What I Love Most

Chapter 7

Everyone looked at Jax for an explanation but he waited silently for the answer to his question. All he wanted to know was where Clay was. Finally, someone jumped in, "With Tig." Happy said very simply. "Meeting with the Irish."

Jax growled and looked at his mom, "Get him here."

He charged into the clubhouse and right into chapel, the walls rattled as he slammed the door behind him. Everyone looked to Opie now, but he didn't open his mouth except to soothe Mae's worries as he led her after Jax. "I'm fine, baby."

"What happened?" The thin shred of sanity she was holding onto slipped away. Not only had Stahl popped up but he'd just gotten back in with the club and he's already getting hurt. "Harry, talk to me." She watched as his eyes moved between her and the others filling the main room of the club, Mae realized that obviously he wanted privacy so she quickly buttoned her lip about the details. "Are you okay? At least tell me that much."

"I'm okay, sore but okay." As he pushed her gently down on the couch, Opie kissed her cheek and whispered, "Don't mention the cartel, Mae." He quickly joined Jax at the table, locking the door behind him. "This is already out of control."

"That shit didn't have anything to do with the cartel itself, it has to do with Clay." Jax wasn't blind but he was already much more committed to drugs than Opie. "He should have told the damn Mexicans to wait."

"But he didn't, he upped the price and sold half of Putlova's shit to the cartel." Opie pulled his hat off and tossed it on the table. "How the fuck did the Russians find out?"

Jax shook his head, he didn't know but Clay's move made sense. They didn't have a standing order with the Russians, it was merely here and there so if they lost that business it didn't hurt. With Putlova suddenly privy to the scheme, it was much worse than just losing business. "That's why he's with the Irish now, he needs to replace the shit he sold to Galindo." The disappointment and anger on Opie's face was clear, "I know. I don't need a speech."

"This is why I got out," Opie punctuated the last two words with hard jabs to the table. "Lies, secrets, I don't like it."

"Look, if we do this, if we back Clay for six months, I get the gavel and I want you on my left brother."

Groaning, Opie dropped down to his seat and held his head in his hands. "We could turn shit around like we wanted to." He said sadly as the distrust started to grow. There was more to the cartel story than Jax originally told Opie, it was small but it gave him pause to wonder if there was anything else.

"This is how it's supposed to be, me and you as Prez and VP." Jax took Piney's seat and knocked on the table to call Opie's attention. "I fucked up with that Hale shit but I won't do it again. You know everything, this is everything."

"So? What do we tell everyone about this?"

Jax shrugged, "Clay can figure that lie out. This shit is on him."

---

For as good as Amelia felt she tried to put on a show for Juice, and for herself, she had a therapist who once said faking it sometimes made the battle more exhausting but shorter. She exaggerated her smile and the pitch of her voice as she moved quickly down the path to greet him. Before he even got his helmet off she was out of the house, Amelia just wanted to go. She had high hopes that the sun and fresh air would help, Juice too, he always seemed to help.

"Hey," she beamed and swung her leg over the back of his bike. "Hope you didn't want to go in."

He hid his suspicions and shook his head with a little smile. Usually he knocked on the door and they talked while she finished getting ready or grabbed her purse. It was all very proper and old fashioned even if they were technically friends but not today and Juice wasn't too fond of it. "You okay?"