Chapter 8

Hostage

Hands were everywhere, running down my back, up my sides. They rested on my hips, tightening with every thrust. A hand wrapped around my hair, pulling my head back. Lips were on my neck, heavy breathing in my ear. My own breathing was quickening. Before I knew it, I was flipped over onto my back, lips trailing from my neck to my breasts.

I heard a phone ring on the bedside table. I ignored it, caught up in the moment. The lips had now moved down to my stomach, and were continuing down.

The phone rang again, this time a message. I grabbed Happy's phone to switch it off when my eyes read the message on the screen.

"Happy, wait," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and sitting up. I read it again, hoping I'd misread it somehow. But there was no mistaking the message. "We need to go. Now."

He was off the bed, pulling his pants on in no time. "What is it?"

I handed him the phone as I pulled a shirt on. "There's been an accident. It's the boys."

The Club were all there when we arrived at the hospital.

"Jax and Tara?" I asked, looking around.

"With Abel," Chibs explained.

"Abel's heartbeat went irregular," Bobby explained, walking back down the hallway to update everyone. " They got to do a thing to reverse it."

"Oh, shit, man," Juice said. "That poor kid."

"How's the baby?" Happy asked.

"Tommy boy-- he's golden," Chibs explained. "He didn't get a scratch."

"Gemma's banged up, but she's gonna be okay," Tig said, joining us.

"How about you guys?" Phil asked Chibs.

"What happened to you?" I asked, looking at Chibs.

"Some blacks shot at me and Jax as we headed up to the cabin," Chibs explained. "We're fine."

"We know who the shooter is?" Happy asked.

"Jax is gonna bring everybody up to speed," Bobby explained. "Just stay available."

"I'm going to grab some coffees," I said, standing up. "Can you give me a hand, Happy?"

"Sure."

We walked down the hall in silence. I stopped once we had rounded the corner and leant against the wall. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"Babe? What is it?"

I opened them and looked directly at him. "I think it's my fault those boys are in there."

"That's crazy," he said, his hands on my shoulders. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I don't think Gemma should have been driving last night," I explained. "She told me she was fine, but I wasn't sure. I don't know of she was drinking, or high... She told me she was just tired. She could have been, I don't know. If I had just dropped the boys off to her or something..."

"I have no idea whose fault this is, but I know it isn't yours," Happy said, squeezing my shoulder. "Come on, let's get these coffees and get back."

We waited at the hospital for a few hours. Jax briefly came out to tell us that Abel was fine, the operation was a success, before he went and saw Gemma.

"How's is she?" I asked when he exited Gemma's room.

"Looks like the same guys who shot at Chibs and I ran Gemma off the road. She didn't get a look at them, but Unser gave us a name."

"Pope wants to meet us," Bobby said, closing his phone. "Train yard."

"Tiggy, you need to stay here," Chibs explained. "Hap?"

"I'm with you, brother," he nodded.

"You keep an eye on my family," Jax said to Bobby.

"Always," he assured.

"I'll stay here," I said. "Support Tara if she needs it."

Jax nodded. "Thank you. Alright. Let's go."

I quickly kissed Happy. "Look after him. Be safe." I whispered.

Happy nodded, before following Jax and Chibs down the hallway.

Abel was back in his room, recovering after his operation. Tara and I sat quietly at his bedside. Bobby came back into the room and sat on the chair by the wall, quietly drinking another coffee.

There was a knock at the door, and Nero poked his head in. "Sorry, just wanted to check in and see how Abel was doing?"

Tara nodded. "Looks like he'll make a full recovery."

"That's great, Tara," he sighed. "Been praying for him."

Tara nodded, lost in her own world.

"Why don't I go and open the house up, get some dinner ready? That way tonight once Abel's settled, you guys can bring Thomas home and not have to worry about anything?"

"That would be great, Georgia," she said. "Thank you."

"Dont mention it. Any chance I could grab a lift?" I asked Nero. "I came with Happy earlier.."

"Of course," he said.

I kissed Tara's head. "Call me if you need anything. I'll bring some food back later for you... To make sure you eat something."

Nero and I walked back to the parking garage. "I have to call by Diosa, Lyla needs some papers signed so they can be lodged before the end of the day. Mind making a detour?"

"Of course," I said, sliding in the front seat. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just a lot going on, you know?"

"Yeah, I sure do," I agreed. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" he asked.

"Have you noticed anything strange with Gemma lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. She picked the boys up last night, and she just seemed not a hundred percent there, you know?"

"Maybe she was just tired?"

"See? That's exactly what she said when I asked her last night," I explained. "And then she gets into an accident with those boys, and I can't help but wonder if maybe there was something more."

Nero said nothing, just kept his eyes on the road.

We pulled up outside Diosa, and Nero said he would be back in a minute. I leant on the hood of the car while I waited. After twenty minutes, I figured he got caught up with something, and went to find him. I opened the front door, and found it deserted.

"Nero?" I called, looking around. "Did you forget about me?"

I heard a faint sound from Nero's office. I walked quietly down the hallway, and opened the door. Nero sat in the chair with his back to me.

"Hello? Earth to Nero..." I looked closer at the chair, and for the first time I noticed the rope around his wrists. "Nero!"

I stepped forward to untie him, when is saw a shape move out of the corner of my eye. Before I could do anything, I was hit in the back of the head hard, and I blacked out.

It took a few minuted when I came to, before I worked out where I was. I was lying on a red couch, my hands bound together. I went to sit but my head spun.

"Hey, easy carnala," Nero whispered. "You got a good knock to the head."

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, looking around the room. Nero was tied in the corner to an office chair.

