5

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

Chapter 76 Confessed

Jax was shocked by Scarlett's confession. He had this image of her as this fun-loving, bubbly girl that had never been touched by any great tragedy. It showed just how far off he was about her or, maybe it showed how well she could hide the harsh truths of her past.

"Now, I get the whole gun thing," Jax said.

"No one ever thinks that rich people are criminally insane. Money gives them immunity to problems like that. That and they can hire mental health professionals to treat them around the clock and drug them into appearing normal."

"I get why you couldn't fight him. Even if you could prove that he was guilty of all kinds of crimes, he could still have you killed. He'd get a team of lawyers and they would probably get him off."

"Yeah, we really don't have equal justice here. It's a theory but some can afford the best legal minds in the country and others get public defenders with little experience, it's not a fair fight."

"Do you think he will ever just let it go and quit coming after you?"

"It sounds horrible, but sometimes I hope that he'll find another girl to be with and let things go with me. My father and I have talked about faking our deaths, but he was the resources to investigate that. I'm sure he would send a team to get the DNA from our dead bodies. It would take a lot of planning and we would have to get more people involved. That makes it dangerous for them and us."

"If you can get him arrested and then fake your deaths, he might be so busy trying to stay out of prison that he would just accept that you and your father were dead."

"That's still going to be hard because getting the proof isn't going to be easy. I was watching a TV show and in this one folder, they had all the info to get this corrupt judge arrested. It's no where near that easy in real life. My father made me realize that the best thing I can do is be happy. My ex wants me to be miserable and I'm not going to let him destroy my future. He can stay locked in the past, brooding and obsessing over me. I'm not going to live my life like that."

Scarlett directed Jax through a series of getting off and getting on the freeway. She was watching for surveillance.

Jax had been watching for anyone following them since Scarlett had thought they might have been followed earlier. Now that he knew of her past, he understood why she was so careful about security.

"No one is following us, at least not that I can tell. I know that first rate surveillance is done with multiple cars. I'm just on edge because it's the fourth anniversary. If he knew I was in Charming, he would have taken me. Sometimes the fear overwhelms my common sense."

"I think you are brave. You aren't hiding in some remote cabin. You are out trying to live your life."

"Thanks. I usually do a better job of not letting my past haunt me. This is just a bad day. I know you are going through something bad too. Notice, I'm not asking you questions."

"Clever," Jax said.

What he was going through with Wendy and the baby would soon be in the past. What Scarlett was going through was something she had to live with every single day of her life. He admired her for the way she was handling the situation. There was a lot of emotional strength behind that beautiful exterior.

"When I left you at your motel the first time, I had a soon-to-be ex-wife and an unborn baby. When I returned less than two hours later, I didn't have a soon-to-be ex and an unborn baby."

Jax watched as Scarlett chewed her lip.

"It's really hard not to ask questions," she said.

"You motivated me. I decided to see Wendy and figure things out about the baby. I found her on the floor unconscious. I called paramedics and she was rushed to the hospital. Guess who was one of the doctors on duty?"

"Tara. She's the only doctor's name I know, so it wasn't a hard question."

"She was there. I called my mother. She and some of the guys from the MC met me at the hospital.

"Wendy didn't make it. Tara told me they suspected the crank was cut with something toxic. She felt that if Wendy had a simple overdose, she would have made it. They are going to do an autopsy on Wendy. They delivered the baby.

"In addition to being early, the crank had caused problems for the baby. The baby died."

"I'm so sorry," Scarlett said.

"Thanks. Tara had one last surprise for me. In high school, she and I gave blood for a blood drive my MC puts on every year. She remembered my blood type from the drive. She looked at the baby's blood type and realized I couldn't have been the father."

"She told you about the death before the paternity?"

"Yeah. That was bad enough, but then she and my mother got into a physical fight at the hospital. They've never really gotten along."

"Was the baby a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. Wendy and I had decided on Abel for a boy and Bela for a girl."

"Same letters, just a different arrangement. I like that."

"They are going to do an autopsy on the baby too."

"That's awful. Poor little baby."

"Unloved, unwanted and now dead," Jax said. "Tara said under the law that I'm presumed to be the father and I would need to talk to an attorney about how to deal with the paternity issue."

"It may have some ramifications on who pays for the baby's medical bills too."

"I get health insurance from work and Wendy and the baby are covered."

"That makes it easier. Do you think Wendy knew the baby wasn't yours?"

"Based on how far along she was in her pregnancy, Wendy knew."

"I don't fully understand how you feel or how your mother feels. I keep picturing a little baby's body in a cold drawer at the hospital's morgue. She's known no love in her short little life. Maybe you let her carry your name because Bela deserves a little compassion.

"You would be sort of saying that you are sorry that she's dead. Your baby or not, she deserves a little kindness. Be a better man and give the baby your last name, not because she's yours but because you're sorry that she didn't live."

"That makes a lot of sense," Jax said. "I've just been so angry at Wendy for overdosing and lying about the baby's paternity. You make a lot of sense."

Jax surprised himself by agreeing with Scarlett, but it was the least he could do for poor little Bela.

He knew he would have a battle on his hands with Gemma. She would oppose the idea of giving the baby the "Teller" last name because the baby had no Teller blood, but it was his decision. He was an adult. He didn't need his mother making decisions for him.

He had a feeling that he and Gemma were going to clash more frequently.