Walk Away from the Son
Parker Sister Saga continues - Season 2 of SoA
Chapter 22- Losing Battles
By BG and Reaper
~Huge THANKS to all the great reviews. It was awesome to hear from our 'regular' fans and some new faces as well and was really cool see how deeply everyone felt about what's going on in our version of Charming right now! We think you'll be equally excited for this chapter! It went through a lot of revisions but the finished product is pretty damn good.
XXX
A trio stood gathered in the main room of Cara Cara. Bobby let out a sigh and shook his head. "Shit's gonna haunt her man." He nodded over to the corner where Vix was sitting next to the body of her slain dog. Try as they had, no one could talk the distraught Parker out of viewing the carnage. Jax had accompanied her over to the far corner where the body of Spawn had been wrapped in a blanket taken from the set. Vix had sunk 'til she was sitting on the floor and there she remained. "Look at her, just all rockin' to n fro like a lost, scared little girl. You think one of us should call her Old Man?"
Jax and Luann replied stongly in unison "No!"
Bobby raised an eye brow as Jax cocked his head in a come on, now move. "You really think Juice would stay put, heal like he needs to, if we tell him about this shit... ?"
"He'd be rippin' out his goddamn IVs and leavin' A.M.A.- Against Medical Advise." Luann added then sighed. "He loves her, that's for damn sure."
Jax turned his attention to another couple. "Speaking of love, what's up with those two?" He asked as he nodded to where Opie and Lyla were chatting cozily.
Luann shrugged. "I dunno, but I think they're kinda cute... reminds me of me and Otto."
They all watched as Opie excused himself and made his over to their congregation. "Do we know who did this?"
"Shit that's missin'…had to be Georgie." Jax replied.
"That was a ten-thousand dollar camera." Bobby muttered, cringing internally has he ran through the studio's budget. There was no extra money lying around to replace the stolen items.
"The camera was insured." Luann hissed. "Those rough cuts…" She whined, "Worth three times that much! AND bloody death threats to Lyla, the only one of my girls who didn't cave to his bullshit. Who else would have done this? It was Georgie."
Clearly amped up and ready to kick some shit, Opie growled, "Let's go."
"Wait, what am I supposed to do with...?" Luann nodded over to Vix in the corner.
The three bikers exchanged looks with Jax finally sighing. "I called her sister, she was meetin' Gemma at St. Thomas to get an update on Chibs. She's supposed to call me when she's through and we were gonna figure out how to break that news to Vix, but Chuckie beat us to it." He ran his hand over his head and blew out an forceful breath. "Let Jaci deal with Vix...but in the meantime, keep her ass here."
Bobby nodded emphatically. "Her shock wears off, we're gonna have a very volatile Vix Parker on our hands."
"Great! What am I supposed to do with her if that shock wears off before her sister gets here?"
"It's a porn studio." Jax reminded. "Am I out on a limb when I say you probably have some bondage shit at your disposal?"
Bobby chuckled despite the intense situation. Luann scoffed, "Are you fucking kidding me? You want ME to restrain VIX PARKER? Are you CRAZY?"
"Look…I don;t care what the fuck you do with her, just don't leave her outta your sight. Make sure she fares better than her dog."
Luann bit her tongue but her incredulous looks screams FUCK YOU! She watches the three Sons head for the door. "Hey! What time does Gemma want us for dinner?"
"8 o'clock!" Jax hollered back. He got a few confused glances from Bobby and Op. "Remember? Gemma's having a pot luck..." Recognition blossomed across his friends' face and they discussed allowing Lyla to attend along with Bobby's odd new found law about tapping porn stars.
As they walked outside, Jax lit up a cigarette. "Hey! There's the two fingered town crier."
Opie shook his head. "Jackass."
"I accept that." Chuckie answered nervously, knowing they were yelling at him for spilling the beans about the slain dog. "I wasn't aware of her relationship to the dead canine."
"Yeah… whatever." Jax mumbled. "Hey, that shit you said earlier, 'bout Lin losin' turf to the Mayans. How legit is that info?"
"I overheard Lin himself complaining to his closest affiliate that Alvarez took everything south of Water Street. I'd say it's very legit."
"Good enough for me." Jax up-nodded at Opie and Bobby. "Georgie's studio is halfway to Oakland; we should pay LaRoy a visit after. If Brown's pushin' in on Yellow… Yellow's gonna push on Black."
"Welcome to the Rainbow of Criminality." Bobby said with a chuckle.
Jax smirked at Lin's Gift. "Come with us, Chuckie… we'll put you to good use."
"I accept that." Chuckie replied with a grin.
XXX
A short time later, Jax, Opie, Bobby and Chuckie sat in the black van a block down from Caruso's studio. Silence was the rule until Bobby finally busted it. "Has anyone come up with a plan of what the fuck are we gonna do? yet? Just waltz on in and ask to see the owner? Go in with guns waving?" He inquired then pointed out, "If Georgie is there, he'll hide or be out a back exit before we can corner him. If he's not, someone will call him and give him a heads up. He won't circle 'round this place and either way, we show our hand."
Jax sighed and shook his head in frustration. From the back cargo area, Chuckie raised his hand… as if he were some two-fingered, mutilated grade-schooler. "I was thinking about something that girl said…Vix, I think her name is."
"Yeah?" Jax squinted at him, "What was that?"
"When she first saw me, she grimaced at my hands and said, 'Please tell me Luann isn't doing Mutilation Fetish shit!'"
Jax snorted. "Sounds like something Vix would say. So your idea is what? Go in and suggest mutilation fetish shit be something Caru…" He paused midword, mulling it over. "Shit, Chuckie… that may just work."
Bobby nodded along, liking the idea. "Send our two-fingered freak in there, tell 'em he has an appointment. You wouldn't believe the UN-solicited shit that arrives at Luann's post office box."
"We'll at least know if the asshole is there by how they respond." Opie said with a shrug. Jax and Bobby nodded in agreement at the newly hatched plan.
XXX
As Opie wrote 'Mutilation Fetish' in black marker on the surface of a unmarked recordable CD that Bobby had found in the glove box of the van, Jax gave instructions to Chuckie. "Just go in, say you have an appointment with Mr. Caruso to see your reel. If they say he ain't there, come back out. We'll try back after we finish other business. If they take the bait… what the hell are you humming?"
"You said this guy's name is Georgie… made me think of the nursery rhyme. You know, Georgie Porgie… pudding and pie… kissed the girls and made 'em cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away."
Bobby's belly shook as he laughed. "You're one fucked up little dude, man but that might be very prophetic. He made our girls cry and when these boys come out to play…"
"He'll wish he'd run away." Opie completed in a deadpan serious voice.
XXX
Closer to Charming, Half Sack had been sitting on his bike watching Edmund's safe house when Weston finally showed up. He quickly pulled out his cell and called Clay to let him know that LOAN was on the the scene. Clay gave a quick terse order to follow the guns and stay in touch.
Clay ended the call from the Prospect and glared at Tig. "Get on the phone, get Jax and the guys here, NOW. We're going after our guns. Prospect's gonna call when they reach a meeting place. I wanna be ready to roll, you hear me?"
