Chapter 9: The Silence Between
Author's Note: Okay so I'm SO very sorry for being really late with this chapter. Life seems to get in the way and some things have come up that were ultimately more important, I know you'll all understand. On a good note; here is the idea that really started this all. I can remember really working this out in my head and when it came to writing it; I really wanted to make it right and take my time with it. I hope you enjoy it.
It's his worst nightmare; a dream turned into reality. There wasn't time to stop the impact and he felt like he couldn't catch his breath. One second everything was fine and they were heading back to Charming and the next his cell goes off. His mother was calling and he didn't really want to talk to her just then, he was in a good mood. Regardless with a sigh he answered.
"Hey Mom."
"Jackson; get you and the boys back here now!"
"Mom; slow down what the hell is going on?"
"There are men here; in the clubhouse. They just went in!"
"What? What men?"
"I don't know who the fuck they are but they have guns."
"Where are you?" He puts the phone on speaker phone and the men close in to listen at the tone of his voice.
"The garage; they didn't check here for anyone. They knew you were gone."
"Who's in the clubhouse?"
"Who do you think?" Gemma states and he feels ice in his veins.
"Stay hidden; we'll be there soon." He states sharply as he snaps his phone shut and sprints towards his bike. Revving the engine and shooting onto the highway headed for Charming he could only think that the call they received just that morning was an excuse to get them out of the clubhouse.
"Morning sweetie; sleep alright?" Gemma had asked him once he arrived at the clubhouse that morning.
"Yeah Mom; how was Abel?" He asks as he tried to shake the sleep from his mind and focus on getting himself a cup of coffee. The hangovers don't really bother him anymore; he's pretty sure that's not a good thing.
"He misses his daddy but he's starting to sleep throughout the night. You need to get home more."
"Yeah I know Mom; hopefully I will soon." Taking a sip of the bitter coffee; he ignored the burn.
"Church in ten." Chibbs interrupted as he bustled past to wake up the few members still sleeping off the effects of the alcohol. Jax nodded and kissed his mother's cheek before returning to his dorm to get cleaned up. As he neared his door; he stole a quick look at Sam's door knowing that he left her sleeping off the alcohol she had imbibed.
It was shortly after they were called to order that the call came in that Darby had been selling meth in Charming again.
"I say we break his legs." Tig spoke up once the matter was out.
"We have to be smart about this; ever since the weapons warehouse got blown up, he's been moving in on the town again."
"So what do you suggest VP?" Clay asks in a quiet but firm voice.
"We set a meet and when he shows; we show exactly what we'll do if he continues. Outside of Charming is best."
"It's settled then; Juice set the meet." Clay states before bringing the gavel down on the table and the meeting ends. Jax lights another cigarette and sits in the silence of the room as the men file out; only Opie stays behind.
"You think this is a good idea?" Opie asks honestly. Jax only nods through the smoke that he exhales. He doesn't make eye contact with his friend; something deep down nags at him, pulls at his lungs and makes him nervous but he ignores it. "I sure hope you're right." Opie states as he combs his hand through his beard. "I'm going to wake Sam; tell her what's going on." Jax chooses to ignore the stutter his heart gives at the sound of her name. He only nods in acceptance.
He curses as a sign he flies past mocks him with the miles to go to Charming and he prays that everything at the clubhouse is fine when he returns but the sinking in his stomach makes him want to vomit. He pushes his bike harder as they near the town boundaries of Charming and as they all blow through stoplights and stop signs, he notices that Clay signs orders to all of them. The group breaks apart to cover the clubhouse from different angles. They slow and park their bikes a block away to keep their arrival quiet; they don't need anyone inside getting jumpy. As soon as he is off the bike he is running; his helmet thrown off in haste and the cold metal of his gun pressing into his back. He's running with Opie, Clay and Chibbs and stays down as they near the windows of the clubhouse.
As they crouch at the corner of the building they see a truck haphazardly pulled into the lot; the doors still open from the hasty exit the owners had. It was still running. It's quiet in the building for what seems an eternity when a loud bang of a gunshot pierces the air; Jax swears all he hears is the sharp ringing in his ears and the sharp, harsh breaths that he takes. They slowly move forward and he peeks around the corner of the building near the front door. Another gunshot pops off and then the screaming starts. He hears the distinctive noises of a fight breaking out and then he's on his feet, calling out.
