Chapter 6 - Asphalt and Adrenaline
""We take the bike or we die in this driveway,"" Jax said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
He didn't wait for her permission. Stripping off his heavy outer flannel shirt, he wrapped it tightly around Clara's torso, improvising a secure sling that locked Leo firmly against her chest, shielded beneath her own jacket. Leo nestled into the dark fabric, his cheek pressed against her collarbone, his breathing rhythmic and calm despite the madness unfolding around them.
Jax kicked the starter. The twin-cam engine roared to life with an earth-shaking rumble that sent birds scattering from the nearby pines. Clara swung her leg over the rear passenger seat, locking her arms around Jax’s leather-clad waist. The scent of motor oil, rain, and dried tobacco enveloped her—a sensory ghost from a past she had desperately tried to bury.
They blew through the alleyway just as an unmarked black SUV turned onto their quiet suburban street. Through the rear-view mirror, Jax saw two men in tailored suits step out of the vehicle, automatic rifles concealed beneath unbuttoned coats.
Jax snapped the throttle back. The rear tire tore through the gravel, finding traction on the blacktop before rocketing down the avenue. The wind tore at Clara’s hair, whistling through her ears as the speedometer climbed.
Every street corner in this sleepy Oregon town now felt like a choke point. Clara looked down at the bundle against her chest. Leo had his eyes open, observing the blur of passing telephone poles and fences without a hint of fear.
""Where are we going?"" Clara yelled over the engine's roar.
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""Out of the grid,"" Jax shouted back, banking hard around a sharp bend that led toward the coastal highway. ""They’ve got the local deputies on retainer. We hit the state line before nightfall, or we don't hit it at all.""
As they crested the hill leaving the valley, Jax checked his side mirror. Two pairs of high-intensity headlights had just crested the ridge behind them, closing the distance at terrifying speed.
