Chapter 13: The Last Ride
By midday, the sun had burned through the coastal fog, bathing the ridge in a brilliant, crystal-clear winter light that made the snow-capped peaks in the distance look like jagged teeth of white quartz against an azure sky.
Outside the cabin, the four motorcycles were lined up in a neat row beside Clara’s station wagon. Brick and Diesel were strapping down extra gear with heavy bungee cords, while Crow checked the oil level on his custom chopper.
Leo walked out onto the wooden porch, wearing his bright orange backpack and clutching the ceramic lighthouse coin bank in both hands. He stood by the top of the wooden steps, watching the bikers with his wide, expressive hazel eyes.
Jax walked up the steps, stopping just beside the boy. He reached down and adjusted the strap of Leo’s backpack, making sure it hung evenly across both shoulders.
""You ready for the new road, kid?"" Jax asked gently.
Leo nodded firmly. ""Mom says we're going to open a real repair shop up in the valley. Where there are trees instead of ocean.""
""Sounds like a good place to start over,"" Jax said. He reached into his vest pocket, pulled out a small, heavy metallic object, and pressed it into Leo’s palm.
Leo looked down. Resting in his small hand was not a coin, but a duplicate of the frayed wolf patch—clean, unblemished, with the embroidered border gleaming brightly in the midday sun.
""Keep that in your pocket,"" Jax told him, his voice low and firm. ""Not because you need to fight anyone, but so you always remember that you've got a whole crew standing behind you, no matter where the highway takes you.""
Clara walked out of the cabin, locking the front door behind her with a definitive click that echoed through the quiet timberland. She pocketed the brass key, walked over to Jax, and extended her hand.
Jax looked at her hand for a brief second before pulling her into a brief, solid, brotherly embrace—the kind of embrace men of the asphalt exchanged when a hard run had finally ended safely.
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""You ever find yourself up in the valley,"" Clara said softly as she pulled back, ""there's always a hot cup of coffee waiting for you at the counter.""
""Might take you up on that, Clara,"" Jax replied, stepping back toward his bike. ""The road always circles back around eventually.""
