Chapter 97 Jaxon's behaviour
Sage's POV
I waited until I heard Jaxon's truck pull out of the driveway again before I turned to Ryder with my jaw set and my decision made.
"I'm not marrying Diego."
Ryder's expression was a mix of relief, anger and concern. "I know you're not."
"I mean it, Ryder. I don't care what Jaxon says or what Diego expects or any of it." I stood up from the bed and started pacing, too agitated to sit still. "I'll run away before I let them force me into that marriage. We'll leave tonight, right now, get on your bike and don't stop until we're somewhere the Blood Sisters can't find us."
"Sage—"
"I know it means leaving everything behind. I know it means never seeing Jaxon again or being part of the club or having any kind of normal life." The words tumbled out faster now, desperation creeping into my voice. "But I can't do this. I can't marry Diego just because my father wanted me to for reasons best known to him."
Ryder caught my arm as I paced past him and pulled me to a stop. "Diego will find you. You know that, right? The Blood Sisters have connections everywhere, resources we can't match, and they'll hunt you down no matter where you run."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Just accept that I have to marry him?"
"No. We find another way around it, a way that doesn't involve running or hiding for the rest of your life." Ryder's hands moved to cup my face. "But we need to be smart about this. Rushing off in the middle of the night without a plan is exactly what Diego would expect, and he'll be ready for it."
I wanted to argue, wanted to insist that running was better than staying and fighting a battle we couldn't win. But deep down I knew Ryder was right. Diego would find me eventually, and when he did, the consequences would be worse than anything I could imagine.
"Jaxon's been acting strange," I said, the realization hitting me as I said it out loud. "Not just tonight with killing Dante and insisting I marry Diego. He's been off for weeks, ever since Dad died."
"I've noticed it too." Ryder released my face and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "The way he handled Dante's body, the cleanup crew he called without hesitation, how calm he was about all of it. It felt rehearsed, like he'd done this before. He even said it won't be the last time he does it."
Something cold settled in my stomach at those words. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying your brother knows how to cover up a murder, and that raises questions about how many times he's done it." Ryder looked up at me. "There's something else. Something I didn't think was important at the time, but now I'm not so sure."
"What?"
"Snake saw Jaxon talking to your dad the night he died." Ryder's expression was troubled. "He mentioned it in passing when I confronted him, said he'd seen them having a heated conversation in his office the evening he was shot."
My heart started pounding harder. "Jaxon told me he and Dad had an argument that night. He mentioned it at the diner when I met with him after he kicked us out. He said they fought about club business and he stormed off angry, but that it was no big deal because they fought all the time."
"So he was with Vincent right before he died and he never thought to mention that to anyone during the investigation?" Ryder stood up and started pacing now, working through the implications. "That's either a massive oversight or—"
"Or he's hiding something." I finished the thought he didn't want to say out loud. "But Jaxon wouldn't— He couldn't have— He's my brother."
"I know." Ryder stopped pacing and looked at me. "But we need to consider all possibilities, especially now that he's acting so strange about Diego and the marriage contract."
I tried to think back to that conversation at the diner, to exactly what Jaxon had said about the argument with dad. He was dismissive about it, treating it like it was nothing more than a typical father-son disagreement that happened all the time. The only reason he told me about it was because of the picture that was delivered by an unknown person which I confronted him with.
“Who delivered that picture? Was it Dante? Was he trying to tell me something? If Snake had seen them fighting right before Vincent died, why hadn't Jaxon mentioned it to anyone during the investigation? Why keep that information to himself unless he had something to hide?”
The implications of what he was suggesting made me feel sick. "You think Jaxon killed Dad?"
"I think we need to consider the possibility. We are not sure yet."
"Even if they argued that night, it doesn't prove he killed Dad." I defended. "He could have argued over a dozen innocent reasons."
"But combined with everything else? The argument, the strange behavior, pushing you toward Diego?" Ryder set his phone down. "It's enough to raise serious questions about what really happened that night."
Before I could respond, there was a sharp knock on the front door. We both froze, looking at each other with the same question in our eyes. Who would be showing up at this hour?
"Stay here," Ryder said, already moving toward the door with his hand on his gun.
But I followed him anyway, too on edge to sit alone in the bedroom while he dealt with whoever was downstairs. We moved quietly down the stairs together, and Ryder approached the door with caution, checking through the peephole before his whole body went tense.
"Who is it?" I whispered.
He didn't answer, just unlocked the door and pulled it open to reveal a person standing on the porch.
Elena Vasquez.