Page 61 of Phantom’s Mate

“Fuck if I know. You serious about that whole fresh start/going legit thing?”

“If I can figure out a way to bring in enough money to keep those assholes from exploding in all directions, yeah.” At Nick’s dubious look, Jax said quietly, “Like I told Fierro, it’s for my kid, and my mate. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Nick nodded.

Jax said, “So, you’re a spirit, you know about this shit. You think I’m going to hell, man?”

Nick clapped him on the shoulder, knowing it would feel like a bucket of freezing water. “Depends what you do from here on out, doesn’t it?”

And he vanished from Jax’s sight. He’d learned what he needed to know.

Chapter 29

The next day, before they went out to hunt the woods for Britt’s purse, Nick had a private meeting with Brandon, Remy and Titan, about the money he had stashed away and what he wanted done with it.

He knew that between Brandon the operative, with his high-level connections, and Remy the hacker, they could get their hands on it one way or another.

And Titan was there because he’d been the most hurt by Jax, and Nick wanted to know how he felt about justice. And letting go.

After that, they had a full crew meeting, where Nick asked the entire crew for a huge favor, and they agreed to step up, as he’d known they would.

His family.

It didn’t take them long to find Britt’s purse—weathered and worn, but still intact, with her letter and the locket inside.

She looked at it as Kitty held it up for her inspection. “It’s a good thing I was cheap and went for the pleather,” she said. “Apparently, that shit is indestructible.”

They decided to deliver it in two days—on Christmas Eve—and then they immersed themselves in Christmas plans. Since Nick and Britt were bonded, it seemed like she could now go anywhere as long as he was with her, so they spent a lot of time with the crew, helping with the final decorations, or sneaking up behind people and goosing them to see if they could make them spill their eggnog.

And trying not to think about what would happen once Britt’s business on earth was finished.

Late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve day, Nick and Britt traveled to Jax’s compound, staying in the spirit world. DB was already there, with one of his interdimensional windows that allowed them to see everything that was going on.

He even conjured chairs for the three of them—and popcorn.

Because this was going to be good.

Precisely at four o’clock, an interdimensional rift appeared in the open space at the center of Jax’s compound.

Three armed men walked through it: Jace Monroe, Shifter Council representative for the Wolf Council USA; Kane Colton, Executive Lieutenant of the Shifter Council Enforcers; and Flynn, alpha of the Bad Blood Crew, who was creating the doorway for them by way of the matching gold Draken bracelets on his wrists.

They demanded to see Jax.

He came to meet them warily, two lieutenants at his back, and armed soldiers spreading around the perimeter—all of which his visitors ignored as if they didn’t exist.

“What the hell do you want?” Jax demanded.

Kane held a sheaf of documents on a clipboard. He read from the top one in a booming voice.

“As representatives of the Shifter Council USA, we hereby inform Jax Darius, alpha, that this community has been provisionally granted the status of Last Chance Crew, under the laws and regulations pertaining thereof.”

Jax’s mouth dropped open. He closed it quickly.

Kane went on, “Pursuant to that, certain legally created corporations, along with the properties and moneys associated with them, have been released by the Shifter Council and will come under the control of said alpha and his designated officers, at all times subject to reversion to the Council should the terms of the Last Chance Crew agreement be violated or abandoned by the current alpha or his successor.

“This status will be conferred upon the alpha’s signature on the attached documents, subject to periodic reporting, inspection and auditing by the Council’s designated representatives.”

He handed Jax the clipboard with the documents. It contained the Last Chance Crew agreement, plus paperwork for control of Raines’s legal businesses, with Jax as the new CEO, and the deed to the abandoned compound, among other things.