Chapter 10 - Shadows of Tacoma
Jax pulled a small flashlight from his belt and clicked it on.
The thin beam illuminated a cold, dripping stone passage.
The boy was holding tightly to Martha’s apron.
"Who are you really, Martha?" Jax asked, holding the flashlight steady on her face.
Martha sighed, looking older and more tired than ever.
"I was your mother's sister, Jax," she revealed softly.
Jax froze in his tracks.
"You told me my mother died when I was born!" Jax shouted, his voice ringing off the stone.
"She didn't die in childbirth, Jax," Martha said, looking away.
"She was taken by Thomas’s organization."
"They used her to force your father to hide the ledger."
"What ledger?!" Jax demanded.
"The ledger containing the names of every corrupt official in three states," Martha replied.
The boy suddenly tugged on Jax’s leather vest.
"Jax... look," the boy whispered, pointing behind them.
Jax turned the flashlight beam back up the tunnel.
At the far end of the light beam stood a figure in a tailored white shirt.
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Thomas was standing in the damp tunnel, completely dry, holding a silenced pistol.
"Did you really think a wooden trapdoor would stop me, Jax?" Thomas asked with a polite smile.
