Okay guys, here's chapter 22! Please enjoy and review!
"You know that ring looks hot as hell on you."
"It does, doesn't it? But, you're hotter than the ring."
"Oh really?"
"Definitely."
Jax kissed me lightly on the lips. A soft knock made itself known on the door. It was Opie.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt."
Jax hopped off the bed.
"Yeah, sure you are," he said with a smile.
Opie made his way over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"How are you and the baby feeling?"
"We're doing good, thank you."
Opie stood up straight and looked at Jax.
"Hey man, the rest of the club is outside. We'll fill you in."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Opie waved bye to me, and made his way down the hall.
"Leaving me so soon?"
"I'm sorry, babe. I need to take care of this."
"I understand. The doctor said if everything looks good, I might be able to go home today."
"I know. Call me if you need anything. "
"You got it.. fiancé."
He smiled and gave me a he was leaving, Gemma was walking in with flowers and food.
"Hey sweetheart. Where you headed Did you ask her?"
"Club business. And Yes I did. "
She turned her attention to me.
"Way to be vague."
"I know. It has become one of his many talents."
She put the flowers and food on the table next to me.
"I figured you would be hungry. When you're pregnant, you're pretty much hungry every ten seconds."
I smiled and hugged Gemma.
"Thank you."
She moved the table in front of me.
"It's pancakes and bacon. Jax told me it's your favorite."
"It is. It smells amazing."
I took the fork and knife out of the bag and started cutting the pancakes.
"Julia, I need to talk to you. I've been meaning to do so since you got out."
"Okay, what about?"
"A number of things. What happened to your dad, Jax, and what really happened to me."
I moved my food to the side.
"Gemma, what are you talking about?"
"Sweetheart, I wasn't in a car accident. I was raped. "
My mouth fell open and tears filled my eyes. I know what she has been through. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
I took Gemma's hand.
"Gemma, I'm so sorry. Does Jax know? Does Clay? Does anyone?"
"No just Unser... and now you."
"Gemma, you have to tell them."
"I can't.. that's what they want."
"Who's they?"
"The same man who raped me killed your father. Who framed you. I knew it was the same person when the surveillance video was shown in court."
"Why?"
"The figured that I would run to Clay and Jax about the rape and tell them every detail. Then seeing the video in court. They would put two and two together and come after him. I'm just afraid what will happen if they do figure it out."
I was feeling light headed with all this information being thrown at me. My father was killed because someone wanted to hurt the club? Gemma was raped repeatedly to hurt the club? How could someone do such soulless acts? As of right now, I was questioning how I felt about the club and whether I wanted Jax apart of it anymore.
"Then there's also Jax."
I let out a heavy sigh.
"How do you mean?"
"He hasn't been with the club lately. He will disappear for hours on end looking for your father's murderer. It's pissing Clay and some of the other guys off. I'm afraid he will knock on the wrong person's door one day. You probably are the only person who will get to him and tell him to stop."
"Okay.. I'll talk to him. I don't wanna lose any more people I care about."
"Did you find her?," Jax asked Opie, as they started their bikes.
" Yeah. Juice looked up her credit card information. The problem was she hasn't used her cards in months since they are all maxed out. But, he did run another trace on her sister's cards. The last purchase was made at the Moonlight motel outside of Charming."
"Alright, what the hell are we waiting for?"
Clay and Tig shook their heads.
"You two have a problem?", Jax asked, catching what they just did.
"No man," Tig replied.
"Actually, I do."
"Clay, come on. Drop it."
Clay ignored Bobby's pleas and stood in front of Jax's bike.
"Look, I know this colored broad means a lot to you. But, you're dropping way too many commitments for my liking."
"I know. It's really selfish of me to try and bring down my fiance's father's murderer. I should've checked with you first," Jax said in a sarcastic tone.
"Fiance? Why'd you propose to her for? Cuz you knocked her up, right?"
