Kiss Marry Kill, page 12
“You can’t know that. He literally took them out of the picture!”
Jax took out his phone and dialed Joey.
“Yo.”
“Joey, Megan got a text. I’m going to send it to you now. Later I’ll bring you her phone.”
“What kind of text?”
“The bad kind. Call me if you can get something from this. See if it’s traceable, at least to an area. Anything.” He chanced a glance her way and her leg was going up and down like it did when she was nervous. She was gnawing on her thumbnail.
“I’ll see what I can do, brother. She okay?”
“Not really. Talk to you later.” Jax hung up and forwarded the text to Joey.
“I know you’re scared—”
“I’m not scared for me, I’m scared for them. I’m not going to let them get hurt because I’m too proud to admit we have a big problem. He’s going to Atlanta, Jax. He’s going, he’s not even hiding it.” She sounded hysterical.
Taking her shaky hands in his, he tried his best to calm her. “I don’t think he’s after them, Meg. He hasn’t contacted them once. It’s all about you. Don’t cancel the tour. Don’t let him win. Remember when we met, you were this sheltered girl, did what everyone told her to do? You’re not that person anymore. You’ve grown up, you’re independent, you have fans, and you have a career you love. Are you going to let this asshole fuck up everything you’ve worked so hard for?”
“But—”
“I was going to finish up the security in the house, and then help MBPD with the investigation—whether they wanted my help or not. Now I’ll secure the tour instead. I’ll make sure everything is safe. I’ll go with you.”
“Like my bodyguard?”
“Among other things. My people will secure all the venues and tour buses and I’ll be close by at all times too. You’ll be safe.”
“Jax . . .” she exhaled. “Nelly and—”
“Talk to them. Tell them what’s going on. If they want to cancel, we’ll cancel. But if not, let’s be brave. Let’s not let him scare you off. What are you going to do, hide in here forever?”
“And you’ll come with me? On tour?” Her leg had slowed but her eyes were still wild.
Jax had a security firm to run and clients to take care of. Leaving on a three-month tour with Megan was the last thing he should be doing, especially when he knew the truth. Yes, he wanted her safe—needed her to be safe—but his motives weren’t completely altruistic. The thought of being away from her for three months, after not having her in his life for five years, was what drove him to say, “absolutely.”
And then her leg stopped completely.
* * *
Megan slept terribly that night. Jax had spent most of the day on the phone and the computer dealing with the security of the house and beginning to put together the team for the tour. She’d barely had a moment alone with him. All the flirting and occasional touches had ceased—both of them focused on trying to figure out what exactly was going on with Ryan. The threat of mortal danger wasn’t exactly an aphrodisiac.
The text had shaken Megan more than she wanted to admit. The call had been easy to brush off as a simple prank or wrong number, but even knowing that Jax was in the room right next to hers, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She made sure all the window shades were down and kept the covers over her head the entire night. But she still felt a tingle at the base of her spine that said someone was out there. It made sleep impossible.
“Morning,” she mumbled crabbily the next day.
“Up at the crack of eleven this morning,” he chuckled. She scowled as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Didn’t sleep much either.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re worried.” Shit, if he was worried, where did that leave her? He was the one who’d pushed her not to cancel the tour. Her thoughts were spiraling.
“Calm down. It’s not because I’m worried. I don’t sleep much normally. So I spent all night trying to figure out where the photo was taken. I narrowed it down by your clothes and the way you were wearing your hair—it’s either at Rio de Janeiro or Caracas.”
“That was two and a half years ago. How’d you narrow it down?” She stood behind him and leaned into the computer screen. Close like this, she just wanted to touch him. He smelled like fresh soap and Jax and it was so tempting to put aside all her trouble and get lost in this man.
“Surfed the internet for photos of your concerts looking for the combination of your clothes and your hair, and also Nelly’s and Taylor’s—what I can see through the black marks.” His voice sounded gruff, and it made her wonder if his thoughts had also drifted to the growing sexual tension between them that intensified when they were close like this.
“If you’re right, that means that the first time I met him wasn’t the first time he’d seen me.”
“Exactly.”
“Oh God, I’m never leaving this house again.” She thumped her forehead on his shoulder.
He chuckled and patted her head. “Don’t go off on your own, or anything. But you don’t have to stay imprisoned in here either. There’s still a month before the tour is supposed to start, and by then we’ll have a handle on things.”
She lifted her head and sat down next to him. “You sound very sure of that.”
“I have a good team.”
“Good. Looks like we’re going to need it.”
He shook his head and closed his laptop, turning towards her. “What would you have done today if things were different?”
“I would’ve gone to Pilates or worked on my yard, but now that’s shot—since, well . . .” He winced, following her line of vision to the now barren yard. “Oh, with everything going on, I forgot all about the fittings I have today with my stylist. What am I supposed to do about that?”
Jax winced in sympathy. “I have the guys coming in to finish some things around the house. I don’t want you feel penned in, babe, but I don’t think I can go with you today. You’re going to need to postpone it.”
