Chapter 7

Charlotte sat on the benches outside the clubhouse in the early morning sun. She turned her head when she heard the door open, seeing Tara walk out. "Hey." She greeted.

"Hi Charlotte, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting on Gemma, my turn to go check on the Irish patient."

"You headed into work after?"

"No just finished my shift after the trip to the cabin it's home and straight to bed."

Tara motioned to the pregnant belly Charlotte now sported "How are you feeling, are you taking it easy?"

"Yeah, can't hide it anymore had to tell administration they put me on light duty, no lifting patients, no doubles, 8 hour shifts only and must have 13 hours between shifts now."

"Well, that's good news, what about the shifts at the prison?"

"They put me on administrative leave, pregnant nurse and a prison full of violent men, too much of a liability."

"I'm sure Jax was happy about that."

"Of course, we've never agreed completely on that. But my jobs still there after I have the baby." Charlotte stood when she saw Gemma's car pulled into TM. "Wish me luck being stuck in a car with Gemma for the next hour."

Tara chuckled "Better you than me?"

Charlotte went to walk away but turned "Hey, Tara?"

"Yeah." She called back as she was walking to her own car.

"I'll be 21 weeks in 3 weeks my OB scheduled the anatomy scan. Can you maybe be there, you know if anything's wrong."

Tara smiled "Of course Charlotte, I'd love to."

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

"What we're you and your BFF talking about?" Gemma asked once Charlotte was seated next to her.

"Play nice Gemma?" Charlotte chided back.

"I am, this is me being nice."

Gemma pulled out of the TM parking lot leaving Tara in her rear view mirror. She reached over tugging on the bow that cinched up Charlotte's new maternity scrubs. "This is cute, Mom."

"Everything I wear now has elastic, I've given up stylish for cute and comfortable."

"Well, it looks good on you, you've got that pregnancy glow."

"I'm pretty sure that's from all the greasy food I've been eating can't eat enough fried food lately. Went from puking to shoving my face with anything in front of me."

Charlotte napped the rest of the way to the cabin. She was cleaning Cameron's healing wound and putting a new bandage in place when Gemma's phone rang. She couldn't help but overhear the tense conversation, she asked after Gemma flipped her phone closed "What's wrong?"

"Fucking ATF bitch is sniffing around, we gotta get him outta here. Is he safe to travel?"

"Yeah, wounds pretty much healed. You'll need to finish the antibiotics and change your bandages for the next week, then you should be good. Just take it easy."

"I will, thank ya Charlotte and make sure to tell the doc thank ya to."

When they were back in the car headed to charming Gemma asked, "You got anything in your past that they can press you on?"

"Gemma, you know all my past, nothing there. Some underage drinking spent a night or two in jail for it, but Wayne never filed charges though."

"Good, keep it that way."

"Gemma what do you think I'm going to do? I work and go home, my party days are done."

"You can never trust pregnancy hormones to not make you do crazy shit."

"What's your excuse for bashing someone's face in with a skateboard?"

"That's menopause hormones and love for my man."

Charlotte showered and changed at the clubhouse she waved to Gemma as she drove out of TM. When she was halfway home, she heard the chirp of a police siren. Looking in her rear view mirror she saw the lights flashing behind her she pulled over to the side. She saw Eglee get out from the cruiser and walk towards her open window. "Hi what's up?"

"Hi Charlotte, sorry I'm going to have to have you step out."

"Alright." Charlotte said confused but complied. "What's this about?"

"I'm going to have to bring you in." Candy said looking at the ground.

"What the fuck for?"

"Suspended license."

"Who suspended my license!" Charlotte said, her voice almost a shout.

"Hale, unpaid parking tickets, failure to appear." When Charlotte went to protest Eglee held her hand up. "I know Charlotte it's bullshit, but Hale put it out to bring you in. You'll just have to pay the tickets and fine and you'll be right out."

"Since when has anyone that lives in Charming actually paid a parking ticket?"

"Hale is on some power trip getting chummy with the ATF. He wants Wayne out and the Sons out he'll do anything I think to get that done. Who do you want me to call to come get you?"

"Call Gemma she'll stick her foot so far up Hales ass he'll regret he was born."

Charlotte got in the back of Eglee's car thankful the woman at least didn't put her in cuffs. When they got to the station Eglee let her inside where Hale was waiting. "What the fuck David, a bench warrant for me over parking tickets."

"It's the law Charlotte, come on I'll put you in one of the interview rooms you don't have to go into a cell."

When she was seated Hale went to leave the room, she shouted "Being some bitches lapdog is not a good look for you."

Charlotte remained seated when the blonde woman in a pants suit entered and dropped a folder on the table and took a seat across from her. "Hello Miss Case, I'm June Stahl." The woman said introducing herself.

"And?" Charlotte responded curtly.

Agent Stahl flipped open the manilla folder "You're a smart girl Charlotte."

"I'd like to think so."

"Well, your education and career prove that. I'd like to think you just made a bad decision and now you're wrapped up in something you don't want to be in and can't get out of."

"What is it that you think I'm involved in?"

"Not involved but let's say entangled. Obviously, you fell for Mr. Tellers charm, I get that, bad boy and you always being the good girl, wanting to live on the wild side. But what happens now Charlotte. Now that Jax isn't sleeping in your bed."

"You don't know shit about me and Jax."

"Maybe." She said taking photos out of the folder placing them in front of Charlotte. "I do know him, and Dr. Knowles have become quite close. We've had the clubhouse under surveillance for weeks and it's her that is coming and going not you.

Charlotte sighed, looking down at the pictures all of them with Tara, her and Jax hand in hand, ones of them kissing. "So." Charlottes stated.

"How do you think this ends for you, you think if it comes down to it, he'd give two shits about you. He dropped your sister for you and dropped you pregnant with his child for Tara. You're expendable Charlotte, you do one wrong step get involved in any of their crimes you'll go down for it. And he'll skate right by letting you take the fall. What happens to your baby if you go to jail?"

Charlotte laughed "Jesus, I've got a couple of parking tickets you got nothing on me."

"Right now, yes but how long does that good fortune hold out for you, how long until the club needs you to do something for them? Do you think I'd be here if we had nothing on them? Eventually it will happen Charlotte where you're on the other side of this table in handcuffs. You know I'm right Charlotte, I'm not stupid and neither are you. I know you've been a part of something even if you saw or heard anything you're an accessory. Think about your future and that babies' future."

"And what, you're going to be the one to save me?"

"I'm you're out Charlotte, I can get you out of Charming away from this, keep you out of ending up in jail or worse, dead. That's your only future right now being involved with the club. Don't let that baby be raised without a mother. You know what that's like losing your mother."

With those words a small tear escaped Charlottes eyes. "You're right, God your right. I don't want my baby to grow up without me. I've seen things, done things, you have to help me. I'll tell you everything, but you have to get me out of here where they can't find me. They'll kill me." Charlotte sobbed out grasping the woman's hand in hers.

"It's okay Charlotte we'll keep you safe. I just need you to give me a signed statement of what you know and then I can get you Witsec you'll be safe here and we'll have you out of Charming within the hour."

Stahl pulled out a pen and placed it on top of a blank notepad and slid it towards Charlotte. "I'm sorry can I get something to drink maybe some juice I can feel my blood sugars dropping, all this stress it's not good for the baby."

"Of course, you start writing I'll get you something to drink and find a snack for you." Stahl said, getting up and going to the door. "You're making the right decision Charlotte."

"I know." Charlotte said back, grabbing a tissue from the box on the table blotting her eyes.