by Laura Day
Jax took a deep breath. “You’re right; it’s not. But I wouldn’t know how to go about it in the first place.”
“Talking about it might help,” Maple said gently. “There’s a reason I told you about my past, Jax; there was a relief in sharing.”
Jax looked at his bowl of soup and then back at Maple. “I was scared to tell you,” he admitted.
“Scared?” Maple asked in confusion.
“I didn’t want you to run scared,” Jax explained. “I felt as though... you might be reluctant to get involved with me if you knew how... gruesome my past was.”
“Need I remind you that I have a gruesome past, too?” Maple pointed out.
“It’s different.”
“How?” Maple demanded.
“Losing your family to that kind of violence and brutality... it does things to a person. You know that saying... it takes a monster to make a monster?” Jax paused for a moment. “For a long time, I thought I was one.”
“Why?”
Jax shrugged. “Because trouble seemed to follow me no matter where I went. And I knew it wasn’t always circumstance. In many cases, I was the cause of all the trouble. I got into a lot of fights. I was reckless and careless. I didn’t have much respect for authority, and I had this need to...”
“Self-destruct?” Maple offered.
“I suppose,” Jax nodded. “I didn’t see it that way at the time... but now... now I know better. And that makes me want to do better.”
“I know,” Maple said fervently, placing her hand on his tattooed arm. “Trust me, Jax. I know you’re trying, and that’s what is giving me courage to go ahead with this plan.”
“What do you mean?”
“A few days ago you wanted to kill Conor,” Maple explained. “But you’ve since realized that that will do you more harm than good. And I know that’s because... you want something more for your life, something more complete than the life you’ve been living.”
Jax smiled at her. “You do understand me.”
“I think we should go to the police station after dinner,” Maple said. “I want to get this plan in motion as soon as possible.”
On the heels of her sentence, Jax received a text. He looked down at his phone and saw the message he had just received from Evan. It read, “When you go to the station, ask for Alan Stanley. I told him to expect you.”
Jax showed Maple the message, and she sighed deeply in response. “Ok,” she said as though she were mentally preparing herself. “Ok.”
“I’m going to be with you every step of the way,” Jax told her.
Maple looked up at him. “I know.”
Chapter 6
Maple
The station’s walls were in dire need of a fresh coat of paint. It had the look of neglect about it, but there was a constant bustle that gave the station some life. She looked around at the officers entering and leaving the building. Some were dressed in uniform; others wore coats, ties, and detective badges. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a few detainees handcuffed to their chairs. They couldn’t have been older than eighteen years old. It was as if she was looking straight at the past she had only narrowly missed.
“Maple?” Jax’s voice cut through her thoughts.
Maple looked up with a start, as she snapped out of her reverie. “Yes?”
“Let’s go,” he said, as they began to follow a female police officer with caramel skin and braided hair.
She took them into a separate department that had been boxed off into separate cubicles. They walked to the back of the room and turned towards a large desk to the right. Behind it was a short man with thin, blonde hair and watchful blue eyes. He was wearing a shirt and tie, and his badge was fastened on his belt.
“Jax,” he said, stretching out his hand. “You don’t need much of a description, I’ll tell you that much.”
Jax shook his hand and smiled. “This is Maple.”
“Hello Maple,” Alan replied. “Why don’t you two take a seat and tell me why you wanted this meeting?”
They sat down and Jax launched into an explanation about his history with Conor and his interest in Maple. Maple sat there quietly, trying to disconnect herself from the story Jax was telling. There were moments when it felt like something out of a movie. She marveled at how life was sometimes more unbelievable than any script a screenwriter could dream up.
When Jax got to the part about Maple’s rape, his voice lowered considerably, and Maple turned her head away from the conversation. She hated having to talk about it; she hated having to acknowledge it. There were moments in the day when she could actually put it from her mind, and she cherished those moments because it made her feel like she wasn’t tainted in some way.
“Maple?” Alan’s voice was business-like, but his eyes were gentle as he turned his gaze on her.
“Yes?” Maple said, turning back to the conversation.
“He found you in a club?” Alan asked.
“Yes,” Maple nodded. “I was meeting a friend.”
“Can you tell me in your words what happened?”
Maple took a deep internal breath. “My friend went to the bathroom, and as soon as she had cleared the table this waiter approached with a complimentary drink from a stranger by the bar. He told me that the gentleman who had bought the drink had already left.”
“You didn’t see the man?”
“No,” Maple shook her head. “I had the drink...”
“A few sips or the whole glass?”
“I can’t remember,” Maple said. “Enough so that I felt different almost immediately. It felt like I was in some sort of stupor. I couldn’t get words out fast enough, I couldn’t scream, I could barely walk on my own.”
“And then what happened?”
“Conor showed up,” Maple said softly. “Things got a little hazy after that... I think he pretended as though we were together. I remember him telling people I was drunk. He drove me somewhere, but I don’t recall the car ride at all. The next thing I knew we were in this seedy bedroom, and he was pulling off his trousers...”
