My eyes widened until they felt lik

My eyes widened until they felt like they were going to pop out of my face. Holy crap. This was Isaiah? And he was standing in front of me, in Jax’s house? And Jax had let him into said house?
Panic dug its icy fingers into my side as my head swung sharply toward Jax. His arm tightened. “It’s fine,” Jax reassured me. “Isaiah never does his own dirty work.”
My gaze bounced back at him.
Isaiah’s smile widened, and that really creeped me the hell out. “There are times I make an exception. Rare, but it does happen.”
Uh, that really didn’t reassure me one bit.
“May I?” Isaiah jerked his chin at the worn recliner, and when Jax nodded, he sat.
I almost laughed, because he looked so out of place sitting in a chair that had definitely seen better times, wearing a suit that probably cost more than every piece of furniture in the living room. But laughing would’ve made me sound crazy, and I was feeling pretty crazy. The man that my mom owed potentially millions to and the man who might have something to do with the new hole in my body was sitting across from me.
Jax guided me down on the couch, keeping his arm around me. He got to the point. “What’s up, Isaiah.”
He tilted his head to the side and the smile was still there, but it never really reached his eyes. The legendary Isaiah was younger than I imagined for a drug and God knows what else overlord. Maybe in his mid-thirties? “First,” he said, unbuttoning his suit jacket, and I could feel Jax tense beside me, but Isaiah folded his hands together, “I would like to apologize for Mo.”
Mo? Who was . . . ? “The guy who tried to kidnap me?”
“I’m not a fan of the word kidnap, my dear.”
Really? What did he want me to call it?
“My associate was supposed to bring you to me and not under duress, but I needed to speak with you. Unfortunately, he was a little overeager when it came to his task.”
“Overeager?” I repeated dumbly.
“He hit her,” Jax said, voice clipped. “I wouldn’t call that overeager.”
He nodded in agreement. “And that has been dealt with. I abhor violence against innocent women.”
My brows crept up my forehead. Innocent women versus . . . ?
“I needed to speak with you about what has been happening. He was just supposed to bring you to me. That was all, and I sincerely apologize for his actions that evening,” Isaiah said. “As I’ve said, that has been taken care of. Just as another problem of yours has been . . . or will be shortly . . . taken care of.”
My spine stiffened and I whispered, “Which problem?”
Isaiah watched me for a moment and then sat back, folding one knee over the other as he draped his arm along the recliner. “I have many businesses, Miss Fritz, some you may not know about and others you might speculate on, and I have even more responsibility. Furthermore, I do have an image to maintain and whenever my image is threatened, well, I do take those situations fairly seriously.”
I found myself nodding even though I wasn’t quite sure where this was heading. I got what he was saying without really saying it. In other words, he had legit businesses and not so legit, as I’d already known.
“A certain associate of mine was responsible for a very large transaction. He outsourced some of that responsibility to people who frankly should not have been trusted,” he explained, his dark gaze holding mine. I totally knew who he was talking about—Mack, Rooster, and my mom—and I also knew what that transaction was. “Ultimately, when this transaction fell apart”—again, in other words, crashed and burned in the form of Greasy Guy stealing the heroin—“my associate was the one responsible for it and he was well aware of how much I loathe when things fall apart.”
I shivered, knowing I never wanted to be on the end of Isaiah’s disappointment.
“Not only has my associate failed in securing the transaction, he has also impacted my image. Not forty-eight hours go by without a member of our esteemed police forces breathing down my neck.” That easy, albeit cold smile slipped off his face and his expression became glacial. “And once my associate realized that, he became fairly noncommunicative, and from what I can gather, figured the best way to rectify this situation was by threatening you, an innocent in all of this, and taking measures into his own hands. Apparently, he thought that taking out those to whom he’d outsourced his own responsibility would somehow make me happy. He was wrong.”
Oh. Wow.
“So you’re telling me you’ve had nothing to do with Mack messing with Calla or her getting shot a few days ago?” Jax asked.
“Like I said, Jackson, I abhor violence of any kind against innocent women. My associate was desperate. He messed up. He continued messing up, making it very hard for me to continue with my business dealings without interference, and of course, their impact on you, Miss Fritz. I am sincerely grateful to see you sitting here today. I know it could’ve ended in a much more sad way.”
Again, I found myself nodding and wondering if this was all really happening. I wasn’t sure why Isaiah would care what happened to me, and honestly, he probably didn’t and it was more a case of not getting dragged into what Mack was doing.
“With that being said,” Isaiah continued, smiling in that creeptastic way, “my associate will no longer be a problem.”
“What?” I blinked.
Jax’s arm slid off my shoulders and his hand ended up around mine. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He inclined his head. “What I’m saying is that he will no longer pose a problem. You will no longer have to worry about anyone showing up at Mona’s or at your home or about random drive-bys.”
I stared at him.
Jax squeezed my hand.
I totally knew what he was saying, again without really saying it. Mack would no longer be a problem for me and since Isaiah was apparently never a problem in the first place, the fallout from what my mom had done would finally settle around me and for the most part, I’d still be standing.
