Chapter 6: The Weight of Steel
Jax’s motorcycle rumbled to a halt outside the gates of the abandoned iron foundry on the edge of town. The rain had started again, a fine, cold mist that slicked the asphalt. He dismounted, his boots crunching on broken gravel as he walked toward the side entrance.
Standing in the shadows of the rusted doorway was Julian. The high-society tuxedo had been replaced by a tailored charcoal coat, but the desperation behind his eyes was stark.
"You shouldn't have sent the boy, Jax," Julian said, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.
"I didn't send him. Victoria did," Jax replied, stopping ten feet away. He kept his hands resting on his belt, steady as iron. "And she was right to do it. You've been playing chess with people's lives for ten years, Julian. You thought money bought impunity."
May you like
"I built this city!" Julian shouted, the control slipping completely. "Every building, every contract, every deal! My father died penniless because he trusted people like your family! I took what was mine!"
"You took what wasn't yours," Jax said quietly. "And now you're holding empty paper."