Jax’s hand engulfed her own, and she felt slightly better, but her words dried in her throat. “I couldn’t really fight him,” Maple continued after a long pause in which neither man said a word. “I remember trying... but it was like... it was like trying to wake from a dream that was so heavy it was pulling you down deeper.”
“He raped you,” Alan said calmly.
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what happened after that?”
“The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital,” Maple admitted.
“I found her on the side of the curb down Garrison Road,” Jax told Alan. “Just where I work.”
“She was unconscious?”
“Yes,” Jax nodded. “Evan drove us to the hospital. They ran tests that confirmed she had been... penetrated.” Jax stumbled uncomfortably over the word, but he continued on with new determination. “He had used a condom so there was no DNA there to identify Conor as the rapist.”
Alan nodded. “It might not have mattered much anyway,” he said. “Conor can always claim the sex was consensual. It’s her word against his.”
“I knew that,” Maple said. “Which is why I didn’t want to press charges.”
“Why are you here now?” Alan asked looking between the two of them.
“He’s following her still,” Jax said. “He’s threatening her, and at some point, he’s going to do something bad. We need to stop him.”
“You mean bait him and then trap him,” Alan said.
“Yes,” Jax nodded. “Is that possible?”
“The police department here is low on funds, Jax,” Alan said seriously as he leaned in. “We’re short on man power, too. That was one of the main reasons I was transferred here from Michigan. I can’t just set up an operation like this without probable cause.”
“Seriously?” Jax demanded, leaning forward. He was a big guy, and his size alone was intimidating, but Ala
n held his own.
“I’m sorry,” he said calmly. “But I’m just trying to manage your expectations. I will see what I can do, but I’m just trying to prepare you for the possibility that we might not be able to help you.”
Jax shook his head in frustration. “This guy has a history of violence and abusive behavior. He put my sister in the hospital, too. He’s more than just a sadistic psychopath with a good right hook; he’s a criminal who needs to be locked up.”
Alan looked up at those words. “A history of violence you say?”
“Yes,” Jax said uncertainly.
“What type of criminal behavior are we talking about?”
“He and his crew have been known to carry around guns... and I don’t believe they’re licensed.”
Alan stared at Jax for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully and he rose from his seat. “What’s this guy’s name?”
“Conor Ramsey.”
Alan nodded. “Give me a minute while I run his name through the system.”
Maple watched Alan leave, and then she turned to Jax trying to control the panic coursing through her. “What if they can’t help us?” she asked desperately. “What if we can’t stop him, Jax? He’ll keep coming after me.”
“Hey, hey,” Jax said, as he wrapped an arm around her. “Remember what I told you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, least of all Conor.”
Maple looked down. “There are some promises you just shouldn’t make, Jax.”
She saw Jax open his mouth and then shut it quickly. He sighed deeply and pulled her closer to him. “Sometimes I forget that I can’t control everything, ironic given what happened to my family that day at the campsite. But the thing is... I have to protect you Maple... I’m going to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”
Maple allowed herself to be comforted by his words. She knew he needed to believe in them, and that meant she needed to believe in them, too, so she nodded slowly. “It’s ok,” she said softly, kissing him gently on the cheek. “I know you will... I’m just... scared.”
“I’m scared, too,” Jax said suddenly.
Maple looked up at him and smiled. “Funny... that word just doesn’t go with you.”
“I assure you... I’m a teddy bear on the inside.”
Maple laughed low. “You don’t have to convince me of that... I suspected as much.”
“Just don’t go spreading that around,” Jax said with a wink. “I have my street cred to maintain.”
“Of course,” Maple said while nodding seriously.
Their little back and forth banter was interrupted when Alan walked in with a bunch of papers in hand and what looked like a positive expression on his face.
“Tell me it’s good news,” Jax said immediately.
“I think it is,” Alan nodded. “We have Conor Ramsey on file.”
Maple and Jax exchanged a quick, hopeful glance. “What do you have on him?” Jax asked immediately.
“Nothing concrete,” Alan replied. “That’s the problem. He’s managed to evade arrest at every turn. There’s evidence here that suggests he has been dealing in unlicensed firearms, as well as selling them on the black market. He might also be involved in underground drug dealing, but again, there’s no definitive proof.”
“Then let’s get some,” Jax said pointedly.
Alan nodded. “I think we have enough information here to get authorization for an operation.”
It was only in letting out a deep sigh of relief that Maple realized she had been holding her breath. “So we may actually be able to lock him up?” she asked.
Alan turned his blue gaze onto her. “There is a good chance. But this operation will put you directly in the line of fire,” he said. “Are you prepared for that?”
Maple gulped back her doubts. “Yes.”
“You need to be sure, Maple,” Alan said gently. “You’ll have to put on a good show.”
“I know,” Maple nodded. “I want to do this.”
“Ok,” Alan nodded. “Leave your information with me, and I’ll contact you as soon as I get things set up on this side.”
“Ok,” Maple nodded. “And then what?”
