Skin

I woke up the next morning, my skin tacky with sweat. The sun was beating down on me from the patio doors that overlooked the backyard. I wasn’t used to being up this early; Juice had put blinds up in the bedroom windows long before I’d ever moved back to town. His arms were still wrapped around me, as if he’d been afraid that I would shift too far away from him in my sleep.

“Morning,” I greeted him, stretching my arms above my head.

Juice’s eyes slid open slowly. A lazy grin appeared on his mouth before it was wiped away with a yawn. “So, last night,” he began, leaning his face in close to mine so that he could kiss me.

“I could get used to that,” I admitted.

“So you meant it, then?”

I tensed, recalling suddenly that I’d said those three magic words. Not only had I said them, but I’d said them first. I knew that I’d gotten caught up in the moment, but would I have said it if I didn’t mean it? I thought for a moment about the last several weeks. He’d done everything I could have asked for and then some. I’d been separated from the club, for the most part, but I hadn’t minded at all once he got home each night. He was the only one who stuck around me that I hadn’t lashed out at on a very regular basis. And when I had, I’d felt like an asshole about it. I wanted to wake up to him, and I wanted to fall asleep next to him. And he really did make me feel differently than anyone else had before. With him I was better, somehow. I didn’t need to put on the brave, and at times offensive, mask that I wore for the rest of the world. I could be vulnerable and hurt. And he would never think any less of me.

“I meant it,” I told him after a moment of pause. And yet, even after all of the ways that I’d just assured myself of that same thing, a part of me wondered if I still just loved him as my best friend. I wanted to be in love with him, and maybe that was all it took to convince myself that I really was.

The way that Juice looked right then made me forget about my uncertainty. I understood then that he’d just been given something that he’d been denied for years. I hoped that I lived up to the version of me that he’d built up in his head. It was impossible to know just what he thought of me when he’d spent our years apart thinking about me. Of course, I’d thought of him, too. But my thoughts had been more of a longing for home in general. Every now and then I would think that he would enjoy a certain story, or I would wonder what he would do if he’d been there in a particular moment, but I had always known that that was just something that people did when they missed a friend. His thoughts of me had likely been much different.

An urgent, loud knocking at the door reminded me that we weren’t alone in the universe. I peeled myself free of his arms and yanked on my underwear and his tee shirt.

“You’re answering the door like that?” he looked more amused than surprised.

“Why shouldn’t I?” I paused to look back at him, wondering if maybe my actions weren’t appropriate when this wasn’t even my house.

“It might be Jax,” he said, shrugging as he sat up on the couch and reached for his jeans.

“This will teach him not to come over without calling first, if that’s the case,” I replied as I once again headed for the front door. I didn’t bother to peek through the window before I twisted the doorknob and yanked open the door.

Even I was shocked by who was standing on the front steps.

Two police officers that I didn’t know were facing me, with Unser and Hale flanking them. Unser looked a bit stressed, and despite the cool morning temperature I could see beads of sweat on his heavily lined forehead. Even Hale looked a bit uncomfortable, though he seemed to keep his composure just a bit better than the sheriff. The two unfamiliar men had identical stances, with the heel of one palm resting against the holsters that contained their handguns. They were all business, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as I saw the intense stare in their eyes.

“Alexis Teller?” One of them, a tall man with a firm jaw and a buzz cut, asked me.

“Can I help you?” I could hear how unwelcoming my voice sounded, but I couldn’t seem to turn on the charm just then. I leaned against the door frame, folding my arms across my chest.

“We need to bring you in for questioning regarding the disappearance of Trent Isaacs several weeks ago.” The same man continued speaking; his partner, an aging man with skin that seemed to sag around his chin and droop lower than his jaw line, pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

“Can I put some pants on first?” I asked. “I mean, I know the guys down at the station love to see half-naked women in the holding cells, but it’s not really my style.”

Unser stepped forward, brushing the two other officers aside. “I’ll go inside with her. You know, make sure that all she does is grab some clothes.”

The officers seemed satisfied that he would make a good enough chaperone. They let him pass, and he followed me inside of the house. Juice was standing in the kitchen; he’d very clearly been eavesdropping. He was visibly distressed, but I managed to smile at the fact that I’d stolen his shirt and he was walking around topless.

“Lex,” he began, searching wildly for something to say.

I shook my head crisply. “Don’t worry, it’s just for questioning. I’ve done it once before.”

“I’ll follow you there,” he said. It wasn’t so much an offer as it was an assertion.

