PHOENIX

14| HE WANTED ANSWERS

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Jackson muttered as he climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind him before pressing the lock button on the key fob. He stood there for a moment in the middle of the parking lot, staring blankly at the hotel building while trying to reason with himself. "You don't owe her anything. She doesn't deserve your concern." The words left his mouth with conviction, yet even he knew they carried very little weight. He could say them a hundred more times if he wanted to, but repeating them wouldn't make them true. Despite everything Melissa had done to him, despite the betrayal, the lies and the unbearable pain she had left him with, there was still a part of him that refused to stop caring. No matter how hard he tried to bury it, there remained an invisible thread pulling him towards her, urging him to keep searching for answers he wasn't even sure he wanted anymore.

What exactly was he chasing? Was it simply closure?

Or was there something much deeper hiding beneath all the anger he had spent the last five years nurturing? Was there still some foolish part of him desperately hoping that somewhere beneath all the lies, beneath the deception and everything she had become, there still existed the Melissa he had once loved with every piece of his broken heart? Jackson couldn't answer those questions, no matter how many times he asked them. All he knew was that every time he convinced himself he was finally ready to let her go, something happened that pulled him straight back into the maze she had unknowingly built around him. It frustrated him because he knew better. He should have known better years ago.

"f**k you, Melissa!" he spat bitterly into the empty parking lot, his voice echoing more loudly than he had intended. "f**k your innocent act! f**k everything about you!" The curse escaped before he could stop it, fuelled by equal parts anger, heartbreak and helplessness. This wasn't why he had returned to the city. He hadn't spent years preparing for revenge only to become distracted by the very woman who had nearly gotten him killed. He was supposed to be dismantling Roy's empire piece by piece, not standing in a hotel parking lot questioning whether the woman he hated was secretly suffering. Somehow, against all logic and every lesson life had forced him to learn, Melissa still held his heart in the palms of her hands, and he hated himself for allowing that to happen.

Jackson drew in a slow, deliberate breath before releasing it just as carefully, forcing himself to calm down. Losing control wouldn't solve anything. If anything, it would only make him careless, and carelessness around the Roy family was the quickest path to an early grave. He had survived this long because he had learned to think before acting, to separate emotion from strategy. He couldn't afford to forget that now simply because Melissa had unexpectedly reappeared in his life.

"Focus," he whispered firmly, almost as though he were giving himself an order. "Find out the truth, but don't let it consume you."

He repeated the words silently in his mind, allowing them to settle. Yes, he wanted answers. He needed them, perhaps more than he cared to admit. But answers meant nothing if chasing them destroyed him all over again. He had already paid too high a price once. He refused to become vulnerable a second time. Not because of Melissa. Not because of anyone.

With that thought firmly planted in his mind, Jackson finally left the parking lot and made his way into the hotel. As he walked through the lobby towards the elevators, another reminder surfaced almost immediately. He needed to stop delaying the apartment purchase. Every extra night he spent inside this hotel only increased the chances of another unexpected encounter with Melissa, and the last thing he needed was more opportunities for his resolve to weaken. The paperwork was almost complete. All he had to do was finish the process, move in and put some distance between himself and the woman who seemed capable of turning every carefully laid plan into chaos.

By the time he unlocked the door to his room and stepped inside, Melissa had finally begun to slip from the forefront of his thoughts, replaced by another problem that refused to leave him alone.

Sue. A heavy sigh escaped him as he ran a tired hand through his hair before closing the door behind him. His sister had always possessed an almost impossible level of stubbornness, but under normal circumstances, he had admired that about her. Right now, however, that same stubbornness terrified him. She genuinely believed she could help him bring down the Roy family, and no matter how many times he explained the danger, she simply refused to listen. The thought of Sue recklessly throwing herself into a battle she couldn't possibly understand filled him with far more fear than he was willing to admit. Things were already becoming increasingly complicated, and the last thing they needed was for her determination to place herself and Ethan in the direct path of people who wouldn't hesitate to eliminate anyone standing in their way.

Jackson slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed and rubbed both hands over his face, feeling the crushing weight of responsibility settle heavily across his shoulders once again. Protecting Sue. Protecting Ethan. Uncovering the truth about Melissa. Destroying Roy. Somehow, he had to accomplish all of it without losing himself in the process.

