Kneeling beside her, Jinx placed his palm on her forehead. Vixen tried to pull away, but she was too weak from the blood loss. Closing his eyes, he slipped inside her mind. It was utter chaos. She hated the life she led and was looking for a way out. He delved deeper and saw what he knew she didn’t want him to see. The victims she saved. The ones she hid from the General. The children. There were so many children. They were the reason she had been late checking in. She was saving lives, way more than she was taking.
Slipping back out of her mind, Jinx met Vixen’s eyes. She stared at him, her hand coming up to clutch at his wrist. “Now you know my secrets.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t tell him,” she rasped, her eyes fluttering as she fought to stay conscious. “He will find them and kill them all.” When he didn’t respond, she cried, “You should have just killed me, dammit! I could have taken my secrets to the grave.”
She began to shiver, her body going into shock, and Jinx knew he couldn’t let her die. Taking her hand in his, he held it to his heart as he vowed, “I will never tell the General your secrets, Vixen. You will get better, and then we will fight him together.” When her eyes widened, he grinned. “I may have a few secrets of my own.” When he felt Chase next to him, he looked up at the man. The one who claimed him as a son and part of his pack. “Alpha, she is like me.” He knew Chase would know what he meant. She was a prisoner, made to torture and kill against her will. One who wanted out, but who was fighting against the bastard who held the control.
Chase sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Then, we cannot let her die, son.”
“Let me help,” the pack doctor said, kneeling on the other side of Vixen. “That was one hell of a fight you put up there, lady,” she said, placing a gentle hand on Vixen’s shoulder. “My name’s Doc Josie. I’m going to get you in the hospital and stitch some of these wounds up. You just need to promise not to try to kill me first. My mate doesn’t like it when people try to do that.”
A faint smile crossed Vixen’s lips, and she whispered, “I don’t think I could kill a bunny right now, Doc.”
“I think we are going to put these on you first, just in case,” a low voice said, as Ryker appeared, slapping a pair of silver cuffs on Vixen’s wrists. When she cried out in pain, he shrugged. “Sorry, but my mate’s right. It pisses me off when someone tries to hurt her.”
Vixen glared at him, but she didn’t argue. A low groan of pain left her as she was transferred to a stretcher, and then lifted to be carried to the hospital.
“I don’t understand why you are helping me,” she whispered, her eyes on the doctor. “I tried to capture one of your own.”
“Sometimes, we are all required to do things we don’t want to do. Things we have no control over. From what I just heard, you are trying to save people, Vixen, not kill them. You can’t do that dead, now can you?”
“No.” It was a whisper of uncertainty.
“Then, we need to fix you up so you can continue doing the good that you are doing.” Jinx watched them walk away with Vixen before sighing. What the hell was he going to do now? “You, too, Jinx,” Doc Josie said, looking back at him. When he didn’t budge, she rested her hands lightly on her hips and narrowed her eyes on him. “I am not laying a hand on that woman until I look at your wounds first, Jinx Maddox, so I suggest you move your ass into my hospital room.”
“You better go, son,” Chase said gruffly. “The good doctor means what she says.”
“Wait! Jinx! Wait!” Jinx turned to the voice and saw Raven come flying out of the front doors of the apartment complex next door. She ran to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slid her arms around his waist. “Thank you, Jinx. Thank you for everything. Jaxson told me that you were the reason they found me in the first place. And now,” she paused, raising her wet eyes to his, “there is no doubt in my mind that you just saved my life. That woman was here to take me back to the General. I won’t go back there. I won’t!”
Ignoring the pain her arms around him caused, he awkwardly patted her back. “No, dragoness, you won’t. I won’t allow it.”
“But you have orders to bring her back, too, don’t you?” Rubi asked. “That’s what Vixen said.”
“He wants your sister. He won’t stop sending people after her,” Jinx told her quietly. “There is only one way to ensure she stays safe.”
“You’re going after him,” she guessed, taking a step toward Jinx.
