Watching Her: A Dark Romance (Keep Me Series Book 3)

by Angela Snyder

  He rocks in and out of me in soft, teasing strokes, and it's nearly unbearable. My fingernails dig into his ass cheeks, pulling him closer, pressing him to fuck me faster, harder.

  He obeys and begins a quicker pace as my inner walls clamp down on his driving length.

  "Fuck," he says, breaking our kiss and looking down at me with awe written all over his face.

  He pulls out almost the whole way before his cock dips inside my pussy again in shallow thrusts, and I rake my nails down his muscular back in frustration. I can feel another orgasm racing inside of me, and I know it's not far off.

  As if sensing my urgency, Jax begins to fuck me, rutting in and out of me. I buck my hips to meet him thrust for thrust, and then it's like a rocket shooting off towards the sun. Every muscle inside of me clenches with desire as bright, hot pleasure crashes over me, sending hot sparks shooting down my spine.

  "Jax!" I cry out. And it only takes a few more thrusts before he's growling out my name and joining me in our powerful bliss.

  He collapses, barely catching himself at the last second, completely boneless atop of me and breathing hard against my neck and whispering words I can't hear.

  After several minutes of lying there with our racing heartbeats competing against one another, we finally catch our breath. Jax pulls out of me gently and disposes of the condom. He disappears into his adjoining bathroom and comes out a minute later with a warm washcloth to wash away the evidence of our lovemaking.

  I can't help the smile forming on my face as I watch him take care of me. And I'll admit it's nice, so fucking nice to feel cared for and to be so trusting of another human being.

  He dries me with a soft towel and disappears into the bathroom once again. While I wait for him to return, a faint spark of doubt clouds my mind. Jax and I have never slept together in the same bed before. Will he kick me out? Tell me to go to my room?

  Feeling torn, I quickly scramble to the edge of the bed just as Jax emerges. "Where you going?" he asks with a cocked brow.

  "Uh," I start, but not knowing how to finish.

  "Stay with me tonight," he says, completely erasing any doubt from my mind.

  I give him a single nod and climb back into bed. And when Jax pulls my back against his chest and tucks me in close to him before pulling the blanket up over us, I let out a shaky sigh of relief.

  It feels so nice to be touched without fear and to feel safe in his arms. I don't remember the last time I felt so safe. And just for tonight, I allow myself to dream of a future with Jax in it.

  A future where we exist…together…and happy.

  * * * * * * *

  LATE INTO THE night, I'm awoken by a beeping sound. Jax stirs next to me and groans. When he unwraps his arms to go check his cell phone, I instantly miss his warmth. Something happened between us tonight. We didn't just fuck. Jax made love to me.

  It was wonderful and magnificent…and every other synonym in the thesaurus.

  I finally feel like we're on the same page. Like we could truly be happy together and make things work.

  I just wish I didn't constantly have the little black cloud over my head warning me of things to come.

  And when Jax's phone lights up, illuminating the dark room and he hisses out, "Holy shit," I can almost feel the dark cloud growing bigger, foreboding of bad things to come.

  I sit up quickly. "What? What's wrong? What is it?" I whisper into the darkness.

  "It's Lucien. He found a lead on Adeline." He stumbles out of bed, yanking on a pair of sweatpants.

  "Did he find her?" I ask, swallowing hard.

  "God, I hope so," he says, his voice dripping with excitement and worry all at the same time.

  I stare after him as he leaves his bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door. He's rushing to find information about this girl…

  I wonder what will happen when she's back in his life. Will Lucien and Jax fight for her attention, for her love? Will Jax win in the end?

  It's obvious that he's in love with the girl. Just the sound of her name coming from someone's lips lights up his entire face. I don't know if Lucien knows about his secret admiration. I have about half a mind to tell him, but I don't want Jax to get hurt…even if he's hurting me in the process.

