JaxonThe drive felt increasingly longer each day Sara stayed with me. I'd never minded staying late at the office, doing the work that needed to be done. Now it took all I had to last until 5:00 p.m. so that I could race home and see her. I moved as quickly as I could without breaking too many traffic laws–being pulled over was the last thing I needed right now. I pulled up to the driveway feeling more anxious by the minute. I parked in my normal spot in the garage and gathered all my things, then I got out quickly and walked inside. I moved to my office anddropped my belongings, including my jacket before rolling up my sleeves and moving toward the stairs. But thenI heard Sara's laughter in the kitchen, so I stopped instantly and turned to follow the sound of her voice. I walked into the kitchen to see her texting and eating slowly from a bag of chips. "How was your day?" I asked, smiling at her. She looked peaceful, happy, and I loved seeing her like that. Part of me hope

JaxonI could still smell Sara's perfume lingering on me and my clothes. I savored the sweet smell and let it bring me back to our latest encounter together. It was starting to feel… more real than it ever had before, as if I wasn't the only one of us with feelings. The persistent feeling of her skin pressed against mine helped keep all the rest of my emotions at bay. Nothing helped calm me like the feeling of being inside her. I kept my foot steady on the gas pedal, trying to drive sanely. There was no reason to rush. My men would wait for me. Lord knew what Daren was up to, but I'm certain he wouldn't be expecting me to act so quickly or thoroughly. I rolled my eyes in disgust and fury thinking about the man I used to call one of my closest friends. I gripped the steering wheel tighter and let myself momentarily imagine beating him to near death. I took a deep breath and let the revenge fantasy fade. Despite her fury and contempt for him, I knew Sara wouldn't appreciate it if

Jaxon"What do you mean by that?" I growled. Inside I already knew. Inside my heart was racing, and my nerves were on overdrive. I could feel the panic waiting anxiously for permission to take over. Daren was silent and still chuckling to himself. I kicked his side again. What was wrong with this sick f*ck? How had he become so evil in just the few short years that I had cut him out of my life? When he was silent, I kicked him again. Surly Sara wouldn't mind if I left him a little bruised, right? "Answer me!" Daren started laughing again–more manically now–and pulled himself to his knees. He looked like a haunted shell of a man. He was so thin I could almost see his bones. I was certain if he lifted up his shirt I would be able to easily make out the lines of his rib cage. His skin looked a little purplish in spots, yellow in others, probably from poor nutrition. I wondered what he'd really fed himself with besides beer and cheap whiskey. I had no doubt it was considerabl

SaraThe man was a good foot taller than I was, but I was pretty certain I could still do some damage. He glanced back at one of his men with a sickly laugh, and at that moment, I lifted my right knee up as hard as I could. I hit him between the legs hard enough to hurt my leg and I heard something sort of pop. His eye bulged out of his face at the same time I heard the popping sound, and I thought for a minute they might fall right out. The man caved in on himself while his face turned a deep red and then almost purple. He fell to his knees. While the other men were trying to figure out what had happened, I darted between them and headed back downstairs. I ran toward Jaxon's office. I wasn't sure how long I could hide in there, but at least I knew that door had a very secure lock. I could feel my heart thumping hard in my chest, and I forced myself to stay focused and keep going. What the f*ck was even happening? I tried to think about what Jaxon could be doing with my dad tha

JaxonI could see Sara was still breathing, and I let some of my panic dissipate. I would make her safe again. The two men still standing were coming toward me now. At least they had the decency to look afraid, rather than their friends below, who only looked amused at my anger. I moved quicker than them and shoved my right foot into the first man's chest. I heard several significant snaps as he fell to the ground. The other one was charging me now, so I punched him hard in the jaw. He stumbled backward. I kicked him in the kneecap and snapped it back in the wrong direction. He screamed wildly and fell backward onto the ground. I moved over him and pressed my foot against his neck while he struggled to breathe. I could see the first man starting to get up again, and I pushed my foot down harder. "Who are you working for?" I demanded. I kept glancing to each of my sides, preparing for an attack. The man fought hard to breathe and tried to push my foot away, but he didn't seem