“There is no other way. I wanted to keep him alive because I’m trying to figure out who he answers to. He isn’t the head of this monster, he is only a cog in the machine. But if I allow him to live, there is every chance Raven will die.”
“What if he gets to you first, Son?” Steele asked. “Security around him will be tight now.”
“Then I will go into the next life.”
“Not acceptable,” Angel snapped. “I refuse to hand you over to that bastard!”
“Maybe there’s another way,” Rubi said tentatively. “What if you use me?” A low growl began to fill the area, and she put a hand on her brother’s arm. “No, Dax, hear me out. Raven and I look enough alike that I could pass for her. We’re twins. I could go with Jinx, and maybe it will distract the General long enough for Jinx to take him out.”
“That is the stupidest fucking idea I’ve ever heard of in my life,” Dax yelled. “If you think for one second that I am going to let you sacrifice yourself for anyone like that, even our sister, Rubi Dreher, you better think again!”
“Raven has been through so much already, Dax. I don’t want her to live her life in fear of that bastard coming after her. I am strong. I can handle it.”
“No,” Jinx cut in, effectively stalling the argument. “While what you are suggesting is very honorable, Rubi, you don’t know what the General’s like. How evil he is. You will not go anywhere near him.” When she would have argued, he growled, “I can see into your mind, woman. I know what you are thinking, what you are planning if we don’t agree. Do I need to have you handcuffed and your brother stand guard while I handle this?”
Her eyes widened in shock, and she slowly shook her head.
“Good.”
“Jinx,” Doc Josie interrupted, “I need to see to your wounds before your friend dies.”
“She’s not my friend,” he muttered, pulling free of Raven’s arms and following the doctor to the hospital. Normally, he would refuse treatment of any kind from anyone, but he decided to accept her help this time. He needed to get back to work. He had a General to hunt and eliminate.
18
Raven watched the powerful warrior walk to the hospital alone, her heart hurting for the man. He was strong, brave, courageous, but always alone. Not this time. “You need to go with him.”
“What, baby?”
She turned to look at her mate. “When Jinx goes to take on the General, you need to go with him.” Her gaze going to the rest of his team, she said, “All of you.”
“Jinx works alone,” Angel replied. “Trust me, I wish it weren’t the way it was, but it is.”
“Not this time.” Raven grasped her mate’s arm, looking at him imploringly. “Jinx saved my life just now, Jaxson. I would never have survived going back to the General. You know that woman is good. Really good. She was coming for me, and if he hadn’t been here and fought her for me, that’s where I would be. On my way back to that bastard with Vixen. We both know it. You need to go with him. After everything he’s done, he deserves it.”
Jaxson bowed his head, sighing. “It isn’t that I don’t agree with you, Raven. I do, but the man walks alone.”
“Well, maybe it’s time that changed.”
Jaxson stood outside the hospital, indecision weighing on him. He knew Raven was right, and he wanted to help Jinx, but his reason for living was going to be at the White River Wolves compound without his protection until he returned. That pissed him off.
“You know it’s the right thing to do,” Raven said quietly, hud
dled up next to him, her arm around his waist, head on his chest.
“I do,” he agreed. “I just don’t like the thought of leaving you alone.”
“She won’t be alone, wolf.” Jaxson glanced over his shoulder to see Dax, along with Rubi, RARE, and Chase with his White River Wolves team standing behind them. It was an impressive sight. “She will be with Rubi at all times.”
“My wolves will also watch over Raven,” Chase promised, his eyes glacier hard. “No one will get to her.”
“As will the members of RARE, who will be staying behind,” Angel said, standing proudly beside her mate.
“Dax stays, too,” Jaxson demanded. When the dragon would have argued, Jaxson said, “I need my head in the game at all times. I can only do that knowing my mate is safe here. While I trust my team and pack to do what they can for her, you are her brother. You won’t let anyone near her.”
Dax nodded slowly, stepping close to clap a hand on his shoulder. “I promise you, she will be safe, brother.”
“Sable, Trigger, and River, you will stay behind, too,” Chase ordered. “Slade will take you off all other enforcer duties until we return. Your main priority is Raven.”
