The sunlight woke him up. He wasn't ready to wake up! As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized how the pair had slept. They were spooned up together with no space between them. His right arm was under her head and his left arm was draped protectively around her waist holding her close to him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that but so far she'd kept her promise of keeping him alive and they were slowly making their way back to Charming.
He shook her softly to rouse her from her sleep. When she opened her eyes and realized how they'd slept, she blushed slightly. She mumbled some sort of apology before sliding out of their space. She went to the right saying something to the lines of [i]'bathroom'[/i] as she wandered off. He opted to do the same, only going to the left, before they met back at the rock formation. With a deep breath, she took out two of the bars and gave him one. They needed to get to Eugene today so they walked as they ate.
Roughly three hours into that days' walk, they came upon a two-lane road. He was hesitant to get close just in case their captors were trolling the roads looking for them. Regardless of his inhibitions, he followed her down to the road. Several cars went by but none of them stopped. About forty-five minutes into their walk by the road this dark blue 80's model Buick pulled to the side. Jax slid his arm around Kalila's shoulder as the driver got out.
To their surprise it was an elderly gentleman who was probably in his seventies. He slowly walked to the pair with a friendly smile.
"Good morning, Sir!" Jax cheerfully said
"Good morning to you too, son. My wife and I couldn't help but notice you two walking down the road." He said with a smile, "That's dangerous you know!"
"Harold, offer them a ride!" His wife called out from the passenger side window
"Can we offer you a ride? Where are you going?" The man asked
"We're trying to make our way to Eugene. My uncle is meeting us there." Kalila replied sweetly
"You're in luck, little lady! We're meeting our son in Eugene. Hop in!" He smiled at them
"Thank you so much!" She replied as they started walking towards the car
The whole ride into Eugene was spent with the old couple telling them all about their children and grandchildren. Kalila laughed softly as they were told all about this couple's family. Forty-five minutes later, they were saying goodbye to their new friends. The coupled dropped them off two blocks from the bus station. Once the couple had left, they walked to the station. She bought their tickets then had a seat to wait for the bus.
The bus ride would be just under four hours. They had to wait two hours for their bus. He kept a close eye on the people who were coming and going through the station. He was worried their captors were going to catch up to them. The VP breathed a sigh of relief when their bus was called. There was some shady looking guy sitting in the back. Jax tried reasoning with the punk but he just wouldn't give up his seat. When Jax started getting forceful and literally pulled the kid up by his collar did they finally get their seat.
The kid kept shooting them evil glares so Jax thought he'd give the kid something to glare at. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. She swung her legs up onto the seat next to her and laid her head on his shoulder. That pissed the kid off enough to quit looking back at them. They couldn't sleep very much on the bus, especially with it only being a four hour ride.
"Are you getting hungry?" She quietly asked
"A little." He replied, looking over at her
She tossed him one of their two remaining nutrition bars. The rest of the trip was spent in silence. The exited the bus when they arrived at their destination. As they walked through the bus station, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a corner.
"I see one of the guys from the house." He whispered in her ear
"Can we make it to the Amtrak station?" She questioned
He looked around and then darted out towards the door. He slipped his hat back on as they were briskly walking. She put her glasses on as they rushed to the Amtrak station. They quickly entered the train station and headed to ticket window. They didn't have enough money to buy two tickets. He frowned as they walked away from the window. There was an ATM so they made their way close to it. He stood guard as she did her thing.
He was amazed at what she was doing. He didn't even really see her snatch the tickets out of the guy's pocket. Since she took what they needed, there was no need to walk to the ATM to "draw out" some money. With a deep sigh, and their tickets in hand, they quickly made their way to where they needed to be to wait for their train.
The train ride would only be about four & a half hours. He kept looking around to make sure they hadn't been spotted. Kalila could tell the tall blond was antsy. He only spotted one guy. She was sure they wouldn't just send one guy after them. She turned to face him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and then pressed her face into his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her too and rested his chin on the top of her head. When their train was finally called, they pulled away from one another.
They found seats on the upper level and quickly got settled. He was very antsy and worried about their captors finding them. This trip would be pretty short but at least they were comfortable. She catnapped a little while but he just couldn't let himself fall asleep. If they had been spotted then surely there was someone on this train with them! His main goal right now was to keep her safe, as best as he could, and help get them back to Charming.
She sat up and looked around. Jax was looking at her with concern. She, too, was getting a bit paranoid. He grabbed a hold of her hand for comfort but that didn't do much to help her.
