Chapter 13
Sitting on her deck, Viviana snuggled under a blanket to ward off the chill of the night, trying not to second-guess herself. She deserved congratulations for standing up to Jax. God knows it wasn’t easy. He was overwhelming to say the least. Which, she reminded herself, underscored how important it was for her not to concede if she was going to have a smidgen of autonomy in her work. She knew she could handle Greg. She frankly didn’t know if she could handle Jax. Particularly because at the moment she would give just about anything to be lying next to him; preferably both of them naked.
As if to torment her, her phone vibrated. She looked down and saw his text. “I came on too strong, Viviana. I apologize.”
Surprised but gratified, Viviana quickly replied, “Thanks. I’m sorry I was so defensive.”
A minute later, his text appeared. “I miss you, tiger. I wish I had you in my arms.”
Viviana groaned, then tapped out, “Me too.”
“Good night, prickly princess.”
Viviana smiled but had to fight the tears burning her eyes. “Good night, arrogant man.”
***
As he closed his phone, Jax settled back in his cushioned deck chair and shook his head with a heartfelt groan. Damn, it was hard to believe that just last night on this very patio, he and Viviana had declared how much they loved each other and made wildly passionate love almost until dawn. But here they were, not twenty-four hours later, wrestling with the issues that had been tearing at them since they met. At base, he admitted she had a right to be angry that he was insinuating himself into her professional life. He was. But he also knew that if he didn’t, she’d pussy-whip his buddy Greg as flagrantly as she had every one of her superior officers with the exception of him.
Even as he chastised himself for his overbearing interference, Jax couldn’t help wondering what had set her off. Knowing Viviana as well as he did, he was sure she was on to an important case, one that had fired up her fierce independent streak. According to Greg, even her partner didn’t know where she was going when she left his office today without so much as an explanation. Jax snorted. That wasn’t a surprise. O’Reilly had long ago given up trying to get Viviana to confide in him before she was good and ready. It was a price Mick willingly paid to be her partner. But Jax wasn’t so sanguine. He knew her pathological secrecy was dangerous. It clouded her judgment and made her take unnecessary risks. As an accomplished commander, Jax knew the importance of teamwork. He’d thought he might even have convinced his hardheaded lover of that strategic necessity. But apparently all it took was getting him off her back for her to revert to her go-it-alone-at-any-cost MO. Unfortunately for Viviana, he may not be her immediate supervisor, but he sure as hell was in charge of her—whether she was willing to accept that basic fact or not.
Which brought him to the problem of the guy who was the quick-tempered detective’s supervisor. Jax needed to decide how he was going to handle his buddy Greg Bannon. After all, while Jax was the police chief and Greg’s boss, Bannon was the VCU commander. The least he could do was let him command. Jax breathed out a heavy sigh, acknowledging that under ordinary circumstances, that was a no-brainer. That was precisely what he would have done. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was Sergeant Viviana Moreau, the Enchantress, his unsuspecting buddy was charged with commanding.
***
“I gotta tell you, you live an interesting life, Jax.” Greg Bannon’s laughing blue eyes conveyed the irony underlying his casual remark.
Jax shot his friend a grin. “Hell, man, I always have and I always will.” He added with a wink, “However, methinks my good buddy may have a more loaded description in mind than ‘interesting’ ”
Greg Bannon laughed. “Yes, Chief Hughes. ‘Interesting’ doesn’t begin to describe the shenanigans I’ve observed since I agreed to command the SJPD Violent Crimes Unit. Damn, Jax, you and I have worked together in missions we were lucky to survive, in some of the most dangerous conflagrations in the world. But as hairy as those life-threatening adventures were, since I arrived in little ole San Jose, Cal-ee-for-nia, I’m guarding my family jewels more closely than I ever have.” Jax chuckled but didn’t miss the edge in Greg’s voice. “Not because I’ve been threatened directly, you understand. If anything, given the fact that my job description is that of commander, what one would think would be a dangerous position at least to this point has been relatively uneventful. First, because I haven’t done a whole hell of a lot of commanding. In fact, a better description of what I’ve been doing is observing. Understand, the view from the sidelines in this rip-roaring dramatic free-for-all you’ve hooked me into is entertaining as hell, but—”
Jax held up his hand, interrupting his friend. “No need to pussy-foot around the issue, Greg. That’s why I wanted to have breakfast with you. I owe you an explanation and frankly an apology. I’ve put you in a challenging position. To be clear, I would never have recommended you to assume command of the VCU if you weren’t more than qualified to head the department. But we both know that I had an ulterior motive. I needed someone I could trust, someone who was up to handling a certain unmanageable sergeant, who for better or worse I’ve fallen in love with. And, buddy, if ever there was a guy who could manage that Gordian knot of a task, it’s you.”
“I appreciate your confidence, Jax. Not to be cocky, but I agree with you. I headed up a similar department in the NYPD five years after I got my shield. After nine-eleven, like a lot of us in law enforcement, I knew I needed to enlist, which I did. The best thing I ever did in my life was to become a Ranger, especially when I caught the gold ring and you drafted me on to your elite squad. And we sure as hell did survive some dangerous missions. That’s why I jumped at the chance to work with you again. But I’m gonna be honest, Jax. Given this last couple of days, I’m less concerned about managing the inimitable Sergeant Moreau than I am about managing you!”