Jaxson’s jaw clenched, and he gave his alpha a nod of gratitude. “Thank you.”
“What’s going on?”
Jaxson turned to the man who stood at the top of the hospital steps, a man who would never ask for help from anyone. One with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now, he was going to see what having a pack meant.
“We’re coming with you, Jinx,” Jaxson told him. “You are not alone in this.” When Jinx shook his head, Jaxson grinned. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, man. After everything you have done for my mate, I’m not staying behind.”
“And for my mate,” Xavier said, stepping forward. “You took out the man who haunted Janie’s dreams. You made her feel safe again. I’m coming with you.”
“There is no debt to pay,” Jinx said, his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides.
“We will fight by your side,” Aiden said, moving beside his brother. “As pack and as friends.”
“Sapphire and I go with you, nephew,” Bane said, crossing his arms over his chest, his tone broking no argument. “You are family.” He stopped there, as if that said it all… which it did.
When Jinx looked as if he were going to protest again, Steele smiled. “It’s a useless argument, my son. We are coming.”
“Agreed,” Chase growled. “You spend your life protecting others, Jinx. A lone wolf in the midst of hell. It is time you see that you are not truly alone.”
“I am the General’s assassin,” Jinx muttered, his eyes going from their natural deep brown color to a dark green, giving away the deep emotion he felt. “I take lives.”
“You are family,” Chase stated, climbing the stairs to stand beside him. “You are pack, and we will remind you of that every damn day if we need to, Son. You are ours.”
Jaxson watched as Jinx struggled against his emotions and wondered what it must have been like to grow up without the love of his parents. He may have lost his entire family and pack years ago, but they were the ones who had molded him into the man he was today. Without them, who knew where he would have ended up. This man in front of them had been raised by the devil himself, but had overcome all obstacles. He was a fierce warrior who fought for what he believed in. Yes, he was the General’s assassin, but he did not take innocent lives. He was honorable and worthy.
Letting go of Raven, Jaxson stepped forward. “You kill those who are evil, Jinx. You save the innocent. You are no different than any of us here. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. Things we had no choice over. In that, we are the same. We go with you, my friend. I owe you a debt I can never repay, but I start trying today.”
“There is no debt,” Jinx said quietly, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “It’s what pack does.”
Jaxson grinned, scaling the stairs to clasp the man’s hand. “You got that right. Now, let’s go kick some General ass.”
19
Hidden behind a large cropping of rock, Jaxson watched Jinx pull up in front of the large building on a dark blue Harley that looked brand new. They were deep in the middle of a forest in California, but somehow, Jinx had managed to get that damn motorcycle there. The guy was an enigma, hard and mysterious, and Jaxson was glad he was on their side.
“Nice,” Xavier breathed into the comms. “I need to get me one of those.”
“Your mate would kick your ass,” his brother responded. “Then she’d come after me.”
Xavier chuckled. “It might be worth it just to see that.”
“I’d pay to see it,” Charlotte chimed in.
“I got a twenty to throw in the pot,” Sapphire said, her voice a mere whisper.
Jaxson swore he saw Jinx’s lips twitch at the conversation, but then his face was that blank, unyielding mask again he always wore. Jinx had refused the ear comms, but Jaxson knew he didn’t need them. They were too far away for the wolf to actually hear them, but he had abilities beyond any of the members of RARE. There was no doubt in Jaxson’s mind that Jinx knew everything that was going on around him.
“I think my buddy Jinx just put in a fifty,” Jaxson muttered, chuckling when Jinx gave a small nod. “Yep, he did.”
“You all suck,” Aiden growled playfully.
Jinx knocked on the door, then disappeared inside the building when it opened for him. Jaxson held his breath until he heard him say, “Where’s the General?” While he’d refused the ear comm, he had allowed Jaxson to tag him with a listening device so the team would be able to hear him, even if they couldn’t see him.
What Jaxson heard next shocked the hell out of him. “In his quarters with Ebony.” It was Jeremiah’s voice. The fucking bear was there. After months of trying to find him, he finally turned up when they least expected it.
