{"id":3017,"date":"2026-05-16T16:27:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/?p=3017"},"modified":"2026-05-16T16:44:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:14:04","slug":"part-2-the-raven-tattoo-and-the-chain-that-shouldnt-exist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/?p=3017","title":{"rendered":"PART 2: The Raven Tattoo and the Chain That Shouldn\u2019t Exist"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jace didn\u2019t take the chain right away.<\/p>\n

His eyes stayed locked on it, like moving would make it disappear.<\/p>\n

The diner felt quieter than it should\u2019ve been. Even the ceiling fan seemed to slow.<\/p>\n

Finally, he reached out\u2014slow, careful\u2014and took it from the girl\u2019s small hand.<\/p>\n

The metal was burned black.<\/p>\n

But the shape\u2026 he knew it too well.<\/p>\n

A custom link pattern. One he\u2019d helped design years ago.<\/p>\n

For Eli Carter.<\/p>\n

Jace\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d he asked again, lower this time.<\/p>\n

The girl didn\u2019t answer immediately.<\/p>\n

Instead, she watched him like she was measuring whether he could handle the truth.<\/p>\n

Then she said softly:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me to come here if I found the raven.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the bikers behind Jace muttered, \u201cEli Carter\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jace didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n

Because he was staring at something else now.<\/p>\n

A faint engraving on the inside of the chain link.<\/p>\n

A number.<\/p>\n

Not random.<\/p>\n

A prison intake code.<\/p>\n

His grip tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have this,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

The girl blinked. \u201cMy mom said it was the only thing that would make you listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

That word\u2014listen<\/em>\u2014shifted something in him.<\/p>\n

Jace slowly stood up from the booth.<\/p>\n

The chair scraped back loudly across the floor.<\/p>\n

Every biker nearby straightened instantly.<\/p>\n

Jace looked down at the girl fully now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLily.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name landed softly, but it didn\u2019t feel soft at all.<\/p>\n

Jace repeated it under his breath, like testing it against a memory he had locked away.<\/p>\n

Then his eyes drifted to the raven tattoo on his arm.<\/p>\n

Same bird.<\/p>\n

Same mark.<\/p>\n

Same past.<\/p>\n

He exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cEli didn\u2019t just send you here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The girl shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she whispered. \u201cHe said you\u2019d know what they did to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A long silence followed.<\/p>\n

Then Jace turned his head slightly toward the booth window.<\/p>\n

Outside, across the quiet Ohio street, a black car sat parked under a dying streetlight.<\/p>\n

Engine running.<\/p>\n

Waiting.<\/p>\n

Jace\u2019s expression hardened immediately.<\/p>\n

Not fear.<\/p>\n

Confirmation.<\/p>\n

He gently closed his fist around the burned chain.<\/p>\n

Then spoke without looking away from the window:<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody finish your coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pause.<\/p>\n

Then, quieter:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got company.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jace didn\u2019t take the chain right away. His eyes stayed locked on it, like moving would make it disappear. The diner felt quieter than it should\u2019ve been. Even the ceiling fan seemed to slow. Finally, he reached out\u2014slow, careful\u2014and took it from the girl\u2019s small hand. The metal was burned black. But the shape\u2026 he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimes.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}