Memento Mori

by Lexi Blake

  She nodded. “Why are you calling me?”

  “Because I’m on the run, you vindictive bitch. Did you think I wouldn’t figure out it was you? Where did you put it? That was two million dollars. Two million fucking dollars I worked my ass off for.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about but if you call me a bitch one more time I’ll hang up.” She should hang up anyway, but she was curious. He sounded angry and panicked. There was a part of her that kind of loved that.

  Heather had moved out of the booth, leaving her alone.

  “You stole my money. How did you find those accounts? Where did you put it? I can’t even figure out how you did it. Look here, River, I played nice the first time,” Matt growled over the line.

  “By stealing everything my father and I had? Didn’t seem nice to me.”

  “By not hurting you, sweetheart,” he explained. “I didn’t see reason to but I’m rethinking my position now.”

  “I haven’t touched you, Matt. I did report you to the authorities since I got that lovely bill for twenty grand. You’re still stealing from me,” she said, indignation growing.

  “I’m going to kill you if you don’t put my money back.”

  A big hand covered hers and before she knew it that callused masculine hand was lifting the phone away from her.

  Jax stood at the end of the booth, his eyes icy as he put the phone to his ear. “Hello, Mr. Lewis, or should I call you by any of your various aliases? I assure you I know them all. My name is Robin Hood. Yeah. I’m the one who stole your money, and I’m giving it back to every person you ever conned. And if you call River again, we’ll take this fight of ours from the virtual world into the physical one. Yes, I would like that, too. Let me make this plain. If I catch you having any contact with River again, I’ll kill you myself. And yes, I know where you live. I’m sending someone by in the morning to have a talk about other reparations.” Jax sighed and pulled the phone from his ear. “He hung up. It must have been something I said. Or maybe it had something to do with the police sirens I heard in the background. I can’t be sure.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I might have tracked your ex-husband down, found all his bank accounts, and had them wired to yours. How much did he steal? We didn’t get around to talking actual numbers.”

  “It was around two hundred thousand.”

  One muscular shoulder shrugged. “Now you have two million. Interest.”

  She felt her jaw drop. “Jax, you can’t do that.”

  “’Course he can,” Owen said in his thick Scottish brogue. “He’s good with a computer and he’s got a wicked sense of justice. Dante was saying his email got lit up with something called furry porn. I gotta think that was you after the way Dante hauled you out of River’s place last night.”

  She couldn’t even process that bit of information. “What do you mean you took his money and gave it to me?”

  “I hacked his bank account and transferred it to you. I would say it’s simple, but it’s actually quite difficult. You see, there’s a firewall I had to get through,” Jax began.

  Why was he being deliberately obtuse? “Why would you do that?”

  He loomed over her, his eyes warm now. “Because I wanted to make sure he can’t hurt you again.”

  How did he think this was going to be okay? “That wasn’t your call, Jax.”

  “Hey, you should leave the angry chick alone and come hang out with us.” The blonde had gotten off her barstool and stood behind Jax, putting a manicured hand on his shoulder.

  He gently brushed it off. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk right now. I need to explain what I did to River.” He turned back to her. “I didn’t like what Matt Lewis did to you and the cops weren’t doing anything about it.”

  “And they weren’t going to,” Heather said under her breath.

  “I went to Nate,” she said with a huff. What had Jax done? “You have to put the money back. I’m going to get in trouble.”

  “Why would you get in trouble for taking back your own money?” Jax asked.

  He was being naïve. “I assure you Matt will have a way to make it look like I stole it. It’s what he does. He’s a damn con artist. He’s a criminal.”

  “It’s okay. I’ve thought about that, too. The police are on their way to his place right now.” Jax’s eyes opened wide and he jumped slightly before turning to the woman behind him. “I did not give you consent to touch my bottom, ma’am.”

  Oh, she was done with Blondie. “Get your hands off him.”

  The brunette was suddenly by her side. “Says who?”

  “Well, him for one thing.” Heather moved to River.

  She might have to rethink the idea that Heather was a bad wingman because it felt good to have some backup. Especially since Jax looked slightly confused as to what to do. He was frowning. He’d apparently ruined her ex-husband’s life with a few keystrokes and then threatened to violently murder the man, but a woman getting too aggressive made him stop.

  Because he wouldn’t hurt a woman. Because he’d been raised to be a gentleman.

  Everything he’d done the night before had been with her comfort in mind with the single exception of leaving her alone.

  “Is there some kind of problem?” Sawyer was a massive presence even among the big guys.

  “No problem.” Robert seemed eager to step up and deal with the situation. “We’re going to leave and go to the other bar. You know the one where we don’t get in trouble. I believe I might have mentioned we should go there instead of here since we were specifically told not to come here in the first place.”

  “Who told you not to come here?” Sawyer frowned Robert’s way. “And what the hell’s wrong with my bar?”

  “And there is definitely a problem,” Tucker said. “Because Jax did not give consent to have his ass cupped. He’s saving that for River. My ass, on the other hand, is perfectly single and available for cuppings.”