The more Jackson thought about Sue, the more convinced he became that he needed to get her and Ethan out of that apartment as soon as possible. The moment he finalised the purchase of his own place, they had to move in with him. He had been telling himself that ever since he found them again, but after everything that had happened over the past few days, it no longer felt like a good idea. It had become a necessity. Keeping them under the same roof would allow him to protect them properly while also keeping a close eye on his stubborn sister. Sue had always valued her independence and taken pride in standing on her own two feet, but independence wasn't going to protect her from people like Roy and his family. Jackson understood the danger they were facing far better than she did, and as much as she hated admitting it, there were some battles she simply wasn't prepared for.

He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed and pulled his phone from his pocket, instinctively checking whether Sue had called or sent him a message since he had left her apartment. The screen remained empty. No missed calls. No messages. Nothing. The silence brought him a strange mixture of relief and uneasiness. On one hand, it meant she probably hadn't gotten herself into trouble. On the other, Sue had always been unpredictable whenever she became determined to prove someone wrong. The fact that she hadn't contacted him didn't necessarily mean she was safely at home doing nothing. It simply meant he had no idea what she was doing, and Jackson hated not knowing. Uncertainty had become one of the things he disliked most over the years because uncertainty usually meant losing control, and losing control around the Roy family could cost lives.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he carefully organised everything that needed to be done over the coming days. The apartment came first. That couldn't wait any longer. He had delayed the purchase enough already, and every additional day he spent inside this hotel increased the chances of something going wrong. Once the paperwork was complete, he could move in immediately. After that, he would have to convince Sue to pack her belongings and bring Ethan with her. He already knew that conversation wasn't going to be pleasant. His sister would almost certainly interpret the invitation as another attempt to control her life, and if there was one thing Sue hated more than being told what to do, Jackson had yet to discover it. He couldn't simply order her to move in. That approach would only guarantee an argument, and he had already had more than enough of those recently.

Still, he couldn't allow her pride to influence a decision that involved their safety. If convincing her required patience, then he would be patient. If it required explaining the situation a dozen more times, then he would explain it a dozen more times. Whatever it took, he would make her understand that this wasn't about controlling her or questioning her abilities. It was about making sure she and Ethan stayed alive long enough to have a future beyond all of this.

The more he considered it, the more certain he became that living together was their only realistic option. Separating themselves across different parts of the city only created more opportunities for someone to target them individually. Under one roof, they could watch each other's backs, react quickly if something happened and ensure Ethan had a stable environment while everything else around them continued falling apart. Jackson did not doubt that his younger brother would love the arrangement. Ethan enjoyed spending time with him, and the excitement of living together would probably outweigh any concerns the child might have about leaving the apartment he currently called home.

Jackson slowly leaned back against the mattress, his eyes drifting towards the ceiling as countless thoughts continued running through his mind. Oddly enough, imagining Sue and Ethan living with him brought a sense of comfort he hadn't felt in years. The apartment would no longer be just another place to sleep between missions. It would become a home. There would be someone waiting for him at the end of each day, someone he could protect instead of constantly worrying about from a distance. It certainly wouldn't be easy. Sue's stubbornness alone guaranteed there would be plenty of disagreements, and Ethan would probably find endless ways to turn the apartment upside down. Even so, Jackson found himself welcoming the thought. After spending so many years alone, the idea of having his family under the same roof felt strangely comforting.

Closing his eyes, he began mentally rehearsing the conversation he intended to have with Sue. He wouldn't force the issue. Instead, he would tell her that the arrangement was only temporary, something they could revisit once everything surrounding the Roy family had been dealt with. He would explain that sharing one home would make it easier for all of them to look after Ethan, support one another and respond quickly if trouble ever came knocking at their door. Most importantly, he would remind her that being cautious wasn't the same as being weak. Sometimes the smartest decision was simply staying alive long enough to finish what you started.

Jackson decided he would call her first thing the following morning. Even if she ignored everything else he said, he wanted to make sure she was safe. He also intended to remind her, once again, to stay alert and avoid doing anything reckless while he worked on securing the apartment.

He knew Sue well enough to expect resistance. In fact, he would have been more concerned if she agreed immediately. She was stubborn to a fault, fiercely protective of the people she loved and far too proud to let anyone fight her battles for her. Those qualities had frustrated him countless times when they stayed together, yet they were also among the reasons he loved her so deeply. Beneath all that stubbornness was someone who cared about their family just as fiercely as he did. Jackson held onto that thought as he stared at the ceiling. Eventually, she would understand. She might argue, complain and fight him every step of the way, but sooner or later, she would realise that everything he was doing was for one simple reason.

