Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I love all the feedback! Big shout out to Love Ink for helping me so much with this story! If you haven't checked out her story Hands All Over, you definitely need to! Hope you especially like this chapter, Love Ink! lol I do not own anything in this chapter, besiders Sav, everything else belongs to their rightful owners!
Chapter 4
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Savannah took the morning off to go stay with Abel. She felt bad for not being there to wait out his surgery. She heard about Wendy almost dying from shooting up, in her own hospital room no less, while Abel was in surgery. She honestly wasn't surprised by hearing that news, though she had a bad feeling her ma had a role in that. As long as she couldn't hurt her nephew again, she didn't give two shits about her and what happened to her.
She was standing outside of Abel's room, but she couldn't find it in herself to actually go in and sit beside the box he was being kept in to keep him alive. As good as it was for her to get away for a few hours, a part of her wished she had sucked it up and gone back to the hospital. Even if all she did was pace the halls. It would have meant he had someone there supporting him. Wiping her eyes, she smiled sadly at the baby. He was so tiny, it wasn't natural. He was a Teller, though. He was a fighter, and he had made it this far anyway. He wasn't going to die.
So why couldn't she go in and just sit with the kid?
Guilt, she supposed. She should have been here. Not just for the surgery, but before. The plan was for her to stay with Wendy when Jax wouldn't, but she hadn't done that. Instead she'd gone to Europe and lived a life she knew couldn't be hers. She let herself dream, and in result her nephew was fighting for his life. She knew it was silly for her to blame herself. Wendy was the one who shot up while being pregnant, but she couldn't help herself. She felt a hand touch her arm, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see that it was just Tara. "Hey, you alright?" She asked, concern showing on her face
She wasn't sure what to say to this woman. On one hand they had been friends, and they were in similar situations, but on the other hand she broke her brother's heart. She didn't trust her not to do it again. It wasn't just Jax she hurt by leaving. They'd been friends once upon a time, and she hadn't even spared her a second glance before she left. "I'm fine, Tara. How is he doing?" She asked as she looked through the glass to see the baby.
Tara didn't look convinced, but didn't push it. Their friendship had taken a big hit when she left, and she was hoping to repair it. Savannah might have been a few years younger than her, but she was still one of the best friends she'd had. "He's going to make it. The heart surgery went over well, and he's stronger than ever now." She explained, hoping it would help ease her guilt.
Savannah nodded her head in understanding, that was what she was hoping to hear. Maybe now she won't feel so guilty? Tara seem to know what she was thinking as she placed her hand on top of her's. "He's going to be fine, Savannah. You can go in and see for yourself." She said, motioning for her to go inside. Savannah gave her a small smile, nodding her head before she took a deep breath and finally went inside.
Tara watched as Savannah cautiously approached the toaster Abel was inside of. She raised a shaking hand to the glass, her fingers just barely touching it. Her other hand covered her mouth, trying to hide the sob that had escaped her lips. It was heartbreaking to watch, but Tara knew Savannah would be a great aunt. She already loved that little boy, and that was a good place to start.
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The small group of Jax, Juice, Chibs, and Half Sack walked into the garage together. They were on their way down to the cemetery, but they had to make a pit stop before they left. They paused when they spotted her shoes sticking out from under one of the cars. The four men all shared a look before going over to her. Juice and Half Sack leaned against the car on either side of her while Jax and Chibs stood in front of her. "I'm already behind on this stupid piece of junk car, Jax. I'm not taking anyone else at least until lunch." She said out, not needing to hear his voice to know it was him standing in front of her. All she needed to see was his shoes and she knew that it was him.
The four boys shared another look as they chuckled. Leave it to Savannah to know that her brother wanted something from her before he even started to say a word. "Lowell will take over for you today. Club needs your help with something." Jax said as he pocketed his hands in his jeans.
She didn't say anything, but they could tell from the now silence that she had stopped working on whatever it was that she was working on. Jax sighed, knowing that he would need to explain more to convince her to come with them. "It's nothing major, Sav. We just need you to work your . . . charming personality, on someone." He explained with a grin.
Another minute went by without an answer from her, and soon Jax became inpatient with her lack of answering him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a hold of her ankles. With one firm tug, she came rolling out from underneath the car. A small gasp left her lips, only to be replaced with a look of annoyance when she saw that it was her brother who had pulled her out. "Seriously, Jax! I'm almost done with this thing!" She snapped.
Jax knew he shouldn't involve her, but if he was gonna make this work, he needed to make sure he had all his basis covered. If this blew up in his face, someone innocent was going to die and he didn't want that on his conscious. She huffed, knowing she would have to answer him whether she liked it or not. "What do I need to do and why can't Half Sack do it?" she asked as she looked between the three of them.
