"Old man," Emma said, seriously, "You'd better not be fucking with me."
Piney rolled his eyes, even though Emma couldn't see him. He had the young woman blindfolded and was carefully leading her through the parking lot at Teller-Morrow.
"Shut up, kid," he muttered gruffly, tightening Emma's blindfold. "Just keep walking in a straight line."
"You'd better not run me into anything," she muttered under her breath, carefully feeling around with her feet before she would take a step. It was driving Piney crazy. It was taking them twice as long as it needed to cross the parking lot to the garage because the girl was walking so slow, convinced that he was going to let her trip and eat asphalt.
"Little girl, I am not going to let you fall. Now will you just trust me and pick your feet up. We ain't got all day," he groused. Emma grinned from beneath her blindfold and begrudgingly picked her pace up a little bit.
She had no idea where they were heading. Juice had gotten a call from Piney about half an hour ago when they'd been right in the middle of a Mario Party grudge match and told him he was needed at the clubhouse. The old man told him to bring Emma with him and when they'd pulled up in the lot he'd been waiting for them with the blindfold in hand.
Finally, they stopped and Piney let go of her arms. Emma reached her hands up to pull back the blindfold. She blinked a few times, her eyes readjusting themselves to the sunlight. Piney was standing next to one of the many closed garage bay doors with what could almost pass for a grin on his weathered old face.
Before she could ask him what the hell he was doing and if he had finally gone senile on her, he stooped down and gave the garage door a push.
As it rolled up on its tracks she could see Jax's boots and another pair next to him that judging from that size had to be Opie's feet. They were standing on either side of a car.
When the doors rolled back completely, she could see that they were standing on either side of her car. It looked nothing like it had when she'd brought it home. It was shining like it had just come off of the assembly line, the soft top was brand new and torn and mildewed and the seats had been recovered with a soft, buttery leather.
Jax had a shit eating grin on his face as he watched Emma's eyes widen and take in all the work they'd done on the piece of junk she'd brought home. It really had been a disaster and he thought she was lucky she'd gotten it as far as she had before she'd needed a tow. Shit, with the way that thing was jerry rigged inside, she was lucky that it hadn't gone up in flames.
"Are you just going to stand there?" he asked, giving her a raised eyebrow, "Or are you going to take her out to stretch her legs?"
Emma grinned, wide and real, and Jax caught a glimpse of the woman she might have been if it hadn't been for the state of California. A woman with an easy grin and a quick laugh. Breaking through that fucking wall she'd put up around herself was harder than bringing down the Berlin wall.
He tossed her the keys and slid into the passenger seat. Emma hurled herself into Opie's waiting arms, squeezing him tight around the ribs and giving him a kis son the cheek, before she climbed into the car door that he held open for her.
"Who said you get to come for the inaugural voyage?" she teased, looking over at Jax who was riding shotgun.
"Because," he said, "I performed a miracle to get this thing up and running and I deserve to enjoy the fruits of my labor. And as far as cages go, it's not half bad."
"Fruits of your labor," Opie grumbled, moving back as Emma started the car. The engine purred and growled and she had to admit, she was in heaven. She'd always loved being on the back of a motorcycle but the freedom of wrapping her hands around her very own steering wheel was something else altogether.
She drove around the streets of Charming hesitantly at first. Almost as though she were afraid to go too far from the garage in case the entire thing blew up in her face. But at Jax's gentle teasing, she decided to put her trust in the work he and Opie had done and take her out to stretch her legs a little bit.
The car handled easily, the wind whipping through her hair and blowing behind her like a banner. They didn't talk for several minutes as she put the car through its paces, all the while grinning like a kid at Christmas.
It did something to Jax to see that smile on her face. It was such a rare occurrence these days that he loved to be able to just stop and watch it whenever she did. It felt even better that he was the reason she was grinning like that. That he had been able to give her something that she'd been wanting and needing for a long time. Too damn long.
He'd given her freedom. He'd given her the open road. It felt good to be able to give her all that, he knew how much it meant. But there was a little voice in the back of his head and it was asking him if he was sure that fixing the car was such a great idea.
Because now there would be nothing to stop her from leaving Charming—and him—in the dust. After all, Tara had done it.
"Pull in here!" he shouted at her over the rushing of the wind. Emma pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a little diner he'd discovered once when he was out there clearing his head during the shitty, dark years after Tara had packed up and left.
It was small and dated but it was clean and the food was good. That was all that really mattered to him.
