Jax looked around the bar, then back down to where Cameron Hayes was bleeding on the floor.
He jumped a little when Clay's hand hit his shoulder. "Son, you okay?"
"Better than he is." He turned to Clay, who was watching Tig put pressure on the Irish man's wound.
Clay nodded. "Yeah. Called Chibs and told them to bring the ambulance that the Prospect stole." Clay gave a grim smile. "Prospect must be psychic."
"Good." He took a deep breath. Today had been good, right up until a few minutes ago, when some Mayan decided to try a put a bullet in Clay and thankfully missed.
They had a tense wait, all of them keeping a wary eye on the door. Between keeping an eye out for another hit, an eye on Hayes, he did manage to worry just a little about how this was gonna fly with the future in-laws. And with Jules. He knew this was something that wouldn't happen in Chicago.
What seemed like an eternity later, they heard a vehicle outside. Tig cautiously looked out the bar door. "It's Chibs."
The door opened, Chibs and Half-Sack coming through with a gurney, Dennis Lyons trailing them.
"You a doctor, too?" Clay greeted the man.
Dennis shrugged. "I have an interest." Then grinned. "My mom is a surgeon. I know some stuff, figured I'd tag along, see if I can help."
While Chibs and Dennis worked on Cam Hayes, he huddled with Tig and Clay.
"Fuckin' Mayans need to be taught a fuckin' lesson." Tig advocating stiff retribution.
He shook his head. "I don't think this is Marcus. I think this is someone taking initiative, trying to make a name for himself." He looked at both Clay and Tig. "And considering all the heat we already have on us, we should play it cool." When Tig looked to argue, he gave the SAA a cold look. "Or would you rather have Jules and Soph visiting all of us in prison?"
Tig sighed. "Of course not, but we can't just let the Mayan's do this shit to us and get away with it, Jax."
"I'm not saying we sit back and do nothin', Tig." He shot back. "But, I do think we should figure out what the fuck this actually was before we do a damn thing. If it wasn't club sanctioned, I say we let the Mayans do our dirty work for us." He shook his head again. "This isn't like the old days where we could do whatever the fuck we wanted. Too many cops, too many cameras everyfuckingwhere, too many civilians with fucking cell phones." He looked at Clay and Tig. "It's a different world and we gotta be smarter than the rest of them if we want to survive."
He pulled a smoke out and lit it. "We set a meet with Marcus like we were going to anyway. Find out what the fuck this was. If it was the renegade I think it is, we tell him about Zobelle and let him clean his own house. If it was club sanctioned? We don't tell him about Zobelle, and try to steer clear of the whole fuckin' mess it'll end up being." Looking to Clay.
Clay thought for a long moment, then sighed. "Yeah." Clay looked over to where Chibs and the Prospect were wheeling Cam Hayes out to the ambulance, Dennis Lyons walking along, fingers in the bullet hole. "We gotta deal with this before we can do a damn thing." Clay looked tired. "He dies and the Irish will lose their minds." Clay nodded to the door. "Let's get back to the clubhouse and deal with this shit first." Clay turned and headed for the door.
He and Tig followed.
/
"Calm down, Princess. Trager said all of them other than the Irishman were fine." Jake Lyons drawled from the table he was sitting at, playing cards with Bobby and Piney.
Gemma looked to where Jules was pacing by the pool table. The young woman did look agitated, but then again, she was feeling that way herself. She knew Clay was fine, but until she actually saw him, she wouldn't breathe easy.
Jules shrugged at her adopted father. "I would like visual proof of that." Stopping her pacing when her eldest brother blocked her way. "Really, Eric?" Bracing her hands on her hips in exasperation.
Jules' brother gave her a no-nonsense look. "Yes, really." Eric raised an eyebrow at his sister. "If it were really bad, we would have already heard from Den. The fact that he hasn't made a peep is a good sign and you know it. So, sit the fuck down; you're annoying me."
She watched with a touch of awe as Jules, while shooting her brother a menacing look, took a seat next to her without a word. Eric went back to the pool game he'd had going with Juice. She looked over to the young woman and just raised an eyebrow. She wasn't even sure what to say to that display.
Jules barely looked at her, still shooting dirty looks at her brother. Everything about Jules at the moment was tense, and it was a brittle kind of tense; like the slightest push would break her. The girl had already had a hell of a bad week and this was the straw that could break her back.
Reaching over, she took Jules' arm. "C'mon darlin', let's go check on Sophie before they get back here." Wanting some time alone with Jules.
"Yeah." Jules got up. "Might as well."
As they reached the door to Jax's room, she took Jules by the arm again, and steered her to the room next door.
"You okay?" She turned to Jules after closing the door.
"No." Jules sighed. "A dude was shot. He's coming here. And everyone is acting like this happens every damn day." Jules was back to pacing and waving her hands.
