4
Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run
Chapter 202 Too Close
As much as Jax would have loved to have caught a glimpse of a naked Scarlett, he knew it wouldn't go much further than a look. Scarlett's physical condition had deteriorated after she'd pushed her body to its limits to get help for Tristen. She was walking more stiffly and taking smaller steps than usual.
He had behaved pretty well, but she was definitely testing his self-control. He could have spent the entire night exploring the wonders of her soft, smooth skin, but he wasn't going to take advantage of her—at least not that night.
When they finally made love, he wanted it to be a great experience for her. That couldn't happen when she was in so much pain. She didn't need to be able to move. He could handle that part all by himself.
"I wanted to give you information on what's going on here with the men in the woods," Hale said. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," Scarlett replied. "What's going on?"
"We haven't identified two of the men yet. Some of them have used fake names, so it's been a challenge. The men we've identified are on probation for various offenses including kiddie porn. It hasn't come out yet, but it will soon.
"There are videos on their phones and on some thumb drives showing kids being raped," Hale paused. "There's even a snuff film. A child was being assaulted and is killed on camera. It's the worst thing I've seen in my entire life."
"Oh, my God," Scarlett gasped.
"We'll keep this information to ourselves," Jax said.
Jax had seen a lot of bad shit in his life, but not on the scale that Hale was describing. He was proud that he and SAMCRO played a role in getting those bastards locked up. There was nothing worse than assaulting and killing a child.
"The Feds are arriving. I think we've got close to a full alphabet of them either here or on the way including ATF."
That was Hale providing a little payback to Jax and SAMCRO with that piece of information. He knew SAMCRO dealt guns, but it happened outside the city limits. There wasn't anything he could do about it. ATF didn't have that jurisdiction problem.
Jax wondered if ATF was coming to town using the kiddie porn investigation to conceal the true target of their investigation—SAMCRO.
"Why is the ATF investigating?" Jax asked.
"I don't know what their angle is," Hale confessed. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know. Most of the feds are interested in following the money trail. That could lead to a lot of arrests. Oswald's leaving tomorrow. He's taking his daughter to Florida to Disneyworld for a few days. He's trying to keep her clear of it for awhile."
"I hope you get enough on these guys to keep them locked up forever," Scarlett said.
"I was looking online at some of the things that were being posted about the carnival and what happened," Hale said after a long pause. "I found a picture. Scarlett, I'm sending you an email with two pictures. It would be better if you could see them on a computer. Do you have a computer or tablet?"
"I have my laptop. Give me a minute or two to pull it up," she said.
"I'll get your laptop," Jax said heading to the bedroom to grab it.
Scarlett followed him.
"I need to sit down," she said slowly lowering herself painfully to a sitting position on the bed.
Jax handed the laptop to Scarlett and took her cell phone. She quickly logged on and pulled up her email. The picture showed a child on a carnival ride and the crowd including Scarlett and Jax.
The color left Scarlett's face. Even her lips turned white.
"It isn't a very clear picture," Hale said.
Scarlett stared at the picture.
"I know the family of the little boy in the picture. I called them and asked them to crop you and Jax out of the picture. Told them you had a dangerous husband. They cropped the picture and that's the second picture I sent."
The second picture was just as Hale described; Scarlett and Jax were removed from the picture.
"Did you check to see if there are anymore of the first picture that might have been reposted?" Jax asked.
"I did an image search. There are no more copies of the picture."
"Do you know how long it was up?" Jax asked.
"A couple of hours," Hale replied.
"Thanks, David," Scarlett whispered.
"I'll let you know if there's anymore information. Jax, take care of her."
"You know I will."
They ended the call. Scarlett went back to look at the first picture Hale had sent to her, studying it carefully.
"Could you give me some alone time? I need to figure this out."
"Sure," Jax said.
He set her phone down on the bed next to her and left her still staring at the picture.
Logically, a bad photo on the internet that was only up for a couple of hours shouldn't be a real danger to Scarlett, but he suspected that some of Scarlett's fear wasn't completely rational. He didn't blame her for it. From the little she'd told him about her psycho ex, she had reason to worry.
He didn't want her to leave Charming, but he didn't want anything to happen to her either. Not seeing her for a couple of days made him realize just how important she'd become to his life. She made his life better by being in it. He couldn't lose her.
After giving her some alone time, Jax returned to the bedroom to check on her. The laptop was still open to the picture. She'd moved it so it was beside her and not on her lap. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Scarlett, are you OK?"
"Go away and leave me alone."
Jax realized it was going to take more than letting her braid his hair and beard to get over this hurdle. He wanted to make her feel better.
"Scarlett . . ."
"Just go away."
"Let me guess, you're father was one of those that says to quit crying or he'll give you something to cry about."
"That was my mother. I want to be alone. Go away."
"Don't push me away. Instead come closer."
Jax went over to her sitting on the bed and sat down so he was facing her.
Upcoming Chapter: Jax and Scarlett have a heart to heart conversation.