Eric got off his bike and looked around the small clearing that was off a pretty shit dirt road if anyone had wanted to ask his opinion. He looked over to Jax Teller who was hanging his helmet off his Dyna's handlebars. "I don't see a Nazi here."
Jax shook his head. "Gotta let Unser and Hale know what's goin' on." Glancing over at Clay, then back to him. "Normally we'd just deal with Unser, but since your Chicago cops are comin', Hale's gotta be in on it too." Jax looked skeptical.
"Hale is a problem?" He didn't like cop problems. One of the best things about Chicago was the notoriously corrupt police department.
Jax shrugged. "He'd like to see SAMCRO gone, that's for fucking sure." But the SAMCRO VP didn't look highly concerned. "But once we explain the situation, he'll be fine." Jax gave a wry smile. "As much as he'd like us gone, he actually believes in that protect and serve stuff."
He nodded. Pop and Clay were talking quietly, probably trying to figure how much they were gonna tell the cops. The Scot and the dude that Miss Thing had called Elvis were both leaning on their bikes, smoking cigarettes, looking bored.
He turned at the sound of a vehicle. There was a police cruiser with two men in it. One, who had to be the Chief, was older and looked like life was beatin' him down. The other was he and Jax's age, with an annoyed, vaguely condescending look on his All-American boy face.
When the cruiser came to a stop, and the two cops got out, the older of the two, Unser, glanced at him and Pop and then gave Clay a weary look. The younger, Hale looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was, although he did give Jax an acknowledging nod.
"You didn't tell me you fellas were havin' company, Clay." Unser looking pointedly at him and Pop.
Clay shrugged. "They were unexpected." Then nodding to him and Pop. "Jake and Eric Lyons. Pres and VP of Satan's Sons Chicago Chapter. And adopted father and brother of Tig's oldest daughter." He looked over to Pop who, to his credit did not call Trager the sperm donor he normally did.
Unser didn't bother to hide his surprise, nor did Hale. Unser shook his head. "Do I even want to know Clay?"
Jax stepped forward, determined look in his eyes. Jax looked at him for a second and gave a slight eye roll. "Yeah, you kind of do, because in about an hour or so you're gonna be picking up the Nazi piece of shit that coerced her and her daughter on a two-day car trip after killin' the kid's Dad in front of her."
Hale spoke up. "Why an hour from now? Why not now so we can call the Chicago PD?"
Jax shook his head. "Because we need to have a little chat with him and in about three hours the Chicago PD will already be on your doorstep."
Unser gave Jax a wry look. "Will this little Nazi piece of shit be whole for the Chicago PD?"
Pop shot him a quick look and he stepped to Jax's side. "Whole enough for Detectives Murphy and Schulte." He grinned a little, partially because Mike Murphy will be shocked at the fact that Dougie won't be beat to a pulp, and a little because Jax's reaction was gonna be fun. At least for him. "Mike Murphy's son, Mike Jr, was Jules boyfriend when they were in high school. Mike and his wife adore her and Sophie." And this is where the fun comes in. "She and Soph have lunch with them on Sundays Jules actually gets the two of them to Mass." Yep, Jax's head turned like it was on a swivel. He grinned. "So about once a month."
Unser raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. The Satan's Sons didn't do any jobs in Chicago. Ever. It was one of the first rules about what they did. Keep it away from home. So, the Satan's Sons had never really had any issues with the Chicago PD and as kids, none of them had any idea that the Satan's Sons were anything other than an MC that owned a custom bike and car shop. Some of the guys, like him, didn't even work there. He worked at a gun shop as a gunsmith. Granted it was owned by him, Pop, and Gramps, but it wasn't connected to the club in any other way. And while SAMCRO took pride in their arrests and convictions, the Satan's Sons tried very hard to stay off police radar entirely.
"Dennis is the only one of the kids that has ever even been charged with a felony." Pop spoke up. "And when Jules was datin' his kid, none of mine were in the club." Pop nodded at him. "He's the oldest and he was still in Recon." Pop was out of patience. "Mike Murphy and his partner aren't going to be an issue. They're rentin' a car to drive the little bastard back to Chicago, so they don't have to explain shit to any airline and like Mike said, 'If he dies in the backseat on the way back, no skin off anyone's nose'. Pop looked over to Hale. "That answer your question? Because I'd like to go find out why the hell Dougie Jones dragged my daughter and grand-daughter out here."
