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Taming Ava & Fixing Jax - A Modern Fairytale

Chapter 35 Hell Breaks Loose

"

Author's Note: As promised, Jax is finally out of prison. Expect the fireworks between Ava and Jax to build over time. At first, he will try to find a way to get along with her. There will be a big explosion between them. I've actually got it all outlined.

"

TB was a big fan of English writer P.G. Wodehouse. He'd given Jax a big fat book with several Wodehouse novels in it featuring Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. He was reading one of them chuckling over the hapless Bertie's adventures when he got the news only he didn't know it was the news he'd been hoping for.

Doyle the guard who saved his life had simply come to his cell and told him he had ten minutes to pack up. Inmates got moved around. That wasn't unusual. Doyle left without explanation, but guards didn't owe inmates explanations.

Jax had a clear plastic TV and radio, a few books and letters and not much else in the way of possessions. He packed up all his stuff with five minutes to spare. He would be sorry to leave this cell. There was a tiny window with a view of the prison yard and sky. He'd spent a lot of time looking out his little window wondering if he would ever get out.

When Doyle opened the door, he was still trying to appear stern, but Jax noticed he seemed to be trying hard not to smile.

"You're out," he said whispering. "Pretend you don't know."

"Thanks, bro."

Jax liked Doyle. He was a young guy with a wife and daughter. At night when Jax couldn't sleep, they would talk. His daughter needed medical treatment his insurance wouldn't pay for and he couldn't afford. Jax swore to himself that he would use $20,000 of the money that Ava had given him to help the man's daughter get her needed medical treatment with some money left over for a little family vacation if that's what they wanted. He was a decent guy who saved his life. A lot of guards wouldn't have saved him. Inmates were less than human to most guards.

Jax got the best break of his life and he wanted to help him out. He'd ask TB's help to get the money to Doyle through some kind of medical grant or foundation. A guard couldn't take money from an ex-inmate. He would never know the money came from him, but that wasn't the point. His goal was to help this man and his kid.

He went through the processing like it was all a dream. All he could think about was that TB's plan had actually worked far quicker than he would have ever thought possible. He watched the final cut of the documentary on his prison TV. He'd come off looking like a saint when it was all done. It was amazing what money could do.

He knew from his attorneys that there was a flurry of hearings, but he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up. Instead, he chose not to attend the hearings. It didn't matter whether he was there or not. There was no jury to try to convince of his innocence.

He had heard from TB and his mother that the public was furious over his conviction. After the documentary aired the second time, the governor of California called the President. The United States Attorney General had demanded a briefing. The head of the ATF had put Stahl and Kohn on administrative leave until an investigation into their conduct could be made. The federal prosecutor was also on leave pending the outcome of an investigation into his conduct during Jax's trial.

The trial judge Amos Burke summoned the new federal prosecutor and Jax's new team of attorneys into court and given the prosecutor forty-eight hours to show why Jax shouldn't be released and the verdict in his trial vacated. Still, Jax hadn't dared hope that somehow this would lead to his freedom. He figured the government would come up with something to keep him locked up.

That had happened three days ago. Jax's attorneys told him they were hopeful that he was going to get out very soon. His attorneys told him things were in motion after the hearing with the judge. The papers he was given as he left prison told him that the verdict had been vacated by the judge in an agreement with both the prosecutor and his attorneys.

He was shocked that the prosecutor had actually stood up and done the right thing by him by admitting that he should never have been prosecuted and in the interest of justice, he recommended that Jax be released from prison. The verdict would be removed from his record and he would no longer be a convicted felon. Just like that. Magic.

The guys were waiting for him at the gates on their bikes when he got out. He wasn't strong enough yet to ride, but his bike was there on a flatbed. He would ride it into town on his bike. He was strong enough to manage five or six miles.

There were hugs, back slapping and he was given his precious cut. When he put it on, he actually had tears in his eyes. That was one sweet moment.

He climbed into the flatbed with Piney for the trip back to Charming. When they got back to the clubhouse, it looked like the whole town had turned out to greet him. Residents lined the streets waving at him as he rode past on his bike. He'd underestimated the impact of TB's documentary. He was returning a conquering hero.

