Spark in the Dark

Chapter 150

"Yeah?" Juice answered.

"Are you with Shawn?"

"Yeah," Juice told him. The urgency in Jax's voice made Juice nervous. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I am going to text you an address. You need to bring her here now."

"What's going on?" Juice asked, again.

"That girl Tig killed? Wasn't just Laroy's girlfriend. She was also Damon Pope's daughter."

"Oh, shit," Juice said after hearing the name. The Sons had never worked with Pope before, but Juice still knew who he was. Damon Pope was a very powerful gangster in Oakland.

"Yeah," Jax agreed. "He just barbequed Shawn's sister."

"Jesus Christ," Juice said and had to kneel on the balls of his feet as he processed the information. "Fuck, which one?"

"Youngest one. Dawn."

"That's why Laroy was after Shawn. He couldn't go through with it after he found out she was pregnant," Juice talked out loud as he put the pieces together.

"He paid for that, too. Pope killed him when he didn't deliver Shawn. You got to get her here, Juice."

"Okay."

"Keep it together, too. She'll know something's wrong, but you got to act like you don't know what. Tig wants to be the one to tell her."

"I can't lie to her like that."

"You have to. Just do what Tig wants right now. He saw the whole thing go down."

"Pope did that in front of him?"

"Yeah," Jax said. "Now go."

Jax hung up and Juice took a few seconds to gain some composure. He stood and reached for the knob to the back door, but hesitated to open it. He took one deep breath and opened the door.

Shawn was sitting at the kitchen table. Her head and resting in her hand as she listened to Clay and Unser. When she looked up at him, she smiled slightly, and Juice's heart broke for her. Something on his face must have given him away because her smile vanished and was replaced with concern. He had to look away from her. He turned to Clay.

"I got to talk to you," he told him. Clay nodded and walked through the kitchen and dining room to the front of the house. He stopped and turned to Juice, but Juice wasn't sure that Shawn wouldn't be able to hear him, so he passed Clay and headed for Gemma's bedroom. Clay followed.

"What's going on, son?" Clay asked.

"Damon Pope just murdered Dawn Trager."

Clay winced. "Shit."

Juice phone buzzed, telling him he had a text message. He opened and saw Jax had sent him the address. "Jax wants me to take her somewhere. I got to go."

"Yeah, go. Unser can give me a lift."

"Thanks, man," Juice said and turned.

"Juicy," Clay stopped him. Juice looked at him. "Take care of her."

Juice nodded and went back to the kitchen. "Let's go."

"Okay," Shawn said and stood. "Hope you feel better."

"Thanks, sweetheart. I'll try," Unser told her.

Juice opened the back door for her and walked with her over the car where he opened that door for her, too. When he got into the driver's side, he could tell she was looking at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Juice told her. "Jax just wants us to get somewhere."

"Both of us?" Shawn asked and he nodded. "Shit."

Juice found the directions on his phone to address and they drove there in silence. He wanted to say something to her. He knew she was probably scared, but what could he say that wouldn't give everything away or be a complete lie? It wasn't like he could tell her everything would be okay.

They arrived at the building and Shawn looked at it curiously. "What is this place?"

"I have no idea," Juice answered honestly.

They went inside and Shawn saw her father laying on a couch in the lobby of the building.

"Dad?"

Tig heard her voice and stood to hold her. "Shawnie. Oh, thank God. You're okay."

"Of course I am. What's going on?"

Tig pulled away and looked at her for a moment. "Come here. Sit down with me."

Shawn followed him, but looked over to where Jax was standing with Bobby and Chibs as well as Gemma with a Hispanic man she didn't know. They all looked away when she looked their way. Even Juice was starring at his boots so he wouldn't make eye contact with her.

This is bad, Shawn thought. This is really, really bad.

She sat down with Tig and he held on to her hands.

"Dad, what happened?" She could hear her own voice begin to shake.

"That girl I killed was the daughter of a pretty powerful guy. He decided the best way to get back at me for what I did was to..."

"To what? Kill your daughter, too?" Shawn asked and he nodded. "So, that's why that guy was talking to me a few weeks ago?"

"Right, but he couldn't get to you, so..." Tig was having a hard time getting the words to come out.

Tears came to Shawn's eyes as she realized what he was saying. She felt Juice sit on the couch and rest his hand on her shoulder.

A tear escaped and slid down her cheek as she forced herself to ask the question. "Was it Fawn or Dawn?"

"Dawn," Tig's voice broke as he said her name.

Shawn's shoulders sagged as she covered her face with her hands. Juice pulled her to him and held her as she cried.

"I'm sorry, baby," Tig told her. "I'm so sorry."

"There's a room upstairs. He can take her up there," the man standing with the other's said. Jax nodded and walked over to kneel in front of Shawn.

"I'm so sorry, Shawn," he said to her and then looked at Juice. "Take her upstairs so she can lay down."

"How did she die?" Shawn asked.

"You don't need to know," Jax said as gently as possible.

Shawn picked her head up from Juice's chest and looked at Jax. "What the hell did you just say to me?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Jax started to defend himself, but Shawn wasn't listening.

"That's my sister, asshole. Don't act like this isn't any of my business."

"I was just saying that you don't need to get stressed over the details, okay?"

"Let's go upstairs, okay?" Juice asked Shawn, trying to defuse the situation.

"No!" Shawn shouted. "Fuck that! I want to know what the hell happened to Dawn!"

Gemma came over and took her by the arm. "Let's go. You need to lay down and try to calm down. This isn't good for the baby."

Gemma's words finally had an effect on Shawn. She stood from the couch and let Gemma put her arm around her to lead her upstairs. Juice stood and looked over at Jax.

"Sorry," Juice told him.

"Don't be. I shouldn't have said that."

Juice just nodded and then looked at Tig. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Tig nodded. "Just take care of her, please?"

"I will."