Jax's Dilemma:Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 2) (37 page)

Jax stood still, his arms crossed over his chest. Knowing his brothers were pissed made him humble. He honestly couldn’t say he wouldn’t be cheering Throttle on if the tables were turned and he sat in judgment of a brother who betrayed the club.

“Let’s keep it down. We’re all pissed, but we owe Jax something. Fuck, his old man was patched before most of us were born. Some of you, like Skeeter, Bear, Chuckles, and Dew—you all knew Jax’s old man.” Hawk narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jax.

“Sounds like you’re standin’ up for what he did, Hawk. You letting your feelings override your duties as vice president of the club?” Throttle threw Hawk a challenging stare, and it was not lost on Jax.

Before Hawk could respond, Jax said, “I know I did wrong. I let pussy and tits take over my head and made a shitty choice. I fucked up big-time on my judgment, but I didn’t use Insurgents money—I used my own to replace the money Cherri took. You see Cherri as a bitch or whore I fuck, but she’s not. She’s my old lady. I’m asking you to remember all the times I had your backs, all the times I fought and killed for the club. I want you to remember my old man, and how I grew up with the Insurgents. Fuck, I don’t know how to be anything else but an Insurgent. The club, the brotherhood, all of it is my identity—it’s in my blood, but I’ll take whatever you decide to give me.”

The silence was so thick, a knife could cut through it. Standing up again, Banger wiped his hands on his faded jeans. “It’s time we talk ’bout this and take a vote.” Glancing at Jax with a hard, steely look, he said, “Get out. We’ll call you when we’ve reached a decision.”

Jax strode out of the room, giving an air of confidence even though his insides were lurching. In the great room, he plopped in one of the padded chairs, stretching his legs out in front of him. Taking out his phone, he glanced at it and saw there were four unread messages. He opened them up. They were all from Cherri:

Cherri:
Hey, just checking to make sure you’re ok. What’s going on?

Cherri:
You probably can’t talk, but I wanted to make sure to tell you I love you.

Jax’s lips twitched as he read the text. Smiling, he reread it a few times before he opened her other two.

Cherri:
Now I’m getting a little nervous. Can you just text me anything so I know you’re good?

Cherri:
Jax, I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared. Text me. Are you ok?

Reading her last text, Jax heard the desperation in her mind. If he didn’t respond, she’d be sitting all afternoon scared out of her wits, thinking of all the worst things possible.

Jax:
It’s ok. Just waiting to hear their decision. Worst case—I’m out of the club.

A few seconds later, Jax’s screen blinked, telling him Cherri responded:

Cherri:
What’s the best case?

Jax:
My ass gets a beating.

Cherri:
You call that good? What kind of men are your brothers?

Jax:
Fucking good brothers—the best.

Hawk’s low, deep voice startled him. “Let’s go. We’ve made our decision.”

Jax:
Gotta go. They’ve voted. Later. Love you.

As he entered the meeting room, all eyes were on him. Banger nodded to the chair to his left and watched as Jax sat down. “We’ve come to a unanimous decision. You said earlier that no harm was done, but a lot of harm has been done by your actions. You lost our trust. Since I’ve been in the club, no bitch—old lady or whore—ever came between brothers. Your woman stole from us, and under normal circumstances, she’d either be eating dirt or having to wear a burka to cover her acid scars. Since you’ve claimed her and she had a history with our departed brother, Gunner, you can choose to either take her punishment as well as yours, or just take yours, and we’ll take care of her.”

Without hesitation, Jax said, “I’ll take the fall for her.”

With pursed lips, Banger nodded and glanced at Hawk. Leveling his eyes at Jax, anger mixed with regret shimmered in his eyes as Jax met his gaze. Hawk said, “Your rank as Sergeant-At-Arms is stripped. We’ll remove the patch from your jacket and cut. You’re still in the club, even though you should be thrown out, but your past loyalty and your dad’s history with the club saved your fuckin’ pussy ass. Since you want to take your punishment and your woman’s, you’ll be taken out to the barn behind the compound for a double beat-down by all the members.”

Hawk nodded to Axe who took out his switchblade, and in three swift moves, Jax’s Sergeant-At-Arms patches were cut off.

Giving out a long sigh, Jax’s chin dropped to his chest as he stared vacantly while his head felt like it was spinning. Shame colored his cheeks and shrouded him, and he didn’t dare look at any of the brothers.

Several minutes later, Banger said, “Get your sorry ass outside.” Jax stood up, still avoiding any eye contact with his brotherhood, and shuffled to the barn out back.

Inside, the building was quite large and sunlight filtered through the slats in the walls, making the shards look like swords. The brothers lined up in a row, fifteen on each side. A club beat-down cast the brothers in the role of fighters. The member who was to be beaten couldn’t fight back. He could fend off blows by lifting up his arms to lessen them, but he couldn’t throw a punch or do anything to fight back. It was a brutal form of punishment bestowed on brothers who fucked up, but still proved to be valuable enough to stay in the club.

Standing in the beginning of the line, Jax’s mouth was dry and the sweat under his arms soaked his t-shirt. Banger gave the signal by lifting his arm and bringing it down, like the flagman at a car race. When Jax stepped in, one of the brothers landed a full-on punch on Jax’s ear, and he immediately felt the warm trickle of blood oozing from it. As more punches landed on his face, blood started pooling in his mouth and spurting from his nose. Vicious punches, kicks, slams, and stomps assaulted his body. As the brothers beat the shit out of him, they cursed and screamed, “Fuckin’ asshole!” or “Was her cunt worth it? Think your pussy ass can take more?”