"Look asshole, I don't know why you have such a problem with Julia. But, I can tell you this. I don't give a shit what you think about her. What I do is none of your fucking business."
" It becomes my business when you start abandoning your brothers for a piece of ass."
Jax got off the bike and lunged at Clay. Clay and Jax fell to the ground. Jax threw his first swing before Opie pulled him off.
"Look man, it's not worth it. Let's go find Wendy, okay?"
Jax didn't say anything and got back on his bike. He revved it up, and took off in the direction of the motel. Opie took off after him.
"Clay, I know you're pissed. But telling Jax to drop this is a battle already lost. What if it was Gemma in that situation? You know you would be acting the same way. ", Bobby asked Clay.
Aj Weston barged into the cigar shop, making Holly jump.
"My dad's not here."
"Okay, then deliver this message to your old man. I'm tired of waiting around here for something to happen. I'm taking matter into my own hands."
Ethan walked into the shop, interrupting Aj's violent ranting.
"Mr. Weston, why are you so upset?"
"You said that Gemma would run and tell the club what we did to her. That they would figure out what we did to that nigger and her father. They haven't. I'm taking a more drastic approach. I'm fucking tired of this slow burn."
"What are you going to do, Aj? Kill Julia Carter? Kill Gemma?"
"If that is what it takes to come at us, then yes."
Jax and Opie pulled up in the motel's parking lot. Jax looked back at the road to see if the club were behind them.
It was just silence.
"So much for brotherhood," Jax muttered underneath his breath.
"You got me, man. Let's go find out what room she's in," Opie added, walking toward the main office.
There was banging on the door at room 3. Amy got up off the bed, and opened the door. Jax pushed his way in.
"Where is she?"
"Jax.."
Jax pushed Amy roughly against the wall.
"Amy, I'm not fucking kidding. She almost killed my fiancé, my child. Where the fuck is she?"
"Jax, if I tell you, you have to promise me you won't hurt her."
"Why should I make a promise I know I won't keep? You shouldn't be worrying about her. You should be worried about what I can do to you."
" She was here. But, she's staying at our aunt's now. 176 Mayview Avenue. "
Jax let go of her.
"Jax, please don't hurt her!," Amy yelled outside the room.
Gemma drove me home. I was released at the end of the day. I walked in the house and saw Neeta with Abel in the kitchen.
"Hey, welcome home."
"Thank you."
"You want me to stay? So you can get some rest?"
"It's okay, Neeta. You've done more than enough."
"Okay."
She handed Abel to me, and I gave him a kiss. I heated him up a bottle and sat down with him on the couch. As soon as I was about to call Jax and tell him I was home, he came through the door.
"Hey babe, why didn't you call me? I would've come and picked you up."
"It's okay. I didn't want to disturb you," I responded rocking Abel lightly to sleep.
I noticed Jax had blood on his shirt and hands.
"Jax, what did you do?"
"What I had to."
He made his way to the bathroom. I got up slowly, not wanting to wake a now sleeping Abel. I went into his room and placed him gently in his crib. Jax pulled off his shirt and turned on the shower. I turned off the shower.
"What are you doing?"
"You gonna answer me? You came home with blood on your shirt."
"It's nothing."
"Jax, I'm tired of you hiding shit from me! You told me you wouldn't do this anymore."
"Jules, what do you want me to say? That I killed someone today? Yeah, I killed someone today."
"Did that person do that to our face?"
He had a deep cut on his cheek. He touched it with his bloodied hand and winced. He forgot it was there until he touched it.
"Yeah, she did."
"Jax, you went after Wendy?", my eyes widened.
" I did. She got what she deserved. Jules, she would've come after you again if I didn't do something."
I left the bathroom and went into our room. I sat down on the bed. My fiancé just killed a woman? Yeah, she fucked up, and what she did was on purpose. Then, why am I letting my conscience get in the way? Yeah, a part of me wanted her dead in the worst way. But, a part of me wanted him to leave it alone. She ran after what she did to me and the baby. She was scared. And I think a part of her didn't mean for it to go that far. I did ask for the truth. I just didn't expect the truth to be so bone chilling.