  No, I decide to just sit back and wait. But one thing I'm definitely going to do in the meantime is re-erect the walls around my heart again. Because I have a feeling Jax is going to completely crush me, and there won't be any coming back from it.

  CHAPTER 33

  JACKSON

  I RUN THE entire way from my bedroom to Lucien's office, screwing up the code three times before finally putting the right one in. I barrel through the door, my body feeling like I just ran a goddamn marathon. I put my hands on my knees, sucking in air. "What…did…you…find?" I ask Lucien between pants.

  "She activated the watch. I'm waiting for the data to upload," he states calmly.

  I straighten and narrow my eyes at him. "So…you have nothing?"

  He smirks at me and waves a hand towards a seat nearby. "Want to wait with me?"

  Groaning in frustration, I go to the couch and dramatically plop down on it. In all actuality, this is a big improvement from the big bag of nothing we've gotten so far.

  We wait in silence as we watch the upload bar indicator slowly move centimeter by centimeter on the big computer monitor. If she activated the watch, that means Lucien can track Adeline's whereabouts and download any data that's available.

  Well…if she is even the one who activated it, that is.

  "What if it's not her?" I ask him softly.

  "Then we'll find out who has the watch and see if they know where she is," he says through clenched teeth.

  And then his attention snaps to the screen when a new window automatically opens. I move from my seat on the couch to hover over his shoulder as we read through the data together quickly.

  "She's in Pennsylvania," I whisper in awe.

  Lucien's hands move to the keyboard as he quickly brings up Google maps and searches the address. The town she's in has a population of around 900. It's a small farming town in the middle of nowhere. It would be easy to stay hidden in a place like that.

  "Smart girl," he mutters proudly.

  "Do you think it's really Adeline?" There are so many scenarios running through my head. One of them is that she is, in fact, dead. The watch could have wound up in Pennsylvania a million different ways, but I have to hold onto the fact that it's her. It has to be.

  "It's her," he says confidently, echoing my inner thoughts. "If nothing else, this will give us a better lead than we've had since she first disappeared."

  I nod in agreement as I move towards the door. "When are we leaving?" I ask anxiously.

  He glances over at me. "As soon as possible," he confirms.

  "I'll tell Wraith to ready the plane," I tell him. Inwardly grimacing, I realize I'm going to have to try to convince Katya to get on a plane again with me. I can't trust that she'll stay here by herself and behave. And if she leaves, she's as good as dead. The only option is very clear — I have to take her with me. Then I quietly add, "For all of us."

  "All of us?" he inquires with a raised brow.

  I shrug and glance down at the floor for a moment before saying, "Well, I have to bring Katya along." With a shake of my head, I explain, "I just don't trust her yet not to run, and she's not safe out there on her own."

  Lucien nods once, clearly understanding my situation given what he went through with Adeline. It wasn't safe for her to leave either. "Just be careful," he tells me.

  I stare at him for a long time, letting the hidden meaning of his words sink in, before nodding several times. Then I leave to find Wraith so that he can get everything ready to go.

  The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be able to make sure Adeline is safe and sound and back in our lives.

  I smile when I think about bringing our girl back home.

  CHAPTER 34

  KATYA


  JACKSON COMES BACK to the bedroom about an hour later…only to announce that we're leaving.

  "Leaving?" I exclaim, sitting up in bed. "Where are we going?"

  "To the U.S. Pack light, just necessities. We're leaving in fifteen." He goes to the walk-in closet and rips out two suitcases. He begins to pack some shirts and pants into one of them.

  I stare at him like he just grew a third head. I can't even process what he's telling me right now. "I-I can't just leave," I protest. "What if the Bratva finds me in the States?" They have soldiers all over the world. All it would take is just the right person to recognize me. Then I would be as good as dead.

  Jax stops packing and looks up at me. "They won't," he says, as if his confident answer solves everything.

  "How could you possibly know that?" I yell at him, not caring anymore if it's the middle of the night. "What are we even going for?" I ask, although I already have an inkling as to the reason.

