"You have to come with me. Please Tessa! You know you'll regret it if you don't." Jax, her childhood friend was standing at her apartment door dressed to kill. He was wearing a black button-up shirt that barely contained his muscles. His gray slacks fit like a second skin on him, accentuating his thigh muscles. He was wearing loafers with no socks and had his sleeves rolled up. The man looked delicious, and he smelled good. Tessa stepped away from the door and let him in. "I'm not really in the mood to go out Jax. I have stuff I need to get done." She lay back on her bed and continued to eat her ice cream. She looked at Jax as he entered her room and went to her closet. "We're going out. It's a celebration outing; your divorce has been finalized. You no longer have to deal with the Monroe family, and that asshole is out of your life forever." Tessa put her ice cream bowl down and stared at the dress that Jax had in his hands. It was the dress she bought after she left her now ex-husband, a little revenge dress of sorts. It was a red open back dress with a bow tie on the back at the waist. It was form fitting and left very little to the imagination, it was also the dress that crossed the line between Jax and her. Tessa shot off the bed and snatched the dress out of his hands. "No way. I'm not wearing that." She threw the dress back into the closet and closed the door. It had been a week since the incident at the alley and a week since her divorce. Lucas, her now ex-husband, didn't show up to court. His lawyers handed her a box full of her things, along with a letter from him. When she got home from court that day, she found 6 dozen red roses and a small bouquet of whites at her door. She turned to look at Jax who was now sitting on her bed and eating her ice cream. The events of the past week merit her going out and having fun, Jax knew it and he was baiting her. She took a deep breath, pulled the dress back out and slid into the bathroom. An hour later she was ready and headed towards Jax car.
"Thank you" She turned to look at Jax and squeezed his hand. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and navigated to the club. Downtown Falls Hollow was a thriving city, full of clubs, bars, restaurants and the nearby college. It was rapidly growing with more and more businesses coming in, in the past two years that Tessa had moved here, several new houses had been built and soon they would be getting their own mall. "He wasn't in court you know. But Duval had a box and letter for me. I haven't opened them. I'm not ready yet." Tessa stared out the window as Jax drove. He didn't say anything while she told him about her day at court. She had been hoping to see Lucas, to at least be able to say goodbye. To close the chapter on their lives together. She had hoped that he would have been there to apologize, to say sorry, to ask for forgiveness. "He's too much of a coward, he's nothing Tessa. You hear me. He's nothing. You deserve more and better. He lied to you and used you for his own advantage. He deserves to rot in hell" Tessa noticed that Jax knuckles were turning white, she quickly patted his thigh, she needed him to calm down. Lucas and Jax had been best friends, all three of them, but Jax and Tessa had been blindsided by the real Lucas. Never in their wildest dreams would they have thought that Lucas Monroe would have turned into a cold hearted bastard overnight. "He didn't use me, Jax. I refuse to believe that. You saw how he was after Cassie died. I know he loved me. I know he loved her. It couldn't have just been an act, I won't and can't accept that" Tessa quickly wiped at her tears, she didn't want to think about all the lies, the pain, the hurt she felt. It had taken her two years to numb the pain, two years of trying to breathe without drowning. Two years of thinking about all the what ifs and the guilt she felt. It had taken her two years to reach a new normal, to learn how to not be a mom anymore.
