AN EDUCATION
Chapter One
"When the student is ready, the master appears."
~Buddhist Proverb
Mile after mile flew by on the highway. Lily Campbell gripped the steering wheel, her chest still heaving even though she'd already been driving for almost six hours. She glanced in the rear view mirror, thanking God she'd wore waterproof mascara that night but then she caught a glimpse of the light bruise forming underneath her left eye. She reached up gingerly and winced as her fingers brushed the sensitive skin; the swelling was already bad enough but the purple tinge forming at the top of her cheek wasn't doing anything but propelling her forward.
She had to keep moving because she was never going back. The only stops she'd made had been at an ATM right out of LA to empty her checking and savings accounts and about three hours earlier at a gas station to pee, grab some food, and get gas. She just had to keep going. She couldn't stop unless absolutely necessary because she knew it was only a matter of time before what she'd left in the rear view mirror started looking for her, if they hadn't already.
Her head fell back to the headrest and she sighed, almost with relief. She would feel relieved when she was as far away from that place as she could possibly get, even if she didn't exactly have any idea where she was heading. The only thought going through her head was that she'd needed to get the hell out of there as she'd dashed around the apartment throwing as much as she could into her suitcases. She hadn't even changed out of her party dress; sure, it would've only taken an extra two minutes but that was two minutes too long. She closed her eyes and could feel the hot, whiskey-laced breath on her ear as he whispered:
"Why can't you just do as you're told? Now be a good girl and go back to the table, apologize for being rude, and then we'll talk about this when we get home."
"Go fuck yourself, Will." She'd replied, not caring who was watching, not caring about the repercussions. At that moment, something had snapped in her. Something that had been a long time in coming. It was a clean break, whatever it was that had snapped, and she'd instantly smiled at the satisfaction of finally saying to his face what she'd always secretly said to him in her head.
She'd seen it in his eyes before she'd felt it as his hand struck her violently across the face. Her heel had gotten caught in between the grooves of the ceramic tile beneath her and she'd tumbled to the ground like a rag doll. She'd barely heard his protests, pushed away his trembling hands to help her up, and then ran to the waiting car the valet had just brought up. She'd never looked back.
The life she'd left behind wasn't anything but fake, meaningless, and completely devoid of anything good. It was nothing. It meant nothing. All she wanted now was to find some place where she could do what she wanted, go where she wanted, and not be so god-damn terrified to say so. No more would she be a doormat for her father and her fiancé to stomp on. She was finally free.
Her eyes flashed open at the high-pitched beep that was coming from her dashboard. The check engine light was on. Shit. And now the temperature gauge arrow was rising at an alarming rate. Go figure. Shit. Right about now, she really could use a cell phone. Too bad she'd flung it out the window when the constant buzzing had gotten too much for her. That had been a bad choice. When she remembered, with great relief, that her father had had a GPS system installed in her car, it was the first time she'd probably ever been grateful he was such an overbearing father, stubborn and insistent on getting his way. At least he'd been right about something…what had he said? Oh yeah: "you're horrible with directions, Lily, and you and I both know you can't keep track of a cell phone for more than a damn week at a time and someday, you're going to thank me for making sure you can make it to your hair appointments on time without using the GPS on that over-priced phone of yours."
While tactlessly put and completely inconsiderate of her feelings as usual, the bastard had been right.
She quickly punched in the information for any auto shop that was reasonably close, hoping and praying that her car would make it long enough to get her there. After a few moments, the results popped up and as she scanned them, she wanted to bang her head against the steering wheel. The only one within realistic driving distance, Teller-Morrow Auto Repair, was still five miles away in Charming. She'd never heard of the town before but then again, she didn't normally venture this far north. Well, Teller-Morrow Auto Repair it was; now, she just had to make it there before her car gave out on her…
Jax barely looked up from under the hood of the truck he was working on when Opie handed him the office phone. He swore under his breath and glanced hesitantly up at Ope, whose lips were set in a grim line. Given that his cell phone had been turned off for the past two days, the caller could only be one person. It was too damn early in the morning to deal with this shit.
He took the phone out of his best friend's hand with a low grunt and barked into the ear piece: "Wendy, stop fucking calling here. I'm at work. I can't talk to you right now even if I wanted to."
"Baby, please, just listen to me," his soon-to-be ex-wife pleaded on the other side of the line. "All I want is to talk to you…you haven't given me any other choice!"
He glanced up and met the frustrated, pissed off eyes of his mother, who was watching with a mirthless smile on her face from the office doorway, her manicured hands tapping impatiently at her hips; he turned his back for a little privacy but quickly realized that wasn't going to work, not with the twenty pairs of eyes staring right at him.
He sighed tiredly into the phone and rubbed his face with his free hand.