“No,” I argued. “Go tell Jax and Mom. I’ll call if I need Lowen,” I added, referring to the lawyer that regularly worked with SAMCRO.

“I’d recommend calling Lowen right away,” Unser interjected. “They put a warrant out for you last night. Charming is out of their jurisdiction, so they called us and asked for your location. We had to hand you over; I’m sorry, sweetheart. You’re going to the city, and Hale and I won’t be able to go with you.”

I felt the blood leave my face. “A warrant? Am I in some kind of trouble?”

He shook his head. He appeared to be trying to reassure me, but it wasn’t really working. “No, not yet. It’s just for questioning. But still, they must have found something worth looking at if they want to talk to you themselves, instead of just using our prior interrogation. Go get some clothes on. They’ll start to wonder what’s going on in here if you take too long.”

Instead of doing as I was told, I turned to Juice with fearful eyes. “What do I do here?” I asked, my voice a faint whisper.

“Exactly what you did last time. You’re not under arrest,” he reminded me. “You’re not going to stay there. We’re going to come and get you. Just stay calm, okay? Here,” he reached up into one of the cupboards and grabbed my medication. “Make sure you take your pills before you go. The last thing we need is for you to have a heart attack.”

I nodded, taking the pills from him though I felt paralyzed on the spot. It wasn’t until Juice gave me a solid nudge on the shoulder that I remembered I was still supposed to put pants on. I moved in the direction that he’d shoved me, almost robotically. Instead of heading toward the guest bedroom to grab some fresh clothes, I went into the living room and threw on my jeans from the day before.

“Okay,” I grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter as I walked back into the entryway. “Let’s do this. Call Jax,” I said again to Juice. “Follow me. Please. I don’t want to know I’m alone there.”

I hadn’t noticed that in my momentary absence Juice had found himself a clean tee shirt, but it became obvious as he pulled on his cut. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be right behind you.”

I tried to wipe the worry from my face, but I wasn’t entirely sure how successful I was at the task. I squeezed Juice’s hand for a second before Unser put a hand on my back and pressed his palm against my shoulder blade, gently forcing me toward the front door. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way that my chest shook as I did so.

I let Unser lead me back outside, where the other officers were waiting, handcuffs at the ready. I let them shackle my wrists compliantly. The younger officer grabbed me by the upper arm and shoved me roughly toward the idling police cruiser. I wordlessly got into back of the car, the officer pressing down on the top of my head to ensure that I didn’t injure myself in the process.

“So, what exactly is going on?” I asked as they began driving down the residential streets of Charming. “I’ve already been questioned about this whole thing.”

“We’ll discuss it when we get to the station,” the older officer, who I discovered had a somewhat raspy voice, snapped irritably.

“Okay then,” I said slowly, sensing that this wasn’t going to be an amiable ride. “So I guess that asking you what kind of shenanigans you guys have planned for the weekend is totally off the table, huh?”

There was no response. I felt a sickening chill in my guts as I found this ride just a little too similar to the last time I’d gone to the city. That time, I’d been stuck in the back of a van with a driver who wouldn’t speak to me, and this felt much the same. In both cases, I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me upon my arrival. And more importantly, I was afraid.

Before today, I’d only ever been arrested in Charming. I found that the police department that I was brought to then was enormous by comparison. There were all kinds of staff and cops bustling around, looking busy and important. I didn’t like it. I missed the familiarity of being able to bounce my thoughts off of Unser. Hell, I even missed having my usual witty rapport with Hale. This place was foreign and imposing. I suddenly felt very small.

I was led into an interrogation room, which felt sterile and constricting. My handcuffs, which would have been taken off by now if I’d been in Charming, were secured to the metal table in front of me. I put my hands on the table top, trying to make myself as comfortable as possible in my current situation. The effort was fruitless; I was stressed beyond my usual capacity. I was glad that Juice had reminded me to take my pills before I left. I could just about imagine what would have happened if I’d gone without them today.

I waited as the younger officer that had shown up on the doorstep a few hours earlier sat down across from me. He flipped open a folder that I was certain contained the new information on the case of Trent’s disappearance. He cleared his throat.

“Miss Teller, my name is Officer Clement, and I’ll be conducting this interrogation,” he introduced himself. When I didn’t add anything, he continued. “I’m well aware that you’ve already been questioned in the disappearance of Trent Isaacs, but a new eyewitness account has placed a young woman matching your description at his house only a week before his disappearance.”

There was a silence that followed. I tried not to show any kind of emotional reaction. Instead, I simply shifted in my chair.

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I need a lawyer.” I said sharply.

