Jax's P.O.V

The silence in the hallway after the cafeteria was a physical thing, thick and charged. Val was a slight, trembling weight against my side, her fingers still fisted in my shirt. I could feel the frantic rabbit-kick of her pulse through the thin cotton. The urge to turn around, find Vienna, and finish what I started was a live wire under my skin. But Val’s need was a stronger pull. Getting her out, getting her safe, was the only mission.

Brielle, Talia, and Juliette flanked us, a ...