7

Chapter 110 Church

"

Jax sat quietly in the chapel until it was time for Church. He went over and over again the meeting with Gemma. He'd said everything he'd needed to say and gotten the answers he'd expected right down to Gemma claiming she'd help kill his father for his sake and then trying to pin all the blame on Clay.

He had been nothing more to her than a means to an end—she wanted to create a dynasty with the MC—a kind of royal family for Charming. She tried to control it with JT. When that failed, she picked a new king in Clay. Clay was nothing more than a placeholder until she had enough money and he was ready to be president. He had no doubt that Gemma thought she would have better control over the MC when he was president.

Gemma had always strutted around Charming like she was the Queen of the town. Being the old lady of the president of the MC gave her a social status and power that far exceeded her financial position. She was somebody in this town and that had been stripped from her. Gemma was going to have to face life as a regular person. Once the word was out that she was an enemy of the club, she would be left with no friends with any MC connection.

He didn't know what would happen to Gemma. There was no doubt in his mind that she would quickly find replacements for Clay. He could see her descending into a hell of drug/alcohol use and sex with a stream of men.

Jax felt sick inside torn by love for his mother and hatred for Gemma. He couldn't just switch off his love for his mother. He wished it was that easy, but the only way he could move forward was to think of her as dead. He could grieve the loss of his mother and still hate the woman who murdered his father.

For a moment, he let himself wonder how his life would have been different if JT had lived and changed the direction of the MC. At least four Sons of Anarchy had died over the years thanks to Clay's insistence that SAMCRO sell guns. Even more from their charter and others had been locked up over gun sales. At least he could take comfort in the knowledge that his father would approve of this new direction for the MC. No one in SAMCRO was going to die or get locked up over guns on his watch.

The guys streamed into the meeting taking their seats. Jax brought the gavel down bringing the meeting to order. He hoped one day soon, he would feel more pleasure when he sat at the head of the table.

There wasn't much club business to handle. Mostly, they discussed the continued show of support from the other charters over the situation with Clay. Bobby and Tig had checked out the warehouse to make sure it was empty before they listed it for sale. The Niners had retrieved their guns and ammo leaving the warehouse empty. Next week, the property would be put up for sale.

"I have another serious matter to bring to the table," Jax said after the discussion of club business ended. "When I visited Unser, he gave me information that proved that Clay killed JT by stealing a truck from Unser and running him down. Unser covered for Clay because he didn't feel he had a choice."

Jax let the news sink in. Everyone except Piney was surprised.

"Clay needs to die a lot," Happy said darkly scowling fiercely. Happy was a member of SAMCRO when JT was president and been his SA.

"If it's any consolation, I verified that Clay was really dead and then I told Skeeter to toss Clay's ashes out with the trash."

There was a brief silence before the guys laughed and pounded the table in appreciation of how Jax handled the disposal of Clay's remains.

"There's one more thing," Jax said pausing for a moment to give the guys a chance to quiet down, "I also discovered through Unser that Gemma has known for several years that Clay killed JT."

The guys relied on Gemma to listen to their relationship problems and provide advice. She was a mommy substitute and this news shocked them. They felt the sting of betrayal too not as sharply as Jax, but still they felt it.

"Are you sure?" Opie asked.

"I confronted her today and she admitted it. I fired her from TM. Tig get Chucky to pack her shit up, box it and dump it on her porch. She can't have any role in SAMCRO. She isn't a friend of the club because she can't be trusted. I'm designating her as an enemy of the club. Juice get the word out to the friends of the MC. Let's keep this to Charming and not share this development with the other charters including the fact that Clay killed JT."

"You're right about Gemma," Bobby said. "She can't be trusted. You have our support."

The guys all voiced their support. Jax thanked them and then turned to TM business. He wanted to end the meeting on a more positive note. They discussed when they would close and re-open. Juice gave them the time table for the new signs. Tig provided information on when the new printed forms with the new name would be ready.

Jax brought the gavel down and ended the meeting.

"Opie, Piney, stick around," Jax said. "Sack close the door when you're on the other side of it."

"Of course," Sack said quickly. Once when they told him to close the door, he'd closed it with him on the wrong side. That had been humiliating. He was so close to finishing his prospecting year, but a year was the minimum, so he really had no idea how long he would be a prospect.

"I need to tell you something else about Gemma," Jax said turning to Opie.

"I don't know how she could have carried that secret," Opie said.

"Ope, it's worse. Gemma didn't just know about Clay killing my father, she helped. She lured him out to that stretch of road by telling him she won a free dinner at The Overlook. That's why he was on that road. Clay was waiting for him to run him down."

"It's true, son. I remember that day like it was today," Piney said with a small smile. "Gemma mentioning she won a dinner for two and JT leaving on his bike to meet her at the restaurant."

Opie stared at Jax and Piney stunned. It was bad enough that Gemma had known that Clay killed JT, but to have actually participated was beyond anything Opie thought possible.

"Why would she kill JT?"

"JT wanted the club out of guns. That would have meant less money coming in. She and Clay had also been having an affair. She admitted everything to me. Said she did it all for me."

Piney snorted.

"That bitch."

"And she blamed it all on Clay forcing her to do it," Jax added.

Opie shook his head stunned by this news. He had held some hope that there might be an explanation about how Gemma could have stayed with Clay knowing he killed her old man. This at least made sense—she stayed with Clay because she helped kill JT.

"Unser also told me that Gemma came to him and begged him to cover up JT's murder. He agreed because he was in love with her and he was concerned about what would happen to me if Gemma and Clay went away for JT's murder," Jax said. "Sad that he thought of that and Gemma didn't."

"Brother, I'm sorry," Opie said sadly.

"I know you thought of her as a mother. I had to tell you the truth so you would understand there is no way back for Gemma with me or the MC."

"You made the right call—cutting Gemma out of TM and the MC," Piney said. "It will hurt her more not having access to the MC she loves so much and to you."

"My whole life she's pushed the MC on me. JT never did. He wanted me to find my own path in life."

"Your father was a good man and I miss him every day," Piney said gruffly.

"I don't know how much of my life was my choice and how much was Gemma's plan for me," Jax confessed.

"The MC is in your blood like it is Opie's. You might have gone a different way for awhile, but you were always destined to lead SAMCRO. You are going to be an even better president than your old man," Piney said.

"I know I'm going in the right direction," Jax said.

"Damned right you are," Piney said slapping Jax on the shoulder.

"Come on, " Jax said getting to his feet. "Let's grab some pizza and a beer and then I have to get home to my old lady."

Opie and Piney chuckled.

"Funny as hell hearing you say that," Opie said.

Jax gave Opie a playful shove.

"At least I don't have kids," Jax said.

"Yet," Opie added.

"

"*******

"

Gemma climbed up on a bar stool at The Velvet Toad. She had tried to call Nero, but her call went to voice mail. Jax's words calling her an old whore barely worth the cost of a beer were ringing in her ears as she sat drinking a rum and coke all alone.

A short grizzled old man well north of seventy in jeans and a soiled beige T-shirt sat down on the bar stool next to hers.

"Bar keep get a beer for me and the lady here."

Gemma threw up a little in her mouth.

"

Hopefully Good News

I was doing a chapter list with the plot points I needed to cover to wrap this story up. It suddenly hit me that I could change the ending a little and add another plot arc to the story that will really add dimension and a plot twist, so instead of less than 10 chapters, I'm looking at maybe 20 chapters to wrap this up.