“Jeremiah,” Angel whispered. “Thank fuck.”
“You may want to leave, bear,” they heard Jinx warn him quietly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” was the growled response.
There was silence, and then, “Make sure these doors are open in ten minutes.”
“Done.”
“I’m going to kick that bear’s ass,” Angel muttered through the comms.
Jaxson kept his gaze on the door Jinx had gone through, listening intently. He hated sending the man in alone, even if he did work for the General. It wasn’t like he had a choice, and this time, he was going in empty-handed. Everyone there with him knew that meant Jinx’s life was on the line.
There was a knock, and then, “Jinx, so nice of you to join us.”
Ebony. The bitch made his skin crawl. Jaxson held back a growl as he heard, “Touch me again and I’ll cut your fucking hand off.”
A small grin appeared, and Jaxson muttered, “That’s our boy.”
“Jinx. I sent you after something of mine. Where is it?”
Jaxson bared his fangs, unable to stop the growl that started deep in his chest this time. The bastard acted as if Raven was his fucking property. His woman belonged to no one except him; as he belonged to her. The General would die for that comment alone.
“I wasn’t the only one you sent, was I?” Jinx’s voice was low, deadly. “You know I work alone.”
“Where is Vixen?” Ebony asked, and Jaxson got the impression she had moved further away from Jinx. “She hasn’t checked in yet.”
“She failed,” Jinx growled. “As will anyone else you send.”
“Is that a threat?’ the General snapped.
“I don’t make threats,” Jinx countered. “The woman is off limits. Touch her, and you answer to me.”
“Answer to you?” the General sneered. “I think it’s time you learn who’s boss, you little shit.”
“That’s our cue,” Angel said, and Jaxson heard the whisper of movement as the team began to make their way to the building. His gun in hand, he slipped from behind the rocks
.
“First guard down,” Sapphire murmured.
Jaxson was flying through the trees near the building when he heard Trace mutter, “Second and third gone.”
“Fourth one eliminated,” Charlotte said in a cold, hard tone.
Jaxson hit the door, yanking it open to see Jeremiah waiting on the other side. “Move,” he snarled, shoving past him. “That bastard is mine.”
He didn’t hear what the bear said, and he didn’t really care. His main objective was to get to the son of a bitch who had held his mate for a year, torturing her. The fucker was going to die.
“We will deal with you later, Jeremiah,” he heard Angel snap. “Right now, we have a General to take down.”
“There’s more at stake here than the General,” Jeremiah warned. “You need to call your team off, Angel.”
“No fucking way!” Jaxson growled, not slowing down. He could smell the bastard. He was close.
“You dare defy me? I was right, wasn’t I?” The General’s voice came to him, driving his wolf into a frenzy.
“About some things,” Jinx acknowledged.
“But wrong about so many others,” Ebony said before there was a loud bang. Then another. “The bitch he wanted so badly is free, Jinx,” Jaxson heard. “I will let her go. I don’t give a shit about her, but you are mine. You work for me. Don’t forget that, or everyone you care for will die. And I do mean everyone.”
Jaxson shifted mid-run, quickly sliding out of his clothes and leaving them behind, as he sprinted the rest of the way down the hall. A loud howl ripped from his throat when he saw the General leaning up against a desk, his hands covering his chest where two dark red splotches of blood were blooming out from bullet wounds. Jaxson didn’t care. The man wasn’t dead yet, but he was going to be. Springing from the doorway, he hit the General full in the chest with his large front paws, locking his powerful jaws around his throat. With a loud roar, he bit down hard and yanked, tearing the evil bastard’s throat out. It was over before it even started. The General’s lifeless body crumpled to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Jaxson snarled loudly, standing over him before throwing his head back and howling loudly over and over again in victory. He was dead. The fucker who haunted all of their nightmares was finally dead, and Jaxson had served justice for his mate. He wasn’t stupid enough to think the hell they all lived in was over. But this part of it was.
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