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Jax dropped his head back to stare at the sky. If it had been anyone else asking him this favor, he would have said no. But Matt had done a lot for him when he’d moved to town. This was the least he could do for the man he owed so much to. “No problem. You know I’d do anything for you.”
“I’ll keep trying to convince her to quit and I’ll let my family know. Vanessa should have told us what happened. She knows better.”
“I don’t think—”
“Um, one other thing…”
Matt’s pause said more than any words could.
“Don’t worry. I get it. I won’t do anything stupid. I know my boundaries here.”
He heard Matt release a relieved sigh. “Thanks, man. I know I’m overprotective of her but—”
“I know. I remember. She’s safe with me.”
“I owe you, man.”
“No. You don’t.”I owe you, which is the only reason I’m doing this.
“Do you want to come over to my parents’ place for, um, whoever’s birthday they’re celebrating this weekend?” Matt asked with a laugh. “I know you can’t resist pancit and lumpia.”
Jax’s mouth watered at the mention of the Filipino noodles and spring rolls. “You got me. I’ll be there.”
“Okay, I’ll call you later with details.” Matt laughed again. “Not that there’ll be many. You know how my family gatherings are.”
Jax perked up at the prospect, glad the tradition had held fast through the years of his deployment and absence. Matt’s family gathered together most weekends, for whatever reason they could find or no reason at all. There’d be tons of food, and they’d insist Jax eat until he didn’t have an ounce of room left in his stomach. “I think I’ll try some halo-halo for the first time, too.” In the past, Jax had found ways to politely avoid the coconut drink with beans and fruit in it. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but Jax suddenly found himself willing to delve a bit further into the Filipino culture.
“Whoa. You’re getting brave these days,” Matt added with a chuckle. “I’ll hold you to it.”
“Okay, talk to ya later.” Jax disconnected the call and headed for his truck. As he pressed the remote to unlock the door, his leg took a light hit from the side. He turned and found himself facing a dog that resembled an old friend’s Border Collie. Its front legs were on his jeans, its tongue happily lolling out the side of its mouth. Jax frowned and cast a glance around the parking lot. Seeing no witnesses, he scratched the dog behind the ears. It scrunched up its face, enjoying the impromptu massage.
At the sound of shoes scuffing the pavement, Jax straightened. The dog dropped its feet to the ground.
A middle-aged man with brown slicked-back hair and a practiced smile stepped around the bed of the truck. Why did he remind him of that Chase guy? Jax shook off the thought. “Can I help you?”
The man’s lip curled when the dog jumped on him. He reverted his attention back to Jax with a brittle smile, bent on ignoring the animal. “Victor Soros from Channel Twelve News. Do you have a minute?”
Jax frowned. “Not really.”
“I got the impression something strange was going on when we got here.” He paused, eyeing Jax. When Jax didn’t respond, he continued. “One minute we were heading outside and the next we were practically dragged inside again. Did something happen?” He inched closer, leaning into Jax’s personal space.
Jax stared at the shorter man, refusing to retreat.
The awkwardness lingered in the air until Victor backed away and leaned on the truck, studying his shoe. “Your uncle had a dangerous run-in not long ago with one of the animals, right? Must have been terrifying.” Victor lifted his gaze back up to Jax. “Didn’t he have a heart attack right after that? I thought you would be as concerned as I am regarding the safety of our community.”
Jax’s jaw tensed.
This guy didn’t care about Uncle Sam. Instead, the man had taken advantage of what happened to his uncle, using it to dig up information for a news story. Jax didn’t like it. And he didn’t like him. The man’s long-winded monologue came across as too practiced, like a sniper positioning himself to eliminate a target.
Where was Seyla?
“Yeah, he did.” Jax opened his mouth to say more, but snapped it shut before any careless words tumbled out. True, he thought the place should be closed. Permanently. However, telling an unscrupulous reporter desperate for a story thatinformation in order to bankrupt the place was underhanded in his opinion. He didn’t operate that way.
Yet didn’t the public deserve a warning?
Wrestling with the idea, Jax finally bit out, “The sanctuary has some safety issues, but they’re addressing them and the public is…uh…the public knows that the sanctuary workers care about the animals and the community. They’ll do whatever’s necessary to ensure both people and animals remain safe.”
He’d make sure of it.