"Whoever the fuck you are; you're in deep shit!" He calls out and then ducks as wild bullets tear out of the building. Opie taps him on his shoulder and motions that he's going to the back. Jax nods as he and Chibbs move forward.
"I have your bitch Teller!" A man calls out from inside the clubhouse; another gunshot and another scream tears at his lungs; the need to move pushing him into action.
"Come on out, you piece of shit!" He responds and aims his gun at the front entrance.
"Not before I see you and your brothers put their guns down. Come around the front." Jax is about to oblige when a loud crash and the sound of a man groaning in agony is heard. Not a split second later; a stream of women rush out of the building. He desperately looks for her dark hair in the sea of fake blondes and when he can't see her; his heart stops beating. He sees the girls run to Tig and his other brothers but he can't seem to move. His fear consumes him as his brain plays back the gunshots he heard. It's only when he hears her voice that he jumps into action.
"Let me go you son of a bitch!" She screams as she's dragged from the clubhouse door. The man holding her has a knife to her throat and his arms encase her. It's when her eyes slam into his that he sees the fear behind her grey eyes but the fire burning in them makes him believe that he's going to get her out of this alive. She stops fighting the man's grip as she takes Jax in; his eyes wide and angry, his stance rigid but alert and the gun he carries is steady. She releases a small amount of fear because she knows him, knows that he won't fail her. It's in her bones; the steadfastness that makes her heart beat stronger.
"Let her go asshole." Jax firmly states as he hears his brothers come alongside him; their guns rising to be as steady as his and he feels that much more powerful. His heartbeat steadies and he's prepared to do whatever it is that's asked of him.
"We weren't sure which bitch we were to take out; he wasn't real specific but she stood out. Seemed like it might be her; guess I was right." Jax wanted to ask who he meant by "he" but saw the blade slice a little into her throat and he swallowed his question.
"You let her go; and we'll let you live." Clay states nonchalantly but Jax can hear the power behind the request and he knows that his President cares for her; knows he won't let anything happen to her.
"No. I had a job to do and I'm going to do it." The man states simply as he turns his attention to Sam. He breathes something into her ear and Jax can see her flinch at what he said. She bites her lip and locks eyes with him once again; he can see something in her eyes and he knows she's about to do something and he prepares for it. He hears Opie suck in a breath next to him and then his rough voice cuts out through the silence.
"Go to hell." As soon as the words roll of Opie's tongue; Jax sees recognition flash through Sam's eyes and she drops. She goes limp and her captor has no choice but to hold her up and through that small window of opportunity; Opie fires and his shot hits the guy in the forehead; dead before he hits the ground. Jax has but a second as he scrambles to her and as soon as he touches her he grabs her to him and wraps his body around her. He doesn't care that he's covered in dirt or that chaos is consuming the parking lot of TM; he cares only for her. She's sitting in his lap and holding his kutte between white-knuckled hands; she's crying and sucking in breaths as fast as she can but she's smiling. He pulls her face away from his neck and kisses her hard; their lips melding for only a second before he lets her go and takes in her face for the first time. He hadn't noticed her injuries before; refusing to take anything in except for the movement of her chest as her lungs expanded. Her neck is sliced from the knife and bleeding but it's not deep; there is a deep gash from a gunshot along her bicep but she doesn't seem to notice it. Bruises and cuts mar the skin of her arms and legs and a deep bruise is blooming along her cheek and jaw line but she's only looking at him. She touches his face softly with shaking fingers before a loud voice calls her name. She's up and rocketing forward before Jax can fully understand what's happening; Opie catches her and lifts her up, her feet not touching the ground as Opie crushes her to him and then she's laughing and hugging him fiercely. Jax sighs heavily at the sight; she's hurt but safe and if he was a praying man, he'd thank God.
SAM'S POV
"Sammy time to get up!" A small girlish voice calls out and I want to turn away from it; to hide back into my pillow but the covers are ripped away and the light of the room makes me squint. I turn and look at the intruder and I feel my heart and lungs constrict. A small girl with dark brown hair and warm eyes is smiling at me and I feel myself returning it as she climbs into bed with me and cuddles into my side. "You've been sleeping FOREVER!" She exclaims as she settles in, pulling the blankets over our heads.
"Sorry Donny." I mumble quietly and she pulls a face.
"I hate when you call me that."
"I hate that you call me Sammy."
"But that's your name."
"No it's not." I laugh and I feel my throat constrict with sadness. Her giggles and laughing eyes make me want to sob into my pillow.