"Please, Jax…I'm still your wife. Don't you at least owe me that? To talk to me? I've been trying so hard…"
Wendy sounded so desperate, so pathetic that he almost felt sorry for her. But then he remembered what had happened the last time he'd taken pity on a strung-out stripper who'd been fortunate enough to be laying in his bed when he'd had the most ill-conceived revelation of his life. He'd been lonely, he'd felt sorry for her, and so he'd fucking married her. And had been stupid enough to take her back more times than she deserved. All in the name of loneliness and too little backbone.
He sighed again and winced as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Fine. One talk. I'll stop by the house later tonight. But that's it, Wendy. Don't expect anything to come out of this."
"I won't, Jax," he could practically see her nodding into the phone, her face beaming with false hope. "I won't. I'm so glad you're finally agreeing to this."
He gritted his teeth. "Don't get used to it."
Then he hit the end button before she had a chance to protest.
"You did the right thing, brother," Opie clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, maybe if you get her off your back, she'll stop bothering the hell out of us while we're trying to get some shit done." Tig hollered from over his shoulder as he got back to work.
"Jesus, never a dull moment around this shit-hole," Bobby muttered under his breath as he swept past Jax towards the tool-box near his feet.
He flung a greasy towel over his shoulder and braced himself for the inevitable. It was only a matter of seconds before…
"Jax."
Ah, there it was.
His mother strode over to him, her hard features set in ice as she glared daggers into his eyes.
"Yeah, mom."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Please tell me you're not planning on doing something stupid with that junkie whore."
Both hands rubbed across his face in frustration before he was able to answer her. "Don't freak out, Mom. It's not going to be like last time."
"It'd better not."
"It won't." He gave her a hard look, his lines set in a firm line and he hoped that was enough to let her know he was serious.
Her features softened almost immediately and a hand reached up to touch his face. "I'm sorry, baby. I know you told me to stay out of it but I don't want to see the same shit that happened last time happen to you again. I can't sit by and watch that again."
He nodded and gave her a sincere smile. "I know, Ma. Just let me handle it, alright? I'll tell her what's what and then send her packin' for good."
She cocked an apprehensive eyebrow at him. "You think it's going to be that easy?"
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets absentmindedly. "It has to be. I'm done with her."
That made her smile. "Good for you, baby. Now, get back to work."
"Yes, ma'am."
He shot her a cocky lop-sided grin, making her swat him with a towel before turning back to the forgotten truck he'd been working on. Before long, he was completely lost in putting the engine back together. It was amazing how quickly he could set aside all the bullshit that had recently come back into his life the second he was messing around with parts, grease, and oil. It was oddly calming and it made him forget almost as well as the bottle of Jack he had waiting for him in his dorm room. That was just going to have to wait until after his little chat with the wife.
A low whistle thrust him out of his thoughts and he turned his head to see a silver Bentley pull into the parking lot. All tools, all hands seemed to freeze in place as all eyes were on the Bentley. It wasn't every day a car like that pulled into TM and Jax could already see everyone around him drooling at the prospect of not only getting to work on it, but to get the payout that went along with working on a luxury vehicle like that. Any Bentley parts cost a shit-ton of money and were difficult to find in that area, which meant more logged man-time which meant a nice healthy paycheck for the lucky son that got to work on it.
"So whadda think we got inside those pretty tinted windows, huh?" Tig asked, coming up behind him. "Probably a suit with a stick up his ass is my guess. I'd be happy to yank it out for him."
Jax was about to laugh when the door opened as a smooth, toned leg ventured out into the sun. The leg, which also happened to be barefoot, quickly retreated back inside the car and then the door swung open a little more to reveal a golden-haired goddess in a tiny sequined dress seated in the driver's seat.
"Fuck me." Tig dropped the wrench he'd been holding.
"Holy shit." Jax exhaled.
They watched in complete fascination as the legs swung back out, now clad in stiletto heels, and then the goddess was on her feet, sauntering towards them on legs that went on for days. A silky black sequined dress clung tightly to her perfect curves, riding up just far enough to get a glance at the space in between her thighs, and that she was now self-consciously tugging down. Jax didn't even realize he'd groaned in disappointment until he heard it. He swallowed tightly as she flicked her long, slightly messy blonde curls over her shoulder.
Jax started moving in her direction when a firm hand held him back by the shoulder.
"Just what do you think you're doing, bro?" Tig snarled in his ear. "That piece of tits and legs is all mine."
Jax shrugged him off with a grin. "I saw her first."
"Bullshit you did."
Jax was already backpedaling out of the garage, his eyes gleaming with victory. "Whatever, old man."
