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As I search for the perfect place to park along the quiet streets of this wealthy suburban oasis, I run through the plan once more in my head. It seems solid, but there’s still too many moving parts that could throw everything off balance for my liking. Doesn’t matter. Sticking with B and her crazy plan is always going to be the more worrying choice so stepping outside the rules her game is a risk, but it’s a calculated one that I’m willing to take.

Once my BMW is hidden at the edge of the driveway in a quickly accessible spot, I grab my stuff and head for the backyard of my enemy’s home. The position of my vehicle is deliberate. I’m hoping that my car is close enough that I can make our great escape with ease, yet far enough away that it won’t arouse any suspicions if an occupant of this street happens to be awake and looking out the window.

A dozen worries run through my mind as I vault over the greenkeeper’s fence and continue with my harebrained mission. Slinging my backpack of supplies over my left shoulder and walking down the well-worn trail that leads to the main house, I realise that I need a distraction. Some way to ignore the reality of what’s at stake while I attempt to pull this off. It’ll be my companion until I have Amber back at my side with her real memories intact. I miss her tiny body curled into me, her thin, artist fingers running through my curls moments before I push her on her back and drive my cock inside her welcoming body, and those same fingers bite into my flesh as I bring her pleasure.

“Head in the fucking game,” I chide myself out loud as my dick grows hard. I’m forced to slow my stride to adjust my pants, so they don’t strangle the expanding bulge. Half an hour ago, I killed a man and barely mustered enough sense to leave his wife alive as I left their premises. Now, I’m thinking about making love to Amber when I should be shitting my pants at the thought of what I’m about to do.

If I fuck this up, we’re all dead. Me. Amber and her kids. My parents and my nephew.

There’s those fucking stakes again rearing their head to taunt me. Gritting my teeth, I push everything down and try to do my best impression of a mushroom—left in the dark and oblivious to anything except what’s right in front of me.

Just before I turn around the corner that will bring the house Amber now shares with the devil she calls husband into view, I duck low and double check that I have everything a man planning an abduction could possibly need. Pulling free my handgun, handcuffs, and a couple other bits and pieces that I anticipate needing, I flip the metal circles over in my hands, using the time to settle my adrenaline, before I push the handcuffs into the right pocket of my jacket and force everything else into my left pocket. The gun remains, a comforting weight in my hand, as I grip the butt tight and make my way around the corner.

The monolith of a house—another symbol that telecasts Dr. Jaxon Ray’s need to overcompensate for whatever the fuck he’s missing in that deranged head of his—looms over me. I ignore the tiny spark of jealousy when it tries to ignite in the pit of my gut and, calm and collected as can be, surge forward ready to face Satan himself headfirst.

Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of my end. I was going to kill two people, photograph my bad deeds for proof, and head back to the beach house with my tail between my legs like a good little, unwilling assassin.

Unfortunately, B didn’t factor in the damage this situation has done to my soul. Slitting Judge McManus’s throat switched something on inside of me and I don’t think I want it turned off.

No, tonight is not my end—tonight is about me taking control of the bad hand I’ve been dealt and kickstarting my renaissance.

Another patio and another set of French doors herald the entrance to Jax and Amber’s home. For people with more money than sense, they certainly like to stick with what is tastefully familiar. Gloves in place—my balaclava left on the passenger seat of the BMW because I’ve decided that I’m not hiding from my intended victims any longer—I test the door handle with a tiny bit of pressure.

It’s unlocked.

Of course, it bloody is. These people are too arrogant, buoyed by their ability to make the world dance to their tune, to take precautions against the people they seek to destroy for their own profit, and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t bring me pleasure to be the one knocking their pretty little life off its axis.

Unheard and unseen, I cross the threshold with my heart in my throat. Thirty steps separate me from Jax and Amber. They are in the dining room—Jax at the head of the table, Amber to his right with her back to me, pouring over some documents that are spread across the pristine surface. The atmosphere is tense, more so on Jax’s behalf than Amber’s.

