Saving Jax

by Ramona Gray

  “Jax isn’t dead,” Cal said quietly.

  She twitched all over and gave him an accusing look. “Don’t, Cal. I’m tired of the fucking games.”

  “He isn’t,” Jade said. “We faked his death so that Jimmy would have to make the drop himself and we could arrest him. It was the only way to ensure that he went to prison for life. He needed to make the deal and the only way to do that was if both of his lieutenants were dead.”

  Mel stared blankly at her before switching her gaze to Cal. “He’s dead, Cal. You told me two days ago, remember?”

  He nodded solemnly. “I thought he was dead, Mel.”

  Jade leaned forward. “We faked his death, Mel. We put a bullet proof vest on him and one of our agents, pretending to be one of Chan’s men, shot him in front of the grocery store. We put blood packs on him that burst on impact, and we planted another agent in the grocery store who posed as a doctor and pronounced him dead. He kept the civilians away from Jax until we could get his “body” out of there.”

  “I don’t understand what is happening,” Mel whispered. “Why are you fucking with me like this?”

  There was movement in the doorway and her gaze flickered upward. Cal made a soft noise of alarm as her face paled and her body swayed.

  “Jax?” She whispered.

  “Hello, butterfly.”

  She shook off Cal’s hand and staggered to her feet before lurching toward him. She reached out with a trembling hand and touched his face. “You’re alive.”

  “I am. I’m so sorry I lied to you, butterfly.”

  “You’re alive,” she repeated.

  “Yes.” He stroked her hair lightly and then flinched when she punched him in the stomach.

  “You asshole!” She shouted before punching him again. “I thought you were dead! Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

  “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have – “

  “Jackass! Dickhead! Motherfucker!” She shouted before wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and yanking him downward.

  “Bastard!” She muttered and kissed him fiercely.

  He kissed her back and after a moment Jade stood and gave Cal a pointed look. He followed her out of the room as Mel tore her mouth free and rested her forehead against Jax’s.

  “I hate you,” she whispered.

  “Liar,” he replied.

  He took her hand and led her to the table. “Sit down, butterfly. You’re shaking like a leaf.”

  She nearly fell into the chair and he steadied her with his good hand as he sat down beside her. She reached out and touched his face lightly and he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand.

  “Tell me,” she said. “Tell me everything.”

  * * *

  “Wait,” Court opened the bottle of beer and set it in front of Julie before opening his own. “He asked her to go into witness protection with him?”

  “Yes,” Cal said impatiently as he paced the spacious kitchen in Julie’s house. “Pay attention, Courtney. Jesus! Jade and I convinced Jax that he needed to tell Melanie he was alive, to give her the chance to decide if she wanted to go with him. He told her the truth about everything and then asked her to disappear with him. She was so happy to realize he was alive that I thought they were just going to ride off into the fucking sunset together but she said no.”

  “She said no?” Julie set her beer bottle down with a surprised thump. “Really?”

  “Yes, really! Jade and I were waiting in the living room for them and the next thing you know Mel comes flying out of the kitchen sobbing her eyes out, and leaves.”

  “I can’t believe she said no,” Julie said quietly.

  “Why wouldn’t she?” Court asked. “She barely knows the guy and he might be on the straight and narrow now but he worked for a drug dealer for nearly his entire life.”

  “He’s a good guy, Court,” Cal snapped. “Don’t be so judgemental.”

  Court stared at him. “What has gotten into you, Cal?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is our baby sister you’re talking about. Do you really want her disappearing from our lives, forever? What about mom and dad? What about us? I don’t want to never see her again.”

  “I told you – it’s not forever. A year, maybe two at the most. Jax will testify at the trial and then once the trial is over he promised Mel they would move back here.”

  “Cal, it’s still a year of not talking to her, of not knowing if she is safe or happy or – “

  “Jax makes her happy. I think she’s in love with him and I know he’s in love with her,” Cal said.

  “They aren’t in love,” Court said. “They barely know each other and – “

  “Hello Mr. Pot,” Julie said. “Have you met Mr. Kettle?”

  “It’s different with us, Jules,” Court protested.

  “No, it isn’t,” Julie said.

  “That’s why we need to do an intervention,” Cal said.

  “An intervention?” Court took a swig of his beer as Cal nodded anxiously.

  “Yes, a love intervention!”

  Court nearly spit beer all over the table. “Christ, Cal. Melanie’s a grown woman, she doesn’t need us interfering with her love life.”

  Julie frowned at him. “If it hadn’t been for Mel doing a ‘love intervention’ with us, we wouldn’t be together now, Court.”

  Court hesitated before setting his beer bottle down with a loud thump. “Shit, you’re right.”

  He studied Cal for a moment. “You know mom and dad are going to kill us for talking her into this, right?”

  “I do,” Cal said. “It’s worth it.”

  “Fine. Let’s go.” Court grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her up as Cal cheered loudly and followed them out of the kitchen.

  * * *

  “Let us in, Mel! We know you’re in there!” Cal hollered before pounding on the door again.

  “Maybe she isn’t home,” Julie said.

