Thank you for all of the reviews!
I know I have dropped off the face of the earth here lately, but I've been busy. It is the holidays, after all! I did a bit of traveling the past week. I just got back home this evening. But you'll be glad to know that I finished the chapter whenever I got home. It just took a bit of relaxing :)
Please enjoy.
Fallon: End of an Era
Jax slept with Abel that night. He had wanted to feel close to his children. Especially after what was found on the wall. He didn't sleep much. The memories from the night before kept repeating in his head. He was helpless to Bobby. He had tried to compromise with August and his new Rambo, but he wasn't having it.
And with Dru constantly up his ass… Jax knew why she wanted to help. It had been her mission from the beginning to make sure the Sons flourished; to make sure the legacy continued. And now she was watching it fall apart.
But he couldn't ask for her help. He loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her by his side. That couldn't happen if she was killed. And because of her warning, that's exactly what would happen. Well, not on his watch, no matter how dire he could use her badass skills.
"He's five years old! He shouldn't be frustrated," Jax snapped. "I want him with me today."
He turned his head when he heard someone coming through the door. It was his club. But one person was missing. Jax got irritated all over again.
"Hey, Tyler's going to meet us at the cabin," Chibs whispered when he got within inches of Jax.
"Okay," Jax nodded. "You heard from Dru?"
Chibs shook his head. "I figured she was here with you."
"She disappeared last night. She and I exchanged some words."
Chibs smirked. "So, you argued? That isn't anything new."
Jax rolled his eyes. "I don't need her wondering off either just because we get into it. August knows he could use her against me."
"Aye. Well, Jackie, you're also in bed with a former assassin. She can take care of herself."
"I know that. But I can't have her playing assassin either," Jax told him. "Get eyes and ears on her."
Unbeknownst to all of them, Dru had already made her way to the cabin. She had received an anonymous tip that Tyler and his Niner crew would be making their way here to meet up with Jax and them. She was currently sitting at the couch looking over a magazine with Montez staring a hole through her from the chair across from her.
"Montez, if you don't stop gawking at me, I'm going to rip both of your eyeballs from your head," Dru threatened.
About that time, Jax and the rest of the Sons walked into the cabin. She continued to read the magazine claiming ignorance as to who came in. But she could feel everyone's eyes on her, especially Jax's. She could feel his annoyance with her. 'Well, tough titties, Jackson,' Dru thought to herself.
"Where the hell have you been?" Jax questioned her.
She shrugged and pretended to still read the damn magazine. "I've been around."
"How'd you know to be here?"
Once again she shrugged. "I just did."
Jax growled. "I'm not playing your fucking game, Dru."
She calmly closed the magazine and threw it on the table in front of her. "I'm not playing any fucking game, Jackson. I'm just here for moral support. I can't do much else."
"You better not be," he warned.
"Or what? You gonna spank me?" Dru smirked as she stood up. She walked over to where Jax stood. He was so tense. She put her lips right to his ear. "I might like it."
Dru could feel him trembling. She knew it was one part arousal and other part fury. It was the perfect duo. He held himself perfectly still. She was impressed by his control.
Jax turned to Montez. "Where is Grant? I need to speak with him."
"It's all gonna come together," Jax assured Grant. "I just need the phone we got from the pimp."
"Why? You said August wasn't going to be a problem once you had my mother's statement," Grant said.
"We're not dealing with a guy who follows the rule book. Things change. We're just adapting."
"If you give him those videos, he'll embarrass my family and that could destroy our congregation."
"We're not going to give it to him," Chibs told him.
"I just need to show him the video; make him think he's getting the leverage," Jax added.
"What happened? Why do you need more leverage?" Grant questioned.
"You don't need to—"
"I need you to tell me the truth," Grant cut him off.
"Marks grabbed one of my guys," Jax answered.
"Oh my God," Grant muttered.
"It's just a setback. You need to trust me."
"Please, stop saying that," he exclaimed. "Every time you do something else bad happens."
"Tyler's here," Montez announced from the door.
"Give me a minute," Jax told him. "There's no plan B here. Get me the phone."
"It's in the SUV," Grant told him.
