Chapter 68: Go Fishing

Bella POV

I couldn't believe it. Hap had admitted the night before that he wanted a relationship with me. And he didn't care that I was raising Ope's kids. I felt that I at least needed to talk to Kenny and Ellie about it. I didn't want them to think that I'd just forgotten about their dad. That would never happen. But was it too soon for me to move on? I was pulled from my thoughts by my phone ringing. "Hello?"

Jax POV

"Dada? Wake up Dada."

"Hey buddy. How you feeling?" I asked Abel.

"I'm hungry." He said.

"Okay. What do you feel like having?" I asked.

"Cookies." He said.

"Good choice, a little milk on the side?" I asked and he nodded. "Coming right up."

Gemma POV

"You like it black with sugar, right?" Nero asked me.

"Yeah, thanks." I said, taking a drink of my coffee.

"You haven't said much since your boy was here." He said.

"Yeah, he kind of leaves me speechless these days. Setting the rules for grandma." I said.

"Right." Nero said.

"How about you and Jax? I'm off limits." I said.

"Yeah, well, I'm a little too old for dating rules." Nero said. "I see who I want to see."

"Is that what this is? We seeing each other?" I asked.

"Yeah. I see you Gemma." Nero said.

"I got to get to the garage. Bella's off today." I told him.

"You know who I haven't seen in a few days is Lucius. And since my truck is MIA, I was wondering maybe you want to give me a ride, meet my boy." Nero said.

"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea." I said.

"Come on, he likes to meet my friends. Especially the pretty ones. He's a bit of a player." He said.

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Let me, um…let me just check in at TM, and, uh, pick you up around noon." I said.

"I appreciate that." He said.

Bella POV

Mid morning Mary dropped the kids off. I decided to get her opinion while I had her. "Can I ask you something?" I asked Mary.

"What's on your mind?" She said.

"Do…Do you think that it's too soon for me to move on?" I asked.

She was quiet for a minute. "Is there someone?" She asked. I nodded. "Does he make you happy?" I nodded. "Ope would want you to be happy Bella. So, in my opinion if he treats you and my grandkids well, then I say go for it." Mary said.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." I said.

"Enjoy life Bella." Mary said before she turned and headed back to her car.

Tara POV

"Good morning." Margaret said as I made my way to Abel's room.

"Morning." I said.

"I just got a call from the CDCR supervisor. They want you to check in at Stockton." She said.

"They say why?" I asked.

"No, just that it was urgent." She said.

"Okay, thanks." I said.

"Oh, I also changed your insurance status. You still had yourself listed as single. Jax and Abel are covered under your insurance now." She said.

"Great, thank you." I said.

Margaret headed off wherever she needed to be and I called Stockton. I finished my call just as I got to Abel's room. "I just got off the phone with Stockton." I told Jax. "Their primaries are down with the flu and they asked me if I could come in this afternoon."

"No, babe, come on. Let's wait till Abel's home. You got enough on your plate." Jax said.

"We might have a problem. There was never any documentation of my connection to the club. All my records here, I'm single. But Margaret just updated my insurance status to cover Abel's stay." I said.

"Oh. Shit." Jax said.

"It might be a matter of time before the CDCR flag that I'm, you know, married to a felon." I said. "I should go. Try again."

Jax's phone started ringing. "Yeah. Okay." He answered it. "Hey what's up." He said. "Oh shit. Thanks brother. All right yeah I'm on the way." He said and then hung up. "Bobby picked up Chibs." He said.

"Oh thank god." I said.

"All right. I want Rat to go with you to Stockton. Stay in touch?" He said.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"All right." He said before he kissed me and left.

Jax POV

When I left the hospital, I headed over to the clubhouse to meet up with the rest of the guys. "Hey. The prodigal Scot." I said. "Oh, man." I said looking at his head. "Thank god you're all right." I said. "What happened?"

"Frankie, he dumped me out on the 99." Chibs said. "I really thought he was gonna put a bullet in the back of my head. Some trucker found me."

"Jesus Christ, man." I said. "Did you see anything?"

Chibs shook his head. "Too dark. White SUV. I couldn't see faces, plates." He said. "Somebody's helping him."

"Seems to be heading north, maybe breaking for Canada." Bobby said.

"No, Tahoe." Hap said. "Just talked to Quinn. He found Frankie."

"Well, let's go." I said. "Come on."

"Quinn says Frankie's in South Tahoe. Hooked up with Leo Pirelli's crew." Hap said.

"He's bought himself some mob protection." I said.

"Is that solid intel?" Clay asked. "'Cause I'm a little cautious when it comes to Nomad integrity."

"Quinn knows every pimp and hooker in a 300 mile radius. Frankie still likes them young and slanted." Hap said.

"Yeah, pussy tells all." Tig said.

"All right, give him a call when we break. Tell him we're on our way. Make sure it's real." I said. Even though I didn't doubt Hap. If he trusted Quinn, then I trusted him. Clay on the other hand? Not in a million years.

"Leo runs book and poker clubs. It's a quiet crew, man. Maybe Cacuzza could reach out, explain our situation. Do this the easy way." Bobby said.

