Jax's POV:
Slowly awakening up from my deep slumber, I fluttered my eyes open with a groan. The light seeping into the room hurt my eyes. Keeping my eyes shut, I turned over and stretched my arm out, in search of Ethel, but the bed was empty and cold.
Shit when I think about it, I didn't even remember going to bed. What happened and how did I get here? Did Ethel take me to bed? Where was she anyway? Already up, I assumed.
"Jax, you up?" A very deep voice rung in my ears. It sure reminded me of the hangover that was already coming to haunt me for last nights alcohol abuse.
"Yeah, I am now." I groaned, slowly sitting up and taking a moment to open my eyes. It took several goes to open and close my eyes to adjust to the sunlight flooding into the room by the window.
"How you feeling?" The voice rung in my ears yet again.
Turning my head to face the doorway, I spotted a tired looking Opie standing in the doorway.
"Like shit." I chuckled, regretting it as pain pulsed through my head yet again.
"I bet you do." Opie simply replies, still standing in the doorway. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a very stern expression across his face.
"What are you doing here, Ope?" I kicked the blankets off and turned on the bed. Sitting on the edge, I rested my feet firmly against the carpet.
"Making sure you wake up." Opie hesitantly answered.
"And why wouldn't I?" I frowned. "Look, I don't need a fucking babysitter, I just had too much whiskey. Now, where is Ethel? She didn't mention she had work this morning." I stare up at Opie.
"Is he awake?" Another voice sounded from the corridor. It sure wasn't Ethel's voice, it sounded like Gemma.
"Yeah." Opie nodded.
"You told him yet?" Gemma than asked before appearing beside Opie.
"Nah." Opie shook his head.
"Told me what?" I narrowed my eyes at both Gemma and Opie.
Opie's expression was hard to read, but Gemma's, I knew for a fact something was up.
Gemma took a deep breath before she pushed pass Opie and walked into the bedroom. Taking a seat by me on the bed, she gave me a very sad look. "You see Jax, while you were passed our last night, something happened." Gemma placed her hand onto my shoulder.
"What happened mom?" I directed my eyes to her.
Gemma looked away from me for a moment, she bit down on her bottom lip and finally looked back at me. Her eyes now looked slightly teary, that look sure gave me an unsteady gut feeling.
"What happened?" I asked again. My heart was beginning to race, my stomach was uneasy and I was suddenly feeling faint. Ethel wasn't here when I woke up, did something happen to her? Fuck no.
"Sweety, Ethel-" Gemma paused as a tear escaped her eye. Using her thumb to wipe away he slow rolling tears, she looked up to Opie as for support.
"Jax," Opie sighed, taking several steps into the bedroom. "Juice and Ethel came back last night. We don't know exactly how it played out, but Juice copped something to the head. We found him bleeding out on the driveway while his bike idled. And well Ethel, she's gone. We found the house key and her blade on the driveway, but no sign of Ethel anywhere."
If it was even possible, I felt my whole world crumble around me. My heart sank and I couldn't help but feel the pain and guilt begin to eat me from the inside out. Ethel was gone. She had been taken right outside my own house, I didn't know or hear anything and I was in the fucking entertainment room, right by the front door.
"I'm so sorry, sweety." Gemma wrapped her arms around me.
I was in shock, literally. I couldn't espress how I was feeling, whatsoever. My nightmare had turned into a reality. Ethel was abducted.
"It was him, wasn't it?" I asked, staring up at Opie. My heart was aching, everything was beginning to hurt.
"We aren't certain, but yeah." He nodded.
I clenched my jaw, my eyes beginning to sting. My own tears beginning to dwell in my eyes. It was all my fault. I didn't keep my promise, I didn't keep her safe. I didn't stop or fight to keep her by my side. It was my fucking fault.
"And what about Juice?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
"He's at Saint Thomas. He sustained a bad head injury, at this stage he's been induced into a coma, until the swelling has gone down and they can stop the bleeding." Opie released his crossed arms and put them down by his side.
"I'm sorry Jax. But that's all we know, without Juice we haven't got eyes anywhere." Opie shook his head.
Wiping away my tears, I shrugged Gemma off me and got off of the bed. I was devastated, heart broken, but more than anything, angry.
Opie opened his mouth to speak, but as soon as he did, his prepaid began to ring. Clenching and unclenching my jaw, I stared hard at Opie, watching him struggle to snatch it from his pocket.
Within seconds he had the phone up to his ear and he finally spoke.
"Yeah?" Opie stared right back at me, his brown eyes giving out no emotion whatsoever.