"I'm older so I get to make the rules." The small girl commands and all I can do is smile; she always wanted to be in control.
"Fine but I'm cuter." I snidely state as I poke her in the side and then we're laughing as we talk; the bed sheets making a small tent just for us.
"Today isn't a good day." She states as her laughing stops. The light of the room starts to fade and I can't help but feel slight panic building in my chest.
"What do you mean?" I ask; afraid of her answer.
"You're going to come with me." She states simply as her bottom lip trembles.
"Where are you?" I whisper as we huddle closer.
"In a place you shouldn't be." She states before the crunching of glass and metal sounds around us and then she's screaming as the sheets turn red around her.
"Donna!" I cry out as I sit up and then I'm gasping as my eyes lock with Opie's. He's standing over me and his eyes are wide with concern and sadness. I only have a moment to take a breath before I rush from my bed; the sheets tangling around my feet as I rush for the toilet. I empty whatever was left as I feel Opie hold my hair and rub soothing circles into my back.
"Hey; it's gonna be okay." He states as I rock back on my heels and lean against him. The sweat on my face and neck makes me cringe but he doesn't seem to care as he holds me against him. I focus on the beating of his heart to try and slow my own rabbiting against my rib cage. We stay that way for a few minutes before I feel well enough to stand and then I'm going to the sink to brush my teeth and drink more water.
"Sorry." I simply state but I know what he's going to say before he even opens his mouth.
"Don't worry about it; are you okay? I came in and you were crying in your sleep. You said Donna's name." I clamp my teeth together at his words.
"Bad dream." I state not wanting to talk about it. Opie seems to sense it because the next thing I know is he's grabbing me into a hug.
"I get it. I wanted to let you know that the boys and I have a run to make; we'll be back later. You gonna head to the house?" He releases me and I shake my head and give him a small smile.
"Nah; I'll just wait for you to come back. This place most likely needs a good scrub down." I scrunch up my nose at the thought of what I might have to do. His answering smile and laugh makes me feel better; the dream fading from memory as I converse with him. I never had a dream about her as a child since her murder; I decided I didn't like it.
"Yeah it's pretty bad out there." Opie laughs out. He hugs me quick and drops a kiss to the top of my head; he smells like home and I smile to myself. As he leaves the room I look at myself in the mirror and cringe at my reflection. My eyes are bloodshot and my skin pale. I shook off the remainder of my dream as I shower and then set out braiding my hair. Twenty minutes later I'm dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. Striding out to get a cup of coffee, I come face to face with Ima. The bleached out, plastic porn star sneers at me and scrunches her nose up at me as I walk past. I have a huge urge to tip her off the gigantic heels she's wearing but I refrain. I breathe deep and remind myself that prison orange is not a color that I would look good in and carry on my way to kitchen. Gemma smiles warmly at me and hands me a cup of coffee.
"Here ya go baby girl; how are you feeling?" She asks kindly as she peeks out at the girls hanging about the clubhouse.
"Like I drank a bottle last night and then decided to chase it down by chewing on glass." I deadpan as I take in the main room; today was going to be a long day.
"Well I think you did." Gemma laughs as she steps around a still unconscious girl in her ridiculous high heels. I look down at my converse and smirk to myself.
"The boys leave?" I ask still sipping on my coffee.
"Yeah; something has them all riled up. They left in a hurry." Gemma says pursing her lips, worry flashing across her face. I nod and then come up to her wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
"They're gonna be back before you know it." I say as I squeeze her to me. She sends me a small smile and leans her head against mine.
"You're such a rock; real old lady material." She states to me smiling.
"A rock with a lot of cracks; imperfections held together by sheer will." I state shaking my head. She turns to me and holds my face between her warm hands and looks me in the eye.
"No one here is pure and untouched by this life and the choices we make. We all do bad things; we all have demons that threaten to break us down every day but we have to decide if what we want and what we love is worth the bad that we do. Sooner or later you're going to see it and I know that regardless of what you think now; the choices you make will patch those cracks right up." Gemma's blazing eyes refuse to let my own go and in that second I wish that I could see the world through her eyes. She's not perfect; she has a temper and a fiercely loyal streak that could be her downfall but she believes what she says. I nod at her and when she releases me, she tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. "You're a tough girl." She states and then slides from the kitchen and walks out the door to the clubhouse. I only stare at her vacant place before sliding my eyes to the other girls milling about.
