Chapter Ten
Stockton State Prison
Jax
Pulling up to Stockton I get my attitude in check. Tully calling me up here for an impromptu meeting pisses me off. I can't let him know that though. Not if I want to make sure things go smoothly for the MC after this war is said and done.
It's not that I have a problem with him personally. When I originally sent Jayce to see him, I never expected them to plot behind my back like this. Her being his old lady has put a huge wrench in my plans. She has been my right hand since Opie... I need her home and level-headed.
The asshole is already waiting for me when the guards let me into his private interrogation room. It's odd, he looks... Younger than the first time we met.
Clearing his throat he says, " glad you could make it ".
" You called, I'm here. " I sigh out while spreading my arms as if it's no big deal.
He gives me a weird look. " We need to have a talk... About Jaycee. "
" Yeah, I'd say it's long overdue. " I tell him steeling my resolve.
Nodding he says, " I'm aware that you're pissed off. You think I've stolen your best gunner. "
" Is that not the case? " I ask failing to keep the bark out of my tone.
He's silent for a moment. " ... No. "
" Then why is she under the radar? " I ask still not fully clear as to why he would want her away from her family. " She won't tell anyone where she is. "
He smirks. " I asked her not to tell anyone... She's at my home in Encino. I assume she has told you about our little " deal ". "
" Her being your old lady, you mean? " I ask through gritted teeth.
Nodding again he says, " Yeah "...
" My cousin has been through a lot... She isn't in the right head space to be separated from her family. " I reiterate.
It's his turn to sigh. " That's where we disagree. I think she's getting her head together just fine what with the death of your uncle. She needs space to heal from everything that has been dealt to her in the past few years. I'm worried about her mental health and safety if she goes back to Charming. "
" And you don't see that as controlling? " I ask trying to flip the script.
" A bit but your cousin agreed to it. I think she was just begging for a way out honestly. " I say smugly knowing how irritated he is.
So he really thinks Jaycee will be his for the long haul? Not hardly. " For how long though? How long is she going to want to stay with you after... "
" After I dispose of the rat? " He asks knowing exactly where I'm going with this.
I nod simply.
" I imagine she'll be mad as all hell. " He says clearly not liking where this conversation is going. " I can cross that bridge when we get to it. "
Shaking my head I laugh at his foolishness. " She'll be more than mad, Tully. This is the man that she crossed her club president to protect. "
" She loves him, right? " He asks out of nowhere.
Of course, she does. It's apparent in the way that she consistently tries to protect him. " Yeah, she does. I think you can understand her being angry that her best friend died alone in prison at the hands of her old man. "
" Hell, I don't even know what she'll do when she finds out. I might just end up with a bullet between my eyes at the end of all of this. " I say truthfully. " If Juice didn't tell you that she can be a grade-A bitch then let me be the one to break it to you. She's a lot like my mother in that way. "
Tully
He's fucking with me right now. He has to be. At first, I didn't know what to think of the woman that captivated me. Everything he has told me about her has been clarified ten times over. I don't like that he's trying to sway my opinion of her when he has caused her heartache for the sake of heartache.
" You think your own cousin would try to kill you? " I ask letting him think he can manipulate me that easily.
I've always loved playing dumb for idiots, after all.
" Hurt and betrayal run deep in our family. " Jax starts almost looking sad. " We both have seen and felt it over and over again. I think that's why she was always bringing home strays. Animals and people. Juice was one of them. She brought him home one day and never let him leave. He's the only one that understands her. No one will ever come close to who he is to her. I realized that too late. "
Shrugging I say, " sounds just like Juice described ".
Ah, Juicy boy. Where do I even start? His eyes? His mouth? His... Ass? I own all of it. After letting him cry on my shoulder over Bobby's death he and I have gotten very close. I didn't think he was into some of the things we've gotten into the last week. Part of me wonders how Jaycee will react to this information but at the same time, part of me knows she won't care. She had him first after all.
" Yeah and he's also someone she never thought she'd lose. " Jax says bringing me out of my dirty thoughts. " She knows the rules but she loves him. It's going to hurt ten times worse to know I wasn't the one to do him. "
It will still hurt her if it was him to do it. I just can't see why he'd want her to be anything but happy. Why is it that any and all of her happiness seems to have been stripped away by the man sitting in front of me? It pisses me off that I can't openly express my disgust at his actions toward my woman. True Juice is a rat, but he's the one thing standing in between me and my future.
" And if she were to find out that I did him in every sense? " I ask not knowing if I want his answer.
Same Time
Stockton State Prison Visting Room
Jaycee
" So you wanna tell me why you shot at the police? " I ask after a few minutes of silence between me and my best friend.
He shakes his head. " Not really no. "
" Oh, I guess all I'm getting is asshole Juan Ortiz today. " I grumble in irritation.
Steel enters his eyes. " Don't do that. "
" Don't do what? " I ask not believing that I'm actually sitting here in Stockton with my best friend across from me.
Swallowing he checks himself before continuing. " You have no idea what I'm going through in here. "
" From where I'm sitting it looks like you did this to yourself. " I spit out while rubbing my temples.
I've never seen him this down before. My heart can't help but break but I can't let him see me break down. It won't do his mental state any good in here.
Sighing he says, " I'm trying to help the club... Buy back some forgiveness. "
I know he knows that isn't going to happen.
" Juan... " I say trying to find the right words. " We both know how this is going to play out. "
He tenses himself. " I know. " He says admitting the truth.
Now I feel bad for bursting his bubble. Lord knows I wish I could let myself believe some fairytale where he makes it out of this alive. That's all it would be though, a fairytale. In this lifestyle, we rarely get that kind of ending. Just look at poor Bobby.
