What I Love Most

Chapter 20

Clay stewed alone in chapel, his cigar sat untouched as he held his head in his hands. With Juice working on the dealer, they would undoubtedly find him, and that couldn't happen. There was no question the man had to die it was a matter of getting to him before anyone else did. Using a burner Clay called the number Lotto had given him but there was no answer. Either unaware of his volume or simply not caring Clay shouted a deep growl of a noise as he pushed way from the table. "Goddamn it!"

Before his actions were simply to keep everyone close and attentive to the needs of the club, now it was self-preservation. Contracting out proved problematic at times but there was no Son, Redwood or not, who would involve themselves in this or that Clay could trust enough, only Tig, but that was not going to happen. Flicking the blinds open his hooded eyes scanned the lot and he checked the main room of the bar before, without a word to anyone, leaving chapel. He zipped right out of the lot on his search for Jarod the dealer, he was already behind but it was necessary he found this guy before Jax and Opie did. Clay had a list of spots to stop before visiting Juice for an update; he knew Darby wasn't knowledgeable as Opie had already been there so he skipped right over that conversation.

-----

Nestled under a tree Opie and Jax watched the large apartment complex Juice had given them as the sister's last known address. They had no intention of hurting her but seeing as though this guy had nowhere else to go, it seemed like a smart spot to stake out. Jax got Opie up to speed on Amelia and he agreed wholeheartedly, it sounded like Clay was behind it all. Jax's mind was already swirling with ideas as to how they could handle this. Tig ever finding out seemed too dangerous on a personal level as well as business wise.

"Where's your old man?" Jax asked, ripping blades of grass out of the ground and rolling them between his fingers. As Opie made a motion, his thumb to his lips, they both chuckled and rolled their eyes because yes, he was probably drunk. "He's been pulling away. You think it's the coke thing?"

"I know it's the coke thing, it's already shifting shit and we haven't even voted on it." That was the underlying issue putting him and Mae on edge, she said it was okay but he knew it wasn't. Opie didn't even think of that until then, sitting there with Jax.

"Six months," Jax said quickly. "It's only six months, Ope. We got it on lock too. I can talk to Juice, get him on side." Amelia had proved to push him and Jax closer, there was more than a club trust between them since sharing the Clay suspicions. Jax couldn't help but think what happened would end up working in his favor.

"That's him," Opie said with a stupid grin and quickly answered his phone. "What you got for me, Juice?" Hearing muffled voices but unable to make anything out Jax got lost in the possibilities that filled his head. Once they got clear of the real danger, SAMCRO would be changing drastically. "Jarod Anderson," Opie said as he jammed his phone back in his pants. "Last address is in Washington and he's got no cell account, so we're stuck sitting on the sister."

"Speaking of," Jax pointed off toward a leggy blonde climbing into the car Juice pegged as Kelly Anderson's. "Come on brother, time to bag us a dealer."

-----

When Amelia entered the living room, her hair wrapped in a towel she smiled listening to Juice prattle away with someone on the phone. She didn't know what he was talking about, a dealer it sounded like. It didn't matter though; she just liked seeing him there in her apartment. Waiting until he finished the call, she greeted him with a sunny smile. "Hey, how's work?"

"Good," he glanced at the screen to see the check on Stahl still running. There was some time before he could really sit and read anything. "How are you feeling?"

"So much less scummy, I hate hospitals. All the antiseptic makes me feel dirty." Shifting her weight from foot to foot Amelia looked at him expectantly but he was just as clueless about their status as her, even more so. Juice didn't know if he could even touch her although she seemed much more open to physical affection than she'd ever been before. "Thank you," she whispered, tiptoeing over toward him and tossing the damp towel behind her.