I'll Catch You

Chapter 22

When they arrived back at the clubhouse, Tara in chapel waiting for her patient, Jax immediately questioned her about the evening. "Was Mae with you tonight?"

Looking away from Cameron, Tara's eyes furrowed as she tried to decipher why he'd ask that question. "No, she never showed up. Why?" She closed her eyes for a second and swallowed hard. "Are we all in danger? Is that why you're asking?"

Jax shook his head. "No," there were too many people around to tell Tara the truth. "I just want to make sure everyone's accounted for. My mom?"

"She's got Kenny and Ellie," Tara looked at the wound and sighed. "I need to concentrate, Jax."

With a frustrated sigh, he left the room and headed out toward the boxing ring with Tig on his heels. "Did she know?"

"I made a joke," he shrugged. "She knew we were meeting with the Irish but not where or when."

"Jax, brother," Tig covered his mouth with his hand and sighed, turning away from his VP. "What are we gonna do about this?"

"We don't know anything for sure right now." Jax snapped in a harsh whisper. "You gotta sit on this, Tig. If anything happens to her and she's innocent, I won't keep quiet and you'll have to deal with Ope and the table. Hear me?"

"Yeah," there was a blank look his eyes and Jax couldn't tell if he was remorseful or vengeful. "You gonna find her?"

"I'm gonna try." Jax said as he moved quietly down the row to his bike. "Keep this between us, I mean it."

-

It wasn't too late but it was late enough that Mae should have been home when Jax arrived though the Winston house was dark. Sneaking around the side of the house, Jax jumped up to get a look in the yard before snatching the key hidden by the drainpipe.

Jax flicked on the light as he stepped into the living room. It was neat but something felt off. Chalking it up to the house looking like some kind of museum instead of being messy and 'lived in', Jax scanned the mail and counters before stepping back out into the humid evening.

"What are you doing?" Mae hopped out of her car as she saw Jax locking the front door. "Did Ope give you a key?"

"Yeah," Jax chuckled to cover himself. "For emergencies," he gave her a quick hug. "I was worried about you; Tara said you never showed up so I was coming by to check on you."

Mae didn't believe Jax. "I was visiting with an old friend."

"I didn't think you had old friends out here." Jax countered with a suspicious look. His eyes rolled over her and caught a dusting of dirt and some green smears on her jeans. As he moved to brush it off, Mae stepped back suddenly feeling anxious around him and his questions. "Just helping you out," he stepped back pointing to the dirt.

"Oh shit," she patted the dirt away with flushed cheeks. "I was at Kip's plot. The stone is beautiful. I haven't been there, ever, and I've been feeling shitty so I went."

"At night?"

"Yes, at night." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You have no idea what I'm going through and Ope isn't exactly open with me so I take what friends I can get, even the dead ones. At least he doesn't push me away or make me feel like I'm... Whatever. Forget it."

"Feel like you're what?"

"I don't know," her eyes were squinty as she looked at Jax. "Can't really describe it, all the checking up and shit, it makes me feel uncomfortable."

Jax nodded, sliding his hands in his pockets, and wondered if her education was spotlighting some of his more negative feelings and behavior. "It's what we do, Ope's laid up so I'm just looking out for you and the kids."

"As much as I appreciate it, we're fine, if we need anything I'll let you know."

"Alright." He backed away, the smallest of smiles on his lips, and jumped on his bike.

-

The Next Day...

"Oh shit." Juice picked up his laptop and knocked on the chapel doors. "Prez, you gotta see this."

"What?" Clay was sitting with Chibs and Tig lamenting the current wall they were trapped at, in terms of who was attacking the club. He was less than thrilled to see Juice barging in.

"This is my fault; I didn't think it really mattered, but turns out the 'C' in Paul C. Alfonso stands for his mother's maiden name, Cacuzza."

"The Italians?" Tig was shocked. They were hardly ever heard from and making such large moves but not the Italians usual M.O.

"Greasy bastards," Chibs grumbled as Clay looked at Juice with a shocked look that slowly turned to anger.

"Call everyone for church," he said to Juice. "I want everything on them, current numbers, businesses, associates." Juice nodded and turned, only stopping as Clay shouted at him. "And next time, look at middle names!"

-

"Hey brother," Jax stepped into Opie's room and chuckled at the glassy eyed look on his face. "Drugged up?"

"Nah," he said sleepily. "Tired and, well yeah, kinda drugged."

"You look good, how ya feeling?"

Opie tried to smile but his lips barely moved from the frown he'd worn since the attack. "Guess you wouldn't believe me if I said I'm good?"

"Nah," Jax hovered by the bed but didn't sit.

"I start physical therapy in a few days," he said casually. "So we'll see if I can ever get my ass on my fucking bike again."

"How bad is it?" Stepping back, Jax leaned his weight on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest while looking at Opie with a serious yet soft expression.

"First, it was fucking bad now, it's better after another fucking surgery but," he shrugged, "I don't really know, I'm fucking weak."

Jax nodded as if he knew what Opie felt, mentally and physically, but he didn't even want to imagine. "Least you got Mae, right? She'll kick your ass into shape."

"Mae? Yeah, no, I'm keeping her out of this."

With a furrowed brow, Jax moved closer to Opie. "What do you mean? You don't trust her?"

"What?" Opie pulled a face and, looking at him, could see that was exactly how Jax was feeling. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm asking you why you'd keep her away."

"I trust her; I'm just dealing with this shit myself. Now answer my question."

Jax tried to shrug it off but Opie's eyes never left him. "I'm just trying to be careful until we know everything."

"Be careful?" Opie struggled to pull himself up but gave up feeling embarrassed as Jax watched. "What's going on?"

"She's got ties to this asshole we're looking at for the pipe bombs."

Opie laughed a little. "Yeah, we knew that, back in New York, that's how this shit started."

"No, Ope," Jax sighed, "Like lunch the other day with the asshole we caught on surveillance."

"What?" Opie's head fell. "Jax, she wouldn't do that." Looking up, his face long and eyes bloodshot, he shook his head. "Did you ask her?"

"No, but we got a half-dead Irishman at the cabin after I told her I was meeting with them. We got shot up and no one knew about that meeting but Tara, Mae and the club and I know it wasn't Tara."

Tense and shutting down, Opie adamantly shook his head. "It wasn't Mae, Jax. Were you followed?"

"How long have I been doing this?" He asked, annoyed that his skill was being questioned and, in a way, his loyalty. "I wasn't followed." His burner vibrated in his pocket, pulling him away from the immensely uncomfortable conversation. Jax sighed when he read the text, "I gotta go. Church. Look, I'm doing my best to keep her safe if she is innocent, but I got a bad feeling she ain't."