"Yeah, whatever my ass," Tig tossed a pliers in his direction, which he playfully dodged as he turned on his heels to face the object of their friendly argument.
His breath hitched in his throat when his eyes found her again and he fought the urge to break out into a sprint. She was watching him carefully as they approached each other and he noticed that she had her arms protectively wrapped around her chest. But her eyes didn't hold any nervousness or agitation like he had expected. Instead, he was met with big, curious blue eyes that were assessing him with clear precision. While it was plain to see she wasn't like any other girl that had ever stepped foot in his town, she also clearly wasn't some stupid rich snob either.
With a nervous breath, he slipped a smile on his face and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can I help you, miss?"
Now that they were face to face, the light purple bruise at the top of her cheek was unmistakable. In a flash, the nervousness was gone and his instincts were kicking into high gear. This gorgeous, somewhat inappropriately dressed, seemingly filthy rich girl that stood in front of him was running from something. And despite every warning bell going off in his brain that whatever this girl was running from was probably bad news, the frustrated, exhausted, and emotionally spent glaze in her eyes told him to do something else.
"Yeah, hi," she smiled and held her hand out, which he gingerly shook. "I'm hoping you can help me with this stupid piece of crap."
He bit his lip to keep from laughing and he gestured to the Bentley—that obviously wasn't a piece of crap—behind them. "What's the problem?"
She blew out a breath and brought a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun as she spoke. "Well, the check engine light is on and the temperature gauge was getting way too high."
He frowned and glanced again at the car behind them. "When was that?"
"About five miles ago."
He tried to stop himself from wincing—she definitely shouldn't have kept driving it if it was overheating, but then again, he expected she probably hadn't known that. At least she'd known well enough to pull over to the first place she could find and lucky for him…
"Well," he was saying now. "Let me take a look at it and then we can go from there."
"Ok," she nodded gratefully. "Thanks. Can you…um…can you tell me where the bathroom is?"
"Sure, darlin'," he grinned. "Right this way."
He waited for her to grab a suitcase out of her trunk and then led her through the garage, trying not to make eye contact with any of his brothers, who were all making zero effort to hide their shit-eating grins and gaping wide mouths. He turned to point out the door she needed but sprung out to catch her instead as her heel caught on one of the million extension cords running around the garage. His arms snaked around her waist and she was staring up at him with those deep blue eyes and he knew he was holding her a little too closely.
He made sure she was steady on both feet before carefully putting more distance between them. "You alright?"
"Yeah," she nodded breathlessly. "I'm fine. Thanks…I would've been sprawled out all over the floor with my dress over my head if you hadn't caught me…that would've been quite the show, right?"
She gestured with her head towards the twenty pairs of eyes watching them and grinned good-naturedly. He knew she was waiting patiently for him to say something but he needed to get the image of that tiny dress over her head out of his head.
He laughed nervously, internally kicking himself in the balls for not being on his game and gestured towards the bathroom door. "No problem, darlin'. Just tryin' to help. There's the bathroom and there's a waiting room around the corner. I'll let you know when I get this figured out for ya."
She smiled again and bit her lip as she headed towards the bathroom. Jax watched her walk away from him and suppressed the groan that croaked up his throat as her hips swayed back and froth, her slim legs teetered on her sky-high, lethal heels that made her almost as tall as him, and that dress that cupped her tight ass with each step. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face with his hands.
What the hell was wrong with him? He'd been buried in beautiful women since he hit puberty and had never, ever had this much difficulty forming a coherent sentence around a woman, especially one he found attractive. Now he was sputtering like a god-damn teenager. But this woman turned his brain into complete shit. Hell, he hadn't even gotten her name. That was a fucking amateur mistake and he was no amateur.
But it wasn't just the way she looked, it was the way she carried herself…with a confidence that was head and shoulders above any crow-eater or woman in Charming for that matter, save for his mother…and it was the way she'd spoken to him. When he'd first approached her, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought she would be some stuck-up rich bitch that would start ordering him around first chance she got. But she'd been surprising him from the moment she held out her hand for him to shake…and she was polite and good-natured; there was nothing about her that seemed even remotely fake, despite her appearance. She didn't seem all that nervous and she didn't seem all that perturbed by the half-run-down garage with a long line of Harleys parked out front of the shop. This girl was different and for the first time since he'd figured out how much he loved women, he was nervous.
Shit.
Lily sighed deeply as she tried to maneuver around the tiny bathroom the blonde Greek god had led her to. Driving through the night had finally started to catch up with her because her head was pounding like a jackhammer. She needed a shower, food, and some serious sleep. But she couldn't do any of that until that dangerously attractive mechanic figured out what the hell was wrong with her car.
