Alianna stood in front of the cracked mirror as she dressed for her shift at Libertà. She felt tired to her bones, her body screaming in protest with every movement she made. Thankfully, Wednesdays were slow days so she wouldn't be moving around too much, maybe she could even rest a little in the staff room. She examined the bruises on her stomach; some were a sickening shade of dark purple and green while others were beginning to fade away, ready to be replaced by new ones. She sighed softly before buttoning her shirt.

Marino's training was getting more and more intense. Every week she would train and evaluate batches of men and select those who had potential to become more. The men were better than the first group she trained and when Marino gave the word, she would start training them solely. She sat on the floor in front the mirror and started covering the bruises and cuts on her face and neck with makeup. She tried to keep it as light as possible but it was still more than usual and Evan noticed that so now her goal was to avoid bringing attention to herself.

She sighed as got up and slipped everything she needed into her bag. Her eyes landed on the bottle of non-prescription painkillers on the table. She avoided taking the painkillers at all costs but the pain became too much for her to bear. She closed her eyes and shouldered her bag as before walking out the door.

She walked quietly to Liberta, barely nodding at the bouncers as she showed them her staff ID. Her eyes lingered on the couches outside, remembering the last time she and Jax talked. She couldn't believe how long ago that was. She hadn't heard from him since that was understandable. He was undercover and she had no means of contacting him. What bothered her was, why did she care? Why was she so worried for him? Those thoughts added to the pounding headache she had.

She slipped inside and headed to the staff area. Eric and Emily were there, quietly talking. Alianna gave them a small smile, thankful that it was just 3 of them today. They had a mutual understanding and respect for each other. Alianna placed her bag in her locker before walking out with Emily and Eric. They took their places and started setting up for the evening. Evan was in the VIP area while Rex was nowhere to be seen. She kept her head down most of the time, trying to avoid the harsh glare of the lights. At least the music wouldn't be too loud today.

A shadow fell over her and she was finally able to look up. For a split second she was disappointed but she smiled slightly as Rex looked down at her. She tilted her head at him, silently asking him what was wrong. Her heartbeat picked up as he slipped her a note. She raised an eyebrow as she unfolded it. Her eyes opened wide as she took in unfamiliar strong, bold but elegant handwriting.

One Cuba Libre please

Jax was back.

Alianna's eyes immediately darted to the glass of the hidden office. Jax smirked as he watched her fold the note and started to make his drink. He studied her was she moved. Though she moved quickly, it wasn't at her usual pace. She hid her injuries well but not well enough to hide from him. He watched her as she started towards the hidden door that would lead her to him. He glanced at his screen, he was running a couple of filters through customs database, trying to track Marino's assassin. In the meanwhile, he ran through the questions he was going to ask Alianna.

Alianna held her breath as she knocked on the office door. She heard his footsteps as he opened the door. His all knowing eye met hers and she felt one of her walls crash down. She looked down as he stepped aside, letting her come in. She struggled to bring that wall up again, it just added to the pain in her head.

"Alianna," Jax said gently. In that one moment, he felt her vulnerability. He softened his gaze as she wordlessly placed the drink on his desk. He didn't need to take off her clothes to see the torture and hell she was going through. Her body betrayed her façade, it screaming out help. "Stay here and rest."

Alianna was taken aback, both by his offer and how gentle his voice was. She knew he saw through everything, but she couldn't take the risk of Jax finding out who she was. "I'm fine, I'll get back to work now," she said quietly. She winced slightly as the pounding in her head intensified.

Jax noticed this and walked to his desk to reach for the bottle of painkillers he kept. "No you're not, Emily and Eric can manage without you," he pointed to the couch. "Get some rest. You and I both know you need it."

Panic surged through Alianna. What did he mean you and I both? Did he find out how she what she was while he was gone? Jax raised an eyebrow as he saw the alarm in Alianna's eyes.

"You can't hide it from me." He heard her breathing hitch. "You're hurt and you haven't recovered and working isn't going to do you any good." He held a tablet out in his hand and held a glass of water out to her, letting her make her own decision.

Alianna studied the white tablet. Why did he care? How could he see through everything? She winced as her head pounded and she took the tablet and before gulping it down with some water.