Jax didn’t bother to hide his surprise or erase the frown he felt crease his brow. “Hmm. Given that managing me isn’t exactly on your to-do list, bro . . . ” Jax stopped mid-sentence and sought to lighten his tone. “Ah, hell, man, you’re right. I’ve got my head so far up my ass when it comes to Viviana that it’s damn hard to be objective. But you need to understand, Greg, the lone ranger who nearly blew up a two-year mission in Belize through her inability to be a team player is alive and well in the pathologically independent Sergeant Moreau. I’m gonna be frank. She’s devious as hell. Not intentionally—it’s just that she decides when or if she’ll bring anyone else into a case. It’s a narrow-mindedness that only escalates the danger—especially to her. I’m telling you, she’s more afraid of collaboration than she is of the most hardened criminal. I know I’ve told you how she set up a private meeting with Santiago Lopez, a murderous pimp who was on the ten most wanted list of every PD in the fuckin’ country.”
Greg put up his hand and stopped Jax’s tirade. “You don’t have to tell me that, Jax, because you already have—several times.” Greg blew out a hard sigh and pinned a firm gaze on Jax. His normally easygoing demeanor was decidedly more serious. “Look, man, I was there in Belize. I saw that indomitable woman spit in the eye of the paramour of the fuckin’ Morales cartel’s el Jeffe. Then went on to brazenly provoke a crazed, murderous son of a bitch in front of his heavily armed gang. Do you honestly think I don’t know what I’m up against, Jax?”
At Greg’s earnestness, Jax stifled his angry retort and was glad he had when he heard his friend’s next words.
“Jax, I’m gonna do something that I’m confident no one in your life has ever done. That, buddy, is to give you love life advice. Look, Jax, you’ve done something that none of the guys who know and admire the hell out of you thought that you ever would. You fell in love. Holy Christ, man, how could you not? There isn’t a guy with a dick who wouldn’t crawl over broken glass on his hands and knees if that gorgeous woman looked at him the way she does you. Admit it, you and Viviana are crazy in love with each other. Fanatically so. But here, buddy, is where I’m gonna take my life in my hands and put my treasured cojones on the line. You gotta let her be her, Jax. You put too tight a lasso on her; you could strangle her and she’ll fight like hell to get free. Not because she doesn’t want you or love you.” With a slight grin, as if trying to soften his indictment, Greg added, “It also doesn’t mean that she doesn’t need a little discipline. The kind of firm hand that I’m confident my dominant commander is more than capable of applying.”
Shoving at the angry response building in his throat, Jax swallowed and admitted that his serious friend was on target. All he had to do was remember his and Viviana’s strained good-bye last night. And that they’d ended up sleeping alone instead of wrapped in each other’s arms as they’d clearly wanted to be. Before he could begrudgingly agree, Greg continued.
“One more thing, Jax. You gotta have faith in me. You brought me in off the grid because you knew I was a guy you could trust. Also because I’m not exactly clueless when it comes to handling powerful women. Admittedly, Viviana Moreau is in a class by herself. That’s why you are ass-over-elbows in love with her. But, dude, while I’m undeniably not as powerful as Jaxton Hughes, I’m not chicken shit. So, man, how about you give both Sergeant Moreau and your best friend a chance? If we step out of line and do something that absolutely requires your involvement? Go for it. Jump all over us. But be sure you are willing to accept the consequences. Viviana is too rare a bird for you to try to clip her wings. And hell, Jax, why would you want to? As gorgeous and prickly as those wings are, it’s what makes the Enchantress so enchanting.”
Jax forced himself to hear what his friend was saying. It was the least he could do. Plus, as hard as it was to admit, he knew that Greg was right. He did need to let up, for Viviana’s sake and Greg’s. He owed them both that much. He needed to concede that Viviana would do everything she could to keep Greg at bay. And that a lot of what she does will be dangerous. Sucking in a deep breath, Jax blew it out slowly. He nodded at his narrow-eyed friend and raised his hands in mock defeat. Forcing himself to respond calmly, he said, “What can I say, Greg, except that you are right in every respect. I need to back off and let you do what I asked you to do. That is to command the SJPD Violent Crimes Unit—including all the members of the elite squad. You have my word, buddy. From this moment forward you call the shots at the VCU. Not incidentally, that frees me up to do the job that I was hired to do, being the SJPD police chief. Which, I’m sure we agree, is not an insignificant task.”
With a heavy sigh, Jax rose to his feet and strode toward the door. At the exit he turned and drilled his friend with a hard-eyed gaze. His voice was ironic, but there was no denying the underlying threat. “All I can say, Commander Bannon, is don’t fuck up.”
Allowing his lips to curl up in a grin, Jax flipped his friend a smart salute and headed out the door, softly singing the words to Charlie Puth’s classic. “I’m only one call away. I’ll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me . . . ”