He had been very polite and accommodating, and…even a little sweet. She sighed again as she thought about the slightly arrogant swagger, the flashing blue eyes, the lop-sided grin that almost made her knees tremble, and the way he nervously tucked his over-long, blonde hair behind his ear. She bit her lip as she remembered the way his hands had felt around her hips when he'd caught her just minutes before. Just the heat from his hands had made her feel light-headed. And that was definitely not a feeling she had experienced with her fiancé before, and she'd literally just met this guy. She didn't even know his name and here she was, reeling over the feel of his hands and all he'd done was catch her fall.
Pushing that out of her still pounding head, she rifled through her suitcase. She quickly dug out a pair of black yoga pants and a white tank top, and yanked herself free from the dress and heels that had grown very uncomfortable over the last seven hours. She shoved the offending clothes and shoes into the suitcase and slipped into some flip-flops, feeling instantly relieved.
After splashing some water on her face, she glanced up at her reflection and winced at the sight of the bruise on her cheek. That mechanic had definitely noticed it; she'd seen the change in his eyes the second he took a closer look at her face. She quickly grabbed her makeup bag and tried cover it up as best as she could with some powder and concealer but squeezed her eyes shut tightly at the still visible bruise on her face. She could probably pass for some rich heiress going on a joy ride if not for that; but then again, she didn't really care what she could pass for or not pass for anymore. After throwing her makeup bag back into her suitcase, she angrily threw her mess of hair into a ponytail.
And as she sat down, her head dropped into her hands as reality came slamming in. She really was alone now. And she had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do. There hadn't been any time to stop and think…just a completely impulsive act of self-preservation. Thankfully, she probably had enough cash to last her at least a few months before she'd have to figure something else out. She could figure everything out as long as she was anywhere but in LA.
With another heavy sigh, she dragged her suitcase out into the 'waiting room' the hot mechanic had directed her to and ran a frustrated hand through her hair when she realized it was really just a few chairs in a hallway. Although she'd been hoping for something a little more secluded so she'd have a fighting chance at actually getting a little sleep, she set her suitcase down with determination and fell heavily into the closest chair near her. Within seconds, her head was bobbing to her shoulder and she was fast asleep.
It could've been minutes or hours later, she wasn't entirely sure, but all too soon she was jerked awake by someone gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes drowsily pushed open and she found that mechanic, with his gorgeous blue eyes and way too sexy hair, smiling kindly down on her, holding a hot cup of coffee out to her.
"Hey, sorry to wake you."
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, adjusting her now sore neck.
"No, don't worry about it. Thanks." She yawned again as she took the cup from him.
He sat down on a chair across from her and tucked a piece of unruly hair behind his ear. "My name is Jax, by the way."
She smiled, her heart pounding in her chest and she leaned forward with her outstretched to him for the second time. He grinned and took her hand.
"I'm Lily. Nice to officially meet you."
That lop-sided grin slid onto his face again and she had to bite her lip.
"You too, Lily." Jax smiled as he leaned back into his chair.
"Did you fix it?" She asked hopefully and cringed at the apologetic expression fixed on his face.
"Well," he ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. "The good news is that I can fix it for you…the bad news is that in order to fix it, I have to order the parts in and that could take about a week or so…two at the most."
She groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. "Shit."
"You got some place to be, darlin'?" He was frowning now and leaning forward a little bit more than before.
"No, not really. I was just…"
He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he frowned again at her. "Well, I can give you the number of a decent hotel around here and I can definitely get you set up with a loaner car…"
"Ok," she nodded, suddenly feeling very self-conscious with his eyes probing her for answers.
"So," he continued hesitantly. "Do you want me to give you the number now or…"
"I…um…" she sputtered nervously. "I don't have a cell phone so I'll need to borrow your phone here. I, uh, I threw it out the window."
His expression went from surprise to suspicious all in the span of a second and she instantly regretted the word vomit that spew from her mouth. Why the hell had she told him that? It was none of his business anyways and he didn't need to know anything personal about her to fix her Cadillac.
He leaned forward again with an unreadable look on his face. "You runnin' from somethin', darlin'?"
She immediately sat up and on the defensive. "I'm not…I'm not running from the cops if that's what you mean."
He shook his head and leaned a little bit closer, glancing down the hallway to make sure they didn't have an audience. "That's not what I meant. I mean the asshole who did that number on your face."
Her hand reflexively shot up to her cheek and she winced at the contact.
"Still sore?" He asked gently.
She nodded carefully. "I…I didn't really get a chance to ice it or anything."
He bit down on his lip and then rubbed his mouth angrily. Then he looked back up at her with softened eyes. "I can help you with that too."
She abruptly shook her head, not wanting any unnecessary attention on her. "Don't worry about it; I'm fine…really."
He chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly, still watching her with sad eyes. Then he leaned forward again. "All I need is a name and an address and that asshole will never bother you again."
She blinked once and frowned. "You're serious?"
"Like the plague, darlin'."
She blinked again, at his repeated use of the endearment, 'darlin'', towards her or his deadly serious offer of violence and revenge, she wasn't sure. "You'd do that…you don't even know me."
He shrugged as he sat back in his chair. "Don't have to."
"Well," she replied warily. "Thanks for the offer, though."
He nodded again and took a card from his front pocket. "Here's TM's card. I'll get you set up with that hotel and a loaner car so you can get around."
"Ok," she replied quietly. "Well, how much do I owe you for today?"
He grinned and she felt relieved that he'd seemed to relax a little. Jax gestured with his head towards the hallway as he rose to his feet.
"Come on, we'll get it taken care of in the office."
Jax watched with his hands perched on his hips as he watched her drive away in a TM loaner. He sighed and frowned slightly when he couldn't see her anymore.
"That was awfully sweet of you to get a hotel room for her, Jax." Tig sneered from over his shoulder.
Jax cast a wary glance at Tig as Juice and Opie made a lame attempt at muffling their laughter with their fists. Tig sauntered over to Jax with a cocky grin and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Now, bro," Tig started with faux sincerity. "I don't really have a problem with you givin' her the family discount today and even though I think you were a little too…how do I put this…pussy-whipped when you called the hotel for her but please, please, please, bro…please tell me you got her room number so I can pay her a visit later tonight."
Juice and Opie were already laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes as Jax angrily flipped them all off and threw a greasy towel at Tig.
"Fuck you all." He spat. He'd nearly lunged over the counter when Half-Sack told Lily about the family discount after she'd protested the way too low price. He'd wanted to throttle Half-Sack for being such a damn idiot; he hadn't intended on her ever knowing he'd given her a price on labor reserved for family and employees only. She didn't seem like the type of girl that would be happy about charity and all he'd wanted to do was give her a break. For some reason, Sack's announcement had mortified the shit out of him.
"I was just tryin' to be a nice guy," Jax started, taking a long pull from his cigarette. "She's obviously in some kind of trouble."
"I mean, seriously," Juice added. "Who pays for a repair bill with cash? Did you see how many hundred bills were her wallet? My eyes almost fell out of their sockets."
Opie nodded, his jaw set in deep thought. "Showing up in that dress, no cell phone, all those suitcases, all that cash…and I think we all saw that bruise on her cheek…something bad must've gone down for her to just up and leave like that."
"Well," Tig cut in. "The good news is she'll be in town for at least a week and the good news is that in a week, none of this shit will matter."
Opie nodded solemnly. "It's none of our business anyways."
"Unless she decides to stick around for awhile…" Juice thought out loud.
"Nah," Jax shook his head. "She's just passin' through."
"And until she continues on her merry way, I am going to fantasize about all the dirty, horrific, unspeakable things I would do to that body if I ever got the chance." Tig closed his eyes as if he was picturing it right there.
"Like any of you sorry bastards would have a shot at her." Opie grinned.
Juice shrugged. "Jax could probably get her."
"Shut up, man." Jax snapped playfully, letting a cocky grin slip onto his face.
"Yeah, well," Tig shook his head. "The thing about this chick is—and you can tell it by lookin' at those pretty blues eyes of hers—she doesn't strike me as a girl that would be a one-stop fuck. This is the kind of girl that could fucking rip your out if you can't marry her and pump her full of kids."
"Nicely put, Tig." Opie sighed.
Tig just swatted at him in the air. "Anyways, like I was saying, asshole…sure, Jax could get the broad but good luck keeping her, right? A girl like that doesn't stay in a town like this for long."
"You're preachin' to the choir, brother." Jax exhaled. "I don't know about you douche-bags but I'm goin' back to work."
He didn't hang around long enough to hear anything else. He just wanted to lose himself in his work again…besides, he had a 'date' with his soon-to-be ex-wife and it was a date that was bound to involve yelling, crying, and potentially harmful items thrown in his direction. He needed some time to mentally prepare himself for getting Wendy out of his life for once and for all.
He didn't even know how much time had passed before the office phone was held out to him from under the hood. His head dropped as his fists curled angrily at his sides. How many damn times did he have to tell Wendy to stop calling him there? Sure, he'd felt a little bad at first but now it was just pathetic.
"It's not Wendy, brother," Opie said softly with a sly smile. "It's someone named Lily."
He froze. "What?"
"You heard me; she called here and asked for you."
"What?"
Opie laughed and slid the phone into his hand. "Have fun, brother."
Jax shot him a cocky grin as he stepped away from the truck he'd been working on and headed for the hallway for a little privacy, putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Jax? Hi, it's Lily." Her voice sung out from the other side of the line.