Tig wanted to bristle at the thought of being reduced to a goddamn secretary, to making calls, but held his tongue and watched his President walk away. After just being told that his patch didn't make any sense, the last thing he needed to be doing was bitching about taking orders. Tig exhaled forcibly through his nose and pulled out his cell.
XXX
Vix was physically in the passenger seat of Luann's Vette but mentally she was elsewhere. Eyes closed, she wished she were magically back home, laying up in bed with Juice, watching a World's Dumbest marathon and laughing at the commentary given by the D-List celebs, with Spawn-baby sprawled out that the foot end, four legs extending out over the edge of the bed and twitching, as if in his dream he was chasing squirrels.
"VIX!"
She blinked and turned towards the sound of her name finding Lu staring at her, "Huh?"
"Time to get out of the car now, sweetie." Luann advised as if she were addressing a small child.
"Where are we?"
"I told you where we were going." Luann muttered, lying down reminders. "Redwood City, "my distributor called, had to reschedule this morning's meeting. Come on, we're late. Traffic on the drive here sucked ass. That drive shoulda taken an hour and a half max."
"Nothin' wrong with my memory, Luann. I meant what is this?" She motioned to their surroundings as she exited the vehicle.
"Underground auxiliary parking for Redwood Station. Devon's office is across the street but there's never any parking."
Vix got out of the car and followed along, lost deep inside her emotional tsunami, she wasn't paying attention… if she had been, they would've never gotten the jump on her. As she and Lu rounded the corner, a sound finally registered, breaking through the fog. It was the sound of someone sliding the action on a gun, probably a semi-automatic.
"What was that?" Luann abruptly stopped walking. She'd clearly heard it too.
Vix turned in the direction of the sound and saw movement. She too was moving, in a fluid motion and as if practiced, her hand tugged down the zipper of her hoodie, reached inside and pulled her revolver just as the already dim overhead lights flickered and then went out completely.
"Vix?" Luann called. "Where are you? I can't see shit."
The youngest Parker girl blinked, trying hard to recall where Otto's old lady had been just before they were dunked into darkness. "You were three or four steps ahead of me. Either stay there and don't move or ..." Out of the darkness she was blindsided. A pair of hands caught the pinky of her gun hand and bent it back. "FUCK!" She cried out in pain as her weapon clattered to the floor.
"Vix...shit! Get away from me!" Luann hollered then came the sound of a struggle and a break away, followed by the sounds of the porn queen's high-heeled retreat.
Vix punched wildly at whoever was bending her finger. She finally tore her hand free but then something heavy thudded against the side of her temple. She felt herself fading into The Room... Half-Sack had once explained that was what Muhammed Ali had called the dark place where bats blew saxophones in your ear while you slid into their looney, slow-motioned cadence. But her fear was determined and overpowering and her senses came screaming back a second later. She side stepped and though her head was swimming, she managed to hook a couple of hard lefts into her attacker's liver. She heard something metal and heavy clatter to the pavement but she failed to connect a knee-to-the-groin and lost her balance, sprawling forward onto the pavement, the rough concrete tore at her palms as the rest of her body slammed hard into the garage's floor. Her breath was knocked out of her but a moment later she took in what air she could and managed to get to her knees, only to be cross checked and knocked sideways. This time she landed on her back, tailbone stinging and sending a numbing shock coursing through her body as it connected with the floor. Her attacker fell on her hard, his shoulder connecting with her jaw upon impact.
For the next few seconds, Vix and unconsciousness flirted heavily but oddly the new pain emanating from her jaw helped clear her head. With one hand clawing against the hands choking her, the other searched the ground for a makeshift weapon just as the man's hands squeezed her throat harder. Not able to breathe and not finding either her gun or whatever metal object the fucker had hit her with and then dropped, she stuck both hands under the heavy assailant on top of her and worked them down between their two bodies until they were at crotch level. A second later she shoved both her thumbs into the fucker's scrotum, drilling them upwards, twisting and pushing with hard core desperation. The sweet feeling oxygen seeping into her lungs was almost heady as the asshole cursed and hollered but relinquished his hold on her. Vix bucked hard against his crushing weight as he was rolling off her in agony. She inched herself further away from him and her hand finally touched the piece of metal. Snatching it up in her hand, she recognized it as a tire iron. She turned and swung it with all her might.
XXX
The cell phone buzzed on the table across from Jax and he glanced at Alvarez. He, Opie and Bobby had failed to exit quickly enough after walking into a den full of Mayans who were clearly the new owners of the prior Niner's haunt. Jax smirked at his captor, "That's my Mom.. she's expecting us for dinner."
"Awe and I'm not invited?"
Jax shrugged, "We might need someone to bus a few tables." He rolled with the punch the Mexican gang's president administered.
Getting in the face of the SAMCRO VP, Alvarez sneered, "Tell Clay that bullshit truce we made is off the table. Next SON who walks into Mayan territory ain't walkin' out." He looked at his crew and nodded. "Let them go… take their cuts."
"That ain't happenin'." Jax shook his head, only to feel the cold metal of Alvarez's hand gun press roughly against his temple. He held his ground though and stared hard at the Mayan. "Might as well go ahead and pull the trigger, man….only way this leather is coming off my back."
XXX
He wasn't exactly white, a mix of his features led Vix to believe he had little bit of ebony flowing thru his veins too. He had the formidable stature of a matador, a little bit taller than herself, likely all well-defined muscle, no padding. Nothing like the large, seedy looking white dude with Charlie Manson eyes, a severely pock-marked face and a haircut reminiscent of a caveman that she'd put down just moments prior.
Vix spotted him searching for his prey on the parking level above the one where Luann had parked. The lights on this level were functioning and she glanced around quickly. Where ever Lu was hiding, she wasn't visible. She chambered a round and the sound was distinctive enough to stop the man in his tracks. "Lose the hardware." She seethed.
He turned around and cocked his head. "Who the fuck are you?"
"I'm a crazy chick. A Pissed Off Crazy Chick...a Pissed Off Crazy Chick With A Gun. Can you think of anything scarier? Now toss your gun on the ground and kick it over here."
She felt his eyes sweep up and down her body, "A Goddamn Good-Lookin' Pissed Off Crazy Chick With A Gun. Honey, you gotta know that.. "
"Goddamn Good-Lookin' Pissed Off Crazy Chick With A Gun Who Ain't Fuckin' Around. DROP YOUR GUN or I will blow your head into pieces of brainless shrapnel."
"Ok, ok. Damn, girl!" He blurted in return. She watched as he tossed the gun on the floor; it skidded to a mid point between the two of them. "What you doin' with Delaney? You're much too damn good lookin' for her skank roster. You should come work for Caruso. Cara Cara is a dead dog darlin'."
A ball of fire flashed past his head, far enough away to miss him but close enough to drive him instinctively to his knees, arms thrown over his head. He fell hard onto his chest and lay there on the concrete floor.
"LUANN!" Vix hollered. "LU!"
"Vix?" A timid voice answered in return.
"Who the fuck do you think it is, the tooth fairy? We gotta go, half the rail station had to have heard that blast."
