My mouth opened, a weird O shape. There was so much I wanted to say but couldn’t; my body still ablaze.
“Who am I?” She said, raising an eyebrow.
I tried to shake my head...
“Ella!” She said in mock horror, placing a hand to her chest. “I have to say I’m a little insulted you haven’t figured it out yet.”
I was exhausted, tears now streaming down my face. I wanted Jax. I didn’t want to play these mind games anymore.
Standing, she smoothed her skirt down and crouched before me once again, gripping my jaw between perfect red nails. “Still don’t know?”
I looked at her face. Her beautiful face. I was certain I’d never seen her before. My eyes swept across her body, over the bump, remembering the way she and Vladimir had spoken to one another. And then it hit me.
But…that couldn’t be right, could it?
“Say it,” she growled, tongue poking out through her teeth.
I swallowed, gulped, tried to bring some moisture to my mouth and my lips.
She jerked me. “Say it!”
“Y-you’re….Amy…” I croaked.
“Bingo, babe. Got it in one.”
Jax.
“It’s now or never,” I said to Edith, whose skin still hadn’t regained its natural color.
She nodded. “I understand. Are you sure you don’t need me?”
I stared at my father’s number waiting for me to call on my phone and smiled. “I’m sure. We can’t have them suspecting anything. If you spend any more time with me, they may hold an intervention.”
Edith laughed, her warm eyes wrinkling. “Oh, my boy.” She ruffled my hair the way a grandmother might do her grandchild. “I’ll keep you and Ella in my prayers.”
Leaving me alone, I wasted no time and hit call on my phone.
My father answered within seconds.
“Is it time?” He asked.
“It’s time, pops.” I heard Carter’s voice in the background, and my blood ran cold, knowing what I knew. I wish I could have told him them both the truth, bring all the evil and unspeakable secrets to the surface of our lives, but the last thing Carter needed was going in with an uncontrollable rage he may feel if he knew the truth.
Amy was alive.
And she was very much pregnant but not with Carter’s kid.
The baby she carried was Vladimir’s, and thanks to her sick little note Edith and I were the only ones who knew.
There was no way of getting my head around it all. The body I saw. The damn fucking funeral. Watching my best friend fall apart because he had lost the one woman he’d truly loved. He wasn’t perfect, but fuck, I never thought Amy would have ever dreamed of doing something like this. Maybe years ago, but not now.
“Vlad’s party is tomorrow, it’s the perfect opportunity. He’ll be preoccupied.”
“Carter wants to be the one to go,” I could hear my father’s smile. “I think he needs something to keep him busy.”
Yeah, no shit, I thought. Once this was over and done with, I’d have to tell him, giving Amy didn’t decide to make a surprise fucking entrance at any time.
“How’s Ella doing, son?”
Hearing her name made the ache in my heart burn. “I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. “After the funeral, there was some shit with one of Vlad’s men; he fucking despised me. We got home, and I was banged up pretty bad, dad, I haven’t seen her since.”
“Fuck…” his came come long and drawn.
“She’s alive, I know she is, I just don't know where she is.” I sparked up a cigarette and hung my arm out the open window of my bedroom. The world below me was chaotic as The Mansion started preparations for its party. It made the blood simmer underneath my skin, watching them all carry on as though Ella wasn’t missing. I don’t know why I was so surprised to see them not giving a fuck; it was only me who did.
“This time tomorrow, Jax, we’re gonna blow Purgatory to hell, anything or anyone that’s hiding will show itself.”
I didn’t fucking doubt that for a moment.
The next day or so was going to be insane chaos, a type of chaos that the Murdoch’s and Chro’s had somehow managed to avoid for generations, but enough was enough. My father was still strong, his men loyal, and just as passionate about putting an end to the shit that Purgatory brought. Yes, it might have meant business collapsing for us, yes, it might have meant that it’d take years to build up something again, but it was now or never.
I thought of Ella. The last time I remember seeing her. Fuck. Had that happened? The motel. Fucking Marco. I told Ella I’d do whatever I could to find her daughter, and I meant that.
Hang on, bird, I thought as I left my room.
Edith was scurrying back and forth, and she gave a soft, sly smile as she passed me on the stairs, arms burdened with clean bedding, face red from exertion. At the bottom of the stairs I watched as unknown faces lugged boxes in and out, Benny was in the middle of it all, giving orders; it was quite obvious the man needed to throw himself into something. I’d have to make it up to him for everything.
Passing through the crowds of men, walking through a cloud of musty sweat, and expensive aftershave, I made tracks for the patio. Since Marnie’s beating, I hadn’t seen her, either. Not that I gave a fuck, but there was something weird about the whole thing. The atmosphere felt different, as though the axis on which Vlad’s operation sat was beginning to tilt.
And Amy.
Where the fuck was she?
The writing on the note had been hers. The only woman I knew who still drew hearts above her I’s instead of just dotting them, the Y’s she wrote were always dramatic with curly tails.
Amy. Carter. Vlad. Marnie. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Just behind the pool and around the edges of the building hung pretty lights, and it seemed my place of quiet wasn’t available right now.
Groaning, I turned and almost slammed into Benny.
“Jax, boss man wants you in the study.”
“Bent over or...?”
Benny smirked and shook his head. “Hey, I’m just the messenger.”
He went to walk off, but I called him back. “Are we okay?” I laughed. “I don’t mean to sound like a needy bitch, but…I owe you, man.”
Benny sighed. “You owe me shit. Forget anything ever happened. Marco never arrived at the motel, who knows where he is?” He raised his thick yet light eyebrows, and I got the hint.
Nodding, I said, “Right, got you. Thanks, bud.”
Together, we walked through the crowds. I didn’t say anything, but it seemed as though Benny was escorting me, walking me to the study door, and then promptly leaving. More hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I watched him walk off.
Something was off.
I rapped my knuckles on the door and waited for Vlad’s voice.
“Come in,” he called.
On entering, a wave of pain through my healing ribs hit me, taking the breath away from me.
“You okay there, Jax?”
I found the smile that was as fake as his concern for me and closed the door behind me, stepping farther into the room. “I’ll be fine, sir.”