"We need to be really careful now." She whispered to her blond companion
"Why do you say that?" Jax asked, furrowing his brows
"If I'm right, the guy I saw knows Don. Those unknown bikers are sticking around Charming. That guy knows we've taken off. Where do you think they think we're heading for?" She asked, hoping her sentences were coherent
He sighed, "Damn. You're right. The closer to Charming we get, the more danger we're getting into. Do you have any ideas?"
"Not yet. Keep your hat on, keep your head down, keep your eyes and ears open." She replied as she began to look around their car
He nodded at her as he settled back in his seat. They would be arriving at Redding within the hour. According to the map she somehow attained at the train station, Redding is roughly a little over two hundred miles from Charming. There was no way they could walk that far. Taking public transportation was getting too risky. He sighed heavily making her look over at him this time. She squeezed his hand in reassurance.
"I promised you I'd get you back to Charming. That's what I'm going to do. We're going to have to get a little creative from here on out." She whispered
He smiled at her. She certainly was dedicated to her promise! They were in danger and that wasn't going to go away. Not until they figure out who's behind everything.
"Can you tell me anything about the studio?" Jax suddenly asked
"Like what?" She inquired
"Anything. Tell me about his delivery schedules, his other employees, anything." Jax stated
She told him all she knew about the other employees. She was telling him about the deliveries and then stopped. Jax looked at her funny until she started again.
"All of a sudden he didn't want anyone unloading the supply truck from Stockton. He joked and said that it kept him grounded and that it helped him remember that he, too, at one point was just an employee at someone's business. We normally get a shipment once a week then shortly after he started unloading the supply truck himself we started getting two. We aren't using that much to even need two trucks each week." She explained
"Do you think Don is in on the drug pushing?" Jax questioned
"I… I don't know. I mean… he pays me $5k a month, in cash mind you, plus a 25% commission on any private lessons I give." She stated
"Do you think he's making that much money with the studio?" Jax questioned as he looked around
"He might be making 5k a month. But I'm not the only person he employs. Plus supplies. And 25% commission isn't anything to ignore. He pays me in all cash and he has stated I get paid more than anyone else there. Besides himself, of course." Kalila confessed
"That guy you saw that was arguing with him in his office. Did the extra shipments start after that or before? Did he start unloading the Stockton truck before or after that?" Jax asked
"After. On both accounts." She stated before her eyes went wide, "Oh my God! He's… he's pushing drugs and using the studio as a cover?!"
"That's what it looks like. We'll have to dig more to know for sure." Jax replied, squeezing her hand in comfort
"I'm so stupid! How did I not see this?!" She questioned more to herself than to him
"Darlin' this ain't your fault! Let's just get back to Charming and worry about everything else then." Jax replied
She sat back and tried to think about every interaction she's had with Don. All the signs were there and she just never picked up on it. The next issue is the two hundred plus miles from Redding to Charming. They couldn't use public transportation. It was just too risky. How could they get that far? They'd have to walk some, that was a given, but it would take close to two weeks to simply walk that far. Two weeks was just not feasible. They would be exposed too long. She had gotten so lost in thought that she didn't realize they had finally arrived in Redding.
He grabbed her hand and led her off the train. As they walked around the train station grounds, she spotted an idling car. She pointed to it as they walked closer. No one was in it, the car was idling, and it didn't appear the owner was near. On the count of three he slipped into the driver's seat while she slipped into the passenger seat. It didn't take them long to quietly make their way out of the driveway. She told him they should only go as far as Chico and then they had to ditch the car. He was curious as to why but he trusted her judgment. Driving to Chico only took over an hour and the ride was spent deep in thought. He wiped down the interior of the car while she whipped down the outside before they left it at a bus station.
With a deep breath, she suggested they take the Greyhound to Sacramento. He wasn't sure that was a good idea, and neither was she really. As they were chatting, a large group of over fifty people came to a stop to rest for a bit. They were bicyclists who were biking to Yuba City. Jax and Kalila looked at one another and grinned. Upon hearing that they began looking around for two bikes to nab. As everyone was preparing to "get back on the road", they finally found two bikes and quickly hi-jacked them. Yuba City was about forty-six miles away but if they kept up with this group it shouldn't take too long to get there. Besides, they had the cover of this biking group!
The three and a half hour biking from Chico to Yuba City was the longest of the VP's life. It wasn't just his legs that hurt! His back hurt, his feet hurt, his arms were starting to hurt. It was early evening, but the dark clouds were making it seem later, and she knew they needed to rest. Especially after biking nearly fifty miles! Her whole body was hurting and she knew she was spent. She sighed heavily as they ditched the bikes. If he never saw another bicycle in his life it wouldn't be soon enough.
