Charming, California 2008
Angelise stared at Gemma in disbelief as her words took a moment to sink in. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she inhaled a shaky breath through her nose.
"What?" she let out hoarsely.
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, she placed a hand over her racing heart and felt the tears welling up in her eyes before a sob escaped her lips and cried for her fallen friend.
Gemma quickly made her way toward her and engulfed her into a tight embrace, the two women clinging onto each other as they tried to comfort one another. Ted and LJ bowed their heads, to show respect toward the women grieving.
Exhaling a deep breath, Angelise pulled away from Gemma as she felt that familiar itch growing. Looking at her mother-in-law, she gestured her head down the hallway.
"Will you stay here with the baby?" she asked while wiping her tears. "I'll be right back."
LJ and Ted gave each other worried looks as they stood up from the couch. LJ was the one to block her path while looking into her haunting green eyes.
"Where are you going?" he questioned.
"To get answers," she responded.
Moving around him, she headed for the door but LJ's hand reached out to grab her arm. He turned her back in his direction and gave her a concerned look.
"Angel," he shook his head. "Don't do this, not when you just lost your friend and might not be in the right headspace."
"I need to do this," she explained. "I need to find out what he knows and the only way to do that, is to do what needs to be done."
A small pause filled the space between them as they stared each other down. Realizing that her mind was made up, he sighed before letting her go. Looking past his shoulder, she gave Ted and Gemma a look of reassurance before leaving the house and climbing into the impala.
It took her the usual hour to reach the cabin where Welsby was being held. Getting out of the car, she grabbed her duffle bag from the trunk before heading inside.
Tied up to the chair, on top of the tarp laid in the middle of the room, Welsby was still unconscious from the hit he took earlier in the day. Opening the bag, she pulled out her tool kit before sliding on a pair of gloves.
Walking toward his limp body, she stared him down before lifting her hand and landing a hard smack against his cheek, jolting him awake.
"You fucking bitch!" he seethed through clenched teeth.
"Shut up," she sneered as she bent down to look into his dark eyes. "You don't speak unless I tell you to, do you understand me?"
Welsby let out a scoff. "Who the he—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Angelise curled her hand into a fist before cocking it back and landing a punch, square in his jaw, causing him to cry out in pain.
While he recovered from the hard hit, she walked over to her tool kit and pulled out a pair of pliers before heading back in his direction.
Roughly grabbing him by the chin, she tilted his head upward while lifting the pliers to his view. She could see his eyes widened in fear and felt a sense of satisfaction run through her at his visibly shaken demeanor.
"Now," she smirked. "You're gonna tell me everything you know, starting with the Brenan Hefner case."
About twenty minutes out, Jax revved the engine of his bike as he sped down the road, heading toward Welsby's cabin. His mind was racing as the last few hours played in his head. What was supposed a 'Welcome Home' party for his son, turned into a tragedy as one of his brothers, lost his wife.
...
An hour earlier...
The rumblings of multiple engines roared through the quiet street as SAMCRO pulled up to the crime scene. The yellow tape was placed around the shattered glass while a few police cars were surrounding Opie's abandoned truck and Donna's lifeless body.
At the same time, a black sedan pulled up and came to a screeching halt as a frantic Opie, jumped out of the front seat before running toward the scene.
"Donna!" he called out in distress as he ducked under the yellow tape and fell to his knees to scoop her body in his hands.
The other members of SAMCRO climbed off their bikes and joined Opie behind the tape as they looked on with shocked and saddened expressions across their faces.
Clay stood to the side as he wiped his hands down his face, the guilt filling his body as Opie's cries grew louder. Jax felt the tears well up behind his eyes at his best friend's despair, knowing well he could've been in the same situation after what happened with Angelise.
Turning his attention toward Clay, he furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Unser walk up to him and took a few steps forward before stopping as he overheard their conversation.
"There's no real evidence against Bobby," Unser told Clay. "The witness is somebody that lives in the building where Hefner got killed, they didn't see Bobby kill him, they just saw him standing outside the window and placed him at the scene."
