Chapter 10
Jax reached into the cavity beneath the floorboards and lifted the metal lockbox out into the dim light. It felt surprisingly heavy for its size, weighted down with the legal and personal remnants of Clara’s life. He tested the latch, but it was locked tight with a small brass padlock.
"Do you know where the key is, Leo?" Jax asked, looking down at the boy.
Leo reached into the deep pocket of the oversized leather jacket Jax had lent him and pulled out a small silver key on a faded piece of red yarn. "Mom kept it around her neck. I took it off her chain before the nurses came."
Jax felt a sharp pang of sorrow in his chest. He gently took the key from the boy's small hand, inserting it into the brass padlock. With a soft click, the mechanism gave way, and the lid sprang open.
Inside lay a collection of documents: Leo’s birth certificate with Jax’s own name listed in the father section—a fact that caught Jax completely off guard and brought a sudden mist to his eyes—along with Clara’s identification, medical records, and a small stack of handwritten letters addressed to him that she had never mailed.
"She put your name on it," Jax breathed out, tracing the ink on the official birth certificate with a calloused thumb. "Even after all those years, she listed me."
"She said you were my dad, so it had to be true," Leo said simply, peering into the box.
Jax carefully lifted the stack of unopened letters, reading his own name written in Clara’s elegant cursive across the top envelope. He slid them into his inner jacket pocket, promising himself he would read every single word later when they were safe. He gathered the remaining documents, placing them securely back inside the box and snapping the lid shut.
"We got what we came for," Jax said, standing up and pulling Leo to his feet. "Let's move before anyone wakes up."
As they turned toward the open window, a loud metallic crash echoed from the front hallway of the building. Heavy footsteps pounded against the creaky wooden stairs outside the apartment door, accompanied by rough voices shouting warnings.
"Property management! Who's in there? Come out with your hands where we can see them!"
Jax cursed softly. The landlord must have installed a motion sensor or stopped by earlier than usual.
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"Through the window, now!" Jax urged, boosting Leo up and pushing him through the narrow gap into the alleyway.
Jax scrambled through right behind him just as the apartment door was kicked open with a splintering crash. Flashlight beams cut through the dusty air inside the room they had just vacated. Landing hard on the wet gravel of the alley, Jax grabbed Leo's hand, and they sprinted toward the safety of the motorcycle parked in the shadows.
