Chapter 12 - Broken Circles
Jax froze, his hand hovering inches from the ignition switch as the sound of Sarah’s footsteps crunched across the gravel toward him. He slowly turned his head to look at her, taking in the years that had passed since they last spoke—the fine lines around her eyes, the strength in her posture, and the fierce, unyielding look she was giving him now. Little Leo stood a few feet behind her on the porch steps, clutching the old faded polaroid in his small hands, watching them both with wide, hopeful hazel eyes.
""You rode away twenty years ago without looking back, Jax, and you thought that settled it,"" Sarah said, her voice steady despite the emotional wreckage of the evening. ""You thought leaving us behind kept us safe from your reckless life. But you didn't finish what you started."" Jax swung his leg off the bike, standing tall beside the heavy machine, though he suddenly felt smaller than he had in decades. ""I saw that sedan trailing us all the way from the state line, Sarah. Who the hell was looking for you?"" he asked, changing the subject to the immediate danger.
May you like
Sarah’s expression hardened, a shadow of genuine fear crossing her face as she looked back toward the dark tree line bordering the property. ""People from my past, Jax—people I ran from before I ever met you,"" she whispered, stepping closer to him. ""When Leo ran away this morning to find you with that old photo, I knew they would trace him. By coming here, you didn't just bring him back—you walked right into a crossfire.""
Before Jax could process the warning, a sharp crack echoed through the silent pine forest—the unmistakable sound of a dry branch snapping somewhere in the brush just beyond the clearing. Jax’s hand instinctively dropped to his side, his body tensing into predator mode as two sets of heavy headlights suddenly broke through the tree line, illuminating the entire cabin clearing in blinding white light.