On the floor the man began laughing, "Dead dog... you reacted at dead dog. The collar, the gun metal, laser-etched tag 'S..P...A...W...N'." He chuckled. "Dead doggie was a pet?"
Vix seized with anger, fought against the shakes his taunting words were bringing to the surface but she dug deep and spat back a taught response. "Were you jealous? Jealous that the pup had bigger balls than you?"
Luann, now barefoot rushed over silently. "Come on, Vix. Sirens in the distance, honey."
"Grab his gun, Luann." Vix commanded, keeping her weapon trained on him. Luann stooped and retrieved the pistol. "Take it... get the car."
"BUT…"
"GO!"
Minutes that felt like hours passed before the little, red corvette zoomed up the ramp from the lower level and screeched to a halt just behind Vix.
"If I ever see you again, what you did to my dog will seem like a paper cut by comparison."
Whatever his response, if he even had one, was lost on the squeal of the tires as Luann gunned the gas.
Five minutes later, they were speeding down the freeway. Vix slapped down the sun visor and winced at her reflection in the mirror. Her temple was raised to the size of a goose egg, her lip was split and bleeding, and around her neck raised purple bruises told the tale of her brush with death. She shook her head and scoffed, "There went number eight. Welcome to life number nine."
"I should take you to St Thomas, sneak you in to see Jax's old lady. She could ..."
"Freak the fuck out? No thank you, I'll live. Just drop me at the studio. I need to get Ruby's car."
"I … um, I don't think it would be good for Juice to see you like this...if you were..."
"No Shit!" Vix spat back. "Last fuckin' thing he needs is to worry about me. Just drive."
XXX
The Prospect had called Clay with news that Weston and the guns were sitting at a rest stop just out of town. Tig and Clay had piled up in the tow truck and headed that way with Happy following on his bike. They met up with Half Sack and checked out the situation. So far, there had been no reaching Jax and the others but Tig tried again on his cell, at Clay's impatient urging, but didn't have any better luck.
"Fuck it…let's do this." Clay announced and swung open the passenger side door of the truck, leaving the others to scramble to get ready.
At first, the exchange take over seemed like it might work, even being short-handed. The Sons had the element of surprise and pulled their guns on Weston and the few guys he had with him, easily taking control of the guns. But a moment later, Weston was smirking in Clay's face, commenting on how perfect their timing was. A second after that, three cars full of skinheads came skidding to a stop in the parking lot and suddenly the Sons were severely out numbered. Bullets flew from both sides and the Sons scrambled back to the tow truck, using it as much needed cover.
It would have been easy to load up in the truck and get the hell out of the situation…but Clay got greedy and didn't want to give up the guns. He got pinned down several feet away from the group, trying to grab as many AKs as he could.
"Clay! Let em go! Come on!" Tig screamed from his position, pressed up against the side of the tow truck. Clay ignored him and it became suddenly clear, he'd have to be physically pulled off the guns….and that's when Tig froze. Normally, he would have yelled for the guys to cover him, would have ran across the firing zone, grabbed Clay and pulled him back in a heartbeat. He would have protected his friend without fear, without hesitation but today…he didn't move.
Suddenly the thought of being shot, of putting his life on the line didn't seem so appealing. It was half bitching out panic, half calculated withdrawal. A part of him wanted to show Clay just what would happen if he really didn't do his job as Sgt at Arms, wanted to show his President just how vulnerable he would be without the protection he always took for granted. The other part of Tig just shut down with the deafening sound of guns blasting, not wanting to stick his neck out.
As the seconds ticked by, Half Sack look back to Tig, expecting to just follow the SAA's lead but he quickly saw that Tig was zoned out with an odd look on his face. He wasn't sure the expression but almost thought it was fear. Shit…he's not gonna move! Half Sack made a split second decision to take matters in his own hands and called out, "Cover me!" He prayed someone listened.
Thankfully Happy's head was completely in the game and he started plugging shotgun blasts in the direction of Weston's men as the Prospect skidded across the divide, grabbed Clay and hauled him to the safety of the tow truck. Meanwhile, Tig had crawled inside and fired up the rig. The Sons were lucky and escaped without harm, well physical harm. As they drove away, Clay looked over at Tig and a million accusations and doubts passed silently between them.
XXX
Do you see what we've done...gone and made such fools of ourselves
~Decode, Paramore
"Dead man walking." Jaci muttered in a sing song voice as she strolled up the front walkway to Gemma's house carrying a pineapple pie. This dinner was the official last place on Earth she wanted to be but it didn't really matter; what Gemma wanted, Gemma got. She had been summoned and there was probably no getting out of it but Jaci was going to try, hoping to make an appearance, drop off the pie and then leave.
She would rather be letting Vix cry on her shoulder about Spawn's unfortunate demise than braving this dinner tonight…only she couldn't seem to find her sister. Jax hadn't answered his cell after she had finished up at St. Thomas, Cara Cara had been a ghost town, Twisted was closed,Vix wasn't answering her cell and didn't seem to be at Juice's apartment either. Giving up, Jaci had opted for heading home and taking a shower before working up the nerve to head to Gemma's.
Neeta surprisingly let her in the front door; she hadn't expected to see the nanny there. Jaci pushed inside the house and on into the kitchen, putting the pie in the fridge. She spotted her nephew, happy in his highchair, and made a beeline for him. "Hey there little monkey." She cooed as she kissed his forehead. Abel laughed as she grabbed his hands and shook them playfully. "You've just made this night a little more bearable, buddy." She whispered with a smile.
"Hey, baby." Gemma called to her across the kitchen. Jaci gave her a nod and a weak smile then threw up her hands in a silent what do you need me to do gesture. The SAMCRO matriarch pointed to ears of corns that needed to be shucked and Abel's aunt got to work. She waited a short while until Gemma moseyed back around to her area and then snagged the lady's attention.
"Hey, Gemma…got a minute?"
"Why does the tone of that question bother me?" Gemma quipped.
Jaci gave her a nervous smile and started her confession. "Look, I'm more than happy to help out here, prep for dinner and whatever but I really need to get out of here before the guys show up." Gemma pursed her lips together and raised her eyebrows in anticipation of the real story. "I left out some details this afternoon about why I was late. I did have a flat…but only because Tig rammed his knife through my tire." She gave a summarized but completely honest version of events over the last few days starting with her almost slipup with Rosen then the complete disaster of the lunch meeting at Lin's and ending with her insane roadside run-in with Tig.
"Jesus Christ, Jaci." Gemma retorted as she shook her head. "Are you fucking stupid?"
"Apparently." Jaci answered with a sigh.
"You really expect me to believe that you didn't sleep with Rosen? I SAW you that night…you were hell bent on trouble."
"I didn't do it." Through clenched teeth, Jaci reiterated her innocence. "If I had gone through with it, I'd own up to it."
"Owning up to it would be even more stupid. Being that honest would get you hurt…and exiled."
Jaci waved the threats off. "The whole situation is stupid and so is my being here tonight. I thought about trying to talk to Tig before he walked in here but there's no way he's going to discuss this shit rationally…emotions are too raw. I need to just steer clear for a few days and then get him off by himself. I can fix it but not right now and definitely not in front of an audience."
