Jax

"That's the thing, Cruz. I already have won," William states before the line goes dead.

"Fuck!" I roar as I whip my phone at the wall. It shatters into a dozen pieces that fly out of sight.

So much for an indestructible case.

"What did that phone ever do to you, Jaxon?" My mother says as she pulls a chair out from beside me. She sits down beside me, watching me expectantly, waiting for me to open up. It's a familiar sight - something she used to do when I was a kid after a long day of training with dad.

"I've fucked up, Mom."

"Tell me something I don't know, Jaxon." She says, a soft smile on her lips but worry behind her eyes. "But I also know that if anyone can get out of this mess, it's you."

I shake my head slowly. "Not this time, Mom," I tell her as I loudly push my chair back so I can stand and gently grab her arm. "I need you to go to that place we talked about. You will-"

"I'm not leaving, Jaxon." She says, pulling away from me.

"Mom," I groan, rubbing my hand over my face. "I don't have time for this. You need to go. Myers and his men are on their way and they will kill you if they see you."

She purses her lips and shakes her head. "Son, I ain't running. You should know me by now."

"Mom-"

"No, Jaxon. I'm in this with you just like I was in this with your father. This club is my family and I will be damned if I'm not here to protect it." She says as she leans over the bar, pulling a sawed-off shotgun out. "Plus, it's time Sally here was put to good use."

"I don't know if I can protect you."

She laughs. "Jaxon, I don't need you to protect me. If something happens to me, then so be it. It's time your father and I met again anyways." She states. "Now go get your men ready. I'll call in the ones that aren't already here."

I kiss her on the cheek and do what she says. Storming outside, I see a handful of my men standing outside the bar. They seem solemn - news of Slade's betrayal have probably reached their ears.

"Men!" I holler and everyone looks at me, giving me their full attention. "It's time. Myers and his men are on their way. We are in for a long night.

"They outnumber us. They outgun us. They have cleared out more clubs than we have, so they have the experience. Hell, I'm sure they could wipe out clubs with their eyes closed at this point." I pause, clearing my throat. "But, men, we have something that they don't. We are smart. We are loyal. We are family and-"

"Slade wasn't loyal!" One of my men yells from the back of the crowd.

"True. Very true. However, Slade wasn't born into this was he?" I ask, turning to Axel. "How long have you been with us Axel?"

"Since birth, man. My old man was your old man's VP."

"Yes, and how long was he in this club?"

"Since birth."

"And his father?" I ask."

"Since birth."

"Exactly." I turn my attention to Dennis. "And you?"

"Third Generation."

"Larson?" 

"Second Generation. Dad came in with your father right out of high school." He replies. 

"See? Every single one of you has been here since birth. Some of you are third and fourth generation. Some of you even go back to the beginning of the Sons of Silence." I say, pacing in front of my men. "This is the difference between us and them. This is why we are better. We stick together. We stand together. We are a family. We are brothers. There is nothing that can separate us. Slade just proved that newcomers ain't loyal. They can't be trusted. And that's what makes up more than half of that club!

"So when they get here, we will show them what the fuck we are made of! We will show them how strong the Sons of Silence are!" I finish.

"Now let's get to work!" Axel steps in. "Ryder, take Feral and make sure you start securing the area. Set up a station for me on the roof. Dennis, go make sure all the women and children get to the safe house safely with Old Man Tom. Teddy, you and the rest of the men start storing the bikes in the back. When they get here, I want us to be more than ready. You hear?" 

All the men grunt and shout their understanding before turning to get to work. Axel smacks my shoulder and gives me a nod before walking off to get to work. 

Sighing, I look out at the road - my eyes searching for something that I know isn't in sight. "I'll come for you Roxanne," I whisper. "I promise."

*****

The roar of a thousand engines reaches my ears before I can even see them. 

"It's go time, men!" Axel yells from the roof and I hear a few grunts in response. 

"You all know the plan. Look for Roxanne. If she is there, watch where you shoot. Make sure you aim for the kill. We've done this before, but if anyone happens to hit Roxanne...you will have me to deal with. You hear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. Watch each other's backs. We got this!" I say before turning my attention back to the road. 

"They're here!" 

And sure enough, the train of red and black motorcycles pull into the driveway of my club. I watch as each man parks and steps off their bikes in eerie unison. 

"Jaxon Cruz!" His voice yells from the crowd. My eyes dart crazily from man to man until I see him pushing through the crowd of men. "Get the fuck out here and talk to me like a man."

"Why, so you can shoot me?"

Myers laughs loudly, shaking his head. "Nah, not yet. We got some words to exchange first."

"You can't be serious?" My mother whisper-shouts as a turn to exit my bar. "Are you seriously going to fall for that?"

