Father Knows Best

Chapter 8

In the back of a windowless van, tied up, gagged and blindfolded, Asher and Knox listened to the mumbled voices of their captors and their brothers.

"We can't help what they sold us," Jax said firmly. "And we can't sell it to you now."

"We paid for that, I handed over the money myself," Alvarez Jr said forcefully.

"Take that up with the Russians," Happy growled. "Not us."

"We'll give you one," he said with a dark smile. "You pick which brother you take home and the other stays with us until we settle this with Leskovich."

Jax's jaw tightened as he glared at the new, and very young, Mayan president. He remembered being in the kid's shoes but he didn't soften at the memories.

"Both and we'll call Leskovich ourselves, force him to make it right."

"I don't need your weight," he spat. "I can handle my own business."

"Jax," Opie said quietly. "Kid is too proud to take the help."

Jax nodded, "Twenty four hours. You don't fix it by then we'll come take our man back."

"Shit don't make sense," Tig grunted. "One of ours ain't leverage for you with the Russians."

"It could be," he shrugged, "If I frame it right. Now, you two pick which of your sons gets to go home."

Jax didn't turn away from the Mayans as Tig and Happy made a very difficult decision.

"Ror have a favorite?" Happy asked somberly.

Tig shook his head, "But she babies the shit out of your boy."

No one would deny that, ever. Since the premature birth of Asher and his deceased twin sister Olivia, Rory was overprotective to say the least.

"I know," Happy nodded, "Knox is still young though."

Neither wanted to pick their own son, they each loved the other's child as if they were their own, and so they were at a stalemate.

"Brother, Ash is older," Happy huffed. "He can stay."

"Hap," Tig felt incredibly guilty. "You sure?" Knox was sensitive, he was his father's son for sure but he had a more creative side and expressed himself emotionally often.

"Yeah," he hated himself. "I'm sure. Ash'll be fine."

--

"I heard the boys are still missing," Michael said as they over drinks.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that?" Alice clinked the ice in her glass. "But yeah, they are."

"I'm sorry," he pouted.

"Yeah," she felt her chest grow hot. "They're like my brothers, or like, really close cousins."

"Unlike me and Abel," he huffed.

"He's a weirdo," she joked.

"Tell me something I don't know," he laughed. "He was even weirder as a kid."

Alice laughed and nodded, bringing her drink to her lips, and kept eye contact with Michael as she took a sip.

"What's your ulterior motive here, Mike?" Alice leaned forward and looked at him expectantly. "I'm sure we both have them and, with my family, we need to be upfront here."

Mike drew his head back, his eyes widening a bit as a smile spread across his face. "Wow, you are your mother's daughter."

"I thought I was my father's daughter," she raised an eyebrow. "Guess either way it's trouble for you, huh?"