But I had to know. “Does that mean that Mack—”
“We understand,” Jax cut in, squeezing my hand again, and I shot him a look, but he was focused on Isaiah. “Is that everything?”
Isaiah’s gaze shifted toward him and a beat passed. “It is.”
“Then, I hate to be rude but . . .”
His lips quirked. “I’ve always liked your bluntness, Jackson.”
“I’m assuming that’s a good thing.”
Isaiah simply smiled as he stood, buttoning his jacket. “I wish you both good luck in the future. I’ll see myself out.” He strode past the couch, but stopped in front of the door and faced us. “One last thing, Miss Fritz.”
My heart thudded against my ribs. “Yes?”
“If you see your mother or hear from her, please let her know that she is not welcome in this county or this state,” he said softly. “As I said, I do not like loose ends.”
Then he was gone.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Jax stood swiftly, bent, and kissed my forehead before striding toward the front door. He checked the outside then locked it. Turning to me, he stretched his neck and sighed. “Well then.”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know what to say. He basically just told me everything is going to be okay and then threatened my mom, right? I mean, that is just what happened?”
“Yeah, it is.” Jax walked over to me and crouched down so we were eye level. “I was not expecting that.”
I coughed out a laugh and then cringed. “Me neither. I mean, wow. That was like something straight out of a mob film. Do you—”
His phone rang from inside his pocket. Straightening, he reached in, looked at the screen, and then cursed before he answered it. “Yeah?”
I watched him turn and walk toward the living room window. “Serious?” He thrust his other hand through his hair and then let his arm drop. “Well, can’t say I’m too torn up about that.”

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Mataku melebar sampai mereka merasa seperti mereka akan pop dari wajahku. Suci crap. Ini adalah Yesaya? Dan ia berdiri di depan saya, Jax's house? Dan Jax telah membiarkan dia ke rumah kata?Panik menggali dengan jari-jari dingin ke sisi saya sebagai kepala saya mengayunkan tajam terhadap Jax. Lengan diperketat. "Ini baik," Jax meyakinkan saya. "Yesaya tidak pernah melakukan pekerjaan kotor sendiri."Pandangan bangkit kembali kepadanya.Yesaya senyuman melebar, dan itu benar-benar creeped saya sih keluar. "Ada kali aku membuat pengecualian. Langka, tapi itu terjadi."Eh, yang benar-benar tidak meyakinkan saya sedikit."Mungkin saya?" Yesaya tersentak dagu di kursi malas dipakai, dan ketika Jax mengangguk, ia duduk.Aku hampir tertawa, karena ia tampak begitu keluar dari tempat duduk di kursi yang pasti telah terlihat lebih baik, mengenakan setelan yang mungkin biaya lebih dari setiap bagian dari furnitur dalam ruang. Tapi tertawa pasti sudah membuat saya terdengar gila, dan saya merasa cukup gila. Laki-laki yang ibu saya berutang berpotensi jutaan dan orang yang mungkin ada hubungannya dengan lubang baru dalam tubuh saya sedang duduk di hadapanku.JAX dipandu saya turun di sofa, menjaga lengannya di sekitar saya. Ia sampai ke titik. "What's up, Yesaya."Ia miring kepalanya ke samping dan senyum itu masih ada, tetapi tidak pernah benar-benar mencapai matanya. Yesaya legendaris adalah lebih muda daripada yang saya bayangkan untuk obat dan Allah tahu apa overlord lain. Mungkin di pertengahan-puluhan? "Pertama," katanya, membuka kancing jas nya, dan aku bisa merasakan Jax tegang samping saya, tetapi Yesaya dilipat tangannya bersama-sama, "Saya ingin minta maaf atas Mo"Mo? Yang ini...? "Orang yang mencoba untuk menculik saya?""Saya tidak penggemar kata penculikan, sayangku."Benarkah? Apa Apakah dia ingin saya untuk menyebutnya?"Saya harus membawa Anda kepada saya dan tidak di bawah tekanan, tetapi saya perlu untuk berbicara dengan Anda. Sayangnya, ia adalah sedikit overeager ketika datang ke tugasnya.""Overeager?" Aku mengulang dumbly."Dia memukul dia," kata Jax, suara dipotong. "Saya tidak akan menyebut bahwa overeager."Dia mengangguk dalam perjanjian. "Dan yang telah ditangani. Aku membenci kekerasan terhadap perempuan tidak bersalah."Alis saya merangkak naik dahiku. Bersalah perempuan versus...?"Aku perlu berbicara dengan Anda tentang apa yang telah terjadi. Ia hanya harus membawa Anda kepada saya. Bahwa itu semua, dan saya mohon maaf atas tindakannya malam itu,"kata Yesaya. "Seperti sudah saya katakan, itu telah telah diambil dari perawatan. Sama seperti masalah yang lain Anda telah... atau akan segera... diasuh."Tulang belakang saya kaku dan aku berbisik, "Mana masalah?"Yesaya melihat saya sejenak dan kemudian duduk kembali, melipat lutut satu atas yang lain seperti dia tersampir lengannya sepanjang kursi malas. "Aku punya banyak bisnis, Miss Fritz, beberapa Anda mungkin tidak tahu tentang orang lain Anda mungkin berspekulasi dan saya memiliki tanggung jawab bahkan lebih. Selain itu, aku punya gambar untuk mempertahankan dan setiap kali gambar saya terancam, baik, saya