Always in My Head - An SOA Fan Fiction

Chapter 16

Opie had finally managed to get out of bed for a shower and a proper meal at the table. He watched as Mae glided around the kitchen, she hummed as she cooked; the house seemed so empty when she wasn't there only because her happy tune wasn't echoing around.

Once Jax arrived Mae excused herself. The boys sat at the table, Kenny and Ellie were already in bed, with smokes and beers. "Jesus," Ope savored the taste. "She won't let me drink yet."

That made Jax burst out laughing. "Drink up then, bro." They clinked their bottles together and Jax filled him in on the plan for later that day before they really started in on why he was even there. "So he can by?"

Ope nodded, he hated feeling like such a cripple. Hale was on his goddamn doorstep and he couldn't do anything to keep him away. "Got her real upset, she stormed off. I trust her, bro, I do." He said quickly, defending her even though he didn't have to.

"I know, you don't trust him and you shouldn't. He's after your old lady and our club, he won't get either."

"What do I do? Can't kill him… Can I?"

Jax laughed and shook his head, blowing a huge puff of smoke up over his head. "Nah bro, you can't." As soon as he said it Jax had ideas swirling involving a dead Hale but not at the hands of Opie. "Where's she on this?"

That was something he didn't know. "I didn't ask her, she didn't bring it up. Doesn't want something like last time, we got off lucky with no charges but she got screwed. She doesn't want me going away and I sure as shit don't want to do another goddamn day."

"I get it." Jax knew how deeply shaken Opie was after his stint in Chino. It changed him and having to go in again was a nightmare he didn't want to live again. "You gotta talk to her."

"You're telling me to talk to my woman?" Maybe there were changes being made, internal changes, Opie laughed. "I want to nail it down, Hale or not."

"Look, I'll talk to Unser and you talk to Mae, we'll get him in his place." Stubbing out his cigarette and finishing his beer Jax got to his feet, he was really thinking it was time to deal with Hale for good. "You need help," he pointed to the steps.

"Nah, I got it. I'm fine."

"All right, I gotta heroin shipment to hijack." Jax and Opie hugged roughly. "I'll hit you up tomorrow."

The boys knew the plan didn't have to be anything special or too involved to get control of Calaveras and the Mayan's heroin so they kept it fairly simple and safe. Keeping contact with the others through texts and calls, Half-Sack and Juice followed behind a panel van, decorated with some crackled and faded business logo on the side. Only two of Salazar's members followed as protection for the run, it was barely dusk and even as inexperienced as they were they knew too many bikes would draw attention at that time of day.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Juice asked, his voice actually shaky. "I don't want you causing some forty car pileup for me to die in. That would be the worst, too embarrassing to go out in a damn piece of shit like this." He knocked on the dash of the stolen station wagon.

Sack nodded and began to speed up. "I got it man, drove Humvees through firefights in Iraq, this ain't shit."

Passing the Calaveras bikes in the stolen car Sack jammed on the breaks, the tires squealing, once they hit the onramp. Turning the wheel he spun the wagon around twice before stopping and perfectly blocked the skinny section of paved road leading to the highway. The impact easily smashed the guardrails on either side but they held up well enough to keep the bikes from getting around.

"What are you doing?" One man yelled as he jumped off his bike.

The van carrying the drugs stopped, the driver looking out the window for direction. There were risks with both stopping and going ahead alone but the need to deliver outweighed the risks, they had to keep moving. One of the other bikers waved the driver on and continued shouting at Sack.