Chapter 4 CRACKS IN THE AMOUR

​Jax caught him before he hit the marble.

​Forget the "no touching" rule. Jax scooped Elias up as if he weighed nothing, feeling the frantic, hummingbird beat of the man's heart through the expensive fabric of his tuxedo. He ducked into a private coat-check room, kicking the door shut behind them.

​"Breathe," Jax commanded, sitting Elias down on a velvet bench. He didn't let go, keeping his large hands firmly on Elias's shoulders to ground him. "Look at me. Elias, look at me."

​Elias's eyes were unfocused, darting around the small room. "Too loud... too many... I can't..."

​"Focus on my voice," Jax said, dropping his tone into the deep, rhythmic register he used to use for wounded soldiers in the field. "The room is empty. It's just us. Count my breaths. In... out."

​Jax took deep, exaggerated breaths. Slowly, Elias began to mimic him. The tremors subsided, replaced by a heavy, exhausted slump. Elias leaned forward, his forehead coming to rest against Jax's chest.

​Jax froze. He should pull away. The contract, the rules, the forty-two million dollars-it all screamed at him to maintain the distance. But Elias was shivering, his small hands clutching at Jax's lapels like a lifeline.

​"You're okay," Jax whispered, surprised by the sudden, fierce protectiveness blooming in his chest. It wasn't the duty of a bodyguard; it was something sharper. Something more personal.

​Elias pulled back after a long minute, his face flushed with a mix of shame and lingering adrenaline. He smoothed his hair, his cold mask sliding back into place, though it was cracked at the edges.

​"Don't," Elias said, his voice barely audible. "Don't tell anyone you saw that."

​"I'm not in the business of talking, remember?" Jax said, standing up and offering a hand.

​Elias stared at the hand-large, scarred, and steady. He didn't take it. He stood up on his own, though his legs were still shaky.

​"We're leaving," Elias said. "The car is out front."

​As they walked out, Jax took his position. Two paces back. Left shoulder. But as he watched Elias's retreating back, the dynamic had shifted. The man wasn't just a paycheck or a debt anymore. He was a secret Jax wanted to keep.