Slasher: Devil's Rose #10

Chapter 25: Jax Easton

"Get everything you need, flower?"

"It's too early to think, Jax," Iris whimpers.

"I'm sorry, but we need to get there around four to meet with your brother and get into our room at the Dallas headquarters."

What I'm not saying, to her benefit, is that it's eight-thirty in the morning, so she shouldn't be this exhausted. Fortunately, last night, we got at least eight hours of sleep and not the four that we've been getting in the past few nights. 

We were supposed to leave for the Dallas trip about five days, but it was postponed because there was something going on with the territory the Devil's Rose MC has in Dallas, and we didn't want to put our chapter into it too. 

I'm fine with Alpha's judgment on that one. I don't want Iris in the crosshairs of that either. That's not a safe environment for her, and it's my job to protect her from shit she doesn't need to be part of.

She would punch me in the shoulder if she knew that's what I was thinking, but it's part of me to think that way now. I can't help it. I know she can handle herself, but that's not what bothers me. I have full confidence in her abilities. 

However, she shouldn't have to protect herself while I'm around. Sure, if she's alone and needs to defend herself, she knows exactly how to do that. I've shown her a few knife tricks. They're easier to keep hidden than a gun, but it's more up close and personal, so I also got her a gun in case anything were to happen. 

I just think that she should have no reason to use the gun or any of her self-defense skills.

I make sure that she is buckled into the front of Alpha's truck since I don't have a car. I should probably invest in one since Iris has been driving around with me everywhere. 

I love a motorcycle, but we've been having to use her rusty fucking car to get groceries, go shopping at Target, and drive to different places around Grove Heights and Westmoor area. It's just easier to have a car with two of us, but I hate being in that car of hers. 

It doesn't scare me to be in it because I knew that if we broke down somewhere, she could fix it. She's a mechanic for fucks sake. I think what bothers me is she keeps having to fix it. That's another thing she doesn't need to deal with in her life. 

I can fully afford to buy myself a new car as well as a car for her. I'm privileged enough for that, and I want to spoil the people I care about. I'm not sure she would ever go for that though. Maybe I should just buy a car for her and see her reaction.

I sit in the driver's seat of the truck, Iris is already asleep in passenger princess style, and I take a sip of my hot coffee before pulling out of the headquarters parking lot and onto the interstate. 

To get the truck from Alpha, who was "working" in his office - Persephone was in there, and they were doing something that wasn't working which I could tell from the noises coming from inside - Iris and I had to drive her car to headquarters. 

We then switched everything from her car to Alpha's truck. Persephone is taking Iris' car back to her place, so it doesn't sit at my house in the woods for the next couple of days in case Caterina or anyone else were to need it.

It would have been a whole lot easier if I had my own car.

I keep the music low as Iris sleeps next to me, her red hair sprawled on the seat and the thick blanket she brought from my couch lays over her entire body. I glance at her occasionally, watching as she breathes beside me, and then turn my attention back to the road. 

I don't understand how anyone could let her go. She and her ex-fiance left each other because they weren't giving each other what they both needed, but I would have fought for her. I would have shown her that I could have shown up for her and tried to work through it, even if it didn't work out in the end. 

She said something about what she was feeling, and they talked about it, and he just allowed her to leave. I mean, yes, it's good to leave a situation that is bad, but I would have tried at least. I would have shown her that I can put some effort into our relationship.

I learned that from my ex. She and I didn't agree on a lot of things and that caused our relationship to be a turbulent one. We weren't willing to listen to one another, even though we tried to work it out. Eventually, she found someone better for her and left me in her dust. 

I know I could have put more effort into listening to her wants and needs. I was young and naive. I fell in love with her, but I don't think I truly cared about her with my whole being. Which is why I'm grateful that she found someone she could care for like that. 

It's nice to have that feeling, and I know what it's like now.

With Iris, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for her to make her happy. Not in a toxic way, but in a way that shows her how much I care about her. I don't want her to ever go a day where she feels discarded by me. I would hope that that would never happen. 

I feel like she's my entire life now. Everything I want to do surrounds her and what is good for her life too. I want to make room for her, in every single way that I can. That's not something that I've felt before. I don't think I've cared about anyone romantically like that. I wouldn't change it for anything.

"Jax?" Iris groans, rubbing her hands on her eyes to wake herself up.

"Hi, my flower," I muse, eyeing her for a second while she sips up in her seat.

"Where are we?"

"A little west of Fort Stockon. We haven't gone far."

"Only?"

I chuckle, turning down the music to hear her better.

"It's nine-thrity, Iris. We've got a ways to go."

She reaches over, laying her hand on the free one that sits on my lap. She lifts it and places it on her thigh, rolling over to face me. I inch my fingers slightly between her legs under the blanket and smile toward the road.

"Do you think that Persephone liked me?"
I crunch my eyebrows together, sneaking another look at her.

"What are you talking about? Of course, she liked you."

"She just seemed a little standoffish this morning. I know that she's doing me favor, and we never met before, so I didn't know if it was that or what. I just don't think I made a good impression," she says, her voice shaky and ridden with anxiety.

How do I explain to Iris that Persephone is more interested in taking down Max than becoming best friends with her while also not telling her anything about Persephone or what plans the MC has right now?

"Jax, you aren't answering me."

"I don't think it was you, Iris. If she seemed that way. I just thought she was tired."

I'm so fucking stupid. She's going to see right through that.

"You just lied to me," she directs at me, and the sass cuts me.

"Well, I-"

"If you say, I can't tell you because it's an MC thing, I might lose it. How can this possibly be related to MC business?"

"She might be in a bad mood because of it. Or just be focused on that."

Iris shakes her head, heaving a deep sigh. She leaves my hand where it is but turns up the volume on the music, blocking me out. I don't want to exclude her, truly, but what am I going to say to her? Regardless of the oath I took for the MC, I don't want to lose her. 

I'm not ready to let her go. If I tell her about Max, I might have to. And besides, we are literally in the desert in the middle of nowhere, and it would not be a good place to have her angry at me. This doesn't seem like the right time to say anything. But I have to calm her somehow because she's already upset.

"Iris, you know the rules."

"Aren't some things worth breaking the rules for?"

"I can't break tradition because of you."

"Why? Why can't you?"

"I dedicated my whole to the MC. I can't let them down, alright?"