One Rule

Chapter 39

Later the next day, I woke up to several texts from Happy, updating me on Clay's condition. Apparently, he'd had to have surgery twice, but he was going to make it. Damn.

I hadn't eaten anything yet when I felt a wave of nausea hit. I had to throw up in my kitchen trash because there was no way to make it to the bathroom on time.

Jax called that afternoon and asked me to come to the clubhouse. He said we had some family stuff to talk about.

When I got there, he was in chapel, going over a bunch of papers. I knocked on the open door, and he turned to look at me. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing across the table.

"What's up, Jax?" I asked, sitting down at the table.

He got up and closed the door before he spoke. "There's some stuff you need to know, because it will affect you."

"Okay," I replied, unsure of where this was going.

"Did you ever hear Gemma, Tara, Piney, or Clay mention any letters since we got back from Ireland?" Jax asked.

"No." I shook my head.

"When we were in Ireland, we stayed with a woman who knew JT. It's turns out JT was cheating on Gemma with her. They had a kid, and everything," he explained.

"Wow." 

"That woman shoved these letters into my bag before we left." He gestured to the papers on the table between us. "I didn't know until about them until yesterday. Tara found them and read them. She kept them from me. In the letters, JT talks about getting us out of guns. He predicted how he'd die. He said it would be mechanical, and it would be Clay's doing."

"Is that what happened?" I asked, barely able to speak.

"Based on what I can tell, yeah," he replied.

"I'm so sorry Jax. I had no idea." I was beginning to wonder if I should be scared.

"I know," he said. "I'm not here to punish you for Clay's sins."

"I think Clay should be punished for Clay's sins," I replied, looking my brother in the eye. "He's caused so many people so much pain. It's time for him to go."

"I was going to ask for your opinion, but I guess I know where you stand," Jax said.

"I hold him responsible for the deaths of my best friend and my husband. He killed your father, Piney, and he tried to have Tara killed. My only hope is that he suffers before he gets put down," I told him.

"Then it seems like we're all on the same page," Tara said, coming into the room. Gemma was right behind her. Tara sat down next to Jax and Gemma sat at the head of the table, directly to my right.

"You can use this," Tara said, producing a case with a syringe in it. She left it in the middle of the table. "It's a blood thinner. Essentially, it'll cause his lungs to fill up with fluid and drown."

"He doesn't deserve to go that easily," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "He deserves to feel some of the pain he's caused the rest of us."

"I'm trying to make sure no one else gets charged with murder in the process," Tara replied. "But I don't disagree."

I took the syringe, but Jax took it out of my hands. "I don't want you to do it. You don't need to live with that on your conscience."

"I don't think it'll weigh that heavily," I replied.

"I'm gonna tell you what I told her," he pointed at Tara using the syringe. "You're not thinking clearly. I know it feels like you are, but that's just the rage you're feeling. I know how it feels, but Diana, you're not a killer. I'm not about to let you start now."