"If he shoots, you all shoot him." I shrug before pushing past her. 

"I swear you have the fucking brains of a god damn ape."

"And proud of it!" I say over my shoulder before exiting the bar to the wide open parking lot. 

"I'm glad you ain't-a chicken shit like your father," Myers says, a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. "It's nice to see that he actually did something right in his short life."

"Can you shut the fuck up already and get to the fucking point?"

"Why the fuck did you think it was okay to touch my daughter? Thousands of whores in this country and you pick her? You had no fucking right!"

"I swear that I had no fucking clue who she was at first."

"Right," He drawls. 

"Trust me. She never told me who she was. She never even gave me a fucking hint that she was a Myers. I didn't know. When I finally did find out, I thought you sent her as a spy or something. I almost killed her!"

I watch Myers face pale when my words reach his ears, before reddening to an unnatural shade of scarlet. "Why the fuck would I send my daughter to spy on you? Who the fuck do you think I am? I would never put her in harm's way like that!"

"Yeah, I got that now," I say solemnly as memories flood my mind. "I know this ain't what you want to hear, man, but I love that girl and I am going to do whatever I have to to have her back in my arms again where she fucking belongs."

"Over my dead body, Cruz."

"That can be arranged," I say before turning on my heel and heading back to my bar. 

"I'm not going to go easy on you, Cruz."

"I wouldn't expect you to." And that was the last words spoken before all hell broke loose. 

Gunshots echo around me. Orders are being shouted back and forth as we execute our plan perfectly. Groans of pain can be heard coming from both sides and it creates a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. 

Yet I push it down and continuously pull the trigger - my eyes searching for the ultimate target. William Myers death would put an end to all of this. 

Well, the same could be said about mine, but I have no intention of letting that happen. At least not tonight. I have a girl to get back. 

My men do as they're told. Each one holding their place perfectly, making it so the other side cannot even take one single step forward. We have lost a few. I can see that just by looking beside me. However, any second now and we should have this. We just have to hold this a little longer. Just a little longer. 

But that's when I see it. It's small at first but grows larger and larger as it comes down the road towards us. A fucking bulldozer. That's how they have done this all these years? They used a reinforced bulldozer. Are you fucking kidding me? If I wasn't shitting my pants right now, I would have laughed.

The driver lines the front up, then hits the gas. It inches forward towards us. I can hear my men's panic as they back away from their posts. Axel is yelling from the roof to get back. Men are running from the front door. Fear radiates from everyone around me. 

And I don't blame them Without the cover of the bar, we will be out in the wide open. They could literally pick us off one by one. We would be fucking ducks out there - or whatever the fucking saying is. 

So, I do what every leader should do in my situation. 

"Ryder!" I yell, as I grab him and pull him close to me. "I need you to hold my mom back. I need you to get her the fuck out of here no matter what. You understand?" I order him and I watch as his face changes from confusion to realization. 

"You can't, man."

"If I don't, we're all fucking dead. Do you hear me? I won't have my men die when the solution is so fucking easy. Now do what I fucking say. Get my mom out of here. If she dies today, I will fucking haunt you. Is that clear?"

"Fucking crystal," Ryder says before walking towards my mom and pulling her unwillingly out the back door. 

I watch them disappear before turning toward the front door. I step through the crowd, my men stopping to watch me as I exit the bar. I don't look back. I know if I did, I probably would have lost my wit and I can't have my men die because of me. Those are my brothers. When they signed up for this, they signed up for the brotherhood - not death. And I intend to keep it that way. 

As I step out of my bar one last time, I don't hesitate to raise my right arm and drop my gun in surrender. Seconds later, I hear his voice yelling 'hold your fire' followed by 'bring him to me'. 

I don't fight when I feel rough hands grab my arms and push me forward. Everything is moving so slowly right now. And there is this roar in my ears that is deafening. Is this how my father felt?

I'm pushed to my knees and I look up to see a smiling Myers. His lips are moving, but I can't hear a word he's saying over the sound in my ears. It's probably just useless information anyways. 

I blink once. Twice. Three times and now the barrel of his gun is pointed straight at my head. I can look inside the barrel. I'm sure if I look closer I could see the bullet that will be piercing my brain any second now. 

So I wait. He's talking again. Telling me how disappointed he is. How he thought I would put up more of a fight. How he never thought me to be a coward. 

A coward. If dying for my family makes me a coward, so fucking be it. 

"Just fucking get it over with," I whisper, my voice breaking the roar in my head. 

"What did you fucking say?" He asks angrily before punching me in the temple.

"No!" A familiar voice screams and I lift my head slowly. 

"Roxanne?"