  "Lucien found Adeline," he says, not offering more of an explanation other than that, as he continues to pack. He glances up at me when I say nothing in response and says sternly, "Twelve minutes now, Katya."

  I swallow hard around the lump forming in my throat, and I hold back my tears as I take the empty suitcase and walk to my room to begin packing.

  I thought I knew where I stood with Jax, but I couldn't have been any more wrong.

  I have no idea where I stand now that Adeline is going to be back in his life.

  * * * * * * *

  ONCE THE SMALL, private jet was loaded with our luggage and cargo, it took off for our destination…and maybe my final resting place.

  I try not to dwell on the fact that leaving the island could very well be like signing my death warrant. The Bratva are everywhere. And it will only take one of them to recognize me or catch wind of me arriving in the States. Then, it will all be over for me.

  My hands grip the armrests until my knuckles turn white. I hate flying, especially in a small plane. Every dip or jarring movement has me on edge, like we're going to fall to earth in a fiery tangled mess of metal and flesh.

  "Something's not right," I hear Jax announce from his seat beside me and across from Lucien. He's been watching the data on Adeline nonstop ever since we left, even though not much has changed…until now obviously.

  Lucien opens his laptop and narrows his eyes as he stares at the screen. "It looks exactly the same," he grumbles. "She's in the same exact location that she was hours ago."

  "Not the GPS. I'm talking about her vitals," he says in a panicked tone.

  His words send Lucien into a frenzy, and I watch his fingers fly over the keyboard as he checks more data. Cursing under his breath, I realize he must have found what Jax is looking at.

  "Do you think something is happening to her?" Jax asks, his face etched with worry lines.

  Lucien stares at Jax for a long time, and I can almost hear the cogs in his brain turning. He's figuring out exactly what I figured out a long time ago — Jackson is infatuated with Adeline, obsessed even. And it goes beyond just a friendship. I'd venture to say that Jackson is in love with this girl.

  Lucien closes his eyes and clenches his hands into fists, and I know he's trying to rein in his anger at his cousin. Jackson just stares at him, oblivious to it all. His brain is too muddled with emotion right now.

  In an attempt to pacify the situation, I lean over and place my hand over Jackson's. "Jax, she will be okay," I whisper soothingly.

  Jax turns his attention to me, and for a moment I can see something in his eyes as we share an unspoken connection.

  Does he love me as much as I love him? I ask myself.

  Wait…love? Do I love Jax?

  I didn't think it was even possible for someone like me with what I've suffered through in my past. But as I stare into his steel-gray eyes, I realize that yes, I do love Jax. More than I ever thought imaginable.

  Our connection is broken, however, at the sound of a beeping coming from Lucien's laptop. He quickly keys in something and stares at the screen.

  "Adeline's moving. Quickly. She must be in a car," Lucien says hurriedly, his voice thick with trepidation. "And it's heading towards New York City."

  CHAPTER 35

  JACKSON

  ONCE WE LAND in New York City, Lucien manages to make contact with his connection in the FBI, Henry Wepner. Lucien has been working with the FBI for quite some time now. He gives the U.S. government information to take the biggest fish in the underbelly of the world out — arms dealers, drug cartels and human trafficking scum.

  And in exchange for that vital data, Lucien earns protection from being prosecuted and is allowed to keep his island a secret and continue on with his work, which isn't legal in any sense of the word.

  Agent Wepner had to pull some strings, but he managed to scrounge up some of his best FBI agents for us to use as backup for our mission to get Adeline back. No questions asked since Salvatore Valenti, Adeline's father, and half of the Italian mafia is currently behind bars, all thanks to Lucien.

  The only one not behind bars and still on the run is Adeline's ex-fiancé, Giovanni Morello, who is currently holding her captive at one of the Valenti's many properties.

