Chapter 25 - The Final Facade
Jax stared at the document, his heart stopping in his chest.
"This... this makes no sense," Jax stammered, reading the medical reports attached to the file.
"The real Governor Vance died in a car crash twelve years ago," Marcus explained quietly, his raspy voice filling the small cavern.
"The syndicate didn't just bribe him, Jax."
"They replaced him with a plastic-surgery duplicate to control the state."
"And who was the surgeon?" Jax asked, his hands shaking so violently the paper rattled.
Marcus looked up at Jax with a look of profound, devastating pity.
"Look at the doctor's signature at the bottom of the page, Jax."
Jax flipped the page over, his eyes scanning down to the bottom line.
Lead Surgeon: Dr. Martha Vance.
Jax dropped the file as if it had burned his skin.
"Martha...?" Jax whispered, stepping back toward the edge of the water.
"She wasn't your aunt, Jax," Marcus said softly, standing up with difficulty.
"She was the mastermind behind the entire operation."
"She built the diner to keep an eye on us, and she used the boy to draw you into the trap."
Suddenly, a quiet footstep echoed from the dark tunnel at the back of the air cavern.
Jax swung around, raising his revolver into the gloom.
Out from the shadows stepped Martha, wearing a dry trench coat and holding a silenced pistol.
Beside her walked little Leo, his hand held tightly in hers, his eyes completely emotionless.
"You always were too smart for your own good, Marcus," Martha said, her voice smooth, calm, and stripped of all diner-waitress warmth.
May you like
"Now... give me the book."
(To be continued...)