He refused to lose a family a second time.

As Jackson lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his mind refused to slow down. Instead of allowing himself to rest, he found himself thinking about what his next move should be. Every day that passed without gathering useful information felt like a day wasted, and he couldn't afford to waste time. The Roy family wasn't going to sit still while he carefully pieced together his revenge. They would continue living their lives, conducting business, strengthening their empire and making themselves even more difficult to bring down. If he wanted to stay ahead of them, he had to make every day count. The question was no longer whether he should follow someone tomorrow, but who that person should be.

His thoughts immediately shifted to Ric.

Following the teenage boy would undoubtedly be the easiest option. From everything Jackson had managed to learn, Ric lived a relatively ordinary life compared to the rest of his family. His movements were likely predictable, and tailing him probably wouldn't require nearly as much caution as following Roy or any of the older members of the family. The problem wasn't whether he could follow Ric. The problem was whether doing so would accomplish anything worthwhile. Jackson doubted the teenager knew enough about the family's operations to provide any meaningful information. Even if Ric occasionally overheard important conversations at home, Jackson couldn't imagine Roy trusting someone so young with anything significant. Spending an entire day following him would probably leave Jackson with nothing more than a list of school schedules, favourite restaurants and places where teenagers liked to waste time. That wasn't why he had returned to the city.

Roy wasn't even worth considering.

Jackson had already come dangerously close to being noticed, and after witnessing the level of security surrounding the older man, he knew following him directly would be nothing short of suicide. Roy wasn't simply protected by bodyguards. Every movement appeared carefully coordinated, every destination secured long before he arrived and every person around him constantly alert. Even without the security, Jackson had no desire to test himself against a man whose instincts had already unsettled him with nothing more than a brief glance across a restaurant. Roy had built his empire by surviving countless enemies. Underestimating a man like that would be the biggest mistake Jackson could ever make.

Which left only one name.

Matt.

Jackson slowly turned onto his side, staring into the darkness of the hotel room as he carefully considered the idea. The more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed. Matthew Martins wasn't Roy, but he wasn't someone to underestimate either. Everything Jackson had learned suggested that Matt occupied a very important position within the family's operations. Unlike Ric, he wasn't merely connected to the family by blood. He actively worked alongside them. If anything unusual was happening behind the scenes, there was a very good chance Matt either knew about it or was directly involved. Following him carried far greater risks than following Ric ever would, but it also offered far greater rewards.

That didn't make the decision any easier.

Matt's reputation alone was enough to make most people keep their distance. He was known for being intelligent, calculating and every bit as ruthless as the rest of his family. Jackson had heard enough stories over the years to know that Matthew Martins wasn't simply another spoiled heir living off inherited wealth. He had earned his own reputation, and not in ways that inspired admiration. Men like Matt rarely overlooked small details, and Jackson couldn't shake the feeling that if anyone in that family was capable of spotting a tail without needing an army of bodyguards, it would probably be him.

Even so, Jackson couldn't ignore the opportunity.

If he wanted answers instead of assumptions, he had to take risks.

He released a slow sigh before shifting slightly on the bed, already beginning to plan the following morning. He would need to wake up early. Before attempting to follow Matt anywhere, he wanted to gather as much information as possible about his daily routine. What time did he usually leave home? Which places did he visit regularly? Did he follow the same schedule every day, or was he deliberately unpredictable? Every piece of information mattered. The more prepared Jackson was before getting behind the wheel, the smaller the chances of making a mistake that could expose him.

His eyelids had begun to grow heavy, yet his thoughts stubbornly refused to slow down. He knew he needed sleep. Tomorrow demanded complete concentration, and exhaustion had a way of turning even experienced people into careless ones. One careless decision around the Roy family was all it would take to erase everything he had spent the last five years working towards. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Closing his eyes, Jackson forced himself to stop planning, reminding himself that there would be time for strategy once morning arrived. For now, the smartest thing he could do was rest and allow his body to recover.

It wasn't as easy as he thought it would. His mind continued wandering through possibilities, escape routes, surveillance strategies and unanswered questions long after his eyes had closed. Sleep came slowly, resisting him almost as stubbornly as his own thoughts. Eventually, however, exhaustion proved stronger than determination. Jackson finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, his restless mind still chasing plans, possibilities and the dangerous path that awaited him the following day.