As he neared the end of the line, Banger and Hawk each took their turn. Turning his bruised and battered face toward Hawk, he could barely see out of his swollen eyes. From his bleary vision, he saw Hawk’s fist come smashing into his jaw. The force of it sent him on his knees, and he collapsed on the floor, facedown, dirt and splinters smashed against his lips and teeth. With his steel-toed boot, Banger kicked him hard in the side. The pain was excruciating and numbing, and he thought he heard a crack, but he wasn’t sure. All he could see was dirt, and even it faded as he passed out.

*     *     *

Coming to, every
inch of Jax ached, even his hair. Rubbing his hand under him, the coolness of the sheets soothed him. Figuring he must be in his room at the clubhouse, he tried to see out of his nearly swollen-shut eyes. Not much luck-all he saw were pinpricks of light and movement from dark silhouettes. He hurt something awful. From the other side of the room, he heard Hawk’s voice.

“Call his woman to come here and take care of him. He’s breathing funny, so call Doc Jenkins and tell him to hurry his ass. He needs to bandage up Jax, but that’s all. We don’t want him to have anything that’ll knock him out.”

“Sure thing,” Chas said as he reached for his phone.

After Hawk left the room, Chas whispered in Jax’s ear, “Fuck, man, you’re in a bad way. I’m gonna call Cherri, then the doc. Fuck, I hope you think her ass was worth all this.”

Fuck, yeah, she’s worth it.
Jax tried to vocalize his thoughts, but his split and bruised lips were swollen shut, and when he tried to break through the dried blood sealing them, the pain was too much. He didn’t want Cherri to see him like this, but he couldn’t tell anyone that, and even if he could, he knew the brotherhood wouldn’t give a damn what he wanted at this point. For the next several years, he was going to have to work hard to get their trust back.
Fuck.

A couple of hours later, Jax woke up to the coolness of a cloth on his forehead, and the soft, warm lips of his woman on his battered face. Wetness fell on his wounds as she loomed over him, and he hated that she was crying after seeing him like this. Every time he breathed, a sharp pain stabbed his sides, causing his head to pound harder. Knowing Cherri was there comforted him, and he let her soothe and take care of him as he drifted into oblivion.

*     *     *

Fighting back the
bile in her throat, Cherri stared at Jax’s broken and bloody body on the bed. Gently applying a cool cloth on his forehead, she took another washcloth and started cleaning the dried blood all over his bruised and cut face. As she did so, Jax moaned in his sleep. A burning heat flushed through her body as she ground her teeth, trying to stop the tears which kept escaping from her eyes. Horrified at the condition Jax was in, Cherri cleaned him up and bandaged his cuts, but from the way he was breathing, she knew he needed more than bandages and alcohol wipes.

As she listened to his labored breathing, her mouth went dry and her heart raced.
Where the fuck is the doctor? Fuck, Jax could die.

Running out of Jax’s room, she slammed head-on into Banger. Rubbing her head, she said, “Sorry… I didn’t see you there.” Recognizing the MC president, her eyes became cold and flinty as she stared at him. “Jax is beat-up bad and needs medical attention. I can’t fuckin’ believe what you did to one of your own. Fuck, it was barbaric. Where the hell is the doctor?”

Staring at her, his blue eyes cold and flat, Banger said, “There’s one coming. Jax knew the consequences, and he took the beating for betraying the club and for your stealing ass.” Leaning in close, Banger said in a menacing voice, “If you ever fuck the club again, no one, not even Jax, will be able to save your pretty ass. Count yourself real lucky on this one.”

“Banger, I’m sorry about everything. I swear, I would’ve paid back every penny. I was just so desperate to get out of town. I didn’t care about me, but I was terrified McFahey would take my daughter, and I’d never see her again. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I feel so bad seeing Jax like he is. I fucked up, but I didn’t do it for greed. I did it for the love of my daughter.” Placing her hands over her face, she sniffled as her breath hitched.

“You did fuck up, but I can’t say I don’t understand
why
you did it. I got a daughter, too, and I’d kill for her, so I get what made you do it. Next time shit comes at you, you fuckin’ take it up with the club, or Jax. Don’t be making decisions against the club. Now that Jax has claimed you and you’re his old lady, you owe the MC respect and loyalty. No more of this shit. If we can’t trust you, then you’ll have to take your ass outta here. Do you understand me?” Banger held her gaze until she looked down.

“Yes, of course. I’m not proud of what I did, and I’ll never do anything ever again to make the club not trust me. I promise.”

“You better damn well keep that promise ’cause if there’s ever a next time, it won’t turn out so well. You got my drift?” Banger’s voice was low.

Nodding, Cherri said, “You’ll always be able to trust me. Jax is suffering because of me. Can you please help him?”

“His wimp ass will be just fine. He’s suffering ’cause he fucked up big-time. He knew what he was doing. Fuck, he grew up in this life—knows it like the back of his hand—and he fuckin’ betrayed the club. Nah, his ass needs to hurt for a bit. A lot of the brothers think he got off easy.”

“I just hate seeing him like this. I hate how he’s in so much pain. He’s really hurt, and I don’t want something real bad to happen to him.” Cherri’s voice cracked as the tears escaped from the corner of her eyes.

Watching her tears run down, Banger’s face softened a bit. “As I said, doc’s already been called. He’ll be here soon.” Banger turned around and walked away, disappearing around the corner of the hallway.

Blinking rapidly, Cherri wiped her running nose with the palm of her hand. Rushing back into Jax’s room, Cherri breathed easier when she saw him sitting up, even though he clenched his left side.