The morning broke heavy with humidity, the kind that settled into the cracks of the compound and pressed against skin like a warning. Jax stood on the balcony outside his office, coffee cooling in his hand. He hadn’t slept. Not really. His mind kept circling back to the movement near the fence, the old name resurfacing like a splinter pushing its way to the surface.
Vance.
Kellan was already gone—tracking the lead Jax had sent him after. They’d known this day could come. Ghost had warned him before. The past doesn’t stay buried. Especially not when it bleeds.
Behind him, the door opened quietly.
Taylor.
She stepped onto the balcony, dressed in one of his shirts, sleep still clinging to her lashes. Her arms wrapped around his waist without a word. He didn’t turn to face her. He didn’t
