What I Love Most

Chapter 27

"I'm supposed to be picking up Meels right now." Juice lamented as he glanced at the dashboard clock while cops and investigators still swarmed around the motel. "Now she's alone and we have no way of protecting her."

"I got a plan, brother." The confidence did little to assuage Juice. "You don't have to worry about Meels and I don't have to worry about Tara, Clay will be handled."

"I'm still going to worry about her, and you're still going to worry about Tara." Trying to get to Jax's softer side, Juice opened up. He wasn't one to grow emotional with the guys but he needed it and had begun to feel closer to Jax of late. "Your plan, is it legit? He knows we know or suspects it. It's gotta be on point."

"Oh he knows," Jax said darkly. "And I am still worried about Tara. She has a goddamn ultrasound tomorrow. I was supposed to be there."

His head and shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, brother." He couldn't imagine how that felt, even if he was more romantic and old fashioned with Amelia there was no doubting how much Jax loved his children. "What are you going to do about Clay, Jax?"

"I'll let you know once I'm sure it's in motion."

Juice didn't like that but he kept quiet and hoped Jax knew what he was doing. So far though, this whole thing was a disaster.

---

Amelia looked herself up and down in the mirror a few times, her eyes glancing at the clock's reflection behind her and waiting patiently for the telltale rumble of Juice's bike. She preened and with each passing minute grew more and more disheartened. Taking what had somehow become his spot on the couch she felt her cheeks burning as tears filled her eyes. "Hurt me once," she mused sadly, picking a piece of lint from the cushion, "But he wouldn't. Would he?" Amelia played back their most recent conversations, the cuddling and kisses, even the sweet interaction from that morning. She was starting to think this wasn't his choice. By eight she had gone from hating him to worrying, so she decided to call but Juice didn't answer, it went right to voicemail. Her stomach turned, that wasn't good. Amelia then called her dad, his phone actually rang but he didn't pick up and it was the same when she tried Jax.

"Something is wrong." She whispered as she grabbed her purse and called Tara on her way to the clubhouse.

When she arrived, the mood was somber and heavy, she feared the worst had happened. Growing up with the club she knew death and danger were part of the life but they'd never hit her directly. The mere thought of Tig or Juice being hurt, or worse, stilled her heart and robbed her of her breath. Clay was on the phone, his eyes burned holes right through her as she saw Gemma wasn't there and she slipped out to check TM.

"Gem?" Amelia peeked her head in the office to see the usually stoic matriarch with her head in her hands. "What happened?"

Looking up with bloodshot eyes and smudged makeup, Gemma tried to compose herself, crying wasn't something she did. "Sit baby, no one got hurt."

"Jesus, thank God."

"Your dad, Jax, Juice and Chibs got picked up. It's not looking good either." It looked terrible actually but that was only one cause of Gemma's tears. "Convicts with illegal guns, a dead drug dealer and plenty of bullet casings, it's looking far from good, baby."

As her body went limp, Amelia realized how right Gemma was. "Did they kill the guy?"

"We don't know. We don't know anything yet."

---

"Juice, Jax, Tig and Chibs?" Mae asked, astonished, as she and Opie watched the kids eat. They had lost their appetites when the news filtered down the line. "Oh Jesus, poor Abel and Tara's due in a few months."