“We will need to prep you,” Alan replied. “We’ll need to get you fitted with a wire and run through protocol with you.”
Maple nodded again.
“Until then... go home and get some rest,” Alan said rising again.
“Thank you,” Jax said, extending his hand.
They said goodbye and made their way out of the police station. Maple could feel Jax walking just behind her with his hand on the small of her back as though he were her bodyguard. She couldn’t deny that it made her feel safe and protected. They walked back to his apartment in silence, and the moment they were engulfed in privacy, Maple lay down on bed and closed her eyes, as her mind sped through the events of the last few hours.
“How are you feeling?” Jax asked, as he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.
“I can’t honestly give you a straight answer,” Maple replied. “I’m feeling so many things at the moment.”
“You can still back out if this is too much for you, Maple,” Jax told her with sincerity.
“I know,” Maple replied, as she opened her eyes. “I’m not backing out though.”
Jax leaned in and kissed her hard on the lips. “You know what you need?” he asked as he pulled away.
“What?”
“You need a stress reliever.”
Maple smiled. “I agree,” she nodded. “Did you have anything in mind?”
“Of course,” he said, as he leaned back down again and started kissing the side of her neck. He pulled her hands back, over her head, and Maple felt her body respond immediately to his touch. She felt a sharp click as cold metal engulfed her right wrist and she looked up in shock to find that her wrist was handcuffed to the bed.
“Oh my God,” Maple cried, as she looked at Jax with shock. “Where did you get those?”
“Where do you think?” he asked teasingly.
“You stole from the police station?” Maple asked incredulously.
Jax shook his head. “They really should take better care of their things around there.”
Maple couldn’t help but laugh as Jax pushed off his shorts, removed his shirt and got on top of her. She could feel his erection against her thigh, and she felt herself moisten immediately. She had the urge to grab him, but she resisted against the strain of her handcuffs as she surrendered herself to his control. He started kissing her hard; his tongue knotted with hers; and Maple felt her breathing come in short bursts that were delirious with passion.
Jax grabbed the tangled sheet from underneath Maple and pulled it out. He used its end to tie her left hand to the bedpost so that she was chained at her wrists and unable to move. Maple felt her body writhe underneath him, as she struggled to get closer. Jax entwined his finger in the waistband of her panties and pulled ferociously so that they snapped apart completely. Maple didn’t care; she just wanted to feel him inside her. Her eyes feasted on the animalistic beauty of his naked body. It was sinewy, ripped, and riddled with tattoos.
His penis saluted her with gusto, and she could see the little glint from the Prince Albert piercing on its tip. She felt a thrill of expectation course through her as she anticipated how it would feel when he pushed himself inside her. Jax rubbed against her until Maple was overpowered by the musky scent of him. She couldn’t imagine a more erotically charged atmosphere.
“Oh,” she gasped, as his tongue flicked over her nipples with panther-like prowess and his hands raced through over her body. “Fuck me.”
“You’ll have to be patient,” Jax teased, as he kissed his way down her torso. She wriggled underneath him, unconsciously pulling at her restraints.
Finally, Jax lowered himself until he was lying between her parted legs. He began kissing her inner thighs. After a moment, Maple felt his tongue, hot and heavy, almost as though it
were inside her, and she cried out in pleasure. He started slowly with his hands clutching at her breasts, before he was licking her so intensely that Maple realized she was going to come.
All she could do was scream, her hands trying to grip at the bedpost behind her, as she orgasmed violently with Jax still between her thighs. Her body shuddered into stillness after a particularly fierce spasm, and Maple sunk into the mattress, but Jax didn’t give her time to relax. He pulled himself up and entered her before she could catch her breath, throwing one leg over his shoulder and pummeling into her as though they were running short of time.
Maple could do nothing but arch her back and scream as he fucked her like a man possessed. She came two more times before he was done with her. Maple’s body glistened with sweat, and she felt the handcuffs and the sheet come loose. Jax pulled her close, and they fell sleep with their faces inches apart and their sweat fusing together.
Chapter 7
Jax
She was incredibly nervous. Every time Jax turned his gaze in Maple’s direction, she seemed to grow paler. He exchanged a glance with Alan, realizing that Alan was noticing the same thing.
“Maple?” Alan said quietly so as not to started her. “Are you ok?”
Maple nodded with speaking, but there was still barely any color in her face. Jax reached over and put his arm around her shoulders. She felt clammy too, as though she was just about to be sick.
“Do you need a glass of water?” Alan asked.
“I’m fine,” Maple replied. “Just take me through the plan again.”
“We need evidence that Conor drugged and raped you that night, in addition to which we need to find proof that he has been trading in illegal firearms and drug dealing.”
“How do I get him to tell me all this?” Maple asked.
“We’ve been monitoring him these last few days,” Alan replied. “He frequents a lot of bars and pubs, but he never conducts his businesses out in the open. We think it’s just where he establishes his client base. We need you to catch his attention while he’s at one of these spots.”
“That will be easy enough,” Maple replied. “I’m already on his radar.”