  Once we figured out her GPS coordinates, it wasn't hard to figure out who owned the house and who was holding her hostage. Giovanni is the only fish left in the very large pond that the FBI hasn't been able to catch yet. And so they are mainly helping us in this mission to catch that particular fish and call it a day.

  We're currently stationed on the outskirts of New York City in an abandoned warehouse. Wraith brought in a handful of his own contacts — several tattooed and mean-looking dudes with more muscles than me and Lucien combined.

  Even with all our backup, it's still not going to be easy to break into the house; however, because the intel Lucien's gathered so far has informed us that it would be easier to break into Fort Knox.

  The property is surrounded by a ten-foot tall fence equipped with motion-detector security cameras every few feet. There is a guard shack outside the entrance, and the front gate can only be unlocked with an electronic keycard.

  There's also a panic button inside the shack that the guard can press if he suspects any suspicious activity, locking down the entire place and alerting everyone inside.

  Even if we make it past the guards stationed out front and the fence, we need to take down the numerous guards and dogs stationed every several yards throughout the inside perimeter.

  The mansion itself is impressive with bulletproof windows that could withstand a firing squad and heavy-duty steel entrance doors that could hold back a fucking tank.

  The more data Lucien collects, the more frustrated he becomes. He's worried we're not going to get her back, but I have full confidence in him. If anyone could get her back, it would be him.

  I watch his fingers move furiously over the laptop keyboard as he punches in a bunch of strange code and symbols that I can't even comprehend or attempt to follow. "I'm sending a message to her watch," he explains.

  He's been working with his hacker buddy, Miles, for a while now. Miles taught Lucien everything he needed to know about hacking. There's not a firewall too strong or too complicated; no code they can't crack; no security system too advanced. They are the best of the best.

  I hover over his shoulder as he stops typing. "Did it work?" I ask him.

  "I think so," he says. "Just in case she's not alone, I'll only allow it to flash for a few seconds."

  We wait while the message I'm coming for you is transmitted to Adeline's watch.

  And then with a few quick keys, Lucien ends the message.

  "I'm going to work with Miles on trying to break into the power grid."

  I give him a nod and let him continue on with his work. Then, I walk over to the corner of the warehouse where Katya is sitting by herself, stewing in her own misery.

  Ever since we left the island, she's been…difficult. I can't describe it any other way. It's as if sh
e wants to pick a fight with me over every little thing. I know it's really stressful right now and our sole focus is on Adeline, but she needs to understand that she's part of the team now, whether she likes it or not.

  Her blue eyes meet mine as I approach. She does not look happy to see me.

  "One of Wraith's men has volunteered to stay behind with you," I tell her. There's no way I'm letting her go on this mission with us. There could be lives lost, and I don't want to constantly be worrying about hers when I'm trying to save both mine and Lucien's.

  Her small fists ball in anger as she suddenly stands and storms towards me. "I'm not staying here with some goon I don't even know while you're off saving the day!" she hisses.

  Damn, I almost missed her firecracker attitude that always turned me the fuck on. But right now I don't need her fucking attitude. I need her to comply. "The decision's already been made. You're not going," I declare adamantly.

  "Oh, so what are you going to do with me then? Tie me up again and force me to stay here?" she snaps.

  "Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do," I tell her even though I have no intention of actually tying her up. The 350-pound musclebound dude with more scars and tattoos than I can count should suffice in being the perfect babysitter. No ropes required.

  Katya huffs and puts a hand on her cocked hip. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? You and your little kinks," she says loud enough for everyone in the warehouse to hear.

  I throw my hands up in the air exasperatedly. "It's too dangerous for you to go, Katya. We could all die. I could die," I tell her adamantly, trying to get through to her.

  I expect her to back down, knowing that I'm putting my life on the line and that I'm not willing to risk hers. But she surprises me by folding her arms across her chest and asking, "And then what would happen to me if you never come back? I'd be left here to starve and die!"

  I shake my head in disbelief. Did last night mean nothing to her? Does she not even want me anymore? "What is your deal?" I hiss at her.