a rhythmic dripping from the redwood canopy, and a thick fog crawled thr

ife cleaned and sheathed, his eyes never truly closing. When the first hint of gray light

-the sharp, defensive lines of his face softened, his mouth slightly parted. Jax watche

up. We need to

second, there was pure terror in his gaze-not the social anxiety

d, holding up a hand, pa

reath that seemed to have been held for a lifetime. He push

glass and see if the SUV can get past t

e stood up, though he kept the hoodie on, the sleeves hanging past h

wasn't just avoiding the broken window; he was avoiding the shadows. E

" Jax said, tossing a heavy branch out of the shatt

ld is logical. It has firewalls. If something breaks, you can trace the code to the exact millisecond of the failure.

. "Is that why you hired a man you don't like

ike you, Jaxson. I hired you because you were the only thing on the mark

ol, the oversized hoodie making him

n't want his patents. They wanted his leverage. They took me from the school parking lot. I spent three weeks in a room not much bigger t

iliar, hot rage-the kind he usually reserved for th

ree feet' rule exist

. It sees a threat. It sees the door opening." He looked up at Jax, his eyes shimmering with a vulnerability that was devastat

n, of iron and grit, but he had no defense against this kind of hon

gatekeeper. From now on, nobody gets through that door unless you want th

l, genuine smile touched the corners of his mouth. I

at car moved. We have a board meeting at three,

d out into the mud, he realized his debt wasn't just forty-two mi