Tex (Hell's Ankhor #5) - Aiden Bates Page 0,62

He hasn’t run off anywhere.”

I faltered; my hand slipped off the doorknob. He hadn’t bolted? He’d spoken to Blade?

The reality washed over me like an ice-cold wave. He’d spoken to Blade because I hadn’t listened. I was supposed to figure out what had happened, give Jazz a chance, and I’d just gone in guns blazing, yelling at him, telling him what I’d assumed had happened instead of listening.

“He’s on club business,” Blade said. “Errands, and then he’s escorting Heath back from campus tonight.”

“What?” I asked. Blade was weirdly calm; he was looking at me like I was crazy one. Like he knew something I didn’t. “But—the pictures?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Blade took a seat at the kitchen island; Priest did, too, as Gunnar started making a fresh pot of coffee.

I balked and walked back into the kitchen. “Tell me what?”

“Huh,” Gunnar said. “I would’ve assumed he’d talk to you before us.”

Frustration rose like bile in my throat. “Can someone please tell me what the fuck I’m missing?”

Blade sighed and carded his hand through his long hair. “Jazz told us it was a coincidental meeting—Crave approached him with a deal. Crave figured Jazz would’ve gotten wrapped up with the Vipers in San Quentin, so he thought he could rope in him into being a mole.”

My heart dropped to my shoes. A coincidental meeting? Had it really just been a stroke of bad luck?

“He got some good info out of Crave,” Priest added. “Led Crave to believe he was interested. Apparently Crave’s fixated on Rebel and Logan first—he wants them gone. Then he’ll come for Blade. Crave thinks Jazz will give him some insight into how to get Rebel and Logan away from the club long enough to get at them.”

“But he came back here and told us everything instead,” Blade said. “And now we’ve got some good insight into what Crave’s plans are so we can be prepared.”

“Why the fuck were the FBI just watching then?” I asked. I felt a little wild, out of control. It didn’t make sense. If this really was a chance meeting, and Jazz had actually helped the club—I’d made a huge fucking mistake. A bigger one than I thought. “If they heard this plan, why haven’t they arrested Crave?”

Gunnar poured himself a fresh cup of coffee with a sneer. “Because they’re dickheads.”

“They won’t,” Priest said. “Not until they have either concrete information that proves Crave is worth offering a plea deal, or until they’re sick of waiting. And fuck knows when that’ll be.”

I placed both palms flat on the kitchen and dropped my head with a groan. How could I have been so fucking stupid? Of course Jazz hadn’t betrayed us. My temper and my fear were a dangerous combination, and I’d let it get the better of me. Again. It seemed like Jazz wasn’t the only one who got hung up repeating his mistakes.

“He didn’t tell you this?” Priest asked gently

“I didn’t let him,” I admitted. “I just… I ran my mouth.”

“Oh, shit,” Gunnar said. “What did you do?”

I swallowed. I didn’t want them to know, but I couldn’t lie—not about this. I had to make things right. “I accused him of working with Crave.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Gunnar’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Just like that? Straight out of the gate?”

Blade grimaced. “You didn’t give him a chance to explain?”

“Come on!” I said. I knew I’d fucked up, they didn’t have to rub it in. “He just got out of the joint. And he has a track record of making bad decisions like this—going along with whoever asks anything of him. I was panicking! I thought he’d finally fucking blown it and was going to get cut from the club!”

“Does he, though?” Priest asked.

“What?” I glanced up.

Priest was watching me, his dark blue eyes thoughtful as he rested his chin in his hand. “Does he have that track record? One of making bad decisions?”

“Uh, yeah,” I said. “It landed him in prison.”

“He was tricked,” Priest said. “He put his trust in Max and Brewster, who were patched-in, established members. He didn’t have a reason not to trust them. Sure, maybe he used to be a little more yielding, but that’s not necessarily a bad quality.”

“But he—”

Priest just raised his hand, and I stopped mid-sentence. “When he realized what they’d done, he made sure they were brought to justice. I’d say that’s a hell of a good decision, actually.”

I pressed my lips together as my heart beat hard in my chest. I knew that.