Chapter 6
The blinding headlights of the dirt bikes washed over Jax and Leo, painting long, distorted shadows against the soot-stained brick wall behind them.
Jax threw his arm out, instinctively shoving Leo behind his massive body as he reached down to grip the handle of the butcher’s knife tucked into his waistband.
The two riders cut their engines, the sudden silence in the alley broken only by the rhythmic dripping of rainwater from the corrugated tin roof above.
The rider on the left slowly lifted his helmet visor, revealing a face covered in jagged scars and a cold, predatory smirk.
"End of the road, old man," the rider spat, kicking his kickstand down and swinging his heavy leg over the seat. "Reaper sends his regards."
Jax didn't flinch. His eyes scanned the alley, calculating distances, escape routes, and the sheer physical toll of fighting armed men while protecting an eight-year-old boy.
"You're riding for a dead man if you think you're taking us anywhere," Jax replied smoothly, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that echoed off the brick.
The second rider dismounted slowly, pulling a heavy steel wrench from his belt, weighing it in his palm with a sickening thud.
"We don't need to take you," the second man laughed, his voice raspy and cruel. "We just need to slow you down long enough for the cleanup crew to finish the job at the motel."
Leo gasped behind Jax, his small fingers tightening into the leather vest he was wearing.
"Mom..." Leo whispered, his voice cracking with rising panic.
Jax felt a surge of white-hot fury course through his veins, burning away the last remnants of his caution.
He stepped forward, his boots crunching on the gravel, drawing the butcher's knife from his belt with a slow, deliberate motion that made the two thugs hesitate for a fraction of a second.
"You talk too much," Jax muttered, lunging forward with terrifying speed before they could react.
He slammed his shoulder directly into the chest of the man with the wrench, sending him flying backward into the side of a parked delivery van with a resounding crash.
The second rider panicked, dropping his visor and lunging at Jax with a rusted hunting knife, slashing wildly.
Jax sidestepped the clumsy blow, grabbing the attacker's wrist and twisting it upward until a sharp crack echoed through the alley.
The man screamed, dropping to his knees as Jax delivered a devastating kick to his temple, rendering him unconscious instantly.
Within seconds, both attackers were down, groaning in the mud.
Jax didn't pause to catch his breath. He grabbed Leo by the arm, hauling him toward his chopper parked just a few yards away.
"Get on, hold onto my waist, and don't let go for anything in the world," Jax ordered, straddling the heavy bike and kicking the starter.
The engine roared to life with a thunderous, earth-shaking growl that rattled the windows of the diner.
Leo scrambled up behind him, wrapping his small arms tightly around Jax’s thick waist as the bike rocketed out of the alley and onto the wet highway.
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As they sped into the rainy night, Jax checked his rearview mirror, his blood freezing in his veins.
Following them at a distance, their headlights hidden behind a transport truck, were three unmarked black SUVs.