Gemma scoffed as she thought back to Clay throwing a cinder block through her car window at Cara Cara . "No shit…the last thing a man's ego needs is an audience." She gave the supposedly wiser but now clearly not so much Parker sister a long looking over. "I'm surprised you want to work it out with him; didn't take you as the type to take much shit from a man."
"I didn't used to." Jaci answered honestly. "But this little riff is on me… yeah he started it but Lord did I take off running with it. It's my screw up, up to me to set right."
"Alright…finish up what you're doing." Gemma replied. "I tell these guys 8pm and I get anywhere from 7 till 10 so you probably need to get out of here now."
XXX
Everything was peaceful until closer to the actual dinner time. Jaci had gotten the honor of feeding then rocking Abel to sleep and the final touches were put on dinner as other people started arriving. Jaci had just given a nod to Gemma, a silent goodbye, and was heading for the door when Tara nearly knocked her down coming through it.
Tara's bad mood was immediately obvious. She stomped right to Gemma and thrust a letter in her face. Gemma grimaced and pulled her face away. "What's this?"
"It's a Hostile Work Environment claim against me and my PROXIES filed by my boss, Margaret Murphy." Tara hissed and shot Jaci a dirty look since she had been Gemma's partner in crime in harassing her boss.
Gemma waved off the doctor. "What a bunch of pussies. All I did was have a passionate conversation with her."
Tara nearly shook with anger. "You're going to get me fired! Do you get that? Look… the CLUB is the club, my LIFE is MY life, stay out of it!"
"We were just trying to help Chibs." Gemma offered. "The quicker he gets out of the hospital and is back with the crew, the quicker things will get back to normal around here."
"Normal? There's no such thing!" Tara exclaimed and pointed at Jaci, who had walked back deeper into the kitchen to see what the problem was. "Your sister's boyfriend was stabbed in the back a few days ago. His vital organs were missed by God's Devine Plan or someone's shitty aim. Luann's husband got his eye gouged out." She shook her head for a second. "I mean, what is that? That's like OLD TESTEMENT bible style brutality. And…and…" She glanced at Gemma after the mention of brutality, knowing the horrors she had suffered.
Gemma eyed Tara back. I dare you, bitch. Just say something and see what happens.
The doctor wisely kept her mouth shut about Gemma's pain and moved her attention back to Jaci. "And your younger sister's business got burnt down, your older one jumps on and off the wagon more than a stage coach driver. And you... you wanna toe a line...law abiding Monday, Wednesday and Friday but then outlaw on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Saturday."
Lyla walked into the kitchen just then, followed by her son Piper and Kenny and Ellie. Tara took one look at the porn star and scoffed. "Jesus, that's just great…we can serve handjobs for dessert."
"HEY!" Lyla yelled. "In front of the kids? That just great…really!" She turned and stormed back out of the house.
Jaci looked at the confused and slightly scared faces of the kids. Shit, the firefighting starts early tonight. She temporarily ditched her plan to leave early and locked eyes with Tara, "Come on…let's go out back."
"I'm mad at you." Tara spat.
"Fine…you can be mad at me OUTSIDE. Come on." Jaci fired back and pointed to the back deck door. If the bitching didn't get calmed down soon, she feared a slap or two might be handed out and she wasn't completely sure she could control herself. It was time to defuse the situation and quickly.
The two girls stomped outside to the deck. Jaci plopped down on a deck chair and kicked one towards Tara. It was then that the doctor noticed Jaci grabbed a bottle of beer on the way outside.
"Drinking again?"
"Trust me, doc…the way this night's going, we're all gonna want to be buzzed." Jaci replied and extended the bottle to her friend. Tara reluctantly took the beer and then took a long pull from it before handing it back. Jaci sighed, "Look I totally get why you're pissed. That shit with your boss was out of line but in all honesty you should probably be glad I was there. I kept that from going from a 'passionate' discussion to a full on physical persuasion."
"I don't know how to deal with this shit, Jaci. I'm a professional for God sake's! They can't just be sticking their noses in at my job."
"Get used to it. Same shit happens with me, only on a lesser scale. They need to squeeze someone for money in this town, who do you think they call for leverage? It's probably the whole reason Gemma helped me get that job. You're a doctor, Tara…that puts you damn the top of the usefulness list for the club."
Tara shook her head. "I'm not putting up with this. Jax is going to have to…"
"Jax isn't going to do anything…" Jaci started and then abruptly stopped and thought about checking her opinion but then decided screw it. After the past couple of days she had been through, someone was going to feel the wrath of truth. "Look, I love ya girl and therefore I'm not going to fill you full of bullshit. The way I see it, this has nothing to do with Jax and everything to do with you. You need to shit or get off the pot."
"What?" Tara asked with a grimace.
"That's not just a Southern expression, that's pretty universal I'm sure." Jaci retorted and took a long drink. "Look, Jax comes with a lot of baggage, namely his mother and this club and his son and they're not going anywhere, ever. So either you find a way to deal with all of it or you bail, end of story. It's really that simple. There's no separating the club from your life, if you're with him, the club IS your life."
Jaci made sure Tara was listening and continued. "That's the damn beauty and horror of it all with the Club. Those guys will be there for you and Jax and Abel in every way possible…but there's a price to it. You have to be there for them 100%, do some things you may not like. Straddling the line is hard but it's required."
"So you're ok with all this shit?" Tara asked with concern. "This constant drama and everything?"
"No, I'm not." Jaci answered bluntly.
"Then why are you here? You and Tig aren't even together anymore, right?"
"I'd say that whole situation is complicated but that'd be like the biggest understatement ever. Honestly, I probably need to follow my own advice when it comes to him but that doesn't even matter. We could split for good and it's still complicated. Vix and Juice will probably get married one day, my nephew is going to grow up in all of this and then when you add in my family back in Bama…I'm stuck…no real way out. The club's in my blood and I'm all tangled up in it. Sure, I can limit exposure but I'll still be in the middle of some things. But you…you can really get free, Tara. If you want, you can walk away, different town, new job and never have to think about all this shit again. You could be completely clear."
Tara stared at her friend and then down at the deck for a long moment. She thought of all the trouble but then of all the quiet, loving moments with Jax. She finally spoke in a quiet voice, "Not really. He's all I want."
Jaci smiled. "Well good…cause I think you're good for him. He'll listen to you; you can help him be better. I thought I could pull that off with Tig but…I'm really doubting his capability at this point. Jax IS capable. You can learn to navigate all this shit, Tara. It's just going to take some practice."
The friends sat in silence for a few more minutes, sharing the beer until the bottle was empty. "Jax wants to change things…with the club."
"Yeah?" Jaci inquired with a raised brow.
"Shit…I shouldn't have said anything." Tara chided herself for even mentioning what she knew to be in Jax's plans since reading his father's manifesto. "It's just…you said he's capable. I think so too…I think he can be more peaceful, might be able to pull the club that way too."
"Good…Lord knows they need some peace. They keep shit up like this, there won't be any Sons alive."
