On the Devil's Path {a SOA sequel}

Chapter twenty-six

By the time Gemma got back, my head was swarming with 'what ifs'. The sun was setting and it was time to close up shop. We still hadn't heard anything from Clay or Jax and I could tell Gemma was getting antsy. She was gnawing on her bottom lip as we drove back to her place. Once we got inside, she fed her bird and I put Abel in his highchair so we could start dinner.

Hours went by and the two of us settled down on the couch to wait. I started to get nervous when the clock struck midnight.

"Something's wrong." She muttered.

I bit down on my lip and looked and the clock again. Before we could say anything else, Gemma's phone rang.

"Clay what's-" She froze midsentence.

She just nodded and hung up the phone and rose from the couch slowly.

"Get Abel, we gotta get to the clubhouse." She said.

Despite the fear I could see in her eyes, her voice was strong. Just like a true queen. I knew better than to question her. I ran to get the baby and we loaded up in the car. The whole ride was a blur. When we pulled in, the place was just as we left it; empty.

"What's going on, Gemma?" I asked once we were finally inside the clubhouse.

Gemma paced around as she toyed with a cigarette.

"Shit went south. Opie got shot. They're on the way back now." She said.

I swallowed hard and covered my mouth with my hands.

"Is he-is he alright?" I managed.

She nodded and finally lit the damn cigarette.

"Yeah, it just winged him." She said.

I sighed in relief and dropped on to a bar stool. About 10 minutes later, the roar of the bikes filled the garage parking lot. Behind them, Piney was driving the van. Gemma rushed out of the clubhouse to meet Clay. He quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders and moved her back inside. The sliding door of the van opened and Chibs and Opie all but fell out.

"McKay! I need ya!" Chib shouted.

Opie groaned and held his side tightly. I blinked myself out of my daze and followed Chibs into Church.

"Grab the whiskey!" Chib called to me.

I nodded and yanked the bottle from the shelf.

"Jesus Chibs, what happened?" I asked just above a whisper.

Chibs half shouted something I couldn't make out and helped Opie down on to the table. He was bleeding heavily from his right side.

"It was a set up. We barely made it out of there." Opie said through gritted teeth.

I handed him the whiskey and he took a generous swig from it.

"Okay sweetheart, I need you to keep some pressure on this for a sec." Chibs said to me.

I nodded once and placed my hands on the wadded up cloth that was stopping Ope from bleeding out. I looked around the room and quickly did a head count. Chibs, Tig, and Ope were in Church. Clay, Juice, Bobby and Piney were at the bar. One was missing.

"Jax. Where's Jax?" I asked.

Tig and Opie exchanged a glance and Tig cleared his throat.

"After Ope got shot, we scattered. Jax took off after them." He said softly.

Chibs had come back and had taken over applying pressure.

"You just left him out there?" I asked, my voice jumping a few octaves.

Tig winced and Opie took my hand.

"He's a tough kid. He'll be fine." Opie said.

I just nodded and turned to watch Chibs thread a needle.

"Gimme the booze." Chibs said.

I handed it to him. Chibs poured the whiskey straight on to Opie's side. He screamed out in pain and gripped my hand tighter.

"Shh. It's alright, you're alright." I tried soothing him.

Chibs handed the bottle back to me and I gave it to Opie. He took longs pulls from it and gripped the neck.

Just as Chibs was about to start sewing him up, all we could hear was shouting, then shattering glass and bullets ricocheting off of the walls.

"Get down!" Clay shouted from the bar.

Chibs and Tig dropped to the ground and Opie rolled off the table, pulling me tight against his side. He wrapped his arms around my head and pressed me close.

"It's okay, it's okay." This time he was trying to soothe me.

The shots rang out for a few more seconds and then the sound of tires peeling out was all I heard. Well, besides the ringing in my ears. Slowly, with the help of Tig, Opie and I stood up.

"Jesus Christ!" Chibs shouted. His chest was heaving and his face was flushed.

"Are we whole?" Clay called out.

The guys scrambled to make sure everyone was safe and I took over stitching up Opie.

"You alright?" He asked me softly.

I made another pass with the needle before looking up at him.

"Yeah. Typical day at the office right?" I said with a half-smile.

Opie let out a low chuckle that turned into a groan. I winced and tied off the stitch.

"All done." I said, handing him the bottle again.

A ruckus was coming from outside so I went out to check it out. Tig was helping someone up from the pavement.

It was Jax. A beaten and bloodied Jax Teller.