"Are you some sort of fucking mind reader?" Emma demanded, shoving the keys into the pocket of her jeans and climbing out of the car. "I was just starting to think about how hungry I was."
Jax gave her a sly smile and followed her into the diner. "Maybe," he teased, "Maybe I could just hear your stomach rumbling even over all that noise."
xxx
Emma perched on the corner of Jax's bed, playing with the ends of her hair. She watched him with some trepidation as he pulled on an oversized SAMCRO t-shirt over the black Kevlar vest that she'd just helped him strap on. Over that he layered his kutte and she was left staring at the Reaper.
"You're awful quiet back there," he said, glancing at her over his shoulder.
Emma shrugged, "Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Some stray cat keeps sitting underneath of my window and yowling all night." It was only half a lie. There was a cat but he hadn't kept her up all night, not really.
He was getting ready for a run to Reno and it was all happening too soon for her. She couldn't really process her feelings about it. They'd never discussed that night at Emma's house when he'd told her how much he wanted her. Things had gotten a whole lot less awkward between them once they'd both acknowledged their feelings, and yeah, she'd kissed him until her lips were bruised on a few occasions since then but club business and the job that Donna had gotten her ensured that they'd barely spent more than an hour alone together since that night.
She wasn't stupid. She'd been raised to this life and she knew what the runs meant and she knew what Reno meant and she also knew that what happened on a run stayed on a run. Road pussy was road pussy and it didn't become something that an old lady needed to know about unless it followed a Son home.
Not that she was Jax's old lady.
She didn't know what they were to each other, the whole relationship felt confusing and awkward. She didn't think she should tell him that she was worried that he was going to fuck other women while he was gone and she wasn't even sure if it was something that she had any right to be worried about in the first place.
"Just stick your head out of the window and tell Juice to go home" he teased. "But seriously do you want me to get someone out there to set a trap or something?" Jax asked, assuming the role of dutiful landlord.
Emma shook her head, "Nah, it's okay. I'll just throw some water out on it or something."
Securing his knife on his belt, Jax turned and tugged her up off of the bed and into his arms. His mouth met hers, exploring and needy and hungry for her taste.
"A week is gonna be too damn long, darlin'," he groaned against her neck as he dipped his head to taste the skin at her collar bone.
Pushing him back, Emma mustered a wry smile, "Be careful, Jax."
"Just a protection run," he said, kissing her forehead before he lead her out into the hall and down into the clubhouse. "I'll be fine. It'll be like I'm on vacation."
Emma nodded and stepped back, lingering over by the bar while she watched him talk to Opie and slide a handgun into the back of his pants. They were keeping everything really quiet, not being seen together too much. There was no reason for word to get out that something was going on between them before either of them even knew what it was themselves. It especially didn't need to get back to her father. Not yet.
If he was going to hear about something going on between her and Jax then he was going to hear it from her mouth. She wouldn't have any of his brother's telling him before she could.
The guys were heading out into the parking lot and Emma fell in step behind Gemma, who swung her arm around Emma's waist and tugged her close. They watched in silence while the guys roared out of the parking lot and onto the road leading out of Charming.
"How you doin', baby?" Gemma asked, turning to face Emma and swiping a piece of her dark hair out of her face. "I feel like I don't ever see you anymore now that you've moved out of the clubhouse."
Emma shrugged her shoulders and returned Gemma's smile with one of her own, even if it was a little forced. "I'm fine, Gem. Just settling in, figuring out this whole thing."
Gemma pulled her over to one of the picnic tables and offered her a cigarette from her pack. Emma gratefully lit it up and inhaled deeply while Gemma did the same. "You're not still thinking about leaving, are you?" the older woman asked, breaking the silence left by the motorcycles leaving the lot.
Emma shrugged, again. She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Her life had been in one long, out of control spiral since she'd turned eighteen and found herself running from a would-be murder scene. Things with Jax, especially, were twisting her up inside. She didn't know what to make of it. Sure, she'd grown up street smart and hard but she had never been in love. Didn't know if she knew how to fall in love and especially didn't know if that was what she was feeling for Jax.
Crushes and boys weren't something that she'd ever really had time to worry about in her day to day on the inside of the California foster system. She was woefully naïve and inexperienced when it came to that.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. I'd like to stay, but I need to get on my feet. Figure out what I'm doing and where I need to go. I've been waiting for four years for my life to start, Gemma…"
The older woman nodded, taking another hit off of her cigarette. "Then let me ask you another question, baby. What's going on with you and my son?"
