8

Jax Is Really Alive

Chapter 31 Recap

Jax gets Tara to their hotel room. He follows Ryland's instructions and gets Tara's heart beating and lungs breathing.

Ryland diverts the medic from the response team he sent to clean up the Kitty Cabal clubhouse crime scene to Jax and Tara's hotel room. The medic is Kozik returned from the dead with all his limbs intact thanks to Ryland's surgical skill. Kozik administers to Tara doses of the medications Ryland gave him before the team flew to Charming.

Nero calls Jax wanting to meet. Tara insists on going, but when she tries to stand, she almost passes out. She is forced to remain in the hotel room to receive additional medical treatment from Kozik.

Ryland arranges for the team to meet up with Jax and provide back-up for his meeting with Nero.

Chapter 32 Flash! Bang!

Tara looked at the screen set up on the night stand that provided video of Ryland and her medical information.

"I was really dosed," Tara said.

"I don't think a human would have survived that," Kozik said.

"Tara, I'll explain everything that happened after I meet with Nero," Jax said.

"Was I raped? Tell me the truth."

"No. One guy touched your breasts over your clothes, but that's as far as it went."

Tara studied his face looking for deception.

"OK."

Ryland decided that Jax should pick up the team rather than rendezvous with them at the arranged meeting place with Nero. Cas provided directions.

The three men Jax picked up looked like typical ordinary men. All wore jeans with long sleeved blue shirts and each carried a back pack.

They only had a few minutes with Jax before the meeting. They told him they had restaged the scene so it would look like some kind of club beef that got out of control.

When Jax used the Paralorn gun, it left the men dead, but more importantly it left the bodies like a blank canvas. A coroner would not be able to determine the cause of death. To tie up the loose ends, the men provided a cause of death. Gun shot wounds. They left the guns and erased any DNA belonging to anyone with alien DNA, so it would be impossible to tie Jax, Tara or themselves to the scene.

They didn't go into the mechanics of how they reset the crime scene, but Jax was left with the impression these guys were highly competent. He was also left with the impression this wasn't the first time they had restaged a crime scene.

Two of the men got out and would find places to hide and surveille the meeting. Jax thought it was unnecessary, but he didn't complain. They were doing their jobs and they had cleaned up his crime scene. The remaining guy would move over to the driver's seat in case they needed to get away quickly.

Jax waited in the SUV until he heard from the two men that they had found cover and it was safe to proceed to the meeting. There were no people around and all the businesses were closed.

Nero's time on the run, while short, had taken its toll on him. He was dirty, unshaven and had dark circles under his eyes.

Jax walked up and took a seat on the bus bench next to Nero.

"My name is Jax Turner. You can call me Jax," Jax said.

Nero studied Jax.

"You look so much like Jax Teller, you could be his twin."

"I get that a lot especially from law enforcement."

Nero studied Jax's face suspiciously.

"You know a lot about Jax. How do you know him?"

"I can't answer that. I provided information that only you and Teller would know, so you would know this isn't some kind of trap. It turns out Teller has some very powerful and wealthy friends. I helped him disappear. I'll do the same for you. I just need to find out what you know about the boys' kidnapping.

"I've got a new identity with a driver's license, social security card and money mostly in the form of prepaid VISA cards. There's also a cabin complete with utilities including cable waiting for you in Arizona. It's up to you whether you go there or not. You need to get the hell out of California before you get caught."

"I know," Nero said with a nod. "That's why I'm meeting with you now. I want to help Jax in any way I can to find his kids. I just don't think I have that kind of information."

"You get the prize package whether or not the information helps. Just talk to me. He told me that you had this dream of bringing your son to a farm because he loves animals and you bought your uncle's farm. Begin there. Give me the long version. I know Teller thought a lot of you and he'll want to know."

Nero ran a hand over his stubble.

"I am the typical absentee father. My boy likes to hold little animals on his lap, so I thought that meant he loved animals. All animals. I thought surrounding him with a farm full of animals would make him happy. He hated the farm. I did too."

"What went wrong?"

"It's an endless day of feeding and cleaning up shit. He didn't mind throwing feed out to the animals the first couple of times, but he got tired of it. He isn't physically strong, so it was hard for him. He's also in a wheelchair and the animals were afraid to come near him. He would have been happy with a hamster or rabbit.

"If I'd been a better father I would have talked to him about animals and a farm. Maybe I would have realized that he was happy with his life. He's always lived at state facilities. I thought he would love to be with me all the time.