"Not every day." She replied drolly, then stood to head Jules off at the pass. "It's been years since any shit like this has happened." She stared the young woman in the eyes. "And right now, the last thing Jax needs is for you to be fallin' apart, you hear me?" Giving Jules a quick, hard hug. "Right now, you need to be the fierce young woman you are, and you can fall apart after the Irishman gets taken care of." She took a step back. "Now, check on your daughter, get your head together and we'll get through this."
Jules hung her head, black curls nearly grazing her knees, and sighed. When she brought her head back up, she could see a resolve in the younger woman's blue eyes. Jules gave her a tired half-smile. "Story of my life, lately." Then sighed again. "Yeah. I can do this."
There was a knock on the door, and then Bobby's voice. "Gem, they're back."
"Thanks, Bobby." She patted Jules' arm. "Let's go do what needs doing, baby." Heading out the dorm room door.
"Yeah." Jules sounding not at all enthused as she followed behind.
When the two of them reached the garage, making sure Jax, Clay and Tig were alright, they could hear Dennis and Chibs talking in the ambulance.
Jules leaned her head in. "What's goin' on, Den?"
Dennis Lyons looked up, frustrated. "I could totally fix this, but I need a fucking clamp, so I can use both my goddamn hands." The frustration in his voice growing. "And somehow there isn't one anywhere on this fucking ambulance."
Jules nodded and stepped back to where the rest of them were gathered around the open doors of the ambulance.
Clay looked over to her son with an apologetic look. "I hate to say it, son, but we need to call Tara."
"I can fix it! I just need a clamp from her, everything else is here." Dennis sounding indignant from the ambulance.
Jake Lyons rapped on the ambulance door. "Put the ego away, Dennis. If we're gonna bother her for a clamp, we may as well have her being the one usin' it." Jake's tone making it abundantly clear there was to be no back talk.
Jax looked to her husband, and she could see the argument forming on her son's lips; when Jules stepped up beside him. "Hey, you know, my knee is really giving me fits and Tara could tell me if I should go in tonight or not." Jules gave her son a look. "You know what I mean?"
She stopped the smile from happening as her son nodded gratefully. "Yeah, that would give us some cover."
"The sooner the better." Dennis's voice came from the ambulance. "I'm getting tired of having my fingers in this dude's ass."
"I'm no' enjoyin' it much, meself, ye cunt." Came the pained voice of Cameron Hayes over Chibs's laughter.
Clay looked over to Jax and Jules. "Go. Get whatever he needs and if you can convince Tara to come..." Clay lowered his voice. "And make sure everything is copacetic, all the better."
Her son and Jules both nodded as they went into the clubhouse to get the keys to the rental car.
She leaned into Clay. "You sure this is the best idea?" She hated the fact that Jax was having to go to Tara for help, again.
Clay shrugged. "It's the only one." Then he walked off, giving orders to have Hayes moved to the chapel where he could be laid out so that when they were finally able to, they'd be able to patch him up in peace.
She sighed, knowing her husband was right. As she was heading into the clubhouse to see what she could help with, she ran into her son and Jules as they were leaving.
Jules stopped her. "Hey can you help keep an eye on Sophie while we're gone? Pop and Eric will try, but they're going to be a little distracted helping Dennis."
"Of course, sweetheart." Both kids nodding as they headed out.
/
The drive to Tara's was a little tense. About a block before they reached Tara's, Jax pulled the car over, put it in park and turned to Jules. "You okay with this, babe?"
Jules sighed heavily. "Not especially, but if there's anyone who's totally okay with all of this, then they're nuts."
He bit down a chuckle. "You have a valid point there." Taking her hand. "I'll talk to Tara when we get there. You won't have to do anything."
Jules snorted at that. "Wrong, Teller." She shook her head. "I'll ask Tara, because I'll manage to not ask her to come to the clubhouse." Jules turned to him with an intense look on her face. "If my brother says he can fix it, he can." Her tone was final, and matched the resolute look on her face. "Now let's get there, get the clamp, so Dennis can do his thing."
He decided that this wasn't worth an argument over. He would trust Jules's assessment of her brother's abilities. He put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb.
When they reached Tara's, he helped Jules out of the car, and helped her "limp" to Tara's front door. He could see the neighbor to Tara's east peeking out her window.
They knocked a few times, getting no answer. Tara's car was in the drive and the lights were on. He frowned. "Maybe she doesn't want to talk to us." He raised an eyebrow at Jules.
"Try her cell." Jules suggested. "Maybe she's doing something and not hearing the door."
He did, and got no answer. Slipping his phone back in his pocket, he turned Jules around and started to head to the car. "Maybe Dennis can MacGyver something."
Jules was nodding when they heard a gunshot. "That came from inside!" Jules turned quickly. "Crap!" He could see her start to limp for real as they both rushed to the house and through the door.
"Tara!" Jules was yelling as she made her way through the house ahead of him.
They could hear voices from the back of the house. As Jules ran into the bedroom, he nearly ran her over as she came to a sudden halt.
He could see why. Kohn was on the floor, sitting against the wall, with a gunshot wound to the gut. Tara was half-dressed on the bed, holding a shaking gun, as Kohn taunted her.
