Jax had been checked out, no further damage had been done to his body.
"How's Tig?" He finally asked after all of the comotion had finally ended.
"He's stable. I was able to get the bullet out, he'll be fine." Tara assured him. She always liked Tig, he was always kind to her.
"Good." Jax closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to rest.
Tara was pacing the room, she had a feeling something bad was going to happen. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling this way, Jax was stable. Opie and her and got here before anything bad could really happen. Luke normally avoided confrontation at all costs so she wasn't really worried about him starting anything especially after Jax was released. Today was probably a one time thing, Jax pulling his wires out, standing up to him and Opie throwing him out probably scared the shit out of him. She was almost certain Luke would be back in New York by tomorrow.
Luke was always a gentle soul, so much different from Jax aside from their facial similarities they were complete opposites. Luke wouldn't stand up to a guy who was hitting on her. He would let her turn them down, like he was afraid all of the time of fighting or the possibility of fighting. Jax, however, would knock a guy out for even looking at her the wrong way. He wasn't afraid of anything.
She cared for Luke and hated that he was upset but he had taken things to far. There was no way they could get past this and be friends. He would never be able to accept anything less than a relationship with her so there was no point of even try. She had to cut all ties with him, there was truly nothing left for him here. She hoped he understood. She was angry so she handled things badly, but every word she said was true. She loved Jax and only Jax. She wanted to be with him, despite their past. Luke would find someone who would love him the way he deserved to be loved. He's a great guy, that was true. He's incredibly handsome, smart, funny, honest, one hundred percent loyal. The girl that wins his heart will be lucky to have him.
So many thoughts racing through her brain had her on edge. She was still pacing the floor, watching Jax sleep. This feeling of dread must be because she's been so exhausted lately. It must be getting the best of her. It had to be that. There was no other explanation.
"Hey sweetheart. You okay?" Gemma asked, she had watched Tara in her own little world pacing all over the floor never even noticing her standing there.
"Shit." Tara jumped. "You scared me." Tara stopped pacing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what?"Gemma questioned, handing her some food.
"Honestly, I don't even know. My brain is on overdrive. All I know is I love Jax and I'm so happy things are finally on track with us." Tara sat down to eat the food Gemma had brought.
"You two are perfect for each other. I'm glad you both decided to get your heads out of your ass and be together." Gemma smirked.
"Me too." Tara yawned.
"Why don't you go home and rest tonight, I'll stay here with him. I promise I won't leave his side. You need a good nights rest." Gemma ordered.
"I might. Exhaustion is kicking my ass and I've got to work tomorrow." Tara yawned again.
They sat in silence watching Jax.
"Tell him I'll stop back by in the morning when I get here before rounds. Tell him I love him." Tara paused at the door, turning back to kiss him one last time. "See you in the morning."
"Bye baby." Gemma waved.
Tara was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She had been running on fumes since Jax was admitted into the hospital, it had caught up with her.
She woke up a few hours later to a sound in her livingroom. She quietly climbed out of bed, tip toeing through her room.
She got into the livingroom, flipped on the lights and looked around. Empty. She sighed, she must have been dreaming. There was no one here. Her door was still locked.
She flipped the light back off and walked back into her room to her bed.
"Tara, I didn't want things to be like this." She heard Luke's voice behind her.
She screamed. He placed his hand over her mouth.
"Shh Shh, none of that now. I won't hurt you Tara. You know I'd never hurt you." He was holding her against her body, hand still over her mouth. "I'll let you speak if you promise not to scream."
She nodded. He uncovered her mouth.
"What do you want?" She hissed. "Why are you here?"
"Well it's pretty obvious isn't it Tara? I want you. You're all I've ever wanted." He purred in her ear.
She jerked her head away from him. "Don't do this, Luke. If you love me, don't make this any harder on me than it already is. I don't want to hurt your feelings. I've never wanted to hurt you. I care for you, I've always cared for you, we just can't be together." She was trying to get out of his grip, but he held tighter.
"See I knew you would say that but here's the problem. I've invested ten years in you Tara. I can't just walk away. I won't walk away. You will marry me, you will spend your life learning to love me if that's what it takes but you will be mine. I'm not asking anymore. I'm telling you." He growled.
"You can't push me into marrying you. It doesn't work that way, Luke." She struggled against his hold again.
"Here's the thing, it does work that way. You will be with me, you will come with me to New York if you want Jax and the rest of Samcro to make it out of this alive." He chuckled at whatever he was thinking.
"You're planning to hurt Jax and Samcro? Seriously?" This made Tara laugh out loud. Luke wasn't aggressive. He was planning on to take on the outlaw motorcycle club, who she was pretty sure had killed people before without a second thought.
"You laugh now, but there's something about me and my family that you don't know Tara. I've hid it from you. Hell I've even ran from it myself but I think it's time to embrace my roots. Sit on the bed, don't scream. Do not make any sudden movements, Tara. I don't want to hurt you." He ordered, letting her sit down on the bed.
"What do you mean embrace your roots, Luke?" Tara questioned, confused by everything that was happening.
"You should really look into people you let into your lives Tara." He laughed. "For one, my name isn't even Luke Scott."
"What is your name?" She asked, feeling afraid of him for the first time since they met ten years ago.
"You don't need to know that right now. All you need to know is you're going to choose me. You're going to marry me. If you don't Jax won't live to see his recovery. His family will be right behind him. Bodies will fall in Charming." He chuckled, he was pleased at her reaction.
"I don't believe you. You're just trying to scare me." She rolled her eyes, hoping he was just messing with her.
"Oh is that all? Try me." He spoke slowly, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with her.
She took a deep breath. "So if we are going to be married, shouldn't I at least know what my last name is going to become?"
"You're smart baby, sometimes to smart for your own good. Since you're not leaving here unless it's with me to New York I guess there's no harm in telling you. Your last name will be Salvatore. You are marrying into the biggest, the most well known and feared crime syndicate in the world. Congratulations baby." He smirked as recognition flashed across her face.
"You lied to me?" Fear evident in her tone.
"Well I guess it's only fitting since you lied to me. You lied to me for years about your feelings for Teller. I was actually trying to live my life without my family's influence but you brought me right back into it. I'll need their help with Samcro if you don't do what I say. My family will wipe Samcro off the map, with very little effort. As you saw at the hospital with the nurse, Claire, we're able to get our way. I was able to get to Jax with little effort, I was able to get a nurse to silence the alarms. If I wanted to hurt him then he'd be dead. No, then I wanted you to see I was able to get to him, I was able to get to all of them, especially you. They will all be safe as long as you come with me and do exactly what I say. You don't, and it'll be as if they never existed. Don't try me. "
Tara stared at him, angrily wiping away the tears from her eyes. Her heart feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked.
"Give me this." He said, grabbing her cell phone out of her purse. "You won't need it anymore. Pack your shit. Only the essentials, we'll buy you more when we get home." He threw a duffel bag to her.
"Write a note, tell them you changed your mind. You're glad he's recovering but you can't be with him. Tell him not to come looking for you. If you do this and follow my instructions Jax and his family will be safe. If you don't, you won't want to see what my family is capable of. I promise you that." He handed her a pen and paper after she packed her bag.
She wrote her note, folded it and placed it on her bed.
He drove them to an air strip and they boarded a plane that she assumed belonged to his family.
"You're doing the right thing baby. You'll see." He leaned into kiss her but she jerked her head away.
"Always the stubborn one. It'll be fun taming you." He laughed.