Page 36 of Jax

“Under the windshield.”

My stomach squeezes. Psycho’s posse has been watching enough to know that this is Leenie’s car. Shit.

“You know anything about this?” Jax asks, tearing the paper back from his brother.

I gulp. He’s pinned me with his gaze, and when he does that, the moment in the supply closet may as well be another lifetime. “I know it was taken at the storage facility,” I tell him, recognizing Psychos’ measly supply of mixed martial arts gear. Their guy looks so out of place in that building. He’s so young, so innocent. He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. Those guys don’t follow rules, and they sure as fuck don’t care about each other.

“But what do you know abouthowit got on the windshield?” Jax rumbles.

“It must have been Tiron.”

“The guy you were dancing with earlier?” Finn asks.

“The guy whomademe dance with him earlier? Yes. He must’ve put it there.” I eye all of them, and all three are looking at me suspiciously. “I’ve been with Leenie all day. I obviously didn’t do it.”

“No one’s saying—” Leenie starts.

“Actually, I was thinking that,” Jax interrupts. “She brings her guys to our fights. They start something with us, and now all of a sudden, one of ours is with this Psycho guy. It can’t be a coincidence.”

My fingers flex beside me. It’s late. The single streetlight above us and the way they’re staring at me has me feeling like I’m under interrogation. “Who is this Clive guy?” I ask. Worry seeps through me. “He can’t be that old.”

“He’s nineteen,” Jax says.

My chest hollows with that knowledge. They’re going to chew him up and spit him out. “He can’t be there.” I reach for the paper. I must surprise Jax because he lets me take it from him. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for but I need to see who’s present. Mostly, I’m scanning it for Psycho to see if I can tell by the look on his face what his plans are for this guy.

The bastard couldn’t leave it alone, could he? He had to get the last word in with Jax and Finn, letting them know that he’s “better” than them.

Jax, Finn, and Leenie are still staring at me when I look up, so I try again. “He really can’t be there,” I say, growling. “They’ll eat him up.”

“If he’s left the gym to train with them, fuck him,” Jax growls but I see the hurt underneath his bravado. This picture is doing exactly what Psycho wanted it to. It’s getting in his head and under his skin.

“Listen, I mean it,” I explain again. “They’ll lure him in with stupid shit like alcohol, training, and video games. He’ll forget everything for a while. He’ll think it’s awesome there, but when he tries to leave, they’ll do something to make him stay. If you stay too long, youcan’tleave.” Even as I say it, I know it sounds like some sort of crazy conspiracy theory but I’ve been with these guys so long, I know how they operate.

It wasn’t always that easy. But the more deranged people Psycho lured in—like Tiron—the more he got them to do whatever he wanted. If Psycho deems Clive useful in any way, he’s not going anywhere. Horror ripples through me as a thought niggles its way into my brain. This Clive guy will be useful because he knows Jax and Finn. This might even be Psycho’s secondary plan if I fuck it up. He’ll use him in some way. I’m sure of it.

Finn glances between me and Leenie. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do. He’s a grown man.”

I breathe out a sigh, closing my eyes. I’ve been part of the people who’ve helped others stay. Psycho will get one of the girls to show him a good time. Ply him with sex and worry-free fun. He’ll show him a community, the likes of which some have never seen before. That’s why they stay.

Before Clive can even figure the truth out, he’ll be stuck. Psycho will get him to do something illegal which will be held over his head forever. The threat of jail is enough for anyone to quit their bitching and do what they’re told.

“Sadie...” Leenie starts.

“Fuck Sadie,” Jax spits. “Everyone has a choice.”

I hug myself tighter. He knows that’s not true. He’s saying it to hurt me. We’ve had ample discussions on this very facet of life so many times I can’t even count. He knows sometimes people just get stuck. He can make up whatever excuse in his head if he wants but it’s not the truth. He wants to blame me for everything. “Listen, hate me for what I did. I get it. I deserve it. But I know these people. They will chew him up and keep him there, and that’s best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario is that they don’t find him useful.”

“What happens then?” Leenie asks, forehead lines riddling her features.

Jax scoffs. “Let’s get in the fucking car and go home. I don’t want to listen to any more of this.”

Leenie gives me a sympathetic look. She unlocks the car, and we all get in. Jax and I share the backseat even though we’ve both found the furthest spot away from the other that we can. Finn attempts to start conversations but they fall flat. Jax still isn’t breathing evenly. He flexes his fist every few seconds as if he’s envisioning beating the shit out of Clive for leaving their gym.

When we get home, Jax is the first out of the car. He storms up the porch and through the front door before we’re even out of the vehicle. Leenie blows out a breath before catching my eye. “He’d taken Clive under his wing. He’s a shy, quiet guy. He’s put on some muscle the last couple of months. He’d confessed to them that he’d been a punching bag in Rawley Heights High, and he didn’t want to be that anymore. Him leaving for another gym will hit Jax hard.”

“It’s not Clive’s fault,” I say, shutting the car door. “When someone first enters that storage facility, everyone acts like it’s the best place they’ve ever lived. It’s all a facade that they can’t keep up. It’ll be too late before Clive realizes what he got himself into.”

Finn moves closer. “What did you mean by the worst-case scenario being that they don’t find him useful?”

---