  Owen winked at the skanks. “Mine, too, loves.”

  “I don’t think he minds.” The brunette put one hand on Jax’s chest and the other clearly on his ass. “He’s just playing hard to get. He loves this.”

  She wasn’t sure why her hand was suddenly in the brunette’s hair, but she found herself dragging the woman away from Jax. “He said no. He doesn’t want you to touch him.”

  The brunette yelped and then tried to dig those claws of hers in and chaos erupted in the bar. One of the bikers threw a punch Sawyer’s way for no reason River could discern, though she was distracted at the time since Blondie decided to defend her friend by jumping on River’s back.

  Heather was right there. “Got this.”

  She was like a freaking ninja. Heather pulled the blonde up by her hair, dragging her off. “I’m going to teach you not to touch a sister’s property, my friend.”

  Jax stepped in front of her, taking a punch in the back from the brunette that had definitely been meant for her front. If he felt that punch, he didn’t show it at all. He simply put his hands on her arms as though bracing her. “I am very confused about how to act in this situation.”

  “I’m not!” Owen grinned and threw himself right in the middle of a mass of punching bodies.

  Robert threw his hands up and waded in while Tucker shook his head and went back to the bar.

  Sawyer had a biker in a choke hold. “Really, River? I did not expect this from you. Get her out of here. Now.”

  Jax lifted her up and she found herself cradled against his big chest. He held her close, protecting her from the chaos. He moved through the fight around them, gracefully dodging every stray punch and kick that came their way.

  “I can’t leave Heather,” she shouted over the wails. She glanced over his shoulder back to where they’d left her friend.

  “I’m good!” Heather had the blonde on the floor and was going after the brunette. “This is excellent stress relief. You two have fun.”

  Tucker held up his beer as they walk
ed by. “I’ll make sure she gets home okay.”

  “See, she’s fine. Come on. I have a present for you.” He strode out into the night and she wondered how much trouble she was in.

  She was pretty sure it was a lot.

  Chapter Eight

  “You have to put me down now.”

  Jax kept moving. He wasn’t putting her down until they were well away from the dive bar from hell. Maybe dive bar in hell. Wasn’t that pretty much as far as one could dive? Damn, but he’d been tempted to make the same jump his brothers had.

  If she hadn’t been in his arms, his hands would have been shaking. Walking away from all that violence had been hard. He’d been conditioned to do violence, and it had been far too long since he’d had a taste of that particular drug. Someone always broke up any fight he’d gotten into when they’d lived at The Garden. They’d always joked about the time Dante had snuck out to find a prostitute. What they didn’t talk about was the fact that after he’d had the woman, paid for her services and walked away, it hadn’t been enough. He’d walked straight into a pub and gotten himself arrested. By the time Damon had found him, Dante had a broken nose and an arrest for assault. He’d had a satisfied smile on his face when he’d gotten back, a dark look that made Jax wonder if any of them was salvageable.

  When that first punch had been thrown this evening, his instinct had been to walk into it, to take it and let it fuel a nice long session of brutality. Maybe at the end he too would have that smile.

  He couldn’t let River see that part of himself. Ever. He had to tamp it down.

  “I’ll let you go when we get to my car.” Every word was hard because his brain was on the sounds coming from behind him. There were the shouts and low moans of someone in pain. Crashes and the shattering of glass. How much blood was flowing now? He hadn’t missed the way Owen had leapt right into the middle, his eyes flaring with glee.

  Nor had he missed how hollow Robert had looked as he’d given in. God, he’d brought Robert into this. He was a selfish shit.

  He hoped Tucker was still on that barstool. His brother had walked away, but not before Jax had seen how his eyes had glazed over, likely remembering all the times the doctor had pitted them against each other, forcing them to fight until everyone was bloody and battered. She’d called it “bonding time.”

  “You should take me to my Jeep.” Her arm had drifted around his neck, balancing herself. “Are you all right, Jax?”

  He stopped and forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’m okay. I…I struggle with violence.”

  Struggled not to commit it. Struggled not to glory in it. When he’d been in those fights, nothing had mattered. He hadn’t cared whether he won or lost. If he won, he’d be praised. He’d been given an extra ration of food. If he died, well, if he died, he didn’t wake up the next day.

  For those moments, he didn’t have to think. He only had to react, and that had been the only times he’d felt free.

  “You didn’t sound like it when you were talking to my ex-husband. Though he wasn’t legally my husband. He lied on the marriage certificate.”

  He’d thought about this as he’d searched the web for the man who’d ruined her. He didn’t like to think about the fact that she’d loved the fucker once, but she should know he understood. “You went into the marriage with the best of intentions. He was your husband. We put far too much emphasis on legalities.”

  “Yes, I can see you don’t mind legalities much.” She was back to sounding pissed off. “He’s going to find a way to come after me.”

  “He can’t from jail, and I have something for you in my car.” He’d done everything Heather had told him to do, including making a special stop at the Bliss Veterinary Clinic. He’d spent the whole early evening plotting and planning how to get back into River’s good graces.