Before they could talk anymore in depth, Jax pushed open the back door. "Hey…what's the hell's going on? Lyla's pissed and wanting to leave. Gemma's in a mood about something. What the fuck?"
After thinking shit, the guys are here Jaci stood up and smirked at him. "Don't worry about it, Jax. It's just...girl stuff." She headed back inside, hoping to grab her keys and keep walking right out the front door.
Jax frowned but then stared at Tara. "Lyla…do you think you ease up on her?"
"I know, I know…she's just doing her best." Tara replied with a sigh, having calmed down slightly from her mini blow up. "Won't have to worry about me judging her too much longer… I keep hanging out with THIS family I may have to suck cock to pay my bills too."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ask your mother or your sister in law." Tara replied cryptically and headed to the kitchen.
XXX
With Jax and Tara trailing her back inside the dining room, Jaci gave a quick hi to the kids and mouthed 'sorry' to Lyla along with nodding a hello to Opie, who stared coolly back at her. She found herself in the awkward situation of not knowing who was privy to all the shit that had happened earlier in the day with Tig. She had only seen him and Clay at Lin's but knew there had probably been more guys there. Jax hadn't said anything to her and had had the perfect opportunity on the back deck, Op was giving her an odd look but now Bobby was smiling at her. What the hell?
Jax spoke up. "Hey, where's your sister?"
His question snapped Jaci back to more important matters than her clusterfuck of a love life, like the tragic death of Spawn. "I dunno where she is. No one is anywhere." She replied as she gave a rundown of her trying to get ahold of Vix. "And I tried to call you but…"
"Yeah…we got a little tied up with some stuff." Jax replied as he gave Op and Bobby a look.
"Um, Vix went with Luann to see a distributor." Lyla offered quietly.
"Where's the dog?" Bobby asked with concern, hoping the poor thing wasn't still just lying in the floor of the porn studio.
Lyla cringed. "In Luann's chest freezer at her house." Everyone stared at her with disbelief. "I think…I think Vix wants it stuffed."
"Jesus Christ." Jax breathed and shook his head.
"That's…that's…VERY Norman Bates, man." Bobby retorted looking more than a little creeped out.
Opie, who was standing at the head of the dining table, joined the conversation and nodded at Bobby. "Don't you have stuffed shit in your house?"
"Well yeah…but not my goddamn pet dog."
Jaci squeezed her eyes shut, not waiting to deal with the idea of having to talk her sister out of pet taxidermy. "How long ago did they leave, Lyla?"
The porn starlet nodded at the guys. "Half hour after them…Lu got a call to meet Devon about European distribution."
"That was six hours ago." Op pointed out with a frown.
Without a word, both Lyla and Jaci pulled out their cellphones and began to try to reach the MIA girls but again they received no answers. Jaci blew out a breath, "I'm going to go make the rounds again, I guess."
"Lu might of taken her on a shopping trip or something, try to cheer up. They're probably up to their asses in bags from a full on mall assault and having dinner somewhere." Bobby offered and then pulled out the seat next to his. "Here, J…just sit, get some grub."
Jaci shook her head as she checked the time on her phone, 8:10 pm. Her urge to leave and find her sister was heightened by the ticking clock, the rest of the crew would be here any minute. She needed to leave now to avoid running into Tig. She shook her head at Bobby. "I can't stay…I really need to go."
She made it all of two steps before Clay, Tig and the rest of the guys walked into the house and the shit officially hit the fan so fast it made heads spin.
"Where the hell have you been?" Clay immediately yelled at Jax. "You too good to answer your damn phones?"
"We were a little busy." Bobby interjected as Jax scowled at his step-father.
Jaci watched as Tig made a beeline for Op and Bobby. "Yeah? Well we almost got killed trying to take our guns back!"
"Club business…not here, asshole!" Bobby seethed as he stepped closer to the head of the table to quiet Tig's loud mouth.
As soon as the words were said, Tig grabbed ahold of Bobby and the pair began pushing and shoving each other. Happy and The Prospect stepped in from behind and managed to pull the pair apart as Jax tried explaining to Clay something about having payback to dish out at Cara Cara but the mention of that just seemed to make everyone madder. "Hopefully that went better than the Trammel task." Tig retorted.
"Blow me, asshole!" Op yelled and then the shoving started up again between himself, Tig and Bobby.
Again, the other guys tried to break it up but Tig was making progress in making his way around the head of the table. He broke free of Op's hands for a second and got in a violent shove that sent Bobby stumbling backwards…right into Jaci.
"Jesus! Fucking stop it!" Jaci yelled as she kept Bobby from falling down and taking a few dining room chairs with him. "There are kids here!" Her voice somehow managed to catch Tig's attention in all the chaos and they locked eyes for a split second.
Tig froze, not caring for a moment that Op and Hap both had a hold of his shoulders. He stared at Jaci and felt a new rage boil inside of him. "What the FUCK is she doing here? I'm not eatin' with that goddamn whore at the table!"
"Watch your fuckin' mouth!" Bobby growled, taking immediate offense to the whore comment even though he didn't fully understand it and pointed at Tig.
Lyla pulled the children closer to her and tried to cover their eyes and ears, an attempt to shield them from the violence and curse words that were flowingly freely but gave up…she didn't have enough hands to shield three kids.
Jaci clenched her jaw, knowing she never should have shown her face at the dinner tonight. Tig was still obviously riled up and looking to put on another show. She took a shaky breath as she stared at her ex. Complete meltdown in 3…2…1!
"Not my mouth we should be concerned about…it's HERS…being wrapped around Rosen's dick." Tig fired back with a smirk. Suddenly all the mini fights stopped and everyone focused on Jaci, which was just what he wanted. He couldn't wait to shine the bright light of humiliation on her. With all of the drama of the day, the club had been somewhat divided, no one was talking to the 'other side' and therefore not many knew of the little discovery Tig had made at Lin's.
Bobby's face scrunched in confusion, not sure what the hell Tig was ranting about but it sounded bad. His head snapped around to face Jaci. "Rosen? Really?"
"Hell yeah, caught them making out at Lin's today." Tig explained and waited for Jaci to roar to her own defense but to his disappointment she just stood glaring at him. "We should have been getting breaks on retainer fees for the last goddamn year."
"That's not how it happened and you fuckin' know it." Jaci finally broke her silence, not willing to have people think she had cheated on him the whole time they had been together. "Nothing happened!"
"Nothing's happening NOW… because I scared the shit out of your precious goddamn boyfriend." Tig fired back with a sick laugh.
"FUCK YOU!" Jaci yelled, not able to handle any more of his smugness. She was mortified by the looks everyone was giving her. She skirted past Bobby in one quick, fluid motion and headed straight for Tig. "You're the fuckin' liar. You can't put this shit on me! It's your goddamn black heart that forced the situation!"
"Whoa, whoa whoa!"Bobby's head swiveled to try and keep up with her. He managed to grab her arm and pull her to a stop.
"You better stay put, bitch." Tig said as he jabbed a finger toward her. "Stay the fuck away from me."
"Or what? You gonna stab me?" Jaci asked, her tone mocking and unafraid. All she wanted at the moment was to choke her ex. She was making irrational and dangerous moves but really didn't care.
