The Gallows at Midnight

by Courtney Lynn Rose

  Vlad and I exchange a glance, his eyebrows rising. “Do you suspect who else?”

  Caleb closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.

  “Just tell her, Caleb,” Sammi whispers, keeping her eyes glued on her hands.

  “Lily, I know you aren’t going to want to hear this, but we’re almost positive Jax is dirty.”

  My body snaps to attention. I’m sorry . . . what? “You must be mistaken. Jax may have done some questionable things, but there’s no way he actually works for the Taurus.”

  My head pounds, all the blood rushing to it. How could Caleb or anyone else really believe that? I mean, the thought has crossed my mind, but everything must be a coincidence. Jax isn’t perfect, none of us are, but he saved my life. I agree something is fishy with him, but I’d be rotting in the ground, unknown and forgotten, if it weren’t for him. No. I’m willing to believe someone at Interpol is a double agent, but not Jax. Whatever the connection is between Jax and The Taurus, it isn’t because he is a bad guy. He’s been fighting them for as long as I have, so this must be one of them targeting Jax for revenge— the same way they’re targeting me.

  “Here.” Caleb pulls a sealed folder from behind him and lays it on my desk. “Read the file before you start defending his innocence. Sammi has been forwarding us all her communications with the Taurus for the last 8 years in an effort to find the bastards working from the inside, Lily. If our suspicions about Jax are true, we’ll need you and your team to take him down.”

  “What about Sammi?” Vlad’s voice is clipped.

  She raises her head, tears sliding down her face as she stares at him. “Vlad, please.”

  “No, Sammi. You should’ve told me.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. Can we talk about this?” She’s begging. I’ve never heard her beg, not in the eleven years I’ve known her.

  “Sammi stays. If she disappears, we lose our connection and her daughter will lose her life,” Caleb says, standing.

  “She has to share every interaction with us. If I find out she’s hiding one thing, Caleb, I’ll slit her throat. If she lies about as much as one thing. I mean it.”

  “Deal. Sammi, let’s go. I think Lily needs some space. We’ll go explain to everyone else.”

  Vlad and I are immobile. Yells and foul language erupt from the other room moments after Caleb starts explaining. Blake and Dresden’s voices loudest among them. Eventually, Vlad shuts the door and sits across from me.

  “Read the file, Viper.”

  I shake my head. Whatever is in it, I don’t want to know. There’s no evidence in the world that will convince me of Jax being a Taurus. A knot forms in my stomach, matching the lump in my throat. Considering the attack by the Nigerian militia and whatever may be in this file, my world and everything I’ve been built from may collapse.

  Jax is the only father I’ve ever known. He’s the one who raised me, trained me, and told me enough about my past to get me through life. When I was younger, he was the one who sat outside my bedroom door, listening as the nightmares ripped through me. He’s the one that hooked me up with Dr. Saladinya, who did everything in his power to get me into Interpol.

  He can’t be a Taurus member. He just can’t.

  With shaking hands, I pull the file toward me and rip it open.

  †††

  ~Blake~

  My heart stops as a thundering bang emanates from Lily’s office, followed by a snarling, blood-chilling scream. Vlad shoots from the door, pulling it shut behind him, his whole body shaking. Dresden and I both dart toward him, my heart beating in my chest so hard it actually hurts.

  “Vlad?”

  He shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut as more bangs and screams filter through the closed door.

  “Don’t, Blake. Give her a few minutes.”

  “What happened?” Caleb yells, dashing to my side.

  “She read that fucking file,” Vlad growls, opening his eyes and pinning Caleb with a look that would kill stronger men.

  “This is going to be bad,” Caleb whispers, running his fingers through his hair.

  The door flies open, and Vlad jumps forward. Lily stands in the doorway and my heart sinks. Her eyes are red, tears running down her face and blood covering her knuckles.

  “You motherfucker,” she hisses, shoving Caleb hard in the chest.

  He stumbles backward, holding his hands up as if dealing with a caged animal. “Lily, you had to know.”