Emma froze, inwardly panicking. "N-nothing," she muttered. "I mean, we're friends and shit. What are you asking, Gemma?"
Gemma chuckled under her breath. "What do you think I'm asking? C'mon, honey. I'm not stupid. I see that shit."
"What shit?" Emma asked, stumbling slightly over her words. She wasn't purposely playing dumb, she honestly couldn't figure out what had tipped Gemma off about whatever was going on between her and Jax. Shit, Emma herself wasn't even all that sure what was going on between her and Jax.
At the diner, when they'd taken her car out for a test drive, was the last time they'd had more than twenty minutes alone together. They hadn't talked a lot about what was going on between them. She was starting to worry that all it had been between them was a sad, lonely man seeking comfort wherever he could find it.
Until he'd pulled her into his room during one of the after church parties at the clubhouse and pressed his mouth against hers, there was something stronger than just want in his kiss this time. It was something she would almost call need if it didn't scare her so much to call it that.
"I'm going to prove it," he whispered fervently in her ear and when she pulled back, he had that cocky grin on his face. It was the one that used to drive her crazy and annoy the hell out of her. But this time, it sent a riot of butterflies loose in her stomach.
Mutant butterflies with machine guns, she though wryly.
"Alright," Gemma said with a knowing smile. Emma glanced up just in time to see that the smile didn't reach the older woman's eyes. It was a cold, hollow twist of the lips and it made her nervous.
She had always been close to Gemma. Shit, the woman had practically raised her when her father had brought her home to Charming after her mother's death. She was close enough to know that her involvement with Jax was going to change things between them.
As far back as she could remember Gemma had regarding all of the women Jax had brought home with contempt, thinly veiled but palpable. She knew she was about to cross a line that maybe she could never uncross.
Emma sucked the last few hits off of cigarette and tossed it aside, crossing the parking lot to her car without a backwards glance. It was time to figure out which side of that line she wanted to be on.
xxx
Jax leaned back against the bar, finishing his cigarette and stubbing it out a little too hard into the ash tray.
"What's your deal, brother?" Opie asked, quietly. He was nursing a longneck with a cigarette in the other hand. On these long runs, especially the ones that lead them through Nevada, he was usually the only one of his brothers that wasn't partaking in the local pussy.
But tonight, Jax had been turning it down left and right. Jax was usually a little more discriminating than the rest of his brothers unless he was too drunk to see straight but he usually settled on one eventually.
And even Opie had to admit that there was some fine looking pussy in the room tonight. Nevada always took care of them. But he'd given up road pussy when he'd fallen head over heels in love with Donna Lerner. He didn't miss it, though. Going without for a few nights was nothing as long as he had her sweet ass to come home to.
Jax wasn't usually alone by this time of night, though. Opie wondered absently if it had anything to do with Emma. The two of them, they were dancing around something. It didn't take a genius to see that.
"What?" Jax asked with a shrug. "I just don't see anything I like."
Opie rolled his eyes and wondered, briefly, just how smooth Jax thought he was. The only time that Jax Teller had ever stopped sniffing around for pussy was when he'd been tangled up with Tara Knowles.
"Bullshit," Opie muttered, appraising the room. "Because if I didn't want to learn to take a piss sitting down I see quite a lot that I like."
Jax made a face, "She got you that pussy whipped already?"
Opie grinned and drained his beer. "Brother, you have no idea how good that pussy is. It's worth it."
Jax grimaced and leaned behind the bar to pull two more longnecks from the cooler full of ice they were half submerged in. He handed one to Opie and then used the edge of the scarred bar to crack the top off. "I'm just not feeling it tonight, man. That okay?"
Opie shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I'm just wondering if there's a reason you're not feeling it is all."
Jax bristled. "Since when are you so interested in my sex life?"
Opie grinned, shaking his head as he took a long swig from his beer. He wasn't going to rise to Jax's bait. He knew what he knew and he didn't really need his friend to confirm it. Emma had him hook, line and sinker even if neither of them knew it yet.
"I'm going to bed," Jax muttered, grabbing his smokes and lighter off of the table before he pushed through the crowd of croweaters and sweetbutts and disappeared down the hallway leading to the dormitories.
xxx
Jax sucked in his breath as they neared the last mile stretch to the clubhouse. He knew it was stupid to hope that Emma would be there, waiting for him, but he hoped she was none the less.