"Yeah. I can call Jimmy." Clay said.

"What happens when we find Frankie?" Juice asked.

"We cut his head off." Chibs said.

"First we press him on the attacks, find out who's calling the shots." I said.

"Let's vote this shit." Tig said.

"Okay, we all know what Frankie did to compromise this club. Vote's got to be unanimous. All in favor of stripping his patch?" I said.

There were yays all around the table. "As far as Mr. Meyhem goes, let's hear the pros and cons." I said.

"He tried to kill you. That would be a pro." Tig said.

"We only got the word of a non-member." I said.

"Gogo and Greg tried to kill Unser. Nomads were on a spree." Clay said.

"Yeah, and he shot Lyla, tried to whack me." Chibs said. "Frankie's made his bed, Jackie."

"Anyone else?" I asked. No one said anything. "All in favor of Frankie Diamonds meeting Mr. Mayhem?" There were yays all around the table. Okay, let's find him." I dismissed Church and asked Bobby and Chibs to stay back. "We can't kill Frankie. Roosevelt, last night, made me an offer. He knows all about you, Otto and RICO. He said we got a rat at our table. Someone gave up intel on Galindo." I told them.

"Christ." Bobby said.

"He wants to trade him for Frankie." I said.

"Do you believe him?" Bobby asked.

"Eli must've been working with the U.S. attorney. He knows something." I said.

"So how do we make that work?" Chibs asked.

"First we gotta make sure that Clay doesn't get to Frankie before we do. 'Cause he is gonna blow his goddamn head off." I said.

"Yeah, well, how do we stop the rest of them from doing that?" Bobby asked.

I sighed. He had a point. "When we find Frankie, I insist on pulling the trigger. Then you and me split off to do the kill. We take him someplace the sheriff can intercept." I said.

"What do you say?" I asked.

Gemma POV

"Club going on a run?" I asked Clay.

"Yep. Tahoe. Looking for the lost Nomad." Clay said.

"You riding?" I asked him.

"I'm gonna try." Clay said. "I Juice in the van."

"Be careful." I said.

"Hey, uh, I got a call from Skeeter. He's got Nero's whore set aside." Clay said. My face must have said confusion on it. 'Cause he explained.
"You know, her ashes."

"Oh. Okay. Hey um, thanks again for handling all that." I said.

"Your welcome." He said.

Tara POV

"Dr. Knowles, Pamela Toric. I'm your charge nurse today." The girl said.

"Oh." I said.

"Thanks for filling in, we're like blind babies in a beehive, here." Pamela said.

"Oh no problem." I said.

"I was going through your follow-up requests. See Otto Delaney came in for staph, he was prescribed methicillin. So why do you need to see him again?" She asked.

"Uh, he was very sensitive to light. I'm afraid the staph might be a precursor to meningitis." I said.

"Shit. Ok. Bring him in and order the tests. I'm around if you need me." She said.

"Thanks." I said.

Jax POV

"Hey Quinn!" I said when we pulled up.

"Hey brother." Quinn said. He greeted the rest of the guys. "Sorry to hear about Ope." He said and I nodded. "Pirelli's inside."

"What do you guys need?" The guy at the door asked.

"We're just looking around, big fella." I said.

"Yeah, we're a quiet place. Gotta do it without the patches." He said.

"Hey, take it easy. We're just here to see Pirelli, Okay?" Chibs said.

"That's Leo right there." Quinn said.

"Leo!" I yelled. "You made a big mistake helping Frankie Diamonds, man." I said.

"All right, out. Move!" The guy at the door said.

"Hey, hey. Hey!" Chibs said wrestling with the guy at the door.

We managed to get inside and get to Pirelli. "What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Pirelli asked. "Somebody sneezes, you throw a fist? How do you get any business done?"

"Frankie Diamonds. Leo, we know you're helping him get out of the states." I said.

"You don't know shit." Pirelli said.

I sighed. "You know, Frankie Diamonds stole half a million dollars from me and my associates. He's using our cash to bankroll his exit. If you think we're noisy, wait till the cartel and the IRA come knocking." I said.

"Machetes and grenade launchers? They can spill a few stacks of chips." Bobby said.

"We just want Frankie." Quinn said.

"You can even keep the cash." I said.

"Make a call. Follow us. But if you're telling me a story, kid, this ain't gonna be such a beautiful, sunshiny day here in the splendor of the lakes. You understand?" Pirelli said.

"Not exactly, but I think I get the point."

Tara POV

"Restraints?" I asked.

"Mr. Delaney likes to stick things in peoples ears. Be careful. I'll send someone in to do the blood and CT's." Pamela said.

"Thanks." I said and she walked out.

"Now I know why they've been forcing antibiotics down my throat. You're a persistent little gash." Otto said.

"Yes I am. I brought you something." I said.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked me.

"To remind you of the things you love. I know why you want to die, Otto. It's not just about losing Luann. It's about the guilt you feel turning on the club." I said.

"You a shrink, now, too?" He asked.

"No. I'm an old lady. Protecting my man. Just like Luann would've done for you." I said.