"Stab her?" Jax questioned with a frown. He knew it took a ton of shit to get Jaci riled up so much. He eyes landed on Tig. "What the fuck did you do?"
"Nothin'." Tig tossed back, dismissing his VP like he didn't matter.
"Shut up!" Gemma yelled and the scene grew quiet. She glared at the faces around the room, mad at all of them for screwing up the nice dinner that was supposed to bring everyone closer together. "Everyone take five and calm the fuck down!"
XXX
After Gemma's harsh instructions, most of the room had cleared with different groups heading different directions. Tara followed Jax onto the back deck where he brooded over a cigarette, Lyla and the kids stayed put with Opie at the table, while Gemma pulled Clay aside in the kitchen. The rest of the crew straggled out the front door.
As Jaci walked with precise determination to her car, she heard footsteps behind her. Someone called her name called but she wasn't stopping. She was done with this night, with this club, with HIS bullshit. Another thought sprung to her mind as the footsteps picked up pace. If that's Tig, I'm gonna punch him. I'll get beat down worse than my car but I'm gonna hit him.
"Jaci…STOP!"
She turned on her heel and yelled "WHAT?" and found herself face to face with Bobby. She had her right fist clenched and half raised. Bobby put his hands out in mock surrender.
"Where you going?"
"Away." She seethed and set to walking again. He followed behind and when she unlocked her car, he pulled open the passenger side. She glared at him. "Bobby…"
"Let's just sit…for a minute. Just sit." He pleaded. Everyone was upset from the dinner drama and he didn't want to be around most of his brothers right now. What he did want was to find out what in the hell had gone done between Jaci and Tig to warrant the mini World War III that had just erupted.
She plopped inside her car and slammed her door shut with Bobby following suit in the passenger side. He glanced to his left and saw that her hands were shaking in her lap as she stared at her steering wheel. He was pretty amped from the confrontation dinner too. Bobby sighed and scratched his beard and tried to calm them both down. "Well that was like the worst potluck EVER." Jaci stayed silent and he frowned as he stared out of the cracked windshield then noticed the cockeyed rear view mirror. "What happened to your car?"
"Would you believe I hit a deer?" When Bobby just gave her a no look, she confessed. "Tig happened to my car…my punishment for the Rosen thing, along with tonight's public humiliation and whatever else he decides to pull." Jaci kept her eyes on her steering wheel. "It was stupid for me to be here tonight. Shit…everything I do lately is stupid. You really shouldn't be sitting here with me, Bobby. I don't wanna cause any trouble for you, making people think you're siding with me."
"So the Rosen thing's true?"
Jaci shook her head and explained. "No…I mean, I could have cheated or whatever but I didn't, pulled up short. But I was having lunch with Rosen today, he was apologizing for some um…awkwardness and Tig was there with Clay, walked in on it. It LOOKED bad and apparently that's all it takes for a conviction with Tig. It's like the Juice and Vix teacher drama times a million. Got really nasty."
"Speak of the goddamn devil." Bobby mumbled as they watched Tig come strolling outside. He came to a stop across the sidewalk from the Mustang and fired up a cigarette, staring at them as he smoked. Bobby saw Jaci tense and straighten up slightly in her seat. "Easy…it's ok. He ain't gonna say anymore shit. He's a complete dick but even he knows when to quit. The Queen hath spoken, the bullshit shall stoppeth." He stared hard at Tig and willed him to have to the self-restraint he had just lied about.
As Tig stared at Jaci and Bobby with narrowed eyes, Happy came to stand beside him and asked for a smoke. Tig handed him one without ever taking his eyes off his ex. Hap was the epitome of calm, just smoking and watching as Tig sneered and flipped the Mustang off. Happy shook his head, thinking That bitch has waaay too much pull on him.
The only thing to break Tig's concentration was Half Sack walking over to them. "Well, that was crazy."
"Get the fuck away from me before I make you a nut-less wonder again." Tig growled without missing a beat. Half Sack frowned but backed up slightly. Tig nodded toward the line of bikes and yelled like he was barking orders to a dog. "GO…GET!" The Prospect hung his head and obliged.
He's a complete dick. "Yeah, that's made itself abundantly clear." Jaci sighed and tried not to tear up from being so mad and humiliated. "I can't believe he called me out like that in front of everyone. Well, actually I can believe it." She gave a sad laugh. "God, I should have known better."
"You're lucky the car's all he beat the fuck out of, J. He's not one to piss off." Bobby chided. "But asking Tig to see reason is like asking a rattlesnake not to bite. It's not a matter of IF it's gonna happen, it's more WHEN and WHO'S getting' bit. He's a psycho...you could stay with him a million years and you aren't going to FIX him. He doesn't want to be any different than the piece of shit asshole he is."
"But he's your brother…so you love him anyway?"
Bobby sighed. "Yeah…but I hate him a lot too."
"I know the feeling." Jaci replied quietly.
A long moment of silence passed and Bobby started the open the car door. "Come on, let's go back inside."
"Nooooo. No fuckin' way, Bobby. I'm not going back in there."
He got out of the car and leaned back inside. "Yes, you are. If you really didn't do anything wrong, you gotta face the music. Run now and you look guilty...well, more guilty."
"Motherfucker." Jaci muttered but knew he was right. She had taken enough shit, it was time to stand up for herself but she knew she was walking a thin line. In the MC world, a lot of times women were meant to be seen not heard but then again, they were expected to be strong and not take any shit from anyone, well except for the men. But at the same time, no one respected a doormat. She took a deep breath and opened her door. She walked along the sidewalk to the house with Bobby right next to her. Half Sack saw them and fell into line with them, just wanting to get the dinner over with as soon as possible.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Tig yelled as he watched his ex head back inside.
Bobby turned around long enough to point at him and yell, "Behave yourself, asshole! Show's over!"
"Goddamnit." Tig muttered and stewed as he stared down at the gravel. Bitch's got a lot of nerve showing her goddamn face here tonight. But he also figured he had gotten in some pretty damn good blows earlier, calling her out in front of everyone. He hoped that had stung her as bad as the shit Lin had pulled with him. He stared at her wreck of a car and didn't feel the least bit bad about it, matter of fact he let his mind wander over the idea of dropping the remainder of his cigarette in her car somehow and burning it to the ground.
Hap finished his cigarette and cleared his throat. "Always heard that if something had tits or wheels, it's gonna give ya trouble." His statement was serious, as if it was a known fact of life but it got Tig's attention and earned a snort of laughter. Hap shook his head. "That one's trouble, bro. Too goddamn headstrong…put her in the rearview." He backhanded his friend gently across the chest. "Let's go…better play nice this time or Clay'll have our ass for upsetting the dinner."
Tig rolled his eyes but crushed his cigarette out under his boot and walked back inside along Happy.
XXX
The most awkward dinner ever was now underway. Everyone had taken a seat, chosen strategically to put the maximum distance between themselves and whomever they were having the most trouble with at the moment. Well, except for Tig…he sat down right across from Jaci and gave her a stare that would have sent most people cowering away but she only glared back and shook her head slowly in disgust with him.
