Page 45 of Traitorous Lies
There was nothing in the world Jax would rather do than go storming into that cabin, sit Monique down, make sure she’d received the medical care she needed, cook her a nice hot meal, swaddle her in enough blankets so she’d never be cold again, and then make her listen to him.
Too bad life wasn't that simple.
The only thing that was even going to give him a chance at getting her to listen to his apologies was giving her a little space. It was the opposite of what he wanted to do, and it went against every instinct he had, but she’d told him no several times when he’d asked to talk, and the very least he owed her after lying to her was respecting her boundaries.
He just wished there was a way to sneak around them without upsetting her more.
But there wasn't, and he accepted that.
For now, he was focusing on what he could do for her rather than what he wanted to be doing.
Just because Monique didn't believe that her father was the fourth and final rapist who had set this entire mess into motion, he and the rest of his family did believe it. Believed it enough to act on it.
Which meant ensuring Monique was protected.
While he would love to believe that her father wasn't so cruel and heartless that he’d have his own daughter murdered just to keep his secrets, he had to accept it as a possibility. It certainly seemed like the men who had run them off the road and then driven them out into the forest had intended to kill them both. Even if they hadn't, Monique had been injured in that assault, so at the very least, he had to believe that her dad was okay with hurting her even if he wasn't okay with killing her.
Not something Jax planned on allowing to happen.
So after giving the car they’d hired to drive her home a head start, so neither she nor the driver noticed they were being followed, he’d said goodbye to his brothers, hopped in a car, and driven to her animal rescue.
It was set in a beautiful landscape, nestled deep in the woods. The fifty acres were divided into several sections, including one for her cabin and a backyard, one for a veterinarian clinic, one for an office block, and then several paddocks and buildings where they kept the animals they were caring for and rehabilitating.
From what he’d learned by looking up her rescue’s website, it was that they were a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats. They also cared for and rehabilitated wildlife that were injured or abused, as well as some more exotic animals, that had been confiscated from people who had bought them on the black market. She had a great reputation and did a wonderful thing, saving the lives of hundreds of innocent animals over the years.
But there was one other thing he’d noticed about her rescue.
She didn't take safety and security seriously.
Well, not hers.
The animals were all afforded that care, but she didn't have a system in place to keep herself safe in the event that her rescue was attacked. Most likely she thought that was never going to happen, but with her father desperate, Jax wasn't going to take that risk.
So while she’d pottered around the rescue today, checking on how things had been running while she’d been away, he’d roamed the perimeter putting up security cameras. So far, he had about a third of the property monitored, and over the next couple of days he’d finish that off. While he’d prefer to know her house and the offices were being monitored around the clock, at least knowing he had the perimeter secured would help.
A little.
But not as much as being able to have eyes on Monique twenty-four-seven.
Now he was settled back in his car, parked close to the beginning of the driveway, hidden by the trees on the other side of the small road just in case someone should spot him. The last thing he wanted was to scare Monique after she’d just lived through a traumatic ordeal and should be resting and recovering.
Not that it looked like she’d done much of that today. The glimpses he’d caught of her had shown her moving slowly like she was in pain, not a surprise given the blisters he knew littered her feet. She also seemed to be curled in on herself, and he hated that he’d once again made her doubt her worth by judging her only on the basis of her last name.
How was he supposed to undo the damage he’d caused if she wouldn't give him a chance?
Frustration burned in his gut, but it wasn't directed at Monique, it was squarely aimed at himself. He was the one to blame, but he wanted a chance to put things right. And if she’d have him to make sure she never doubted herself again. No matter what her last name, she was a human being worthy of love, affection, and admiration.
When his phone began to ring, he glanced down at it, and it was only because he saw it was Cade’s name on the screen that he answered. His oldest stepbrother was the only one of them with kids—not only did he have a recently turned five-year-old daughter, but a baby on the way—even though Jax wasn't sure that would be the case much longer.His brothers were all in love, and he knew they were hanging out for this nightmare to end so they could begin their futures with the women who had stolen their hearts.
If Cade was calling, it meant Essie wanted to check in with him. The little girl was doing well after her own ordeal, but she’d become clingier to all of them, worrying about them all the time, whether they’d get hurt, and the last thing he was going to do was worry her further.
“Hey,” he said when he answered the video call, immediately seeing that it wasn't just his niece who wanted to talk but his entire family gathered together. Monique’s family, too, if she could let herself believe it.
“Uncle Jax, you have a booboo,” Essie said, sounding dismayed as she moved closer to where the phone must have been set up to fit them all in the camera.
“Just a few small ones, I'm fine,” he assured the child.
“How come you didn't come back here with everybody else?” Essie asked with just the tiniest hint of a pout.