"That's a good girl, lassie." Chibs piped in with a low chuckle.
Savannah just ignored him with an eye roll. All she wanted to do was work after her visit to the hospital. She didn't want to talk to anyone, and this was usually her escape from the real world going on around her. Jax just had to invade that escape though. "What can we say, Sav? He can't pull off the bend and stretch as well as you can." Juice spoke up, flashing her a mischievous grin.
He knew it was gonna get him smacked, by multiple people, but the words left his mouth before he could stop himself. Her eyes narrowed on him, but at least she didn't hit him. He could live with that. He took the chance to reach out and help her up to her feet. She took a hold of his hand, a shock ran through them both from the touch. He lifted her up with one tug. When she pulled her hand away from his, he felt suddenly lost for a brief moment, like he had lost something when she left his reach.
She looked between the four of them and saw how serious they were about this. They really did need her help. What she could do for them, she wasn't sure, but if she was going off what Juice had said? She wasn't sure she was gonna like it. "Fine, but I'm not dressing up like a fuckin' porn star. I draw the line there." She said, her tone firm.
She'd flirt with whoever they needed her to, but that was where she stopped. She was not a whore to pass around like the sweet butts. Not that Jax would let her be one even if she wanted to be, but she could stand up for herself. She had more respect for herself than to let it come to that. None of them seemed to object to her terms, which was good. She rolled her eyes at them and tossed Half Sack her wrench. "I've got to go clean up before we go. Can't work my 'charm' if I'm covered in grease." She said, rolling her eyes as she wiped her hands off quickly with her rag before going to squeeze in a quick shower.
The boys watched her leave, Juice's gaze lingering a moment too long. "Cut the shit, Juice. Do not start something with her." Jax said, smacked the back of his head in warning.
Rubbing his head, he nodded in understanding. He wasn't to get too comfortable with Savannah on this outing. "I know, I know. Hands to myself." He grumbled, obviously not liking the rules Jax had set. It was the conditions of giving him a chance here. He couldn't make a move on Savannah after hurting her. They both knew the rules weren't meant to last, but he was trying to protect his sister.
Unfortunately, rules were meant to be bent.
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The five of them left to go to the cemetery once Savannah was out of her shower and redressed. Savannah, Juice, and Half Sack led the way inside as the two boys pushed the doors opened. Savannah stood in between them as they all peeked their head inside, the awful stench of burning flesh hitting them head on. Her nosed crinkled up at the scent, asking her why she'd agreed to come along again. Oh, yeah, because she couldn't say no to her brother.
The three all shared a uncertain look together before looking around again. Savannah was the first to notice the man by the furnace. She mentally cringed in disgust upon seeing the man they were here to see. Skeeter had helped out the club a few times, but Savannah had only met him a couple of times. It was a few times too many if you asked her. He always gave her the creeps, this time being no different.
She looked back at her brother and Chibs with an 'are you serious?' look. "I hate you." She hissed at her brother.
"Love you too, sis. Now come on, go." He whispered back as he motioned for her to walk forward.
She rolled her eyes at him and looked forward again. Unlike what they had promised to get her to come, they had made her change into something more . . . provocative, before actually coming over here. She managed to keep her work boots, but they had made her trade in the over sized mechanic shirt for a crop top that barely reached her belly button and tight ass ripped jeans she rarely ever wore. "They really cremate bodies here?" Half Sack asked out to the other guys behind him.
"Yeah, we do." Chibs piped in.
Savannah rolled her eyes as she moved forward, glancing around the rest of the room with little interest. She hated coming here, but it was probably the only time Jax ever included her in club business outside of the bar and the garage. "Hey, guys." The mortician said as he finished up with whatever, or rather whoever, he was currently burning. He seemed to lighten up with nervousness when he spotted Savannah, just like he always did when they brought her along. "Sa-Savannah, uh, um . . . hi. Um, wh-what's going on?" he said nervously before looking over at the guys.
"Need a favor, Skeeter." Jax said as he squeezed by Chibs and Juice as they shut the doors behind them.
"Should be Skeever." Savannah muttered to Half Sack beside her as they looked around while Chibs and Jax went over to Skeeter and Juice finished up with locking the doors behind them all.
Half Sack looked down at her in surprise, not expecting to hear her say that, at least out loud and where they could all hear her. "Christ, man. Now's not a good time." Skeeter said out.
