Chapter 12 - The Road Out of Town
The heavy mahogany doors of the ballroom swung wide open, letting in the cool, crisp night air of the highway. The three bikers didn't waste another second in the opulent, ruined tomb of high-society pretense. Jax scooped Ethan up effortlessly into his strong arms, carrying the boy as if he weighed nothing at all, shielding him from the staring, judgmental eyes of the remaining guests.
Sarah scrambled to her feet, her emerald gown torn and stained with dirt from the floor, stumbling blindly after them. ""Ethan! Ethan, come back to your mother! You can't leave with him, he has nothing! He lives on the road!""
Jax didn't even turn around. He reached the idling heavy motorcycle parked right outside the double doors, setting the boy down gently onto the massive leather passenger seat, strapping a spare oversized leather jacket over Ethan’s small shoulders so he wouldn't catch the chill of the night wind.
The waitress who had stood guard in the diner earlier that week stepped out of the shadows of the foyer, handing Jax a small helmet that fit the boy's head snugly. She cast one final, piercing look back at Sarah, who was now weeping hysterically against the stone pillars of the hotel entrance, completely abandoned by everyone she had manipulated.
""She made her bed, Jax,"" the waitress said softly, adjusting her apron as she climbed onto her own bike. ""Let her sleep in it.""
May you like
Ethan pulled the helmet strap tight under his chin, his big hazel eyes glowing with a bright, fearless curiosity as he looked up at the vast expanse of the starlit sky stretching out over the highway. For the first time in his life, there were no scripts to memorize, no adult lies to carry, and no scripted weddings to interrupt.
Jax swung his heavy leg over the saddle, kicking the starter with a sharp, thunderous roar that shook the pavement beneath them. He looked back once, meeting his son's hopeful gaze in the rearview mirror.