I showed him the perfume bottle. "Put some on your wrist. Please?" He said and I brought my wrist close so he could smell it. "Closer."

Bella POV

After Mary left, I sat made the kids some lunch and sat down with them. "I need to talk to you guys." I said.

"What's wrong Bella?" Ellie asked me.

"Nothing's wrong. I-I…what do you guys think about me dating?" I asked.

They looked in shock at first. "Is this about Happy?" Ellie asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Ellie sat her sandwich back on her plate. "He looks at you the same way that Dad used to. Bella, Dad wouldn't want you to be alone. If you want to date someone… we're okay with it." Ellie said as she look over at Kenny and he nodded.

"Thanks guys. I didn't want to do something and you guys think that I'd forgotten about your dad." I said.

"Never." Kenny said.

Jax POV

Somehow Clay and Juice had beaten us to where Frankie was. When we got to them, Clay had a shotgun pointed at him. "Lower the shotgun." I said.

"You piece of shit." Pirelli said.

Clay shot him anyway. "Not the way I wanted this to happen." I said.

"I'm an idiot for trusting Frankie. Sometimes, I lean too much on his guinea thing." Pirelli said.

"So how are we gonna make this right?" I asked.

"Cover the damage at the club and cabin. Guns, cash, don't matter. I'll call it even." Pirelli said.

"Fair enough." I said.

I walked over to where Bobby was standing. "We okay?" He asked.

"Oh, great. You got a van or a truck I can borrow?" I asked Quinn. "We gotta haul Frankie back." I said.

"Yeah." Quinn said.

"Thanks bro." I said before I walked over to where Clay was. "How'd you know where Frankie was?"

"Cacuzza. He called right as you guys were pulling out. Me and Juice wanted to check it out before we hit you up." Clay said.

"Make sure it was real." Juice said.

"It was real." I said.

Tara POV

"Sorry about all the tests." I said to Otto. "You need to recant your statement Otto. Say you lied. Do something to kill this RICO case." I said.

"Where's the perfume?" He asked.

"I have it. It's in my pocket." I said.

"Unhook my hand. Just the right. Please I'm not going to hurt you." Otto said. I pulled the perfume out and let him smell it. "Come to me. Hold my head."

"I don't think you should…" I trailed off.

"Please. I just want to feel a woman's hand on me…one more time." Otto said. "Please?"

Jax POV

"Hey, thanks for the truck man." I said.

"Any time bro. I'm here." Quinn said.

"What are you gonna do about Eli?" Bobby asked.

"Deliver the third Nomad." I said.

"Oh come on. What, you gonna prop him up in the front seat of the truck and play weekend at Frankie's?" Bobby asked.

"I'm more concerned what we do about him?" I asked Bobby looking over at Clay.

"We got nothing, brother." Bobby said.

"We know it was Clay." I said.

"Yeah but we need tangible evidence. The guy who could give to us is dead. We take this to the club with just Frankie's story, sorry Clay stays put. And you look vindictive and weak." Bobby said.

"Yeah."

Tara POV

I was sitting in the kitchen when Jax walked in. "You're back." He said. "Did you see Otto?"

"Yes, I did." I said.

"What happened?" He asked me.

"Uh, it was just incredibly sad. He's just emotionally broken. The perfume crushed him. He was sobbing. I think I got through to him." I said.

"Thank you for doing this." He said.

There was a knock at the front door, followed by it opening. "What are you doing here?" He asked Gemma.

"Figured I should return my house key." She said.

"That it?" Jax asked.

"No. Sit down. Please?" She said. "I can count the times I've been truly happy on one hand: you and your brother…Abel and Thomas." She said.

"I know." Jax said.

"I like Nero, Jax. Haven't felt…light in a very long time. That thing you want me to do…with Clay? I can't do both." She said. "And your right. We lay down together, things get old and familiar. If I'm gonna go back to that place…I need to know what you promised is real." She said.

"It's real." Jax said.

"Not from you. From her." She said, looking at Tara.

"I'm aware what Jax asked you to do. And if you help him get what he needs from Clay, you can have that key back. And the family that goes with it." I said.

"You good?" Jax asked her.

"No, son. I'm really not." She said.

Gemma POV

"Hey." Clay said when I walked in.

"I thought you might need a little relief after the run." I said.

"Sure. That'd be great. My hands missed you." Clay said.

"Sit." I said.

Bella POV

I dropped the kids off at Lyla's. I headed over to the Clubhouse. I found Hap sitting at the bar. I walked over to him and Rat handed me a beer. "Hey." He said.

"Hey. Can we talk?" I said to Hap.

"Sure. Come on." He said. He led me down the hall to where his room is. I walked in and he shut the door behind us. I turned around and looked at him. "What's on your mind?" He asked.

"I've been thinking ever since you left last night." I said.

"And…" He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I closed the distance between us. He looked into my eyes. I didn't know how to form the words that I wanted to say so I did the only thing that I could think of. I leaned up and kissed him.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Hap asked me when he pulled back from the kiss.

"It means I'm yours Happy Lowman." I said with a smile on my face.