“Jax!”
Lena felt her blood pouring between her fingers as she kissed every inch of Jax’s face.
“You came! I knew you would.”
“Always. Forever.”
Another stream of blood dotted her knees, and Lena saw Eric Stiles struggling to draw just one breath.
He suddenly looked so small, and part of her wanted nothing more than to kick him where he lie and hear him groan. She nearly made the move when Jax’s shadow enveloped her form, and she scrambled to her feet to take him in her arms.
“Jax.”
His hold was tight and strong, and she forgot every other set of cold hands as his arms centered on her, and his lips met her hair.
“Shhh. It’s okay now. I’ve got you, Lena.”
She nodded into his chest and gulped back a sob as she lifted her head to find his eyes. Despite the smile on his face, there was still fear in his stare. Lena moved fast to stroke his cheeks and nodded her head.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” she said. “I had to get them away from everyone.”
Her chest heaved at the thought of what could have happened, of what very neatly had.
“I always knew you’d come,” she choked out. “But suddenly it was happening all over again.”
Jax brought her back to his chest and smoothed his hands through her hair as he kissed her temples and found her ears.
“Never again, Lena,” he swore. “You just stay close to me now.”
No invitation in her life had ever sounded more tempting, and she leaned into his shoulder, thinking of nothing but hopping back on his bike and riding the hell out of this place when a clammy hand surrounded her ankle.
“No! Get the hell off---”
“Fucking prick!”
Eric was down but not out, and even though Lena was able to kick away from him and clasp Jax close, her tormentor pushed his body to his elbows and laughed up at them.
“Bet you’ll get some grateful pussy tonight,” he mocked. “From what I could smell, she’s still so fine.”
Lena bristled at the insult, her eyes filling with tears as Jax pushed her behind his back and aimed his gun.
“You killed my father,” he started. “Made my mom a stranger. But it all ends here. No way you get to even think about touching her again.”
Eric laughed again, a mouthful of blood leaving his lips as he fell back to the ground and clutched his injured side.
“Then finish what you started, Kid,” he said through a cough. “If you fucking can.”
Jax took aim, his finger curling around the trigger, when he suddenly pulled the gun back.
“Pussy ass cunt,” Eric hissed. “No way you ever had it in you.”
“Maybe that’s right.”
Jax turned on his heel and eased Lena’s shuddering form to his side.
“You really okay?” he asked.
“I am now,” she insisted. “Now that I see you again.”
***
He kissed her tenderly, but he left her lips as he pushed the gun into her hands.
“Jax? What are you doing?”
“It should be you, Lena,” he said. “After everything he put you through… can’t think of anyone more worthy to end this asshole’s sorry life.”
“That a boy, Jax,” Eric scoffed, a fresh stream of blood trailing down his chin as he clutched his chest, his eyes rolling back in his head as he looked into the chasm of fading stars hanging over their head.
“Let a woman do your work.”
Jax kicked his bloodied side and spit in his face.
“If it would just make me sleep better to smoke you right here, you’d already be dead,” he said. “But… but Lena…”
The gun was still in her hand as she felt Jax back at her side, his arms surrounding her body as he kissed her eyes.
“Something tells me you need this more,” he whispered. “To end it for good and all.”
Her mind flashed back to what it was to feel the man’s unwanted flesh grinding on top of her. In that moment, it felt like the end of the world as she knew it, and even Jax wasn’t enough to calm her soul. Now he knew. Now she had him back in her arms and around her heart. That should be enough. And it almost was. But Eric kept laughing through the blood pushing through his lips, and she steadied her stare on Jax and curled her hand around his wrist.
“I need… I think I want…”
“Better pay close attention to her, Jax. She’s calling the shots.”
“I fucking am, you pig!”
Lena fired four rounds into his crumbling chest. She gritted her teeth as he strained forward with a final sigh, and when his body mercifully went still, Lena let the gun fall to the grass and felt Jax’s hands on her shoulders.
“Lena? Look at me.”
Turning to face him, Lena nodded, her hands arms shaking as he pulled her close.
“It’s over,” he promised. “Bastard’s never going to touch you again”
“Because I killed him,” Lena sobbed. She wept into his chest and clung to his arms. Eric’s body grew rigid under her eyes, and she was suddenly scared that there would be a price to pay.
“Jax, I murdered him. What happens now?”
He kissed her brow and carried away from the scene, snatching her torn clothes as he covered her quaking flesh.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said with a light kiss. “And then I’ll take you home.”