"Yeah, I know. You alright?"
"I'm fine," she laughed and he felt his chest tighten at the sound. "I'm sorry to bother you again. I just…well, I have a little problem and you're the only person I know here in town so…"
"What can I help you with, darlin'?" He smiled into the phone. He'd probably run down the street naked if she asked him too…especially if it meant any time spent with her.
"Well, say I have an expensive piece of jewelry I need to get rid of. Do you know some place where I could take it and not get low-balled?"
He frowned. He hadn't really known what he was expecting but this definitely hadn't been it. This girl was just full of surprises.
"You mean pawn it?"
"Yeah," she replied coolly. "I know how much it's worth; I just want to make sure I go some place that will deal with me."
"Well," he scratched his chin in thought. "Joe's would probably be your best bet; he's a somewhat decent guy."
"Somewhat decent I can live with."
He smiled again and then frowned. "It's not in the best part of town though. Tell you what, I'll stop by the hotel when my shift is done, take you there, and make sure ol' Joey doesn't take you for a ride."
"You don't have to do that, Jax…I'm sure you have more important things to do."
Wendy's desperate face flashed against his mind for a brief moment. Then the vision was gone. "Nah…I don't mind. Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I sent a girl like you all by herself to the bad part of an already rough town? It's not a big deal, I promise."
She was silent for a moment and he could practically feel her hesitation through the phone. Maybe he'd been too forward and maybe she thought riding around with a rough looking guy she barely knew was a bad idea but it was better than her heading to the south side of Charming by herself. There were only a couple of ways that could end and none of them were good.
"I'm sure I'll be fine…if you could just give me a general idea of where Joe's is…"
"Please," he interjected a little too quickly. "I really don't feel comfortable knowing you're going to that part of town by yourself…it'll be dark soon and…well, just trust me on this one."
She paused again and he wondered if she was just being too stubborn or if he was being too stupid.
"I don't need a chauffeur around town, Jax," she laughed and for the first time since she'd walked into TM's garage, something about her was fake.
"That's not what I meant, darlin'," he tried, thinking that maybe if he laid on the charm, she'd give in. "I'm thinkin' I won't be able to sleep tonight unless I know you got to and from Joe's in one piece. Come on, Lily…you don't want to deprive me of sleep, do you?"
She laughed again and this time, it was real. "Well, if you're sure."
"I'm sure, darlin'," he smiled at his victory. "Listen, I gotta go but I'm done in about a half hour. I'll pick you up then, alright?"
"Sure, Jax. Thanks."
"No problem."
He hit the end button with a big, shit-eating grin on his face. He turned on his heel and sauntered out into the garage with a renewed sense of confidence.
"A booty call already? What?" Tig called from across the garage.
Jax just flipped him off and got back to work, wishing the next thirty minutes would be over already.
Lily sat on the edge of the bed and played nervously with the engagement ring in her hands. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe it wasn't too late to call Jax and tell him not to come. But the large rock in her hands felt like a dead weight, a burden that needed to be heaved off and purged from her soul. It was the only remaining artifact from what was already feeling like a distant past and it needed to be gone. She didn't want to look at it. She didn't even want to be in the same room with it.
She'd almost flung it out the window along with her cell phone but some common sense had pushed its way back into her brain and she'd stopped herself. The cell phone was one thing but tossing a 5 carat Cartier diamond ring out of a moving vehicle seemed wasteful. There were people, probably in this very town no less, that would kill to make even a third of what that ring was worth in an entire year. Besides, she could easily find a much better use of the money she'd get from purging herself of anything that reminded her of the past.
So the ring needed to go but what about Jax? She wasn't sure why she had even called him in the first place; she probably could've found a decent pawn shop on her own but her fingers were dialing TM's number before she could stop herself. She sighed again…he didn't seem like a bad guy but then again, Will had seemed like a perfect gentleman when they'd first started dating and she knew exactly how that little arrangement had turned out. It wasn't like she was in a town that was even remotely similar to anything she'd ever known…it looked run-down, almost like it was crumbling under the blaze of the hot California sun. The environment and the people in it were completely foreign to her. She knew, for all intents and purposes, she shouldn't trust Jax. But there was something about the look in his eyes when he'd mentioned the bruise on her face and the way he'd spoken with her on the phone that told her if there was anyone in this town she could trust, it would probably be him. She just didn't know why.
But then again, the second he saw what she was planning on pawning, the questions would start. She wasn't sure she could even explain what had brought her to Charming in coherent fragments, let alone to a near-stranger. She didn't have to answer to anyone, anyways. Not anymore, at least.
