Jax, Sienna, and I are sit on the balcony sipping our coffee. I've ordered up room service to try to make them both feel at home. It's more than Jax would ever do for me.

Frankly, it's fucking weird being together again with him and Sienna.

And it's even stranger that Jax would come to me for help about anything. He made it pretty clear that I should stay away from both of them.

Despite his usually calm composure, Jax seems pretty worked up about the blackmail. You'd think he'd be used to such things working in politics.

"Aren't we all cozy sitting around this table?" I joke with him. 

It's his fault that none of us are friends anymore. He broke up the trio. Jax glares at me now, and I know he's not in the mood for levity.

Well, regardless of his insistence on maintaining his asshole status, I still offer him all the advice I can, even though he doesn't deserve it.

"You need to calm down, man. We'll figure out a solution to this," I tell him, though I don't yet know the brunt of the blackmail.

"You don't understand, Leo. I'm up for reelection. I can't have this on me now. One blemish on my records—or on my family—and it's all over."

I can't get past my astonishment that Jax is even here for my help. We haven't talked in years and now in one week I’ve heard from him three times, now on my fucking doorstep seeking counsel?

All I know is it must be pretty bad for him to come to me.

Jax is usually so self-sufficient. How else would he have made it in the Senate this long? He's a self-starter and generally a man who relies on no one.

I won't lie. It hasn’t been easy watching his ascension to fame.

Even though I have my own prosperity to account for, I’ve still feel animosity toward Jax and the way he threatened to ruin me if I didn't stay away from Sienna.

I loved my girl, and he convinced me to throw away our future.

"I've been trying to keep things straight and not to tarnish our family name any further. So, I can't believe this is happening. I just didn't know who to turn to. That's why I'm here."

He pushes an envelope toward me and I open it. 

"It's the blackmail letter," he says.

Sienna and I both read the nearly illegible scrawled handwriting.

"It says he was an employee of the mine that father shut down," she says as we squint to make it out.

"Yup, that's right," Jax says. "And now he's come back for some misguided retribution."

"But father had to close it,” Sienna says, wrinkling her brow. “That's when we lost everything. He couldn't afford to run that mine anymore."

"I know, Sienna," Jax says gruffly, and I can't say I like his tone.

The letter describes how the man is pissed that the mine closed and it ruined his career. Now he's out to exact revenge. He threatens to bring Jax down before the election by portraying Sienna as a prostitute and Jax as being in collusion with me with the prostitution ring. The one that doesn’t fucking exist.

Sienna and I look at each other, realization dawning.

We are both thinking the same thing. This is the same guy who she went out with, that old man, the informant who’s also threatening Alchema, It has to be. It’s too much of a coincidence otherwise. Now it all makes sense.

"We're familiar with this guy," I tell Jax, my mouth setting in a hard line. "He's the one who's painting your sister as a prostitute. He threatened me, saying he’d expose me for being a part of this prostitution ring, and that's why we're putting on this charade of being together, to try to deflect the rumors.” 

I cut my eyes toward Sienna and wonder what she thinks every time I refer to our arrangement as a charade.

It feels like it's deeper than that.

Like maybe we’re both finally ready to be together, but I can't be sure of her feelings so I say nothing.

My mind wanders through the last couple nights when we've been together. It's been a torrent of emotion. Wild nights like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Ever.

Sienna meets my gaze, then drops her eyes and twists her fingers together. She must have this on her mind too. There's no way she can deny that what we have goes beyond a mere charade.

"Wait a minute," Jax says. "This guy is the reason for your front?" His eyes narrow in on us. "Doesn't seem like much of a front to me."

"Jax," I say. "You’re here asking for our help. If you can't be respectful towards your sister, then just go."

His eyebrows fly up. "She’s the reason all of this is happening in the first place," he says, turning toward her. "I warned you not to get involved with that escort service. Didn't I tell you?"

Her eyes fill with tears. I know she already feels shitty enough that she and I have been having to prove to the public that she's no prostitute. The last thing she needs is a guilt trip from her brother.

