Chapter 5 Chapter 5

E L E N A

The next two days went by painstakingly slow and with each day that passes, I was certain I would go crazy.

Jax had made it his thing to invade my personal space and keep me on the edge of my seat. He would egg me on about my crush from my teenage years and then get mad when I would respond and ignore him for the rest of the day.

He took pride in making me squirm and would walk around the cabin in just his boxers, showing off his godlike body, making me have thoughts I shouldn't be having about the one man I hated more than anything.

On the second day, just as I had finished cleaning and re bandaging his wound, a knock came at the cabin door.

I froze. Jax was already on his feet, his Glock in hand as he motioned for me to stay back. He moved towards the door like a predator with his gun cocked, all trace of his previous weakness gone.

He peered through the peephole.

"Who is it?" I whispered, my heart in my throat.

"My man," he muttered, opening the door.

A man stood there, dressed in dark clothing and his face grim. He was broad and carried himself with the kind of menace that made the hairs on my arms stand up. He had a large military duffel bag slung over his shoulder, with two other bags in his hands.

"This is Hawk," Jax said, his tone flat. "He's the package."

Hawk nodded at me, his eyes lingering for a second too long before he looked away. "Jax."

Jax stepped aside, allowing him to enter. Hawk dropped the duffel bag on the floor with a heavy thud.

"Supplies," he said, looking between the both of us. "Food, medical gear, comms, blankets. The President also sent this."

He pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it to Jax.

Jax tore it open, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. His jaw tightened.

"Fuck," he swore, crumbling the paper in his fist.

"What is it?" I asked, stepping forward.

Hawk answered before Jax could. "The Scorpions made a move. They hit the pharmaceutical warehouse downtown. Stole over a million dollars' worth of opiates and medical supplies."

My stomach dropped. That warehouse was one of the Vipers' most profitable fronts. And they hadn't just stolen drugs. They'd also stolen my supplies.

"They're building an army," Jax said, his voice dangerously low. "And they're doing it with our money and our resources."

He turned to Hawk. "What's the plan?"

"The President wants you to stay put," Hawk said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He's sending in a crew to handle it. Your job is to keep the girl safe and stay alive."

Jax's jaw clenched. I could see the frustration rolling off him in waves. He hated this. Hated being sidelined, treated like a liability.

"And what about her?" I asked, pointing at myself. "What do I do? Just sit here and look pretty?"

Hawk's gaze met mine, staring at my bare legs longer than necessary and it suddenly made me uncomfortable.

"You patch him up," he said, nodding at Jax. "Or put your mouth to good use and suck him off. We wouldn't want him to be all pent up with frustration, would we?" He said with a sickening smirk.

His disgusting words hung in the air. I expected Jax to laugh, to agree and join in on the humiliation. That was our dynamic. He tormented me, I took it.

But he didn't.

A dangerous silence fell over the cabin. Jax's entire posture changed. He went from tense to absolutely coiled, a viper ready to strike. He took a deliberate step forward, placing himself directly between me and Hawk.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Jax’s voice was menacing as he spelled out the question.

Hawk smirked, not backing down. "Just saying, boss. She's been here for two days. A man has needs. Left for me, I would be fucking her every second of the day nonstop. My cock would probably fall off."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger. I wanted to slap the smug look off his face.

But Jax beat me to it.

Before Hawk could even register the movement, Jax's hand shot out, grabbing him by the throat. He slammed him back against the wall with a sickening thud that made the entire cabin shudder.

"Talk about her like that again," Jax snarled, his face inches from Hawk's, his gray eyes burning with fury I had never seen before, "and I'll personally feed you your own tongue. Do you understand me?"

Hawk's eyes widened in shock. He clawed at Jax's hand, gasping for air. He hadn't expected this. None of us had.

Jax wasn't defending my honor. He was staking a claim. The message was clear, she's mine. No one else gets to disrespect her but me.

And for a sick reason, that thought made me clench my thighs.

"Don't ever forget your place, Hawk." Jax warned, his voice low and dangerous. "You might be one of my most trusted men, but that doesn't mean I won't put a bullet in your head if you so much as look at her the wrong way again."

"Jax, let him go," I said, trying to pry him away from Hawk, but he was too strong. He tightened his grip, the muscles in his arm bulging.

"He's not worth it," I pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. "He's not worth you tearing your stitches open."

That got through to him. He loosened his grip, shoving Hawk away. Hawk stumbled forward, coughing and rubbing his throat.

"Get the supplies and get out," Jax commanded, turning his back on him. "And if you ever speak to her or about her like that again, I won't be so forgiving."

Hawk didn't say another word. He just gave me a look that was filled with hatred, before grabbing the duffel bag and the two grocery bags and setting them on the table.

He then grabbed a small black box and a sealed envelope from one of the bags, placing them on the table.

"Comms," he said, his voice hoarse. "Encrypted. One for you, one for her. And the latest intel."

He then turned to me and for a second, I saw a flicker of something other than arrogance in his eyes. It was almost… apologetic. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Without another word, he left the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Jax stood with his back to me, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. I could see the tension in his posture, the way he was holding himself rigidly.

I walked over to the table and opened the box. Inside were two sleek black devices, looking like high end smartphones.

"Your father is sending us new phones?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

"Comms," he corrected, turning to face me. "They can't be traced, can't be hacked. Only Vipers' leadership has the frequency."

He walked over to the table and picked up the envelope, tearing it open. He read the contents quickly, his face hardening.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

He handed me the paper.

It was a list of names. And at the top of the list was mine.

And next to my name was a number. A number so large it made my head spin.

"Ten million dollars," I whispered, my blood running cold. "They want me for ten million dollars."

"They want you for a lot more than that," Jax said in a hard voice. "This is just the public bounty. The real prize is what you know. You've patched up every single one of my father's inner circle. You know their weaknesses, their injuries, their medical histories. That information is worth more than all the drugs in that warehouse."

He looked at me, his gray eyes staring intently at me. "They're going to come for you, Elena. And they're not going to stop until they have you."

I stared at the paper. Ten million dollars. I could have left this life years ago. I could have gone to medical school, had a normal life, a normal job.

But I didn't. I stayed. Why?

Because of my father’s debt. A debt I knew nothing about, but had to pay off for the past ten years.

"You're scared," he stated, not asked.

I lifted my chin. "Aren't you?"

He let out a short harsh laugh. "I haven’t been scared since I was five years old, Elena. Fear is a luxury I can't afford."

"And you think I can?" I shot back. "Forgive me for having emotions. You wouldn’t understand that, would you?"

"You have no idea what I understand," he growled, taking a step towards me.

"Oh, I understand plenty," I said, my anger rising. "I understand that you're a bully who gets off on making people feel small. I understand that you're so insecure that you have to constantly assert your dominance over everyone around you. And I understand that you're terrified right now, because for the first time in your life, you're not in control."

He was right in front of me now, his body looming over mine. He grabbed my arm, his grip tight. And instead of feeling pain like a normal person, my stupid, stupid body decided to react, as a familiar ache bloomed between my thighs.

"You think you know me?" he snarled, his face inches from mine. "You have no idea what I've seen, what I've done. You patch up the wounds, but you don't see the bloodlust. You don't see the bodies. You don't see the things I've had to do to keep this club, to keep you safe."

He let go of my arm, but he didn't back away.

"You think I'm a monster?" he whispered, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Maybe I am. But I'm the monster that's standing between you and the ones who are a hell lot worse than me."

And that shut me right up.