The last three days had dragged on mercilessly. Seventy-two hours might be just enough time for Emma to rethink involving herself with him. It might be just enough time for her to realize what a fucking train wreck he was and how much better off she would be if she could get as far away from him as possible.
But when he, Happy and Bobby pulled into the TM parking lot, he saw her standing with Gemma. She was wearing a pair of jeans that looked like she must have been poured into them and a heather gray Henley with the top three buttons undone. Her long dark hair was pulled back off of her neck in a messy bun and Jax longed to pull it loose and run his hands through it.
But he kept his hands to himself, clenching them at his side as he climbed off of his bike and stretched his legs. He'd agreed to keep whatever this was between them quiet, for now at least.
And that meant he couldn't touch her.
Not here, anyway.
Deep down he knew Emma was right. They needed to figure this shit out between them before they went public because it was going to have to be handled real delicately if Jax didn't want to find himself hemmed up for going after a brother's daughter.
Absently, he kissed Gemma on the cheek and managed to graze Emma's thigh with his hand when he did. She shot him a look but it did nothing to satiate his need to touch her.
"Gonna go get cleaned up," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear before he turned and headed for the clubhouse, shrugging off his kutte as he went.
True, he was covered in road grime and his muscles screamed, sore from the amount of hours he'd just logged on the road. But he'd be lying if he didn't admit, at least to himself, that he was hoping that Emma would find a way to slip into his room with him.
He didn't have to wait long, he'd just managed to slid his shirt off of his aching shoulders when he heard the door open and shut quietly behind him.
"You sure must have a death wish, Teller," she muttered, not making a move to close the gap between them.
He shot her a grin over his shoulder and for a minute he saw what was underneath that layer of spit and fire she wore like a Kevlar vest. It was like all the stress had melted away and for a split moment, she looked her eighteen years and not a year over. Her hands were clasped nervously in front of her and she was leaning forward ever so slightly on the balls of her feet.
Without thinking, he turned and snatched her close to him, pressing his chin against the top of her head. There was a vulnerability about her, a fragility, that wasn't usually there and it made his chest tighten and ache in a way he couldn't fully explain.
But when he pulled back, she looked up at him with flashing eyes. The moment was gone and the Emma who had weathered more than any woman ever should was standing in front of him.
"Maybe," he said, finally answering her. "But if I'm going down, you're coming with me. "
He pulled her down onto the bed with him and she landed on his chest. Emma scrambled to sit up but he held her against him. "Kiss me?" he asked, flashing her the smile that opened a thousand thighs but somehow not hers.
"Since you asked so nicely," she teased, leaning down and pressing her mouth against his. Her lips were firm, full and sweet. If he could, he'd stay here with her for hours, tasting her mouth and exploring it with his tongue.
God, he thought to himself, Ope's right. Haven't even got a taste of the pussy yet and I'm already pussy whipped.
But there was something different about this, all of it. He'd been afraid to let this happen in the beginning. Afraid for a lot of reasons, but he knew himself and he was afraid that he'd discover that he only wanted her for her pussy and that once he had it, he'd lose interest.
It wasn't something he was proud of but it was who he had become after Tara. A man who didn't give a shit as long as the tits were nice and the pussy was tight.
But here he was, a beautiful ass woman straddling his hips and he was happy just to be able to kiss her. Just to run his tongue over her teeth, taste the soft places inside of her.
Reluctantly, Emma pulled away from him, running her fingers over her mouth. "I better get back," she said, leaning down for once last kiss. "Before someone puts two and two together."
She climbed off of him and he fought the urge to beg her to come back. Before she opened the door, she gave him a guarded glance over her shoulder. "How was the run?" she asked lightly.
And with all honesty, he could tell her, "Lonely."
xxx
The party was like any other after-run party. An excuse to load up on pussy, weed, and booze for most of these guys. He was glad to be home but the fact that he had to put some face time in before he could suggest to Emma that they go back to her place was excruciating.
He was batting away yet another crow eater when he realized that it had been a long damn time since he'd seen Emma anywhere in the clubhouse. Scanning the room, he didn't catch sight of the Prospect either.
Jax felt a stab of something that he might have called jealousy if he were being honest with himself. With a grip on his longneck Corona that was threatening to break the bottle in two, he slipped into the hallway leading to the back bedrooms.