Clay sighed as he placed his hands on his waist. "How do you know this?"
Jax stood still, not trying to give away that he was listening in as Unser noticed him before turning back toward Clay.
"Hale," he confessed. "He's been privy to all of it, Stahl's not worried about finding the real killer, she was just looking to set you all up."
Jax held his breath as Unser asked Clay if the club might've been working with a hit man of sorts and felt his eyebrows furrow again when Unser brought up the carved symbol on Hefner's forehead. No one seemed to know who this mysterious person was.
Instantly, a quick thought came to his mind as he remembered Welsby mentioning a name before LJ interfered earlier at the cabin, "The Executioner". It seemed that he might've know who this person was and they were somehow connected to the hits on Hefner and the carny creep.
Before he could second guess his decision, he made a beeline for his bike as the others watched him start up the engine and ride off from the scene.
...
Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he dialed Angelise's number and was met with her voicemail, once again. Letting out an annoyed huff, he shoved the phone back in his pocket before accelerating down the road.
Back at Welsby's cabin, his cries bounced off the walls of the quiet room as Angelise snapped another one of his fingers on his left hand. Blood trickled down his mouth from the missing teeth she pulled out while gathering information.
Through his pain, he managed to tell her everything he knew. From Stahl setting up Opie, Clay taking the bait and putting a hit on one of his own, as well as gaining Ace's exact whereabouts and how much he knew of Angelise's existence.
Removing the pliers from his hand, Angelise turned around to put her things back in the duffle bag as Welsby tried to catch his breath.
"You think you're some tough, badass chick now, huh?" he swallowed, tasting the metallic in his mouth. "Getting your revenge? how cute."
She tsked while looking over her shoulder. "It's cuter seeing you trying to save face in your final moments, almost makes me want to prolong it a little."
Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, he felt his heart pound with dread as he heard her taunting tone. Letting out a heavy breath, he shook his head frantically.
"Angel," he whispered while spitting some of his blood on the tarp covered floor. "Please, please don't do this."
"Huh, that's funny," she laughed humorously as she zipped up her bag. "I remember saying the same thing to you all those years ago."
Turning around to face him again, she slowly stalked forward before standing in front of him. His dark eyes pleaded for mercy as while her green ones burned with a fire that shook him to his core.
"Take a good look, Theodore," she taunted. "This is your karma, finally, getting reaped for what you sowed."
His eyes widened as he frantically shook his head as she pulled out the gun tucked behind her waistband and pointed it between his eyes.
"No!" he shouted. "Angel plea—"
Outside, Jax pulled up to the walkway of the cabin. Sliding off the bike, he unclipped his helmet and placed it on the handlebars when the sound of a loud pop came from inside.
Reaching for his gun from his waistband, Jax took quick steps toward the front door. Inhaling a deep breath, he slowly twisted the doorknob before pushing the door open. Keeping his gun pointed, he took cautious steps as he observed the inside while walking in further.
Immediate shock took place as he found a very dead Welsby in the middle of the room, his blood scattered all over the tarp and his body slumped over the restraints keeping him still.
Hearing something moving in the bedroom, he aimed his gun and took a small step when a figure rounded the corner and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Angelise went into the bedroom to grab some spare sheets to wrap Welsby's body. Exiting the bedroom, she lifted her head and came to a halt as she saw those familiar blue eyes staring back at her.
"Angel?" he questioned as he looked between her and Welsby's body. "What the fuck is going on?"
She clutched the sheets in her hands tightly as her heart beat roughly against her rib cage. "Jax, what are you doing here?"
"Me? What the hell are you doing here?!" he grew livid while looking back at Welsby. "He's fucking dead, Angelise! Did you kill him?!"
She felt herself flinch as he used her full name, he never used it, so the fact that he did, she knew he was truly upset. Jax shook his head as he observed the room, he noticed her bag on the side and stalked toward it as Angelise tried to stop him.
