Chapter 10 - Secrets of the Ledger
Inside the dim cabin, the fire crackled to life, casting dancing golden shadows across the log walls. Jax had managed to ignite some dry kindling in the hearth, warming the chilly night air. He sat at the wooden table, examining the contents of a small metal lockbox he had retrieved from beneath a floorboard—the very box he had hidden the night he fled fifteen years ago.
Leo sat across from him, sipping warm water from an old tin mug, watching his father with intense fascination. The tough, intimidating biker exterior had completely melted away, replaced by a weary father desperate to make up for a lifetime of lost moments.
“What’s in the box, Dad?” Leo asked, using the word for the very first time. The sound of it hit Jax like a physical blow—warm, grounding, and profoundly heavy.
Jax opened the lid, revealing a stack of old bank statements, identification papers under a false name, and a thick black leather-bound ledger. “This,” Jax said grimly, tapping the black book, “is the reason Diesel wants me dead. When I was patching into the Iron Skulls, I found out what they were really moving through state lines—weapons, contraband, human lives. I copied their records, stole their operational funds, and disappeared to protect your mother before you were born.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “So they aren’t just a motorcycle club?”
“No, kid. They’re a criminal syndicate wearing leather vests,” Jax replied, his face grim. “And by coming after me today, Diesel didn’t just find an old runaway brother—he realized I still have the one thing that can put him away forever.”
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Suddenly, a low, ominous rumble vibrated through the floorboards. It wasn't the wind. It was the synchronized roar of half a dozen high-powered motorcycle engines echoing through the forest clearing outside.
Jax slammed the lockbox shut, grabbed his heavy iron wrench from the workbench, and blew out the fireplace candle, plunging the cabin into total darkness. “They found us,” Jax whispered fiercely. “Stay behind the stone hearth, Leo, and don’t make a sound no matter what happens.”
