Delylah didn't believe a damn word that came from Ophelia's mouth. When she told her mother just needed space, a little time to herself, Delylah knew that her twin was full of shit. What confused and astounded her even more was that her mother didn't blink an eye as Opie said she was going back to the cabin.
"I'm sure you're not going to get any alone time once you're there, Op," Tara all but whispered. They were sitting vigil in Abel's room. Tara sat in a small hospital recliner, and Althea sat across from her in a stiff hospital chair. Tig sat guard outside of the room. Tara couldn't help but feel a little better that Tig was there; it truly felt like old times at St. Thomas.
"Venus and Will are there," Delylah stated. She watched as Ophelia's blue eyes glittered with annoyance. Her long red hair was loose, and her slender body was dressed in black leggings and a loose black tank top. Underneath the tank peeked a body hugging black camisole. Delylah noticed how thin Opie was getting, and she didn't like it. Her twin had always run more towards the lean than Delylah did, but this was probably the thinnest she'd ever been. It never failed; food was the first casualty in Opie's wars with sadness or anger or stress, and this was no exception.
"They don't bother me," Ophelia stated calmly. "Usually, they let me be. I just need to get outta here, Mama."
"It defeats the purpose of leaving, don't you think?" Delylah didn't give Tara a chance to respond. Something wasn't right about her sister's sudden urge to leave. She and Delylah had come to the hospital just a couple hours ago. Opie knew they'd planned on being there the majority of the day. Now, suddenly, Opie needed to be alone. If Delylah knew her sister at all, she knew her behavior was weird, at best. Her gut told her that the reason she wanted to leave had nothing to do with being alone, and it had everything to do with Lucius.
Lucius. Delylah hated the sound of his name in her brain. He'd completely disappeared after Abel's collapse. Ophelia had reached out to him over and over, to no avail. Delylah knew that it broke Opie's heart, but she also knew Opie would never show it, especially with the search for Hannah in full swing and Abel's life hanging in the balance. Delylah had no clue as to why her sister's boyfriend decided to jump ship, but she really hadn't spent much time dwelling on it. She saw his disappearance as a blessing; she'd never like Lucius much anyway. He wasn't the man her sister needed. He certainly was no Victor.
"Why don't you mind your own business, Delylah?" Opie's voice dripped annoyance as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Delylah almost laughed. Ophelia looked like a parody of herself. It was impossible to believe that they were the same age. Ophelia seemed so much younger than Delylah did.
"She's just trying to keep you safe, Opie," Althea spoke up now. "I don't think you understand the danger your family is in. There hasn't been a trace of Hannah since she was abducted. Your father, Victor, and Thomas are working with the police to find her. I can't tell you the number of favors I've called in to help find her."
"I don't think I'm in danger," Ophelia replied. "I mean, I'm driving straight there. I have to drive through Silver Spring to get there. I can stop and see Daddy on the way, so y'all know I'm safe."
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go alone," Delylah interjected.
"I don't give a damn what you think," Opie countered. "You're not my mother. Hell, you've been up Victor's ass so much lately, I'd say you're not even being much of a sister at this point."
"Fuck you," Delylah's raised voice slammed into the quiet. "You've been so goddamned mopey, no one can fucking talk to you! Before Hannah was taken, you stayed in that goddamned room, all woe-is-me about Mama and Daddy's secret, instead of taking it on and dealing with it. Now that Hannah's gone and Abel's sick, it's all I can do to get your ungrateful ass out of bed."
"Did you stop to think that my world is falling apart?" Opie's onslaught of words began. "We graduated a month ago, and I thought I'd have a summer before college—instead, I learn my parents have been lying to us our entire fucking lives—our sister-in-law is kidnapped—our brother is steps from death. In less than two months, I start at Duke—and I don't even know what fucking name to fucking use! I don't even know who I am anymore!"
"Enough!" Tara cried. She hated seeing her girls fight like this. "You're both right, goddamnit. Opie, I'm sorry you're going through this hell, but I did everything I could to keep it from happening. I know you both are hurting—and confused—and unsure of what to do—but Delylah, you have Victor to fall back on. Opie doesn't have that. She's always thrived on normalcy—you thrive in chaos. Cut your sister a break, and let her feel what she needs to feel."
"You see why I want to be alone?" Opie asked. Tears strained her voice as she fought back tears. Normally, Delylah would feel bad for her sister, but her words cut Delylah deeply. At this point, it was all Delylah could do not to cry too.
Tara nodded. "I do," she said. "But you have to be safe right now. We can't afford to lose you too. Go to the cabin. Check in with Daddy before you head there."
"Thank you, Mama," Ophelia whispered, instantly contrite.
"I mean it, Op," Tara warned. "Check in with your father. Let him lay eyes on you—don't check in through a phone call. Go to the police station, and check in with him. Then go straight to the cabin." Ophelia nodded in understanding.
