The unlikely bond

Chapter thirteen

Amelia's POV
Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a heavy reminder of what was coming. The clock on the wall seemed louder than usual, ticking away the last moments of calm before everything would unravel. She couldn't stop thinking about the phone call-how cold Jax's voice had been, how easily he had threatened her life to her father. She had insisted on it, she had wanted this, but hearing it out loud made the gravity of her choice settle in her bones.

At gunpoint. So, if anything goes wrong, you'll watch her die.

The words echoed in her mind. Her own father, the man who had raised her, now faced the possibility of watching her die. A part of her still couldn't wrap her mind around it. How had things gotten this far? How had her life gone from quiet, controlled normalcy to this? But even as she asked herself those questions, she knew the answer. Her father had been lying to her for years. He had built his empire on secrets and blood, and now, finally, he would have to pay the price.

Amelia sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands. They were trembling, though she willed them to stop. She couldn't afford to be weak now. This was her idea. She had to see it through, no matter how much fear clawed at her insides. There was no room for second-guessing.

She thought about what would happen when she saw her father again-if he would even look her in the eyes, or if all he'd see was the deal slipping through his fingers. Would he fight for her? Would he even care? A small part of her wanted to believe he would, that maybe somewhere deep down, he still saw her as his daughter, not just a pawn in this deadly game. But she knew better now. She had learned too much. The man she had grown up with wasn't who she thought he was.

The truth had shattered that illusion, and now she stood on the other side of it, a different person entirely. She wasn't the same Amelia who had been kidnapped. She wasn't the same girl who had been kept in the dark about the underworld her father controlled. Now, she was someone else-someone who understood the stakes, the lies, the violence. And she was someone who, despite it all, had chosen to stand beside Jax.

Jax.

Her thoughts shifted to him, and her chest tightened. He had been so composed during the call, his voice icy and full of threat, but she knew him better now. She had seen the cracks in his armor, the moments of humanity he tried so hard to suppress. The past few days had changed things between them, blurring the lines between captor and captive, between enemies and... something else.

She didn't regret the choices she had made. Not yet. She had chosen to be here, beside Jax, against her father. She had chosen to help him, to confront her father head-on. But the weight of that decision bore down on her now, heavy and suffocating.

Amelia took a deep breath, standing up from the bed and moving toward the mirror. She caught a glimpse of herself-her face pale but steady, her eyes reflecting the turmoil inside. She had to hold herself together. She had to be strong.

She thought about what would happen when they met her father. Would he plead for her life? Would he offer everything Jax demanded? Or would he try to fight back, to cling to the power he had built his empire on? A part of her hoped he would fold, that he would finally acknowledge the damage he had done. But another part of her knew that Marcus didn't fold. He didn't show weakness. Not even for her.

She clenched her fists, pushing the doubt and fear down deep. This was her choice. She wasn't doing this just for Jax. She was doing it for herself. Her father needed to face the consequences of what he had done, of the lives he had ruined-including hers. And if she had to play a part in that, she would.

Amelia grabbed her coat, slipping it on before turning toward the door. Her eyes met Jax's as he stepped into the room, his expression unreadable but intense. The air between them was thick with everything unsaid, but there was an understanding there too. They were in this together now, for better or worse.