She groaned and narrowed her eyes at him. “One minute you’re all for me living my life, and the next you’re asking me to postpone something that I have to do. For my career. For the tour that is just a month away. The tour that you convinced me not to cancel, remember?” Megan hated the bite to her voice, hated that she knew Jax was right, hated feeling so uncertain and out of control in a way she hadn’t felt in years. When Jax opened his mouth—probably to start a fight, she thought snidely—she held up her hand. “I’ll figure it out.”
Jax wisely just nodded and left the room. Well, if she couldn’t come to the fitting . . . grabbing her phone, she decided she’d just have to make the fitting come to her.
Megan was pushing her couches toward the far wall of the living room when Jax walked back inside the house a few hours later.
“I hope you’re ready. The estrogen level in the house is about to climb to dangerously high levels,” she said, breathlessly.
“What are you doing?” He gently moved her aside, gesturing toward one of the couches. “Where do you want this?”
“Just push it against the wall.”
“You have a shitload of rooms in this house, why are you moving furniture around?”
“My stylist is on her way and so is Nelly. We need space and good lighting. I have a bunch of things to try on and pick out for the tour.”
He reached out, and wrapped a finger around a strand of hair that had fallen out of the bun on top of her head. “Are you still mad at me?”
“No, it’s not your fault. It’s Ryan. I’m just frustrated. Are you mad at me? I can be a little cranky in the mornings.”
He was standing close, his hand hovering by her face, enthralled by the hair on his finger. “I don’t remember that about you. I remember you being . . .”—he let go of her hair and looked at her—“ . . . rather sweet in the mornings.”
She gulped. He was so close, and smelled and looked so good.
“Should I make myself scarce?”
“Up to you.”
“Will I have to turn in my man card if I stay?”
She chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Probably.” And then she went to open the front door. Once the women began organizing racks of clothes, Jax got back to work.
* * *
Megan was standing behind an ornate room divider she’d brought down from her room, trying on a too-tight royal blue bandage dress her stylist had insisted she try on.
“It’s Jax. He eats unhealthily,” she said, wiggling herself into the dress that barely went past her ass.
“Yeah? He brought you Nutella?” Nelly laughed. “And it’s only been like three or four days since he’s been around.”
“Shut it, sister. The Nutella is for emergencies. The pizza and sandwiches are the problem.” She grunted, finally able to slide the dress all the way on. “As well as the chips and cookies I spent all day eating at his house.”
“If it makes you feel any better, that one didn’t look good on me, either.” Nelly noted. “I vote on the white pants and top for the first half. It’s from Taylor’s line, so she’ll love it.” Nelly poured herself some more wine as she spoke. “Oh, did I tell you I had lunch with Tamara again?”
“Tamara?” Becca, the stylist, asked as she pinned the hem of some pants.
“The other T from TNT,” Megan said distractedly as she turned from one side to the other in front of the mirror, thinking her ass looked way too big in this dress.
“I ran into her at the mall.”
“I didn’t know her that well, but I know you’ve kept in touch with her,” Megan said, taking Nelly’s wineglass from her hand and taking a sip. Life had been good to her, putting Nelly and Taylor in her life. They were the sisters she never had, and if something ever happened to them she’d never—never—forgive herself. That made her take a second, bigger, sip before handing the wineglass back to Nelly.
“Yeah, she calmed down the last year and isn’t so bad, really. I know she was kind of a bitch back then, but now she’s turning back into the Tamara I grew up with again. She went to rehab and everything.”
From what Megan had heard, Tamara had been a world-class diva, always late to gigs, missing some, drugs, drinking. She lived up to the rock star title, even though she wasn’t a rock star then. TNT didn’t make it big until after she left the band. “But she’s really changed. Seriously. It was almost weird to see her acting like a normal human being.”
“What’s she up to these days?” Megan asked.
“Doing makeup at the mall. She asked about you and Taylor. Said she was happy to see Taylor’s clothing line had taken off. She saw you on the news and was concerned.”
“Well, that’s good that she’s doing well. Maybe we can all do dinner when Taylor gets back. I know she used to be like family to you two. I’d love to get to know her.”
“That’d be awesome. She was very important to me at one time. She was practically family, and you know I’d love everyone to get along.”
Jax walked into the room.
“Great! Of all the times for you to come in,” Megan whined. Nelly scrunched up her nose and pointed to the screen, shaking her head side to side at the ill-fitting dress.
Rolling her eyes, Megan looked down at herself. “Told you. It barely fits.” She pulled the hem down to cover herself more and then pointed a finger at an amused Jax. “I blame you and your crappy eating habits.”
“Is that supposed to look bad?” he asked, taking a seat on the couch that was off to the side, making himself comfortable with his feet on the coffee table. “Because from here, it looks fucking great.”
“Oh, I like him,” Becca said.
“I can’t even breathe in this,” Megan pointed out.
Jax reached forward and, with his index finger, lifted three pairs of lace thongs that had been tossed on top of a suitcase full of clothes. “I think I’ll stick around for the trying on of these.”
This playful side of Jax was exactly how Megan remembered him and it completely made her heart melt. She chuckled, grabbed one of her fluffy throw pillows, and threw it at him. “Outta here.”