Without speaking, Delylah pulled the keys from her pocket and slammed them Abel's rolling bedside table. She said nothing as she walked out the door. Tara closed her eyes as the door closed behind her daughter. Delylah was so much like Jax in her anger—achingly explosive. Ophelia was more like her mother; she seethed and boiled until she could no longer take it, but once she did, the edge was dulled.
Tara's hazel eyes scanned her daughter's face. She was the baby of the family, but only by minutes. Growing up, Delylah was the wild one, the one that ran with the boys without regard for her safety. Tara and Jax never had to worry about their youngest child. Ophelia was always by Tara's side, always the serious one, the homebody. She'd been the perfect student, and in the fall, she'd be the one that followed in Tara's doctor footsteps.
If we make it through the summer, Tara thought sadly. She'd always taken Opie's seriousness as a blessing, but now, in the midst of all the calamity of the season, Tara realized that maybe a little bit of Delylah's crazy would have done Ophelia a little bit of good. Delylah could weather any storm; Ophelia, not so much.
"Thank you, Mama," she said quietly. Tara nodded. She was afraid to speak. Tears came too often these days. Opie's hand slid across the small table and grabbed the keys. With a look of gratitude, she went over and hugged her mother. Tara embraced her daughter, and when they broke apart, she watched as Ophelia walked out the door. Once it fell shut behind her, Tara allowed the tears to flow. Althea, moved by Tara's pain, stood and walked to her. Placing a gentle hand on Tara's shoulder, Althea fought back her own tears.
"Why do I feel like I did everything wrong?" Tara rasped. "I tried to give them a life outside of Charming, a life where they'd have a chance at normal, and it's done no good. It's like we're right back where we started, Althea. The only difference is geography."
"You did everything you felt was right," Chibs' widow stated. "And for what it's worth, I've asked myself that question a million times since Filip's murder. I always wondered if Johnny's paternity should have been known. I mean, I'm sure all of Charming will know the truth soon, if they don't already. There were so many years that Johnny and Filip could've bonded on a whole different level—and now he's gone."
Tara reached up and grabbed Althea's hand. She squeezed it in understanding.
"I guess fucking up is just part of it," Tara said. "We've made it this far, and I'm sure everything will work out the way it needs to."
"It will," Althea said quietly. As she returned to her seat, Tara grabbed her phone and texted Jax, letting him know about the plans. It was only when he responded that Tara began to worry less. The cabin was a half hour away from their Silver Spring house. Once Opie checked in, Tara would be able to breathe again.
#####################################################################################
I think Opie is going to find Lucius.
Victor read the text message from Delylah. It'd been an hour or so since her twin had left the hospital. Other than a slight eyebrow raise, the Marine's face didn't change as he replied.
Do you want me to check on her?
It was a reasonable question. It still amazed him at how well he fit in to Delylah's family. He'd never once imagined he'd be in love with Abel's little sister. It had been so long since he'd had a real family, he forgot what it felt like to have people that had one another's back.
She's supposed to come in and check in with Daddy on her way to the cabin. Text me if that doesn't happen.
With a quick okay, Victor slid his phone into his pocket. He glanced around, marveling at the size of the Silver Spring Police Department. His post in California was three times the size of the modest station. Just a few hundred feet away, Jax and Thomas were conversing with an officer, oblivious to Victor's temporary absence. He walked over to them.
Jack Petty sat by Jax's side as they poured over file after file. The officer was shocked when first responded to the call about Hannah Sinclair's abduction, and he was equally astounded to learn that Eric and Elizabeth Morgan were really Jax and Tara Teller. It didn't affect how he interacted with the man he'd known for years, because he knew that Jax's name was the only difference between the upstanding Silver Spring citizen and the renegade Charming biker.
"I've been catching up on the files," Jack said calmly. "Your friend, Althea Jarry, was kind enough to bring the chief up to speed on your story. When I heard what happened at Ada—I mean, Abel's wedding, I knew I wanted to help you find the bastards that are tearing your family apart. I hope you're okay with that."
Jax nodded. He'd known Jack Petty for eighteen years, having met him just a couple of months after their arrival in Silver Spring. They'd struck up an amicable acquaintance when Jax started working on the police department's cars, and if there was ever any kind of problem, Jax knew he could count on Jack to take care of the shop and his family, if needed. It was perfect logic.
"It's gotta be the Irish," Jax returned. "Nothing else makes sense. The majority of my old enemies are either dead or in prison. I don't what their issue is with me, but I thought any tension would die once I was considered dead. Once Chibs came knocking on my door, I knew that my theory was wrong."
"You think they're the ones that killed your sister?" Thomas asked quietly. Jax nodded. "But I don't understand."
