CHAPTER 1: THE PHOTOGRAPH
CHAPTER 1: THE PHOTOGRAPH
Rain hammered against the windows of the old roadside diner.
Outside, hundreds of motorcycles lined the parking lot as the annual biker rally rolled through town.
Inside, laughter filled the room.
But one man sat alone.
Jax Morgan.
Forty-eight years old.
A former biker gang member.
A man with too many scars and too many regrets.
Nobody bothered him.
Nobody dared.
Then the bell above the diner door rang.
A small boy stepped inside.
He looked about eight years old.
His clothes were soaked from the rain.
His sneakers left wet footprints across the floor.
The boy scanned the crowded diner.
Then his eyes found Jax.
Without hesitation, he walked straight toward him.
Jax barely looked up.
"Sorry, kid. Counter's full."
The boy swallowed nervously.
Then said one word.
"Jax."
Something in the child's voice made him look up.
The boy reached into his pocket and placed an old photograph on the counter.
"My mom said this is you."
Jax froze.
The photograph showed a younger version of himself.
Twenty years younger.
Smiling.
Holding a newborn baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
The color drained from his face.
He remembered that day.
He remembered the woman standing beside him.
Sarah.
The love of his life.
The woman he had lost forever.
The diner became silent.
Every customer sensed something important was happening.
Then the boy pulled out a folded piece of paper.
The edges were worn from years of handling.
He held it toward Jax.
"My mom told me to give this to you."
Jax felt his stomach twist.
The child looked down.
Tears filled his eyes.
Then he whispered the words that changed everything.
"She said I had to find you before it was too late."
With shaking hands, Jax unfolded the letter.
The handwriting hit him like a punch.
It was Sarah's.
The first sentence nearly stopped his heart.
"If you're reading this, Jax, I may already be gone."
