Pull

My heart skipped a beat. All of the toughness that Ace taught me flew out the window at the sight of the only woman in my life I had ever considered a mother. I knew she was angry with me. I had been ignoring phone calls for months and months. They probably thought I was dead. I was ashamed, but it was for my safety. Wishing my wheel bearing hadn't found now a convenient time to go to shit, I hung my head.

"No. Yeah...I don't know. I need to get out of California," I said, walking toward the woman.

"Ace told you to stay here, where you're safe. You just took off. I've been worried sick, you little shit. We've had the guys out looking for you. Where did you get that car?" Hazel eyes glared at me, as she placed her hands on her hips in the signature "annoyed" look.

"Uh. I bought it off a cheap lot? It was for the best Gemma. If Clay knew what I was up to, he'd have me killed, 'For the better of the club.' I had to run. I had business to finish. Business that had nothing to do with the Sons," I said, my confidence coming back

"You should have stayed. Let the men handle it. You can't just go running off on vigilante missions with a personal vendetta against someone. It doesn't work like that. We don't need a wild card running around, especially now with ATF up our asses and with Abel in the hospital," she said. I was getting angry

"Gemma, you are the last person I would expect to rip my head off for defending my family. I wasn't going to sit around and let Ace's murderer run free. You want to hear about a personal vendetta? Ace slept with some Mayan assholes sister, couldn't keep it in his pants. Said it was for the better of the club. In retaliation, that Mexican bastard went after me. Was going to make Ace watch. He figured it was just better to kill Ace... make me watch. Send a message to the club. Ha. I saw red, Gem. I couldn't let that guy get away," I told her, figuring I would be easier forgiven with Gemma than with anyone else. If Gem was on my side, I had a better chance of Clay not strangling me.

"I didn't know. All the club knew was that Ace disappeared, and when we sent Bobby to go look for you, you were gone too. Your car was found in a lake, and you were MIA. We knew Ace was dead, but we thought you had died too," She said, sadness creeping into those fierce hazel eyes.

"I had to do it. I thought that I might die chasing this guy across the state. I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it. But if I died trying to avenge my brother, than at least all his years of raising me would have been worth it," I said, shaking my head sadly.

"Let me call the garage and have someone come get this trash you call a vehicle. I'll wait with you, it shouldn't take long. You do have some explaining to do to Clay. He's probably going to put you on house arrest," Gemma said, chuckling, and pulling me into a hug. "Don't you ever do that again, you hear me? You're the daughter I never had, and if I have to go through thinking you're dead one more damn time, I'm going to have a heart attack,"

"Don't joke about that," I scoffed, knowing full well her heart condition.

"Don't run off again," She quipped. "Did you get him?"

I nodded.

"You're going to turn out like Tig if you don't be careful," She warned.

"I will most certainly not be turning into any sort of sexual deviant, thank you. Ace told me that Tig banged a dead broad. There are no similarities between that walking venereal disease and I," I stated indignantly.

"Except you killed a guy and you seem to have no remorse. You don't even seem to be scared about police fallout or anything," Gemma said

"I guess there's that. But it was for the right reasons. Don't worry. This won't fall back on the club. I cleaned up my mess...kind of," I muttered the last part as the tow truck with Teller-Morrow Auto drove up.

"I'm not even going to ask," Gemma said as Juice and a new kid jumped out of the truck.

"It's for the better," I said sheepishly.

Juice had grown up since I saw him last. I remember when he was a prospect and my brother would harass him for hours on end. I think out of all the guys, Ace was the worst to the prospects. Sometimes I thought he forgot what it was like for him when he was trying to get in. He stood in shock for a moment when he realized whose car he was coming to pick up. He glanced from Gemma to me, then back again, jaw hanging open.

"No way. You... We thought you were dead. Are you... You're really... like.. there?" He stammered.

Oh Juice, always had a way with words.

"Yeah, I'm here," I said. "Now hook up that piece of shit car to your truck and introduce me to your buddy," I said

"Oh, right," He said, getting right to work.

"That's Half-Sack," Gemma said, pointing at the skinny kid in the prospect cut.

"Ah, um. Half...Sack? Hm. Drop them," I said.

"W-what?" The kid looked at me as if I had sprouted a third head and a dick.

"Drop. your. pants." I said, walking towards him slowly.

"I uh..I don't think..but.. you're a girl and... I ... um..." He stammered, backing himself into the truck.

Juice was laughing as he got the Ford Escort hitched to the tow truck. Gemma smirked and grabbed my shoulder.

"Leave the poor kid alone, Shi, and get in the Caddy. I'll take you to the garage, and save Prospect the ride with you," she said.

I grumbled a little bit, made sure all of my doors would stay closed, and got in the car with Gemma. She lit a cigarette and offered me one as she started the engine, and headed toward the garage, and my guillotine.