If the Prospect were with Emma, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. But he was pretty sure it would involve his fist getting up close and personal with the asshole's face. Or maybe he'd just take the beer bottle and—
Jax froze. From one of the bedrooms he could hear groaning. And then a deep male voice growling, "If you don't stop squirmin'..."
He slid through the hall as quietly as he could until he was standing outside of the door. Jax's teeth were clenched so tight his whole jaw was throbbing. Sure, he and Emma hadn't set anything in stone in regards to their relationship yet, but it stung to know she was in there with someone else… one of his brothers, maybe… when he had gone without for the entire running. Thinking of nothing but getting back and feeling her little body pressed up against his again. Looking forward to maybe figuring out where this thing between them was going to go.
"It tickles," he heard Emma say through the thick wood of the door and he felt a knot of rage twisting in his chest. He tried to tamp it down but he couldn't.
Without thinking, just full of hurt and jealousy and anger, Jax threw the door open. "What the fuck is—."
The words died on his tongue. Emma was stretched out on the bed, her shirt pulled up around her breasts and tucked into the bottom of her bra. Her jeans were unbuttoned and slid down her hips so far that he could see a hint of red lace panties peeking out.
And then there was Happy. Leaning over her with a pair of black surgical gloves on his hands and a tattoo gun poised to lay down some more ink on Emma's ribcage. Happy was watching him with a knowing look on his face, eyebrow crooked at the look on Jax's face.
Emma recovered first, shooting him a pointed, angry look from behind Happy's back. But when she spoke, she sounded like she had earlier up in his room. Easy and happy and relaxed. "What do you think?"
Emma gestured at the new ink that spanned her ribcage. It was a black birdcage with its door hanging open and above it, a bird flying into the distance. Happy was finishing up the shading.
"I love it," he said, but he wasn't looking at that tattoo. Or, he wasn't looking at just the tattoo. He was also looking at the delicate curve of her flat stomach where it disappeared into her jeans. The way her hips swelled outward from her narrow waist. Jax pulled his attention away from the way she was spread out on the bed before he ended up doing something stupid like throwing her over his shoulder and dragging her back to her place right in front of the whole club.
Happy, still fixing Jax with a knowing look, turned back to the piece. "You alright if I finish… big brother," he added. He said it in a knowing voice and instantly Jax knew that Happy knew that he hadn't burst into the room with the caring and concern of an older brother or cousin. He'd come flying through that door like a man driven half-crazy by jealousy.
Jax nodded his head and the sound of Happy's tattoo needle went to work again.
"You're girl, here," Happy said, again with that damn knowing smile, "Is a beast. We've been at this piece for a good two hours and she ain't asked for one break."
Emma shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly so that she didn't disturb the skin where Happy was shading in the birdcage. "I've got a high pain tolerance."
Only Jax caught the slight inflection in her voice that told him that that pain tolerance had been built up over the last four years. He instantly remembered that picture he'd found in Emma's things. The picture of her busted up face. He couldn't help but wonder how many other injuries hadn't been documented. How many times had she been knocked around and who had done it?
He knew she'd probably never tell him.
xxx
Joshua Kohn scrubbed a hand over his face, hard. His cell phone had only rang three times and that was a change from the last week when someone from the office had called him about a dozen times.
He'd have to tell them something eventually, but he felt like he was so close. So close to finally getting Emma Reid to flip on the club. He'd seal the RICO deal and he'd finally get an offer from the ATF.
Emma was standing out on the porch of that little, squat house that she rented from Jax Teller. He'd seen him there a few times, him and that little brown fucker they called Prospect. His blood boiled whenever he thought about how everything he'd warned Emma about had come true. They were already using her as a pass around. A fucking sweet butt. She was too pretty, too young for that kind of hard life and he knew what it would do to her eventually.
It would either get her killed or end with her shackled to some Son as his Old Lady. There was so much more out there for such a beautiful, young girl. She reminded Kohn of his Elizabeth. A beautiful, vibrant woman that he loved very much. Unfortunately, Elizabeth hadn't loved him as much as he had loved her.
Shaking his head, Kohn sighed and reached for the bottle of Bud Light sitting next to him. He knew he shouldn't be drinking on a job, knew he shouldn't be drinking period after the problem he'd had when Elizabeth had left him and filed that restraining order against him.
It had almost cost him his job, his life… but he couldn't think about that now. He held the binoculars back up to his eyes. There was a house that was for rent, standing empty, across the street from Jax Teller's old house. It had been nothing much to jimmy the lock and find a way inside.
