Jax stared at Roosevelt with wide eyes, as if he'd sprouted a second head,"You can't honestly think I am to blame. I couldn't have gone after this guy. Until just now I didn't even know we were hit by a man. Let alone his name or where to find him. I don't even know what kind of car hit us!"
"Besides," Giselle added,"You admitted yourself that Jax was in the hospital all last night with me and Abel. There's no way he did it."
"Staff says they saw Jax on the phone quite a bit and then Nero showed up and you two had a little meeting outside."
Jax growled,"What? You have GOT to be joking! You're just searching for a reason to send me back to jail!"
"Jax," Roosevelt sighed,"I believe you. I believe that you did nothing all night but pray that your family would still be whole by sunrise. But you're the only viable suspect at the moment."
"Are you even looking for another one?" Giselle snipped, laying her forehead on Jax's shoulder. "Have you looked into this punk's past? If he has any enemies?"
"We did yes. And still are. But as of yet, there's nothing. I'm sorry Giselle." Roosevelt watched her,"I don't want to arrest you, Jax," His eyes moved to Jax,"And I won't. We just need you and Nero at the station for questioning. Please."
Jax kissed Giselle,"Call my mom. Have her help you out with the kids until I get back."
"Okay." She sighed and kissed him back.
Jax grabbed his keys and went to his bike, going to the station.
Nero was already there and being questioned.
...
"So what was your little meeting with Jax Teller about?" One of the deputies asked Nero inside an interrogation room.
"Meeting? What meeting?" Nero blinked.
"Well, some guy nearly kills Jax and his family, you show up to meet with Jax, then the guy who hit them ends up dead. Execution style."
Nero's jaw hung open,"I was picking up my granddaughter so she could go to sleep in a nice warm bed! She'd just been through something terrible and needed rest. She's just a baby!"
"Oh? So, Jax Teller didn't ask you to find and execute the man responsible for putting his son and fiance in the hospital?"
"No! Jax just wanted his baby girl to get some sleep and Gemma had been drinking so I offered to pick her up instead. There was no meeting! Just helpin' out my step son." Nero ran his fingers through his hair. "Jeez. You cops are crazy."
...
Roosevelt sat with Jax in his office. "I want you to have your guys look into this kid, Jax. I know, without a doubt, you had nothing to do with this murder. I feel it. Just bring anything you find to me, okay? Please. Just do some research and bring it to me."
Jax blinked. ". . . So, you're helping me?"
Roosevelt sighed and looked at Jax,"Jax, after everything I've seen you go through, everything you've done, and everything I've seen you try to fix for your family, I know when you're guilty. I know when a case wreaks of you and your club. And I know that the last thing on your mind was revenge. But your boys can find things out easier than I can. I don't wanna know how you get the information. But if you get any, please just report it to me. I don't want to put you back in jail. I don't wanna take a good, loving father from two great kids who have a mother still struggling with injuries."
Jax nodded,"Thanks, Roosevelt. . I'm sorry for accusing you of trying to send me back."
"I understand. Don't worry." He nodded. "After everything your family's been through in the last few years, you don't want to be ripped away. I may want the bad guys in jail but I know you didn't hurt this guy."
"So. . . Can I go?" Jax looked at the clock.
"No. Let my deputies question you just so we have it on the books that we followed procedure."
Jax nodded and went out to meet the deputies. He saw Nero and hugged him,"Sorry about this."
"Why are you sorry? You asked me to get my granddaughter home safe and let her sleep," Nero hugged him back,"How you doin'? Kids okay? Giselle?"
"We're whole. Giselle and the kids are relaxing. I think mom is with them, helping out. I'm sore but I'm okay. You?"
"Just worried about you guys and the kids." Nero squeezed his shoulder,"I'll go by and see if Giselle needs any extra help. See you soon."
Jax nodded and went into the interrogation room.
They asked him all the typical questions. Did you know the man who hit you, did you tell the club to hunt him down, blah, blah, blah. Then one of the new deputies asked something that kind of set Jax off. She was young and dark haired and caramel skinned. "So, were you drunk or high when you got hit?"
A muscle in Jax's eyebrow ticked, his eyes narrowing,"Excuse me?"
"Were you drunk or high? Simple question. Two options. Pick one."
"You think I put my children and the woman I love in a car when I was anything but sober?" Jax growled.
"Well, didn't your mother crash her car a couple years back because she was so stoned that she couldn't focus? She put your children in the car. And your club has a history of dangerous behavior around your children. And you allow it to happen."
This girl was really going to get it. Jax had never hit a woman. . Okay, except Ima and the face smashing thing. . But anyway, Jax had never hit a woman. But if this bitch didn't stop running her mouth, he'd change that real quick.
"Listen here, little girl, I would NEVER get behind the wheel with my children and wife in the car if I wasn't clean. They mean too much to me for to risk anything so stupid. And as far as my mother goes, I don't control what she does. And since that accident, my mom hasn't been high once. And my club loves my family. They ARE my family. Every single one of my guys would take a bullet not only for me but for my kids and Giselle. No one would put them in danger. So do not accuse me or my club of putting my kids in danger. Ever. You hear me?" Jax's eyes were fierce and he knew that this girl got everything he was saying loud and clear because she shrank away from his gaze.
"All right, that's enough," Roosevelt walked in. "You were out of line with that one, Deputy Mason." He glared at the woman. "You can go, Mr. Teller."
Jax stood and left, anger still boiling inside him.
Arriving home, Jax was happy to see Giselle on the couch, sleeping. The house was filled with soft laughter. He went to Abel's room. Nero was holding Fy as Abel read one of his Dr. Seuss books to them. Gemma walked up behind him,"Hey baby. You okay?"
"Yeah. They can't prove I did something I didn't do." Jax smiled, watching his son. He looked back at Gemma,"Is Giselle in pain?" Giselle wasn't usually a 'nap' person.
"A little bit, yeah. She said her body was aching and she felt a little worn out. I told her to take a rest."
Jax nodded,"I'll let her sleep then."
"Jax," Gemma touched his cheek,"You don't worry about any of this cop shit. You just worry about the wedding of you and your future wife's dreams and how happy you'll be together. How beautiful she will look. Only good things are in your future."
"I want to believe that so bad, Mom. . . I know the future has some shit in store for me. . But if Giselle's there, I'll be able to handle it." Jax smiled a little.
"And she will be," Gemma hugged him.