Free Torn by A.F. Crowell

that was reassuring.
    The room was outfitted with security
monitors, a couch, a tiny bathroom, a fridge, and a pantry stocked
with food. Once it was activated it could only be opened from the
inside. Jaxon made me remember the code.
    0624198704212015
    My birthday, and my due date. Then we chose a
word that would mean it was safe for me to open the door—only if he
were on the other side. Quantico . It was
where he went to school. Sniper training.
    I prayed I’d never see the inside of that
room ever again.

 
    Chapter Nine
    Leila
    Lying in bed the next morning, I finally got
the courage to ask Jax about quitting.
    “Honey,” I whispered, dragging my hand across
his chest lightly to wake him.
    Blinking a few times, he wiped the sleep from
his eyes and rolled to his side to mirror my position. “Hey,
Princess, what time is it?”
    “Why don’t you quit?” I asked gently,
genuinely wanting to know.
    “Quit? What, the club?” He frowned and
instantly I regretted asking, but I kept going. I couldn’t see him
lying in a hospital bed riddled with bullets again.
    “Yeah, why not have them pull you out? You
almost died, Jaxon. Is it really worth you dying?”
    “Lei, I’ve put my blood, sweat, tears, and
almost my life on the line for this op. Spent more than three years
going on runs, getting these lowlife asswipes to trust me, and
watchin’ God only knows how many crimes these animals have
committed. I’ve seen good people die for no reason. Those people
deserve justice, Leila,” he sighed. “If I give up now, then the
last three years will have been for nothing.”
    “If you get killed it will have been for
nothing, Jaxon. I cannot live without you. We,” I grabbed his hand
and placed it on my very pregnant belly, “can’t live without you.
And we don’t want to.”
    “Babe, this is what I do. It’s who I am.
Please don’t ask me to walk away from this.” I knew if I pressed
the issue, I might not like the end results.
    “I guess I don’t understand, Jaxon. I get
that you want to get justice and arrest these guys but why can’t
someone else do it?” I sincerely wanted to understand.
    He brushed the hair from my face. “For as
long as I can remember I’ve wanted to make sure the bad guys go
down. In this case, Drill more than Mark and the club. I feel
fuckin’ awful lying to Mark, but he chose his path, the same as I
did.”
    “Are you going be able to put your personal
feelings aside and arrest him when it comes time?”
    “I’ve always prided myself on being loyal. To
my country, my unit, my guys, you, but Mark is a target. He’s the
president of an MC that helps the cartel traffic drugs. So to
answer your question, yeah. When it comes time to bust this shit
wide open, I’ll have no problem arresting him.” His voice calm, he
never wavered.
    “I thought you two were close.” I
shrugged.
    “That’s what I want him and everyone else to
think. He’s not a bad guy, and he didn’t choose to be in bed with
the Mexicans, but he accepted the job and hands out the
orders.”
    Lying there, I thought about all of the runs
over the last few months. Mark’d had dinner with us, sat with me in
the hospital.
    “Jesus.” Jaxon flew off the bed. Just as I
was about to ask what caused him to freak out I saw a black snout
on the side of the bed. “Ruger, go lie down. Damn it, dog, keep
your cold, wet nose off my ass.”
    I clamped my hand over my mouth. “He probably
needs to use the bathroom, baby.”
    “Doesn’t mean he needs to scare the shit out
of me. Fuck.” Jaxon huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath.
“Come on, ya fucker, let’s go outside.”
    Ruger was already way ahead of him, dancing
at our door. While the boys were outside I used the bathroom myself
and brushed my teeth. I decided to climb back in bed and enjoy a
lazy Sunday for a change.
    Later that day, after lounging all morning, I
dragged Jaxon up to the second floor bathroom and trimmed his blond
locks. He obviously