He always cleaned up after himself, every single time. He wasn't breaking and entering, he told himself. He was appropriating for the sake of the investigation. Anyone would see it like that.
If he were caught, a simple flash of his badge would work. They'd forgive him everything as long as they knew that he was a federal agent. It worked every single time.
Emma was standing on the porch, a coffee mug in her hand. She looked amazing in a simple red flannel button down and a pair of jeans that looked like she'd been poured into them. Her long dark hair hung loosely down her back and the fading sunlight caught the red highlights in her chestnut brown locks.
There was a low rumble that got louder and louder as it came closer and he recognized Jax Teller's bike as it pulled up into the driveway. Kohn hated to see the bright smile that lit up Emma's face when Jax climbed off of his bike and took a few long strides to the porch.
"Shit," Kohn hissed. It was obvious that something was already going on between those two, as much as he had hoped Emma would stay out of the young, heir-apparent's way . He dropped the binoculars in disgust when he saw the way that Emma pressed herself into the Prince.
xxx
"So," Emma said, opening the front door and slipping back into the living room. Jax followed her, stripping off his kutte as she shut the door behind him. As sexy as she found his leather to be, she couldn't lie that it made her feel good when he pulled it off as soon as he walked in the door.
It made her feel like he was spending time with her as Jax. Jax and Emma. Not Emma and a Son. Or a patch and his club brother's daughter. He slid his hands up her hips and circled her waist, careful to avoid the tender patch of skin where Happy had recently finished her tattoo.
"So?" he asked, lowering his head and pressing his mouth to the tender spot where her neck curved into her shoulder.
Emma pressed forward into him and he groaned against her skin. "Darlin'," he said in a husky voice that betrayed his desire, "Do you know how long I've been missing you."
Emma grinned, her smile hidden in his shoulder. Reluctantly, she pulled away and tangled her fingers in the bottom of his long sleeve flannel shirt. "Dinner's almost ready," she said.
Jax followed her to the kitchen, breathing deep and using every last shred of self-control he had to stop himself from pushing her into the bedroom. He knew, logically, that he needed to move slow with her. Although slow had never been something that Jackson Teller had ever practiced. He knew enough to know that at least once, she'd come very close to being raped. He wasn't a stupid man, even if he'd never finished high school. He knew that that did something to a woman that he would never understand and he didn't want to put Emma in a position where she was afraid of him.
Emma leaned over and pulled an amazing looking baked macaroni and cheese out of the oven. It bubbled and oozed as it cooled on the stovetop and she reached into a bag next to her and pulled out a grocery store rotisserie chicken.
"So, I think it's best if you know up front that macaroni and cheese is pretty much the extent of my cooking capabilities," she said, looking chagrined as Jax laughed.
"Darlin', your cooking skills are pretty low on my list of deal breakers."
Emma cocked an eyebrow at him, "From what I hear, you don't have deal breakers," she teased. "I've seen some of your—."
Jax was quick to cut her off. He jumped to his feet and took the chicken out of her hand, putting it down on the table. "Stop," he said, taking her face in his hands and tilting her head back until he could see her eyes. "I've fucked a lot of women, Emma. I'm not going to lie to you. I couldn't even if I wanted to because you've known me long enough to know that's true. But you ain't no sweetbutt, darlin'. And whatever this is going to be with you… it ain't gonna be that."
Emma's breath caught in her throat and as she leaned up to kiss him, the phone rang. Sighing, Emma rocked back onto her heels and stared hard at the offending piece of plastic.
"You gonna answer that?" he asked, his lips turned up into a smirk.
"Yeah," she said, sighing, "I guess."
Jax eased back down into the kitchen chair, pulling an ashtray over and fishing a cigarette out of his battered pack. He'd just gotten it lit and taken a few strong pulls when he heard the phone clatter to the floor.
Jax was on his feet in an instant. Emma stood where the phone had dropped, her face pale and her hands shaking.
"Ems, what's wrong?" he demanded, the softness gone out of his voice when he saw her stricken face.
"My dad…" she said, her voice empty. "He's been attacked."
xxx
AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks so much for being patient with me and this chapter. I'm taking an accelerated English course this semester and it's eating up a lot of my free time. Ugh. But I thought that maybe a nice long, eventful chapter would make up for my absence. So, tell me what you think? How do you feel about Kohn and his fixation on Emma? Do you think that she and Jax can finally make whatever is between them work? XOXO, Niki.