J A X O N

Jake walked toward something large pressed up against the opposite wall. I squinted my eyes. They were still getting used to the absence of light.

But when I realized that there was a baby sleeping in the crib Jake was stalking towards, I whispered, "Oh, God."

"Jake, I came here ready to fight Johnson," Kane warned in a low voice. "But I did not sign up to do this."

The gangster leaned over the side of the crib to peer down at the innocent child. "That's why you're not doing it. I am."

"You can not possibly be thinking of hurting that baby in order to get what you want out of Johnson," Delphinium said softly, staring at Jake with wariness in her gaze.

"Johnson will talk. The child will be fine."

That wasn't exactly comforting, though Jake's plans did have a way of happening precisely as he'd wanted. It was just a question of what he'd do this time to get the information.

All three of us watched with quiet terror as Jake gently lifted the child out of her crib and held her against his chest. The baby, stirring because of the sudden movement, awoke and began to cry.

I knew that I was a criminal, there was no doubt about that. I'd done some horrible things: gotten into fights, stolen things and even dealt drugs.

But even I was afraid for what would happen. I wasn't the same kind of criminal as the raven-haired boy in front of me. I had done bad things and would continue down my path of unfortunate decisions, but I still had a clear moral code. Jake was different; he was more hardened, more cold, and willing to go fully into the darkness in order to achieve his goals. Getting mixed in with the wrong people was different than purposely making yourself one of them.

I wasn't sure if he'd actually hurt the baby or not. None of us knew what Jake would or wouldn't do. And I was worried because of it.

The nursery door creaked open, sending a beam of light across the room. Johnson crept in, thinking that his baby had awoken in the middle of the night because she was in need of a diaper change. But his whole demeanor rapidly changed when he saw the four armed figures in his infant daughter's room.

He stumbled back a few steps in surprise, his arms thrown up as if he was warding us off. "Oh," was the only thing he managed to get out when he recognized us in the dark.

"Did you think you'd seen the last of me?" Jake asked in a chillingly calm tone, still cradling the fussing baby.

"No," Johnson gasped. "No, don't hurt my daughter."

"Ah, yes." He turned his attention on the child. "I have to say, she's a beautiful child. You and your wife must be so proud."

"Yes, yes, we are. Now put her down and we can talk!"

But Jake kept talking. "It would be such a shame if something bad were to happen to her." My heart sank in my chest. I glanced over to Kane and Delphinium. They both had expressionless faces, however, I knew they were unsure of how far Jake would take this.

Johnson practically pleaded, "What do you want, Evans? You can have it, whatever it is, just take it. But please, leave my daughter alone."

"I want information," Jake demanded, still not putting the baby down. "Give it to me, and your sweet little bundle of joy will be fine."

Now Johnson was cautious; he almost definitely knew about Jake's bloody war with Hundsen. "What information?"

"I need the name and whereabouts of the Imperium agent that was working with you to kill us."

Johnson's head shook from side to side. "I don't know who you're talking about; we've been working with Imperium for ages. They've sent several assassins after you."

"The one I'm looking for wears an iron mask. We saw you meeting up with him a while ago."

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about." His voice shook with terror and his eyes were still glued to his daughter. "None of them show their faces when they're working with us. It's a way for them to hold power over the Club."

"Are you lying to protect yourself from Hundsen?" I asked as the thought occurred to me.

"No," Johnson denied. "No one has seen him for weeks. He gives his orders through his new lieutenant."

At that piece of information, Jake suddenly became more interested. "We'll talk about that later. Give me the name of the masked assassin you were meeting with, or your daughter..." He glanced down at the baby, now sleeping, "Well, let's just say that this will be the last time you'll see her like this if you don't obey."

'Like this?' Did he mean that this was the last time Johnson would see the baby alive? I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"No, Jake, please don't do anything to her," Johnson begged, clearly wanting to be closer to his daughter but not wanting to risk Jake's wrath. "I don't know which assassin you're talking about; it could be any of them."

"I have his name," Delphinium spoke softly, surprising everyone. "He went by Benny when I knew him. When we were attacked in the woods surrounding the fortress in Romania, he led the other assassins against us." She held Johnson's level gaze. "Is that enough information for you to find where his next mission is?"

I glanced between her and Johnson in confusion. She'd known the identity of the other assassin this entire time; why had she lied and said she didn't? What did she have to hide?

"Wait," said Kane slowly as if he was on the verge of a realization. "Describe him more. What else do you know about him?"

"Uh, okay." Delphinium seemed taken aback by Kane, of all people, needing to suddenly know more. "He was a few years older than me, maybe two or three. But when I knew him, he was their prisoner, not an assassin. I don't know what changed."

