"What's wrong with your car?" Jax asked as he bounced the baby in his arms.
"ATF is fuckin' with me. Bugged it near my light" Elle huffed.
"Come on, I'll get Dog to look at it later"
"No, I'll do it. Not hard to fix"
"We're still on lockdown so I don't want you leaving the lot unless someone is with you. Got it?" Elle nodded and walked over to the garage. Jax took his son inside and handed him over to Gemma.
"Everything go alright?" Gemma queried.
"Stahl is getting desperate. She's not getting anything from us so she's going after people associated with the club; our women" Jax explained.
…REAPER….REAPER….REAPER…
Elle was on her back inside the Shelby, a small tube of Kwik Grip in her mouth and her hands on the ceiling and she was muttering under her breath when her phone started ringing.
She dropped her arms and pulled the glue from her mouth, "God dammit" She mumbled, "Yeah?"
"Elle?"
"Donna?" Elle asked.
"Yeah umm Ope's busy right now and I'm at home but…" Donna tried explaining.
"Wait you're at home? I thought you were with your parents?"
"I was going to go. The kids are already up there; I took them up there last weekend but my car won't start. I was hoping that you could give me a lift to the clubhouse"
"You want to come here?"
"Well I could always just catch a bus up to my parents" Donna sighed.
"No, I can come and get you; I just assumed you wanted nothing to do with the club"
"I'm not fond of it but Opie said that everyone was on lockdown at the lot and that I should come down but I wasn't interested in it so I was going to be with the kids but the car won't start so will you please come and get me?" Donna sighed.
"Yeah alright, I'm on my way. Be there in 10" Elle hung up and put the glue into her glove box before walking back to the clubhouse, "Gem, I've gotta duck out for about 15 minutes. I'll take the prospect"
She was on her way back out when Gemma caught up with her, "Hey where the hell are you going?"
"I'm picking up Donna, I'll explain when I get back" Gemma nodded and watched the young redhead head back to her car, "Prospect!"
Half-sack looked up at her from across the lot then looked around at Juice and other members from different charters, "Yes Queen Ellie?" The members within ear shot started laughing and he walked closer to Elle.
"You're with me" She slid into the car and Kip ran over to his bike.
….REAPER…REAPER…..REAPER…..
"Donna!" Elle called as she knocked on the door.
"You sure she's here?" Half-sack asked. The door opened up at the small brunette pixie woman appeared.
"Yes I am" She smiled, "Stay out here and keep watch"
"Hey sorry I was packing up some stuff. Come on in" Elle slid past Donna as she closed the door. "So how have you been?"
…..REAPER…..REAPER….REAPER…
Jax came speeding up the lot and stopped his bike abruptly in front of the picnic table and raced inside.
"Mom? Elle?" Jax called.
"Jackson? What is it?" Gemma came out of the kitchen.
"Where is Elle?" Gemma immediately picked up on the distress in his voice.
"Jax what happened?"
"Zobelle's daughter was killed. Stahl was waiting for Jimmy to arrive at a safe house. She walked in expecting to find Cameron's son except he wasn't there. Stahl shot her and then claimed it was Elle looking to get back at Stahl for interfering with club business. Only she got the wrong person" Jax tried to explain as quickly as he could while he looked around for Elle, "Where is Elle?"
"She went to pick up Donna" Gemma stated, "How did you find this out?"
"Unser told me" Jax turned around and went back out the door.
"Where is she brother?" Opie met Jax at the door.
"She's at your place" Opie gave him a questioning look but Jax shook his head indicating there wasn't any time to explain.
….REAPER…..REAPER…..REAPER…
"It hasn't exactly been quiet around the place lately and I get the feeling that shit's only going to get worse" Elle sighed. Donna zipped up her bag and the girls headed back down the hall.
"Hasn't it always been like that?" Donna asked as she pulled on her shoes.
"No sometimes it gets down right boring but all of this shit is because of ATF" Elle answered.
"ATF?"
"Yeah"
"A woman came around here the other day asking questions about Ope and the club"
Elle's eyes widened "Well what did you say?"
"Told her I didn't know shit about the club. Ope didn't tell me anything and I didn't want to know" Donna picked up her bag and opened the door, "She kept trying to press for information but I didn't know anything. She got the hint eventually and left"
They walked out the door and Elle ran her fingers through her tousled red hair, "I swear this bitch needs to die" Donna chuckled and Elle joined in. "Up front prospect. Take us home" Half-sack nodded and started his bike. Once the girls were in the car, he took off out of the drive; leading the Shelby back to the clubhouse.