"Kalila… we gotta rest Darlin'. Neither one of us can go much further." He stated
"Let's look around and see if we can find somewhere secluded to crash." She said, giving in
Thunder suddenly clasped making them both look up at the sky. Although it was dark, she could tell it was considerably darkener than usual and she knew a storm was about to hit. There were no stars visible and the wind was picking up as well. They were walking out of town when the rain finally came. She sighed heavily knowing they had no choice but to find shelter. They had walked a few miles out of town when she heard the sound of several horses.
She smiled before walking closer to the wooden fence that held the horses in. He strained to watch as she climbed over it then called for him to follow her. He climbed over the fence wondering where she was leading him. They were already soaked, yet again, so he didn't see any reason to hurry to find shelter now. They walked another two miles in silence before he spoke up.
"Where are we going?" He asked
"Horses." She said, "Horses like that means barn or stable. Barn means a high chance of loft. We can lay low in the loft and get some rest while this storm passes." She explained
He never would have thought of that. She really was good at looking after herself! They finally came upon the house and saw lights coming from the huge two story barn to the right of it. They could hear people talking so Kalila knew they would have to sneak into the barn and hope they didn't get caught. She kneeled down to watch the people before deciding what to do. They left the barn doors open so the horses could come in as they pleased.
"Let's go in out of the rain. Your ma should have supper ready by now." A deep male voice exclaimed
"Will the horses be ok, Daddy?" A young girl asked
They were walking away so Kalila and Jax couldn't hear what the man answered. She watched the house carefully and waited until the three people walked inside. She grabbed Jax's hand before cautiously leading him around to the back of the barn. There was only one way in but she didn't want to get caught. They snuck around to the front of the bar, pressing their backs to the barn as they did so, and then darted inside the bar. Jax smiled when he realized Kalila had been right about the loft. There was a ladder leading up to it and they wasted no time in climbing up.
There was loose hay probably three feet high up here. She told him they should stay as close to the wall as possible to minimize the possibility of being spotted. He wondered how anyone would be able to see them with all the hay up here but he followed her to the wall any way. She moved some hay around to give them even more of a cover. Laying on the hay wasn't as comfortable as an actual mattress but it was much better than laying on rocks and twigs on the ground! The temperature had cooled off some and with their clothes still being completely wet, she began to shiver.
He scooted over before pulling her to him. She wondered why he did that and then wrapped his arms around her but she kept her mouth shut. They were getting closer to Charming. The danger was increasing. As tired as she was, she was having a hard time getting good sleep. She was feeling resentment towards Jax's "club" for putting her in this situation to begin with. When the sun came up it shone right in their eyes. She groaned, not liking the sunlight and having not gotten good rest, making Jax laugh softly.
"We need to get out of here." She whispered before yawning
She cautiously looked out the barn window but didn't see anyone. She crawled to the ladder and looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone there. Seeing no one, she waved to Jax before climbing down the ladder first. He was quick to follow. As quickly as they could, the sprinted to the fence and hopped over it. They made their way back to the road and started walking parallel to it. Both were hungry but they had no food and no money. Charming seemed to close and yet so far away! As they walked, they came to a bridge.
"That's the Sacramento River." Jax stated
The walked down the embankment when they saw a camp by the river. The people who had been camping here wasn't far away but they weren't at the immediate camp. Jax began going through the belongings to find any food that may be there while she tried looking for anything that would get them closer to Charming. There was a canoe tied up on the river. Jax didn't find anything edible, just beer, so he walked to where Kalila was at.
"Think we could canoe down the river?" She questioned
Before he could answer, the campers could be heard returning to their camp. She followed Jax back up the embankment. It was probably for the best, trying to canoe down the river was a dumb idea. They walked down the side of the road until a pick up stopped a few feet from them. Immediately Jax was on guard as he slipped his arm around her waist. A man in his forties exited the truck and smiled at the pair.
Jax greeted the man with a smile as he approached the pair. They talked about where they were headed and after a few minutes, the gentleman offered to let them hitch a ride but they had to stay in the bed of the truck. Kalila said that wouldn't be a problem as he and Jax shook hands. He could take them as far as Sacramento which was a huge help. Ten minutes after they hit the road, the skies opened up once more and rain poured down on them yet again.
As they sat cuddled together in the back of a pick-up in the pouring rain, she started thinking about how they were going to get from Sacramento to Charming. It was roughly forty miles from Sacramento to Lodi and about twelve & a half miles from Lodi to Charming. If they walked the whole way they were looking at just over twelve to sixteen hours until they made it to Jax's hometown. She sighed heavily. She was tired. Very tired. And sore. They were about fifty miles from home. How could she get them there?