"I'll let him know." Opie said before hanging up and putting his prepaid back into the pocket of his jeans.
"What?" I demanded.
"Clay needs us at the clubhouse, pronto." Opie answered. "But you're not going anywhere until you freshen up, you fucking reek." Opie scrunched up his face.
I didn't answer, I shoved pass him and went straight to the bathroom. Slamming the bathroom door behind me, I turned on the shower and stripped down.
It was an understatement to say I was angry, I was pissed. I was in the mood to kill, literally. And whose head did I want on a plate? Cheek's. I wanted him dead. I wanted to kill him myself, watch him cry out in pain, beg for mercy. I wanted revenge, revenge for ever taking a shot at Ethel, revenge for taking her away from me.
Taking a step into the shower, I stood directly under the running shower, feeling the warm water drizzle down my bare body. I wasn't there, my mentality was stuck on the fact that I allowed this to happen. It happened literally on my doorstep. If only I had been awake or sober, I could at least prevented or from happening. I was a fucking idiot to get on the piss last night.
~
"Come on Jax. You've been in there for an hour. Clay is getting impatient." Opie knocked at the door.
I was sat on the tiles of the shower, my head buried in my arms, feeling the shower run against my skin. I hadn't even realised I had been in the shower for so long, I was preoccupied with my guilt written thoughts.
Sitting there for a moment longer, I slowly got to my feet and shut off the water.
"He can fucking wait. If it wasn't for him, I could've killed Cheek when I had the chance at the clubhouse!" I yelled back angrily.
"Jax, seriously. Deadly is at the club, shit has hit the fan." Opie added, yelling through the door.
Shaking my head, I grabbed my towel and wiped myself down before wrapping it securely around my hips. Ripping open the bathroom door, I came face to face with Opie who looked as agitated as I felt.
"Get dressed. I'll be outside." Opie demanded before sauntering down the corridor and to the left, heading to the front door.
Rolling my eyes, I walked back into the bedroom and quickly got myself dressed. Once I was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, I grabbed my gun and walked out and down the corridor. Stopping at the end of the corridor, I spotted my kutte sitting just where I left it. Hanging on the back of the wooden chair.
Snatching my kutte from the chair, I pulled it on and looked down to the table. My packet of cigarettes, wallet and... Ethel's house key and her knife. Both covered in blood.
I had to hold my breath to try and stop myself to breaking down. I didn't know whether it was her blood smeared over either items, I was hoping it wasn't. It's your fault.
Grabbing the packet of cigarettes, my wallet and of course Ethel's knife and key, I headed out the front door. I was set. I had my smokes, I was half ready for what Mr Smith would throw at me.
Noticing Opie sitting on his bike, in the driveway. The first thing I noticed after him was the blood splattered all over the driveway. A dried up puddles worth near Ethel's and my bike and another puddle at the end of the driveway.
"Not a good look, huh?" Opie commented, noticing where I was looking.
I didn't reply, I didn't have anything to say.
"Just to add to everything, a pile of your vomit over there was well. But I'd doubt you would remember doing that." Opie looked over to the funky patch on the green grass.
I let out a huff and went straight to my bike. Starting it up, I reversed the bike out and sped out of the driveway. Opie followed closely behind as I weaved and dodged my way through the traffic.
In minutes we both arrived at the clubhouse, Bobby was sat outside with a cigar in hand and surrounded by paperwork. That was unusual, he never did it outside.
Parking my bike I walked over towards the entrance to the clubhouse.
"Morning Jax." Bobby greeted, looking over his reading glasses and up at me. "I'm sorry about Ethel."
I didn't answer, I clenched my fists and continued to the door. Just as I got to the door, I stopped as Bobby spoke.
"I'd watch your back, there's a shitstorm in there." Bobby warned.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and walked in to hear several arguments going at once. To my surprise it was only between Mr Smith, and Ethel's three brothers, Kurt, Jeffrey and Scotty.
"Don't you start your bullshit! Your sister is missing and you are pinning it on me! Step back into your ranks boys! I'm the fucking pres or have you forgotten." Mr Smith growled. He was completely surrounded by Ethel's three angry brothers and of course Ethel's Mom who was standing to one side, looking around just as annoyed.
"Alright pres. How about you listen up and this time, from your fucking sons." Jeffrey stood his ground. "Ethel came to us, she told us and you fucking blew her off. Now look what happened, your little Cheek pet has taken her. Proud of yourself? Daddy dearest." Jeffrey puffed himself up and stood tall over Mr Smith.
"What the fuck took you so long! I called over an hour ago!" Hissed Clay, snatching my attention from the Smith family having a fight.