The room was completely silent with none of the adults willing to talk to each other. The only sounds were the white noise of clinking plates and forks as people passed food platters and loaded their plates. Gemma watched people trade glares as they picked aimlessly at their food. She tried to drag small talk out of the kids, hoping that would serve as an ice breaker and some part of the dinner could be saved.
The dinner limped along for a while before the silence was suddenly broken by Tig of all people. "Did you just fuckin' kick me?" He glared at Jaci, who sat across from him.
She gave him an exasperated look. God he can be such a petulant five year old sometimes. She tried to keep her voice even "No, I didn't kick you."
"So I'm just imagining your boot impaling my shin?"
"Leave her alone." Jax growled as he glanced over at Tig, who sat two people down from him.
Clay glared at his stepson, "Mind your own business. You spent a little less time poking your nose into shit that doesn't concern you, we'd all be better off."
"Oh really?" Jax retorted.
"Jackson." Gemma hissed, hoping to urge her son into keeping his cool.
"No, no…I want to hear what the wisdom the old man has to share here." Jax fired back as he stared down Clay and threw his napkin onto his plate. "What exactly am I supposed to keep my nose out of? You got a list of shit I'm supposed to turn a blind eye to?"
"Keep talkin', asshole." Clay warned.
"Oh, I will." Jax replied and pushed his chair back.
As soon as he stood up, all hopes for a peaceful rest of the dinner were lost. Clay was on his feet a half second later and a new round of argument erupted between the two. The other members abandoned their plates and started to make their way to the other end of the table, knowing they'd probably have to break up another shoving match.
Clay and Jax stood yelling at each other as Bobby tried to talk sense into his President. "Clay, come on, just calm down."
Tig leaned across the table on his hands and stared smugly at Jaci. "Look at what you started."
"Fuck. You." She replied slowly and directly as she stood up. The barbs between the two heated up again and both were making their way very quickly to the head of the table and behind Clay, who was completely focused on ripping into Jax.
Bobby gave up on quieting his Pres and VP and focused on trying to prevent physical contact between the squabbling ex-lovers with the help of Opie which worked until Jaci finally edged close enough to Tig to slap his finger out of her face. When Tig slapped her hand in return, Bobby lunged for him, sending Half Sack and Happy in once again to try and break things up as Opie hauled Jaci backwards a few steps.
With all the chaos going on, no one noticed Deputy Hale as he walked slowly into the dining from the back kitchen door. He stood silent for a moment and then finally said in a loud voice, "I hate to interrupt…"
Everyone froze and stared at the officer, all thinking the same questions, Where did he come from? Why the hell is he here? What's going on?
Hale cleared his throat, "I thought this news was best delivered in person. We just found Luann Delany out on County 18…beaten to death."
The harsh news sucked the wind out of everyone's argumentative sails. Silence held heavy in the air and the dinner party looked to each other and back to Hale, trying to comprehend the news.
Bobby managed to mumble Shit before Clay kicked a whole in the silence. He glared at Jax, "Is this you?"
"What?" Jax asked incredulously.
"The shit with Cara Cara…did you cause this?"
"You're really gonna stand there and accuse me of killing old ladies?" Jax scoffed. "You're as blind as you are crippled!"
Clay punched the air between he and Jax violently with his finger. "Nooo…the blind man is in prison with NO WIFE because you just got her killed!"
Jaci winced at the madness and shared a worried look with Tara before putting the palms of her hands on her forehead. This dinner had gotten so beyond out of control. Gemma finally reached her tipping point. The yelling and fighting was too much on top of the news of her friend being brutally murdered. She looked down at the table and lifted a serving platter high above her head before slamming it down on the table, shattering it and sending food flying everywhere. The crash grabbed everyone's attention and once again silence filled the room.
The silence held for one long moment before Jaci's mind finally started firing correctly and she blinked. "Wait, where's Vix? What…what about Vix?" The raw emotion in her voice caught everyone's attention and they stared at her.
Hale shook his head, confused. "Vix wasn't there."
Jaci frowned and started a verbal scramble. "Hostage? Missing? Is she dead somewhere else?"
"Vix was with Luann, last we knew." Jax clarified for the deputy sheriff.
Hale nodded. "I'll put out an APB. Best I can say is Vix was not found at the scene."
"Shit." Jaci mumbled and sat down hard in the nearest seat she could find. She sucked in a deep breath and stared the table, picturing the worst but praying for the best in the case of her sister's fate. Bobby put his hand on her shoulder and looked over at Jax, silently asking what they should do.
Jax thought for a second then nodded to Hale. "You do the APB, we'll start re-tracing steps. Start with that distributor."
The deputy nodded his agreement in return and left without another word. Clay wanted to say something about the new found ease of cooperation between his stepson and Hale but kept his mouth shut, knowing that one more blow up would have them re-enacting the beat down they had dished out while in county lockup.
Jaci stood up, nearly vibrating with Bobby's hand still on her shoulder. She stared at her brother in law with a fierce intensity. Everyone seemed frozen in place, but it was time to DO SOMETHING. Her sister was somewhere, it was time to go find her. Standing around staring at each other was going to do a damn thing to help the situation. Finally she spoke through gritted teeth, "Jax…"
"Yeah, let's go." Jax replied and nodded toward the door. Jaci darted around the crowd at the head of the table and made a beeline for the door with Bobby right behind her. Jax didn't ask for any help from the other guys, figuring if they wanted to pitch in, they'd tag along.
XXX
Outside, the trio gathered and were surprised to see everyone but Clay trailing out of the house. Half Sack and Opie walked directly to them but Jax accepted only the Prospect's offer of help, instructing Opie to make sure both their families got home safe that night. Op reluctantly obliged and headed back inside to gather up Lyla, Tara, and the kids.
They rattled off the obvious places that needed to be checked for Vix and Jaci added, "Someone really needs to check the hospital to see if she's with Juice. Maybe she's made her way there by now?"
Bobby nodded. "If she ain't anywhere in town, she's probably with him." He glanced at Jaci. "Me and you…let's just head that way. Hell, we could call but the damn nurses might miss her. If she is there, all this horrible news is gonna be better coming from you." He had slightly dark motives for wanting Jaci out of town. If something horrible had happened to Vix and she had suffered a fate similar to Luann's, he wanted J as far away from seeing that as possible. A nice drive to Stockton Memorial would give Jax and the guys time to maybe get out in front of any horrific news.
Jaci agreed to the drive. She hated leaving Charming in the heat of the moment but at least it was something proactive, there was no way she could just sit at home with her thumb up her ass, let the guys do all the footwork and wait for their call.
Jax and Half Sack started to get settled on their bikes as Jaci headed to her car. Bobby held up a finger. "Hey, let me grab my bike keys. Tigger's in a mood, wouldn't put it past the fucker to drive my bike into the goddamn ocean. Be right back."
Bobby was putting his keys in his pocket when Tig and Hap walked up behind him.
"What the fuck Vix'd do now?" Tig asked.
"You're such a prick! She's fuckin' missing, could be hurt or worse and THAT'S all you have to say?" Bobby seethed and turned to face his brother in arms, wanting to punch the smug shit so bad but restraining himself.
