Chapter 9 - Carter Mercer
Eli stared at the brass key in his palm.
“My name is Eli Carter.”
Miriam nodded. “Your legal name, yes.”
Jax felt the pieces moving before he wanted them to.
“Hannah said Eli isn’t who Cole thinks he is.”
Miriam looked at him. “What does Cole think?”
“That Eli can open something.”
Vince crossed his arms. “Can he?”
Miriam studied the key. “Not alone.”
Jax understood.
“Fingerprint.”
“Exactly.”
“Whose?”
A voice came from behind them.
“Mine.”
Everyone turned.
Sheriff Bell stood at the edge of the bridge with a pistol aimed at Miriam.
Two deputies flanked him.
Eli moved behind Jax.
Bell smiled sadly. “You always were hard to kill, Mercer.”
Jax stepped sideways. “You helped bury Cole.”
“No. I helped bury the story.”
“Same thing.”
Bell’s gaze dropped to the key.
“Give me that.”
Eli tightened his fist.
“No.”
Bell sighed. “Kid, I watched you grow up from a distance. Don’t make this difficult.”
Eli looked confused.
Jax did not.
“What does that mean?”
Bell ignored him.
Miriam slowly lowered her hands. “You can still walk away from Cole.”
Bell laughed once. “Nobody walks away. Jax should know that.”
Then headlights swept across the bridge.
A delivery van came around the bend too fast.
Bell turned.
Vince moved.
He slammed into the nearest deputy while Miriam kicked Bell’s gun hand aside.
The pistol fired into the gravel.
Jax grabbed Eli and pulled him behind a concrete support.
The van stopped sideways.
Darla leaned across the passenger seat and shouted, “GET IN!”
Jax blinked. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving your stupid life!”
They ran.
Miriam jumped into the back. Vince followed. Jax shoved Eli inside and climbed after him as Darla accelerated.
Behind them, Bell fired once. The bullet punched through the rear door but hit no one.
Darla took the next curve at sixty.
“Diner?” Jax shouted.
“Closed.”
“Police?”
“Corrupt.”
“Good summary.”
Eli clutched the key.
Miriam touched her ear, listening to a concealed receiver.
Then her face went pale.
“What?” Jax asked.
“I planted audio near the cold storage building.”
A man’s voice crackled through the receiver.
Calm. Familiar.
Cole Mercer.
“Midnight is canceled,” he said.
A second voice asked why.
May you like
Cole answered:
“Because my brother is bringing the boy to me right now.”
