The Reaper Prince

Chapter Ten

     When I woke up that morning I had no idea what was in store. "Max, is everything set up at Jax's house?" Gemma asked as she was looking over a list. "Yes, everything and then some. I was working for hours to make sure it was all perfect." I replied before grabbing my keys and bag. "I'll see you tonight at Jax's, right?" She asked me, I nodded in response as I walked out the door. After going to the last ten stores for everything we need for the party tonight, it was damn near time for me to head to Jax's house to set up. I had just reached my car when I saw a burn on the drivers side door. Did someone seriously brand my car? Then I happened to notice that the shape looked familiar. I immediately got nervous and looked around the parking lot for anything suspicious. But there wasn't, until I got into my car and found a photo of myself in front of Jax's house with a note saying "Stay away and no one gets hurt." My heart sank like a rock, I knew I had to go home. Can I just get away from past already!! I looked at all the party supplies and started hyperventilating. "Ok. This is what you do. Go drop everything off in Gemma's car. Then go home and lock all the doors." The plan was easy enough to say out loud. Dropping the supplies off was no problem but I froze in my seat as I parked in my driveway, just staring in the darkness. I couldn't go into that house alone, the thought alone terrified me.

    I decided to stay at the clubhouse for the night, to avoid the possibility of putting anyone in harms way. After a couple glasses of whiskey I had decided to attend Wendy's funeral. If that's what you want to call it when you cremate someone after hours. After knocking on the door a large, balding man opened the door. "I'm here to see Wendy." He nodded and gestured for me to walk in. I was the only person in attendance, the room was small, dark and hot. I could feel such incredible heat coming from the furnace. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I wish I could have met you before all this, then maybe you'd still be here. I swear to God, Wendy. Abel will know who you were, and he will always be safe." A small tear came to my eye as I watched her body go into the furnace. As soon as I climbed into my car, I got a phone call from a frantic Gemma. "Max! I need you to come to Jax's house! There's been an accident and someone has to be with the baby." I looked at the photo for a long minute before replying. "Actually my car blew a tire and I don't have a spare. Can you drop him off at the clubhouse?" There was silence for what felt like forever. "Sure sweetheart. We will be there in ten minutes." She hung up the phone just in time for me to race back to T.M.

   I had pulled into the parking lot with three minutes to spare. Just long enough to stab my tire and hide my spare. This seems excessive. But I feel like that crazy hag might actually check my story. I ran into the clubhouse just as Gemma pulled in and honked her horn. "What happened?" I asked her as I was unbuckling the carseat and grabbing the baby bags. "I'm not sure yet, but I'm about to find out. Thank you for everything Max." She looked at me, like she knew I had a secret, as she backed out of the parking lot. I could hear sirens in the distance as I shut the clubhouse door behind me. I sat on Jax's bed as I cradled Abel in my arms, gently rocking him. The sound of a bunch of people walking in woke him up, causing him to cry. "Shhhh... It's ok." I said trying to sooth him. "One evening when the sun went down, and the jungle fires were burnin'. Down the track came a hobo hiking, and he said "boys I'm not turnin' " I'm headed for a land that's far away, beside the crystal fountains. So come with me, and we'll go and see, the big rock candy mountains." After singing one verse he went soundly back to sleep. A while later Jax showed up looking very distraught. After he sat next to me he broke down. "What happened?" I whispered. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Donna was murdered after she left the party."