CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

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I feel like I've barely started when Gemma comes in to tell me lunch is on its way. She looks around the room and whistles. "This place hasn't been this clean in a long time baby."

"Please, all I've done is the windows and the walls." The windows had been done using stools and a series of rags, surprisingly they hadn't taken as long as I'd thought, the longest thing had been the walls, I'd taken all the pictures down and cleaned them, doing that had taken me about 3 hours, glancing at the clock I notice that it's almost 1:30 and my stomach rumbles to let me know I need to eat something.

"See, even your body agrees. Stop for a minute and have some lunch."

"Okay okay. I'm coming." I tip out the water and start a mental list of what I still have to do, but now that the walls and windows are done it's only the floor and the tables. Then to tackle the bar which is seriously gross.

Trailing behind Gemma I'm glad that Donna and I are almost the same size, I've traded my new Capri's and shoes for a pair of her faded jeans and old sneakers a t-shirt I stole from Jax's room when he came in to get another pack of smokes has replaced my top.

Heading into the lot Donna and Gemma are already sitting at a picnic table, Gemma's got a fresh cigarette in front of her.

Plonking down on the seat beside Donna, "Productive morning?"

They both nod, "She's been a great help. Half the filing that's been gathering for months is done already." Gem tells me.

"Maybe she should come in one day a week and help if it's that bad?" I say, thinking out loud.

Gemma thinks about it for a few seconds, "That's not a bad idea. Maybe on a Friday, Neeta's already looking after the kids, but we could add a Wednesday as well so you have 2 days to do house stuff and a day here."

Donna purses her lips. "The kids are going to be in playgroup on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday in a month so when that starts I can, well I can now but don't worry about the extra day. I like having 3 days a week with the kids." Donna grins at Gemma and I'm happy that their relationship is relaxed enough now that they can work together. It was tough when we were younger and Donna was sure the club was evil.

Blondie 1 pulls into the lot with her car and brings a box of food from Lumpy's over to the table before grabbing a bag and walking over to Jax who's sitting at the next table.

"Here's your lunch gorgeous. Is there anything else you want?" She says, leaning right over the table so Jax can see down her shirt.

"Nah, I'm good, ta." I want to grin, I'm fighting a losing battle with my cheek muscles, but Jax didn't even look up from the lighter in his hand, where normally he would have given her one of his 'panty-dropping' smiles and taken her up on the offer of something else.

"Well, you know where I work when you change your mind." Ima totters off back to her car, the clear platform stripper heels that she's wearing making it really hard for her to walk in.

I look over at Gemma, "Where does she work?"

Gemma grins and there is no hiding the evilness in the gesture, "She works for Luann."

I cringe, "Oh god and Jax has been there!? Please tell me he double, no, triple bagged before touching that shit."

I hear a chorus of laughter from behind me and turn in my seat; apparently I'd spoken a bit loud.

"Don't worry Darlin' there was enough latex between me and her to cover your car." his panty-dropping smile making an appearance now.

After finishing lunch I head back into the clubhouse. The tables don't take long and by 4 the floors are mopped, the only part of the main room left to clean is the bar which I decide I'll tackle tomorrow, along with re-stocking it and the kitchen before the weekend.

Heading into the bays I retrieve Jax's dorm key from him so I can shower and get back into my own clothes. Once I'm finished I leave the clothes on the counter so I can wear them again the following day while I finish the clean-up.

Once everything is packed up and away I walk across the concrete to the office. Half way there I notice Tara's car parked right in front of the office.

Stepping into the room I notice the tenseness between the 3 women. Gemma is sitting at her desk and would look perfectly relaxed if I couldn't see the furious rhythm her foot is tapping out in mid-air; Donna is standing not far behind her, fists clenched at her sides.

"What's up?" I ask, leaning against the door frame.

Tara spins in her place, her face blotching and red, "You, it's all your fault!"

"What's my fault?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"It's your fault Jax wouldn't leave with me 4 years ago. It's your fault he stayed here. It's your fault he's so involved in this inbred club that he should have 6 toes. It's your fault that I had to have surgery. It's your fault that he won't speak to me anymore." she rants, each word getting louder.

"Hold on a second there Tara. None of that is MY fault. In case you can't remember very clearly I left BEFORE you did 4 years ago. How could it possibly be my fault that he stayed here, with his family! It's not my fault he's involved in the club that is his family, friends and inheritance."

I stop a take a few breaths to calm myself down, "It sure as shit is NOT my fault you had to have surgery. I still have no fucken clue what you did to yourself, but I did not touch a hair on your skanky little head. As for him not speaking to you, maybe that has something to do with you, you not telling him you had a fiancé in Chicago. Maybe it even has something to do with you LYING to him about doing the life-saving surgery on his son."

"You know what Tara. I am done with you, you're nothing but a pain in my ass and the sooner you go back to your life in Illinois the better. Leave us here to get on with our lives Tara, those that WANT to be here."

I turn around, leaving her gaping like a fish in Gemma's office. I am almost at the Clubhouse door when I hear a car starting then seconds later a massive crash. I turn to find that the stupid bitch has just not let it go, she's driven her car at the fastest speed she was able to get to in the short distance of the car park and has used my Challenger as a brake, my car is now jammed between her Cutlass and the concrete fence.

My mouth drops open as I hear footsteps thud out of the clubhouse and the garage bays to see what has just happened. I collapse onto the picnic table beside me as I glimpse Tara sitting in her car, hood slightly creased and glass flickering on her bonnet, but I can't tear my eyes from the ruined side of my car. The speed she must have got up is impressive as the driver's door is caved in, the air bags have popped and it looks like the only piece of glass that is still intact is the back passenger's quarter light. The front fender has folded and the bonnet looks like it's been ripped sideways. I can't see the other side of the car but I imagine it's just as bad, from where I'm sitting all I can see is that the glass in the door has broken. Jax is the last out the Clubhouse door; he takes one look at the car, walks over, pulls me to my feet and takes me inside.

When we come out half an hour later, after I've downed several shots of vodka in an effort to calm down, there is no sign of Tara or her car. I'm not sure if it was driveable, I don't really give a shit cause all I can see is the wreckage of my car. It doesn't look any better without the other car attached, if anything it looks worse. I can see the panel on the door has massive tear marks in it and the rear fender is bent at 90 degrees where the passenger side of her car was.

Jax sees my expression and pulls out his phone, pressing a couple of buttons he waits then snaps, "Where is she?"

I don't need to ask who the 'she' that he's asking about, I follow him quietly to his bike, knowing I won't be driving my car anywhere in a hurry...if I get to drive it again.

A few minute later he snaps his phone closed again, shoves it into the pocket of his Kutte and climbs on his bike.

I'm not sure if he wants me to come with him, there are still enough patches around that I'll be fine, I look at him, waiting to see if I'll be told what's going on or not, thankfully he doesn't take long before he answers the unasked question.

"She's fine, her car is driveable. Happy and Opie are rope-able and have followed her to her house where they are making her pack up her stuff now and leave town. They won't be back till she's gone, but it won't take long. They said it looks like she's been packing since she got discharged yesterday so there isn't much left to do. She'll be out of town by the weekend."

I nod, but really the weekend isn't fast enough for her to be out of town. I don't care that it's Wednesday, she's just caused a massive amount of damage to one of my vehicles and I'm not sure if my other car is safe, regardless of it being parked at the impound lot in a locked warehouse, the complete pyscho shift she seemed to have had today makes me seriously concerned, not just for my vehicles safety by to a certain extent, my own physical safety.