Page 9 of Jax & Knox

"Ainsley?"

She looks at me.

"You're safe here," I say. "I promise."

She doesn't say anything. Just nods.

And then we leave.

Later that night, I can't sleep.

I keep thinking about her. About the way she looked at me. About the bruises on her face. About the fear in her eyes. About those tiny socks.

I get up, pull on a pair of jeans, and head back down the hallway.

I don't know what I'm doing. I just know I need to check on her.

When I get to her door, I hesitate. Then I knock. Soft.

She opens it a crack. "What?"

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay," I say.

"I'm fine."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

I lean against the doorframe, keeping my posture casual. Non-threatening. "You know, you don't have to do this alone."

"I've been doing it alone for a long time," she says.

"Yeah. I can tell." I meet her eyes. "But you don't have to anymore."

She stares at me, and I can see the walls she's built. Thick. High. Unbreakable.

But there's a crack. Just a small one.

"Why do you care?" she asks.

The question catches me off guard. I could lie. I could give her some smooth line about club hospitality or doing the right thing.

But I don't.

"I don't know," I admit. "But I do."

She bites her lip, and I watch the way her teeth sink into the soft flesh. It shouldn't be sexy. It shouldn't make my pulse spike.

But it does.

"You don't know me," she says quietly.

"Not yet."

"You don't know what I've done. What I'm running from."

"Don't care."