Savannah rolled her eyes, laughing to herself, as she watched Half Sack swing on the chain hanging down above them. "Got a new supervisor crawling up my ass." He went on to explained as he tried to keep himself busy by moving back and forth around the room. Savannah kept clear out of his way, but the same couldn't be said about Half Sack since he was trying to get a peek inside of the furnace.
She shook her head when she saw Skeeter smack Half Sack off the back of the head to get him away from the burner. She rolled her eyes when she saw his shocked expression, clearly not seeing the need to hit him. "Relax. Not here to make a deposit." Jax said out as he leaned against the table on the other side of the room.
Savannah looked back at the doors to see that instead of coming more inside with her and the others, Juice had stayed put and was now standing guard in front of them all. She wondered where his head was, if he actually approved of this plan to use her as bait over Skeeter, or if he was against it. Their eyes met for a moment before movement caught his eye and his gaze shifted to Sketter's assistant.
Savannah hadn't noticed her before, but it was hard to believe when she actually looked at her now. Her hair was dark, long like hers had use to be. She had it pulled back into a braid. Her skin was a nice olive color, reminding her of Juice's skin tone. She was . . . well, she was pretty. If Juice's expression of interest was any indicator, she'd think he agreed on that thought. Her fists clenched, her eyes narrowing on the girl before she forced herself to look away.
Juice could fuck whoever he wanted. If that happened to be the pretty brunette who touched dead people for living, he could go for it. He wasn't hers to be jealous over anymore. Her stomach twisted when she noticed him going over to talk to her. She had to fight back the urge to make a comment. Crossing her arms, she forced herself to focus on the conversation going on between her brother and Jax.
"Actually, it's a withdrawal." Chibs spoke up as he pushed Half Sack back.
Savannah cringed, she could only imagine why they needed to take bodies. They hadn't actually told her what it was they needed from Skeeter, only that she was needed to help convince him to help them. "We need two bodies. Fresh." Jax explained, his eyes flickering to his sister. He wished that he could keep the details there, but some people were just not smart enough to know that.
"You serious?" He asked.
He looked around the group to see that none of them were laughing, or paying attention on Juice's part since he was too busy flirting with the brunette to notice. Savannah's eyes unwillingly glanced over when she heard the girl laugh at something Juice had said. He moved his hand to touch her hair, but she swatted it away. He just chuckled at whatever she said to him. He leaned his head leaned in as he whispered something, causing her to shake her head, crossing her arms as she gave him a smirk. The other men just rolled their eyes, but only Jax knew Juice had other intentions when he noticed the intelligence officer's eyes glance back to Savannah, as if trying to see her reaction. When his lip twitched into a grin, he knew he'd gotten the one he wanted.
"For what?" Skeeter asked, returning Jax from his thoughts.
Jax looked over to Savannah again, this time getting her attention. Her eyes quickly looked away from Juice to see her brother giving her that look that told her that it was up to her now to work her magic. She sighed and nodded. She gave one last look over to Juice, who still was talking to the assistant though she knew he still listening to them because his body had tensed up. She took a deep breath before heading over to the larger man. "Well, I could tell you, Skeeter," She paused, giving him a forced smile as she touched his chest. "but then I'd have to kill you." She whispered to him teasingly, giving him a wicked smile that often reminded the boys of Gemma.
The mortician laughed nervously as he looked down at her. She kept her grin on her regardless of the chill running down her spine. The fact that he was looking right down her shirt didn't slip past her either. She knew how to deal with this guy and how to work him, though, even if doing that made her sick to her stomach.
Juice clenched his fist, but forced a chuckle at whatever the girl had said to him. Unknowingly to Savannah, he was merely just distracting the girl while they conducted business. Of course, seeing her jealous was a bonus for him. It didn't make him feel any better knowing Savannah was playing a similar role. He didn't like it any better than Jax did. He hated like that she was involved in this, even if it got them what they wanted. "Two dead ones? That's-that's crazy shit, man." Skeeter laughed out nervously as he looked around the group of men before his eyes settled back down at Savannah. His eyes flickered down her frame again and his body tingled with a weird sensation that would have made her skin crawl if she knew.
Savannah looked back at her brother and held out her hand. He didn't hesitate on handing her the envelope. She gave him a quick look, one to which he simply rolled his eyes at, before turning back to Skeeter. "Sure you took a beating at Golden Gate this weekend, didn't you Skeet?" She said, pressing the package of cash against his chest. A knowing smile played on her lips as she looked up to meet his eyes. It was no news to her that Skeeter had a gambling problem, it wouldn't be the first time the club's paid off his dept to get him to do something for them.
