Chapter 51
Chapter Fifty-One
T he gravel crunched beneath the SUV’s tires as Alex eased to a stop at the base of the driveway. The lake house sat in darkness against the moonlit water beyond. No signs of life.
It set Alex’s teeth on edge.
Liev pulled up beside him, rolling down his window. “This doesn’t feel right.”
“She’s here,” Alex said, not bothering to agree. “And she has Jax.”
His son was in that house. He knew it.
Madison was already unbuckling in the passenger seat, her fingers tightening around her gun, but Alex caught her wrist before she could get out.
“Stay. In. The. Car.”
Her blue eyes burned with defiance, but after a tense moment, she nodded and placed the gun in her lap. Alex didn’t believe for a second that she’d actually stay put.
Falling into step with Liev and the other men, Alex moved silently up the driveway, guns drawn, boots barely making a sound on the damp ground next to the driveway.
Liev reached the porch first and tested the handle. “Unlocked,” he mouthed.
They exchanged a look.
No guards. No alarms. No locked doors.
It was either a trap, or Mary was spiraling faster than they thought.
Alex signaled, and Liev pushed the door open, stepping inside. The hardwood floors creaked under their weight as they fanned out. The house smelled like stale perfume and mildew.
Then—voices.
Low, frantic murmurs from deeper inside. A quiet snuffling reached him, and his heart flipped over.
Felix’s voice drifted toward them, high-pitched and desperate. “Mary, you have to stop. We can still fix it. With your inheritance, we can go away. Just… Just let me call someone, okay?”
Spineless bastard.
They rounded the corner into the living room, and Alex’s muscles tensed.
Jax sat inside a portable playpen, his blotchy little face streaked with tears, his hands gripping the mesh sides. His tiny chest heaved with quiet sobs.
Mary stood near the fireplace, a gun dangling loosely from her fingers. Her blonde hair was tangled, her face streaked with dried mascara. She looked nothing like the polished woman they’d seen at the courthouse.
“Dada, dada,” Jax screamed, his crying resuming louder.
Fuck.
Alex forced himself not to look in the baby’s direction. He needed to focus.
Felix stood several feet away, hands raised in a pathetic attempt to distance himself. “I didn’t know! I swear, I didn’t know what she was planning. I had nothing to do with this.” he blurted out, panicked. “I didn’t know what she was doing.”
Alex ignored him. His eyes lasered onto Mary, who had gone disturbingly still, her wide eyes flicking between them. Then to his horror, she pointed the gun at Jax.
His lungs seized.
“Don’t!” Madison’s scream came from behind him.
Alex’s pulse spiked as Jax let out a piercing screech, followed by a hysterical, “Mama, mama, mama.” His tiny arms outstretched. Madison whimpered.
“Leave,” Mary bellowed. “You’re ruining everything!”
“Mary,” Alex said carefully, his voice steady despite thefury pounding through his veins. “Put the gun down. You don’t want to hurt him.”
“He’s mine. Just like he was always supposed to be. It’s going to be your fault if he gets hurt. Turn around and GO AWAY!” Her face was purple and the veins in her neck bulged.
Madison inhaled sharply, and he knew that she saw how badly Mary’s hands were shaking. Madison took a step forward, and Alex shot out a hand, to stop her.
“My father is dead, and my husband is useless…” She shook her head. “But Jax—he’s still mine. I won’t let you take him from me.”
Alex took a slow step forward. “You’re scaring him.”
Jax sobbed harder, shaking the mesh sides of the playpen, his face turning red.
“He’s terrified, Mary,” Madison pleaded. “Please. Let me hold him just to calm him down. He’s going to choke.”
The woman’s eyes shifted, and for a second, Alex thought she might break.
Then Felix moved. “Mary, please. Let’s just leave. We can go somewhere new, start over?—”
“Shut up, Felix!” The gun snapped up, aimed directly at Felix’s chest. He stumbled back, nearly tripping over the coffee table. “You never loved me. You used me.”
Mary’s entire body trembled with rage, and then, with a loud boom, the gun fired.
Felix staggered backward, his eyes wide with shock.
Blood bloomed across his chest.
Alex lunged, gripping Mary’s wrist, twisting hard, and the gunclattered to the ground. Mary screamed, clawing at him as Madison ran for Jax. Alex wrenched Mary’s arms behind her back, yanking her off balance.
Liev secured the gun, and Alex looked at Madison.
“Take Jax outside.”
Madison was clutching Jax to her like she wanted to absorb him into her body while Mary hissed and kicked in his hold. “My sister…”
“Liev is going to drive you. I will see you at home later.”
Madison’s blue eyes were stormy, but then Jax whimpered pitifully and buried his face in her neck. Her expression turned to granite. “Take your time.” Then, without another glance at Mary, she turned on her heel and left.
Alex turned to smile down at Mary. “You and I are going to have a little chat.”