She frowned when the roar of a motorcycle engine erupted her thoughts and a quick glance out the window almost had her reeling backwards. Jax, wearing a leather cut-off jacket, was throwing his leg over the side of a very menacingly large Harley and was now ambling towards her door with a slight swagger. She didn't know what was more alarming: the Harley or the sight of him walking towards her front door.
She really needed to get a hold of herself. There was business to take care of and she had to be on her toes. Distractions of any kind, even the kind that drove motorcycles, were not going to help her from here on out. She'd taken the first giant leap to taking care of herself when she left LA and now she needed to keep taking those steps, even if they were less complicated ones. Still, she wasn't entirely prepared to deal with the inevitable questions.
With a deep breath, she flung open the door to greet Jax, who perched at the door with his fist raised mid-air to knock.
Well, there was no going back now.
His face broke out into that lop-sided grin she was quickly becoming accustomed to and he pushed the hair that had fallen in his face behind his ear. "Hey…you ready?"
"Yeah." She exhaled with some agitation.
"Alright," he gestured towards his Harley with a thumb. "I hope I don't mind me bringing my bike…"
She swatted a hand out as they walked towards it.
"Ever been on one before?" He asked, tilting his head slyly towards her.
"No," she laughed. "But I'm sure you knew that already."
He shrugged with a smile.
"Just figured I'd ask. Here…put this helmet on; there are some hand grips behind the seat for you to hold on to." He instructed kindly as he swung his body onto the seat and handed her the helmet, pointing out the barely visible rails behind him. Then he was waiting patiently for her to join him as if he knew her hesitation was slowly ceding to her curiosity. He'd clearly done this before with many, many women. Except, she guessed, this was the first time he'd ever taken a girl to pawn her engagement ring; he just didn't know it.
Using his shoulders to steady her, she awkwardly slid into the seat and groped anxiously for the handles behind her when the engine came to life. It was then that she read the back of his leather cut-off…Sons of Anarchy. So...well, she didn't really know what to think; there was too much flying around in her brain for her senses to register anything other than the task at hand. Maybe, if she ever got the chance, she'd ask him about it later.
As they pulled away from the parking lot, with the wind in her hair and the sun setting on her face, she finally started to relax. She wasn't even a little scared, like she'd thought she'd be…it was actually a little exhilarating. She closed her eyes and just breathed in the fact that she was here and able to do this without any reservation or fear of consequence. It wasn't until the bike jostled on the bumpy road and her leg rattled against his that she realized she was basically straddling him, albeit backwards. The thought made her bite down on her lip and the internal struggle to not scoot closer to him surprised her. It would be so easy to lean forward and wrap her arms around his waist. Too easy.
By the time the bike stopped in front of Joe's, it had already gotten dark. Jax swung his leg around and held a hand out to help ease her off the bike. He glanced around and watched, slightly on edge, as a few motorcycles passed them on the street. She bit her lip as she took in the surroundings in front of her…Jax definitely hadn't been exaggerating. This really was a rough part of town. Now, she was very, very grateful she'd let him talk her into bringing her here. One look at the graffiti-laden, paint-scraped building and the dirty, blood-stained street it sat on and she wouldn't have even stepped out of the car. She'd have immediately locked the doors and gotten the hell out of there.
After a pause and another glance down the street to the cyclists' retreating forms, Jax gestured for her to go inside.
"Well, if it isn't Jax Teller!" a loud voice bellowed from across the store.
Her eyes instantly flew to his as the pieces edged into place. Jax Teller as in Teller-Morrow? She supposed she shouldn't have been all that surprised. But then again, he seemed to be just full of surprises.
Jax winked playfully at her as he hollered: "What's up, Joey!"
"Haven't seen you in a while…what brings you in? And with such a lovely lady too…" The heavy-set owner of the store smiled as he stepped out from behind the counter as he extended a hand towards her.
"I'm Joe Martin," he grinned as he shook her hand. "Very, very nice to meet you."
"Hi, I'm Lily Campbell." She smiled, feeling instantly more relaxed when Jax stepped over to her side.
"Listen, Joey," Jax started coolly. "Lily's got some business for you but you've got to promise me you're not gonna try to rip her off."
Joe held a hand up. "Scout's honor. Besides, I could never defraud such a beautiful woman. Now, whadda ya got for me, sweetheart?"
She took a deep breath and reached into her pocket, placing the offensively large engagement ring down on the counter in front of them. Joe's mouth immediately dropped but she tried desperately not to make eye contact with Jax, whose eyebrows were practically pushed into his hairline.
"Five carats, Cartier, platinum design," she started shakily. "I've got the certificate to prove it."
She set the paperwork down next to the ring and tapped the glass nervously, still not allowing herself to look at Jax, who stood silent beside her. Joe hastily grabbed the papers and scanned them, his fingers trembling so much the pages shook.
