Chapter Eight
“I’ve got to find them, Tobi,” Jax said. He had sat around as long as he could, abiding by Layne’s wishes. But only because he didn’t want Tobi to come along with him and he needed to figure out the best way to convince her to stay.
“I need you here to protect the house. You’re still hurt. It’s a liability. Stay here, keep the gun and the dog. Take care of things while I’m gone. I’m going to bring our girls back safely. All right?”
Tobi said nothing, but she gave an almost imperceptible nod. Nobody liked being told they were going to have to be the ones to stay behind and out of harm’s way. Especially not Tobi.
“Don’t hesitate to get out the rifle. We’ll be back as soon as we can. What do you know about the tribe of brains you were telling me about?”
“They’re south of here, and to the west of Hex. They’re kind of creepy, honestly. I don’t know what they do for sure, but I think they experiment on people. They say they’re looking for a cure, but really if you ask me, they’re just sadistic.”
Tobi’s words chilled Jax and he headed for the door without saying another word.
He could feel Tobi’s eyes on him as he moved. He would take the bike again. It had served him well before, and although it made him vulnerable to tribe attacks, he would be able to cover more ground that way. Whether Layne liked it or not, he was going to be there to protect her through thick and thin.
Jax could feel Tobi’s eyes on him as he rode away, and he glanced back. She was standing at the window, holding Gilly up. The puppy was growing fast, but she wasn’t anywhere big enough to take with him. Tobi had insisted otherwise, saying it was the perfect time to train her to have a vicious demeanor toward anybody who wasn’t her family, but Jax wasn’t so sure. He felt better knowing Tobi would have some company while he hunted down their runaway women.
Jax would head right toward the settlement where the tribe of doctors would be. He would do whatever it took to find Layne and keep their baby safe.
***
After a few days on the road, Layne was beginning to relax. It had been a long time since she had been away from the homestead. Not since she had first wondered whether or not she was dying or pregnant. It was hard to tell. But now, she was enjoying the freedom and spoke easily with Sam along the way.
The animals were generally kept at bay during the night and nothing terrible had happened yet. It was actually amounting to a pleasant trip, and they had packed enough supplies that they didn’t need to scavenge in the already barren woods. The lack of food showed that they were reaching populated territory. And although that could be dangerous, Layne didn’t feel particularly concerned about it.
“Look out!” Sam cried.
It was too late. Layne felt something nudge her unexpectedly in the back. She whipped around, furious at the inconvenience, when suddenly, a rock hit her in the forehead and she stumbled to the ground.
“Lookie here,” a sickening voice said, coming close to Layne’s face. “I found me a pretty one.”
“Fuck off,” Layne spat. She was slowly moving her hand toward the knife in her belt. Sam wasn’t approaching, which probably meant that whoever this was, he wasn’t alone.
“She’s feisty,” the man said, glancing over his shoulder. Layne opened her eyes and was surprised to find that this man looked vaguely familiar. It was the same man who had escaped on the first day she’d met Jax. He had saved her life and killed two other men that had been chasing her.
“I’ll be feistier when Jax gets here and kills you and everyone you’re with,” Layne bluffed. The man would surely remember Jax.
From the way his already pale face blanched, she was sure she struck a nerve.
“Jax?” he asked, flinching away from her as if she were on fire.
“Oh yeah, he should be coming any second. Good thing he’ll have the element of surprise on his side.”
“Fuck,” the man grumbled. He backed away and turned to his men. “We have somebody to find. Spread out and don’t leave a stone unturned.”
The man walked briskly away from Layne and Sam, cursing to himself, surely remembering the gruesome scene that had resulted when his little posse had decided to hunt Layne down.
Sam looked at Layne, her eyes wide. Layne couldn’t tell if she was impressed or scared.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Sam whispered.
Layne nodded, pulling the knife out of its sheath just in case they encountered anybody else. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take care of herself. She would just prefer not to get into anything too physical in case it hurt the baby. They gathered up their supplies and made a quick escape into the forest.