It was quiet, too quiet. With all the chaos Stahl had created, the club had fallen silent, waiting for the next shot to be fired. They had seen what Otto had done to Stahl’s face and the look she had when she stormed in yesterday told them she was done playing. They still couldn’t get ahold of Bobby and nobody could find Opie. Everything had happened so fast that at this moment all they could do was sit quietly. Waiting for the next move. They were out of resources and out of ideas.

“So it is with a heavy heart that I must pull out of this race.”

Heaton’s voice came from the TV causing everyone to look up. Jax burrowed his brows, confused and shocked by what he had just heard. The conference was being held in DC. Heaton looked worried, scared even, but he read the words from his script dutifully.

“There is no fucking way Heaton would pull out of this race on his own.” Tig spoke from the far end of the bar.

“No, that’s David Berkley standing behind him.” Juice added.

“Guys,” Tig pointed at the security monitor. “Black SUV pulling into the lot.”

Clay and Jax exchanged a look expecting it to be the Feds for the third time in the last two days. Clay nodded his head for them to go outside, no doubt wanting to keep whoever it was from causing any more damage than was already done. With Stahl’s last two ambushes, the clubhouse was a wreak. Everything from broken chairs to shattered glass bottles littered the floor and the prospects hadn’t gotten a chance to clean it up.

The two leaders headed out and the rest followed behind each stone faced preparing for the worst. The SUV pulling to a stop in front of the row of bikes. The windows were tinted so they couldn’t see in until the doors opened and Bobby stepped out.

As confused as they were, it was a big fucking relief. Stahl had kept him so secured that not even a lawyer could get a hold of him. He joined the guys as they threw their arms around him. They thought they’d fucked up for good this time, but just as suddenly as they took him, they brought him back.

Jax watched as the suv took off again before all the guys walked inside, patting Bobby on the back before the prospect poured him a drink.

“What the hell happened, brother?” Chibs leaned against the bar next to him.

“I have no idea man.” He took a pull from his glass. “First they shove me in a room, Stahl tells me all the charges she’s planning on throwing on my case. She tells me I’ll never see the light of day again. I couldn’t get a phone call or a lawyer. Next thing I know, They pull me out, give me all my shit back, and Leila’s picking me up with two officers escorting her around.”

“Leila got you out?” Jax asked as he came around the bar to stand in front of Bobby.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “She knows where Opie is. Told me to tell the club, that Stahl is trying to pin Op as a rat. Got Donna and kids hidden too. She said he hasn’t given ‘em a thing.”

Clay and Tig looked at each other before Clay stepped forward. “Why is she doing all this?”

Bobby shrugged. “She said a deal’s a deal.”

“I think we better stay off the grid for a few days, guys.” Juice looked up from his computer.

Everyone turned to face him. Jax cocking his eyebrows at his sudden advice.

“Why?” He asked.

“Something big is going to go down.” He replied. “The police department is being cleared out. Hale’s been fired. Every fed has left town. Leila’s taking this whole investigation apart.”

The front doors opened a few minutes later catching everyone’s attention. Opie and his entire family came in, just as clueless as Bobby had been. Jax threw his arms around his best friend, pulling him in for a tight hug. If Stahl had successfully pinned him as a rat, not even he could save him.

“Good to have you back, brother.” Clay pulled him in for a hug.

“Good to be back.” He returned it before looking at Bobby. “How did you get out?”

“Leila. Did she get you out?”

“I only saw her for a moment through the glass. She was filling out paperwork then left. Someone came in after and told us we were free to go.”

“Check his car to see if they planted a wire on him.” Clay ordered Tig and he walked outside.

“Jesus christ. She’s pulling some big strings.” Piney said as he hugged his grandchildren.

“Yeah, no shit.” Chibs agreed.

Jax walked back outside after everyone was reacquainted. Maybe Leila was a better person than even he had thought or maybe he had underestimated her loyalty. Either way he was grateful. Despite everything he had put her through, she didn’t turn her back on them. She didn’t have to get Bobby and Opie out but she went in and handled it personally. He knew part of it was because of Stahl but it still showed her character.

His phone ringing snapped him out of it. “Hello?”