When they finally arrived in Sacramento, they bid their ride goodbye. Jax wanted to steal a motorcycle but Kalila thought it was a bad idea. Their captors knew he rode a motorcycle and she feared being on one would draw too much attention to them. They argued for a while but Jax finally gave in. He wasn't going to admit it to her, but she had a valid point. They would be checking out every guy on a motorcycle from here to Charming. She sighed and said their best option at this point was making the extremely long walk.
He made one last suggestion of stealing another car. She hated the idea but hated walking the entire way even more. They walked around town looking for an easy car to jack. She got lucky and found a small late model Toyota that was unlocked. She quickly slid into the driver's seat and began hot-wiring it. Once she got the car started, she hauled ass out of the parking lot to search for her companion. She finally found him and he was quick to climb in.
"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Jax stated
She pulled onto the main road towards Lodi.
"What's the rush?" She questioned
"I saw that guy from before. He was standing around with the two goons from the basement." Jax explained
"Do you think they know we're this far south?" She questioned, increasing her speed just a little
"I'm not sure. We need to get to Charming as quickly as possible." He replied, looking over at her
Half-way to Lodi their stolen car over-heated. Jax did all he could but the radiator was shot. She kicked the tire angrily. Jax smiled at her, understanding her frustrations. The rain poured down making her sigh. She started walking away from the car as Jax was wiping the inside down. He jogged to catch up to her when he was finished. It wasn't even noon yet and she already wanted to lay down and sleep. They stayed as far from the road as they could. It wasn't safe and any of the passing cars could be one of the "bad guys".
The very long walk took them just over twelve hours. They had to stop and sit down to rest several times through-out the trip. She was nearly spent. He was spent. Yet they still had a ways to go. When they saw the sign, 'Charming: 5 miles', they got a surge of energy and morale. They were so close! Charming was a small town so they knew they would be at the clubhouse very soon. He grabbed her hand firmly as he sped up his walking. He knew the back streets better than her so they were able to take a few shortcuts through Charming to get to his clubhouse. It was nearly 1am when they walked up the driveway to Teller-Morrow.
The Scotsman had been standing outside on the phone with some of the Tacoma boys seeing if they had seen or heard anything. He couldn't believe his eyes! The pair were starting to stumble around like they were drunk but they were just spent.
"Jackie Boy!" Chibs called out as soon as his eyes landed on the VP
Kalila stood where she was and looked around. She didn't want to be here but she didn't have the keys to her house so she really had nowhere else to go.
"We were so worried about yeh! Let's go talk teh Clay!" Chibs stated, draping his arm over Jax's shoulder and started to lead the way
Jax stopped and turned around to look at Kalila. Chibs watched as the blond biker walked over to where she stood and grabbed her hand. Chibs found it odd that she didn't even fight Jax when he grabbed her hand, she just let him lead her away. He followed the pair into the clubhouse. In less than a minute, they were surrounded by his brothers. It irritated him as all he wanted to do was get out of his wet clothes and lay down! She just stood there, unable to speak and really unable to fight with anyone. All she wanted was some good rest.
"What the fuck happened to you, Jax?" Tig questioned
"Where have you been, son?" Clay asked
"Look, I'll tell you everything I know after I wake up. We've been walking for probably twelve hours and all we wanna do is get some rest." Jax firmly stated before starting to walk to his dorm room, "Oh, Juice! Dig up everything you can on Don."
"The owner of the martial arts studio? Why?" Juice asked
"Just do it. He's part of this somehow. Looking into his shipments from Stockton too. Now, leave us alone until we wake up." Jax stated
The entire clubhouse watched as he led Kalila to his dorm room. Clay told Juice to get on what he'd been tasked with. Tig said he was gonna call one of his friends in Stockton to see what he could find out. Clay headed to Jax's dorm to talk with his step-son. He knocked on the door loudly until Jax opened it up, yelling obscenities the whole time.
"We need to talk." Clay insisted
"We will. Just as soon as I'm rested up." Jax replied
"Son, are you ok?" Clay asked
"I will be. Good night." Jax said before shutting the door
Clay just stood there staring at the closed door. What was going on? Didn't Kalila hate them all? Why would she let his step-son just lead her like a sheep to slaughter to his dorm? What had happened to them while they were gone? Clay barked orders for everyone to initiate a semi-lockdown. He called his wife and told her to lock all the doors, shut all the blinds, and to not let anyone in the house. She wanted to know why but said he'd tell her everything when he got home.