He got up and went out the door. Jax quickly told Montez to stay with him. Tyler and two of his guys were directed into the cabin. They kept looking around as if they'd never quite seen a cabin like this.
"You guys have gone full redneck," Tyler commented.
"We used to have a couple of black heads on the wall, but we took them down. You know…out of respect," Tig sarcastically remarked.
"Yeah, I appreciate that," Tyler nodded. "I heard you got another package from Marks and his Black Ops."
"Yep, and it's going to be the last one," Chibs said.
"I need you to set up a meet with August. Him or Moses, it doesn't matter," Jax told him. "I'll give him the Pastor's body and leverage that will prove that the mom and son can't touch him."
"We've tried that already," Tyler said.
"I've got video footage of the Pastor's deviant acts—him in full slave mode taking it up the ass by underage boys."
Tyler's eyes got as wide as saucers. "Oh, nice—"
Montez slammed through the door. "What the hell?" Quinn asked as he steadied him.
"He hit me with a tire iron and took off," Montez told them.
Montez sat down on the couch as Dru came over to look at his head. There was blood. He got him good. "Shit," she muttered.
"You set that meet," Jax ordered pointing at Tyler. He then pointed at Dru. "You stay here," he demanded of her before following the others out the door.
"Don't have to tell me twice," Dru spoke to herself. "I'm not chasing down the crazy devout black Christian boy anyway."
When they made it back with Grant, Jax looked frustrated beyond hell. While they were gone chasing after him, Dru had simply sat back on the couch and made herself comfortable. Jax came over and sat down next to her.
"Well, it only took you about ten minutes to lasso his ass," Dru commented.
"Six, and then another four to explain why he shouldn't do that again," Jax corrected.
She scoffed. "I can't believe that he gave you all the slip."
"Are you saying he wouldn't have done the same to you?" he countered.
"I never would have allowed him to go outside to get the phone. I would've gone looking for it myself," Dru told him.
Jax struggled not to roll his eyes in front of her, but he would do anything he could to appease her. "Women are smarter than men."
"You damn skippy. But you're also just saying that to pacify me."
Jax grinned, and then leaned over to place a kiss on her lips.
What Jax didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Here she lay where she could observe the meeting with August. She had an eagle eye's view. It soothed her as she softly massaged the trigger of her favorite sniper rifle. Dru had to protect the ones she loved. She couldn't abandon them to the worst fate possible.
Dru had been tormented the past couple of days with visions of an uncertain future. She didn't know how it was going to end. But she also knew that she was not going to leave Jax to pick up the pieces alone. After all, Jax had not deserted her when she had admitted the truth about what had taken place between her and the Irish. He had not discarded her when she confessed her sins. He had built her back up. There were still cracks in her armor, but Jax was always there with the glue to rescue her.
She had never contemplated suicide, but if anyone could bring her back from the edge, it was Jax. She loved him beyond measure. She loved him so deeply she didn't know where he ended and she began. He trusted her with his emotions, his desires, and the truth about the club. He confided in her the darkness that was his soul, whereas she had done the same.
Dru still struggled with the shadows that threatened to engulf her essence. Her love for Jax went to war with them every single day and kept them at bay. She couldn't lose him. Especially not because of her and Gemma's lies.
But she had a plot. However, before she could carry out her strategy, she had to make sure that Jax lived through August Marks first.
Chibs watched as the black Navigator and black Jaguar pulled up. He was nervous about this meet. They all acknowledged that crossing August had been a very unhealthy thing to do.
"Where's Dru?" he asked Jax.
"Said she'd be making phone calls," Jax answered.
Chibs nodded. He very much doubted that Dru was making phone calls. Something told him she was watching over them at this very moment.
"It's good you showed up," Jax greeted August as he walked up. "This should be between you and me. Not your ghosts."
"Things have turned so quickly, Jackson. I'm deeply disappointed," August told him.
"I can see that," Jax nodded.
"We had everything to gain."
"Not me. I had already lost too much."
"You broke the first rule of business. You let your personal feelings poison your choices."
"That's what happens when the mother of your children gets brutally murdered in your own home," Jax growled.
"You should've come to me about Lin," August said.
"You know I couldn't do that. You would've told me to wait and then watched me like a hawk. I had no choice."
"You didn't want another choice."