"Sorry Clay." Opie apologised, but I didn't speak a word. I was already set off and close to exploding. You pissed off? You shouldn't be, it's your fault she's gone.
Pushing pass Clay and walking over to the bar, I was ripped back by an enraged Clay.
"Where the fuck do you think you are going, son?" He gritted his teeth.
"Back off. We wouldn't be in the fucking mess if it wasn't for you! I had the chance to put a bullet in his head, but you wanted to 'wait'." I snapped shrugging Clay off of me.
"My fault! I was being smart about it. If you hadn't of got yourself shitfaced, maybe Ethel would be still around." Clay retaliated, shoving me back for a split second. "Now get your ass outside, you need to check this out." Clay demanded pointing to the door.
I glared at Clay for a moment longer, that was until I was pushes back and dragged away by Tig.
"C'mon Jax. There's enough bullshit going on, don't add to it." Tig huffed, ripping open the exit of the clubhouse.
"Get off me!" I huffed, shrugging him off and simply following him to the white SUV parked nearby the Teller-Morrow shop. Getting to the side of the SUV, Tig pulled back the side door revealing a body.
"Recognise him?" Clay boomed from behind me.
Narrowing my eyes at the body, I hopped into the SUV and gazed down at the dead man's face. Dark hair, clean shave, dark eyes and an olive complexion. "Nah, who is this guy?" I knelt down beside him and looked back out to see not only Clay, Tig and Opie, but both clubs standing there in silence.
"We dunno, not a single tat on him." Clay replied.
Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I turned to my right to see a new box of gloves. Ripping open the box, I tugged put a pair and pulled them on. Now that I had gloves on, I pulled him the man's black shirt to reveal his chest. Not one single tattoo on him, the only making he had was the decent sized stab wound.
"Your girl made that mark." Clay announced. "We have checked over him, nothing out of the ordinary. No ink to relate him to the Mayans, nothing."
Fixing his shirt, I got out of the SUV and ripped off my gloves, throwing them in with the body.
"What? You thinkin' he contracted someone out to take her?" I looked back at everyone else.
"Possible." Opie shrugged.
"Mr Smith." Clay turned away from me and towards Ethel's father.
"What?" Mr Smith glared towards Clay.
"You recognise him?" Clay nodded his head towards the body.
"Never seen him in my life." Mr Smith replied, shaking his head. "What Cheek did in his own time, had nothing to do with anybody else. For I know, it could be old mate from bumfuck. I tell you, I don't know him."
"Interesting way of putting it." Clay frowned.
"Mr Smith, what do you know about Cheek?" I raised an eyebrow, finally deciding to speak.
"Not a lot, I knew he had family overseas, but his direct family are back home. If you're asking I know if his relatives were apart of this Mayan MC, I couldn't tell you. Cheek never spoke much about anything other than the club." Mr Smith replied.
"Well that's helpful." Bobby rolled his eyes.
"I'd keep your mouth shut if I was you." One of the Deadly members snapped at Bobby.
I wasn't sure if his name, but he sure was one of the guys Ethel got along with.
"Yeah and you gonna make me?" Bobby sarcastically replied.
"Oh just fucking shut up. The pair of you. This ain't getting back Ethel, not with us all bitching a bickering. Sort your shit out." Tig growled.
"Look we aren't getting anywhere with this. Cheek had a dorm back at the clubhouse, I can get one of the prospects or maybe even Frankie to break down his door. There's got to be something there that can give us some kind of lead." Kurt suggested, looking around at every one as if for some type of reply.
"That's good. You do that. Smith there's gotta be more you know about your own god-damn member than his fucking name." Clay crossed his arms as Kurt lingered away from the group.
"Why don't we just hack into the town's cameras?" Half-Sack questioned, earning a glare from Clay.
"Juice was our guy, we can't do shit without him. I don't know about you fellas, but I can't figure none of that shit out." Tig scratched his chin. "Any of you guys good with IT? We got Juice's laptop here, if someone wants to give it a shot."
"Where is it?" Scotty turned to Tig.
"Behind the bar, you good with that computer shit?" Opie cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm not a fucking genius, but back in the day you could say I may have hacked into things I shouldn't have." Scotty slight smiled as Jeffrey beside him chuckled. "What about you Opie, you any good?" He returned the question.
"Nah, I'm the dude you go to if you want something blown up." Opie grinned.
"Alright than. You see if you can hack into the systems. Smith, you're coming with me. Happy, Chibs, take the prospect with you to dispose of him." Clay ordered.
"Jax, Tig, Mr Smith, let's go pay Marcus a visit. He might know a little more about Cheek."