I set my coffee mug on the table, gritting my teeth in an attempt to rein in my anger. "Don't blame her, Jax. I’m certain the guy would've found a way to get to you no matter what."

"Yeah, well, she made our family an easy target."

"That's enough!" I slam my fist on the table. I'm getting pissed now.

No one will disrespect her in my presence. I reach for her and pull her into my lap, holding her close as I brush away her tears.

"Don't listen to him, Sienna. Your brother’s just looking for a scapegoat. This isn’t your fault."

She peers up at me through tear-stained eyes. "Thank you."

"It's okay, baby." I pull her against my chest. Turning to Jax, I say, "You and I are enemies. Don't think I don't know that. But we’re in on this thing together. If this guy takes you down, I’ll likely go with you. That's why I'm willing to help. Let's put our differences aside and stop this motherfucker. Then we can go back to being enemies."

Jax stares angrily at the way my hands are on Sienna. 

He gets up and says, "No way. Forget it. You know, I thought I could do this, but I can't. To see you two flaunting this in front of me is just too much."

"Hey," I say. "You came to me for help, not the other way around."

"You know what, Leo? All you've ever done is to cause me trouble. I don't know what I was expecting from you, but this certainly isn’t it. I should have known better. From the moment you walked into my life, things have been a struggle. A competition. But you know what? The last ten years without you have been pure bliss."

"Good," I say, gently moving Sienna from my lap. I stand up and come toe to toe with Jax. "Why don't we go back to that?"

"Fine by me." He stalks back toward the French doors leading back into the penthouse, apparently finished with me. And that’s fine. I'm fucking glad to see him go.

"Besides,” he continues, “you're the reason all of this is going down. If it weren't for you and the way you've been seen all around town with my sister none of this would be happening. It's your fault, and you make me absolutely sick. You need to stay away from our family for good."

The guy just won’t take the blame for anything. Or realize that there isn’t actually anyone to blame. This is just a fucked up situation. Fallout from the shit his family endured. But he obviously needs someone to deflect the blame to. First it was Sienna’s fault, now it’s mine. Whatever. I’m just about done with this fucker.

He delivers one final glare towards Sienna. "I'm warning you, Sienna. You better break this thing off for good."

He leaves and we don't bother to walk him out. I should've known Jax was still Jax. Nothing about him has changed. He's dragging Sienna down with him. No matter what’s happened over the last ten years, he’s still sure I’m not enough for his precious sister. Yet he has no problem belittling and blaming her. I shake my head. I don’t fucking get the guy.

But that’s not what’s most important here. Sienna’s hurt by her brother’s harsh words, and I can’t fucking stand her thinking any of this is her fault. Jax is the one who ruined my life by pulling me away from her. If he’d kept out of it, who knows where Sienna and I would be now? I can guarantee she would have ever needed to take a job as a fucking escort. So yeah, some of the blame does fall on Jax.

At this moment, I'm wishing nothing more than that I'd defied him and stayed with her. But the question still remains, would she have loved me back when I was penniless? That’s an answer I may never get.

We hear him slam the door.

"Let's go inside," I say. "He's gone."

I help her up and out of the sun that’s warmed things up considerably. She sinks into a leather sofa and curls her legs up to her chest.

"I'm sorry, Leo," she says. "None of this is your fault like he said. It's all my fault. Both Jax and you warned me about staying out of the escort business, but I was too stubborn to see why. I needed money, and I guess that blinded me. This is all my doing."

She's crying again and I can't bear to see it.

"It's not your doing, baby,” I say, going to her. “I promise we'll make this right, even without Jax's help."

This seems to give her hope. "We will? You mean you'll still help fix things? Even after all he said?"

"Of course," I say as I pull her up off the couch and into my arms. "I'll help because you're involved. I would do anything to protect you."

I know I’ve once again said too much, but I don't care right now. All I can think about is dragging Sienna back to my bedroom to make her forget all about this sinister drama. She deserves a happy life, and I want to be the one to give it her.

I just have no fucking clue how to make that happen.