Page 103 of Jax & Knox

I let out a slow breath, some of the tension finally easing from my shoulders. They're okay. Knox is okay. Whatever else is going on, I can hold on to that for now.

I'm still staring at his message when another notification appears at the top of my screen.

For half a second, I assume it's him again. Maybe he's sending me another update or telling me when they'll be back, but when I glance down, there's no name attached to the message.

Just a number I don't recognize.

The relief I'd felt a second ago disappears as unease settles low in my stomach. I stare at the screen, trying to convince myself it could be anyone. A wrong number. Spam. Something completely harmless that doesn't deserve the sudden pounding of my heart.

I should ignore it.

Better yet, I should delete it without opening it and block the number. After everything that's happened, I know better than to invite another problem into my life when I already have more than enough.

But my thumb hovers over the notification.

Because there's another possibility, and once it enters my head, I can't push it away.

Justin.

My hand tightens around the phone.

Don't open it, Ainsley.

I know I shouldn't, but not knowing suddenly feels worse. Before I can talk myself out of it, I tap the notification and open the message.

There's no greeting. No explanation.

Just a few words waiting for me on the screen.

Unknown: I'm coming for you.

My blood runs cold.

I drop the phone like it's burned me.

"Ainsley?"

I look up to see Jax standing in front of me, his expression concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I can't speak.

I just point at the phone.

He picks it up, reads the message, and his entire body goes rigid.

"Fuck," he says, his voice low and deadly.

Knox appears beside him almost instantly, his eyes sharp and assessing. "What happened?"

Jax hands him the phone without a word.

Knox reads the message, and his jaw tightens.

He looks at me, his eyes blazing with fury and fear, then back at Jax.

"That's it," Knox says, his voice cold and final. "We're ending this. Now."