When a mysterious woman rescues Abel from a kidnapping and wants nothing in return, it gets Jax's attention. Then he starts finding out more and more things about the woman that just don't add up. Will his curiosity get the better of him or will he...
Jax, Opie, Chibs, and Bobby all stared at Riley like she had sprouted another head as Minerva muttered under her breath. Finally, she looked at Riley and nodded.
"The spellbook is under the seat of the truck."
As Riley turned to walk to the truck, Chibs grabbed her arm to stop her. "Hold it a second, luv. Wha' do ye mean, we 'ave a serial killer in Charming?"
Riley sighed as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Just what I said. There are at least thirty bodies in the basement. You have a better explanation for it?"
Jax cursed and shook his head. "You saw that many bodies?"
Riley gave him a look that plainly said what she thought of that question. "Yes, I saw them. They told me where to look." When she realized what she had said, she cursed under her breath and shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter right now. What matters at the moment is putting them to rest."
Chibs shook his head as Jax gave her a look. "If there are bodies in there, that's evidence. We have to call Unser and let them take care of it."
Chibs spoke up as he lit a cigarette. "I'm more interested in who told ye where to look, Ri."
Riley smirked as she shrugged before reaching into his kutte for his cigarettes. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, sport. Trust me."
Chibs started to speak but Jax gave him a look. "Okay, look. Let's go back to the clubhouse and call Unser. He'll need to come out and get the bodies."
Riley scoffed and shook her head. "I need to put them to rest. They need to rest."
Minerva put an arm around an obviously upset Riley as Ariel looked at her with an understanding smile. "I know, sweetie, but Jax is right. Chief Unser needs to take this from here. He'll be able to give their families closure." She reached out and took Riley's hand, squeezing softly. "We'll figure out a way to help them cross."
Bobby nodded before giving Riley a reassuring grin. "Come on, sunshine. You look like you could use a drink. Follow us back to TM and we'll get everything sorted out."
As Riley followed Minerva through town, she shook her head at her own stupidity. Because she couldn't keep her mouth shut around the locals, she was probably going to have to leave town. In her experience, people didn't want to be reminded of death, and they especially didn't want to know that they shared their existence with dead loved ones.
She didn't know why, but the look of total disbelief that had run across the Scot's face when she misspoke had hurt more than it usually did. Probably because she had been thinking that he looked like someone who'd been through a lot in his life and that maybe he'd be one to understand where she came from, but from the looks of things, that was the wrong judgment call.
Since she'd been a child, she'd been able to hear and see the dead, a fact that had made her an outcast. That was until she had met her sisters at The Institute. After that, she had a family that understood and accepted her and her strange abilities. Now, it looked like she was going to have to separate herself from the rest for a while. They were trying to establish themselves in this town. Ariel looked like she would end up with Jax, and the way Minerva had looked at the tall one earlier, she knew there was an attraction there as well.
She sighed as she reached over to the passenger seat and shook a cigarette out of the pack. Perhaps she'd go visit Amdis for a while in New Orleans. Klaus and Elijah had always welcomed her with open arms, so that's where she would probably go for a while.
Her thoughts were brought back to the present when they turned onto the lot of a mechanic's shop. She parked next to Minerva and got out slowly, hanging back and surveying the group coming out to meet Jax and the others. She smiled when she saw Venus walk out on the arm of a good-looking man with black hair and laughing eyes. When Venus saw her, she smiled and held her arms open for a hug, stepping away from her man to enfold Riley in an embrace familiar with the scent of Chanel.
"Oh, darlin', it's so good to see you! You don't come around nearly enough to suit me."
Riley closed her eyes and soaked up the love before stepping back. "Well, this time you may not be happy to see me."
Venus shook her head. "Nonsense, sugar. Here, let me introduce you to my Alexander. Alex, this is one of my oldest and dearest friends in the whole world, Riley Jane Meadows."
Alex smiled and nodded as he shook hands with Riley before leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "Welcome to Charming, doll."
Riley chuckled dryly as she nodded. "Thanks, but you might want to hold back on that welcome."
He chuckled before waving a hand toward a building that looked like a small warehouse. "Nah, any friend of Vee's is welcome here. Come on, let's get a drink."
Riley nodded before she and Venus followed Alex into the building, finding a fully functioning bar inside. As they stepped up to the bar, a young man behind it handed her a beer. She nodded to him before looking around with a frown on her face. "The air is really heavy in here."
Minerva looked at her with a small frown. "You alright?"
Riley nodded distractedly as she looked around the room. Finally, her eyes landed on a man with long brown hair and a goatee that was looking right at her. When their eyes met, he nodded then tilted his head toward a hallway off to the side of the bar. She sighed and nodded before turning to follow him into the dimly lit hall.