"Alright ladies; let's get busy." I state as I turn towards them and give the order. Most of the girls turn to start cleaning but Ima refuses to move.
"You're not my boss; I'm not cleaning." She states sneering at me from her tall height.
"If you remember I said ladies; I wasn't really including you." I snap back.
"Who do you think you are? I've been around a lot longer than you."
"I didn't know you could tell time?" I ask shocked and she flares her nostrils at me.
"Listen bitch." She yells as she teeters over to me. I hold my ground as she comes to me but as she reaches out to grab me, I place my right hand on her wrist and use her momentum against her. She twirls around and her wrist is wrenched behind her; my own hand holding it in place as she tries to struggle.
"You keep pulling and it'll snap."
"You wouldn't dare." She yells as she tries to pull away.
"I happen to enjoy a good game of chicken; let's see who will break first, me or your wrist." I whisper into her ear as she flinches.
"OW! Fine!" She yells out as I place more pressure on her bent wrist. Pushing her away from me, I watch her catch herself on a table.
"Get the hell out of here and if you ever try to touch me again; I'll break your face so badly that they won't be able to put all those plastic pieces back in place." She turns and leaves without a word. Flipping my braid back over my shoulder, I turn to the tables that need to be cleaned. Before I even touch the wood of the table; I hear tires screeching and then a scream. I look up and head to the door but before I make it ten feet; Ima is shoved through the door and three masked men enter.
One of the guys raises a gun and fires a shot into the ceiling. I duck down and I hear the girls running about behind me.
"Get in here; down on your knees!" Another man yells as he rushes over to me. I try to fight him off as he grips my arms but he slaps me across the face with the butt of his gun and stars explode behind my eyes. He pushes me to my knees and zip ties my hands behind my back. Immediately I feel the memories of that night flooding back and I continue to thrash against my bonds but he hits me again. Seeing them bind and secure all the girls; I try to pay attention to what they say to each other.
"Which is it?" The third man asks his friends.
"You think I fuckin know?" The second man states before shoving the third. The first man who had come in and fired the warning shot just stared at us; I assumed he was the ring leader.
"I'm looking for someone and the first person to tell me who she is lives!" The ring leader calls out and I hear my heartbeat race in my ears. "I need to know who Jax Teller cares about most; goes by the name Sam." In that second I feel my lungs constrict and my heart stop; they're looking for me. My eyes slide into Ima's and I can see her smile; the very few gears in her head turning. Before I can even blink she calls out.
"The brunette on the left." The two sidekicks advance on me and haul me to my feet roughly; I can feel my shoulders protest the movement. The ringleader stalks up to me and grips my chin roughly, forcing my head up to look at him. I lock eyes with him through his mask.
"I should have figured. Teller always had a thing for brunettes." I feel heat sliding through my veins; the rage burning me up from the inside. I wasn't going to show fear to him; I clammed up and channeled my inner Gemma. My heart was beating forcefully through my chest and I tried to resolve my face into one of calm fearlessness.
"Yeah; he likes real women." I state turning hateful eyes to Ima who noticeably swallowed thickly.
"You got fire; I like that. I bet you're a real wildcat in bed."
"You wouldn't know what to do with a woman like me." I tell him before he smiles and strokes a rough finger down my cheek. I try not to flinch.
"Maybe I'll show you now." He states and I try to swallow the fear building up in me. I may have escaped it that night with Gemma but I doubt I'm lucky twice. He grips my arm hard and pulls me towards the back rooms. "Stay here and keep em quiet and in line. I'll be back soon."
"Boss we gotta go; just rough her up a bit to send a message, they're gonna be back soon." So they knew about the meet with the boys; they probably set it up or at least whoever they worked for did. Clearly they're scared.
"Fuck off for a minute; this'll be a great message. Teller will know he can't even keep his woman or club safe." Dragging me towards the back I quickly think that I have to stall them. He shoves me through the first door and I hear him laugh when he realizes that it's Jax's room. I quick scan the floor for a weapon. It was Jax; he'd have something somewhere. I stumble forward as my captor shoves me towards the bed. He shoves me down and I fight back but my hands are tied.
"This will be perfect; I'll screw you in your man's room. You won't ever spend a night in here without thinking of me and it'll mess with his head. Keep fighting though; I like the challenge." He says as he grabs me through my shirt. I clench my teeth at the pain.
