I still remember being scared when she took Ashlyn right from our backyard when we were playing hide-and-seek. Even as scared as I was, I still found my way into the back of the pickup truck, where I hid under a tarp. When the truck stopped at an old house in the country, I ran across a field to an old farmer’s house and told him what happened, and he called my dad. Thankfully, the guy my biological mom was going to sell Ashlyn to was actually an undercover agent, but if he hadn’t been, things could have turned out completely different.

“The idea of Hope and Ellie being in any kind of danger sends me into a panic I’m not used to feeling.”

“Love does that to you, makes you feel unsure and unsettled. To this day, I worry about your Aunt Sophie and your cousins. I don’t think there is a minute or second that goes by when I’m not wondering if there is something I can do to make sure they’re safe and taken care of. You just gotta know that shit’s gonna happen; things that are out of your control are going to occur, and the only thing you can do is be thankful you’re all together when the dust settles,” he says, just as the scent of Ellie hits me, letting me know she’s close. As soon as she walks around the corner into the kitchen, her gaze locks with mine and I feel my face go soft.

“Is she asleep?” I ask her as she comes toward me.

“Yeah, she didn’t even want to take a bath, so I know she’s beat,” she mumbles, walking to my side and taking the beer from my grasp, putting it to her mouth and taking a pull before looking at my uncle and saying, “Thank you for coming over.”

Uncle Nico’s lips twitch. “No problem,” he says, setting his beer on the counter. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll call tomorrow after Mellissa has been served with the restraining order. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Will do,” I say, wrapping my arm around Ellie’s waist and following him to the front door.

“We need to have dinner soon, your aunt Sophie has been on the girls’ asses about settling down since you met Ellie. I’m hoping if she can get some Hope time, she’ll chill out. I’m not ready to be a grandpa yet.” He grins as Ellie giggles then leans in and presses a kiss to her forehead, muttering, “Everything will be okay,” to her before giving me a chin lift as he opens the door then shuts it behind him.

“I can’t see him as a grandpa either,” Ellie says, smiling at me. “He’s kinda a badass.”

“He is a badass,” I tell her, taking her hand and leading her into the living room, where I settle her on my lap.

“Are you okay?” I ask, taking the beer from her hand and setting it on the side table next to the couch.

“Yeah, but you still didn’t tell me what the note said,” she complains quietly, lifting her head to look at me.

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Don’t do that; don’t make me feel like I have no control over my life or the things that effect me and Hope,” she says, and my mouth opens to speak, but she covers it with her hand. “I know you want to protect us. I get that, but I need to know what’s going on. You can’t just expect me to follow you blindly, not when Hope and I are involved.” Taking her hand off my mouth, I adjust her on my lap so she’s straddling my waist and take her face gently in my hands.

“I don’t like that I’m the reason this is happening. I hate that, because of my bad decision, she thinks she can fuck with me and, in turn, fuck with you. I don’t want any of this to touch you or Hope. I don’t want you to have to worry.”

“I’m already worried. You rushed me and Hope out of a restaurant like the mob was after us,” she says, making me fight a smile.

Pulling her toward me, I place a soft kiss against her mouth then lean back, studying her face. “The note didn’t say much.”

“Jax,” she growls, pushing against my chest and trying to get off my lap.

Flipping her to her back, I pull her hands above her head and hold her down. “It said, When she’s gone, you’ll come back to me,” I snarl, feeling the anger from reading the words the first time build back up in my system.

“Oh, my God,” she says as the color drains out of her face.

“That’s why I didn’t want you to know what it said. That look on your face right now is the reason I wanted to keep that shit from touching you.”

“I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t know how crazy she was,” she breathes in distress as her body stills under mine.

“She won’t touch you or Hope. Nothing will happen to either of you.”

“She’s crazy,” she repeats.

“I’m going to call her dad in the morning. I know he doesn’t want this kind of attention, especially after what happened the other night at the restaurant. Hopefully he will be able to talk some sense into her.”

“I can’t believe her,” she whispers, looking over my shoulder before meeting my eyes once more. “What kind of woman does that? I mean, I know Kim told me about her twin trying to drug Sage, but this isn’t like that. She’s not trying to rob you,” she says, and I rear back, ’cause I have no idea what the fuck she’s talking about. “She wants you and thinks if I’m gone, you will go back to her. She’s seriously insane, and I mean insane…like she needs medication and a psychiatrist, maybe even a straight jacket.”