I'm back with a brand new chapter :)
Sorry that it's taken me a few weeks, but other things had taken precedence over my writing. However, in apology, I have included an extra long chapter :) Hope this makes up for me not updating for awhile.
Please read and enjoy, and then review. Love feedback!
Fallon: End of an Era
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dru found Chibs on top of the roof after the boys returned from their meeting with Tyler. Jax had told her of their run-in with Conner. It seemed she would be having her own get together with the Irishman soon. But before she could go ahead with that plot she had to tell someone, someone she utterly trusted, of what was going to go down in the near future. Jax couldn't know a thing.
"Hey, Chibs," she greeted him.
He looked over his shoulder at the redhead. He was amazed at this woman. He'd known her since she was a teenager. Back then she wasn't innocent, but she had been innocent enough. The life barely scarped her at that age. By the time she reached her early twenties she was practically a shoe in for prospect. If only she'd had the right equipment downstairs. When he had heard of Connor Fallon, Chibs had known him to be a legend in the charter. To also grasp the fact that the man had fathered a daughter, it was almost unreal. The man should've had a son, but Dru had more than made up for the fact that she wasn't born with a penis.
When she had returned from her four year sabbatical, after they had learned the truth of her disappearance, Chibs had been heartbroken at the obscurity that shimmered in Dru's emerald green eyes. It was a darkness he had never seen before. The only time he witnessed her soul was when she was protecting the club and loving Jax. It wasn't fair that a bright, beautiful, and promising young woman had been robbed of everything good. She could kill with such malice and remorse was nonexistent after the deed. The way she had killed Moses… Chibs almost shivered at the unsympathetic method she had used. She had been totally detached from the situation. He shook his head. It just wasn't fair.
"What can I do for you, lassie?" Chibs asked.
Dru shrugged. "Nothing much, except maybe lend a listening ear," she replied.
"I'm no priest, Drusilla," he joked.
"I'm not asking for a priest," she chuckled. "Besides, there's no need for me to be confessing to my sins now. After all, it's a long list and there's no forgiveness that comes with it."
He studied her face. There was something substantial that was weighing her down. Apparently the burden had become too much for her. "I'm listening, Dru."
"I don't really know how all of this is going to end." She sighed. "I know what needs to be done, but with those actions come consequences."
"Are you speaking of the consequences that we caught the other day when you and Jax were arguing?"
"Yes," Dru nodded.
"What are the consequences, Dru?" Chibs questioned.
"Death." She paused as if gathering up the strength to tell the rest of it. "My death," she whispered.
Chibs had kindly figured as much with what she and Jax had said the other day. But hearing her expressing it so bluntly, it felt like Chibs had just taken a punch to the gut. "Why?" he asked.
She exhaled. "If I tell you the whole truth, will you promise never to tell Jax?"
Chibs felt like it was his responsibility to now be burdened with her secret. Obviously it had become too much for her to shoulder alone. "I will not say a word, Dru," he told her.
She nodded. "When I finally escaped from the IRA I jumped around to different places. I had accumulated many contacts, clients, who relied on my services. It was a lot of dirty dealings…a lot of blood. I had never intended on continuing what I had been trained to do, but…" Dru shrugged. "I had done it for so long already. It had only been four years, but I felt like it'd been a lifetime. I believe that killing people makes the time go by slower. It chips a little bit of time away from you with every execution. Nevertheless, it was the only thing I know how to do and I'm damn good at it unfortunately.
"After so many suspicious assassinations had taken place, the U.S. government knew there was a 'ghost' in their midst. They couldn't catch me for awhile. I was too good at covering my tracks. But one night, I was at a target's home. It was in Maryland, sixty miles from D.C. That was the night that they finally trapped me. They apprehended me and took me to some facility. I didn't know where I was because they had tranquilized me. When I awoke I was surrounded by seven men in army fatigues and three men sitting in front of me. It wasn't until later that I found out exactly who they were. At that time I could feel the power they had. It was radiating off of them. They scared me, to a certain extent. They said, 'We have the authority to put a needle in your arm and waste your pathetic life. But we're not going to do that just yet.'
"Those were the exact words. In turn I listened. I had no other choice. They offered me a job. It was the same job that I had been doing, but this one came with perks—a government salary where I was paid very generously, freedom to do what I wanted, and the most enticing of all…ghost status. I wouldn't exist on paper. As far as the world knew Drusilla Fallon would be dead. I could operate the way I always had. I was to keep balance in the world. I had the skill set, the contacts, the liberty of not having a conscience...I was the perfect specimen for what they needed," Dru explained.
"What balance?" Chibs questioned. He was confused by that specific word.
"In plain terms…the balance between good and evil. The catch was, I couldn't pick a side. I had to play for both teams and never speak out of turn about it. Whatever was going on in the world and a big army, even a five man SEAL squad, couldn't do it or it was too much, they sent me. I could get in and out without being detected. I killed so many and I never batted the first eyelash. It didn't matter if the target was good or bad. I was neutral. I was paid to be neutral. It kept the peace, the balance, as much as you can believe that. I was never meant to pick a side to fight for. I was meant to roll with the punches and play their silly little game.
