallery stairwell, keeping our eyes peeled for an ambush. I had no idea whether anyone outside had seen the jumper fall out the window, but eventually someone would find his body, along with his partner’s at the end of the hall. Oona had said there were more guards posted on the balconies too—I had no idea how many, or whether they’d seen Haley leave her suite, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out.
“Did Elian get out already?” she asked as we began our descent. “Do we have a rallying point? Do you know if he found Hudson? Shit, everything happened so fast before. And Gem! Where the hell isshe?”
I said nothing, but she must’ve felt the uncomfortable shift in my mood, because hers changed as well. She slipped free of my grip and stopped on the stairwell.
“Jax.” Her voice held a hint of panic. “Is Elian… Is he okay?”
“Far as I know.”
“But where is he?”
My gut soured, and I muttered, “Rotting in the dungeons, which is a better place than he deserves.”
“Wait…What? What happened? How did you manage to escape without him?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Probably had something to do with me locking him in a cell and stealing these?” I retrieved the keys I’d stolen from Oona and dangled them in front of her.
“You locked him in a cell andlefthim there? What iswrongwith you?”
“The list is long and sordid, and I’ll enumerate it for you later, point by point. But first—”
“What about all that blood before roses stuff? We can’t just abandon him, Jax!”
Oh, she was dead wrong about that. I could very easily leave Saint Elian to the rats and roaches of Midnight. After what I’d discovered tonight, there was nothing left tethering me to that bastard. No debts, no loyalties, and certainly no brotherhood. He’d pissed all over that bond the night he’d told me the woman I loved had been executed.
Blood before roses? Right. Those days were dead to me now.Hewas dead to me.
But Haley wasn’t having it, of course. Snatching the keys from my hand, she said firmly, “Take me to the dungeons or tell me how to get there myself. I’m not leaving him.”
Fuck. I should’ve seen it coming. Should’ve had some story cooked up in advance—we got separated, I lost him, he’s long gone. Better yet, I should’ve told her he was dead, just like he’d told me Oona was dead.
Why the hell wasn’t I a better liar?
I slumped back against the wall and closed my eye. Didn’t matter what stories I invented. Haley could always see right through everyone’s bullshit anyway. Mine. Saint’s. Hudson didn’t shovel as much of it as the rest of us, but if he did, she’d be the first to call him on it.
I waited a beat. Said nothing. My eye socket burned and itched behind the cummerbund, as if it were Saint’s ghost come to fuck with me.
Seconds passed. Minutes. The rock walls seemed to be growing moldy around us, closing in tight.
“Jax.” Haley broke the silence first, her voice considerably softer now. I couldn’t decide whether that made me feel better or worse. “What is this about? I know you guys have issues, but this feels… different.”