Reaching the duffle before her, he practically ripped the zipper open and dug through it, finding her tool kit, along with a .45cal handgun, and a few boxes of ammo. Lifting his head up, he stared at her nervously playing with her fingers before lifting the bag in his hand.
"What the hell is this?." he snarled.
Angelise's mouth dropped slightly as she tried to find the words to speak but they seemed to be stuck. His eyes trailed her body as he took in her attire, dressed in all black, with her black stiletto boots, and the gloves covering her hands.
Jax felt his heart stop at the sudden thought that popped into his head, he could hear, the now, dead man's words from earlier as he gazed into her beautiful green eyes, "Ask your wife."
Licking his lips, a shaky breath escaped his mouth. "Are you the hit man we've been looking for?"
Time seemed to stop as they stared each other down. Jax prayed that he would be wrong, that Welsby had been taunting him, but the solemn expression that took over his wife's face, told him everything he needed to know.
"Jesus Christ, Angel," he seethed while running a hand down his beard.
"Jax,"she took a cautious step toward him. "I can explain."
"Explain?" he dryly laughed. "Explain what? How you've been lying to me this whole time? That—that you've been hiding behind this fake life since the moment we met? Tell me Angel, how the fuck can you explain that?!"
She pursed her lips for a moment, choosing to stay quiet as the guilt washed over her, knowing he had a right to be angry. A deafening silence filled the room as the married couple each were experiencing a collection of emotions.
Turning his back toward her, he faced Welsby's dead body before walking toward him and untying the ropes. Angelise stepped toward him with furrowed eyebrows.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"Helping you." he deadpanned.
She shook her head. "Jax, you don't—"
"Just hand me the sheets." he told her as he continued what he was doing.
Angelise felt her heart drop at his cold shoulder. Sighing, she picked up the duffle and grabbed the box of gloves before pulling a pair out and handing them over to Jax along with the spare sheets.
She cleaned up any traces of them being in the cabin as Jax wrapped up Welsby's body with the sheets and bloody tarp. Once they were done, they carried his body to the trunk of the impala. Closing it, Angelise ran a hand through her hair.
"Jax." she spoke after a few minutes but he ignored her as he turned away and walked toward his bike.
She watched as he climbed on the seat before revving the engine and pulling off the property, leaving her behind. Shutting her eyes in frustration and hurt, she slid into the driver's seat and drove off to find a secluded place to get rid of Welsby's body.
The next morning came as SAMCRO made the preparations for Donna's funeral. The members were currently sitting in church, trying to figured out different solutions on how to go about avenging her death.
"So, how do we handle this?" Piney asked first.
Clay sighed as he looked at him across the table. "The Niners are gonna be dealt with, but right now, let's just walk through this, be there for Ope."
Piney scoffed. "We help Ope by settling the score, we track down Laroy and put a bullet in his head."
Clay looked over a Jax, who seemed to be out of it as his mind kept replaying the events of last night.
Finding out that Angelise was a hit man, had not been what he had expected. He thought he knew everything there was to know about his wife but the realization that he might not know her as well as he thought he did, broke his heart.
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor pulled him out of his daydream as he watched the back of Piney's kutte storm out of the chapel. Looking over at Clay, Jax stood up from his seat.
"I got it." he told him as he followed after Piney.
Heading outside, he walked over to Piney as the old man started up his up. Stopping in front of him, Jax tucked his hands in his front pockets.
"Where are you goin'?" he asked.
Piney looked up at him before revving the engine on his bike, making Jax roll his eyes before sighing.
"Look, man, nobody wants to even this out more than me" he told him. "Let's just bury Donna, catch our breath, and then we'll do what needs to be done."
Piney gave him an exasperated as he turned his head. "Yeah, sure, one question though, would you be saying the same thing if it were Angel getting buried six feet?"
The sudden question had caught Jax off guard, giving Piney the opportunity to pull out his spot and ride off as Jax looked on. Standing by the office door, Gemma watched the exchange before making her way over to her son.
"What was that about?" she asked.
Jax shook his head as turned toward his bike. "Nothing."
