Ashes of Silver Hollow: Justice Won’t Bow / Chapter 4: Blood, Shame, and a Sealed Letter
Ashes of Silver Hollow: Justice Won’t Bow

Ashes of Silver Hollow: Justice Won’t Bow

Author: Morgan Cooke

Chapter 4: Blood, Shame, and a Sealed Letter

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Suddenly, a scream shattered the moment.

The sound tore through the square, jagged as broken glass. Heads whipped around.

"What are you doing?!"

Lily was yanked out by Franklin’s deputies, thrown to her knees, fighting back, her face streaked with tears that cut tracks through the dirt.

My whole body went cold. I lunged forward, but rough hands pinned me. The crowd gasped, a few folks covering their mouths in shock.

"Jackson Reed, open your eyes—your precious nobody of a wife is getting humiliated in public!"

Walter stepped up, grabbing her chin:

His grip was harsh, his smile twisted into something ugly. I saw Lily’s jaw clench—she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

"Not bad-looking. Saw you out there—what a body, what a face… real piece of work."

The words made my skin crawl. I thrashed against the hands holding me, desperate to reach her.

I balled my fists and strained against them:

"Let her go!"

The officials outnumbered me, pinning me down hard.

Their hands dug in, faces set and blank as stone. I fought, but they had me locked down. The fury inside me was a wildfire.

Suddenly, crying erupted behind me. Maddie was jerked up by her hair, and a clerk cocked his hand back to slap her.

"You little brat, dared to bite me!"

The crowd snapped, chaos breaking loose. Folks dropped to their knees, begging for mercy for my family.

Their voices rose, desperate and wild—pleading, bargaining, some just sobbing into their hands. It was a mess of fear and heartbreak.

My head pounded, and something inside me snapped like a dry twig. The deputy’s hand was locked around Lily’s neck, her face smeared with dirt, but her eyes—clear, fierce—locked on mine. Maddie’s cries ripped through me as I watched the clerk slap her, leaving a red mark across her cheek.

Time slowed to a crawl. Every hit, every sob, burned itself into my memory. I was helpless, boiling with rage and a bone-deep promise to end this.

"Stop! I have a letter from the governor!"

The world froze, like someone hit pause on the chaos.

The silence was instant, heavy as a loaded gun. All eyes swung my way, suspicion and disbelief flickering across their faces.

Franklin’s eyes narrowed:

"What did you say?"

The men holding me loosened their grip. I stood up slow, pulling out the sealed letter I’d kept stashed away. Before I left Savannah, my father had told me I could use it if I ever needed to come home.

My hands shook as I cracked the seal, the weight of my family’s name suddenly real. I held the letter up, daring anyone to challenge me.

"I’m the governor’s son, and he personally appointed me to oversee Silver Hollow. Who here thinks they can ignore that?"

My voice was loud, cutting through the tension. The crowd buzzed, hope flickering in their eyes for the first time.

Franklin stepped forward, snatching the gold-embossed letter from my hand.

He squinted at it, brow furrowed deep. For a second, I thought he might actually back down.

"It’s the governor’s handwriting…"

Walter barked out a laugh:

"Jackson, you got guts—trying to pass off a fake letter from the governor! Not scared of getting locked up?"

His laugh was shaky, and I could see the cracks in his confidence. The power was shifting, and he knew it.

Franklin started ripping the letter to shreds, letting the pieces drift to the ground.

The sound of tearing paper was sharp and final. The crowd gasped, and a wave of helpless fury crashed over me.

"Take them all in! I’m charging him with forgery—he’ll be arraigned tomorrow!"

Right then, a thin voice cut through:

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