"Shh, it's ok," he said. "Just stay there and be calm, and we'll get out of this."

"Out of what, exactly?"

I heard banging outside an the door opened. Frankie walked in, holding Lyla around the shoulders with one hand, a gun in the other.

"He's here," Frankie said, eyes darting around the room at us. "Anyone says or does anything stupid, I'll blow her fucking head off."

He pulled the gun to Lyla's mouth as the front door opened.

"Yo, anyone home?" I heard a voice call from the front room.

"Back here, mano," Nero replied after Frankie nodded to him.

I heard footsteps down the hallway, and the door push open. Jax slowly stepped into the room.

"Guns and knives," Frankie yelled, his gun still in Lyla's mouth. She seemed frozen.

"Jesus Christ!" Jax muttered, his hands up. He glanced around the room, and noticed me on the couch. "Georgia -"

"Drop your clips," Frankie demanded. "Slide 'em across the floor. Now!"

"Okay!" Jax agreed, pulling the knife from his belt. Chibs emptied his gun and he and Bobby slid their weapons over with Jax'. "These three have got nothing to do with-"

"Shut up and get on your knees!" Frankie commanded. "Put your hands behind your heads!"

"Come on, Frankie, what the hell is this?" Bobby asked, as they all slowly dropped to their knees.

Chibs, who was closest, nodded to me, checking I was ok. I nodded. My head was still spinning, but otherwise I was unharmed.

"What do you think? I want money! I know you got cartel cash in the chapel safe."

"We ain't a bank, Frankie," Jax explained. "Drug money comes from the Mayans. Cash from the guns goes straight to the Irish."

"Hey, I don't give a shit where you get it," he argued. "I need 200 grand, or I kill Ope's whore."

" I got that, I got that," Nero interrupted."In my studio, there's about 130 cash, couple of good watches. You want that?" Frankie agreed. "Just take that gun out of her mouth, okay?"

He lowered his gun from Lyla's mouth. "All right, Elvis, get up off your fat ass and go get it-- move! You try anything, I'll kill 'em."

"The safe is in my closet," Nero told Bobby. "10-19-zero-3."

"How do you think this ends, Frankie?" Jax asked as Booby left.

"This wasn't my idea, kid." Frankie said. "Clay promised us shit he couldn't deliver."

"You're telling me Clay was behind the break-ins?"

"Come on, " Frankie said, "you know he'd do anything to get the gavel back, and his cash points."

"He sign off on you going after me and my family?" Jax asked, his blood boiling.

Frankie shook his head. "I never went after your family."

Jax' voice was deadly when he spoke. "Someone went after Gemma and my kids last night!"

"Now, why the hell would I do that?"

"'Cause you're a greasy scumbag animal!" Chibs argued.

Frankie pointed the gun at Chibs in anger. Chibs turned his head away as I found my balance and stood, trying to distract Frankie. Bobby ran back into the room.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" he said, holding up an envelope.

"On the table." Bobby threw the envelope down. "Get back on your knees."

Bobby held his hands up as he obliged.

Fankie turned back to Nero."Is that your truck out back?"

"Yeah, homes." He shuffled in his chair."Here-- key's in my pocket."

"Get the keys," Frankie said, pushing Lyla toward Nero. She whimpered as she pulled the keys from Nero's pocket, and handed them to Frankie.

He pointed the gun back at me. "Look at you, always just having to get in the way." He grabbed the rope around my wrist and pulled me towards him, pushing Lyla towards Nero. Good, Lyla was safe. Now to get me out of this. "You're driving. Let's go."

"Frankie..." Jax said, slowly standing.

"Get back, Jax," he yelled, pointing the gun at him. Chibs went to take a stand, and the gun was turned back to him.

"It's alright," I said, my hands open and up.

"You come after me, I'll kill her." He put the keys in my hand and pulled me towards the back door. He held the gun against my head as I walked past.

"You're making a mistake," Jax warned.

Without warning, Frankie reached past me, and fired a shot into Lyla's leg. She dropped to the floor, and Bobby rushed over.

I locked eyes with Jax briefly, before Frankie pushed me out the back door. With the gun to my head, he pushed me into the truck, and I slid across to the driver's seat. He loosened the rope around my wrist. "Drive. And you try anything funny, the next bullet is yours. And it won't be in your leg."

We drove north out of Charming, the sun had long gone down by now. Ahead on a long stretch of road, there was a dark SUV pulled off to the side.

"Pull in here," Frankie instructed. I pulled up behind the car and switched the engine off.

Frankie opened the door and climbed out, his gun still pointed at me. He walked around to my door and opened it.

"Get out of the truck. Get out," he demanded. I sat quietly in the drivers seat, my hands still on the wheel and glared at him. I didn't imagine anything good was waiting for me outside the truck. He grabbed my shirt and dragged me out. "I said get out, Bitch! Get out!" He shoved me onto the shoulder of the road. "Move it. Move! Get on your knees."

I stopped walking. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath as I dropped to my knees. Frankie stood over me, gun pointed at my head. I thought of my life, of what I had lived through. It seemed fitting that I would die for the club. It had been a long time since I had feared death, but as I knelt here, my heart broke a little for the one thing I had, the one thing I would miss more than life itself. Happy.

I felt the barrel of the gun against the back of my head. I opened my eyes and looked up, staring down the dark road. "Go ahead, shoot me. I would still rather be where I am right now, than in the shit storm you're about to create."

"Shut up," he said pressing the gun harder against my head.

"At least I die knowing its only a matter of time until the reaper finds you," I said. "They will make you wish for death."

The horn sounded from the waiting vehicle. Frankie swore, and I felt a thud to the back of my head before I blacked out.