Page 9 of Glamour and Grit

Dane squints down at a smear on his shirt and shrugs.

“Yeah, but it’s not mine.”

As if that excuses and explains it all away. Jax visibly composes himself. I don’t think he expected Dane to show up in such a state. Dane’s attitude should be annoying, but it’s so unforced it might actually be endearing. Might. I don’t know about Dane yet, but I do trust Jax. And Jax seems to trust Dane.

“I mean, you should have seen me and Bastian cleaning house, man,” Dane says, pantomiming a punch. “This guy rolls up on me, and I’m likebamand he goes right the fuck down. Then Bastian was fighting two dudes at once, and?—”

“Dane,” Jax says, his voice filled with warning. “Perhaps you’d like to say hello to Selene. Your client.”

Dane stops, and closes his mouth. He has the good grace to look sheepish as he turns to face me.

“Sorry, got a little carried…”

His eyes widen slightly. Dane’s intense gaze flickers over me, lingering for a moment in the usual spots men favor the most. My heart skips a beat when our eyes meet at last.

“...away. Nice to meetyou, Selene.”

“Um, likewise.”

He stands a little straighter, I can’t help but notice.

“Dane is a former Navy SEAL and tactical weapons specialist,” Jax says. “He’s been decorated for exemplary service multiple times. He’s trained in all NATO and Eastern Bloc weapons, close quarters combat, demolitions disposal, and his Five Alarm Chili is the best you’ll ever taste. Like I said, more than qualified.”

Dane looks a little bit embarrassed by all of his accolades.

“So, what can I do for you?”

“Go ahead and start from the beginning, Selene,” Jax says.

“It’s my brother, Justin. He’s always had a bad habit of picking the wrong crowd to hang out with. This time, he wound up getting entangled with Salvatore Moreno.”

Dane shrugs. “Is that someone I should know?”

Jax frowns and shakes his head.

“He’s a prominent figure in organized crime…allegedly, of course. Nothing seems to stick to him. My buddy on the force has been trying to get him for years.”

“Speaking of your buddy on the force, why haven’t you called him for help?” Dane asks.

“I did. He sent a detective over to her place on the down low. No sign of her brother, and nothing out of sorts. It’s like no one was ever there.”

I start, because I hadn’t known Jax took that step. I guess he knew to keep it unofficial so my brother wouldn’t get in trouble with the law.

“Hmm. Mind if I take a look myself? LAPD is overworked, and if it was an unofficial task, they might not have done their best.”

Jax grunts. “Might not be a bad idea to check it out. Just be careful in case Moreno’s men are watching the place, waiting for Selene.”

“Right.”

He turns to me and offers his hand.

“Ready to go, Selene?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I take his hand and my fingers light up with a tingling sensation. His knuckles are huge. My gaze wandersup his arm, checking out his numerous tattoos. The one with the crosshairs is far from subtle. Dane might be a bit on the rough side, but he won’t be intimidated by the mob. Which is what I need right now.

“Be careful, Dane,” Jax says as we head out the office door. “It’s a whole different kind of battlefield here.”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Dane says without turning around.