Waking to the sun streaming in through the tall windows in her bedroom, Jax sat up in her comfy bed and stretched. She pushed back the weighted comforter she'd initially resisted, but then grew to love because it helped reduce her anxiety. She’d had plenty of that since Jake was murdered. A quick glance at the clock showed her it was 7:30 a.m. They were to meet the bounty hunters again today and her curiosity about the laptop came to the forefront of her mind. Actually the laptop and Dodge came to the forefront of her mind. He hadn't said anything to Gaige last night about his irritation with her. His lightning quick assessment of the cars in the drive and opinion that this was a recruiting ground were two things she hadn't deduced from their recon last night. So, he was smart, trained, and it didn't hurt that he was handsome - if you liked that sort of man. Tall and brawny, sandy blond hair and green eyes. Probably most women liked his type. Although he'd shown her his true colors the other day when he'd assumed she couldn't handle herself, she was willing to give him a shot but not a big one - just in case he played Tarzan on her again.

Stepping out of bed, she gathered her clothes for the day from her dresser then walked softly to her private bathroom. One of the things she liked most about this house was that they each had their own space without the work involved in taking care of it. GHOST offered them room and board and maid service, too. Sometimes they took turns cooking but Kylie was their cook some days; her mother, Mrs. James, was their main cook and housekeeper. That suited her just fine because she hadn’t inherited the domestic gene from their mother, who was more domestic than many. She cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, and generally, took care of all of her children and her husband with pride and determination. Jax had hated anything domestic growing up preferring to be outside beating up a boy who tried telling her she couldn't do something.

Letting the shower warmup, she undressed, tossed her bedclothes into the black hamper in her bathroom, and unbraided her hair. Finger combing her long dark tresses she smiled at her reflection in the mirror as the light caught the waves. She inherited from her mother her petite nose, oval face, narrow arched brows, and clear skin. Her mother had been angry at her when she'd gotten her first tattoo. A small heart with the infinity symbol through it and squiggles and dots alongside on the inside of her forearm. It was a comfort when she looked at it. A tribute to her father, she'd listened to his favorite song, Neil Diamond's Hello Again, Hello, while she got this tattoo as the tears streamed down her cheeks. It was the last time she'd cried. Even after Jake was killed, she hadn't cried, she'd gotten pissed off instead.

Looking at her tattoo, the fingers of her right hand smoothed over the taut skin and she could swear she heard Neil Diamond singing.

Shaking the melancholy from her mind, she stepped into the steaming water and let it engulf her. Washing her hair and body, she thought about what she had to do to get to Mangus. So the next thing was finding out where “down there “was. Maybe she'd have a chance at getting to him then. That man needed to go down. He had no redeeming qualities. The way he manhandled her the other day showed her he had no respect for women. And, until Dodge interrupted, she knew he'd have taken her home and tried to fuck her. That said volumes for what kind of a husband he was. And then there was the bullshit he was involved in that was illegal as fuck. So, better to wipe him off the face of the earth and ensure this group didn't grow its body count because of him.

Stepping from the shower, she snagged a fresh fluffy, white towel and wrapped it around her body, tucking the front into the edge. She dragged a brush through her hair and made quick work of braiding it for the day. Donning clean clothes, she made her bed, the only domestic thing she did thanks to her training in the Army, pulled on her black Army boots, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Voices sounded from the kitchen and she took in a deep breath and let it out before entering. Day two for their new recruits. She hated getting to know new team members. It slowed work considerably and this mission, above all, meant everything to her. She wanted it done and over sooner rather than later. She'd give these bounty hunters two days to get their stupid pink diamond, then she'd just take care of Mangus. After all, she was a sharpshooter. She'd happily lay in wait for him somewhere and pick him off getting in or out of his car. That would be easy to do.

"Jax, good morning." Josh called to her. A quick glance around the table told her they'd all bonded over coffee - what a bunch of women these men were.

"Morning. Looks like you ladies had a coffee klatch for hours here."

Hawk, who usually said little to nothing, snorted and his green eyes landed on hers. "Careful pigtail."

She grinned, then he did. She grabbed a coffee cup, a bran muffin and leaned against the counter looking at the table full of testosterone. "So, what's up today?"

"As soon as you finish, we'll go down to the lab and see what Gaige found out on the laptop, make some plans and execute them." Her brother offered.

She nodded, bit into her muffin, and sipped her coffee as the men continued with their discussion of trucks. More than once her eyes landed on Dodge and more than once she'd caught him looking at her. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have a physical reaction to him. Her tummy swirled a little every time their eyes met. In the morning light she could see the highlights in his hair and the outline of his muscles through his t-shirt. Impressive.

The absence of a wedding ring, nor a mark where one had been, meant he wasn't married, but that didn't mean he didn't have a bounty bunny or were there bounty bunnies around? Lord knew most of the men in this room saw their share of action, her brother included. She didn’t know much about the bounty hunters. Women loved big men, big muscles, and big personalities. What did she love? Respect. That was easy.

Finishing her muffin, she set her plate in the sink, refilled her coffee cup, and left the room to head down to the computer lab. She giggled to herself when she heard the chairs slide away from the table and footsteps behind her. The song Leader of the Pack floated through her mind and she smiled.