All three didn't notice the car that had followed them since the end of Donna's street. The older car pulled right up behind Elle; the passenger double checking the clip in the pistol.
"I just want this crap to be over and done with already" Elle pulled a cigarette from her pack along with the lighter. She offered one to Donna, who politely declined and rolled down her window.
"I just want to see my man" Donna smiled.
Elle smiled at the thought of getting back to Jax, "I've missed seeing you around the lot. You're family Donna and I love you, you know that?"
"Of course I do. It just got too hard to be around there especially while Opie was in jail" Elle nodded and took her foot off the brake slightly as the last car past in front of her. "And I love you too Elle" The girls smiled to each other before Elle turned right around the corner. A mere second later and Donna had slumped against the dash, Elle was covered in blood, the car behind her had sped off in the direction that it had just come from and the sound of three Harleys were coming down the road. Elle pulled the car over and leant across the seat, pulling Donna into her lap.
"Donna?!" Elle's sight blurred under her forming tears, "Donna!" She screamed. Elle unclipped both seatbelts and pulled Donna onto her back and let her head rest on her leg. Elle was running her hand over Donna's hair, tears falling down her cheeks and the blood from Donna's bullet wound coating her hand and leg. Her face and hair were also covered in blood from the exit wound on her left temple. Half sack had spun his bike around and pulled up to Elle's window.
Elle squeezed her eyes shut and growled fiercely "Follow them prospect" He nodded and took off after the speeding car. It felt like hours before anyone reached her car. Jax came around to the driver's side and Opie to the passenger.
"No" Opie broke down, "No! Donna" He cried. Jax gently pulled Elle from the car and took her around to the front of the car.
"What happened Elle?" Jax asked, tilting her head up.
"Someone shot at us. They must have been following us. I don't understand why they did it" She broke down again and Jax let her fall into him.
The police arrived shortly after along with the paramedics and the coroner. Elle was set in the ambulance and cleaned up. The paramedics wiped the blood and pieces of skull, hair and brain off of her the best that they could. She was left sitting alone with a blanket around her shoulders for about five minutes before Jax came over. He took in the sight of his Old Lady; blood stained cheek with tear marks running through it, red ran rings around her eyes and her body shook as the shock set in.
"Elle?" Jax called softly. Her head flicked up and she jumped as if he had screamed her name in her ear. He held his hands up showing her that he didn't mean any harm and watched her visibly relax. "How you doing baby?"
"She's dead" Elle whispered. "I can't believe she's dead" Jax sat next to her, putting an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into him, "How's Ope doing?"
"Not good" Jax stated.
"I wanna see him" Elle started to move off the vehicle.
"Woah, just hang on a second" Jax protested.
"No Jax, I need to see him. You're either coming with me or I'm finding him myself" Elle tightened the blanket on her shoulders and watched Jax. He sighed and moved off the ambulance; put his arm around her waist and leading her back to the Shelby. As they got closer to the hood, Elle saw the top of the black beanie. "Stay here" She softly commanded and continued over to Opie; standing in front of the huge man who to her couldn't have looked any smaller right at that moment. "Ope"
He looked up at her and immediately stood, embracing her in a giant bear hug. "She's gone Elle"
"I know Ope. I'm so sorry. I should have been watching the cars around us" Elle buried her face in his shoulder.
"No" He pulled her back and looked her in the eye, "It's not your fault" Elle nodded and they embraced once again.
"Come on, we'll get back to the clubhouse. Sort all this out. We'll get revenge Ope, don't worry" Elle patted his back and felt him nod.
"Chief? Are we good to go?"
Wayne turned around, "Yeah just…be available" He looked over at the Sons, "All of you" Elle turned back to her car, prepared to drive back to the lot, "Ahh Elle, we're gonna have to take your car for the time being. Evidence and all that" She sighed and walked back to Jax's bike. Elle had almost forgotten about Chibs until he came over and hugged her.
"How long have you been here?" She questioned.
"Came down with Jackie boy. I'm sorry 'bout all this lass" She just nodded and patted his shoulder. The four bikes raced back to the clubhouse to inform the others for the afternoon's tragic events.