"The man who purchased this for me paid around $50,000 for it," she went on, a renewed sense of confidence enveloping her as she spoke. "Now, I know you can't give me that for it but I'd like to do business with you if you can give me a fair price."
Joe's eyes narrowed. "Define 'fair price'."
She shrugged. "Make me an offer."
Joe rubbed his face with his hands and she could see the dilemma etched all over his face. "$10k is the best I can do."
She heard Jax snort loudly next to her as he set his hands on the glass and leaned forward. "Come on, man; that's a little insulting, don't you think? You can do better than that."
Joe visibly shuddered before giving his next offer. "15"
She frowned and clipped the ring back into her hands to hold up to his face. "This is a Cartier ring. How many of these have come through this door? Think about the profit you could make and the business you could bring in if everyone found out you carried this kind of stock. Besides, you and I both know this is probably a once and a lifetime opportunity for you. I think you should take it. I want $35,000."
Joe winced and she heard Jax blow out a breath.
"I can't do that, sweetheart," he spat with a little too much frustration, then glanced apologetically at Jax, who was giving him a hard, warning glare.
"Make her another offer, Joe." Jax pushed out roughly, his head tilted to the side as he stared back at Joe, daring him.
"20." He swallowed nervously.
She just shook her head. "30."
Joe looked from Lily to Jax to Lily again and wiped his brow. "How about 22?"
"How about 29?" She countered icily and thankfully suppressed a grin when she saw Jax's eyebrows raise at the move.
"225…that's the best I can do." Joe stuttered anxiously.
"Give me 28 or I'll walk out of here and take this ring to the pawn shop down the street. I'd bet they'd give me my price when I tell them you were too chicken-shit to do it."
Joe shifted nervously from one foot to the other and he wiped the sweat from his brow again. His eyes never left the ring on the glass in front of him and he chewed on his bottom lip in frustrated, agonized thought.
"Come on, Joe," Jax offered with false sincerity. "Are you gonna listen to this lovely lady or are you gonna be a pussy?"
"Fine, fine, fine. 28. I'll start the paperwork…Jesus Christ!"
As Joe retreated into his office with his head in his hands, Jax laughed and nudged her with his elbow.
"Nice work," he whispered to her, his eyes shining.
"Thanks." She whispered back.
They didn't say anything else to each other as she signed the paperwork and handed over the ring with a deep sigh of relief. It was done now. It finally felt like it could actually be over.
They still didn't say anything as they climbed back onto his bike and sped back to her apartment. Although it was dark outside and she could barely see anything in front of her, it felt like she was looking at things from new, open eyes. Maybe she did stand a chance at doing this. Maybe she would really be just fine. The wind blew around her face and she felt like she could finally breathe.
When Jax parked his bike in front of her hotel room, they were still silent as he walked her back up to her door. She glanced at him over her shoulder and swallowed nervously when she saw the hunched shoulders, hands shoved in their pockets, and eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. She braced herself for the inevitable.
"Well, darlin'," he finally spoke, his voice hoarse but still gentle. "This is your stop."
"Yeah," she exhaled shakily. "Thanks for helping me out back there."
He shrugged and pushed his hands deeper into his pockets. "Not a problem. Well…I should get goin'. Let me know if you need anything else, alright?"
"I will," she nodded.
He smiled sadly. "Have a good night, Lily."
"You too, Jax."
She watched him walk back down towards his bike, this time with less swagger than she'd seen before, hands still in his pockets, head still down. She swallowed and her feet were carrying her towards him before her brain even registered what was happening.
"Jax?" She called after her.
He turned abruptly, his eyes wide with surprise. "Yeah?"
She was standing in front of him again and wanted to hug him. This mechanic, who knew next to nothing about her and had only met her that day, had been more helpful, more supportive, more understanding, and less critical in the span of ten hours than any of the men in her life had ever been. And he'd done so without faltering once.
"Thank you," she smiled softly. "For everything…you didn't have to do any of the things you did and I honestly don't know what I would've done without you today."
"It was nothing, darlin'. Consider it my good deed for the day." He smirked playfully at her.
"I know but…I also need to thank you for not asking me any questions before. You have no idea how much I appreciate that."
He smiled again but this time, it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Don't mention it, darlin'."
She nodded and watched him turn back towards his bike, throw his leg over the side, and speed off into the darkness.
A/N-Alright...that's just the start. I know it was a little long but I had a lot of background info to get in there so it'll be easier to move forward in the next chapters.
If you liked it and want to see more, please let me know. If you didn't, please let me know. Your feedback means so much and I love reading your comments. I hope you liked it...the next update will hopefully be popping up over the weekend. R/R!