"When did Imperium first take you as their slave?" He was relentless with the questions. I, personally, did not see how they lined up with the information we needed from Johnson.

"October 30, four years ago."

"Who was he to you?" Kane's deep voice was unusually restrained.

Delphinium regarded him with her luminous blue eyes for a moment before answering. "Benny was a friend. He helped me when no one else would."

The strongman stared at her, his face darkening. No one spoke. What was going on?

Then, Kane, visibly upset, crossed the room. We all watched him as his large form disappeared out the window and down Jake's icy staircase. I glanced over at Delphinium, who had an intense look in her eyes. Something was clearly not right here.

"Was that enough information for you find out where Benny's next mission will be?" Delphinium repeated, pretending as if that tension-filled encounter with Kane hadn't even happened.

"Yes, I think so." He took another look at Jake with his child. "It will be. I'll find it out for you."

"That's what I thought. Now, onto what's happening with Hundsen. Tell me everything about him and this new lieutenant of his."

Johnson let out a shaky breath of air. "Look, Jake, I can't just tell you that. You, out of all people, know what happens when you cross Adiago Hundsen."

Jake took a step toward the Club member. "You're awfully concerned about Hundsen when your real enemy is staring you in the face."

"He-he'll kill my wife and child," Johnson said desperately, dragging a hand through his short hair. "If he finds out that I'm even talking with you he'll punish me in horrible ways."

Staring at him with a flat glare, Jake was silent for a moment. Then, he placed himself next to Delphinium. "Do you know who this is?" he asked Johnson.

The gangster's gaze switched between the two of them. "I don't think so."

"She's Delphinium Tesla, the Imperium assassin with the highest kill count. Surely you've heard the stories about her."

Johnson paled, realizing just who he was in the presence of. "Yes, I have."

Jake nodded to me and Johnson looked over. I did my best to appear surly and formidable. "He's Jaxon Williams, a seasoned criminal. I've seen him get into fights, sell drugs, even kill before." Coming from anyone else, it wasn't much, but it was the most praise Jake ever gave. Even if it was just for show, it felt good to be appreciated.

He took a few steps forward until he was practically towering over Johnson. "And you already know who I am. You've heard the rumors about me. You've heard them whisper my name in hushed tones on the street. So why are you still blubbering about Hundsen when three of the country's most dangerous people are in your house?"

Jake leaned in closer to Johnson, who flinched back. He stage-whispered, "I ripped out Adiago Hundsen's eye and sent him running with his tail between his legs. Imagine what I could do to you."

The scared man let out a shaky sigh after taking a few steps back. "Hundsen appointed a new lieutenant after you killed Orozco. Because you and your crew killed so many of our men, he had to get someone from the outside, a woman named Claudia Smith. He gives his orders through her. None of us have even seen Hundsen since our place burned down."

"Claudia Smith," Jake ran the name over his tongue. "Tell me more about her."

"I don't know much," Johnson admitted nervously. "She's very loyal to Hundsen and does exactly as he tells her."

"Where can I find her?"

"She runs a tattoo shop on Fourth Avenue. It's her daytime job, but it also helps her sell drugs undercover. A lot of the other guys went to her place even before she was made our lieutenant."

"Interesting." I knew that Jake would go after her next. He needed to find Hundsen and Claudia Smith was likely his best bet.

"You and your daughter get to live through another night," Jake said as he gently placed the sleeping baby back in her pink crib. "Lucky you." "Thank you." Johnson sounded like he'd never been so grateful in his life. "Thank you."

We left him behind as he cradled his daughter. The three of us climbed out the window and walked down the stairs of ice.

As Jake opened the side gate, Delphinium asked him carefully, "Would you have actually hurt that baby?"

"Johnson told us everything we need to know. It didn't come to that."

"If he didn't talk, what would you have done?"

"I knew he'd talk. He loves that baby, therefore, she's his weakness." He gave her a meaningful stare. "He'd rather die a hundred times than see her get hurt. I simply took advantage of that."

I scoffed. "That's putting it lightly."

Kane was leaning against the car with his arms crossed against his chest when we arrived. He usually wore a disgruntled look on his face, but now his eyebrows knitted together and the corners of his lips turned down into a scowl.

"Are you okay?" I asked, standing next to him.

"No."

"What was that in there? Why'd you storm out like that?"

His answer was so controlled that it was near-robotic. "Because I came to a realization."

"What? That Jake's borderline psychopathic?" Jake was saying something to Delphinium and unable to hear me. "Because we were talking about it on the way back, and-"

"No," Kane said as if he had to force the words out. "I just realized that I've known the masked assassin this entire time. Benny is my brother."