Page 41 of Mile High Heist

Bad bad.

The absolute worst.

“I warned you,” Jax said, his voice low and dark. “I told you not to lie.”

“I haven’t lied,” I gasped out. Madoc wasn’t squeezing, but the pressure of his touch was debilitating. “I swear…Jax.”

“Did you know the Vipers would be on the plane?”

My eyes bulged. “The Vipers?”

I didn’t know much about the Vipers, except that they were cold-blooded assassins working for Dr. Z, Jax’s former boss. Seeing them was like seeing the Reaper himself. It meant you were marked for death.

“No,” I whimpered. “Jax, no, of course not.”

“They want the prototype,” Jax said, his eyes boring into mine, looking for lies. “But they also want you.”

My mind blanked. Surely, I’d misheard him.

“Me?”

His lip curled up. “You made any more shady deals with crime bosses that I should know about?”

Outrage bubbled up inside me. I knew Jax still resented me for the deal he’d made with Preacher. He blamed me for not telling him the whole truth. But it wasn’t like he’d told me everything either. It wasn’t like I’d planned for any of it.

And I definitely didn’t go looking for other crime bosses. One was more than enough.

“Of course not!” I snapped.

“You want me to believe it’s just a funny fucking coincidence?” Jax’s anger was palpable, filling up the space. His body trembled, muscles twitching. “You’re here, playing thief for Preacher, getting involved when you shouldn’t be. And now Dr. Z has marked you. Why would he want you?”

“I…”

Jax stepped forward even closer, his front pressed to mine. I felt his heart, strong and steady in his chest. “What do you have that he wants?”

“Nothing,” I said. The fingers on my throat spasmed, like a warning. Do not lie. “I swear. I’ve never met him. I don’t know why he wants me.”

Jax didn’t move. His eyes searched mine.

“I don’t believe you,” he said.

Hurt unfurled in my chest. Then came the anger like a beautiful salve, soothing it. “I don’t care,” I snapped, reaching up and pushing on his chest. He didn’t budge. “You don’t have to believe me. You just need to do your part. I’ll do mine. Preacher gets the prototype, and we can part ways and never see each other again.”

His jaw clenched at my words, like he didn’t like them. Or he didn’t believe them. His eyes flicked over my head. He stared at Madoc for a beat, the two of them communicating in that weird, silent way they sometimes did. A silent negotiation over my life.

Finally, Jax nodded.

Madoc released me, each finger unpeeling from my skin like he was reluctant to do so.

Neither of them moved, so I was still sandwiched between them. Madoc was cold and still; Jax was hot and vibrating. A tense moment passed where no one spoke. I shifted, feeling awkward.

Then I felt it.

I froze again. Behind me, Madoc stepped back, putting a meager inch between us.

It was too late.

I was now burdened with the knowledge that Madoc had been rock hard against me. Madoc feeling anything was shocking. Hatred, disdain, indifference—they were predictable.