Molly had been good bait.

Jax was even better.

He’d bound the guy’s hands behind him. Tied his legs to the chair. They were in an old empty house, a house that sat alone on a dead-end street. Once upon a time, the place had probably been nice—now it was just crumbling ruins. Why the hell Jax bought places like that he didn’t know. But at least Jax’s property had sure made things easier for him . . .

In this area, there was no one to watch. No one to hear the screams. And before he was done, there would be plenty of screams.

Jax groaned.

Ah, so he was coming around. Good. It was almost time to make a little phone call. He’d already taken Jax’s phone. Soon, they’d be contacting sweet Sarah. Inviting her to join their little party.

And when Sarah got there, that was when the real fun would begin.

“F-Fucking . . . bastard,” Jax muttered.

He took his knife and sliced down Jax’s arm, cutting right through the tattoos.

Jax’s eyes opened. They were bleary, but rage was already starting to burn there.

“Guess what happens next?” he asked Jax.

Jax didn’t answer. The guy just glared at him.

“It’s your turn to die . . .”

Chapter 16

THE POLICE STATION WAS A FRENZY OF ACTIVITY. When three officers were killed and another was sent to intensive care, the brothers-in-blue went into serious attack mode. They were combing the streets then. Talking to witnesses. Flashing photos of Jax to the media.

Sarah and Emma were at the station, trying to keep tabs on all the chaos so they could catch any leads that the police might get.

Gabe was in the captain’s office, making deals, as usual, to keep LOST fully in the loop.

Dean was at the hospital, waiting for Brent to get out of surgery so that he could find out what else the guy might know. Brent was their best bet right then. Their main chance of getting a lead on the bastard who’d taken Jax.

“He’s alive, right, Sarah?”

She turned at Emma’s soft question.

“The guy wouldn’t take him to just . . . just kill him right away. Jax is still alive.” But her words sounded more like a question than anything else.

Sarah nodded. “He’s alive.” And she was going to find him. She wouldn’t give up on Jax. Because he wouldn’t give up on her.

I love you.

Her gaze slid around the station. So much chaos. Tips were coming in, but, so far, those tips weren’t panning out at all.

“Your father didn’t know who we’re after?” Emma asked her.

Sarah’s lips thinned. “All my father wanted to do was tell me to get the hell away from Jax. He thought Jax was the threat.”

“Jax isn’t!” Emma’s denial was immediate. “I know his past is dark. He’s done things that crossed the line, but I swear, he’s good inside, Sarah. He’s—”

“You don’t have to convince me,” Sarah told her softly. “I know exactly what he is.”

Emma swallowed. Her arms wrapped around her stomach.

“And we’re going to find him, Emma. We are.” If she said those words enough, Sarah knew they had to be true. She knew—

My father wanted me away from Jax. He wanted me to stay with LOST. He’d been intent on driving Sarah away from Jax. But if Jax wasn’t the threat, and if her father had known that . . .

Then my dad thought the killer was coming for Jax. He thought I could be in danger, just because I was near him.

“Emma, you didn’t know about Jax’s childhood, did you?”

Emma shook her head. “Not until Dean told me. Jax was always so private. He never talked about what his life was like when he was a kid. Jax didn’t share his secrets with anyone.”

He’d shared them with Sarah.

Look at this all again. You’re missing something. Think!

“If Jax were going to tell someone, who would it be?” Sarah asked. “His closest friend? Who’s that, Emma? Who is it?”

“Carlos,” Emma whispered. “They’ve been tight for years. Ever since Jax found Carlos in an alley. Two jerks were cutting him, holding him down, and Jax stopped them.”

Carlos. “Where is Carlos now?” Because he wasn’t being her shadow any longer. Actually, she hadn’t seen Carlos since she’d returned to New Orleans.

But, before then, the guy had been her guard. Hanging in the shadows, watching her, watching the LOST agents . . . he would have been aware of every move that they made.

“It’s night now, so he’s probably at the bar. He may not even know that Jax is missing.”

If he’d turned on a TV or radio, he’d know. Sarah nodded. “I need to speak with him. Now.”

Emma’s face tightened. “Carlos isn’t involved.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

“Molly said a blond man lured her away. Carlos isn’t blond, and the guy’s scar is pretty hard to miss. If she’d seen him, Molly would have—”

“We don’t know that the killer is working alone.” Because she’d seen partnerships in the past. And when those partnerships were formed, they were the deadliest combination she’d ever witnessed. “I need to see him.”

Emma stepped closer. “I’m coming with you.”

She’d been hoping Emma would say that. Emma knew the city better than anyone else in LOST, and she was well-acquainted with the darkness that surrounded Jax’s life.

Emma pulled out her phone. “I’ll tell Dean where we’re headed. Viki and Wade can take over here.”

Sarah sucked in a deep breath. She could feel her control fraying. She’d always tried to be so careful on her cases. She’d played by the rules. Done everything right.

Only now, everything was horribly wrong. Jax was gone. He could be hurt, dying, and she had to find him.

Sarah knew it was time for her to let go. To stop holding back. It was time for the world to see her as she truly was.

Time for the bastard who’d taken Jax to realize . . . Sarah was her father’s daughter.

And she had a monster inside, too.

Sarah slipped away while Emma made her phone call. She’d been watching the detectives, and she’d seen one guy put his gun in his desk. The guy hadn’t even bothered to lock that desk drawer. Sarah took the gun and slipped it under the hem of her shirt.

I’m coming, Jax. Wait for me.

SHADE WAS PACKED. Men and women were drinking, dancing, and damn near fucking in the middle of the bar. Voices filled the air and Sarah had to shove gyrating bodies out of her way. She didn’t see Carlos. Not—

“There!” Emma grabbed her arm. “He just slipped behind the bar.”

Sarah pushed toward the bar, and there was Carlos. He was smiling. He had a tequila bottle in one hand and a glass in the other.

Smiling.

Sarah could feel heat spreading up the sides of her face. She stalked toward that bar. “Carlos!”

His head whipped toward her. His smile dipped.

She put her hands on the bar. The people around her were too damn loud. “Where is he?”

Carlos glanced at the folks shoving against the bar. Then he motioned toward Sarah and Emma. He gave a quick curl of his finger as he headed away from the bar and toward the door marked PRIVATE.

The door opened. Carlos walked inside, strolling slowly. “Look . . .” It was quieter in there, so she could hear him easily. “Jax told me to pull the guard on you. I get that you two are done, but you need to let go—”

She wasn’t letting go of anything. Sarah grabbed him by the shirtfront and pushed him against the nearest wall.

Carlos blinked at her.

“Jax is missing, my control is gone, so don’t even think of feeding me bullshit.”

Emma shut the door behind them, then she took up a position right next to Sarah.

“Missing?” Carlos’s scar twisted even more as his brows shot up. “What the hell are you talking about?” His gaze jumped from Sarah to Emma. “Em?”

“His house is ashes,” Sarah told him. She was screaming on the inside, but when she spoke, her voice was flat. Almost calm. Such a lie. “Three cops were killed there and Jax was taken. Then I come in here and find you having a good old time with your tequila in his bar—”