"He loved being with me, but he missed his friends and the only life he's ever really known. Getting tipped off that the cops wanted to talk to me about a couple of murders, made it easier for me to return him to the state facility. The sad truth was he was happy to be back with his friends."

"I'm sorry that didn't work out for you. I know that had been a dream of yours for a long time."

"Yeah, if I'd only talked to my kid, I would have come up with a better dream."

Jax hated that Nero's dream turned into a nightmare. He had hoped that Nero would get a happy ending. With his help, he could at least give Nero a new start in life.

"What happened with Jax's boys when they got to the farm?"

"Abel just seemed deeply upset by something. After a couple of hours, he told me he'd seen Gemma again at his school. She gave him a ring that belonged to JT. She told him that he would be president of SAMCRO one day."

"There's no way in hell that will happen to either of the boys."

"Poor Abel. He didn't know whether to fear or love Gemma. Wendy thought Jax was coming to the farm. She thought she was going to have this happy ending with him."

"Thinking has never been a strength of Wendy's."

"Sounds like you know her well," Nero said with a tired smile. "She brought one diaper for Thomas and a packet of formula and an empty bottle. She didn't pack clothes or anything else. She didn't do much better for Abel. She brought him one change of clothes.

"That whole motherhood thing was just an act to get Jax back. She left that night and took my car. My uncle's old lady had to get me stuff for the boys especially for Thomas because he needed diapers and formula.

"She started using again. She went to biker bars and stayed out all night. I thought when Brooke came for a visit, she could help with the boys and Wendy would finally come around and help with the kids.

"Brooke and her boyfriend split up, so she was crying a lot. Wendy took her out to bars and they both stayed out all night."

"Did Wendy bring guys to the farm?"

"No. Her point was to get away from the kids and all her responsibilities. I was going to call CPS on Wendy after I left and then the boys disappeared. I was especially worried about Thomas. Abel can talk and he can get things out of the refrigerator. Thomas is helpless."

Jax heard Tara crying softly through the earpiece.

"Who knew the boys were at the farm?"

"My uncle, his old lady and they may have mentioned it to a few friends. I don't know who Wendy told."

"You have any idea who might have taken them? Anyone come by the farm or something?"

Nero shook his head.

"No. We were only at the farm for a few hours before everything went to hell. I have been thinking back on everything trying to come up with something to help get the boys back—some kind of clue. I have no idea. I wish I knew something that would help."

"Do you have anyway to get in touch with Wendy?"

Nero told Jax her cell number. It was the same number that Jax had for her.

Jax reached into the pocket of his black leather jacket and pulled out the large manila envelope.

"Here's everything I promised you. There's a phone number in the packet of stuff. Memorize and destroy it. If you need something or you remember something, you can call that number. There are some suggestions on how to do things to stay hidden. There's also a new tattoo removal cream. Follow the directions that were written out for you. At a minimum, you need to lose the neck tattoo. It's a dead giveaway."

"Thank you," Nero said taking the envelope from Jax. "I miss my boy. I can't even go see him or talk to him."

"We may be able to help with that. We can use prepaid phones so you and your boy can talk. Maybe when your son is a little older and the hunt for you gets cold, we'll come up with something so you can see your boy."

"I have this feeling that you're Jax Teller. I don't know how that's possible."

"It isn't possible. Good luck, Nero."

"Thanks for this," Nero said putting the envelope inside his jacket pocket.

"You're welcome. You have any message for Teller?"

"I hope he finds his boys and I hope he finds peace of mind."

Jax nodded.

"I'll relay your message."

Nero began walking down the street. Jax was about ten feet behind him when a white paneled van pulled up, the doors on the side slid open and three guys wearing head to toe black including full face masks jumped out of the van. One of the men threw a grenade. There was a loud bang, a brilliant flash of light and then smoke.

Jax fell to the ground. A split second later, he was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and dragged backwards. The smoked cleared in time for him to see a limp Nero being shoved into the van before it took off at a high rate of speed.

Author's Note: This van scene will lead to the unraveling of the boys' kidnapping within three or four chapters. I know this van scene doesn't appear to make sense. Why didn't the people grabbing Nero wait until he was alone? Why did they do it in such an obvious manner?

Next Up: Heart to Heart

Next Up for Me: Another chapter of Jax and Tara's Unexpected Christmas. Every time I type Christmas it makes me a little crazy that the story still isn't finished. Just a few more chapters . . .

Tara's explanation as to how they ended up in the trunk is going to be fun and will not reflect well on Jax.