To some who know him, Jax -- under the name Jackson Martin -- is a reputable restorer of antiquarian books. To others, in various guises, he's a man who double-crosses thieves, relieving them of what wasn't theirs to begin with ... although he doesn't return the stolen goods to their original owners. That isn't his thing.<br><br>When he's hired by Donovan, a book collector, to restore a damaged atlas, Jax meets the young man who runs Donovan's side interest, a no-kill animal shelter. Noel is wary of Jackson for reasons he can't explain. It doesn't stop him from finding Jax interesting ... an interest Jax returns despite knowing it will go nowhere.<br><br>Then Keegan, Jax's mortal enemy, appears bent on killing him. Will Jax be able to stop him before that happens? And will what he and Noel learn about each other end their budding relationship before it can become something more?

A Man of Many Parts

Because he needed to keep busy, Jax spent most of Monday morning going through Donovan’s books, taking a few of them to the workroom because the covers needed minor repairs. He’d asked Donovan at breakfast if there were any of them that needed more than that.


“No,” Donovan replied. “Despite what you might think, I’m usually very careful to make certain the pages themselves are in excellent condition.”


Jax grinned. “So the crayon marks on the atlas were an anomaly.”


“More like my greed to get my hands on it overcoming common sense. I’ve admitted as much.”


“You have,” Jax replied. “By the way, I’m not going to charge you for anything I do on the covers from now on. It’s not your fault I’m still here.”


“I do. I don’t intend to take advantage of you because some nut has decided he wants me dead.”


“Let’s pray he doesn’t succeed,” Donovan said.


Chapter 31