Chapter 6
The miles ticked away on the cracked odometer of Jax’s truck as they headed west toward the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The chaotic roar of the biker rally had faded hours ago, replaced now by the rhythmic hum of rubber tires against asphalt and the occasional whistle of wind through the rusted passenger-side window. Leo sat quietly in the passenger seat, his head resting against the glass as he watched the scenery blur past. The oversized jacket was bunched up behind his neck like a makeshift pillow. Despite the monumental upheaval of his young life, the sheer exhaustion of the past weeks had finally caught up with him, pulling his eyelids down into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Jax kept his eyes fixed on the darkening ribbon of highway ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel with steady focus. Every few minutes, he glanced over at the sleeping boy. Seeing Leo’s chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm sent a strange, fierce protectiveness surging through his veins—a feeling so intense it bordered on terror. He had spent a decade convincing himself that he was a lone wolf, incapable of caring for anyone beyond his own survival. Now, a single eight-year-old boy had dismantled that entire philosophy with a crumpled photograph and a handful of whispered words.
The sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in bruised shades of purple, orange, and deep crimson. Shadows stretched long across the empty fields flanking the highway. Jax knew they needed a place to stay for the night before pushing deeper into the mountains. He couldn't risk sleeping in the truck with Leo; the boy needed a warm bed, a hot meal, and a sense of safety that a cramped cab couldn't provide.
About ten miles ahead, a neon sign flickered through the twilight haze: Mountain View Motel – Vacancy. It was a modest, slightly run-down establishment with a gravel parking lot and flickering fluorescent lights buzzing softly above the office door. Exactly the kind of anonymous, low-cost place Jax was accustomed to frequenting. He clicked his blinker on and steered the truck off the highway, crunching across the loose gravel before cutting the engine.
The silence that followed was absolute. Jax turned to Leo, gently touching the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy. Wake up. We made it.”
May you like
Leo stirred, rubbing his big hazel eyes with the backs of his hands. He blinked sleepily, looking around the unfamiliar parking lot with a brief moment of disorientation before reality rushed back in. He straightened up, smoothing down his messy light brown hair. “Are we staying here?”
“Just for the night,” Jax said softly, offering a reassuring smile that felt a bit rusty on his bearded face. “Get your bag, Leo. Let's go get checked in.”
