Chapter 3 - Behind Bars
The heavy iron door of the holding cell slammed shut with a deafening clang.
Mark stumbled forward into the dim lighting of the county jail cell.
The metallic smell of dust and rust filled his nose.
He grabbed the thick iron bars and shook them with all his remaining strength.
"Let me out! I didn't do anything!" Mark screamed into the empty hallway.
His voice echoed uselessly off the concrete walls.
No one answered.
Mark slid down the cold wall and buried his face in his hands.
His mind was racing violently.
How could Evelyn pull off such a massive trap so fast?
She had wiped his bank accounts.
She had planted poison in his car.
She had bribed Detective Miller.
And now, she had legal custody of Lily.
Lily was completely alone with the woman who wanted to destroy their lives.
"Screaming won't break those steel bars, kid."
A deep, gravelly voice echoed from the darkest corner of the cell.
Mark snapped his head up instantly.
A man was sitting on the top bunk, hidden in the shadows.
He was tall, heavily built, and covered in intricate dark tattoos across his arms and neck.
He wore a dirty leather vest over a faded t-shirt.
Mark recognized those tattoos immediately.
It was Jax—the motorcycle racer from the old photograph.
Mark's breath caught in his throat.
"Jax?" Mark whispered, rising to his feet slowly.
The man on the bunk paused, his sharp eyes narrowing through the darkness.
"How do you know my name?" Jax asked, jumping down from the bunk with heavy footsteps.
He stepped closer into the dim light.
His long dark hair was tied back, and a rugged beard covered his jaw.
"My daughter... Lily... she had a photograph of you," Mark said, his voice shaking.
Jax's body visibly stiffened.
His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
"A photograph?" Jax asked, his voice suddenly thick with dangerous tension.
"A photo of you holding a baby," Mark explained eagerly. "In front of a small town diner."
Jax took two fast steps toward Mark and grabbed Mark's shirt collar through the bars.
"Where did she get that photo?!" Jax demanded through gritted teeth.
"Her mother gave it to her before she went into a coma!" Mark yelled back. "My wife, Clara!"
Jax froze instantly.
His grip on Mark's collar loosened slightly.
The anger in his eyes transformed into overwhelming shock and agony.
"Clara..." Jax muttered under his breath.
"You knew Clara?" Mark asked, staring at the veteran biker.
"Clara was my sister," Jax whispered hoarsely.
Mark’s mind reeled back in complete shock.
Clara had never mentioned having a brother.
She had always claimed she was an orphan raised entirely by Evelyn after her parents died.
"Sister?" Mark gasped. "Clara told me she had no family left besides Evelyn!"
Jax let go of Mark's shirt and let out a dark, bitter laugh.
"Evelyn isn't Clara's adoptive mother, you fool," Jax said, turning his back.
"Evelyn is the woman who stole Clara from our family thirty years ago."
Mark felt like the ground beneath him was crumbling.
Every single thing he believed about his family was a massive lie.
"Why would Evelyn steal Clara?" Mark asked frantically.
Jax slowly turned around, his face dark with deadly seriousness.
"Because our real family owned the land that built Evelyn's entire business empire," Jax revealed.
"And Clara was the sole legal heir to every single cent."
Mark stared at Jax as the horrifying truth connected in his brain.
Evelyn didn't just want control over Lily.
She was eliminating anyone who could expose her stolen empire.
Suddenly, a jail guard walked down the corridor and stopped right outside their cell.
"Mark Vance," the guard said, tapping his nightstick against the metal bars.
"You've got a visitor," the guard announced coldly.
"Who is it?" Mark asked, his heart beating wildly against his ribs.
May you like
The guard smirked maliciously.
"Your mother-in-law, Mrs. Evelyn Vance
