Page 88

“Gentlemen,” Duncan says without breaking stride. Both men stop talking immediately.

“Gabriel survived.” A beat of silence. “Neither of you has anything to brag about.”

The choking sound Jaxon made beside me doesn’t last long. The moment we climb back into the SUV, the humor disappears. The adrenaline crash has started. Jaxon sinks into the seat. His shoulders slumped, and his hands are gripping his thighs. I watch his fingers move. Back and forth. Back and forth.

“So it’s over?” he asks quietly.

“Yes.” Duncan’s answer comes without hesitation. Most people would find the certainty reassuring. Jaxon doesn’t. His fingers continue moving against his jeans.

“What about the favor?” Jaxon’s fingers tighten until his knuckles turn pale. Even now, he’s trying to calculate what he owes. Duncan catches it too. I see his eyes flick toward the rearview mirror.

“That is between Vincenzo and myself.”

Jaxon’s shoulders tense. It’s not enough of an answer. He needs more than that. For a man who spent most of his life handling his own problems, accepting help remains profoundly uncomfortable.

“There may be some trouble within his organization,” Duncan says after a moment. “His youngest son has nothing to do with the business. Vincenzo may need an exit strategy for the kid.”

Silence fills the vehicle. Jaxon’s fingers finally stop moving. The explanation doesn’t completely relax him, but some of the tension leaves his shoulders. Not mine. The knot in my stomach remains. It’s tight and refusing to let go. I turn toward him.

“What exactly was going through your head when you tackled me?” The question comes out sharper than I intended. The anger slips through. It’s not really directed at Jaxon. But at the memory, at the sight of him covering my body with his.

“You could have been hurt.” The image flashes through my head again. “Or worse, killed.”

The reaction is immediate. Jaxon’s head snaps toward me. His entire posture changes. The exhaustion and relief gone. Replaced by something much harder.

“What the fuck did you just ask me?”

I expected defensiveness. Not anger.

“I asked you—”

“I heard what you asked the first time.” His voice cuts through mine. “Do not repeat it.”

The vehicle falls silent. Even Duncan doesn’t interrupt. Jaxon holds my gaze.

“What went through my head was making sure you weren’t hurt.” The answer comes without hesitation. Without thought, as though the reason had been obvious. “As well as covering Duncan as best I could.” He glances toward the front seat before looking back at me. “That’s it.”

“I told you I would protect you. Take care of you.”

“And you have.” The answer comes immediately. “I no longer have a debt hanging over my head. I no longer have to worry about stepping into that cage ever again.” His voice is tight.

“You put yourself—”

Jaxon’s hand comes up between us. Stopping the words.

“How about we sit here and not say another fucking word.” The order catches me completely off guard. “I don’t want to hear it, Conor.” His eyes lock onto mine. Angry. Actually angry. I can’t remember the last time someone was angry at me for being concerned about their safety.

“I did what I did, and I’d do it again.” The statement lands like a punch. “So you can be mad all you want about it. But do it in your head so I don’t have to listen to it.”

The vehicle falls silent. I stare at him, waiting for him to look back at me. He doesn’t. Fine. If that’s how he wants to play this. The knot in my stomach tightens even more. Because this conversation isn’t over. Not even close. The second we get home, we’re going to finish it. One way or another.

I have to stifle a groan when we pull up to the house. Every vehicle is already here, including Mom’s. Of course, postmortem on the operation. Discussion of what went right. What went wrong. What to improve next time. Normally I’d welcome it. Tonight, I don’t have the patience.

Everything went according to plan. Well… Almost. One significant variable decided to improvise. The image flashes through my mind again. Jaxon throwing me to the floor. Covering my body with his. My jaw tightens. That was not part of the plan.

Beside me, Jaxon slams the SUV door hard enough to rattle the windows. Good. Let him be angry, because so am I. I shut my own door with considerably more force than necessary. Duncan glances back at me, one eyebrow raised. I shake my head once. He heard every word in the car, so no explanation should be required.

The moment we step inside, Mom looks up from where she’s standing. “Good, everyone’s here.”