"Fuck you, you fat bastard." Tig replied with a combative smirk, completely in the mood to fight and wishing the guy would throw a punch and start it off. He took a step toward Bobby and immediately felt Hap's hand on his shoulder.
"Not worth it, bro. Relax."
Bobby flipped him off and headed toward the Mustang. Tig snorted and rolled his eyes. For the moment his heart had went completely cold again, incapable of feeling any concern or sympathy for anyone. The whole goddamn day and now night had been a total clusterfuck and there was nothing to be done to fix it. He needed to get away from all the bullshit of the day, he needed seriously distracted. He needed something shiny dangled in front of his face to grab his attention and what was shinier than a piece of ass? His mind immediately flashed on a Lodi strip club and a certain woman that would know exactly how to handle him tonight. Tig looked over to Happy and smirked. "Hey, let's get the fuck out of here. Make a run up to that strip club in Lodi."
Hap heard his brother's invite and almost nodded but as he eyed the piss poor search crew, he decided they looked a little short-handed. He shook his head slightly once and said only, "Raincheck." He walked toward Jax and Half Sack, intent on helping to find Vix.
It was clear the crew was divided and some might think he was crossing sides but he didn't really give a fuck. He was Nomad, his loyalty was with the Club as a whole and right now one brother's Old Lady was dead and another one's might be in serious trouble. Strip clubs could wait and club politics could wait too, tonight he was doing the right thing.
"Where the fuck are you going?" Tig called after Hap. He was more than pissed that the Nomad had just jumped to Jax's side after riding alongside Clay all day. Sure the Prospect had done the same thing but Half Sack was young and dumb and functioned like an attention starved puppy most days, going where ever he got the most pats on the head. Hap was a seasoned vet, he should know better than to be pandering to every damn member of the crew. Or maybe Tig was just bitter and pissed off and nothing anyone did that night was going to suit him…that thought had crossed his mind too. He watched the bikes roll out and the Mustang with its one headlight follow behind them with Bobby at the wheel. The strip club's neon sign flashed like a beacon in his mind. "Fuck it…more for me." He muttered and headed to his own bike and very different destination.
XXX
Jax, Happy, and the Prospect didn't get far in their search for Vix, making it only to the parking lot of Twisted Scissors before Hale called the VP. Vix had been found alive but not so well and was currently a block away from the Bryony Apts. The three man search party headed over to the location in a rush only to find Hale and Officer Candy's cruisers parked with lights flashing behind Ruby's Torino. Vix was stood with her back leaning against the car, arms crossed over her chest with a very combative look on her face. The ugly purple bruises around her neck were visible even before the guys got off their bikes.
"Where you been?" Jax asked his sister in law but immediately looked at Hale with a frown. "Think you could kill the lights? Make this into a little LESS of a spectacle?"
Vix eyed her brother in law. "You do this? Put an APB out on me? Gemma THAT strict with her dinner invites? Damn!"
After signaling Candy to turn off the flashing red and blues, Hale sighed and pulled Jax away from the others, out of ear shot. "Says she was napping, says Luann dropped her off at Cara Cara. Says she got Ruby's car and went to her and Juice's apartment and took a nap."
Jax contemplated the words and her harsh appearance. "The bruises?"
Hale rolled his eyes. "Rough day shopping with Luann…or so she claims."
"Sales at Niemen Marcus ... brutal."
The deputy knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Vix now, not with three Sons standing around. If she was jerking him around before, she'd just clam up completely now. He stared seriously at Jax. "Look, she was likely the last one to see Luann alive - except whoever killed her. I need an official statement and preferably one a little less dripping in bullshit. I don't know if I buy the nap scenario but I honestly don't think she knows about Luann. If she does, I'd nominate her for an Emmy."
Jax nodded and eyed Hap and Sack as they stood talking to Vix. He glanced back at the deputy. "I'll see what I can do." Hale walked off without a word and motioned for Candy to pull up shop as well. Jax pulled out his cell and called Bobby, hoping to stop them before they headed too far in the wrong direction. "We found Vix…still breathing, pretty beat up. Meet us back at Parker Place."
XXX
At Parker Place, the living room was silent even though Jax, Happy, Half Sack and Vix were all standing around in it. They heard the rumble of the Mustang outside and Vix started toward the door, suddenly wanting to see her sister.
Bobby hadn't even pulled the car to a stop before Jaci was jumping out and rushing up the walkway to the house. Right as she reached the threshold, Vix opened the door and stepped out. The yellow cast from the porch light did her no favors and Jaci sucked in a breath, shocked at the rough sight of her sister.
"Spawn's dead." Vix blurted.
Jaci nodded and laid a hand on her sister's arm. "I know."
"Something else happened didn't it?" Vix asked with nervousness obvious in her voice.
Jaci eyed her sister for a second and glanced at the other guys, most of them with various states of unpleasantness on their faces. She swallowed hard and then replied quietly, "Yeah, sweetie…something happened."
"It ain't Juice." Happy said from the doorway and everyone nodded in agreement, forgetting that was probably where Vix's mind was going.
Bobby cleared his throat. "Why don't we take this a little more inside? Girl looks like if she don't sit down, she's gonna fall down."
Oddly Vix eyed Hap for guidance. He nodded once at her and then once towards the house. She sighed and turned back around, walking into the living with Hap following close behind.
Jaci eyed Jax. "Where was she? What happened to her?"
Jax could only shrug. "She ain't talking…fed Hale some bullshit story. He wants an official statement. "
"Yeah… well maybe her official statement is 'fuck you'." Jaci retorted.
Bobby shook his head. "Everyone just calm down. She'll talk when she's ready. She didn't know about Luann so clearly what ever happened to Vix happened earlier, right?" He pushed Jaci gently toward the living room. "Go on…she'll talk to you quicker than any of us."
Jaci brushed past Jax and headed for her sister. Bobby started to follow but pulled up short, suddenly hissing, "Goddamnit!"
Jax frowned. "What now?"
"The dog..." Bobby whispered, not wanting a very distressed Vix to overhear their conversation. "Spawn's in Luann's goddamn freezer."
"Shit."
"How the hell we gonna get that? Gonna break into a murdered lady's house to retrieve a damn murdered dog?"
"Well I doubt Hale'd just hand it over. Probably send it to the damn crime lab." Jax retorted and thought for a second. "Cops are crawling all over her house right now. They'll probably pull out in the morning though. I'll put Hap and Sack on dog retrieval duty first thing."
~TBC
Do yourselves a favor and check out Paramore's song, Decode. It was playing in BG's head while writing the dinner scene, really fits with everyone's confused, combative state of mind.
How can I decide what's right
When you're clouding up my mind'
I can't win your losing fight , all the time.
Not gonna ever own what's mine
When you're always taking sides'
But you won't take away my pride.
No, not this time.
How did we get here?
When I used to know you so well.
But how did we get here?
Well, I think I know.
The truth is hiding in your eyes,and it's hanging on your tongue.
Just boiling in my blood. but you think that I can't see
What kind of man that you are, If you're a man at all.
Well, I will figure this one out…On my own.
Do you see what we've done?
We've gone and made such fools of ourselves...