He jabs at one of the pages in front of them, then glares at Amber. “I’m telling you. It’s not Belinda. She’s dead. I watched her die in front of me because your ex-fiancé shot her.”

Amber points at the same piece of paper as Jax and attempts to reason with him, “But, see the—”

She’s cut off by a swift backhand across the face. It knocks her into the back of the chair beside her and she falls to the floor. Jax stands over her, hands on his hips, and snarls. “Stop with your whining. Get off the floor and, at least, attempt to act like you have a shred of dignity left.”

I see red. My plan flies out of my head and I charge toward him.

“Get the fuck away from her.” My handgun is levelled at his chest and I plant my feet wide when I’m within range. Jax freezes in place for a moment, before he grins and reaches for Amber. He manages to get half a handful of her hair in his grip before she shuffles out of his reach. When he realises she’s gotten away, he stands there with a smirk in his face and tendrils of her hair clenched in his fist.

I aim the end of the barrel straight for his heart and wait to see what Amber’s going to do. She doesn’t leave me hanging for long. I smile when first the top of her head appears, and then she pokes her face around the corner of the table.

She runs a disbelieving gaze over my face. “Xander?”

I nod, acknowledging her as much as I dare for the moment. It takes every inch of resolve I have not to drop my knees in front of her and gather her in my arms, but I know it’s not the right move. I have more pressing matters to attend to—like getting us out of here in one piece before her husband does something to gain the upper hand.

Jax takes that moment to drive home just how precarious the situation is, he lunges at Amber, but misses when she skids across the floor to me. When he moves to follow her, I jerk the gun and warn, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

“Amber!” Jax ignores me and tries to intimidate his wife into going back to him.

I don’t give her the chance to decide. Pulling the handcuffs from my pocket, I lob them hard at his face. They hit him square in the nose and I thank my parents for making practice my baseball pitching when I would have gone surfing instead.

“Handcuff yourself.”

“Motherfu—” Jax grabs his bleeding nose and almost lets a curse ruin his perfectly cultured façade. A tiny speck of respect for his fight sparks within me, but it splutters to a humiliating death when he swipes the handcuffs from where they landed on the dining table and locks them around his wrists without further protest.

“Come here.” I hold a hand out to Amber, beckoning her forward with a wave when she hesitates. Her big brown eyes shine with fear and she glances between me and Jax with growing uncertainty.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I vow with absolute steadfastness. Our gazes lock, and I try my hardest to make her believe me. “I’m here to take you and your children to a safe place.”

Apparently, that was all she needed to hear. Amber pushes to her feet and walks to my side. The red mark on her cheek makes me want to skin Jax alive, but I know that I need to get my plan back on track. Hurting Jax, or worse, killing him, is going to deprive me of the leverage I need over B when she finds out that I’ve gone off the reservation.

“Should I get my children now?” Amber dips her head and stares at the floor. “I have a few things I need to bring with me. My sons are only young.”

“Take your time,” I reply. Eyeballing Jax with a glimmer of vengeance in my gaze, I gently grasp the top of Amber’s arm and pull her closer to me. In a voice loud enough for her husband to hear, I try to assuage her worry. “Make sure you bring everything that you need. You won’t be able to return for anything you forget.”

“Okay,” Amber agrees easily. She pats my arm and practically skips off up the stairs.

“I have a few things organise down here,” I yell after her. “I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”

A faint murmur of agreement floats down the stairs.

“You won’t get away with this.” Jax snarls at me. “I don’t think you realise who you’re messing with. If you kill me, you’ll have the best army my father can afford on your ass until the end of time. There won’t be a stone left unturned until he tracks you both down and kills you. If you kill me, you’re signing Amber’s death warrant, I—”

“Would you shut up!” Waving the gun at Jax so he doesn’t get any clever ideas, I slip my phone from my pocket. I press the number one on the screen to access the number I saved on speed dial when I decided on this course of action and jam it against my ear.