"They must be mad that I left SAMCRO behind after Galen O'Shea's murder," Jax whispered. "I mean, I really did leave SAMCRO at a critical point in their relationship with the Kings—August Marks was trying to take over Stockton and corner the gun market, and the Kings—well, they don't take to people of another color."
Thomas blushed as he thought of Will. God, I'm fucking lucky Pop got the hell out of Charming. He knew that, with his sexuality and Will's ethnicity, their romance would have never happened. If anything, it probably would have gotten them killed. But Venus and Tig made it, his mind retorted. Thomas still wondered how the hell they made that happen, especially with Tig then being the Vice President of SAMCRO. When he thought of them, Thomas had a little more hope that SAMCRO wasn't the narrow-minded, bigoted group he'd envisioned.
"Althea explained that," Jack said quietly. "She told me that part of your deal was tying up loose ends, and that sent Marks to prison. That gave the Kings the ability to really capitalize on the gunrunning—and the Sons eventually withdrew from the gun trade. That theory doesn't make a goddamned bit of sense, if you ask me. The Kings shouldn't have been mad; they should've been thankful."
"Ah, but there's the issue, Jack: Common sense doesn't occur in my old world. Charming is a place of misunderstood, old-fashioned codes of honor. What seems perfectly reasonable to us doesn't to them. I'm telling you—they must've found out I was alive and well—and they got pissed. They went after Trinity, knowing Chibs would come find me, and that's exactly what happened."
"But why take Hannah?" Victor chimed in. "You would think that, if the beef is with you, they'd go after Tara. Or you. Or even your kids. But why Hannah? Why my sister?"
"She's pregnant," Jax stated, as if it were the obvious answer.
"Yeah, but no one but Abel and Hannah knew that," Victor countered. "You said yourself; only you and Tara knew after the wedding. The Kings would have no way of knowing that. So why Hannah?"
"Because Abel loves her," Thomas replied. "She's his Achilles heel, and that makes her Pop's Achilles heel as well. He and my mom have lived a longer life—so if they were killed today, it would hurt like hell, but the pain wouldn't compare to losing a young, twenty-one year old wife would. The Kings are looking to make an impact."
Jax was impressed by his younger son's ability to understand a system he'd never grown up in. He was far more logical than Abel was—always had been. Jax couldn't help but wonder what kind of President Thomas would have made, had the circumstances been different.
"That still doesn't answer the other questions, Thomas," Victor said. So many questions plagued Victor's mind. "I mean, how did they know Abel was getting married? How did they know where Chibs was?"
"That's something I can't answer yet," Jax answered. "I mean, they have to have a certain amount of intel in order to be a step ahead, but I don't know how they got it."
"Daddy?" Ophelia's voice carried over the low hum of the voices surrounding them. Thomas looked up and saw his fragile sibling. God, Op, he thought sadly. You need to eat. Jax waved her over. He stood and hugged his daughter.
"Hey Op," he whispered. "Your mom tells me you're headed to the cabin?" The youngest Teller nodded.
"Yeah," she answered. "I just can't take another minute in that hospital."
"You didn't have to go," Thomas told his sister. "No one would hold it against you."
Ophelia loved her brother. He always understood her more than Delylah or Abel did. He knew she'd feel guilty by not being by Abel's side. If only you knew I was leaving him to see Lucius. Her conscience ate at her gut. She knew meeting him was a mistake, but he'd only asked for a little time. Despite her anger, Ophelia couldn't help but be curious about where he'd been. She had to know, even though she knew, deep down, that she wasn't going to stay with him.
"You gonna be here for a little longer?" Ophelia asked Jax.
"For a while longer, actually," Jax replied. "I'm gonna grab some food and go back up to the hospital and sit with your mom. Thomas and I are going to take the overnight shift later on. We just have a bunch of stuff to work on before we go."
Opie nodded. A small sliver of relief filled her belly as she realized she just might be able to pull her clandestine meeting off. They were all so involved in finding Hannah, they wouldn't even realize she took longer to get the cabin. On the way in, she'd formulated a story to explain her lateness; once she was done with Lucius, she'd text Tara and tell her she'd stopped by the house for clothes. It was perfect.
"You need me to go with ya, Op?" Thomas asked. She shook her head in the negative.
"I'll be fine," she said. "I'm going straight to the cabin. I'll text Mama when I get there."
Satisfied with that response, Jax, Thomas, and Victor bid farewell to Ophelia. As Victor watched Ophelia walk away, a strange feeling of trepidation filled him. Just a couple weeks ago, after Hannah's disappearance, Opie insisted on staying with someone—she would practically beg Delylah to stay in her room at times; now, she was driving to the cabin alone. Delylah's worry now plagued him, too. He grabbed his phone.
She checked in. Let me know if she doesn't call your mom. I have a feeling you're right.
