Jax’s POV
Spider’s words hung in the air like gunsmoke. ‘Frank Evans was taken.’
I saw the news hit Layla like a physical blow. Her face went pale, her hands clenched at her sides. But it wasn’t fear for herself I saw first. It was that damn, stubborn concern. For the man who’d sold her. The biological bond, stronger than any betrayal.
She turned to me, her green eyes wide and searching. “Jax… they have him. Whoever’s doing this… they have my dad.”
“I heard,” I said, my voice flat.
“We have to…” she started, then faltered, seeing the lack of reaction on my face. “We can’t just leave him with them. They’ll kill him. Or worse, they’ll use him to…”
“To get to you,” I finished for her, my tone cold. “Yeah. That’s the point. He’s bait. Poisoned bait.”
She took a step closer, her voice
