Page 163 of Chaos

“Dadada,” Maeve claps from her playpen, completely oblivious to anything. I pick her up and turn my back to the body on the floor just as a wide eyed Alexei walks through the door.

“Oh shit,” he turns back to look at a stern Nikolai.

“Is she okay?” Nikolai asks me and I nod.

I take a seat next to Sofia with Maeve cuddled against me and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“I need you to tell me what happened, baby. It’s important.”

“S-she’s with Brody, he told her to take Maeve. She came at me, I pushed her and she hit her head. Really hard, Jax. I swear I heard something crack,”

Good I think to myself.

Wait. What did she just say?

I hold Maeve tighter as she snuggles into me.

“Brody tried to steal our daughter, is that what you just said, sweetheart?” I try my hardest to keep the rage from my tone.

She lets out a sob and nods.

“The bitch isn’t dead!” Alexei calls out and I look up and he’s prodding her arm.

“Nik, get some water, ice cold,” he orders.

Sofia’s head comes up as she watches Nikolai pour water over Anna. I press a kiss to Sofia’s cheek.

If she’s alive, she can fucking answer us.

“Can you take Maeve upstairs while we deal with this,”

“Y-yes, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to get some answers,” I place Maeve in her arms.

“I’ll send Elena up with you.”

Anna groans as I stand.

“Get a chair and tie her to it, she’s not going anywhere,” I say, cracking my knuckles as Sofia takes Maeve.

“Alexei, you tie the whore.”

“Normally that sentence has a much sexier meaning,” he grins at me.

The front door flies open just as Alexei gets the last knot tied.

Lara puffs through with a guard trailing helplessly behind. “It looks like a parking lot outside. I thought you men were supposed to be out chasing bad guys.” She stops when she steps past Nikolai. “Who is she?”

“This—” I grab Anna’s blonde hair and tilt her semi-conscious head back. “—is Sophia’s bitch of an ex-friend, Anna.” I let go, and her chin falls back against her chest.

“Why is she tied, Alexei?” She turns to him.

He backs away, holding up his hands. “Just doing what Jax asked.”

Anna groans, her swelling eyes blink rapidly as she looks up at us. “Shit.”

Fury swells in me and I grab her shoulders, shaking her violently. “Tell me everything before I beat it out of you!” I yell into her face.

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