Jules started to move again, making her way to Tara, taking the gun by the barrel, and gently taking Tara's hand off the grip. "You okay? What did he do to you?"
His anger was boiling, and he pulled his own gun out. Jules spotted him and glared. "Put that thing away." She glanced at Kohn. "This asshole can run his mouth all he wants, because it's the last thing he's gonna be able to do to her because his ass is going to jail." She glanced at Kohn again, like she was debating something; then threw the hand holding the gun up.
He smirked at Kohn, knowing exactly what was gonna happen next.
Jules swung her arm down and caught Kohn on the side of the head with the butt of the gun, effectively knocking him out. Then turned to Tara. "We have more pressing issues to deal with, but at some point, would you explain to me how in the world you ever fucking dated him in the first place?"
Tara blinked a couple of times and then started to laugh. It had more than a little hysteria to it. Jules grabbed Tara's hands and squeezed. "Hey, hey. It's gonna be just fine. Take a couple deep breaths."
Tara followed the directions given. Breathing in and out with Jules. He felt awkward, almost intrusive. It was obvious that Kohn had either straight out raped Tara or at the very least coerced her into sex.
When Tara's breath evened out, she looked at he and Jules. "Why are you even here?"
Jules gave an awkward smile. "Needed to see if we could borrow a clamp for Dennis." Jules shrugged. "There was an incident, someone got hurt and Dennis needs a clamp to fix it."
Tara waved towards the front rooms. "There's one in my bag on the kitchen table. Bring it to me."
He went and got the bag and brought it to her. As he reached the bedroom, he could hear sirens in the distance. Apparently, the neighbor called the cops.
Tara reached in the bag and pulled an instrument out and handed it to him. "Here."
He took it and looked at Jules. "We're stuck for a while, babe. I could hear cops on their way."
Jules shook her head. "I'm stuck for as long as this takes." Her face tight and tense. "You on the other hand, we'll get out of here faster." She gave him a look. "Trust me."
He could only nod as Hale came through the door. "Tara!"
He yelled back. "Hale! We're back here!"
Hale came thundering in the room, taking in the scene. "Who shot him?"
Jules stepped forward. "Tara. In self-defense." Jules gave a disgusted look at the crumpled ATF agent. "He raped her." Looking much like she had in the garage just a couple of nights ago, ready to kill. "I'm the one that cold-cocked him to get him to shut his fucking mouth."
Hale raised an eyebrow. "Why are you two even here?"
Jules limped forward. "My knee. I wanted Tara's opinion if it should be seen tonight, and if not, could she recommend a doctor for me to make an appointment with." Jules gave a grimace. "Since I'm staying with Tara through all this crap she's gonna be put through, I'll probably end up with it looked at tonight."
He hid a smile when Tara went to object and Jules just gave her a withering look that shut Tara up immediately.
Jules looked back to Hale and went on. "But, Jax is leaving." She put up a hand as Hale opened his mouth. "Someone has to go back and be with Sophie." Her voice softened. "You know what brought us here. Right now, Sophie is most comfortable with me or Jax. And since I'm..."
Hale interrupted. "That's fine, I understand." David turned to him. "Glenda already told us you two were outside when the gunshot went off." The cop's smirk was wry. "So, I know you didn't shoot him." Hale waved him on. "Come by the station in the morning, give me a statement."
"Yeah, I can do that." He went over to Jules. "You gonna be okay, babe?" He murmured into her ear, pulling her away from Hale, who was starting to gently question Tara.
"Yeah." She murmured back. "Although will you have Pop come to the hospital?" Jules looked at Tara, so many emotions playing across her face, he was nearly dizzy; anger, sadness, worry, empathy, and a couple of others he couldn't really quantify. "I think we might need him." The utter faith in her Pop's ability to fix this clusterfuck evident in her voice.
He looked at Tara, who looked so small and broken while answering Hale's questions, he could only nod his agreement. "Yeah, I'll have him drive the car, so he can bring you two back to the clubhouse." He looked around at all the activity starting to happen as two EMTs came through the front door. "I don't think she'll be able to come back here tonight."
"I'll make sure we pack her a bag before we go to the hospital." Jules gave him quick kiss. "Go back and check on Sophie." Eyeing his kutte, where he had stuck the clamp Tara had handed him. "And Dennis."
Nodding, he told Hale he would see him at the station in the morning, and just gave Tara a wave, as Jules was talking low to her.
He wound his way through the cops and EMTs coming into the house and out to the car. Getting in, he sat for a second, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. He knew Kohn was stalking Tara, and certainly had fucked with him, but he really hadn't thought the guy would go this far.
While he was beating himself up for not seeing the threat that Kohn had really been, his cell rang. He looked at it. Gemma.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm on my way back." Not giving her a chance to even say hello.
"Just you? What the fuck, Jackson?"
"Mom, I'll tell you when I get there." He sighed. "This fucked up night has just gotten a hell of a lot more fucked."
"Great." His mom sounded tired. "I'll see you when you get here." Then hung up.
Sighing again, he started the car, put it in gear, and got the hell out of there.