"You don't have family, August. You can never understand. I'm sorry you feel betrayed. This had to happen."
"Look where we are, Jax. Is this what you wanted? Piles of bodies, relationships destroyed, and the guy you were going after still alive…"
"I'm not done yet," Jax cut in.
"Yeah, that's clear. And now you've pulled Drusilla into your mess. Do you even understand what can happen to her if she were to choose your side? She's built up a great business, a loyalty, and you're going to make her throw everything away."
"I haven't made her do anything," he snarled.
"It doesn't matter because now you're blackmailing me. Using innocent people to frame me for a murder I didn't commit."
"I don't think you're allowed to claim them as innocents. You threatened them, you exploit their church, and now you're trying to destroy everything they love," Jax roared.
"You kill the pastor?" August questioned.
"We found him in the projects. I'm guessing one of his freak show friends got to him. He was cut up pretty bad."
"Excuse me, sir," Moses interrupted. "We should move this along."
"Where's this leverage you promised?" August asked.
Jax dug into the inside pocket of his cut. He pulled out the phone and pressed play. August was then treated to the show.
"I'll give you this and the pastor's body. You don't need the wife and son," Jax shook his head.
"Where are they?"
"Kid's MIA. Mom's in detox. Private facility. You don't need them."
"Why are you protecting them?"
"I made a promise," Jax told him.
"I believe that," August said. "However, I also know you've been in touch with the son. You need to bring him when you deliver the body."
"I can't let—"
"I'm not gonna kill him," August cut in. "I just need to make sure he understands the severity of the situation. The importance of silence. This is as far as I've been, Jackson. You want Bobby alive? Deliver the kid, that phone, and the pastor here at 4pm."
Jax nodded in agreement as they watched August and his associates get back into their vehicles.
"Brother, the pastor wasn't cut up at all when we buried him," Quinn told Jax.
"He will be," he promised. "Someone call Dru."
Dru showed up at Red Woody as promised. Quinn directed her to go behind the curtain. When she did she was immediately assaulted with the odor of decaying flesh.
"Oh my God," she muttered as she grabbed the collar of her shirt to put it over her nose. It didn't take the stench away, but it certainly toned it down a bit. "What the fuck?!" Dru exclaimed.
She found Chibs and Jax standing on the sidelines as they watched Happy stitch the head on the body with Tig helping out. "I didn't sign up for this," she told them.
Jax smirked. "Can't handle a dead body, baby?"
"I can handle a dead body. I've seen my fair share. But I can't handle you all playing Dr. Frankenstein. That's just disgusting," Dru retorted. They all chuckled.
Quinn made an appearance at the curtain and told Jax that Indian Hills was here. Dru's heart froze. This wasn't good.
Before Chibs closed the door behind the visitors from Indian Hills he whistled at Dru to join him and Jax in the office.
"What the hell did they say?" she questioned them as Chibs finally shut the door.
Jax threw up his hands as Chibs answered, "I had no idea about this."
"It's the last thing this charter needs," Jax muttered.
"We've gotta prove that Jury spoke to Lin."
"Juice is the only one who can do that, and a rat ratting out a rat isn't gonna hold much weight."
"Wait," Dru cut in. "Tully can get a phone to the rat bastard. We can get a voice recording."
"Alright," Jax nodded. "Reach out to white and put it in motion," he ordered Chibs.
The three of them walked out to find Tig and Happy walking out from behind the curtain. Dru could smell a little of the dead aroma on them. "You two need to shower," she told them.
"Do you not like the walking dead perfume I'm wearing?" Tig remarked. Dru pretended to vomit as Tig flipped her off. "The preacher is ready," he announced.
Happy nodded to the Indian Hills charter walking out. "Mad about Jury?"
"Yeah," Jax nodded. "Is the phone prepped?"
"Yeah, the kid went through it. He nuked all the preacher and left the boys out of it in case Marks wants to check it," Happy said.
"Good. Is he ready?"
"He'll be okay," Tig replied.
"Let's go get Bobby." Jax turned to Dru. "You stay here."
"I'm not staying here," she countered.
"You're not involving yourself, Dru."
"I already have," she whispered.
Jax's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Dru, what'd you do?"
"I chose a side."