  “No. You’re wrong,” she snarls. “He saved me. He wouldn’t do that to me.”

  Her whole body shakes like it did when I first met her. Her face etched in pain and devastation mixed with malice almost equal to the other night. Dresden slowly moves behind her, his eyes wary.

  “Lily, calm down,” he says with a softness that is very un-Dresden.

  Lily, ignores him, her eyes falling on Sammi. She stomps to her, stopping nose to nose, causing Sammi to visibly shrink.

  “I don’t give a fuck how you do it. Find Jax. I want a location and I want it within the next 72 hours.”

  Sammi nods without saying a word. As Lily takes a step back, Sammi turns and jogs to the tech office, Caleb hot on her heels. I take a step toward Lily as she rounds to face me. Her eyes meet mine, her chest heaving with each breath.

  “Baby?”

  I hardly have time to catch her as she crumples, soul-shattering sobs tearing from her throat. We sink to the floor and I gather her into my arms, cradling her head to my chest. She grips my shirt in her hands as if her life depends on it. Every fiber of my being wants to take away her pain. If anyone in life deserves a break, it’s her.

  “I got you, baby. I got you.”

  Dresden sinks to the floor next to us and gently rubs her back. She’s never cried like this. Her tears and sobs don’t stop. Even after ten minutes, they haven’t lessened. Sorina kneels next to me, followed by Shannon. Both of them rest their hands on Lily. She shakes so hard it’s difficult to keep her on my lap. Whatever is in that file has shattered my beautiful, loving girlfriend, and part of me breaks with her.

  Deep down my hatred for Jax rages. The burn of it threatening to consume me. He may have taken Lily from the Taurus, but what he did to her after that was no better. I’ve never been an overly violent person, but God help me, if I ever see Jax again, I’ll make sure he pays for every second, every moment of her life he stole.

  My arms tighten around her as she pushes her face into my chest and screams. Tears well up in my eyes at the heart-wrenching pain in that sound. Shannon leans forward and snuggles herself against Lily’s back, while Sorina leans down to hug her mother’s legs. Dresden keeps his hand on her back, and Lily just keeps screaming.

  “Let it out, baby,” I whisper kissing the top of her head. “Just let go.”

  This is the best thing for her. A woman, who in all her life has never felt or experienced love, in her time of need, is surrounded by it. Even if it kills me, I’m going to make damn sure she never feels unloved, unwanted, or uncherished again in her life.

  23

  ~Lily~

  Sammi’s spent the last week trying to find Jax, and I’ve spent it trying to calm down. The lockdown is lifted because everyone will lose their mind if they’re confined inside any longer, plus, nothing else has happened . . . and I refuse to discuss what’s in the file. I want to hear the truth from Jax’s mouth. No one else’s. Sitting behind my desk, which now has pieces missing from the edges after I overturned the damn thing, the fax machine beeps.

  I sigh, standing to grab the paper. Only one person would be sending me a fax. The thought of a mission right now is not a welcome one. Scanning the details, my heart stops.

  Target goes by the name Naja . . . No . . .

  Everyone but Sammi and I are outside, trying to enjoy the sunshine. Sorina and Shannon have spent the last week filling our ears with baby talk. She’s two and a half months and her excitement for this baby builds every day. Dresden grows more anxious each day and as I ru
sh to Sammi’s office, what I need to do for this mission becomes clear.

  She’s deep in thought, her eyebrows pulled together as her eyes scan the three monitors in front of her. Part of me still wants to beat the shit out of her for lying to me, but the other half of me understands. Sorina isn’t my daughter biologically, but there’s no doubt in my mind, I’d do anything to keep her safe. The thought of what Sammi’s dealing with kills me. Something else I need to fix and soon.

  “Sammi,” I say, shutting and locking the door behind me.

  Her head snaps up and her eyes widen. “Hi, Lily. I’m still working on finding him. He’s like a damn ghost though.”

  “I know. This isn’t about Jax.”

  “Oh,” she says pushing her chair away from the desk. “What’s it about then?”

