Impact [Jax Teller//Sons Of Anarchy]

Chapter Four

Sitting in the back of the police car with my hands cuffed was the first time I truly evaluated the decisions I had made in the past. Look, I’ve never been one to stick to the rules or live a life that was exactly according to the law, but to be honest, I never thought I’d really get caught.

But here I was knee deep in shit and the level of shit was rising by the minute. Soon I’d be drowning in it and I had no one but myself to blame.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I suppose I could blame my upbringing a little. My mother wasn’t exactly what you would call a good role model. My earliest memories of her was watching her leave through the front door every time, my grandmother calling after her telling her that she’d soon call a social worker to come take me away.

It never came to that, because then both of their asses would probably have sat behind bars. Grandma had some (might I add illegal) business going on in her greenhouse. A funny bunch of plants I was never allowed to touch hidden in the back corner. Of course I didn’t realise what they were exactly until I encounter the exact same thing when I was about twelve. My “friend” Mike, who was about sixteen at the time, showed me his own collection of this particular plant when it all clicked into place. Suddenly I knew how Grandma was able to afford her poker sessions and stash of brandy under the sink which I was all too familiar with.
I would be the one to pour her drinks right after my mom left. My grandma would drink until she fell asleep on the couch watching reruns of old movies and my mom would return only days after she left.

I learned to fend for myself. I could make my own breakfast and dinner before I could even tie my own shoelaces. So as you can see the female role models in my life were all but responsible; one drunken old lady and a twenty something year old mother with an obsession with bikers.

I only figured out where exactly my mom went when a man with a leather cut-off jacket showed up in front of our house one night. My mom was all dolled up ready for her next one night stand.

But I suppose other kids have had worse childhoods.
Tonight was the first time I let my guard down and didn’t fully think about what I was getting into. I mean, I was about to face real charges here. My days in juvenile correction centres had come to an end. I should have taken time to calm down. I could have stayed with one of the girls until the shitstorm blew over.

I was desperate to skip town because I felt like there was nothing here for me anymore. All because I was upset a guy I’d been sleeping with for a few months cheated on me? Were we even exclusive? Why was I even so naïve to think we were in the first place? I knew guys like that all too well and yet I thought like all other females I could “fix” him. God, I was stupid. So, so stupid.

Now I was about to spend time behind bars: yet another stain on my record.
Rhodes pulled up to the station. He got out and opened the door for me. He let me get out on my own but held me by the arm as he took me inside the station. He readjusted my cuffs so that one hand was cuffed to his desk and told me he was going to get the necessary papers.

He disappeared behind the corner, but I knew he was talking to another officer at a counter. Sometimes it felt like I knew the station better than any other place I’ve ever lived in. To be fair, I do think that I spent most of my time there.

When he returned the sat down on his chair and started processing me.
“Rhodes,” I leaned in and whispered. He cut me off before I could even say something.
“It’s Officer Rhodes, Miss Harper, and I’m not interested in any sarcastic retort.”

Great, the one time I was actually going to be serious I get put down before I could even open my mouth. I leaned back in my chair. “Fine, but I was only going to ask if I could take a leak.”

He looked up from his papers. “I believe the correct way to state that is that you want to use the restroom.”

My only response was a blank stare.

He stopped a female officer that was passing by his desk. “Officer Clark, can you please escort Miss Harper to the restroom.” The officer nodded and waited while Rhodes unlocked the cuffs from his desk only to cuff both my hands again.

“How am I supposed to pee like this?” I asked looking at my hands.

“You’ll figure it out,” he simply stated as he continued to jot down my details.

“I’ll be out here,” Clark said as we reached the restroom.

Let me tell you this, having to pull up your skirt and then pull down your panties with cuffed hands is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. So when I flushed the toilet and all my clothes were back in place I felt pretty damn accomplished.

When I came out of the restroom Clark was talking to another officer near the door. I decided to just wait where I was. There was no use in getting into further trouble.

A large lady clutching her handbag appeared before me. She looked like she had been crying.

“Excuse me,” she said wiping a tear away with an old tissue.

“Sorry,” I said shifting to the side. She only then noticed my cuffed hands and gave me a weary look as she entered the restroom.

I decided to just move to the side a bit more in case she came out again and either knocked me down herself or with that handbag of hers. I stood next to a half opened door. Clark was still talking to the other officer. She turned around and saw me.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” she said, “Just stay there and don’t try anything funny.”

I did as I was told. I leaned my head back on the wall. My head was spinning. I only realised then that I hadn’t eaten anything the whole day.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Jim,” a voice came from the room beside me, “Are you basically telling me that we have no case?”

“Yes, Sir,” Jim said, “The evidence we have is all circumstantial. Without any solid proof of SAMCRO’S involvement with the IRA we have no grounds to arrest any of its members.”

SAMCRO? Why did that sound so familiar.

“We have a witness. How is that not solid enough?”

“Our witness has withdrawn their statement. He said that he was confused. The two men he previously described were not Caucasian. He says they were Latin American.”

“Fuck!” he said and I heard a chair being thrown to the side. It made me flinch. The origin of the angry voice came out of the room and looked me dead in the eye. He knew I’d been listening. He was wearing a suit and tie. Clipped to his jacket was a badge that read ATF AGENT J. BARONE.

“Alright, Miss Harper,” came Rhodes’ voice. He moved around the agent and took my arm. I looked back at the agent quickly before Rhodes led me off to the holding cells

***

“Officer Clark,” Agent Barone barked.

Clark spun around, ready to hear what the ATF agent had to say. “How can I help?” she asked. Barone had no time, nor the patience, for the officer’s trivial chit chat sessions.

“I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but I’m going to. You can’t leave a cuffed suspect unattended to. She might be female, but that doesn’t make her any less dangerous and, no, it does not make a difference that her hands weren’t free.”

“I’m sorry, I was just-” Clark began. She was quite taken aback by the agent’s remark.

“Save it. Why don’t you make yourself useful and tell me what the girl has been charged with.”

“Prostitution, Sir,” Clark said nervously, “Officer Rhodes arrested her a few hours ago. She’s been accused multiple times for assault and misconduct, but she’s never been charged. Looks like this time it’s the first that it will stick.”

Agent Barone nodded thoughtfully. “Get me her file,” he ordered Clark.

Jim was still behind him. “What do you need her file for?” Jim asked.

Barone turned around. “Think for once in your life, Jim. She heard what we said in there. So I don’t want that getting out on the street if she knows the right people. And besides, I think we found our way into SAMCRO.”