Zane cleared his throat. “My old man is mixed up in all this somehow. I mean, more than just being the General’s lawyer. Don’t underestimate him. In a lot of ways, Phillip Thorne is worse than the General. Jaxon, that note that was put under the door at DA’s office?”
Jaxon nodded. “What about it?”
“There’s something about it, that doesn’t sit right with me. It couldn’t have come from my Dad, and not just because it would get him disbarred. He is too slick to leave something that obvious. So, if neither my dad nor the General sent it, then who did?”
Ravage nodded at Zane. “I still got ears in the Lawless Warriors who stuck with the Society. I’ll reach out and see if anyone heard whispers about that tip. Somebody inside is feeding information, and it’s most likely not some random do-gooder.”
Law tapped the table with two fingers. “Connor and I will work our sources inside the Society, too. We’ve still got a few guys who owe us favors. If the note at the DA’s office came from one of their people, we’ll find out. And we’ll make sure that information highway isn’t a two-way street. We can’t have loose lips feeding the General intel.”
“Jaxon, you need eyes on Tazzy anytime you can’t be right beside her.” Gage told Jaxon something he already knew.
“I’d already thought of that.” Jaxon turned to Reid. “I want someone on her any time I’m not. I’m not leavin’ her exposed.”
“Brick and me will handle that,” Ravage said. “We might not be Sabre, but since Lovie is my daughter, we’re family through her. If we can’t cover her, we’ll let you know so you can take over. She won’t ever be alone.”
Deke nodded. “We should also talk about the protest itself. The Musketiaras did a good job out there of putting a target on themselves. Then, sure enough, the General turned it into a target range. We need to make sure that the next time they have a noble cause tochampion, we set up better perimeter control. No more open squares where he can hide in the crowd.”
Hutch rubbed the back of his neck. “Agreed. We’ll coordinate with the girls on future plans. I doubt they’ll be giving up their protests anytime soon, but I don’t like being blindsided like we were today—something I recommend we all make clear to our Little activists. The last thing Tazzy, or any of us, needs is another scare like today.”
Jaxon’s chest tightened at the mention of Tazzy. He’d left her in the Little Room with the rest of the girls so she could decompress and have some fun. “She is tougher than she looks, but today rattled her. For a second, we both thought she’d taken a real bullet. There is no way he’s getting that close again.”
Reid studied him for a long moment. “You sure you’re steady, Jaxon? We’re going to back your play no matter what. But we need to know your head’s in the game. Otherwise, we’re all at risk.”
Jaxon let out a slow breath. “I’m steady. My greatest fear, the reason I endured prison, almost became a reality today. It settled something in me, so my rage and my clouded judgment are done. It fucks me that it caused me to make a big mistake today. But now I’m clear about what game he’s playing. Now I’m here, and I’m focused. We’ll take him down, but we’ll do it smart. And we won’t give him any easy targets.”
Sawyer folded the note and slid it back to Jaxon. “I’ll have the new security system installed by tomorrow night. Our camera systems send alerts straight to all our phones. If anyone crosses the perimeter you set, we’ll know before they reach the door.”
Connor added, “And we’ll keep digging into the monitoring equipment at Graceview. The General is spoofing the system somehow. With Ezra on our side, we’ll figure it out.”
Law glanced at Ravage. “You good with coordinating between the Ruthless Saints and Sabre on Tazzy’s protection?”
Ravage gave a single nod. “Solid as a steel wall. Brick is already on standby. Tazzy will have eyes on her twenty-four-seven when Jaxon can’t be there.”
“My father taught the General everything he knows about stayingone step ahead of the law. If Phillip Thorne is pulling strings behind the scenes, I’ll do everything I can to help you spot it. As bad as all of you want him taken down, I want it more. Jaxon, you may not know how my own father killed my mother and tried to break my sister, Lovie. Sabre took me in and made me part of their family. That makes you and Tazzy family, too. You know what I think? I think that worthless sperm donor is never touching a member of my family again.”
Nobody had to say another word. Zane had said it all. Even so, the weight of everything they faced sat heavy between them.
Jaxon pushed his chair back. “I need to get my girl home. She’s had enough for one day. I’ll talk to her about Arcadian Hills and see how she feels.”
Reid stood as well. “Fair enough. The offer’s always there. You want it, we’ll make it happen the same day.”
Hutch clapped Jaxon on the shoulder as he passed. “Go take care of Tazzy. We’ll keep working the angles here. We’ve been at war with the General for years. It’s time we finished it.”
Gage added, “Keep us posted on how she’s doing. If she needs anything, you know the girls will step up. I’d bet good money she’s being spoiled rotten back in the Little room right now.”
Deke grinned a little. “Those Musketiaras stick together, that’s for damn sure. Tazzy is in good hands with them.”
Law nodded toward the door. “We’ve got your back, brother. Always.”
It seemed everyone wanted Jaxon to know how committed they were to protecting him and Tazzy.
Ravage caught Jaxon’s eye one last time. “Brick and I will have surveillance locations set up and ready in the woods near your house by nightfall. You focus on her. We’ll take care of everything else.”
Jaxon walked down the hall toward the Little Room. The conversation still echoed in his head. Every man in that room had their own reasons for wanting the General gone. The first was to protect their Littles. The second was simple… justice long overdue. The trick would be taking down the threat without losing themselves in the process. He felt the weight of that responsibility on his shoulders as well, but it didn’t feel heavy. It felt like carrying your share of the burden for a change.
He pushed open the door to the Little Room and found Tazzy curled in her black swinging chair. She appeared to be dozing and hadn’t noticed he was there.
No one else saw him either, because they were still talking.