Getting up I wrap my arms around him. " I'm sorry. I have no idea what you're going through, you're right. Everything's just so screwed up and neither of us has control here. It's scary and as much as I want to break through the walls of this place and get you out, I can't.
He holds onto me tightly. " I'm sorry. I should have left when I was supposed to. I'm just not good alone. "
" No, I'm sorry. I should have taken you to the house myself and stayed with you. " I say as one of the guards comes over to separate us.
I put my hands up and sit back in my chair.
" Tully told me about Bobby... "
And suddenly the reason he's here all makes sense. Jax wants Tully to kill Juice. Of course, he does. Why just kill Juice and get it over with when he could hurt me at the same time? Why didn't I see it before? Just like with Chibs, Jax is trying to take away any ounce of happiness I could ever possibly have. I won't let that happen.
" Yeah, it's just one thing after another with our little fucked up family. " I say not letting him know anything about the epiphany I just had.
Patting my hand he says, " I know how close you guys were. I'm sorry JJ. "
I try to hold back tears that threaten to spill over.
" You look like you've been hit by a truck JJ. " He says after looking at me thoroughly for the first time since I sat down.
I chuckle humorlessly. " You sure know how to gas a girl up. "
" You need to take better care of yourself. I don't need to be in here worried about you. " He says before reaching out and taking my hands in his.
Shaking my head I say, " it's just everything that has been going on. You, Bobby... I haven't been sleeping too well lately. Nightmares. "
" I'm sorry I fucked up so bad. " He says softly.
Looking back up into his eyes I feel myself soften. " I'm sorry that I brought you into this. You could be off living a straight life if it weren't for me. "
" I don't regret it. " He says quickly. " Meeting you was the best day of my life. "
And now the tears are flowing. " I wouldn't have made it through the last five years if it weren't for you being there. "
" I love you JJ. " He says with more sincerity than I've ever seen in them.
Feeling my lower lip tremble I say, " I love you too, Juan. More than I could ever express. "
Tully
" It won't go over very well. Any deal you've made with her would be null and void. " Jax says as if he has it all figured out.
So he thinks he can come in here and taunt me? He has no idea who he's fucking with right now. If I wasn't mad before I certainly am now.
" And you see how that's bad for me, right? " I manage to not growl out at him.
Sighing he takes a break from his tough-guy character. " Look, I know you've got your own thing going on with my cousin, but he betrayed me. He needs to be dealt with. "
From where I'm sitting the only one needing to be dealt with is him. Seems to be getting too big for his britches.
I nod but I don't agree. " I like your spunk Jax, don't ever think otherwise. However, I have this dilemma... Continue business with you, and put what I have going on with your cousin in jeopardy. "
" When did you go soft on me? " He asks in shock. " Aren't you supposed to be the big bad Arian Brotherhood shot caller? Don't tell me you have feelings for her. "
Narrowing my eyes I ask, " you trying to say I can't have feelings "?
" It's just odd. You barely know her. " He says shrugging.
I purse my lips in thought. It's true, I don't know everything about her. The thing is, I don't need to.
Whatever our souls of made of, his and mine are the same.
Emily Bronte is my favorite poet and this particular line always runs through my mind whenever we're in the same room together. Again, call me a romantic I don't care. Jaycee is special and I'm not going to let the MC or Jax destroy her any further than they already have.
" Don't need to. All I need to know is that she agreed to be my old lady. Jaycee now falls under my protection. Anyone that could possibly hurt her is public enemy number one. I agreed to help you get justice for your wife... I can't agree to do your boy. If he gets offed by someone else... "
Trying to keep up, Jax says, " so what you're saying is, you want to deceive my cousin in order to keep her around "?
Hell no. However, I will deceive Jax to keep her around. See, I've heard a bit about how he has been handling his presidency. I don't like what I've heard. It wasn't just what Jaycee told me that made me want her safe in Encino. It's the fact that members of the MC are dropping like flies and she's an easy target. The way things are going I don't think Jax would hesitate to sacrifice his own cousin if it got him his wife's murderer.
" What I'm saying is, Stockton is dangerous. He could have an accident at anytime that isn't linked to me. " I say with a slight shrug.
Don't get me wrong, double-crossing isn't something I enjoy... That doesn't mean I won't do it for the right reasons. I haven't ever come up with the right reason before now, though. If keeping Juice safe keeps Jaycee's end of the deal up, that's exactly what I'll do. It doesn't hurt that I now am just as tangled up in the man as she is but hey, no one said life wouldn't get messy.
" So you don't get linked to Juice's demise... " He says taking the bait hook line and sinker. " Where's that leave us with Lin? "
I shrug. " Well, I'm working on it. Might take me a day or two to have the right guys for the right shift. "
" Okay. We're all set to meet with Otis. " He says like a good little boy.
Nodding I say, " the sit-down is this afternoon. He'll bring everybody up to speed. "
" Is there anything I need to know about this guy? " He asks right off no doubt because of his first meeting with Leland.
It makes sense that he'd want to know what he's getting into. " He was my number two in Tempe. Just got out of Perryville. He's solid. "
" Time for the inbreds to move over, huh? " He jokes.
Except this isn't a joking matter. " Yeah. I think Leland isn't so happy about the shift in management. "
Damn right. He has been promised to take my place and that has to happen. Once I walk out of those doors come December I won't be coming back. I need to have a solid replacement and he's it.
" We'll help him adjust. " Jax promises. " But you need to make sure that Juice gets to Lin.
Oh, I plan on it just so he can get off of my nuts. " Well, in the meantime, I'm gonna keep that little Puerto Rican real close. I'll make sure no one breaks his heart. "
Or stabs it for that matter.
" Well, he could do with a little loving. " Jax jokes once more as he gets up.
I smile at his retreating form. Oh, Jax, your mama should have taught you about fucking with a southern boy. It never ends well.