  “She is! I know she is.” He reached up to pound on the door again as Mel yanked it open.

  “What the hell, Cal? It’s late – are you trying to get the neighbours to call the cops?”

  He pushed past her and with a soft sigh, Mel stepped back so that Court and Julie could follow him.

  “We’re here to do an intervention, Melanie Thomas,” Cal said dramatically.

  “An intervention?”

  “Yes. A love intervention. Jax Anderson loves you and I know you love him too and you’re making a huge mistake by just letting him walk away. If you don’t go with him, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life and – “

  “Cal,” Court said.

  Cal waved his hand irritably at him. “Not now, Court. I’m on a roll.”

  He grabbed Mel by the shoulders and shook her lightly. “You play it too safe, Mel. It’s time you stopped looking after Court and me and lived your life. You deserve to be happy and – “

  “Cal,” Court repeated.

  Ignoring him, Cal said, “You convinced Court that he was meant to be with Julie and you were right. Look how happy they are! You deserve that too and I think – “

  “CALVIN!”

  “What, Court? Christ, can’t you see I’m trying to talk some sense into our sister?” Cal glared at him.

  Court pointed behind him and Cal turned to see the two large suitcases sitting in the middle of the room. He gave Mel a puzzled look. “Mel? What’s going on?”

  “What does it look like?” Court said dryly. “Our love intervention isn’t necessary.”

  Cal stared wide-eyed at Mel. “You’re going with him?”

  Mel nodded. “Yes. Well, I think I am. I mean, I did quit my job this morning, I called Jade and told her I changed my mind, and in the morning I’m going to mom and dad’s place and breaking the news to them. Of course, I have exactly twenty-four hours to get my entire apartment packed up and moved into storage and that’s not exactly going smoothly.”

  “We’
ll pack up your apartment and get your stuff to storage for you, honey,” Julie said.

  “We will?” Court asked.

  Julie whacked him on the arm. “Yes, Court. We will.”

  “You mean you’ll use your boatload of money to hire someone to come in and pack up her apartment for us, right?” Court said hopefully.

  She laughed and he grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead as Cal threw his arms around Mel and hugged her hard.

  “What did Jax say?” He asked.

  “He doesn’t know yet.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because I still had to try and get my shit into storage and I still have to tell mom and dad. There’s no guarantee that dad won’t kidnap me and take me to the cabin once I tell them.”

  “Ooh, good point,” Court said. “We’d better go with you. Safety in numbers, right? If he tries to kidnap you, Cal and I will distract him and give you time to escape.”

  Mel burst into laughter and hugged both Cal and Court. “Thanks, you guys. Really.”

  “That’s what big brothers are for,” Cal said.

  * * *

  “I’m going to miss you, Jade.”

  “It’s only for a year, honey,” she said.

  They were standing on the airport tarmac and he studied the small plane before smiling faintly at her. “My own private jet, huh?”

  “Only the best for the guy who helped bring Jimmy Golden down.”

  “Ricky and Lucy?” He asked.

  She laughed. “Don’t worry. Your babies are safe and sound and waiting for you on the plane.”

  “Good.”

  “You know, you could have left them with me. I don’t mind looking after them,” she said.

  “No, I want them with me. It’s a long time without them,” he said.

  She smiled at him. “You’ll be okay, Jax.”

  “Will you?”

  “Of course I will,” she said.

  “Are you really going to prosecute him yourself?”

  She shrugged. “I’m going to try. My superiors don’t think it’s a good idea and they think the judge assigned to the case won’t let me. Too much of a conflict of interest.”

  “It kind of is,” he said.

  “It isn’t,” she insisted, “unless it’s a conflict of interest that I hate his guts and will do whatever it takes to see him in prison for the rest of his life?”

  He hugged her hard with his good arm. “I’m still worried.”

  “Don’t be.” She glanced at her watch and he arched his eyebrow at her.

  “Do you have somewhere else to be?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” she said. “I have a date.”

  “With who?”

  “No one you know,” she said innocently.

  “Jade…”

  She grinned at him. “Cal Thomas.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. He’s mildly charming in an annoying kind of way,” she laughed.

  She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. “Go on, honey. Start your new life. Be happy, okay?”

  “Okay. I love you, Jade.”

  “I love you too, Jax.”

  She watched as he climbed the stairs of the plane and stopped at the top. He turned and waved and she waved back before smiling to herself and walking to her car. She hoped he liked the surprise waiting for him in the plane.

  Jax nodded to the air attendant standing by the door as she said, “Good evening, sir. Can I get you a drink?”

  “No, thanks.”

  He moved into the main cabin and his jaw dropped. Mel was sitting in one of the leather chairs. Ricky and Lucy’s crate was on the seat beside her and she had her fingers poked into the crate and was petting them gently.

  “Hello, Jax.” She smiled sweetly at him.

  “Butterfly? What – what are you doing here?” He asked hoarsely.

  “You invited me, remember?” She said teasingly as she stood and moved toward him.

  “I – you said you couldn’t go with me,” he said.

  “I changed my mind. And it’s a good thing I did because Cal dragged Court and Julie over to my place for an emergency love intervention. Who knows how long it would have gone on if I hadn’t already been packed.”

