4

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

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Chapter 430 Normal Life

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Scarlett got into the van with a bag that contained the food for the next day. They didn't need luggage of any kind. Both had clothes and other essentials at the lake house so they didn't have to bother packing bags.

"Do you want me to help with the driving?" Scarlett asked as she put the bag in the seat behind her.

"No, I've got it."

"How is your friend?"

"He's going to be OK. He's a part time motorcycle stuntman. He slid underneath a hay truck and out the other side with a few scratches, some bruised ribs and some minor swelling in his brain. He'll spend a night or two in the hospital."

"That's amazing."

"He's the only one in the MC that could have made that slide under the hay truck. He was chasing after one of the guys that tried to kill me—Esai Alvarez. He was waiting in the chair factory for us. Kozik and Happy waited outside. They were about to leave when Esai rode away and they chased him."

"I figured he went to Mexico."

"His friend Hector Salazar wasn't with him. He might have gotten smart and gone to Mexico. Opie, Sack and I went to the chair factory to take a look around. Maybe get a clue as to where Esai might have gone. Sack kicked the door and there was this flash of bright light and a big bang. He'd hooked the door up to a flash bang grenade."

"Oh, my God."

"Yeah, that's what we thought. We didn't go inside. He could have booby trapped the entire place. The flash bang grenade might have been a mistake. He probably meant to use an explosive grenade. Clay will call Unser to tip the county to check out the place for explosives."

"Anyone could have gone through that door. He's being reckless. He's not just a danger to the MC, he's a danger to everyone else."

Jax nodded grimly. Scarlett had quickly understood the danger posed by Esai.

"We thought the bounty would help us get rid of him. Motivate people to kill him. It isn't working."

"He was alone. That's good. He doesn't have a whole MC behind him."

"It means we're not at war with an MC. Definitely good news."

"You've been shot and nearly killed. Today, you were lured to a trap and you could have been blown up if that idiot had used the right kind of grenade. That's a lot."

Jax couldn't read Scarlett. He couldn't tell how she felt about what had been a very dangerous couple of weeks.

"Am I going to lose you because of all the violence," Jax asked. He wasn't serious. He expected her to quickly assure him that wouldn't happen. Instead the silence between them seemed to drag on and on.

"David kept making up excuses to be alone with me," Scarlett said softly.

Jax felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He knew that Hale was in love with Scarlett and he knew that he would take advantage of Scarlett's helping at the police department.

"Doesn't surprise me," he said tightly.

"I thought of what my life would look like if I were with him."

"What would your life look like?" Jax said keeping his voice level. He was angry with Hale and Scarlett. He couldn't believe that he could actually lose her to Hale.

"Safe and normal. My life ever since before my mother died hasn't been normal or safe. I saw this nice normal life stretching out before me if I were with David."

Jax Teller had never been dumped by a girl in his entire life. When he and Tara split, he was done with the relationship. She may have formally ended things, but he'd mentally checked out of their relationship so he didn't count that.

It wasn't getting dump that bothered him. It was losing Scarlett. He loved her and he wouldn't let her go without a hell of a fight.

"Is that what you want?"

He turned his head to look at Scarlett. She had a serious look on her face.

"When my dad and I had to run from my psycho ex, I had to eventually realize that I'm never going to have a truly normal life, but today, with David, I saw a chance at a normal life. Being married to a cop could give me the protection I need. David is so upright and starched; he could be on a recruiting poster for cops. He's practically got "marriage material" stamped across his forehead."

"What's stamped across my forehead?"

"Run like hell," Scarlett said with a faint smile, "in flashing red lights."

"Damn that tattoo artist!" Jax said with mock anger. "I asked for "hi, darlin'".

Jax was trying to keep it light, but he was beginning to feel broken inside. It wasn't losing her to Hale that hurt; it was losing her. He hadn't seen it coming. He had sensed that she was holding back though and that something wasn't quite right with her. His heart began to pound uncomfortably in his chest.

"If I'd met you and I had a normal life, I wouldn't have looked at you twice. You weren't the nice stable normal guy of my dreams. You were kind of like looking at a great picture of a dangerous place. Looking was enough. Anything more wasn't safe. I could feel myself starting to have feelings for you and I thought about leaving town. I'd come back in a couple of years and find Violet's killer."

"You didn't leave."

"No, I didn't. Today with David, I realized that being with him for short periods of time was OK, but much more than that and I'd be bored out of my mind. I don't want safe and normal."

Jax hadn't realized it, but he'd been holding his breath as she spoke. He let out his breath and felt relief flow through his body.

"It took you long enough to get to that point."

"You have danger attached to you, but there's danger attached to me. You are the only person I've trusted outside my father and Violet who knows about me and my past. I trust you. I never thought I'd ever say that to anyone."

Jax took one hand off the steering wheel and squeezed Scarlett's hand.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she said, "and I have a plan on how you can kill Esai."

And that was one of the reasons he loved Scarlett. She could tell him she loved him and then tell him she has a plan to kill someone.