CHAPTER SEVENTY

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I roll my eyes and watch as Jax gets up and finishes drying himself and slides into bed beside me "You know I'm surprised that you didn't ask about how my visit with Mandy went, but I'll tell you about that after I tell you why you shouldn't be worrying about what didn't happen."

Jax moves down the bed, carefully positioning the freshly inked arm on top of the blankets and stretching his other arm so I can rest my head on it. Propping myself up on my elbow instead I look down at him and smile "I was already on my way back. D knew that."

Jax frowns "She didn't say a thing."

"I know, I asked her not to. But the same thing as always went, if someone asked her a direct question I'd always said for her to answer it completely. I guess after four years no one was really thinking about me anymore." I shrug half-heartedly. "I would have been back by now without the present Craig left me. Finding a headless dead animal attached to my front door pushed my return up by a few weeks."

"Why were you coming back?" Jax asks, running his fingers over my arm.

"I had had enough of New York, I missed everyone here, I hated that I felt like I was a prisoner in my apartment. I was terrified of going out in case I ran into Craig, or one of his friends. I guess I decided it was safer to stay in the building then risk seeing anyone I knew, the only times I left was for work." I stop and think for a second "You know it's a hell of a lot easier dealing with thoughts of what happened knowing that there is no way anything like that will happen again. Not only to me, but to anyone else."

Jax smiles slightly "I know when you're thinking about the shit that happened to you though; your nose creases and your eyes lose most of the spark they normally hold."

I smile as brightly as I can "It's going to take a while before my brain fully accepts that he's gone, and there's still the trial that's due to happen in New York in August that there now is no one to step up to the charges. I have to go back for, that will not be a good week, I know that. But I'm really hoping that you'll come with me."

Jax runs his rough fingertips over my shoulder and down my arm "Babe, if you think I'm going to let you go through that alone you are very much mistaken. I will be with you from the first second you step into the court room till the second you step out of it again."

I lean down and kiss Jax's bicep, the closest I can get from the angle I'm at. "It's not going to be easy; I want you to know that. Even without him there. That's something I'm going to have to pray I can lie about, I'm going to have to go under oath and swear I haven't seen him since his last trial."

Jax shrugs "Do you have to testify?"

"I'm not sure. Charlotte hasn't told me, I know I have to be there for it, even if I'm not needed to testify. And Al has to be there as well, and Cam. It's stupid really, they're bringing in so much old dead shit that my friends have to stand up and talk about, when the whole thing should be about the fact that he held me captive."

"And the way he treated you babe, I know it's all completely pointless, and so do you, but won't it be a relief knowing even if he wasn't in a hole that he'd be punished for his actions?" Jax continues rubbing soft lines and circles over my skin as I think about his words.

Nodding thoughtfully "I guess its closure, whatever sentence he would have gotten obviously can't be carried out, but knowing the justice would have been served either way will be a relief. And a message to those like him who think that mommy and daddy will be able to buy them out of anything they get caught up in."

Jax runs his hand up my arm again, sliding his fingers around my neck he guides my head so I'm looking at him "Sarah he's gone and no one is going to hurt you again, that I promise you."

I smile at him and lean down to kiss him slowly "I know. And if anyone tried there would be a huge number of men with reapers chasing the brainless twat."

The smile that crosses Jax's face is brilliant in its confidence "Absolutely. So, what happened with Mandy?"

I frown a little at that "She hadn't rung me back cause she was having a battle with the Nazi poser. Every time she'd talk to the owners about an offer somehow they would get a counter offer from Zobelle. But eventually she pointed out to the current owners that selling to me means that the business stays within a family already based in Charming." I smile at him, the corners of my mouth hurting a little with the width of it "I signed the paperwork while I was there. And Elliot's valuation paperwork was done on Scoops this morning; it's being typed up and sent to Mandy tomorrow. The paperwork for that is waiting to be signed when the figures are put in."

Jax's eyebrows almost hit his hairline "How long were you there for?"

"Not long, Mandy had just finished getting everything sorted for me when I pulled up. The only downside is that to secure Shermans I had to spend a bit more than I wanted."

"How much more?"

"About 100 grand more." I sigh and lay back down, my head pillowed on Jax's arm "I had hoped to get it for under 500; I thought 450 would be about right, but Zobelle is an asshole and we ended up at 600 before Mandy pulled out the family connection to town."

Jax's eyes widen almost impossibly huge "You paid over half a million dollars for that tiny building?"

I nod quietly "Well actually, I haven't yet. Gotta add that to the list of things to do when we see Patrick on Wednesday. Are we still taking the bike?"

Jax shakes his head "Nah, we'll take your cage instead. It's one I don't mind driving."

I roll my eyes "How would you know?"

"True. I guess I'll find out." Jax looks thrilled at the idea and I internally cringe at the thought of speeding tickets that may be on the way.

I nod and pull the blankets as high as I can, with the amount of ink that's just been done I end up with them piled on my waist. Jax glances over and twists slightly readjusting himself so he's lying on his side, his arm resting so that the inked forearm is aiming up. "I think you should sleep naked every night."

I laugh and poke him in the side "I will be for at least a few days anyway."

Jax smiles brightly again and winks "Sounds like a good plan."

My eyes drift closed and I nod slightly "I'm sure you think so."

Leaning over Jax kisses my forehead again and whispers "Go to sleep babe, it's been a long day."

I blink my eyes open slowly, taking a few seconds to focus I nod against his skin when I see his eyes already closing.