CHAPTER 1 — THE WOLF PATCH
The little girl's tiny hand trembled as she clung to the faded wolf patch sewn onto the biker's leather vest.
For a long second, nobody moved.
The stranger standing across the diner slowly withdrew his hand from inside his jacket, realizing every eye in the room was now fixed on him.
The biker never blinked.
He knew that face.
The scar above the eyebrow.
The crooked nose.
The cold gray eyes.
There was no mistake.
Eight years ago, he had watched that man disappear into a burning warehouse together with Rose.
Police had searched the ruins for days.
The official report declared everyone inside dead.
The biker had buried an empty coffin because no bodies were ever recovered.
Yet somehow...
The dead man was standing only twenty feet away.
The stranger suddenly smiled again.
"Long time no see, Jax."
The biker's blood ran cold.
Only one person had ever called him by that name.
Nobody else knew it.
The little girl buried herself behind his back.
"He keeps saying he's taking me home," she whispered.
"But that's not my home."
Jax slowly knelt beside her.
"What's your name?"
"Lily."
"Where's your mommy?"
The little girl's eyes filled with tears.
"I haven't seen her for three days."
Silence swallowed the diner.
Several customers quietly reached for their phones.
The waitress froze beside the coffee machine.
Even the cook leaned through the kitchen window.
The stranger calmly picked up his jacket.
"You should give her back."
"No."
Jax's answer was immediate.
The stranger sighed.
"You have no idea what you're protecting."
Before anyone could react...
The diner lights suddenly went out.
Darkness.
A woman screamed.
Glass shattered.
Someone ran.
When the emergency lights flickered on three seconds later...
The stranger had vanished.
So had Lily.
Jax looked around wildly.
Then he heard it.
A tiny scream outside.
He exploded through the front door just in time to see a black SUV racing away into the night.
Something small fluttered onto the pavement.
A folded piece of paper.
Inside...
Only four handwritten words.
"Rose is still alive."
Jax stared at the message.
Then another sentence underneath made his hands shake.
"If you want them alive... come alone."
He looked toward the highway.
The SUV's taillights disappeared into the darkness.
For the first time in eight years...
May you like
Hope returned.
And so did fear.