Jax reached over and pulled her hand towards him. He reached over and pulled her onto his lap. Tessa didn't object, she leaned into his chest and placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Tonight is supposed to be a celebration not a pity party. You're dressed to kill and who knows, we might just end up going home with complete strangers." He rubbed her back, and she let out a chuckle. He was right, tonight was not about pity. She took a deep breath and looked around, she hadn't noticed they were parked, and the club was just one block over. She hugged Jax tightly and placed a kiss over his heart, he smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. She slowly moved from his lap and exited the car. Once outside she adjusted her skirt, fixed her hair, sprayed a little bit of perfume on and touched up her lip gloss. She turned to look at Jax as he approached her. He reached out for her hand and they started walking towards Silver Moon. As they approached the building, which was a warehouse converted into a club. They could hear the music thumping, there was a bit of a line, but Jax walked up to the front door and was let in. Inside, the club was Gothic looking, velvet couches and chairs made up the VIP area. The bars were all fully stocked with expensive liquor, the bar tools were all deep shades of purple and black. As they made their way deeper into the club, the music became louder and the lights strobed neon reds, greens, and orange. There were alcoves with throne like chairs, all deep red velvet in color. The tables were all black, with a soft white light coming from under them. She felt Jax place his hand on her lower back as they made their way to the second floor. As they made their way up the stairs she felt the same tension from a week ago. Her body broke out in goosebumps, and she felt like she was being watched. She was so caught up in looking around she tripped on the last stair, Jax reached out to steady her. He looked at her with concern, but she quickly masked her features and let him know she was fine. They continued their way down a hallway that led upstairs, apparently the third floor was the best floor in the house.
Leather armchairs with high backs and brass nail head trim are gathered around low, onyx-topped tables. The bar itself is a masterpiece—its counter carved from obsidian-like stone and lined with antique silver filigree. Rows of gleaming crystal decanters filled with rare spirits line the shelves behind, some glowing faintly, as if enchanted. Rich velvet drapery in midnight hues hung like a canopy from the ceiling. Hidden doors disguised as bookshelves or wall panels added an element of secrecy and surprise. Jax led them to small, secluded spot near the window overlooking Silver Moon Bay, hence the name of the club. Tessa admired the view as she waited for Jax to return with their drunks, as she watched the reflection of the moon off the water, she felt eyes on her. Her body broke out in goosebumps but this time she felt a slight chill. She looked around and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the feeling of being watched was unsettling. She was looking around the room waiting for Jax to return with their drinks, when a bit of movement caught her eye. She turned to look behind her and thought she may have missed the person standing there. She turned around and found Jax standing there with their drinks. "The bartender was just letting me know that there's a special event happening in ten minutes on the second floor. We should check it out" They grabbed their drinks and made their way to the second floor, Tessa kept looking around trying to find the source of her unease. The furniture had been moved from the center of the room, people were standing around forming a bit of a half circle. She noticed security pushing people back when the place went dark and a single spotlight turned on. She and Jax had somehow been pushed back and were wedged on the staircase that led to a small balcony overlooking the room. She took a sip of her drink as soft music began to play and woman slowly descended from the ceiling on a swing. There were two long silk scarves hanging from either side of the swing, as the spotlight followed her around the room. Tessa could feel the tension and crackling in the room again, she looked around the room again but this time she spotted the source. Standing on the balcony alcove was Silver Eye's, he was looking directly at her. His eyes were glowing red again and his knuckles were turning white around the goblet he was holding. She felt lost in trance again, she couldn't move, her breathing was shallow. She was terrified but in an exciting way, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, it was hard to explain. She felt an arm wrap around her waist more tightly and the spell was broken. She looked at Jax who was having a stare off with Silver Eye's, she noticed the tight clench of Silver Eye's jaw when there was a piercing scream, and the music stopped. She looked around and people were running and pushing each other. The house lights came on and she noticed that there was a lifeless woman in the middle of the floor. Jax grabbed her hand and started making his way to an exit door, they were being pushed and shoved every which way when Tessa's heel got wedged on the stair. She tried pulling Jax hand to get his attention, but he was already pushing forward with the crowd. She turned to look around the room when she noticed to men standing over the body, one was visibly shaken, and the other was smirking at him. In a blink of an eye both men shifted and began to fight, more screams could be heard as the fight ensued. Tessa stood frozen and watched these two wolf men snarling and claw at each other. She tried pulling her shoe out, but it wasn't working, she was getting pushed and shoved and needed to get out. As she was trying to take her shoe off, when she heard her name being yelled from across the room. She looked up and watched as a giant couch was being thrown her way. She closed her eyes, ducked down and waited for the impact. "Death by flying couch Princess Warrior, that's how you want to go out?" She slowly opened her eyes and found the same pair of Silver Eye's from a week ago.