because helping her direct her attention to people outside the club would keep her out of the Firebird Club and away from his targets. But what would she believe? It had to be personal and it had to be true.
"Maybe you should go," Maya said.
"Or I could tell you why I've gotten caught up in your story," he said, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.
Her gaze widened with interest. "I'm listening."
He debated for another second whether he should proceed. He was going to tell her something extremely personal, something only a few people in his life knew. Was he crazy?
"Jax?" she questioned, giving him a speculative look. "Are you trying to think of something convincing?"
"No, I just can't quite believe I'm going to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"I know what it feels like to have unanswered questions when it comes to tragedy."
"You do?"
He took a breath and then said, "I lost my parents when I was seven years old. They dropped me off at the house of my mother's best friend, so they could have a weekend alone. They went out on a boat and a storm came up unexpectedly. They got caught in it, and they died."
Her hand flew to her mouth as horror entered her eyes. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, Jax. I had no idea you were going to tell me something like that."
Emotion thickened his throat. All he could do was shrug.
She reached across the table, putting her hand over his.
The warmth of her touch sent rocketing heat through his body. It took everything he had not to jerk his hand away. But he should have, he realized a moment later, because now he didn't want her to ever move her hand. Her warmth was seeping into his body, taking away a deep chill that rarely left him.
"You don't have to say anything else," she said.
"I didn't understand how they could be there one minute and gone the next, and no one ever knew what happened to them. They were alone on the boat, and however the end came they were the only ones who saw it."
"You must have been shattered."
"I was completely confused. I didn't believe it for a long time. I kept thinking they'd just show up one day, but eventually I had to accept that wasn't going to happen."
"Who did you grow up with?"
"The person my mother left me with. She and her husband adopted me. They were as good to me as anyone could have been."
"But they weren't your parents. That's really rough."
"It was very difficult." He paused, holding her gaze. "When you told me that you want to know your grandmother's ending, it resonated with me. Because I still want to know what happened to my parents, even though I never will."
"Are you sure you never will?"
"Yes. I've looked into it. Their boat was found capsized and they were nowhere to be seen."
"So, they never…"
He shook his head. "Nope. They never found their bodies."
"I can't imagine how you must have felt. You were so young, too."
"Maybe that helped. I was too little to comprehend the full reality of it. It wasn't until later that it sank in." He paused. "Your grandmother's story is yours to tell, so I can go and leave you to it, if that's what you want. Or I can tag along and try to help. It's your call. I hope you can believe me when I tell you that I only brought the envelope because Mr. Jagger asked me to do it. And I only asked about the journals because I wanted to make sure they were safe."
"That makes sense. Thank you for sharing your story with me. Since you're the first and only person besides my grandfather who actually wants to help me, I'd be a fool to say no. But it could be dangerous, Jax. Look what happened last night. Helping me already earned you a black eye."
"It's barely purple this morning."
"It does look better."
He tightened his fingers around hers as their gazes locked, as the tension between them shifted into something far more dangerous than suspicious motives. He wanted her, a flood of desire racing through his body. But he couldn't have her. Not like this. Not when he was lying about so many other things. He'd told her one truth, but that didn't change the rest.
"Jax," she murmured.
"I know," he said. "It's crazy, isn't it?"
"Too crazy."
The doorbell rang, shocking them both. She pulled her hand away and jumped to her feet. "That