LOGINThe live photo of my daughter’s teddy bear on the ground felt like a hand around my throat.I was shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. Jax had just walked back into the apartment, knuckles bloody from dealing with his contacts. The moment he saw my face, he knew something was wrong.“Lily-Rose,” he said sharply, crossing the room in two strides. “Talk to me. What happened?”I showed him the message. His eyes turned black with rage.“They have one of her toys,” I whispered, voice cracking. “They’re close to the kids, Jax. This isn’t a game anymore.”Jax pulled me into his arms, holding me so tight it hurt. “I swear on my life, I will end this tonight. No one touches your children. I love you. You’re my family now.”His words were fierce and full of love, but fear still gripped me. I kissed him desperately, needing to feel something other than terror. Jax responded instantly, lifting me and carrying me to the bed.He laid me down and stripped me naked, his hands rough but lov
The message hit like a gunshot.Too late. Graves just sent me the location of your next supervised visit. If you want to see your children alive, tell your biker to stop digging. This is your final warning.I dropped the phone, my legs giving out. Jax caught me before I hit the floor, his strong arms wrapping around me as I started shaking uncontrollably.“Lily-Rose, breathe,” he said urgently, cupping my face. “Talk to me. What happened?”I showed him the message. His face went from concerned to murderous in a heartbeat.“Graves,” he snarled. “That bastard is playing both sides. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”He immediately called Tank. “Find Graves. Now. Bring him to the warehouse. I don’t care how. He’s going to tell us who the sender is.”Jax hung up and pulled me tighter against his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby. I promised to protect you and the kids. I won’t let them win.”His voice was full of love and fury. I clung to him, tears soaking his shirt. “What if they
I couldn’t let it go.The photo of Jax and Jimmy shaking hands in that dark alley months ago, combined with the bank records and the mysterious sender’s threats, had shattered the fragile trust I had left. I needed answers. Real answers.I waited until the next morning when Jax was making coffee in the kitchen. He looked tired but determined, his tattooed arms flexing as he moved.“Jax,” I said quietly, sitting at the table. “I need to know everything. No more half-truths. Who is the private investigator Jimmy hired? And why does the sender keep mentioning him?”Jax set the mug down and turned to me, his expression serious. He came over and sat across from me, taking my hands in his.“The investigator is named Harlan Graves,” he said. “Jimmy hired him two months before New Year’s. Graves has a reputation for digging up dirt on people — affairs, financial records, hidden debts. Jimmy wanted proof that you were unhappy so he could justify the fantasy… and later use it against you in cou
The revelation about Razor’s betrayal hung heavy in the air like smoke from a dying fire. I sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor while Jax paced the room, his fists clenched. The photo of him and Jimmy shaking hands months ago still burned in my mind, but Razor’s words had opened an even deeper wound.“He was one of my most trusted brothers,” Jax said, voice low and bitter. “Eight years. I saved his life twice. And he sold us out for money and power.”I looked up at him, my heart aching. “Why? Why would he risk everything just to hurt you… to hurt us?”Jax stopped pacing and knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his. His touch was warm, steady, but I could feel the tension vibrating through him.“Because I changed,” he admitted, eyes searching mine. “When I met you that night, everything shifted. I stopped being the cold leader they respected. I started caring about something — someone — more than the club. They saw it as weakness. Razor especially. He thought bringin
The next morning, the apartment felt like a pressure cooker.Jax was on the phone, pacing like a caged animal. “Bring Razor in. Alive. I want to look him in the eyes when he explains why he sold us out.”I sat on the couch, wrapped in one of Jax’s shirts, my body still sore from last night’s intense lovemaking. The bank records and the new photo still burned in my mind. The mysterious sender was getting bolder, and now Razor one of Jax’s most trusted brothers was at the center of it.Jax ended the call and came to me, pulling me into his lap. His hands were gentle as he stroked my hair.“I’m sorry you’re caught in this,” he murmured, kissing my forehead. “Razor was with me for eight years. I trusted him with my life. If he’s working with Marcus… I need to know why.”I looked up at him, my fingers tracing the tattoos on his chest. “What if he’s not the only one? What if the whole club is turning against you because of me?”Jax’s eyes softened with rare vulnerability. He cupped my face
The bank records stared back at me like a betrayal carved in stone.Large sums transferred from Jimmy’s account to an offshore one linked to Jax. Money that was supposed to support our children. Money Jax had taken without telling me.I waited until he returned that evening, blood still on his knuckles from dealing with Razor. He walked in looking satisfied, expecting to pull me into his arms like always.Instead, I held up the phone with the screenshot.“Explain this,” I said, voice shaking but firm. “You took money from Jimmy? From the father of my children?”Jax froze for a second, then stepped closer, his expression softening. “Baby, I can explain.”He reached for me, but I stepped back.“I did it for you,” he said, voice low and urgent. “Jimmy was using that money to bury you in court. To take the kids away. I moved it to make sure you win the custody fight. Everything I do is for us. For our future.”The words sounded romantic, but they felt like poison.“You stole from my child