At the clubhouse, the friends of the club and the crow-eaters packed the clubhouse. Gemma and TB were both there. He gave TB the biggest bear hug. TB looked a little startled before laughing and hugging him back. He owed that man years of his life. His money, power and intelligence had gotten him out of prison. Without him, he would have easily spent another four or five years in prison as his case slowly made its way through all the legal hoops and that's assuming he lived. The way things were going in prison, he might not have lived four or five more years.

Gemma had tears in her eyes as she hugged him fiercely. She'd then surprised TB with a hug as she thanked him for getting Jax out of prison.

For some reason, TB didn't seem to be keeping Ava informed of what was going on with his case. He explained that she was on a spa retreat and needed to recharge after going through the trauma of his hospitalization. Jax hadn't heard from her since she'd gone on her spa vacation.

He suspected that TB was deliberately keeping her in the dark for his own reasons. He didn't know what was going on between father and daughter, but he was focused on getting out of prison. There would be plenty of time for family drama and Ava drama when she returned.

There was a tame party in the clubhouse. He was a married man so there were no strippers even after TB left for the Castle. It didn't matter about the strippers or that Ava wasn't there. He could have a beer, smoke a joint and shower whenever he wanted.

He hadn't made any plans for the day he got out. He was a little superstitious and was afraid he might jinx things if he started planning for this day. That night he slept in the bed in the clubhouse while his brothers were passed out under and over crow-eaters. He was faithful to Ava because he'd promised her father. Otherwise, he would have taken three crow-eaters into his room and started to make up for lost time.

Tomorrow, Ava was returning and TB had invited him to stay in Ava's room until they figured out where they were going to live. He'd even invited them to live with him. He had been forced to sell his house and its contents to help pay for his defense. He could live with Gemma and Clay which would probably be worse than living with Ava and TB. Lucky he had all that money Ava had given him for marrying her to use to find them a place to live. They could start looking for a place in the next day or so.

"*******

Ava's spa retreat kept her and its guests out of touch with the world as part of the experience. Ava never watched the news or read it on her phone. It was too depressing, so she was completely unaware of the sensation Jax had made with the documentary. And she was completely unaware of her husband's release from prison.

She slept on the plane and watched a movie on her iPad. She had to change planes in Atlanta and got stuck there for almost four hours for various reasons from waiting for a part for the plane to waiting for more parts for the plane. She hated when that happened. It always made her feel like the plane was going to fall apart in the air and crash.

She thought she might be losing her mind because as she passed one of the TV sets in the waiting area she thought she saw Jax and heard the newscaster say his name. That had been one of the many nice things about her stay at the spa retreat, she could forget for a short time that she was married to a convict. It had been like Heaven to talk to people and pretend she was the same Ava that had stayed at the retreat four previous times. She made no mention of her marriage. It wasn't worth mentioning and she hadn't wanted to think about it or Jax. She'd even taken off her wedding ring while she was at the spa.

It was late when she finally got back to Charming. She left her bag in the downstairs entryway. Jeeves would go through it and take care of getting her clothes laundered and then returned to her room. She brought her carry on bag with her make-up and other essentials up to her room.

That was strange. She left her door closed so that wasn't unusual, but the light was on and she could hear the television set. Maybe the maid had been watching it when she was cleaning her room. Still, she should have turned it off. Ava frowned wondering if this could be a burglar, but a robber wouldn't have stuck around. She decided the TV had probably been left on by mistake, but to be careful, she was prepared to run if there was someone in her room.

She flung open the door and saw Jax in her bed under the covers watching her TV.

"What the hell!" Ava exclaimed. "I can't believe you escaped from prison. You better leave now. This will be one of the first places they'll look and I'm not hiding you."

"I didn't escape, darlin'," Jax drawled. "I'm out of prison for good. I'm a free man."

Ava looked at him and thought she was going to pass out. This must be some kind of nightmare. This could not be reality.

"

Author's Note: This is not legally accurate. In real life, it would take much longer to get someone out of prison, but this is a modern fairytale, so this is a little modern legal magic.

Ava's dad deliberately wanted to blindside her with Jax's getting out. Father and daughter have a complicated relationship.