Skeeter looked from her to the rest of the group with a panicked look. Not only did Savannah make him nervous, but the thought of gambling did as well. She couldn't tell which made him more nervous, though. "No, I stopped the ponies, man. I stopped it all. Gamblers anonymous three-three months now." He said panically as he looked between them. He seemed to be serious enough about it though, which honestly surprised them. Him turning down the money hadn't once occurred to them.
Savannah looked back at her brother with a panicked look of her own. Obviously she wasn't doing the trick here, and neither was the money. What in god's name was she suppose to do now? He didn't know what to tell her, though. He was as stumped as she was. "You're kidding. You don't want the money?" Jax asked in disbelief. He looked between the other three men, knowing that they were screwed now if they couldn't get the bodies.
"Working a program, you know?" Skeeter said before turning to get back to work, only sparing Savannah one last look as he turned away.
"Jesus christ." Jax cursed under his breath as Chibs shot him a look.
"There's something you might be able to get for me." He said out after a minute, gaining all of their attention again.
"What's that?" Jax asked, his eyes flickering to his sister with suspicion.
Skeeter paused in what he was doing and looked down at Savannah again. Her skin literally felt like crawling away from her when she saw the lustful look that he was giving her. "Savannah. Just one night." He said, though he knew it was long shot. It was no secret that Skeeter liked her, that was the only reason she was even here, but there was point to where her involvement ended and this was where the line stopped. Skeeter was dangerously standing on the edge of crossing it now.
Skeeter reached out to touch her when no one said anything at first, but she flinched and backed away. He took a step closer to her, but Jax stepped in front of him, giving him a warning look to back off. "Not going to happen. My sister's off limits." He snarled as he stood tall and unmoving in front of his sister. Jax wasn't the only one to tense up, ready to kill this guy if he took another step. Juice had been a second away from doing the same as Jax, but Savannah was quick to send him a warning look. Jax could handle this, they couldn't risk this going south before they could fix it. "Name someone else." Jax said, as if it was as easy as that.
Jax sent her a look behind him, motioning for her to wait outside for them. She didn't hesitate to do as she was told. She was all too happy to leave. Skeeter held out another minute before sighing, knowing that he wasn't going to get his first pick of who he wanted. It was worth a shot, he'd known that when he said it. "Emily Dunkin." was the last thing she heard as she left through the doors. She actually felt bad for who ever that poor girl was, but then realized that she was more relieved it wasn't her.
Juice's eyes followed her until she'd shut the door behind her, momentarily forgetting about the girl he'd been tasked with distracting. When she cleared her throat, he silently cursed himself before rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed. "Let me guess. Ex-girlfriend?" She said, her eyes flickering to the door behind them. Was he that obviously? "Just a tip, goof, but it's not smart to make it obvious you're trying to make her jealous in front of the girl you're using. Not attractive." She said, patting his chest before glancing back at Skeeter. "I'll get the crane ready to go and some shovels." She said over to her boss before heading out the direction Savannah had gone.
Juice's head dropped with a silent groan, rubbing the back of his neck before he turned his attention back to their deal with Skeeter. Chibs chuckled at his expense and patted his back. Today couldn't get any worse if he wanted it to.
Savannah rubbed her arms coldly as a fall breeze hit her. Obviously not remembering to bring a jacket had been a mistake on her part. The brunette had offered to grab her something, but she'd turned her down. Her pride got the best of her. It wasn't long before she heard the doors opening again and Juice, Half Sack, and Chibs came out, Jax following out a few seconds later.
She rubbed her arms, trying to create some warmth for herself. Juice didn't miss the action and slipped off his kutte before unzipping his jacket and tossing it to her. She caught it without a fumble. "You're going to freeze if you don't cover up, Sav." He said as he shrugged his kutte back on over his black shirt.
It was obvious to her as she slipped the sweatshirt on over her head that Juice was only trying to be nice. It was jerk reaction for him like it'd be for her if their roles were reversed. It an old habit to take care of each other. As annoyed as she was he'd been flirting with that assistant, she knew she had no right to be jealous. He wasn't hers anymore than she was his. They were gonna try this friends thing though, so this was a good place to start. "Thanks, Juice." She said softly as snuggled into the jacket.
Rubbing the back of his neck, his megawatt smile spreading across his face. "No problem, Savvy." He said, adjusting his kutte as he tried to hide how big his smile got. He didn't need the others teasing him anymore than he knew they were going to over the assistant. He was making progress with Savannah, that was all that matter. Today was definitely starting to look up, at least for him. Glancing back, he noticed Half Sack with a grimace and a shovel in his hand.
Maybe not everyone's day was looking up.