Alianna was uneasy.

When Marino turned her away from the warehouse last Sunday, alarm bells rung in her head and she'd put herself on high alert. Then when she arrived at work on Monday, everyone was talking animatedly. Rex was the only manager to be seen and the VIP section was closed off, apparently Evan and Jax could not be found or contacted. Not a believer in coincidences, Alianna was absolutely paranoid especially as neither Evan nor Jax showed up at Libertà this week. Her stomach clenched at the thought of either one getting hurt.

She looked across at the empty dance floor as the lights passed over it. It was the calm before the Friday clubbing storm and everyone was cherishing the moments of silence. There was a collective groan as heels clicked in harmony and animated voices filled the air. Alianna looked up, the bouncers had let in the first 50 guests as part of the Friday night special. Her trained eyes immediately detected movement in the shadows. She focused on them but couldn't see anything else as the pounding music started to play through the speakers.

Soon she was caught up in the wave of customers but she could not shake the feeling that she was a sitting duck. She looked at Emily and Kayla and they sensed nothing out of the ordinary as they worked. She could not shake the feeling in her gut at all. She was allowed a brief break and she scanned the room again before looking up at the glass panelled wall. Something was not right but was Jax even there to protect them? Or was he one to leave his men behind?

Her eyes roamed the room again. This time, 5 men in tuxes stood a couple a feet in front the bar. Their uniformity made the hairs on the back of Alianna's neck stand up. The patrons skirted around them, nothing wanting to get close. She frowned as each man in sync pulled their jacket back. The middle man smirked at her and her eyes widen as she saw the glint of a gun.

"Everybody down!"

No sooner than she shouted that, the sound of rapid gunfire and screams filled the air. She dropped to the ground and crouched under the bar as glass rained from the shelves. She shield her eyes looked around. Kayla was crouched with her head tucked into her knees but Emily was cowering against the back wall, in her panic, she didn't think to recoil under the bar. Alianna held her breath as before crawling over to Emily. She ignored the stabbing shards of glass on the palm of her hands and knees as she pulled her friend closer to her and they shuffled back to the shelter of the bar.

Alianna moved slower this time because of her cuts and she almost reached the bar when there was a huge crash and she felt a sharp pain on her cheek but she didn't look back as Alan pulled her to safety. Five single gunshots rang out and after what felt like hours, there was silence.

"Alianna!" Jax called as he strode over to the bar. Evan, Rex and a couple other men surrounded the now dead shooters. The silence rang in Alianna's ears as she stood up a bit dazed as a haze of pain overcame her body. She looked over at Emily who was shaking in Alan's arms. Eric had emerged from the table area and Kayla looked around at the mess wide eyed.

"Are you okay Emily?" she asked quietly and keeping in her scream of pain as she talked.

Emily nodded shakily, "I'm alright."

"Oh my God Alianna, you're hurt!" Kayla shouted causing Alianna's hand to drift up to her cheek. It felt wet with blood and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a shard of glass stuck in it.

Jax jumped over the bar ignoring the crunch of glass underneath his shoes and the nauseating smell of alcohol and liquor mixed with gunfire.

"Look at me," he said firmly. Alianna complied as she looked at Jax. She noticed how the muscles along his jawline rippled as he clenched his jaw as his eyes roamed her body taking in every injury she had. He inhaled sharply as he saw the shard of glass in her cheek with blood trickling down.

He struggled to keep his rage under control and clenched his fists. He pulled the white handkerchief and pressed it gently to her cheek. Alianna's fingers brushed against his as he removed his fingers. She breathe in, letting the smell of Jax's cigars and cologne calm her.

"Rex," his voice snapped the blonde out of his gaze which was fixed on Emily, "arrange armed escorts for everyone, deal with the police and the press and get Alianna's bag for me." Rex nodded before signalling a man and the two of them walked off.

He pulled on Alianna's wrist gently as he moved from behind the bar. "Evan, see what we can get from these bodies and then dispose of them." Evan nodded and gestured to the men to help him.

He looked at the four bartenders who looked at him with the same look he often saw on his men. They needed guidance from him. 

He smiled at them, "I know this is a chilling experience for you tonight. I won't be surprised if I see four letters of resignation on Evan's desk tomorrow." Evan snorted, noting that he said four and not five. "Whatever you decide to do, remember the omerta you signed and what exactly it entails. If word of what happened tonight gets out, I will have no choice but to kill the rat."

Alianna rolled her eyes at Jax's version of a pep talk but she didn't have time to dwell on it as he pulled her gently behind him. She frowned in confusion as he took them through the VIP area and out a back door. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a black Mercedes G-class SUV idling with one of the guys who followed Rex in the driver's seat. She assumed this is VIP garage. Jax opened the door and held her hand in his as she got in followed by him.

"Let me see," Jax uncurled her fingers taking the handkerchief from her. Alianna turned her head as the SUV started off. Jax clenched his jaw but thankfully the bleeding stopped. Jax relaxed slightly but there was still the issue of the big chunk of glass in her skin. He took the handkerchief and softly dusted the glass off her knees. He looked up at Alianna, knowing that she was going to open her mouth.