Hale was getting ready to step up to Pop, some smart remark on his tongue, when Unser brought him to heel with just a look. Then Unser looked back to Clay and Pop. "Give us a call when we need to come pick him up." Then looked pointedly at Clay. "And I expect there will be a whole lot better explanation comin' my way?"
While he could see Pop bristle a little, Clay just gave the Charming Police Chief a serene smile. "I'll stop in this afternoon and fill you in."
Unser just nodded. Then jerked his head towards the cruiser. Hale looked back at Unser for a second, then looked back to Jax. The younger cop stepped up to him and Jax and started speaking low. "What did you mean by coerced?"
Jax looked over to him and he nodded. Hale seemed to trust Jax even if he didn't like him much. Jax looked back at Hale and for a second he was taken aback by the level of real anger in his counterpart's eyes. "The little fuck pointed a gun at a three-year-old and told her Mommy that if she didn't go, Sophie was dead." Jax swallowed hard at those last words, as did he. Now he knew how the little fuck got his sister in that goddamned car.
Hale wasn't stupid. "He's gonna need a doctor now, isn't he?" Hale was looking right at him.
He shrugged, because he really had no idea. "Depends on how long the ride from here to wherever the fuck they've got him stashed is." He was trying to get his temper under control. "If it's a short ride, there's a possibility." He was glad they were keeping their voice low, 'cause if Pop heard that, Dougie was a dead man now. Pop wouldn't even give the little fuck a chance to open his mouth. He was so angry he was nearly shaking. Soph had a gun pointed at her. He'd been a Recon Marine and seen things that would make most people shit themselves, but the idea of Baby Princess with a gun on her was too much.
All of a sudden, everything he had eaten at breakfast came up and was on the ground at his feet. Pop at his side in a flash. "Eric, what the hell?" Pop's hand on his back as he finished heaving.
When he stood back up, Pop looked worried. Jax and Hale looked like they understood. The Scot shoved a bottle of water at him. "Ye might want this."
He took it gratefully with a nod. Twisting the cap off, he took a drink, rinsing his mouth out. He looked at Pop. "I'm fine."
Pop shook his head. "Unless we all start pukin' in the next five minutes, no, you're not. 'Cause unless you've got food poisoning, you don't puke." And, one of the downsides to being in an MC with your father. He knows you too well.
"You know how none of us could figure out how Dougie got Jules to leave with him?" Pop nodded. "That little fuck…" He was starting to shake again. He looked over to see that Hale was still standing there. He really didn't want to tell Pop with the cop right there.
Luck must have heard his plea, because Hale nodded at Jax. "Just call when the prick needs to be picked up." Jax just nodded and Hale turned and got in the car. After it started and pulled away, and he felt a little more in control, he turned to Pop.
"Dougie pointed a gun at Soph and threatened to kill her." Every scrap of training he'd ever had was abandoning him. He was shaking again and on the verge of tears for the first time since Rip died. "That's how he…" He couldn't even finish.
Pop just stood and stared at him for a second. "How do you know this?" Pop's voice was low and dangerous.
To his credit, Jax stepped forward. "Jules told me about it last night." There were also points in his favor that he looked as shaken as him and Pop. Then he looked around, all of them looked as shook up as him and Pop were. He shouldn't have been surprised. Even though the girls had only been here since last night, they carried Trager's DNA, so to SAMCRO Jules and Soph were family too. "She said she couldn't risk Sophie and she was pretty sure that if they went, Dougie wouldn't kill them."
Pop blinked at Jax and then nodded. His mouth was a hard line for a minute. Then Pop nodded at Clay. "Let's get going." Pop looked back to him. "You okay to ride?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Let's go find out why all of this shit happened." He started to walk towards his bike. Pop stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked down at Pop, who looked as serious as a heart attack. "No need for doctors Eric, that's the deal I made with Mike. It's how the girls get what's theirs and we've already made the deal to have Dougie dealt with. Remember that." Pop glanced over at Jax. "You too."
