Page 48 of Thrown Off Balance

Jax slips his phone back inside his pocket and tugs the front door open. He tosses his keys over his shoulder and doesn’t even glance back to see if Pauly catches them.

“Let’s go, Daddy Pauly. I can’t be late for practice.”

“I think we need to worry about me murdering him before Jude has a chance to get close,” Pauly mutters under his breath.

“He’s scared, man. He acts out more when he’s scared,” I try to soothe things over, but I'm not sure it will work. I know exactly how annoying Jax can get when something is bothering him and this is just the beginning.

He likes to act like nothing bothers him, but he has a massive heart and takes everything personally. He feels like all of this is his fault. If Jude wasn’t obsessed with him, there wouldn’t be any issues. Maybe if he hadn’t lost his mind on Sunday then Jude wouldn’t be spiraling like he is. I guarantee all of that is running through his mind and more. I can only imagine how terrible his hockey skills are going to be today.

We’re halfway to the stadium when Pauly starts glancing in the rearview mirror nervously. He doesn’t make a sound, but I can tell he’s on edge.

He slows the car and changes into the right lane. A moment later he takes a turn that won't take us towards the stadium.

“Dude, this is why I didn’t want you driving. You don’t even know where you’re going.” Jax slams his fist down on the center console and glares out the front window.

“Why don’t you glance behind us, Jax? Your little friend is following us and awfully close. I thought you’d like to be kept safe. I'm hoping if I drive in the opposite direction of the stadium, he’ll think this isn’t your car.” Pauly stays calm, but I can tell Jax’s attitude is wearing on him.

If we ever get to the stadium, I'm going to pull him aside and have a conversation with him. There can’t be so much tension between them or Pauly will have a harder time doing his job.

Jax turns so he can look between the front seats and he swallows hard. We can clearly see Jude, though he shouldn’t be able to see through the tint of the windows.

Sloan slips her hand into mine and holds on tightly. She’s trembling and I know she’s terrified. I want to comfort both of them, but there’s nothing I can do or say at the moment to make any of this better. I don’t know if everything is going to be ok or if Jude will do something we can’t fix.

The only thing I know is I’ll do anything to protect the people I love.

Chapter 26

Sloan

I squeeze my eyes shut as Pauly takes another sharp turn. It’s been thirty minutes of Jude following us. He isn’t doing anything particularly scary, but just having him close is too much for me right now.

“Screw this. He has to know it’s us. I'm going to the stadium. He won't be able to get into the parking lot and once I get you guys inside, I’ll call Mason and figure out what to do next.” Pauly takes the next right and increases his speed. I trust him to keep us safe and make the right decisions under pressure. Mason wouldn’t have him working for Bennett Bradley Security if he wasn’t good under pressure.

“I already texted Uncle Mason. He just texted to tell me he and Maddox are waiting at the stadium,” Jax says softly. Gone is the attitude he normally has and in its place is the vulnerable side he normally only shows Cody and his family.

“Thank you, Jax. I honestly don’t know what will happen when we get to the stadium. Does the gate allow more than one car in at a time? Does it stay open for long?”

“No. It closes fairly quickly. They warned us about that when we started working for the Pythons. It’s to keep fans out of that area the best they can,” Cody speaks up.

“Good. Hopefully he can’t get in and if he does, Mason and Maddox being there will definitely help.” Pauly keeps his attention on the road and his knuckles are white with how hard he’s gripping the steering wheel.

“Uncle Mason wants us to call him.” Jax presses call on his phone and hooks the call up to the car so everyone can hear him.

“Hey, Jax. Maddox and I are here. How far away are you?”

“Three blocks,” Pauly answers. “He’s following closely. I don’t know how he spotted us. I haven’t seen any unusual cars around the house.”

“It doesn’t matter. He was bound to find them eventually, they always do.” Mason’s voice gets quiet before it comes through strong again. “As soon as you get here, I want Sloan and Cody to rush inside. I moved all the players’ cars that were parked in front of the entrance, just pull up and let them jump out.”

“What about me?” Jax’s brows draw together. “Do you not care about me at all?”

“He won't hurt you, Jax. The most he’ll do is try to talk to you and get back in your good graces. He truly thinks all of this is Sloan’s fault.”

“What is this, an episode of Criminal Minds? Do you have him completely profiled and know every step he’s going to make?”

“Kind of.”

“Well, can I have Derek Morgan protect me then? He seems much more capable than Pauly.”