I've Got This Friend

Chapter 23

Today is shortie day apparently! Xoxo

--

Mae and Opie made it back to Charming later that night. A usually joyous time, exciting and full of emotion, was marred by intense fear. They couldn't even enjoy knowing how the other felt, not yet at least. Opie knew the most direct way to get Jude by using Mae but be hated it. He hoped that by some miracle when they arrived at the clubhouse just after one in the morning that Jax would say Jude was already dead.

"Hey guys." Jax greeted them both with a smile despite the situation. "Mae, my mom changed the sheets in the apartment if you want to sleep."

"I'll just take a beer actually. Thank you though." She smiled sadly as Opie kissed her cheek and directed her to the bar where Rat stood restocking the fridge.

"Don't worry." He said forcing her to sit.

Opie left her and headed into chapel with Jax, Clay and Piney. The Winston men hugged before they all took their seats.

"Jax filled me in." Clay said somberly. "I really don't see our next move here."

"Mae wants to do it." He hated himself for even admitting it out loud. "It was her idea actually, I didn't even mention it. She wants to meet with him, take one of Juice's tracker fucking things and then we ambush em'."

"Are you gonna let that happen?" Piney asked incensed that his son would go along with such a dangerous plan. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"Pop," Opie said angrily. "We go no other play and she wants to do it, she really does."

"This is what I've been saying all along." Clay said with a tiny grin. "This is how we end it."

Jax shook his head. "I don't like it." He felt Clay's eyes on him in an instant but he didn't care. "Ope, there's so much shit that could go wrong."

"Then what else can we do?" Really, Opie truly wanted suggestions to keep Mae out of the firing line. "You got an idea?"

"We find him and we kill him, plain and simple." Piney said gruffly.

"And have we found him?" Clay asked annoyed this was even still a question. "He could sink us all, we need to move on this."

--

Mae nursed her beer and began rethinking her offer. Maybe Opie was right, she was suddenly terrified by the idea now that it was so real. Her phone rang and she quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"Pretty Bird, how are you?"

"Fine." She whispered. "What do you want?"

"I don't want to give those assholes time to plan something."

Swallowing hard she slapped her palm against the bar to call Rat's attention. He looked anxious as she tried to mouth to him an explanation.

"There's no planning." She tried to assure him as Rat and Juice came up to her. She listened to him drone on about knowing everything and the club's stupidity. "He wants me to meet him now." She whispered with her palm over the phone.

"Come outside, Mae." Jude sang softly into the phone. "Because if you don't that short brown asshole is getting two in the back of the head."

With her heart in her throat Mae managed to stutter. "What?"

"I'm kidding." Jude laughed heartily. "There's no windows in the clubhouse for me to shoot him. I know he was at your place before and I saw him heading into the building right before you got there. But seriously, you are going to meet me at my motel, your ape boyfriend knows where that is, and you're going to be alone. If I see one fucking biker I'll slit your throat. Got me?"

"Got you." She stammered. "When?"

"An hour. I can't wait to see you, Mae."

"I need Ope," she whimpered as she dropped her phone on the bar. "Get him."