Mass Destruction

Chapter 34

Opie and I get led into the waiting area of the box where one of my men's fate will be decided. Tig and Chibs are already in there.

Tomorrow is the 18th; my son is turning three and I won't even be there to see him or wish him a happy birthday. Corrie's handling everything well but the guilt of leaving her alone to handle everything is eating me alive.

The tension is thick between us; we're all worried about how this thing will play out.

"You boys okay?" Chibs asks Ope and I. "Yeah" I answer him.

"You uh, find out what's going on?" Tig asks. I'm still bitter towards him. He's the reason we're in here, and he's the fucking reason I'm not with my girl and kid right now.

"Pope wants one of us dead" I snarl; the guys all curse under their breaths.

"Jesus Christ"

"Me?" Tig asks

"No. You, he wants alive and inside, forever."

"Alright" Chibs exhales, "Happy hunting one of us Jackie"

I smirk bitterly letting out a scoff. "I don't give a shit who Pope is or how deep his reach is. He doesn't make that call. We decide our fate"

The man I've become to hate more than life itself appears in the room again with the same smirk on his face as earlier. The son of a bitch guard loves this.

"Am I choosing or you?"

I step forward. It's not easy being king, but I sure as hell won't let my guys suffer. That's not what a good king does.

I wish I could say goodbye to Corrie and Abel. Tell them how much I love them. I wish I had married Cor before going inside. I hope she finds love after me; she deserves to be happy. Abel deserves a father who isn't in prison more than he is out. They deserve better.

"My call" I proclaim and get ready to walk to the box when Opie stops me.

"No" He headbutts the guard. This isn't fucking happening – my best friend isn't offing his life.

Chibs holds me back as I try to get Opie out of this shit. All three of us are yelling; trying to stop Opie from going into that box. The guard's nose is bleeding. Opie is a strong mother fucker but will he make it out alive?

"Jesus, bitch! Get him out of here!" The guard snaps, holding his broken nose in one hand and a gun in the other. Chibs has thrown me on the floor; afraid the guard will shoot at me.

"No! No! Ope! No!"

Our screams of protest and plead are deafening as Opie gets whisked away to the box.

"Let him go!" The guard barks again and one of the others throws a steel pipe in his direction. "Opie!" I bang against the mirror.

I can't lose him; I can't lose my best friend.

"Keep it interesting, shit head"

"I've got this" he tells me, looking deep in my eyes. He has already buried himself. This decision was made long before we got into this box.

"No! Opie!" I cry, banging my fists against the mirror. All I want to do is take his place; he's innocent in all this. This has nothing to do with him. If he wasn't so damn loyal he'd be outside at the club house – safe.

**

Corrie's POV

All day I've felt off. Like something is going to happen or is already happening but I don't know what. I try to distract myself by doing some financial admin at the gallery – it's not working though.

Currently in the middle of working out my profit for the month and paying in Diana's salary, I get distracted by bikes roaring outside. Happy and Bobby make their way inside to my office; I can't figure out their faces – they look incredibly sad and worried – maybe angry as well.

"What's going on?" I ask, immediately on edge. Did something happen with the guys?
"We're just going to stay with you and the kid for tonight alright?" Bobby tells me.

"What's going on? Did something happen to the guys? Is Jax okay? Opie?"

Happy flinches at my question; his eyes hold regret but as soon as I see it it's gone.

"Just finish up alright; everything will be... okay" Bobby tells me.

"Bobby-"

"Corrie, please"

I sigh; I decide to follow his orders even though my head is far away from administration right now. Please be okay; please be okay.

**

Third Person POV

After witnessing the cruel death of his best friend, a raging Jax sits alone in his cell. When he closes his eyes he sees his best friend get brutally attacked; he sees the blood seeping from Opie's mouth. The rage and anger is directed to Pope and the guard that made all this happen for a few dollars and the need to get off from suffering of others.

The same guard walks inside the cell; the smirk has been wiped off his face.

He won't be alive for much longer when Jax gets out of here.

"Commander wants to see you. He's taking you back to Gen Pop."

Jax stands up and walks outside with the guard.

"I'm getting released" the president mutters; hatred and venom evident in his gravelly voice. There's no playing around anymore. Any sign of humanity disappeared when he watched Opie get beaten to death.

"There's nothing you can do to stop it. I'll find out who you are, and where you live and then I'm gonna kill you."

Jax finds himself in the same goddamn office with the same awful black man that made all of this happen.

He saunters inside; pissed off and ready to leave Stockton.

"Sounds like things went according to plan" Pope breaks the silence.

"There's a new plan" Jax replies, "I just watched my best friend get beaten to death for you. Now I'm going to get the club to sign off on your cash. But I need Trager outside; and him knowing I saved his life gives me an eternal advantage I'm gonna need and when I'm done you can send him out the same way you did his kid because I really don't give a shit."

Pope looks impressed; "There you go, finding a hidden advantage in an unfortunate circumstance; using pain to take you to the next level. That is what turns players into kings."

"I guess you would know"

"Yes I would" he mutters, "Keep a short leash on Trager."

Jax nods his head, "These home invasions gotta stop"

"Not my doing" he denies it, looks honest about that.

"The Niners then"

"It better not be, but I'll look into it" He promises me.

The president stays quiet for a bit. "I'd like to call my fiancée. Let her know that I'm safe"

Pope points to the phone, "Be smart Mr Teller. It's who you are" he reminds Jax before walking out of the office.

Jax dials the number he knows by heart and waits for her to answer. It doesn't take long before he hears her beautiful voice creating tears from falling down his face.

"Hallo?" She asks

"Hey babe" he whispers to her and hears her inhaling sharp.

"Hi" She whispers; "Are you okay?"

"I'm getting released baby" Jax tells her; he can faintly hear Corrie trying to keep her pose. The dam breaks and she lets out a sob. "Oh thank God"