Jaxon's POV
The room was thick with the scent of danger and something else something sharp, like the unspoken truths simmering between Ava and me.
I barely noticed the shadow that had slipped in behind us until a low voice cut through the tension.
"Looks like the party's just getting started."
My head snapped toward the door. Standing there was a woman I hadn't seen in years—Sienna Marlowe.
Cold, poised, and lethal in her expensive black dress, her smile was the kind that didn't reach her eyes.
Ava tensed beside me, but I could feel her gaze locked on Sienna, suspicion and something deeper flickering in her expression.
"Sienna," I said, voice clipped. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Jaxon," she purred, stepping inside with deliberate grace. "I thought you'd appreciate a little company. After all, we have unfinished business."
Memories flooded me, Sienna was no ordinary enemy. She'd been my business rival, my obsession, and the woman who had once betrayed me so deeply it nearly shattered everything I'd built.
And now, she was here, stirring the pot.
Ava's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
I swallowed hard, knowing the truth would shatter the fragile trust we were building.
"She's… complicated," I said, keeping my tone neutral. "Someone I thought I'd left behind."
Sienna smiled wickedly. "Left behind, maybe. But I never left you."
Ava
Ava squared her shoulders and met Sienna's gaze head-on.
"Whatever game you're playing, it ends tonight."
Sienna laughed a low, dangerous sound.
"Oh, sweetheart, the game's only just begun."
Then, Sienna dropped the bomb.
"I know about Carter. And more importantly… I know why he's after Ava."
Jaxon and I exchanged a stunned glance.
"What do you mean?" I asked, heart pounding.
Sienna's eyes glinted. "Let's just say the past you're trying to bury isn't as buried as you think."
The room felt like it was closing in on us.
Ava's mind raced. Carter had come for her, yes, but why? What secret did she carry that was worth dying for?
Jaxon's jaw clenched. "Tell us."
Sienna stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper only we could hear.
"Ava Lawson isn't just a random target. She's tied to something much bigger a secret that could destroy my empire and yours."
My world tilted. Ava's past wasn't just personal it was a weapon.
The unexpected alliance
For the first time, I saw Ava hesitate not out of fear, but calculation.
"Maybe we need to work together," she said quietly, eyes locking with mine.
Sienna's smile widened. "Smart girl."
Before anyone could speak again, the lights flickered and the entire penthouse plunged into darkness.
A gunshot cracked through the blackness.
When the emergency lights kicked on, Sienna was on the floor, bleeding and Carter was gone.
And somewhere deep inside me, a new fire burned..one that promised this was far from over.
The office was chaos.
Flashing red emergency lights pulsed through the space like a silent alarm, throwing shadows across the walls. My pulse pounded in my ears as I stared at Sienna..motionless, blood pooling beneath her shoulder. I dropped to my knees beside her, my fingers shaking as I pressed them to her neck.
A pulse. Weak, but there.
I grabbed the edge of my jacket and pressed it to her wound, applying pressure with trembling hands. "You're going to be okay," I whispered, unsure if I was saying it for her or myself.
"Security!" I shouted hoarsely. "Call an ambulance!"
Footsteps thundered down the hallway. Men in black rushed in, weapons drawn, eyes scanning every corner. But Carter was already gone. Vanished like smoke. The bastard had walked right into Jaxon's world and shattered everything without leaving a trace.
One of the guards radioed for medics, while another gently pulled me back so they could tend to Sienna. I staggered to my feet, adrenaline surging through my veins like wildfire. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Jaxon.
"Ava?" His voice was raw. "Are you safe?"
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "He came in. He knew the codes. Sienna's hurt. But… I'm okay."
Silence, then a clipped curse. "I'm on my way. Stay where you are. Don't let anyone near you."
I ended the call and wrapped my arms around myself, shivering. Not from cold but from the realization that this wasn't just about business or family feuds anymore. This was personal. Dangerous. A line had been crossed, and I was in the middle of it.
And yet, a small, twisted part of me was angry. Not scared furious. Carter had violated the one space I felt safe in. He'd attacked Jaxon's inner circle. He'd bled chaos into a life I was just beginning to understand.
A hand touched my shoulder. I turned, expecting one of the guards but it was Jaxon. His suit jacket was damp with rain, his hair tousled from wind and fury.
He looked at Sienna, then back at me. "You okay?" His voice was low, edged with something dangerous.
I nodded, even though I wasn't sure it was true. "She'll live. But Carter… He said something before he left."
"What?"
"He said, 'You're next.'"
Jaxon's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing like a predator. "He won't get that far."
I swallowed. "What does he want?"
Jaxon didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared at the blood on my hands. "He wants control. Chaos. Revenge. He's trying to send a message and using you to do it."
"Me?" My voice cracked. "Why me?"
"Because you're the first thing I've cared about in a long time." The confession came out hard, almost like it hurt him to say it.
My breath caught. I didn't know whether to lean in or run. We were fire and friction, crashing into each other in ways that felt both right and reckless.
"You don't have to protect me, Jaxon," I said quietly.
"Yes," he murmured, stepping closer. "I do."
And then he kissed me.
There was no gentleness to it just heat, urgency, possession. The taste of anger and fear, desperation and something far deeper. I melted into him, my hands fisting into his shirt, grounding myself in the only thing that felt real.
But just as quickly as it began, he pulled away.
"I need to find him," Jaxon said, his voice ragged. "Before he tries again."
"I want in."
His eyes flared. "Absolutely not."
I stood my ground. "This is my life too now. You said it yourself, he's using me. I won't just sit around and wait to be a target."
Jaxon looked at me like he was seeing someone entirely new. And maybe he was.
"You're impossible," he muttered.
"Good," I said. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
He nodded once, reluctantly. "Then we do this my way."
Outside, the storm raged harder. Sirens wailed in the distance. Medics wheeled Sienna out, her face pale but breathing steady. Jaxon's men fanned out, preparing for whatever came next.
But something was shifting.
Not just between Jaxon and Carter.
Not just in the air thick with threat.
Something deeper.
Inside me.
A storm I hadn't asked for but one I wasn't backing down from.
Jaxon brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You still think you can handle being tied to me?"
I met his gaze with steel in mine. "Now more than ever."
But as we turned to leave the office, Jaxon's phone lit up again.
He froze.
"What is it?" I asked.
His grip tightened around the phone. "Security just flagged Carter on a camera feed."
"Where?"
His eyes lifted to mine.. dark, unreadable.
"Your apartment."