  “You changed your mind,” he repeated.

  “I did,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “No. Wait – what’s a love intervention?”

  She laughed loudly. “I’ll explain later.”

  “But what about your job? Your family?” He asked.

  “I quit my job yesterday and I told mom and dad this morning. They weren’t exactly pleased but Court and Cal helped smooth it over. Besides, it’s only a year or two and Jade gave me a secret email that I could use to email them. It’s all very ‘James Bond’ like.”

  “Mel, are you – are you sure this is what you want to do?” He asked.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Jax Anderson,” she said quietly. “I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?”

  “Yes. God yes,” he muttered before yanking her into his embrace and kissing her hard on the mouth.

  “You won’t regret this, butterfly. I promise you,” he whispered against her mouth.

  She kissed him again before smiling at him. “I know.”

  END

  Thank you for reading my book! Please enjoy an excerpt from my latest novel, “The Assistant”.

  THE ASSISTANT

  By Ramona Gray

  Copyright 2015 Ramona Gray

  * * *

  “Ms. Jones! My office, immediately.”

  His voice, harsh and demanding, spilled out of his office and I sighed before standing up from my desk. Smoothing my skirt, I entered his office and smiled at my boss.

  “Is there a problem, Mr. Wright?”

  “Shut the door.” He barked.

  I shut the door and sat down in one of the leather chairs across from his desk. I crossed my legs delicately and his eyes drifted to my short hemline before he glared at me.

  “As a matter of fact, there is a problem. A rather large one.”

  I pasted my best ‘what can I do to help’ look on my face and folded my hands in my lap.

  He raked his hand through his hair before his gaze dropped to my chest. “Your outfit, Ms. Jones.”

  My cheeks flamed immediately and I pulled self-consciously at my too-tight shirt. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “You know exactly what I mean, Ms. Jones.” He leaned forward and folded his own hands on the top of his desk. “It isn’t work appropriate. What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “Laundry day.” I whispered.

  He frowned. “What?”

  “It was laundry day yesterday and I didn’t have any quarters for the washing machine.” I cleared my throat nervously. “I didn’t have anything else to wear.”

  I was nearly sweating with embarrassment. I had hemmed and hawed over my outfit this morning for half an hour but, left without much choice, had decided to just go for it. I knew what I looked like. The shirt was much too tight. It hugged my large breasts and clung to my curves and the skirt, well let’s just say that bending over was not an option.

  “How long have you worked for me, Ms. Jones?”

  “Three years.”

  “I would think that after three years you’d have a better understanding of the office dress policy. Wouldn’t you?”

  My temper flared and I scowled at him. “I’m not breaking any rules. My skirt is well within the regulation length.”

  He scowled back. “Is it? Then explain why I got an eyeful of your garters when I walked by your desk. And I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that the first deep breath you take, your buttons on that shirt pop open. Showing your tits is a definite infraction, Ms. Jones.”

  I gaped at him. “Did you just talk about my tits?”

  He sat back in his chair and I watched wide-eyed as
his hands moved to the buckle of his belt. “As I was saying, you’ve created a large problem and it’s up to you to solve it.” As he was speaking, his hands were unbuckling, unbuttoning and unzipping.

  A small gasp escaped my throat when he tugged his cock through the opening in his pants. It was long and thick and hard as a rock, and my mouth dried up as I watched him stroke it firmly.

  “Come here and solve the problem, Ms. Jones.” He commanded.

  Like a woman in a dream, I rose to my feet and crossed around his desk. I couldn’t take my eyes off of his cock and as moisture dampened my panties, I unconsciously rubbed my thighs together in an effort to quell the throbbing that was starting between my legs.

  “On your knees, Ms. Jones.” He rolled his chair back and I knelt obediently between his legs.

  My mouth was in front of his cock now and I watched his hand slide up and down before he wound his other hand in my hair and pushed me toward the head of his cock.

  “Open.” He said firmly.

  I opened my mouth and moaned in sheer delight when he guided his cock past my lips. I closed my mouth around his throbbing length, my stomach tightening with pleasure when I heard his harsh moan.

  “Good girl.” He whispered. He petted and stroked my hair as I sucked enthusiastically. His hips were rising in his chair and he was thrusting more firmly into my mouth. I made a soft humming noise and he groaned again before pulling on my hair.

  “All of it. I want you to take all of it.” He pushed on the back of my head and I took a deep breath and –

  “Lina! Earth to Lina!”

  I jerked and nearly fell off the stool I was sitting on. My hand twitched and the salad tumbled off my fork and landed with a wet splat on my blouse. I cursed loudly and mopped at the salad dressing with my napkin.

  “What the hell were you thinking about, Lina?” My co-worker, Amanda, bit into her sandwich and stared curiously at me.

  I blushed and continued to dab at the stain on my blouse. “Nothing. Why?”

  “You had a weird look on your face.”

  I shrugged. “I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. Rex still isn’t doing well and I was up half the night with him.”

  Amanda gave me a look of sympathy. “I’m sorry. I know how much he means to you.”