The officer nodded. “By all means,” he replied. He nodded to a burly-looking man in the corner of the room, who set me free from my bonds to the table, though he kept my hands cuffed, and led me to the payphone in the hallway.

As he pushed a quarter into the slot and lifted the receiver, I thought about who I should call. Jax was likely on his way here, and he should have called Lowen before he left town. But had anyone bothered to tell Mom in their rush to get here? I’d instructed Juice to alert her to the situation, but I knew that he was apt to forget sometimes.

I punched in the numbers and waited impatiently for her to answer. When she finally picked up, I could hear the interference that always accompanied the Bluetooth in her Cadillac.

“Mom?” I asked, my voice coming out thick and pained.

“Baby? Are you okay? Jax called me when he left the garage. I’m on my way.”

“I need Lowen.”

“Jesus,” she breathed. “What do they have on you?”

“I’m not sure. They said a witness gave a description that matched me. Do you know when they’ll get here?”

“Soon. I wasn’t far behind them, and I’m about half an hour away from you. Juice moves fast. I’m pretty sure he followed right behind the cop car and called Jax on the way. If they aren’t already there, they will be any minute. You be smart, okay? Don’t get worked up. Play it cool. There are a lot of girls in California with black hair and brown eyes. Eyewitness accounts don’t mean shit in the end unless the point you out in a courtroom. Memories are a tricky thing.”

I took a calming breath. Talking to Mom seemed to help things, somehow. “Can you just call Lowen and make sure she’s on her way? I don’t want to have to stay here, especially if you’re on your way to take me home.”

“Sure thing, baby. I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up the phone and ran a hand through my hair. The gesture was awkward, as my wrists were still connected by a very short chain. “Can I have a cigarette while I wait for my attorney?” I asked the muscular man, who was still standing immediately at my side.

He gestured toward the front of the station, grasping me by the elbow. “Outside,” he stated.

I let him take me through the waiting room and out onto the sidewalk. We walked a few paces from the door, where he stopped and held out a pack of smokes and a lighter. My own had been confiscated as soon as I’d gotten here. I took a cigarette and let him light it for me, then leaned back against the brick façade of the building as I enjoyed the surge of nicotine. I hadn’t realized that I’d gone all morning without a smoke until just then. I felt just a tiny bit more relaxed as I inhaled slowly, savouring the taste of the tobacco. I had no idea when I would get the chance to smoke again.

“Lexi!”

My head snapped up as I heard my name being called. Jax and Juice were both rushing toward me, tailed closely by Opie and Bobby. It had clearly been Jax who had yelled for me.

I gestured casually toward the man standing next to me. “Meet my bodyguard for the foreseeable future,” I said dryly.

“Lowen’s on her way,” my brother told me. “You’ll be fine.”

I took a long, slow drag off of my cigarette. “Thanks.”

“Alright, that’s enough chit-chat,” the guard interrupted. “Finish your smoke so we can get you back into the interrogation room.”

“I’m waiting for my lawyer,” I reminded him. I had no intention of waiting for her arrival in that cramped room.

“Then I’ll put you in a holding cell,” he growled, a threat hovering in his words.

“Alright, calm down Lurch,” I said, my grumpiness getting the better of me. “I’m just here for questioning, if you remember correctly. Just let me smoke in peace.”

“You can’t talk to your friends,” he sounded more gruff by the second.

“Fine, I’ll just talk to my family,” I replied hotly. “So guys-”

“No talking to anyone,” the guard growled.

I got as much as I possibly could from the remnants of the cigarette while the guys stood wordlessly around me. Their presence alone was a comfort, and I was grateful that they’d gotten here so quickly. I looked from one man to the next; none of them were giving off any sign of concern. I wasn’t sure if they were actually as calm as they seemed, or if they were all putting on brave faces for my benefit.

“Lowen,” I said, standing up straight and putting out the butt of my cigarette as the lawyer approached.

She offered up a grim smile, tucking her thick brown hair behind her ears as she approached. “Alexis,” she greeted me with a nod. “Jackson,” she nodded at my brother in turn. “What are we dealing with here?”

In as few words as possible, I gave her a rundown of my previous questioning in Charming, as well as the one that had begun once I’d arrived here. “Thanks for getting here so quickly,” I finished gratefully.

She pursed her thin lips, thinking quickly about the situation at hand. “Okay, let’s get this done with.”

Seemingly happy to be able to go back inside, the guard grabbed hold of my arm and ushered me back to the interrogation room once more. I was once again secured to the table, though this time Lowen was seated next to me. I gulped, preparing myself to face whatever was coming my way.