My call is answered on the first ring.

“Yeah?”

“Mark-Lee said you had a spare room for me?”

The man on the other end chuckles. “You could say that. What time do ya want me to pick up my guest?”

“Now would be good. He’s starting to get on my last nerve.” I state coldly. Jax has tilted his head so he can listen to my conversation better, shaking his head when he hears my declaration. Too bad, so sad. Evil doctor man doesn’t get a say in what happens tonight.

“Consider it done. Be there in ten.”

Jabbing the end call icon, I grin at Jax. “Your ride will be here soon. Let’s head out front to meet them.”

I approach him with a healthy wariness. Jax seems unimpressed by my caution, his sneering expression designed to mock me, until he proves me right by lunging at me. He tries to force his handcuffed wrists over my head, so he can choke me with the short length of chain that secures them together. My gun clatters to the floor as I attempt to fight him off.

For a prick who hasn’t done an honest day’s work in his life, he’s stronger than he looks.

I dig through my left jacket pocket until I find what I need. Uncapping the syringe with one hand, I hold the chain away from my throat with the other. A well-aimed elbow to his ribs gives me the opportunity I need. A quick twist of my torso and I’m in the right position to jam the needle into his shoulder. I press down on the end of the plunger as hard as I can, pushing the contents of the syringe into his body.

It takes a second, but eventually he sags and drops to his knees. I have time to catch him as he falls face first, but I don’t. The satisfaction I get from watching his smarmy face connect with the hardwood floor makes me smile. That’s going to hurt when he wakes up.

My phone beeps. I lost it in our scuffle and it takes me a second to locate it. When I do, it’s good news.

CASPER: Front drive

“Looks like your ride’s here, Dr. Ray,” I notify his unconscious form.

After stooping to pick up my gun, I use my foot to roll Jax onto his back. His head lolls to one side and an arm falls to the floor. I take hold of that arm and start dragging him to the front door. The journey leaves me breathing like an asthmatic in a perfume shop by the time I get him there.

“Fuck me. No one needs a house this bloody big,” I grumble, unlocking the door so my skinhead friends can take Jax the rest of the way. When they enter, I throw my hands up in the air. “Have at him. He’s all yours. I’ll let you know if I need him back.”

Mark-Lee’s Lieutenant on the outside, Casper, regards me like I’m an idiot. “Why would you need him back? Motherfucker stole your woman. Kill ‘im and be done with it.”

I shrug. “Long story. He’s worth more to me alive right now. Fuck him up if you want, just leave enough scraps for me to return if I need to.”

Casper gives me an army salute, then waves two of his men in to pick up Jax. “Whatever you say.”

I hold open the car door, slamming it shut once Jax has been thrown into the back seat of the—no doubt—stolen sedan. Job done, I wave them on their way.

Before they leave, Casper rolls down his window and jerks his head for me to come over to him.

I do as I’m asked, trepidation making my feet heavy as I move.

“What?”

“Mark-Lee told me to tell you that he’s smelt a rat and he needs you to stomp the fucker.”

And, there it is. The price I have to pay for tonight’s assistance.

No good deed goes unpunished—or unpaid.

“No worries,” I agree. “Tell him I just need to know where and when and I’ll get it done.”

Good,” Casper deadpans before he drives away. Like me, he knows that I wasn’t in a position to refuse. His vehicle moves smoothly down the driveway and turns left. When it’s out of sight, I head back inside. At the base of the stairs, I call out for Amber.

“It’s time to go.”

She appears from around the first curve of the stairs immediately. In one arm she has a sleeping baby, a heavy bag hanging from the shoulder. With her free hand, she’s guiding a suitcase on wheels. A little dark-haired boy stands next to it with his thumb in his mouth.

A gaping hole opens in my chest as the stakes of this game grow even bigger.

Reality is a bitch. Plans are all well and good until you’re staring into the face of the innocent victims caught in the middle.

I need to win this war, come Hell or high water.

If I fail, it’s going to be fatal.