Back To You

Poetic Justice

It was just going on 8:30pm when we landed back in California. After getting off the plane, we drove back to TM in a tense silence. I sat across from Clay with my arms folded, and my eyes locked on him as he stared down at his tied hands. Every now and then, he'd glance at me, and shake his head with a look of bitterness on his face. He tried to keep a tough front, but I saw through it. I could tell that beneath the mask he was wearing, there was something else there too. Something like despair, and it suited him.

When we got to TM, the place was shut down for the night, and Gemma wasn't there, which was probably a good thing. After Chibs parked the van, he hopped out and came to open the back doors for us. I got out first and watched as the guys forcefully pulled Clay out. As he gained his footing, he looked around the dark lot, and let out a disbelieving sigh, as the reality that he was truly trapped started to sink in. They started to force him into the clubhouse, and I followed not far behind, never taking my eyes off of him.

As soon as we walked in, they waisted no time throwing Clay into a seat and literally ripping his shirt off of him, while happy prepared his tattoo equipment. Soon, the room was filled with the sound of his tattoo gun buzzing, as he pressed it to Clay's back, not caring to be gentle. Clay tensed up as the needle made contact with his skin, and his face twisted in pain. He tried to fight it, but I could see him crumbling more and more with each pass of the needle. I stood there alongside the rest of the club, watching Clay's downfall in real time, as his tattoos slowly faded to black.

As we watched Happy work, Bobby came over and tapped my arm. "You did good out in Belfast." He said with a look of pride. "But you know you don't have to stick around for this, right? You've already done more than enough. You should go home and get some rest. Let us take it from here." He advised, and my face fell as I shook my head.

"I'll rest once Clay's in police custody, and I know Jax's release is set in stone." I said firmly, looking over at Bobby as he drew in a deep breath, and nodded proudly.

"You know something kid, you've got more grit than most men I know. The things you've accomplished over the past two years, what you just did with us in Ireland, and even the shit you did before Jax got locked up. I don't think I've ever seen any of the women Jax dealt with go to the lengths you're willing to go for him. Listen, I know I never told you this, but I think you might just be the best thing that ever happened to him." He said, and I couldn't help but smile at his words.

"Thank you, Bobby. That really means a lot coming from you." I told him honestly, and he just smiled and nodded, giving me a rough slap on the shoulder before walking away. I went to sit at the bar, and continued watching Clay get stripped of his ink.

After Happy finally finished covering up the last of Clay's tattoos, the room fell silent. Clay sat there, with his back turned to everyone, slouched with his elbows on his knees. He was breathing heavily, clearly in pain. As he should be for all the pain he'd caused.

Chibs moved around to stand in front of him, crossing his arms as he looked down with contempt. "Why'd ye do it, Clay?" He asked coldly. "Why'd ye orchestrate the home invasions?"

Clay kept his eyes on the floor, as he shook his head. "Didn't think Jax was fit to lead... So, I set the Nomads in motion to shake things up, trying to make his leadership look weak. In hopes that maybe he'd crack under the pressure, and step down, handing the gavel back over to me." I scoffed from where I was sitting, unable to contain my disdain.

"I figured as much..." I spoke up, eyeing him sharply. "And let me guess... you didn't know the Nomads would kill my mom, and when they did, you took out Greg and Gogo to bury the truth." Clay looked over at me, and nodded slowly.

"You couldn't catch Frankie, though. So you ran, knowing it was only a matter of time before the club found him and the truth came out."

Clay nodded again, as he glanced over at the others. "What ever happened to Frankie anyway?" He asked, lowly.