Chapter 4 - Sarah’s Last Words
Jax moved forward, his heavy boots silent. He dropped down beside the figure on the floor, holstering his gun with trembling fingers.
""Sarah...""
She was barely conscious, her pale skin translucent under the weak moonlight filtering through the shattered window. Two gunshot wounds bloomed across her abdomen, soaking her faded denim shirt in dark, sticky crimson. Her breathing was shallow, wet, and labored.
At the sound of his voice, Sarah’s eyelids fluttered open. Her gaze was unfocused until it locked onto Jax's weathered, scarred face. A fragile, tragic smile touched her bloodstained lips.
""You... found her,"" she breathed, blood bubbling at the corner of her mouth.
""I found her, Sarah. I’m here,"" Jax choked out, taking her cold hand between his calloused palms. Tears burned behind his eyes, hot and helpless. ""I’m getting an ambulance. I’m getting you out of here.""
""No... no time, Jax,"" Sarah whispered, her grip tightening with surprising strength. ""No doctors. They... they own the county.""
Lily stepped into the room, her small shoes clicking softly on the floorboards. She knelt silently beside her mother, laying the teddy bear gently against Sarah's chest. Sarah lifted a weak, trembling hand to stroke her daughter's cheek.
""My brave girl..."" Sarah murmured. Then her eyes locked onto Jax with terrifying intensity. ""They found out what you took... before you left the Cartel, Jax. Gabriel... he knows Lily exists. He knows what’s inside the bear.""
Jax froze. ""Gabriel is dead. I watched the warehouse burn.""
""He lived,"" Sarah gasped, her chest seizing in a brutal spasm of coughing. ""He wants... the ledger. He’ll tear the world apart... to burn it. Keep her safe, Jax. Don’t trust... the club.""
May you like
Sarah’s eyes rolled back. Her hand went limp, slipping from Lily’s cheek and hitting the carpet with a dull thud.
Lily didn't scream. She simply leaned down and kissed her mother’s forehead. Outside, the distant crunch of tires on gravel signaled the return of the black trucks.