"After awhile I was let go. I was tired of it. I was still paid, but I technically wasn't on their payroll anymore. I became more of an independent contractor. They would touch base with me because I had invaluable information. I had the best contacts. Again, it didn't matter if the information was for the good or the bad. Whereas I was independent I went to freelance work. My services were rendered by the highest bidders. Mostly it was for my information network. There were only a few executions I had to perform. Until I came back here for good, I didn't realize the toll that my lifestyle was taking on me. Yet, if I didn't live like this I never would've been able to help you guys. To me that's vital. What I do is irreplaceable.
"Four years ago when the IRA took me I never would've thought that their training would come in handy with the Sons. I was wrong. I've done so many things to help you guys. You don't even know the half of it. But I never wanted recognition for it. Until Opie died I didn't even plan on showing my face here again. I think his death was a way for me to come back. It was kind of like Opie was sending me here to take his place because he knew what was going to come of all of this. But because I came back and I've helped you, I've ultimately chosen a side."
"And you weren't supposed to do that," Chibs quietly muttered.
Dru shook her head. "But I couldn't just not do that. The Sons are my father's legacy. Jax has been the love of my life for more than half of it. I couldn't stand by and watch anything happen to you all. This is why I'm treasured. I was treasured by the IRA. I am treasured by our own government. But as valuable as I am, there comes a time when my skills are too much. That time has come. Those people I worked for, the people and the agencies that don't even exist on paper, are going to eventually come after me. And when they do, Chibs, I don't have a chance in living to be an old woman. I was supposed to keep my head down, but I couldn't do that. Not this time.
"Gunning for August was the worst thing I did because he has so many connections to the inside of the government. I know where his network goes; how far up it is. I never should've touched him. But I did. He killed Bobby and I couldn't lay that down to rest. He wants Jax to suffer. I can't allow that to happen. He wants the Sons gone. And that sure as fuck is not happening on my watch."
Chibs had followed the conversation and felt like he'd been put down a rabbit hole. Their very own Drusilla Fallon had worked for the government. No wonder she had so many otherworldly contacts. No wonder she had been broken out of jail with one phone call. She was a valuable commodity. But according to Dru, her value did not override her death sentence. She had promised to never choose a side because to do so would end her life. Chibs knew that by helping them, mainly by attacking August, she had done just that.
"Is there a bounty out for you?" he asked calmly even though he was feeling anything but.
Dru was taking a cigarette out of her pack when she answered with a simple, "There will be."
"But not yet?"
She sighed after she took a long draw off of her cigarette. "I received a phone call today. It was my 'heads-up' as most would call it. He warned me as to what's coming next, which would be the bounty on my head. To tell you the truth, he said he would see me soon. Maybe I'm to be brought in alive first."
"Who's 'he'?" Chibs questioned.
"Someone high up on the totem pole in our government, and before you ask, no, it's not the President. Half the time the President doesn't even know what's going on. His own agencies keep secrets from him."
He nodded as he stared out at the bay before him. "Why'd you tell me all of this, Dru?"
She blew smoke out. "Because someone needed to know the truth about me. Jax can't know. Not only because he couldn't handle it, but also because it protects him from the very people I'm running from."
"Are you running, Dru?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Not yet."
Chibs turned to look at the profile of the beautiful girl sitting beside of him. When she was a little girl she had been a force to be reckoned with, but yet so innocent in the sense that she believed everyone and everything was good. It wasn't until after her father's death and her mother leaving that Dru quickly figured out there was no such thing as 'good'. Chibs acknowledged that Dru knew there were a black and a white, but he had come to accept that she believed more in the gray and that she lived there.
"I don't think you're going to," he told her.
Dru scoffed. "Even if I wanted to there's not a place I could go that they wouldn't be able to find me sooner or later."
Chibs shook his head. "I don't think that's the reason why you're not gonna run."
Dru snickered. "You know me too well, Chibs."
He grinned, but it quickly disappeared under the stress of the upcoming future. "What are you gonna tell Jax? You're gonna have to tell him something, Dru."
She heaved a sigh. "I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out."
Dru stood up from the chair, but was stopped by Chibs grabbing onto her arm. She gave her attention to him once more.
"Just remember that you love him, Dru. And he loves you. You're one of the few people that he's implicitly trusted all of his life. Whatever you do tell him, you make sure it's as close to the truth as you can get without giving everything away."
She nodded at his advice and finally walked away.
Before she could take the ladder back down into the warehouse, she found Hugh with two of his minions coming up. Jax and Tig quickly followed. She didn't have any loose ends from the IRA. There might have been stragglers, but ultimately they were Conner's men. Which brought her to her next mission on her to-do list.
"Where's Conner?" she asked Hugh.