Jax nodded as he swung a leg over his bike. "No doctors. Sure." Then Jax gave Pop a wry grin. "But Jules did ask me to get some shots in for Sophie." The grin got bigger. "Said she got hers in last night." Now the grin was almost as wide as his face. "She was smackin' him like he was a tennis ball."
He and Pop looked at each other, then around to Clay, Elvis, and the Scot who were all nodding with amused looks.
Pop looked back to Jax, and gave the SAMCRO VP a sly smile. "Well, can't have you breakin' promises to the Princess this soon." The grin was gone. "No doctors. No hospital. Other than that…" Pop scanned the two of them. "Have at it."
Looking over to Jax, the other VP looked back at him with a smile as they started their bikes. "Like you said earlier, nice day to play 'Beat the Nazi'." Taking off and pulling in behind Clay. Pulling in behind Pop, he could hear the other two pull in behind him and Jax.
The ride to where they had Dougie stashed was just long enough to curb the urge to strangle Dougie on sight. They pulled into a clearing in front of an old barn. Parking their bikes, all of them congregated in front of the closed barn doors.
Pop looked at Clay. "Why don't I go in with you and your guys first." Pop glanced at him with a smile. "Let's save Eric as a surprise." Pop looked at him. "Give us five, ten minutes?"
He nodded. When the others went in, he pulled his phone out and hit the contact icon for his sister. After a couple of rings, she picked up. "Yeah?"
"Your phone etiquette sucks." Feeling calmer already. His sister was still his sister; mouthy and brash.
"Only because it's you." He could hear the smile in her voice. "Everything okay?"
He gripped the phone. "Dougie put a gun on Sophie?" Gravel in his voice.
"Damn, knew I should have told Jax not to spread that." He was getting ready to bitch her out. "I'm sorry Eric. I really didn't want you and Pop to know until after Big Mike picked Dougie's sorry ass up." Her voice became quieter. "I didn't want you guys to be tempted."
His anger dissipated, a little. He still wasn't thrilled that this was information he'd basically been slapped in the face with. And even though he knew this hadn't been a walk in the park for his sister and niece; him, Pop, and the others had literally almost three days to imagine the worst-case scenarios. They were still strung a little tight and being blindsided with shit really did not help his head-space right now. So, he took a deep breath.
"I get that Jules, I do. But you gotta understand, as crap as it's been for you and Soph? We had no idea if you two were anywhere near okay until Clay called last night. We had an idea of where he might be taking you, but it was pure speculation and Pop's certainty that he knew where Dougie was heading." He paused. "And having Jax Teller be the one to spill that nugget? I guess the only thing I can say about that is at least it wasn't Trager telling me and Pop."
Jules let out a half-snicker. Oh, she tried to hide it in a cough, but she was trying not to laugh. He counted to ten in his head. She was sleep deprived and when that happened, she got goofy and mouthy. Well, goofier and mouthier than usual. He sighed. "Get it out."
She laughed. "Yeah, I hear you Eric." The laughter died out. "And I'm aware. I guess Pop wasn't in the room with you guys when I talked to him last night."
He thought about it. Oh, that was when Pop had them get off on an exit and park at a truck stop for about half an hour before finishing the night at Lodi. Pop had been pretty quiet when he came back from wherever he had gone off to, just mentioning that the girls were relatively okay and in Charming. "No, guess not."
"Pop has already made me well aware of how worried everyone was." She was starting to get defensive and he didn't want that. "What was I supposed to do Eric? He…"
"You did exactly what you could have done without getting you and Sophie…" He couldn't even say it. "You did good, sissy. Kept your head and got you and Soph here. All you could have done."
He looked at his watch. "I gotta go. Think I have some things I'd really like to say to Dougie." Looking over to the barn, Jax Teller was coming out towards him. "Talk to you later."
"Yeah, bye." He was amazed he got that before she hung up. While she'd never dream of just hanging up on Pop or Lu, him and Den were another story.
He shoved his phone in his pocket as Teller came over to him. The man looked not happy. Nodding his head towards the garage, he took the cigarette Jax was offering. "My guess is Dougie has shut his mouth?"