"I'm taking you to our doctor," he said. Alianna's eyes widened in surprise, how did Jax guess what was running through her head? "It's at our warehouse," he continued. Alianna raised her eyebrow and looked at Jax warily. Why was he taking her there? How could he have so much trust in her? Her mind spiralled into confusion as she tried to find Jax's hidden motives.

Jax scanned his surroundings as the SUV came to stop in front his warehouse. He could see the men on duty scanning and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. He opened the door and stepped out, gun ready in his right hand.

"Alianna," he called softly.

He chuckled half amused when he got no response. She looked beautiful in bathed in the moonlight, lost in her own thoughts. He placed his hand on hers and he smiled at her as she jumped slightly. He held her hand as she slid across the seat and stepped out. Jax looked at Alianna as she dropped her hand from his, missing the weight and the warmth. He nodded at the men as he walked inside with Alianna right behind.

The voices of the Boveri men echoed through the warehouse as they worked, packaging the latest merchandises to be sent to Miami for distribution. Alianna was curious to see how Jax ran his operations but he kept them away from the main corridors, using less frequented ones instead. Jax motioned for her to stop before he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Jax held the door open. Alianna sent him a small smile before looking at the middle aged man in the room

"Doc," Jax said, "this is Alianna. We had an incident at the club today."

He led Alianna to the examination table. Alianna went to use the palm of her hands to hoist herself up but Jax grabbed her wrists and shook his finger. Alianna frowned before he turning over her palms, reminding her of the glass stuck in it. Jax nudged the step towards her and she moved onto the table.

"Really?" the man said. Alianna didn't like doctors, she usually took care of her injuries herself. "Is this vengeance for what happened on Sunday?" Alianna perked up. What went down on Sunday? Did Marino and Jax fight? Her mind spun with possible questions that she could ask the doctor.

Jax cleared his throat, "Be careful Doc." Those three words had double meaning as he noticed Alianna wincing as the doctor cleaned the area around the shard of glass and it was a warning that he was saying too much in front of her. He leaned against the table as Doc prepped the stitches.

"This is going to hurt a lot."

Alianna fought the urge to roll her eyes but closed them instead as the doctor tugged at the glass shard. Her breathing became heavier as his probing intensified the pain. Her hand instinctively grabbed Jax's as she let out a cry of pain when the doctor removed the shard.

Jax studied her as his thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand. He savoured the feeling of her soft skin against hers as he saw past her brave façade. Her face was an impassive mask but her laboured breathing and tight grip on his hand betrayed the amount of pain she in as Doc stitched it up.

Alianna looked up as the heat of Jax's skin left hers. Her eyes followed him as he walked out the door with his phone pressed to his ear. She grimaced slightly as the last stitch went in. 

"All done," the doctor said as he placed the bandage on. "Let's get rid of the rest of it." His hands were cold but gentle as he turned her palms upwards and started removing the tiny shard with a tweezers.

"Was there a fight Sunday?" Alianna asked quietly, aware of both the pain in her jaw and Jax on the other side of the door.

"Not a bad one," the doctor answered. "Whoever Jax faced off with got the worse end of the stick I heard. Not much of our men are dead but there were substantial injuries." Doc looked up at her with kind eyes. "You're a brave woman, I've seen men bawl with lesser injuries."

Alianna mustered a small smile but her pulse raced. No doubt it was Marino. Her thoughts went wild. Were Jax and Evan injured? How bad were their injuries? Why didn't Marino tell her his plans? Her stomach filled with dread. She opened her mouth to ask about Jax but the man himself entered the room. The look on his face was darker now and his mouth was set into a grim, thin line. This was the dangerous side of Jax.

"I suggest over-the-counter painkillers if the pain gets too much," Doc said as he wrapped bandages around her hands and knees. "These stitches will dissolve in a couple of days and try not to get it wet until then.

Alianna nodded and hopped off the table, ignoring the scowling Jax in the corner. "Thank you," she said quietly as she walked over to Jax. Jax nodded to Doc and opened the door for her.

"My driver will take you home," he said lowly as they walked side by side through the corridors. "Libertà will be closed for the week so take your time to recover and avoid doing too much." He stopped before the exit of the building and ran his thumb over the bandage on her cheek. Alianna leaned into his palm before stepping back.

Jax's eyes darkened but neither of them said anything as they walked to the Mercedes. Jax opened the door but blocked her path. "One more thing," he said ignoring the confused look on her face, "don't leave your house."

Alianna's frown deepened as Jax stepped aside and helped her up. She chafed lightly underneath his curt command, scared at how much it reminded her of Marino but her opportunity to question him was lost as the vehicle pulled off. She huffed and settled into her seat, disgruntled.

Jax sighed as he watched the Mercedes taillights disappeared, thankful that Alianna didn't question his warning.

How was he supposed to tell her that her body could've been riddled with an entire round of bullets from the middle shooter?