Chapter 5 - Unraveling Threads
Jax stood frozen in the middle of the diner as the rain battered the windows.
His mind reeled, trying to comprehend the nightmare unfolding around him.
The boy looked terrified again, the electronic voice modulator slipping from his trembling fingers.
"I'm sorry," the boy sobbed, his true child voice returning.
"The man in the van made me do it!"
"He said he would hurt my mom if I didn't hold the speaker!"
Thomas stepped forward and seized the boy’s wrist tightly.
"Enough theatricals," Thomas commanded sharply.
"Hand over the folded paper, Jax."
"Touch that kid again and I'll break your arm," Jax growled, stepping between them.
The two bikers at the corner table stood up, pulling heavy brass knuckles from their pockets.
"You heard the man, white shirt," one of the bikers growled. "Back off."
Thomas didn't panic.
He casually raised his right hand and snapped his fingers twice.
Suddenly, the diner's front windows exploded inward in a shower of glass.
Red laser dots danced across the chest of every person in the room.
Sniper scopes were trained on them from the dark street outside.
"Now," Thomas said softly, wiping a speck of dust from his sleeve.
"Shall we discuss the photograph again?"
Jax looked down at the photograph lying amidst the broken glass on the counter.
The rain blowing through the shattered window began to soak the old paper.
As the water soaked into the print, the scratched-out face began to dissolve.
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Revealed underneath was not Marcus's face.
It was a picture of Martha the waitress, thirty years younger, holding a tiny infant.