Climbing onto the seat, he strapped his helmet on before looking over at his mom. At that exact moment, he saw LJ's car pull into the lot but didn't stick around to greet him as he revved the engine of his bike before booking it out of the lot.
An hour later, Angelise was sitting in Abel's nursery as she fed him a bottle. Small bags framed her tired eyes from her lack of sleep, she had been tossing all night after returning from disposing Welsby's body.
Her prepay began to ring causing her to adjust her son in her arms as she reached into her pocket to pull it out. Seeing LJ's name, she answered after second ring.
"What's up?" she greeted.
"Hey," he breathed through the line. "I'm at TM with Gemma, she's going frantic, Piney went to Oakland."
"Oakland?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"
"He thinks the Niners had something to do with Donna's death," he explained. "He's going there to confront them, Jax and few others are on their way there, she wants you to talk to him."
"I can't," Angelise sighed. "I'm with the baby, and I doubt Jax would want to talk to me right now, not after last night."
She still hadn't spoken to Jax since he left her at the cabin the night before. She tried to call him several times after returning home but he was clearly ignoring her. Taking a small pause, she bit her lip before speaking into the phone again.
"Listen," she explained. "Jax can handle the club, we need to figure out who that witness is... I have a feeling Clay's the one who sent Piney on that wild goose chase and he's gonna try to do something to cover this up."
"Alright," he responded. "I'll stay here, keep an ear out, and let you know what I find."
Saying their goodbyes, Angelise hung up the phone before brushing one of her fingers against her Abel's cheek as she placed his sleeping body in his crib. Grabbing the baby monitor, she headed into the kitchen and sat by the dining table.
Her thoughts were scattered as she processed her conversation with LJ. She wasn't surprised that Clay was trying to cover his ass for Donna's death, he's an ego driven man that's motivated by money and greed. His selfishness was going to be the club's downfall, it was only a matter of time.
Angelise leaned back in her chair as she let out a tired sigh. The static from the baby monitor and her breathing were the only sounds present in the room as she basked in the silence.
A few hours later, Jax and the others were able to get Piney back to Charming without a fight breaking out, as well as finding out that the Niners were nowhere near SAMCRO's territory last night, bringing them back to square one.
Pulling into the garage, Jax noticed LJ leaning on the trunk of his car and took a moment before heading in his direction.
LJ nodded his head in greeting while Jax kept the stoic expression on his face. Seeing that the blonde man was being stubborn, LJ let out a sigh.
"Look," he started off. "I know you're pissed about what happened last night, and you have every right to be, but I think you should give her a chance to explain everything."
"Really?" Jax could barely hold in his scoff. "She had three years to explain things to me, yet I don't find out until there's a dead body slumped in the middle of a room as she stood by unfazed."
"Angel shouldn't have waited so long to tell you," LJ agreed. "But, you gotta understand why she didn't and the only way to do that is if you talk to her."
No longer wanting to talk about the topic, Jax shook his head as his nostrils flared in anger.
Realizing Jax wasn't going to budge, LJ reached into his pocket to pull out a small piece of paper before passing it to him.
"I found the witness that ID'd Bobby," he changed the subject. "She's a young kid, who lived next door, they got her in a safe house thirty minutes from here, you might want to get there before the others do."
Jax took the piece of paper in his hand before nodding his head. Turning back toward his bike, he stopped in tracks as LJ called out to him.
"Whenever you do decide to talk to her, just, keep an open mind, alright?" he advised before climbing into his car and pulling off the lot leaving Jax stood in his spot.
Nighttime quickly came as the hours dwindled, the clock in Angelise's kitchen showed the hand slowly approaching 1:00 a.m. Sitting in the living room, she was curled up on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand and the baby monitor on the coffee table.
Taking a sip from the glass, Angelise barely acknowledged the sound of the front door opening as a bruised up Jax entered the house. Removing his shoes by the door, he noticed her sitting quietly on the couch before deciding to join her.
She noticed the movement from her peripheral and turned her head to face Jax as he sat down. An awkward silence followed as the married couple watched each other.