Jax came into the room and got down on his knees in front of me.
"Baby, I told you I would do anything to protect you and our kids. Sometimes the anything could lead to murder."
I don't know what scared me more. How he was talking so nonchalantly about it, or how he expected me to brush this off. A part of him I never seen before. How far was he willing to go for me and our kids?
"I need to talk to you about that."
"Okay."
"Your mom told me that you have ben blowing off the club to find my father's murderer."
"She did?"
"Yes. Jax, as much as I love you for doing this for me, I need you to stop."
"Why?"
"Because it can get you killed."
"Jesus, Jules.."
He stood up and walked across the room.
"You can't say I'm overreacting cuz I'm not. This isn't just about me. You have a son, Jax. You have another child on the way. All children deserve to have a mother and a father."
"Jules, I'm careful. I can watch my ass. I can't believe you're expecting me to sit on my hands with this."
"For the sake of your life, yes. I'm expecting you to do just that."
Jax was ready to speak when the doorbell rang.
"Saved by the bell."
He picked up his gun off the nightstand and went to the front door. He pressed the gun to the back of the door and opened it.
A young teenaged colored girl with a badly beaten face stood before him, making him slip his gun in the back of his jeans.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Julia Carter. She's my cousin. I'm Shayna. Is she here?"
"Yeah, she is. Come on in."
She entered the house and sat down on the couch. Jax took off the blanket from hanging on the back of the couch and put it round the young girl's shoulders. Jax jogged to the master bedroom where he left me.
"Jules, your cousin Shayna is here."
"Shayna? Is she okay?"
"From the looks of it, no.
I got up quickly and went into the living room. Shayna stood up and hugged me, crying into my shoulder.
"Shayna, what the hell happened to you?"
She pulled away from me.
" My mom died a few months ago. Cocaine overdose. I was staying with my boyfriend for a while. Until he got drunk and did this to my face. "
"He did this to you? He do that often?"
"If you call every night often, then yeah. Julia, I have nowhere else to go. You're the only relative that isn't on some kind of drugs and actually gives a shit. Can I stay here with you? Please?"
"Shayna, I have to talk about it with my fiancé first. Go take a shower, I'll wash your clothes. I'll give you something of mine to wear for the night."
"Okay."
She walked past Jax and he just looked at me.
"Jax, she has no other family. Her dad left before she was born. Her mom was a train wreck. Can she stay here for a bit, until I can figure something out?"
"She's family. So, of course she can stay."
"Thank you."
He went into our bedroom and Shayna poked her head out of the bathroom.
"Oh my god, I'm not into white guys, but he is fine as hell. I promise I won't be a cock block. "
"Yeah, he has his moments."
"No wonder why you're pregnant."
"What?"
"Your jugs are huge. Unless, you got a boob job."
"Get in the shower, and clean yourself up please. "
She smiled.
"Yes, mom."
I came into the room. and the light was off.
After shayna took a shower, Jax took one himself.
I was laying on the opposite side of the bed when he came into bed. He laid there for a minute, looking over at her. He loved it when she snuggled up next to him. When she didn't, he felt cold.
"Jules, please don't be mad at me. "
I turned my head.
"I'm not mad at you, baby. I jut don't wanna lose you. I lost my mother and father. they meant so much to me. We almost lost Abel, our unborn child. The feeling of losing someone.. I just don't wanna feel it again. I don;t want our kid to ever feel that kind of pain. "
He rolled over, and moved closer to me.
"I'm not going anywhere. It's just the way I am. If somebody hurts someone I love and care about, I just lose it."
"I know. But, if you do go anywhere, I will kill you."
I snaked my arm around his neck.
" Yes mam."
I pulled his head down and we shared one more kiss before exhaustion took over the both of us, and fell asleep.