Chapter 4 - Shattered Glass
The sound of shattering safety glass echoed like a gunshot through the small diner, sending Martha screaming and ducking behind the high counter. Jax reacted with instinct honed by years of street violence, lunging forward and knocking Leo off his feet just as a heavy brick wrapped in a greasy note slammed onto the linoleum floor where the boy had been standing a second earlier.
“Get down!” Jax roared, shielding Leo’s small body beneath his own broad chest. The acrid smell of ozone and wet pavement drifted through the jagged hole in the front window.
Outside, the roar of motorcycle engines suddenly spiked, tires screeching against the wet asphalt as several bikes peeled out from the parking lot, their exhaust pipes backfiring in the foggy night. The heavy bass of the club’s music faded down the highway, leaving behind an eerie, suffocating quiet.
Jax slowly lifted his head, his hazel eyes wide and scanning the dark perimeter outside. He gently pulled Leo up from the floor, checking the boy’s arms and face for cuts. “Are you hit? Did any glass touch you?”
Leo shook his head, his breathing coming in shallow, frightened gasps, but he didn’t cry. He reached down instinctively and picked up the brick, noticing the piece of yellow legal paper tied tightly around it with heavy twine.
“Jax… what is that?” Martha whispered from behind the counter, her hands shaking as she pulled out a heavy wooden baseball bat from beneath the cash register. She slowly stood up, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the broken window.
Jax carefully took the brick from Leo’s small hands and untied the twine. He unfolded the rough paper, his eyes scanning the crude block letters scrawled in black marker.
Leave the stray behind, or the road claims you both.
A cold sweat broke out across the back of Jax’s neck. They knew. Somehow, Vance or one of the others had pieced it together—or maybe they had been watching him longer than he realized. Bringing Leo into this viper’s nest had triggered a trap that had been set for him the moment he rejoined the club three years ago.
“Pack your things, Martha,” Jax said, his voice dropping into a flat, deadly calm that terrified the waitress even more than the broken window.
“Pack? Jax, where are we going? My car is out back, but—”
“Not you. Us,” Jax interrupted, looking down at Leo, who clutched his old jacket tighter around his shoulders. Jax gently took the boy’s small hand in his massive, scarred palm. “We’re leaving right now. If we stay another five minutes, those bastards will circle back.”
“You can’t just walk away from the club, Jax,” Martha warned, stepping out from behind the counter and grabbing his leather sleeve. “You know how they operate. They hunt down anyone who tries to break the code.”
“I’ve been dead for nine years, Martha,” Jax replied, pulling his arm away gently. He reached into his vest and pulled out a heavy set of brass keys, tossing them onto the counter near her register. “My bike is parked out by the side door. If anyone asks, tell them I rode south into the mountains alone.”
“And the boy?” Martha asked, her eyes softening as she looked at Leo.
“He’s coming with me,” Jax said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Jax knelt down once more, looking straight into Leo’s hopeful eyes. “It’s going to be cold, and it’s going to be a long, hard ride. Are you ready?”
Leo nodded slowly, his small hand gripping Jax’s thumb with surprising strength. “I’m ready.”
May you like
Jax stood up, scooping his son into one arm while keeping his other hand resting near the heavy hunting knife strapped to his belt. They turned toward the kitchen exit, ready to slip out into the darkness, when the back door suddenly swung open.
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