"It'll be more fun if I had my hands." I state and I watch him think through the options. Clearly he's not too bright as he cuts the tie of my hands but not without nicking the flesh of my wrist. The sting doesn't faze me as I lash out. My elbow connects with his face and I hear him curse from the impact as he slides off of me. I'm quick to my feet as he advances and I try to remember what Happy taught me; I kick out with the heel of my foot and it connects with his thigh. He falters for a moment and I grab whatever I could find. He advances and I can't block the slap to my face and I fall. He grabs my legs and drags me across the floor as I kick blindly out but when my hands find purchase on Jax's baseball bat under his bed; I wrench it out from its hiding spot and swing. I feel it connect with his arm and he lets out a feral scream as he releases me. I stand quickly and see his gun on the bed. I launch myself for it but he follows and we scramble for it but once I find the handle; I wrap my hands around it, his weight crushing me from behind but I send a quick elbow backwards and into his face. I hear the sickening crack and he howls in pain once again. I flip myself over and aim the gun at his chest. He sees me then through his anger and gushing nose and he advances.
"You can't use a gun bitch." He states simply and I feel my rage boil over.
"You should learn to be smarter." I state as I fire. The bullet rips high into his leg and he drops to the ground with a shout. I stand then and walk over to him; I know I have to act fast before his men come and check on him. I train the gun on his head and lean over him as he tries to reach for my legs but I stand out of his way. "I'd like to kill you but I won't; I want to leave it for Jax, he'll enjoy it more and let's face it, he's better at it than me. For now though, you can stay in here and think about what you'll say when he sees you." I whisper at him and I can see the fear leak into his face. I grab the back of his shirt and drag him slowly into the bathroom; he lets me as he tries to stem the blood flow from his leg. My face and side hurts from where he hit me and his weight slows the progression down but I grit my teeth and keep pulling.
"You won't survive this bitch!" He spits at me as I shove him into the bathroom, gag him with a towel and close the door behind me; wedging a chair beneath the handle to keep him locked inside. I check out the number of bullets I have left and then quickly scour Jax's room to find another weapon. I couldn't help but think how disgusting his room is when my hands find another gun under his mattress. I thank God for it being fully loaded.
I stand and wipe the blood from my cut lip off and move towards the door to the hall. I press my ear against the door; straining my ears to hear any movement outside. Hearing none; I scoff slightly, clearly this guys' friends didn't give a lick about him or at the very least were so dim witted they didn't hear the gun shot. Grasping the handle of the door I wince at the slight sound it made as the door opened. I gripped the gun tight in my hand; I felt better knowing Jax's gun was at the small of my back, I stepped softly out into the hall, my shoes making zero noise on the worn carpeting. Moving softly but with haste I made my way down the hall to the entrance to the main club room, I could hear the other two men conversing together. Taking a deep breathe I quickly glanced around the corner; they were turned away, facing the bar and helping themselves to whatever they could find. Using their distraction; I crouched and made my way across the hall, trying to make little noise. Peeking out again I saw the other girls kneeling in a row; their wrists bound. Catching the eye of one of them I motioned for her to be silent which she gave a bit of a loud cry when I disappeared back around the corner.
"Shut the hell up you stupid bitch!" One man yelled; I could hear him come around the bar.
"Hey what do you think is taking him so long? Should we go check? I heard some noises before but it's been quiet for a while."
"So go check then; he's probably having a great time!" The other yelled as I heard him stomp back over to the bar area.
"You didn't hear the gunshot?"
"He was probably roughing her up; my guess she fought back so he scared her with it."
"Yeah maybe you're right but I'm just gonna go check on him; we gotta get out of here."
"Your funeral." I heard the other man start to head my way and I knew I had nowhere else to run too; this was going to get messy. I pressed myself back against the wall as hard as I could and put my finger on the trigger. I bit my lip while I waited; his steps slow and soft on the floor. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what I was about to do; Opie's words running through my head. He turned the corner and spotted me. In that second I didn't think, I just pulled the trigger, felt the recoil of the gun travel up my arm and saw him drop, the bullet wedged in his chest. He wasn't moving and then I was aware of the screaming girls and the loud cursing from the last man. Before I could even move; he was whipping around the corner and firing; his bullet grazing my arm, the heat of the bullet made me scream out and I didn't have a second to catch my breath when he was on me. I felt myself being pushed backwards and my head hit the wall; the breath rushing out of my lungs on impact. He gripped my hair and pulled my head forward while he landed a kick to my stomach. I gasped for air and felt vomit climb my throat but I pushed it back, trying to regain my balance. I threw my weight into him and sent us crashing into the half way dividing us from the main room. The girls were still screaming when I got to my feet and ran into the main room; my attacker just behind me. I felt him shove me from behind and I felt my side crash into one of the tables. Falling to the ground; I try to stand but my legs give out and I fall back to the hard floor. Hearing the click of a gun I still; my heart skidding to a halt in my chest and I feel true panic start to rise in my chest. I was about to go the way my sister did; bullet to the head and that's it. I wait for the bullet to bury itself in my head but it doesn't; instead I hear a voice call out and my brain is slow to connect it with Jax. In that second when my brain caught up with me; my heart slammed back into motion and then I was scrambling to stand and run to the door.
