Jameson walked into the office slowly, dreading it. Gemma looked up as she entered and offered her what Jameson could only assume was supposed to be a smile, but it came out as sort of a pained grin.
"Hello, James," Gemma said, sounding annoyed already.
"Hi mom," Jameson said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before settling into one of the old chairs across the desk from her. "Jackson said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah, but I got a feeling you already knew that since I've been leaving you messages for a week," Gemma said, her voice tense.
"Sorry. What's up?" Jameson asked, trying to stay as calm as she could.
"You bein' careful with these death threats?" Gemma asked, only sounding vaguely concerned.
"Yeah, I've got Ope."
"Where do you land on Isaac?" her mom asked, and she shrugged.
"Nowhere."
"What's going on with you and Ope these days?"
"I'm not sure that's really your business, Gemma."
"Don't give me that shit. Opie's sweet, Jameson. Don't fuck around with him."
"I won't."
"You love him?"
Gemma's question surprised her and for a few moments she wasn't sure what to say. She'd had no idea her mom knew how close she and Opie were, although she guessed she probably shouldn't be surprised. Gemma did kind of have a tendency to know everything, even things she hadn't been told out loud by anyone.
Jameson stared at her mother, not sure if she should tell her the truth or not. Finally, she decided she didn't really have much to lose if she did.
"Yeah, I do," she said simply, and Gemma nodded.
"Good. He loves you too and has for a long time. The way you two look at each other... don't let him go just because you're worried it will be a problem for the club. It won't be, and if it is it'll get worked through just like everything else does. Don't you let him slip through your fingers, Jameson," Gemma said, surprising Jameson yet again. It wasn't exactly common for her mother to speak to her so kindly.
"Okay, mom," Jameson said quietly, nodding.
"And be careful. Make sure you're watching your back with these threats," Gemma added, and Jameson nodded.
"Okay," she whispered, standing to turn and leave the office.
"Jameson." Her mother's voice was quiet, gentle, and she turned back to look at her again. "I love you."
"I love you too, mom," she said, turning back and heading out to where Opie was seated at one of the tables outside the garage. He looked at her curiously as she approached and she shot him a confused look.
"How'd it go?" he asked as she sat down beside him and took a swig of the beer in front of him. She shook her head.
"I... have no fuckin' idea honestly. She was... nice to me," she said, and Opie laughed.
"I mean, maybe not lately, but that has been known to happen hasn't it?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I guess," she said, and before she could say anything else, Jax walked out of the clubhouse.
"We got a lead on the threats," he said simply, and Jameson rose to follow him as he walked to his bike. Both Opie and Jax gave her a look.
"No way. You're not coming," Opie said, and Jax nodded resolutely.
"Not a chance," her brother agreed, giving her a stern look.
"Fine. Just... stay safe, okay?" she said, casting a glance at Jax but landing on Opie.
He nodded, leaning down to kiss her and surprising her. She started to back away, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her still. Jax catcalled loudly and she raised her middle finger at him behind Opie's back.
"I'll see you later," Opie told her as he pulled away, winking in a silly way. She flipped him off too, laughing as she turned to head into the garage.
"Is that happenin' now?" another member and somewhat father figure of hers, Tig, asked as she walked in and pulled on one of her uniform shirts that had been tossed on top of the tool box she shared with Jax.
"Honestly, Tiggy, I've got no fuckin' idea what's happening anymore," she admitted truthfully, shrugging and moving to help him with the car he was working on.
•••••
Three hours later, Jax and Opie still weren't back and Jameson was worried. She and Tig had finished their last car an hour before and she was antsy. Tig, Chibs, and another member, Bobby, were trying to keep her occupied with a game of pool but it wasn't working.
"Where the fuck are they?" she asked out loud, having just called Jax's cell phone for the tenth time. Tig put a hand on her shoulder that she shook off at once. "If you fuckin' tell me to stay calm one more time I'm going to throttle you," she told him, and he took a step back from her.
Before anyone could say anything else, Opie's name flashed across the screen of her cell phone as it started to ring. She sighed, answering.
"Where the fuck are you?" she asked, and for a moment it was silent. Then, a voice that wasn't Opie's addressed her.
"Hello, love."
Her eyes shot to Tig's and he looked right back at her, concerned. The voice belonged to Isaac, and she was absolutely sure of it.
"What the fuck is this?" she asked, and he chuckled.
"Your precious boys are safe... for now."
"What do you want, Isaac?" she asked, and Tig's eyes went wide in front of her. He shot looks to Bobby and Chibs and they all circled in closer as she put the phone on speakerphone.
"You, obviously. I've always only wanted you, Jamie."
"Bullshit, Isaac. You know damn well we're fucking toxic to each other."
"No, we're not! We're not!"
"Fine. We're not. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to leave with me. We'll go somewhere nice and forget all about that stupid ass fucking club that's always just been holding us back from being happy together. Meet me at my mom's house in an hour. Come alone or I'll shoot both your brother and your precious Opie in the head."
"How do I even know you have them?" she asked, and she could hear what sounded like the phone being tossed on the other end. There was some shuffling and then Opie was speaking.
"Hi, baby," he said quietly, and she heard what sounded like a blow landing on him. He grunted, sounding like he was in pain. "Don't fucking come, Jameson. Don't. He's going to kill all three of us if you do, and you know it," he told her, and it seemed like another blow landed on him. She could hear Jax yelling in the background and then his voice came through the phone too.
"Jameson, do not come. Fucking don't. Keep yourself safe," her brother told her, and then it sounded like a blow landed on him too.
"Happy?" Isaac's voice was back and she could already feel the rage building inside of her.
"I'll be there," she told him, hanging up the phone and heading out to the lot to get on her bike.
"Jameson, wait," Tig's voice was behind her, and she shook her head.
"No. I'm going and no one's coming with me. I don't care who you tell or how you try and stop me, I'm going," she said, and Tig caught her shoulder, holding it tightly. He spun her around, surprised at the tears in her eyes.
"Listen to me, Jamie. You can't go in there alone. We're coming with you," he said gently, and both Chibs and Bobby nodded from behind him. "We'll get Juice and Happy and Clay and we're all going. Ain't no way we're letting you go in there alone. We're going to back you up and we're going to get our boys out of there."
"Fine, but hurry," she said, and Tig nodded, leaving to run inside and tell the others.