What I Love Most

Chapter 11

There was a strange cloud over the club the next day. Tig and Juice were both feeling confused, concerned and angry about the night before while Clay brought an annoyance to the room. Opie's absence did little to lift the mood, he'd been distressed since arriving but it didn't get much better once he'd left for a tow. All those heavy emotions affected them all and made the gathering less than enjoyable.

"Yo, Jax," Juice jogged toward his VP and called out with a conspiratorially low tone. "I gotta talk to you."

They huddled in the office alone; each man took a wall by a window to keep out for any sudden visitors. "What's going on?"

"It's Amelia," Juice said sadly. "I'm worried about her."

"Worried about her?" Rolling his jaw Jax looked away from Juice. "I've been up to my fucking neck in shit, I haven't really noticed."

"I know but I didn't know who else to go to, she's getting worse and I don't know what to do."

"Worse? Man, she said she was feeling better. I thought you two we're good." Jax stopped and sighed. Yeah, at first they were great but what could anyone expect, it was new and a lot for Juice to take on right away. "How bad is she?"

"Honestly, it's to the point where," he paused to think it over. The truth hurt and this was no exception. "Don't get me wrong, I like her, a lot, but sometimes I don't want to see her cause I'm dreading the next freak out and I can't help her. Before it was fine, she would talk, I'd listen, and she'd be good. I liked that a lot, helping and talking to her but now, she just doesn't stop crying and she's confused all the time. She's not Amelia now, something is wrong."

Jax's nostrils flared, the feelings were legitimate and understandable but they infuriated him to hear. He'd felt that way at times with Meels, but it was different coming from Juice when Jax knew how she felt about him. "I don't know what you want me to say." Jax lit a cigarette to ease his tensions. "I can't do anything but talk to her."

Juice began to twitch anxiously. "She's doing the head shrinking shit and taking her pills but she's still a mess. I don't get it, I don't get why she's getting so bad."

Jax laughed mournfully and shook his head thinking Juice still wanted to look like the good guy. "Bro, you don't have any idea half of what she's gone through. You want out and you feel bad, I get that, but at least admit you didn't sign on for this kind of stuff. That's the problem, she is Amelia, this shit is just part of her." Jax could say it was her all he wanted but Juice knew it wasn't, Jax hadn't seen her, he didn't understand.

"No. I don't want out," he barked, "I want to help." He needed to help because if he couldn't Juice feared he wouldn't be able to take much more and he Amelia wouldn't either.

"What's Tig say?"

"Hospital, but she's against it."

"Of course she is." Jax flicked his ash right on the floor and sunk down into the wobbly desk chair. "I don't think sending her away from the only stability she has will help either. Let me talk to her, this might just be her, Juicy. Sorry, man, I know she's great when she's chill but, sometimes," Jax shrugged, unsure of how to really end that sentence.

Juice didn't say anything as Jax just strolled out of the office like they hadn't just had that conversation. There was more than enough he had to deal with and sadly a hysterical mess of a woman was the least of his problems. As Jax moved out to the lot Juice glanced at his ringing phone to see it was Amelia and, with a heavy heart, he silenced it and slipped the phone back in his pocket.

-----

As Half-Sack hooked up the small sedan Opie perched on the side of the truck with a cigarette. He still felt on edge, annoyed and not surprisingly, his own pent up aggression was looking for a way out. Out of the corner of his eye, Opie noticed a shady looking tweaker pacing the small shopping center parking lot.

"Is he fucking dealing?" Opie growled as he stood up, slipping his cut on and called for Sack's attention. It was certainly what it looked like. "Fucking piece of shit, right in Charming." Swinging open the toolbox he pulled out the crowbar and took long purposeful strides toward the man.

"Hey, Ope," Sack ran after him. "Hold up, man."

Even strung out the guy could see Opie was far from a customer. He took shaky steps back but bumped right into a street sign pole. "Hey man, Sons, I heard about you." He put his hands up. "I didn't mean any trouble."

"Opie, there's a lot of witnesses." Half-Sack said looking around anxiously as Opie pulled the dealer by his collar to the alley not ten feet away.

"Opie?" The guy grinned despite the danger he was in. "I heard all about you..."

---

"What the hell happened here?" Jax asked as Opie and Sack hopped down out of the tow truck. "Is that blood?" With wide eyes Jax looked over both of them, his bright blue color suddenly turned cloudy with anger.

"Got in a fight," Opie said nonchalantly.

Kip laughed. "No fight, you decimated that dude." He unlocked the tool chest in the truck to reveal a bloody crowbar.

"You kill him?" Jax asked with morbid amazement.

"Nah, just taught him a lesson. He was dealing, got wind of the lack of supply in Charming and figured he could sneak in."

"Ope showed him he was wrong, very wrong." Sack said proudly as he prepared to clean the bloody mess.

Jax pinched his nose and groaned, all these foul moods were causing too much trouble. "You did that much damage just because he was dealing?"

Opie pursed his lips but Half-Sack was all too eager to share the story. "Actually we were gonna let him go but he made a crack about Mae."

"He's not affiliated, just some small-time peckerwood. Darby told him to take his chances in town but not to sell to a chick fitting Mae's description or he'd have to deal with the Sons, particularly me." He explained quickly. "Guy recognized me, put two and two together and tried talking back like some hard ass." Opie was trying to make it look like less of a dramatic, emotional response but that was pointless. They all knew any of them would have had the same visceral reaction if it were their old lady.

"Well then, maybe you should have killed him." Jax threw a few dummy punches at Opie with a wide grin. "Good job, bro. Sack, why don't you take a walk and gather the other guys, it's pay day."

"And the coke discussion?" Opie asked as Half-Sack put distance between him and them. "Clay figure how he's gonna spin that truth?"

"Didn't tell me if he did but that cash," puckering his lips Jax nodded. "I can't see anyone turning it down when we vote it."

"He calling it today?"

Jax shook his head. "He'll want time to talk to Bobby and any other holdouts."

"My old man, he'll be the biggest issue."

"All's we need is majority. Piney can hold out as long as he wants."