"Oh no you don't!" The man yells as he fires off a few shots over my head that sends me skidding to the floor on my knees. A hand grabs my shoulder and before I think I kick out and connect with his hand holding the gun which skids to the side and lets off a shot and before I can even make it to the door I'm grabbed from behind and metal is slicing into my neck. In that moment I stop thinking and the panic intensifies dramatically and I hope that Opie isn't out there; I don't want him to see this. I'm being shoved forward and the guy's bad breath blows across the back of my neck and ear and I have a hard time swallowing the vomit that tries to reach the surface. I gasp as he roughly pulls at my hair and shoves me out into the harsh California sun. I squint and try to see past my hair that's fallen into my face. That's when my eyes collide with Jax and my body tries to relax but my stance is rigid; like his. I try to calm my galloping heart because I know that he'll get me out of this; he'll save me. My eyes start to water with the pain of my hair being pulled and the knife biting into my skin and I try not to make a noise but the pain is just a bit too much and a squeak falls through my lips. I see Jax readjust his fingers on his gun and I know he's itching to fire but he won't him I'm there. My heart skips a beat when I see the rest of the men grouping around; an old fashioned stand off and I can't help but feel honored.
"Let her go asshole." Jax firmly states and I can't help but bite my lip at the anger in his voice.
"We weren't sure which bitch we were to take out; he wasn't real specific but she stood out. Seemed like it might be her; guess I was right." The man holding me states as he gripped my hair and pulled my head back further; a gasp left my lips.
"You let her go; and we'll let you live." Clay states and my eyes connect with his for just a moment; his silent promise in his eyes and I couldn't help but feel better.
"No. I had a job to do and I'm going to do it." The man states simply as he turns his attention to me. His lips press to my ear and I close my eyes at the feeling. "You're not safe; you'll never be safe. I'm going to gut you in front of them and watch the pavement turn red. It'll be a pleasure and tonight when I'm alone; I'll think of you." I flinch at the words; my heart stuttering and my lungs struggling to take in air. I feel dirty as his rough hands caress my neck. I bite my lip and lock eyes with Jax and I try to silently communicate to him that I want out of this situation and I'll do whatever I have to but I don't have time to react because just then Opie is talking and my subconscious listens.
"Go to hell." As soon as the words roll of Opie's tongue; I realize what I have to do. Going limp and heavy in my captor's arms I feel the blade slice deep but not enough to stop my decent to the pavement. I hear a gun go off and I feel my captor release me and then he's just a heavy weight on my side. I scramble to my knees and push him off; I refuse to take in the leaking hole in his head.
I hear boots scrambling around the pavement and the next second I'm wrapped around someone and my mind takes a second to confirm its Jax; as soon as I can I wrap around him tighter and fist my hands in his leather as my face burrows into his neck. I have no idea how long he held me but I'm crying and heaving breaths into my body and I'm laughing. For a second I fear I lost my mind but then Jax grips my face and crushes his lips to mine in a bruising kiss I feel all the way to my toes.
He releases me and then I look at him; he's scared and angry but relieved and I can't help but caress his face. I need to feel his scruff cut into my palms; I need him to be real. I can sense him looking me over but I don't care; I don't even know what injuries I have sustained; the past hour a blur to me by now. The overwhelming relief has wiped me clean for now; the shock setting in.
"SAMMY!" I hear a voice call and its Opie. I scramble from Jax and launch myself at the burlier man. He catches me and then I'm airborne; my face pressed into his neck and my feet easily leaving the ground as he holds me up. He's crushing me but I can't care; he whispers that he loves me and that he's so glad I'm okay and I laugh.