  It had oddly been a nice night. It had felt good to think about her, act in her best interests. He’d felt…clean.

  She sighed in his arms. “I don’t think this is a good idea. Look, I forgive you for leaving last night. It’s fine. We had a good time, but we’re working together now.”

  He stopped in front of the big SUV Robert had brought them all out here in. Jax had forced Robert to park next to River’s Jeep, as though their cars being close meant they would be, too. The back window was open halfway but there was no sign of the extra passenger they’d brought along.

  “We’re walking through the woods together. It’s not like I’m your boss,” he replied.

  She crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down. “No, it’s like I’m your boss when we’re out there.”

  He needed to make this plain. He wanted no obstacles in the way in case she changed her mind and decided to jump his bones. When he’d walked in earlier, he could have sworn the woman looked at him like she wanted to eat him alive. “This is not the same situation. Believe me, I looked it all up. I read several scholarly articles concerning relationships between contractors and contractees. And technically, Ezra and Big Tag are the contractees. They’re the ones putting money in your account.”

  “Oh, according to you, you did that, too.”

  He felt a smile slide across his face at the thought. “But that wasn’t about a job. I did that one for free, baby.”

  She stared at him, the moment elongating between them and giving him hope. There was no distaste in her gaze. But then she blinked and the moment passed. “You have to put me down now.”

  He didn’t want to, but he set her on her feet.

  She put her hands on her hips, a light coming into her eyes. “Tell me it was a joke.”

  “It was a joke.” He was supposed to try to give her what she wanted. Heather had been explicit in those instructions. He was supposed to do almost everything River wanted right up to the point where he took control and gave them both what they needed.

  She took a deep breath. “Thank god. Who did you get to call me because he sounded exactly like Matt.”

  He’d sounded like a nasally douchebag. Hopefully he was currently in police custody whining at them. “That’s because it was Matt.”

  She stilled, a suspicious gleam in her eyes. “So you know Matt.”

  “Only because I stole two million dollars and a bunch of property from him,” Jax admitted. “And set him up to go to jail for quite a long time. He should be there right about now.”

  She stared for a moment. “Tell me you’re…oh my god, Jax. You really did it.”

  “I did. He deserved it and now he won’t hurt you or anyone else again. Also, your credit rating is now perfect. I believe I mentioned I’m good with computers.”

  “You didn’t mention you’re a black hat hacker.”

  “Because I’m not. I use my talents for good.” Now. And it wasn’t like he’d had a choice before. When he’d refused to do what McDonald wanted, someone got hurt, and it usually wasn’t him. The doc had been smart enough to figure out that he would take any beating she could dish out and not move at all. Ah, but when one of his brothers was taking the beating for him—that was the way to get him to cave and quickly.

  “I don’t know who you are.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, the screen illuminating her face in the darkness. Her finger swiped and moved until she finally gasped. “There’s two million dollars in my account. Well, two million two hundred thousand and change. Holy shit.”

  “No one is coming after you,” he said quietly. He hadn’t expected this response. He’d thought she would be happy. “I’ve fixed the banking records, too. You sold the big office building two years ago. If anyone looks casually, that’s when the deposits were made. No one will question it.”

  She stared at her screen as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. “I don’t understand. They have records.”

  “And I changed them. Obviously it won’t stand up to intense scrutiny, but why would you come under intense scrutiny?” He didn’t like how far away she was. “I can put it back if you want, but he’ll use it to
hire a good attorney and he might get out. Then he would likely come after you and I’ll have to kill him. Did I mention that I have a problem with violence?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what I want to do right now. I still can’t believe you did that. Two million. It didn’t all come from me. How many of us did he trick?”

  Finally something he could do. “I can find out. I can find them all and use the money to make their lives better. Would you like that?”

  The faintest smile crossed her lovely face and then it was gone, replaced with the uncertainty he’d found in her eyes so often. “I don’t know. I have to think about it. How did you even find out about Matt?”

  “You mentioned your ex-husband. I’m a good investigator. It’s what I do.” It was what he did now. “I was trying to do something good. I don’t like it when people take advantage of others. We should all live and let live. Well, until someone’s an asshole and then I have to deal with it. River, I would like to spend some time with you.”

  Her eyes widened in the moonlight. “I think that’s a bad idea.”

  He moved in, invading her space. If she told him to back off, he would, but he had to try. She didn’t back away so he stayed close. He needed to remind her exactly what he could do for her physically. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve had all day.”

  Her head tilted up, her voice on the breathless side. “Since you stole two million from my ex and set him up to go to jail, I would have to say…” She huffed out a laugh. “I was going to say you don’t have a lot of good ideas, but I like the idea of Matt enjoying some prison time. Can you really find the other women he conned?”

  He reached out and she didn’t move away when he touched her hair, smoothing it back. Just touching her calmed him. He wasn’t thinking about the fight now. There was nothing in his brain but her and how soft she felt under his hand. “I promise I will. I have friends who can help me, too.”

  “I would like that.” She nodded, her eyes on him.

  He leaned over and his lips were almost against hers when something barked behind them. River started and turned.