Aftermath

Chapter 2

Alianna's mouth dropped open slightly as Jax led her inside his penthouse.

True to Jax's style, it was elegantly modern. Despite the grey and black colour scheme, it was warm and comforting but that was not what caught her attention; it was the view.

She walked over slowly to the windows, oblivious to Jax's amused expression. She had a clear view of the Empire State Building, lit up in all its glory celebrating the new year. Hundreds of cars and buildings were dwarfed at the height they were at. Alianna felt safe, nothing could touch her up here.

"Alianna," Jax called her softly.

She turned around to see him leaning against the wall. He had taken off his jacket, his dress shirt fit him perfectly, just merely showing the muscles that came with the hard years of leading his family. "Let me give you a tour." He held out his hand to her, smiling when he felt her warmth.

Alianna looked around the penthouse in awe as Jax showed her the three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, the master bedroom, the entertainment room, his office and finally, "This is the library." Jax grinned as he opened the doors and at her gasp of surprise.

The back wall had been converted to a massive bookshelf and hundreds of books lined them. Alianna took slow steps, her fingers tenderly brushing along the spines of the novels as she examined the selection. Jax took full credit for the collection, everything there he had read throughout his lifetime but there were some new additions there that he had not touched.

"You're free to spend as much time in here as you like," he continued, "and help yourself." Though he was fishing his phone out of his pocket as it vibrated, he did not miss the excitement in Alianna's eyes at his words. He stepped out of the library before answering the call.

"I'm stuck here Boss," Rex said as he stood in the surveillance room of Alianna's apartment building with the other Boveri men. "They were waiting for her, you or me at the entrance."

Jax made an indistinct noise before replying, "How many?"

Rex motioned for Naveen to focus on the entrance, "I see four strange vehicles parked opposite the entrance."

"All Jeeps?"

"Yes Boss."

Jax exhaled, "Definitely Marino's men. Has anyone gone up to her apartment yet?"

"No Boss," Rex glanced at the monitor. "Everything's packed and ready to go once they retreat."

"Good." Jax unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of his shirt. "Tell everyone to stay wherever they are tonight, whether they like it or not, and that includes us. Let's make them think that we've skipped town so they'll let their guard down. We'll plan our next move in the morning."

Once Rex gave his agreement, Jax notified Evan of the plans before returning to the library. He smiled as Alianna stood there, carefully reading the summary of the novel in her hands.

"We have a slight problem," he said and Alianna looked up at his grim tone. Her heart raced, both from the thought that they were in immediate danger and from the mere hint of skin Jax exposed. "Marino's men have Rex in a corner tonight. I had him collect your stuff but I doubt they would relent this evening."