Staring into his blue eyes, she could see a mix of emotions circling his irises but what she wasn't expecting was the next few words to fall from his mouth.
"You gonna talk? Or are we just gonna stare at each other all night?" he questioned.
Angelise let out a dry huff through her nose as she took another sip of her wine."You truly never miss a beat, Teller."
Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his thighs while keeping his head facing her direction. "You said you wanted to talk, explain things, so I'm here, talk."
She internally flinched at his clipped tone as her grip on the glass tightened. Intaking a deep breath, she gave him a serious but nervous look.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know," she stated. "No more secrets, I promise."
Keeping his gaze on her, he nodded his head, letting her know she had his attention.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she began to tell him everything, from start to finish, who Ace was, her past involvement with the Italian mob and the IRA, her real history with LJ and Ted, and most importantly, her phantom persona.
Jax shook his head in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me? That night when you told me about Welsby, why didn't you say anything?"
"I was scared," she admitted. "Ace is dangerous, he's not some lowly arms dealer, he's a mob boss and if I involved you in anything regarding him, you wouldn't be safe."
"I can take care of myself, and you." he stated.
"Not with this," she shook her head. "He staged a coup with Welsby to try and kill me, we're lucky Welsby kept this to himself but if he hadn't, who knows how things would've happened."
Jax adjusted himself on the couch to face her. Grabbing one of her hands, he pulled her closer to him and placed his calloused hand on her cheek.
"You're not alone in this," he told her. "If he ever comes here, we'll deal with him, together, okay?"
Angelise felt her eyes welling up as her heart raced rapidly. Nodding her head, she laid her forehead gently against his as the tension slowly disappeared between them. Observing his features, she noticed the bruising around his jaw and cut on his lip.
Lifting her hand, she gently brushed the cut with her finger while slightly pulling back. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he nodded his head. "Got into a fight while trying to get to ATF's witness."
Standing up from the couch, she held his hand while guiding him toward her bedroom. Letting go of his hand, she headed toward the bathroom as he sat at the edge of the bed. Reentering the room, she held a first aid kit in her hand before sitting down next to him.
Turning his face toward her, she opened the kit and grabbed a disinfectant wipe before tearing it open and gently dabbed it on his lip. Jax kept his gaze on her as concentrated on cleaning his cuts. Pursing her lips, she let her eyes quickly meet his.
"I know who killed Donna." she said.
Jax shifted his gaze before looking at her again. "Me too."
Finishing up, she stood up to put the kit back in the bathroom before climbing in the bed. She watched Jax's rigid frame while biting her bottom lip.
"You can stay here, if you want." she told him.
Looking over his shoulder, he flashed her a look for confirmation before getting up and stripping out of his clothes. Left in just his briefs, he climbed onto the bed next to her while she shut off the lamp on her bedside. Getting under the covers, Jax noticed the slight distance and pulled her into his chest.
Wrapping his arm around her, Angelise laid her head on his heart and a comfortable silence filled the room. Their breathing synced with each other when she laid her arm across his waist and Jax placed a kiss on her forehead before they slowly fell asleep.
...
That's a wrap on Chapter 12!!!
Y'all this chapter was so hard to write. *cry face* I think I rewrote this like a thousand times and nothing was coming together, so I hope you guys like the final cut.
We have a few things to address:
-Jax knows the truth!!! And what a way to find out! I mean, does he ever make things easy?
-Welsby is finally gone! *And there will be no resurrections this time*
-I was gonna have Angel have some history with the Niner gang but I felt that if she starting having history with everyone, it would take away from the fact that she was on the run and hiding from Ace so I decided not to do that.
-This is not the end of the drama, especially now that Jax knows everything, am I sensing a dynamic duo between them? #TheTellers!
The build up is building as the drama unfolds, I hope you guys are ready!!!
Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you next chapter!
P.S. you guys, 2K reads?! Are you kidding?? I'm honestly floored, thank you guys for loving this book and reading it!!
*Please comment and vote! :)*