#################################################################################
"What do you mean, she's not there?" Tara's voice filled the hospital room. "She texted me to tell me she'd stopped by the house to pick up some things. She should've showed up by now, Venus."
Delylah could hear Venus' sweet voice on the other end of the phone. She fought the urge to scream I told you so, but she hated that she was right. She had no doubt that her twin was tangled up in Lucius, letting him spout apologies and promises.
"I'll call Jax," Tara said softly. Delylah was already a step ahead of her, clicking away at her phone.
Opie isn't at the cabin. Venus said she never made it there.
Victor closed his eyes after he'd read the text. Jax and Thomas had just left the station. He was alone, and he gritted his teeth in frustration. The phone beeped again, notifying Victor of another text.
Mama said Op was going to stop by the house to get some things. Can you go by and see if she's still there? Poor Mama is about to have a heart attack.
Of course I will. Victor knew he didn't have much of a choice, but he worried as much as Delylah did about Op. Even though she was a moody pain in the ass, he knew that the craziness Ophelia felt was because of all the change. The last couple of weeks had been hell.
Jax had left his keys with Victor, and they'd taken Thomas' zippy little convertible back to Valley Memorial. Victor was grateful for it. He didn't know how well his bulky soldier's body would fit into that tiny car. Jax's truck was far more comfortable. He got in and cranked the diesel engine to life, and within seconds, he was driving down the small town roads to Jax and Tara's.
I could get used to this place again. A soaking late July heat filled the cabin of the truck as Victor rolled the window down. In the time since he'd left, he didn't miss a single thing about Silver Spring. He always associated the small town with James' abuse and Sarah's indifference. The only part of Silver Spring he'd ever missed was Hannah. Now, he knew that, when he finally did go back to California, he'd miss Delylah like crazy. Part of him wondered if she'd follow him out there. It was a crazy thought, but it was one that filled him with happiness.
"What the hell?" The words were barely audible as Victor turned into the long driveway. Two cars were parked there, but Victor only recognized the car Ophelia and Delylah shared. The other was a mystery. It was a long, smooth black sedan, and Victor had never seen it more. He parked the truck and headed inside. He was astonished to find the door wide open.
"Op?" Victor walked into the room as he simultaneously reached for a light switch and his gun. He never went anywhere without. Tonight, it was tucked into the waist of his jeans. He grabbed it and readied it as he found the light switch he sought. As the light illuminated the space, he was shocked at what he saw before him.
Blood. It was everywhere. Playbacks of Hannah's abduction ran through his mind, except this time, it covered the living room floor, soaking into the hardwood floors and into the old, beautiful rug. A crimson trail rolled into the kitchen. Gun raised, Victor walked carefully through huge, silent house.
"Help me." The voice was small, and it was so quiet that Victor almost missed it. He glanced over the big island, and he was shocked to see Opie, lying in a pool of blood. Her nose was shattered, and her eyes were almost swollen shut. Blood seemed to pour from every orifice of her body, and she shook with a mixture of fear and shock. Victor tucked his gun back into the waist of his jeans and knelt by her side.
"W-wh-who are you?" Opie stammered. It didn't occur to Victor that she couldn't see, but as he got a closer look at her, he saw that her eyes wouldn't open. They were the size of golf balls, and Victor's heart shattered as he placed a careful hand on her. She recoiled.
"It's Victor, honey," he said carefully. "What happened?"
"I—I'm sorry, Victor," she began to apologize. Victor cradled her head in one hand as he reached for the phone with the other. He dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency?" The operator's twangy voice crackled in his ear.
"I need an ambulance at 4691 Church Road. I have a woman that has been a victim of-"
Stars. Victor saw stars. The back of his head screamed in pain as he collapsed. What the fuck? His brain cried as he tried to get back up. Another blow to his skull sent him reeling to the ground. He'd been hit in just the right spot. The pain was unbearable as fell into Ophelia's blood. As he spiraled into unconsciousness, he heard Ophelia scream in pain. His eyes opened and shut rapidly, but he saw the outline of a man walking away. Ophelia was in his arms.
"Victor?" he heard her cry. "Victor, are you carrying me? Victor, please—" she sobbed.
"Stop. Fucking. Screaming!" The man's voice echoed as he headed out the door. "Or I will give you a reason to fucking scream."
Everything else went silent. Victor could hear Ophelia's cries as the door opened. They faded into the night, and eventually, they just stopped. His head was pounding as he tried to regain his equilibrium. He struggled to sit up, but the pain was too strong. The all-too-familiar sound of sirens came closer as he heard the strange car from the driveway roar to life. As Victor's head spun, the man's voice played over and over again in head, they mixed with the sound of Ophelia's plaintive cries, and as he heard the ambulance and first responders, he knew the voice like he knew his own name.
"Lucius," he whispered as he gave in to the pain. "I'm going to fucking find you. And I will fucking kill you. That is a promise."