  Taking a deep breath, I sink into the chair next to her desk, willing myself to stay calm. “Do you remember when I left to get Shannon? I made you promise not to tell anyone my plans?”

  “Yes.” Her voice is low and questioning.

  “Can I still trust you like that? To help me do something without telling anyone. I mean no one. Not Caleb, and especially not Blake or Dresden.”

  She runs one hand through her hair, tapping her other hand on the desk. “Is it something dangerous like last time?”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Lily.”

  “I need to know I can trust you, Boa. The way I used to.”

  She nods, hard determination seeping into her eyes. “You can trust me. Always.”

  I hand her the paper and let her read it over. No one’s ever read mine and Dresden’s assignments. These are between Bates and us. He organizes the pickup and dropoff, along with the crew who steps in after we do the job. Other than that, we’ve done these on our own. This time . . . it’s on my own.

  “You and Dresden have to leave? The order for this is a month away.”

  “In a month, Shannon will almost be four months pregnant, Boa. Dresden needs to be here with her. I can’t risk his life this time. He has a family to take care of.”

  She gasps, finally putting two and two together. “You’re going alone. No, Lily. You’ll get killed.”

  “Naja. It means true cobra. If you and Caleb are right, then this is Jax and I need to do this alone.”

  She grinds her teeth together. “How are you going to keep them all from knowing? A helicopter isn’t easy to hide, Lily.”

  “Well, as much as I don’t want to, drugging them is the only way. The pickup is at 10 p.m. I’ll have Teresa schedule a late dinner and give each of them a dose of sleeping meds. It’ll keep them out for a few hours. Everyone but Shannon. You’ll have to deal with her.”

  “This bloody sucks, mate. I’ll be lucky if they don’t kill me this time.”

  “Shannon will be able to back up that I forced you into this. Are you in?”

  She holds her fist up toward me and I bump it with mine. “I’m in.”

  30 days. I’m going to get my answers in 30 days.

  †††

  Blake’s reflection catches my attention as I towel dry my hair in front of the bathroom sink. His muscles ripple as he stretches out in bed, bringing his hands behind his head. My mouth goes dry, desire pulling at my nerves. We’ve been distant from each other since Caleb gave me that damn file, and it blows.

  Every time Blake and I take a step forward, some stupid shit pops up and we take five steps back. It’s time to get the ball rolling on ending all this so we can go back to his apartment and have a normal life. He’s itching to go back to work, even though he doesn’t come out and say so. Blake’s a hardworking man, and he’s been holed up in hiding for too damn long.

  A smile tugs at my lips, my eyes drinking him in as I move next to the bed. His eyes flutter open at my touch. I trail my fingers up his stomach and chest, cupping the side of his face. He hums, leaning into my hand. I try hard to keep my face blank, but my lips turn down slightly, knowing that in a month’s time, I’m going to do something that could rip us apart . . . again.

  Mentally, I shake myself. No. Dresden needs to be here with Shannon and the others. Jax is a no-brainer. He may have taught me, but at some point, I surpassed him in skill. He knows it, too. It’s why he and I never sparred.

  “Your eyes are so distant lately,” he murmurs, grabbing my wrist and yanking me onto the bed. He rolls to his side, hovering over me with my legs draped over his hip.

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind, Blake.”

  “Let’s see if I can help ease that.”

  He leans down and kisses me, running his tongue along my lower lip before nipping at it. My heart beats rapidly, his right hand fisting in my hair while his other one gently grips my waist. He trails his lips across my cheek, sucking on my earlobe, along my jaw and down my throat.

  “Blake,” I moan, running my fingers through his hair.

  “Hey, baby,” he whispers, working his way down my neck and across my collarbone.

  “Yeah?”

  “You know what would make me really happy?”

  “Huh?”

  “If you’d let me handle the guestlist for the wedding.”

  His words filter through my passion-filled brain, but my intuition nags even as his hand moves up my stomach. His tongue teases my skin, making my sex pulse with need, scattering my thoughts.