“Jax, it’s Tara. Stahl has locked herself in Abel’s room. She’s got a gun. The police are already here.”

---

 

Leila ran down the hallways of the hospital after getting word that Stahl had Abel. Security surrounded the room waiting for a clearing to take out Stahl. The thought of that cunt laying a hand on her son drove her to the point of madness. She saw them through the window. Stahl hovering over the baby’s crib hitting the side of her head with the gun as she contemplated how she was going to get out of there. Without thinking, she ran past her security and into the room.

“Miss Heaton!”

They tried to grab her but she was already in, door shut behind her. She didn’t have a plan, she just had to be in the room with Abel. She knew Stahl would have no problem killing a baby to get her way and there was no way that was happening.  The only thing she could do was try to negotiate with her, even if that meant letting her go free, just as long as she didn’t touch the baby.

Stahl pointed the gun directly at her from across the room and Leila shot her arms up, leaning back against the door. “What are you doing here? Abel has nothing to do with this!”

“Leila!” She heard Jax’s voice behind her, turning to see him against the window of the door being held back by police  the rest of the club running up behind him.

“You know why I’m here.” She started. “You took away every single thing that I worked for – that ever meant anything to me!” She yelled causing Abel to cry. Leila reached out for him but Stahl came around and  pressed the gun against her forehead. “Abel is what means most to you, right? I’ve watched you night after night come to this room, spending thousands on his care, wouldn’t it be a shame if I put an end to it right now?”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Leila asked, her voice breaking as Stahl leaned closer to her. “You started all of this.”

“Then you should’ve left it alone!” She screamed, slamming the butt of the gun against her jaw knocking Leila to the ground.

“No!” Jax screamed as he struggled to get out of their grip.

Leila wiped the blood from her lip. She winced at the pain as she felt the burning of tears in her eyes. Stahl went around the crib again, this time, tracing the gun around the edge of it. She could see the crazed look in the agent’s eyes as they shifted between her and the baby.

“If you’d just left it alone, your father would’ve married me! We would’ve run the whole goddamn world but no! His only ties to any power were from you and you used every ounce of that when it came to keeping us apart! He should’ve shipped you off after your whore of a mother died.”

Her words stung. Leila knew that was the truth. She knew how badly her father had wanted her gone. There was never any love for her after her mother died. Yet despite it all, she had stuck by him. Brainwashed into thinking he was all she had left. There was nothing her mother wouldn’t have done for that man and he still picked someone as vile as this piece of shit. There was a lot she wanted to say, but with her waving a gun above Abel’s crib, she knew she had to hold it together.

“I’m sorry. Okay? I was a kid. I didn’t know any better.” She stood slowly, bringing her hands up again. “Just tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything. Just leave him out of this. You can walk out of here right now and I promise nothing will happen to you. We’ll forget this ever happened. Please!” She begged.

Stahl laughed at her groveling. “You and I both know that’s a lie.” She smirked as she went around the crib before grazing her fingers on the baby’s cheek and Leila lost it. Stahl had poisoned everything good in her life, she was not going to poison him too.

“Don’t you touch my son!” Leila screamed out as she tackled Stahl to the ground.

The two fumbled as the gun was knocked out of the agent’s hand. Stahl punching her in the stomach before reaching for the gun. Leila was able to kick her away but not enough to get her far. She’d never been in a fight before but she knew she could take one hell of a beating. Everything she’d ever had to go through was because of Stahl and it was all going to end here.

---

 

Jax watched helplessly as Leila and Stahl fought behind the crib. The club physically restraining him from going in. This was a hostage situation. The cops were lined outside of the door waiting for an opening to get in there but with the baby being in the center of the room, there was no way he wouldn’t get hurt. Jax understood but it didn’t make things any easier.

Everyone froze when they heard one gunshot followed by another one seconds later. The noise scared the baby into crying again but the women had fallen silent. The club freaked out but the guards still held them back while they stormed into the room. Jax peeked into the window again to see a large pool of blood forming behind the crib.

“Get a doctor in here!” He heard one of the officer’s yell while another wheeled out the crib.