"Thank you," she whispered. Jax took the serving tray from her and lead her over to the couch.

"You rest," he said firmly. Alianna found herself complying as she lay down. The couch was so much better compared to her own bed. She felt her body shudder in relief as she drifted off.

Jax sat down, finishing his drink in one gulp as his eyes landed on the woman asleep a couple feet away. Even in her sleep and painkillers Alianna did not look at peace, she was tense and strained. Jax sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and he switched on the monitor. He could tell that Alianna was cracking now, he hope he could save her when she broke. His eyes glazed over to the computer screen where face flickered. So far the computer couldn't find anyone who met his criteria.

Jax rest his head in his hands. If he couldn't find even a name, he would need to disappear for some time. Just long enough to draw Marino's assassin away from his family, no one would die for his crime. He heard Alianna groan lightly and a resounding pop of her back as she readjusted herself. A flash of sliver glinted in the corner of his eyes. He swivelled around in his chair, focusing on the source, he didn't have anything sliver in his office.

He frowned as his eyes narrowed on the direction of the glint, Alianna. He stood up, hoping the creak of the chair didn't wake her as he slowly walked over to the couch. She seemed to be sleeping better now, her face peaceful but still tense. Jax let his eyes linger on Alianna's face a little longer before scanning her body. His blood ran cold as his eyes fixed on the source of the glint.

Peeking out from the hem of Alianna's skirt was the tip of a knife.

Jax sucked in a breath as he took a step back. But he uses a knife most of the time. Patrick's words rang over and over in his head. Finally he made sense of his thoughts.

He couldn't find Marino's killer because he'd been searching for a man all along.

Marino's assassin was a woman.

And the woman was asleep on his couch, right in front of him.

Jax's eyes widened in disbelief, everything he heard about Marino's assassin was now put into perspective. 99 people were killed by the same hands who prepared his drinks. Alianna was not much younger than he was, how long has she been doing this? Jax looked down at the peaceful Alianna. How long has she been in Marino's hands? Pity overwhelmed him as he sank back into his chair. Jax shuddered, thinking about the weight of the deaths Alianna was bearing.

He'd been searching for Marino's assassin for months and here she was, right under his nose. Jax frowned in confusion. Why hadn't she killed him yet? Obviously she was prepared to do so. Was she waiting for orders? Was Marino closer than he thought?

Jax nearly slapped himself for his stupidity. Why hadn't he seen it earlier? The only person who could hurt Alianna was Marino. Marino was close and ready to attack, he needed to up everything and prepare his men. His eyes drifted to Alianna, what was he going to do about her? He had no legitimate reason to fire except for the fact that she had set to kill him, letting her go also carried the risk of alerting Marino.

Pain panged through his chest. Alianna was merely a pawn in Marino's game, Jax could see that. Despite her crimes, she was innocent, the life of an assassin was the only life she knew. He couldn't let her stay in Marino's grasp, beyond all logic reason and despite his newfound knowledge, he still wanted her. Jax swallowed, trying not think about Alianna's past too much. He was going to get her out of this mess but how?

As he rubbed his chin, his eyes flickered to the computer which was still searching. He chuckled before closing off the program. His eyes rest on Alianna's reflection on the screen before calling Rex.

"Yes boss?" Rex answered.

"I want a list of recently sold warehouses or abandoned buildings," Jax said softly not wanting to wake Alianna, "or anything big enough to house an organisation."

"On it. Can I ask why?" Rex drummed his fingers on his desk. His instincts told him Alianna was the key to everything and the only one who could get her to open up was Jax.

"I think the enemy is closer to us than we think," Jax said. He hoped Rex thought he was talking about Marino and not Alianna. No one but him and her could know about this. "Also, can you get me a tracking device please."

"No problem, I'll have Curtis bring one from the warehouse. He'll be here in an hour," Rex said.

"Good. Thanks Rex," Jax ended the call and looked over at Alianna as she shifted again and the knife was hidden again. Jax sighed, slowly working out a plan to draw Alianna to him, to show her a life not based on ending the lives of others.

To show her how a life with him could be.