Jax nodded grimly. "After I shut it for him." Jax gave him a wry smile. "I was told to come out here and 'cool off'. We're waiting for his bell to stop ringing, he's not real coherent at the moment." Jax wasn't repentant at all.
"What was he saying before that?" Watching the smoke from his cigarette curl up into nothingness.
"Just a bunch of shit." Nearly snarled through gritted teeth.
"Really?" He arched an eyebrow. "You usually get this worked up over someone talking a bunch of shit?" This could be an interesting distraction. Better than thinking of Sophie with a … "Or was he maybe talking a bunch of shit about a certain Jules?"
Even though Teller's skin took on the slightest blush, the man didn't seem the least bit embarrassed that he was reacting this emotionally to Jules and Sophie. Jax gave him a curt nod.
He patted the dude's shoulder. He could imagine what that little fuck would say. "Don't even hear a word of it man, I can just guess what he said and it isn't true." Jax didn't say anything, just kept smoking. "My guess is he called her a whore? Maybe said something about getting knocked up for money?" Yeah, Teller bristled with every word.
He thought for a minute. Whatever was goin' on here between Teller and his sister, Pop was fine with it. If he hadn't of been, Teller would have already been warned off. He nudged Jax in the ribs with an elbow.
"No dude, really. Don't listen to single word. How Sophie got here? That's so out of character for Jules, it ain't even funny. Ray was a blind drunk thing right after Rip had told her about his diagnosis." He sighed. "It was the same as Ma's."
Jax looked over at him and seemed to be calming down, so he went on. "Me and you, we've been with so many chicks, we've lost count." Teller at least had the good sense to look a little chagrined. "But Jules?" He grinned. "There was Mikey Murphy when she was in high school. There was a kid named Sam when she was at Stanford." The grin died down. "And a couple of other boyfriends over the last few years, but nobody in like the last six months at least."
He looked at Teller. "Not a lot of girls raised in SAMCRO huh?"
Jax shook his head. "Nah. Really none at all. Tig's other daughters were gone with his ex by the time they were six or seven. Chibs's daughter is in Belfast, and the only other girl is Opie's daughter Ellie, and no, she doesn't come around much."
He nodded. "See, Jules was only allowed around the shop and clubhouse during the day when we were kids. Even now, unless it's a whole club family thing, she doesn't spend a lot of time there at night." He smiled because as much as she'd deny it, it was true. "She really didn't pay any real attention to the club until Den patched." He looked at Jax. "My sister is actually a pretty good girl who gives a great impression of being the wildest thing in town."
"You warning me off?" Jax's tone telling him there would be a fight if he did.
He shook his head. "No." He looked down at Teller. "Just letting you know she's not a 'hit it and quit it' deal." Then putting steel in his own voice. "She's an all or nothing deal."
Teller relaxed. Then gave him a wry smile. "At least you didn't say fuck buddy."
"Point." He smiled back. His guess was Gemma Teller-Morrow may have had a little chat with her son. He nodded towards the barn. "We should get in there."
Jax threw his smoke on the ground and stomped it out. "Yeah, he should be coherent enough by now."
He followed Jax into the barn. Once his eyes had adjusted, he saw Dougie tied to a chair. When Dougie looked up at him, the pinched face the little fuck got from his mother, dropped. He gave the bastard a grim smile. "How's that hand Dougie?" Noting that the pinky on Dougie's left hand never had healed properly from the last time he had to break this fuck's hand.
Dougie didn't even bother with the smart-mouthed tough guy act with him in the room. He and Dougie were around the same age, Dougie a year younger than him. He knew Dougie was a little rat that fed off the shit others left behind. He'd been that way since they were kids and always would be. He knew the only reason that Dougie had ever been patched was because of Rip.
He went and stood over Dougie, staring down at him, arms crossed over his chest. "You're not smart enough to think of this on your own, and you were obviously giving updates to someone with a burner phone, who is it and why do they want what's in the safety deposit box?"