  “Whatever you want, baby.”

  “Whatever I want?”

  Despite my need for him, I grab his head and force him to look at me. His eyes are a mix of hunger and weariness. “You wouldn’t be asking me if you weren’t planning on inviting someone I wouldn’t like. So, who’s on the list that you're worried about, Blake?”

  He tries to kiss me, but I turn my head and his lips press against my cheek. “Lily, it’s nothing serious.”

  “Blake.” My tone is stern, a warning. Pushing me right now would be a huge mistake on his part. I’ve got enough shit to deal with.

  “I’m going to have Sammi find your family. You need to make peace with them.”

  My eyes narrow, agitation simmering low in my blood, rising with each second. I push against his chest and pull myself out of bed. “No.”

  “Lily, please.”

  “Goddammit, Blake. We’ve had this discussion before. I do not want to find them. I do not want to meet them. Why can’t you just let this fucking go?”

  He stands and takes a step toward me and unsteadily I move back, away from him. “Because I want to help. You need to get over your past if we’re to have a real future. You know it and so do I.”

  A growl erupts from my throat and his eyes widen in surprise. “Fuck your help. Leave this alone, or so help me God, you’re not going to like my reaction.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a warning. The last one you’re going to get where this topic is concerned.” I head for the bedroom door, needing to put some distance between us.

  “Don’t you dare walk out on me, Lily Williams, or you won’t like my reaction.”

  I spin around, my shoulders tight and chest damn near heaving with the effort to keep space between us. Every time he challenges me about shit like this, I’m torn between fucking his brains out and slapping the shit out of him. It’s confusing and sexy as hell— the glimmer and determination swimming in his chocolate brown eyes, the tightness in his shoulders.

  Fuck.

  “Your threats are bullshit and you know it,” I hiss, glaring at him.

  He moves with an easy grace toward me. Stepping back, I press against the door as he puts his hands on either side of my head, leaning in close, but not touching me.

  “Try to walk out of here and I’ll show you just how bullshit my threats are.”

  A smile spreads across my lips. I do love a good challenge. I shove his chest hard and spin around, grabbing the doorknob. As I twist it, Blake grabs my wrist and spins me to face him. My hands move to push him again. He’s faster than I expect,
dipping down to grab my ass. He lifts me and slams me back into the door, the wood groaning in protest. His lips are on mine and we’re lost in a fit of tongues, hands, and passion spreading like wildfire.

  Digging my nails into his neck, he growls and grinds his erection into me. I suck in a sharp breath and tangle my fingers in his hair. Setting me on my feet, he grabs the belt loops on my jeans and yanks them down. As I kick them off, he drops his, not bothering to step out of them before he lifts me, filling me as he slams me against the door again.

  I bury my face into the crook of his neck as he takes me, rough and without apology. My body shutters, my sex clenching around his hard-on. He’s relentless and I hold my breath trying to control the need for release. Letting go would just prove his point. This is the one place, the one time, when Blake owns me, completely.

  “Nice try, baby, but you know it won’t work,” he says breathlessly.

  He thrusts inside me harder, deeper, making me cry out his name. The line between pain and pleasure is a thin one with him. He swivels his hips before slamming into me again, and it’s an overload of pleasure. His teeth graze my jaw as my arms tighten around him, digging into the hardened, flexing muscles of his shoulders.

  “Come on, Lily.”

  And that’s it. I come, shaking with the intensity, squeezing my eyes shut as my body and nerves soar— arching my back, grinding down on him, and prolonging the wave. He finds his release while nipping my neck.

  “The answer is still no, Blake,” I say, resting my head against his shoulder, trying to bring my breathing under control.

  He chuckles, tightening his grip around me. “You’re the most beautiful and stubborn woman on the planet.”

  He kisses my neck, sweet and soft, as he turns and lays me on the bed. I wince as he pulls out and chuckles. He’s always found his ability to make me sore amusing, the asshat. Blake can make me crazy at times, but he definitely knows how to distract me, and after all the shit we’ve been through lately, it’s welcome.