"How should I know?" he shrugged.
"You might be IRA, but you and I both know that it's over. Especially since the Kings are dead. But you've always been with Conner since he reminded you of a stand-up guy and that's who you wanted to work for. He still had compassion unlike the Kings," Dru told him.
"I don't know where he's at, Dru, I swear. I haven't talked to him in almost a week."
"I find that very hard to believe," she remarked.
"Look, he practically abandoned the IRA long before the Kings were dead. He's sort of been on the outs because of everything that happened with Clay. The Kings were never 100% happy with Jax giving the gun trade to the black, but as long as it brought in the revenue that Mr. Marks promised they ignored their prejudice. Conner stood on the sidelines, in the dark, waiting for the chance to get away."
"To find his own business," Dru drummed up. "Which now, with the Kings dead, he can do exactly that."
"I don't know anything about that, but Conner wanted out from beneath the IRA."
"Well, I guess he and I can agree on one thing. It's not a very comfortable position being underneath the Kings."
Jax knew what she was referring to when she said "being underneath the Kings". His blood boiled once again recalling the memories of where Dru had been four years ago. However, he quickly had to let that go and move on to what he really needed to be doing. He'd revisit his anger later.
He shook the minion's hand and said, "We appreciate the help with what happened earlier."
"It wouldn't be the first time he's been off the rails," one of the men commented.
"Yeah, well, we underestimated Conner's paranoia," Chibs stated with annoyance.
"That's what we need you for, Hugh," Jax said.
"Like I was telling Dru, I don't know where the hell he is," Hugh told him.
"If we couldn't beat it out of him…" the minion began saying.
"No more beat downs," Jax cut in. "I need you to call Conner, tell him you got away from the Kings, you found a way out."
"He knows Roark grabbed me. He's not gonna walk into a trap," Hugh said.
"Roark might have grabbed you, but the Kings are dead now and Conner knows that. He'll show up," Tig told him.
"And why would he do that?" Hugh questioned.
Before Dru could figure out what was going on, Chibs and Tig had pulled their pistols and shot the two minions.
"Because you're going to send him a picture of them," Jax told him. Hugh didn't argue. "Set it up."
Dru stared at the two bodies as Tig took the pictures. She sighed in defeat. Jax was closing himself off. He wasn't going to trust her to know where to take this. The only thing he was focused on was making sure she survived. He didn't know there wasn't a way and she didn't have the heart to tell him.
Sheriff Jarry watched District Attorney Patterson from her window. The woman was walking towards her office. She sighed as her nerves began to play with her. Before she had a chance to really calm herself the door opened up.
"L.T.," her deputy greeted her, "D.A. is here."
"District Attorney Patterson, I didn't realize you were coming by," Jarry said.
"Neither did I," she said as the deputy closed the door behind her. "You may sit," she told her.
Jarry quickly took a seat as Patterson began her questions. "Where are we with the Knowles-Roosevelt case?"
"I thought we had a break, but we found out our suspect wasn't in the state the night of the murders," Jarry answered.
"And now one of your witnesses is dead," Patterson stated.
"Yes," Jarry nodded. "Ortiz was killed in Stockton yesterday. And Gemma Teller seems to be MIA. We've been looking for her all morning."
"I'm sure she found out her scapegoat was bogus," Patterson mused. "You think she knows who did it?"
"I think she helps get us there," Jarry replied.
"Do you have any idea why Jax Teller wants to see me? He called my office to set a time this afternoon."
"No idea. Maybe something to do with his mother."
"Maybe," Patterson muttered. "Find the matriarch. Put out an APB."
"Right away," Jarry agreed. "You know, when Unser and I went to visit Ortiz that one time, I asked him about Drusilla Fallon." Jarry observed Patterson's hitch in her step as she stood up from the chair. "The way that he talked about her," she continued, "I just knew that the woman would know something, if not everything."
"Did you speak to her?" Patterson asked.
"I did. And by the end of the conversation I was left with more questions than answers. And to tell you the truth, she scared me."
Patterson chuckled. "As she does a lot of people. Drusilla has that effect on people."
"She seems important."
"Very important," Patterson corrected. "And not just to the Sons apparently."
"I got that impression too. After all, a woman of her caliber can't just walk out of prison because of a phone call," Jarry said. "Do you know of her connections?"
"No. But they're powerful ones. Ones that, if I were you, I wouldn't get mixed up in."
Jarry was still questioning whether she needed to or not. There was something about Drusilla Fallon that just rubbed her the wrong way.
"Has Unser been of any use?" Patterson asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, he's a good cop," Jarry nodded. "I will bring him up to speed."
"I knew you got dropped in the middle of a blood feud. Your numbers doesn't reflect the effort you've put in. Policing streets owned by outlaws is a complicated and dangerous dance, knowing when to bend and to push back, getting close but not too close." Patterson paused. "You were the right person for the job. I still believe that. Hang in there, Lieutenant."