Gemma ran to grab Abel but froze when they saw Leila laying on the floor with blood seeping from her shirt. Stahl lay next to her motionless with a bullet wound to the chest. Opie tried to get in front of Jax to hide the scene from him but it was already too late. He sank to his knees, breaking down completely as he watched a few doctor’s fill the room.

“This one’s still got a pulse!” One of them yelled. “Get a stretcher, we gotta get her into surgery!”

The club watched as they lifted her up onto the stretcher, placing an oxygen mask on her as they ran down the hallway. Jax chased them down, running beside the stretch as he brushed Leila’s hair back. For the first time in a long time he prayed. Prayed that she’d be okay. Prayed that she’d make it through this. Not for him but for her son. All of this was for Abel.

They reached the doors at the end of the hallway and one of the nurses placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back. “Sorry, sir. You can’t go any further.” She said as she followed the other’s through the door.

“She’ll be okay, son” Clay put a hand on his shoulder as he stared at the closed doors.

Opie joined them, throwing his arm around him as they walked him to the waiting room. There were no words that could be said. They’d gotten word from the officers that Stahl had shot first and somehow Leila managed to grab the gun and shot her in the heart before losing conscious. Stahl was dead but at what cost? Leila hanging on by a thread?

Tara came into the waiting room after a few minutes. Despite the threatening looks she was receiving from the rest of the club, she took a seat next to Jax and placed a hand on his back, rubbing it comfortingly. As good as it felt knowing that there was one person who didn’t hate him, he knew he had to end this. There was enough guilt hanging on him, having Tara there wasn’t helping.

He inched away from her before standing up. “We need to talk.” He said as he nodded his head towards the door.

Tar hesitated for a moment but followed him out into the hallway. She crossed her arms defensively as he stared down at the ground, unable to make eye contact.

“This.” He pointed between her and him. “Us. We don’t work, Tara. The other night was a mistake. A moment of weakness on both our parts.”

She bit her lip as the wind was knocked out of her. “How can you say that Jax? I didn’t think of it as a mistake. I thought of it as us getting back on track. It’s what you always wanted, isn’t it?”

“No, Tara.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, shaking his head as he looked at her. “I thought I did but that was ten years ago. You were my first love. I thought everything about you was perfect, but it wasn’t. We wanted different things. We were completely different people. Leila -” he sighed, covering his eyes with his hands as they watered again. “Leila is the one who taught me what love is. Real love. Not puppy bullshit. She loved me unconditionally and my son too. Everything she did in there was for Abel.”

“Jax, you’re upset that she got hurt. I get that, but what me and you have is real, you feel it when we’re together – I know you do.”

“I did. I thought I thought I did, but it’s not the same. I’ll always care for you, but I can’t love you like that. Not like Leila.”

Tara’s eyes watered and he felt like a dick but it had to be said. He knew she wanted to get back together. She’d done everything in her power to bring them together but it wasn’t enough. His heart belonged to someone else, it wasn’t fair to her to drag this out.

He sighed as she started to cry but there was nothing he could do. His eyes wandered down the hallway when he saw Charlotte at the front desk talking to the nurses. She had to be here for Leila. Excusing himself for Tara he ran down the hallway to her.

“Charlotte, hey.” He said, catching his breath from his sprint. “How is she? Any word?”

Charlotte sighed, her eyes red and heavy from crying like his. “She’s lost a lot of blood. They’re doing everything they can.” She sniffled. “Her uncle is flying in. You guy should leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. What if her dad shows?” He raised his voice at the thought.

“Her uncle is having security stand guard for as long as she’s in here. He’s not getting anywhere near her. No one is.” She made a point to let him know that meant him too.

He hung his head, nodding that he understood before placing a hand on her arm. “Thanks Charlotte.”

She nodded and turned back to her phone to continue with phone calls. It was hard to imagine not being there when she opened her eyes, thanking her for everything, begging on his knees for forgiveness but she didn’t want to see him. He didn’t exist to her anymore. The few times he’d seen her out in public she hadn’t even thrown a look his way. It hurt to think he’d thrown away everything they had, but at least she hadn’t given up on Abel. She had called him her son. She’d killed a person for him. Hadn’t even thought twice before running into that room for him. That was the person Abel needed in his life and his father had already fucked it all up for him.