Chapter 7 - The Biker's Shadow
Clara fought violently, kicking out behind her with her heels, but the arm holding her was made of iron. ""Quiet,"" a deep, rough baritone rasped directly against her ear. ""Unless you want whoever is in that room to put a bullet through both of you.""
The hand slowly slid away from her lips. Clara spun around, her fists up, Leo whimpering softly against her chest. In the lightning flash, she saw a tall, hulking figure dressed in a battered leather cut, his face weathered, bearing a thick beard and long, graying hair tied at the nape of his neck.
""Jax,"" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper. ""What are you doing here?""
Jax looked down at the infant, his stern, scarred face softening for an imperceptible fraction of a second before his eyes hardened again. ""Arthur called me before he stopped breathing. He said his own family was going to finish him off, and that the only chance his grandson had of living to see his first birthday was if someone on the outside was watching the perimeter.""
""Who is in Arthur's study?"" Clara breathed, peering around the doorway.
""A cleaner,"" Jax replied, pulling a heavy tactical flashlight from his belt, its beam dimmed with red tape. ""Sent to retrieve the real ledger before you or Julian found it. Your mother-in-law didn't hire him. Julian didn't hire him. Marcus didn't hire him.""
""Then who?""
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""The people Arthur owed money to,"" Jax muttered grimly. ""The real owners of this estate. The Vance family hasn't owned a cent of this fortune for five years, Clara. Arthur ran a ponzi scheme through his private investments, and the syndicate wants their collateral back: the boy.""
Before Clara could process the revelation, a floorboard creaked loudly behind them. The intruder from the study stepped into the hallway, raising a silenced pistol directly at Jax's chest.