Jax caught the pillow in midair with a smile, then tossed it aside. “I actually didn’t come here to stare, although the view is rather spectacular.” She stood there awkwardly holding the bottom of the dress, feeling like the prettiest woman in the world, the way he looked at her. “I think I’m going for a quick jog around the island. Are you good here without me?”
“I’m good.”
“You have my number, right?” he asked.
“Relax, Jax. The island’s small, there’s still light outside. Go. Don’t worry about me. I have my girls here with me and your guys are still in the backyard working.”
He was looking into her eyes, his jaw twitching. She boldly cupped his face and moved close. “Jax. It’s fine. Really.”
He exhaled loudly, searching her eyes for something. “Okay, I won’t be long.”
“Take your time. Have a good run.”
He nodded, leaned in, and kissed her cheek as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Be good while I’m gone.”
Once he was out of the room, Megan turned back to the screen and noticed, for the first time, how quiet her girls had suddenly become. “What?”
Becca was still sitting on the floor with the needle in her hand, but her eyes were swooning. “I love him. I want to have his babies.”
Nelly bent over, laughing. “Seriously, that was . . .” She shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes. “Did you even remember we were in the room? It was pretty adorable, Megan. You two were totally googly-eyeing one another. Are you guys back together?”
Becca’s mouth opened even wider. “Back together?”
Megan began to wiggle out of her dress, speaking from behind the screen now. “We had a . . . thing five years ago.”
“A thing?” Becca asked.
“They were in love,” Nelly clarified.
“No we weren’t. It was just an intense few days together. And now it’s complicated.”
She felt Nelly from the other side of the screen. “How is it complicated? There’s obviously chemistry.”
Megan flicked Nelly’s forehead as she came out from behind the screen, going straight for the wine and then plopping down on the couch. Maybe if she talked it out, it would make sense. Because honestly, it was weighing heavily on her. “I’m being stalked, my house has been broken into, I’m getting prank calls, and all I can think about is jumping Jax! What is wrong with me?” she asked, covering her face with a pillow. “I need help. The psychological kind.”
Becca sat beside Megan and plucked the pillow from her face. “Why, because you have a crush on that delicious man? I’d send you to the loony farm if you didn’t feel something for him. He’s hot—and he looks at you like you hung the moon.”
“But there’s so many things going on right now. It’s not a good time . . . well, that’s what he says.”
“And what do you say?” Nelly asked from her other side.
Exasperated by her mix of emotions, Megan stood. “I think he should multitask. He can be with me and protect me! What the hell, right? Why can’t we be together if we’re both feeling it?”
“Exactly.” Both women cheered as Becca pressed the newly hemmed pants into her hands so she could go try them on.
“Ms. Cruz,” one of Jax’s employees yelled from the other side of the house, “there’s someone here for you. He says his name is Pete.”
“Okay, one second. I’ll be right there,” Megan yelled back, quickly dressing. “I’ll be just a second, ladies.”
“We’ll be right here. Still have a pile of clothes to dig through,” Nelly noted.
Megan hurried to the front door, thinking about what Nelly and Becca had said. Maybe she should go after this thing with Jax, show him that some things were worth fighting for.
“Hey, Pete. Come on in,” she called when she saw the older man standing with one of Jax’s men by the open front door, waving the security guy off to let him know it was fine.
“Hi, Ms. Cruz, heard you had a scare,” he answered, stepping into the house while Megan shut and locked the heavy wooden door behind him.
“Yeah it—”
“Stop right where you are.” A gruff voice startled her from behind. “Identification.” Megan whirled around to see Jax standing in the doorway to the living room. His green eyes were shining with intensity, and he already had his hand on his weapon.
“Jax don’t worry. This is just Pete.”
“ID. Now.” His voice was harsh and brooked no questions. He was drenched in sweat, his hair slicked back in a messy ponytail and away from his face, his cheeks a little pinker than usual.
“‘S’okay, Ms. Cruz,” Pete assured her, carefully taking out his ID and showing it to Jax who took it and inspected it.
“Sorry,” Megan whispered, embarrassed. Pete, who reminded her of her grandfather, had been bringing her packages since she moved in and his sweet wife baked her cookies all the time.
“No worries, Ms. Cruz.” He still called her Ms. Cruz even after years of her asking him to call her Megan.
“I’ll take the package,” Jax barked.
“Oh, Pete, I’m sorry.”
Pete sent Megan a reassuring smile and handed the padded envelope to Jax, who signed for it. “Really, don’t worry about it, Ms. Cruz. It’s good to see someone looking after you.” And before she could make another excuse or hit Jax for being such a jerk, Pete turned and left.
As soon as she closed the door, she ripped the envelope from Jax’s hand. “Oh my god, you’re crazy, you know that? Pete works for the homeowners’ association on the island and brings us our deliveries.”
“Everyone’s a suspect until we can figure out what’s going on.” His face was hard and unforgiving. “And where the fuck are my guys?”
“They’re out back, calm down. They didn’t just let Pete in and give him free rein. I told them he’s a friend. You forget that I’ve seen Ryan. I know how he looks. Pete is not Ryan.”
“What if you’re wrong and it’s not Ryan? What if it’s someone else, Megan?” He snatched the package back out of her hands.
