A Vow of Silence

Chapter 34.

Nicole

Gemma watched me with wide eyes as she heard Jax's footsteps nearing the door. I hadn't bothered to move, and she could see the seriousness in my eyes. I needed her to know that I wasn't moving with fear and that her outcome wouldn't change with his presence.

"No." She shook her head as she emphasized her decision. I wanted to be surprised, but I knew that Gemma was stubborn and despite the rest of her character, she was an ole lady through and through. She would have never agreed to go out the easy way, and I knew that her decision was done deliberately to try to control the situation.

I gave her a small smile and stuffed the brown bag back into my purse. "That's fine. Looks like you're out of time anyway." Just as I said the words, Jax walked into the house. He walked through the house and paused when he noticed me standing in front of his mother. His eyes landed on the gun in my hands and I could see his chest contract with a deep breath.

"What are you doing here babe?" his voice was low, but I could hear the exhaustion behind it.

I didn't answer him as I approached him slowly. His whole demeanor changed when I was close enough to touch him, and he practically melted at my touch. "Go home Nicky," his voice was weak, as if he was on the verge of crying.

"No, I'm not going to let you do this."

He inhaled a sharp breath and ran his hand along his beard. "I can't let you do this for me. This is what I do; this is what my family does. This isn't who you are Nicole."

I looked at him with a cold expression, "Oh Jax, there is so much you don't know about me. More than a decade in the field, and you think this scares me?" Jax scoffed at my words but didn't bother debating me. "Go home, I'll meet you when I'm done here."

Jax's eyes became glossy with tears and his face became red with grief. He wasn't strong enough for this, we both knew that. If he went through with this, then this would only result in bringing him toward the end of himself.

"Go home Jax," I urged him again. Only this time, I brought his face near mine so he could see my eyes. "I'll come back, I promise." He nodded his head at that and I physically nudged him towards the door.

However, before I could get him near the point of physically moving his feet, Wayne barged into the house. He looked bewildered to find both me and Jax there, and his eyes immediately went to the gun in my hand. I wasn't happy to see him and I noticed Jax's entire demeanor change when he entered the room.

"What are you doing here Wayne?" I asked coldly.

"I can't let this happen, I'm here to turn Gemma in."

"You know I can't let you do that Wayne," I tilted my head at him and his eyes flashed with fear at realizing that he was outnumbered in his quest.

"Get out of here Unser," Jax said.

"No!" Wayne dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his gun. He walked past Jax and me and stood in front of Gemma. "Get up! C'mon get up, you're going home with me!" He pleaded with her as his gun shook in his nervous hand.

I knew Unser wasn't here to kill anyone, it wasn't in his nature to do so. But when his gun pointed at me, Jax reached for his own in a flash. I barely had time to catch it as he held his weapon while simultaneously stepping in front of me as a shield.

"What happens now son?" he asked Jax.

"This is a family matter Wayne," Jax answered back.

"Haven't we had enough of this? Look where we are Jax, what we've all become. This has to end here."

"I know," Jax looked at Unser sympathetically as he lowered his weapon. He seemed saddened by Wayne's presence and for a moment I felt sympathy for him as well. This club was all the old man had, and he's known this family for years. If they all died, he would truly have nothing and no one left.

"Please go home Wayne," Jax made one last attempt at convincing the Unser to leave.

"I can't do that," he said locking eyes with Gemma. "This is all I got left." Jax nodded his head and like a shadow, I saw him turn off his humanity. He shot Unser one time in the chest and the old man came crashing down.

Gemma jumped and quietly sobbed as she realized the gravity of the situation. I didn't acknowledge her as I slowly took Jax's gun out of his hands. His grip was tight, but he eventually released the weapon and sat down on the recliner.

"Wait for me here," I said as I planted a kiss on his cheek. I walked up to Gemma and urged her to stand with my gun in her face. I tucked Jax's in the back of my pants, and Gemma stole one last glance at him.

"I love you, Jackson, from the purest part of my soul." She looked at him sadly before walking ahead of me outside.

I followed her as I watched her admire the beautiful roses around her. "You know when I met you, I thought she was punishing me by sending me someone like you." She paused and then continued to speak, "Take care of my boys."

I didn't answer her as I lifted my gun to shoot her. There was no loud gunshot, but only a whizzing sound of the tranquilizer leaving the gun. I knew prior to coming here that Gemma was going to pull some kind of mess, so I had to get creative.

There could always be a story when one person has been shot, but there was no story when there were two. I could always frame Gemma for Unser's death but had I shot her from behind the back, there was sure to be an investigation.

Gemma gasped from the ground as the weight of the drugs in her system brought her to her knees. She could hardly speak as she looked at me in shock, expecting me to have used a bullet instead.

I said nothing as I pulled the empty tranquilizer from her back. She would die slower, but there was no cleaning a crime scene this way. I simply pulled Jax's gun from my pants and wiped the gun clean of his fingerprints. I grabbed her hand and molded her stiff fingers around the weapon before leaving her out in the garden.

Jax was still sitting on the chair, and I noticed him watching me curiously when I emptied the brown bag. I tossed out the pills and only left the container. When the cops arrived they would read the crime scene as follows. Gemma Teller came here to die, Unser attempted to stop her and got murdered in the process. Which would make this a murder-suicide case.

Jax was a smart man, and I noticed him putting the pieces of my plan together when he noticed the tranquilizer gun in my hand. He squinted his eyes but said nothing when I shoved everything into my purse.

I extended my hand out to him, and he didn't hesitate to take it. "You okay?" I asked him. He nodded, not trusting his voice to speak to me. I gave him a small smile and planted a kiss on his lips. "C'mon, let's go home."