He could see Dougie was trying to think of a way to say nothing and not get beat. He took a hold of Dougie's right pinky. "How many surgeries did it take to get your left pinky to that point?" Knowing full well that it had taken three to get Dougie to the point where they wouldn't take the finger. "Should we see how many it will take with the right. Because you know the last time I fucked your hand up I wasn't even Recon yet. I know all sorts of new and better ways to break bones Dougie." He put some pressure on Dougie's right pinky, and could see the panic building in Dougie. So, he put a little more, being careful to give the little fuck all the pain without the breakage.
He could see capitulation in Dougies' eyes. He took a step back. "Tell us what you know Dougie and I don't break every fucking bone in your body." He loomed over the trussed-up man. "And you know I can and will."
Dougie swallowed heavily. "Took three fucking surgeries for me to get back twenty percent usage of my finger. Fucking bastard."
He gave Dougie a light tap upside the head. "Back to the point, Dougie."
Dougie shook his head. "I really don't know Red, some guy in Gary that knows my Mom got a hold of me and asked me if I'd do this job. The only reason I killed that fag." He raised his hand again. Dougie flinched. "That guy, is because he was gettin' ready to call the cops."
"Who are you calling, then?" He knew that wasn't the only reason Dougie killed Ray, the little douchebag killed Ray because Ray was queer as a three-dollar bill, except for one stupendously drunk night trying to console a friend. But it wasn't pertinent, so he let it slide.
"No idea." Dougie looked to be telling the truth. The little fuck was clueless as to who was behind this. "Once I got here and got Jules to open the box, the cash was mine and I was to have her sign the house over to me. After that happened, I was to call the number and then we would set a meet so I could sign the house over to them and get the rest of my payment."
"How much was that?" He looked over to Clay and Pop, thinking they might want to know. How much Dougie would be getting paid would tell them how important this was to whoever the fuck was behind all this.
"Hundred grand." Huh. That was a hell of a lot more than he'd thought. Whoever wants this house and a foot into Charming must have avenues of recouping the money quickly.
"Anything you can tell us about the voice on the other end?" Dougie looked confused. "Old? Young? Accent? No accent?"
Dougie looked to be thinking, he hoped the little fuck didn't sprain something. Then Dougie spoke. "Not real old, but not real young. Had a slight accent. I think it was foreign."
"Foreign how?" Jax was now standing beside him looking down at Dougie. "Mexican? Chinese?"
Dougie squinted at the SAMCRO VP. "I don't know, foreign. You know, not American."
Jax shook his head and took a step back, and looked over to him. "Not the brightest bulb in the box, is he?"
He grinned at Jax. "Not even if all of the others were broken." He glanced back over to where Pop and Clay were standing. Pop raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. He was pretty goddamn positive Dougie didn't really know shit.
Clay looked at him and Jax and then over to the other two. "Let's go outside." He looked at Dougie. "Charming cops will be here anytime to pick you up so they can turn you over the Chicago PD." Clay turned to walk away and then looked over at Jax and the other SAMCRO guys and gave them a slight smirk. Then turned back around and fucking clocked Dougie the hell out.
"Wayne will appreciate not havin' to listen to that fuck on the ride back to Charming." Clay looked at Pop with a smile.
"I'm sure he will." Pop grinned. "I suppose you and I should follow him back to Charming and fill the man in." Pop looked over to him. "You comin' with me or you heading out with Jax and the others?"
He looked over to Teller and the others. Jax shrugged at Clay. "I was gonna head for the hospital to see Abel…" Jax looked over to him. "Chibs and Bobby are goin' back to the clubhouse, I'm heading to the hospital. If you wanna tag along with me, that's cool."
He looked over to Pop who was silently letting him know he was to stick with Teller. He wasn't a fan of hospitals, but he did have a thing for nurses. He turned to Jax. "Any hot nurses up there?"
Jax clapped him on the back with a laugh. "I'm sure there's one or two that will fit the bill." Then headed off towards his bike. "Let's go." Chibs and Bobby followed the VP's lead.
He waved to Pop and then got on his own bike. If his sister and niece were gonna end up staying here, he wanted to know the man whose hands they would be entrusted to a lot better than he currently did. So, if that meant being Teller's shadow for the day, that was okay by him.
A/N: I know it's Sunday, but Monday I have a lot going on and would rather post early rather than late, lol. As always, thanks so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying! Thanks to all who have favorited, followed and left reviews, they really do mean the world to me.