mengambil situasi tersebut cukup serius."Aku mendapati diriku mengangguk-angguk meskipun saya tidak yakin mana hal ini menuju. Saya mendapat apa yang ia katakan tanpa benar-benar mengatakan hal itu. Dengan kata lain, ia legit bisnis dan tidak begitu legit, seperti yang saya sudah tahu."Beberapa rekan saya adalah bertanggung jawab untuk transaksi yang sangat besar. Ia outsourcing beberapa tanggung-jawab itu kepada orang-orang yang terus terang seharusnya tidak dipercaya,"ia menjelaskan, dengan tatapan gelap yang memegang tambang. Aku benar-benar tahu siapa yang ia bicarakan — Mack, ayam dan ibuku — dan aku juga tahu apa itu. "Pada akhirnya, ketika transaksi ini jatuh terpisah" — lagi, dengan kata lain, jatuh dan terbakar dalam bentuk berminyak orang mencuri heroin — "saya adalah salah satu yang bertanggung jawab untuk itu dan ia juga menyadari betapa aku benci ketika hal-hal yang hancur berantakan."Saya menggigil, mengetahui aku tidak pernah ingin menjadi pada akhir Yesaya kekecewaan.“Not only has my associate failed in securing the transaction, he has also impacted my image. Not forty-eight hours go by without a member of our esteemed police forces breathing down my neck.” That easy, albeit cold smile slipped off his face and his expression became glacial. “And once my associate realized that, he became fairly noncommunicative, and from what I can gather, figured the best way to rectify this situation was by threatening you, an innocent in all of this, and taking measures into his own hands. Apparently, he thought that taking out those to whom he’d outsourced his own responsibility would somehow make me happy. He was wrong.”Oh. Wow.“So you’re telling me you’ve had nothing to do with Mack messing with Calla or her getting shot a few days ago?” Jax asked.“Like I said, Jackson, I abhor violence of any kind against innocent women. My associate was desperate. He messed up. He continued messing up, making it very hard for me to continue with my business dealings without interference, and of course, their impact on you, Miss Fritz. I am sincerely grateful to see you sitting here today. I know it could’ve ended in a much more sad way.”Again, I found myself nodding and wondering if this was all really happening. I wasn’t sure why Isaiah would care what happened to me, and honestly, he probably didn’t and it was more a case of not getting dragged into what Mack was doing.“With that being said,” Isaiah continued, smiling in that creeptastic way, “my associate will no longer be a problem.”“What?” I blinked.Jax’s arm slid off my shoulders and his hand ended up around mine. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”He inclined his head. “What I’m saying is that he will no longer pose a problem. You will no longer have to worry about anyone showing up at Mona’s or at your home or about random drive-bys.”I stared at him.Jax squeezed my hand.I totally knew what he was saying, again without really saying it. Mack would no longer be a problem for me and since Isaiah was apparently never a problem in the first place, the fallout from what my mom had done would finally settle around me and for the most part, I’d still be standing.But I had to know. “Does that mean that Mack—”“We understand,” Jax cut in, squeezing my hand again, and I shot him a look, but he was focused on Isaiah. “Is that everything?”Isaiah’s gaze shifted toward him and a beat passed. “It is.”“Then, I hate to be rude but . . .”His lips quirked. “I’ve always liked your bluntness, Jackson.”“I’m assuming that’s a good thing.”Isaiah simply smiled as he stood, buttoning his jacket. “I wish you both good luck in the future. I’ll see myself out.” He strode past the couch, but stopped in front of the door and faced us. “One last thing, Miss Fritz.”My heart thudded against my ribs. “Yes?”
“If you see your mother or hear from her, please let her know that she is not welcome in this county or this state,” he said softly. “As I said, I do not like loose ends.”
Then he was gone.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Jax stood swiftly, bent, and kissed my forehead before striding toward the front door. He checked the outside then locked it. Turning to me, he stretched his neck and sighed. “Well then.”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know what to say. He basically just told me everything is going to be okay and then threatened my mom, right? I mean, that is just what happened?”
“Yeah, it is.” Jax walked over to me and crouched down so we were eye level. “I was not expecting that.”
I coughed out a laugh and then cringed. “Me neither. I mean, wow. That was like something straight out of a mob film. Do you—”
His phone rang from inside his pocket. Straightening, he reached in, looked at the screen, and then cursed before he answered it. “Yeah?”
I watched him turn and walk toward the living room window. “Serious?” He thrust his other hand through his hair and then let his arm drop. “Well, can’t say I’m too torn up about that.”