Chapter 5 - Martha’s Ultimatum
Before Jax could answer, the back door creaked open. Martha stepped out into the alley, holding a brown paper bag filled with sandwiches and a cold bottle of water. She looked at Jax with an expression that mixed fierce anger with deep sorrow. She handed the bag directly to Leo, who accepted it with a polite, timid nod.
“He can’t stay here in the open, Jax,” Martha said flatly, crossing her arms over her apron. “Diesel and his thugs are tearing the front room apart looking for reasons to start a brawl. If they spot the kid with you holding that photo, it’s going to turn into a bloodbath.”
“I know,” Jax muttered, running a calloused hand through his long dark hair. “I need to get him out of town before dark. There’s an old cabin up by the ridge where I used to lay low. It’s safe.”
“And how do you plan on walking out of here with him without Diesel noticing?” Martha challenged, stepping closer. “Every eye in that diner is on you. You’re trapped, Jax. Your past finally caught up, and it brought a price tag.”
Leo clutched the paper bag, looking between the two adults with sudden maturity. “I can walk out the front by myself,” the boy said bravely. “You just meet me at the old gas station down the highway.”
“No way,” Jax snapped instantly, his protective fatherly instinct flaring up with terrifying intensity. “You’re not going anywhere alone. I brought you into this mess, and I’m finishing it.”
Martha watched them for a moment, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Take my old pickup parked behind the kitchen. Use the service road behind the lumber yard. It bypasses the main highway where the club patrols are set up.”
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Jax looked at Martha, surprised by the sudden flash of grace from a woman who had every right to throw them both to the wolves. “Why are you doing this, Martha?”
“Because everyone deserves a second chance at being family, Jax,” she replied softly. “Now go.”
