[Teller-Morrow Automotive — September 25, 2008, 8:15 AM]
The call came before I'd finished my first coffee.
Jax's voice was urgent. "We've got a problem. Gun shipment issue in Stockton. Cameron's contact is having second thoughts about the handoff location. We need all hands to renegotiate and secure the delivery."
"All hands?"
"Everyone who can ride. This is a major shipment—we can't afford to lose it."
My gut twisted.
"What about security here? The patrols?"
"Prospects can handle it for a few hours. This takes priority." A pause. "You coming or not?"
Something's wrong. This timing is too convenient.
But I had no grounds to refuse. No way to explain why leaving Charming right now felt like the worst possible decision.
"I'm coming."
---
[Highway 99, Southbound — 9:30 AM]
Every mile felt wrong.
I rode with Jax, Chibs, Bobby, and three others, heading toward Stockton at speed. The shipment was real—I knew that. The issue with Cameron's contact was real. This was legitimate club business that required immediate attention.
But the timing...
LOAN had been quiet for three days. No vandalism, no confrontations, no testing. The kind of quiet that came before storms.
[SURVIVAL INSTINCT: WARNING]
The system notification pulsed at the edge of my awareness. Not a specific threat—just the generalized alarm that something was wrong.
I checked my phone. No messages. Gemma wasn't answering, but that meant nothing—she didn't always respond immediately.
She's fine. She's at TM. She's surrounded by people.
But the feeling wouldn't leave.
"Cole." Chibs pulled alongside me. "You look like you're chewing glass. Something wrong?"
"Bad feeling."
"About the shipment?"
"About leaving."
He considered this. "Anything specific?"
I know what's coming. I've known for months. And I can't tell you because you'd think I was insane.
"Just instinct."
"Your instincts have been good so far." He glanced ahead at Jax. "But we're committed now. Whatever's happening in Charming, the prospects will handle it."
The prospects can't handle what's coming. No one can handle what's coming except someone who knows it's going to happen.
"Yeah. You're right."
I twisted the throttle and focused on the road ahead.
---
[Stockton — 11:00 AM]
The negotiation took two hours.
Two hours of talking, persuading, reassuring Cameron's nervous contact that the handoff would be secure. Two hours of watching the clock, checking my phone, feeling the wrongness build in my chest like pressure behind a dam.
Gemma still wasn't answering.
I called three times. Texted twice. Nothing.
She's busy. She's always busy. This doesn't mean anything.
But I couldn't convince myself.
"Cole." Bobby's voice cut through my spiral. "You've been checking that phone every five minutes. What's going on?"
"Gemma's not responding."
"So? She's probably in meetings. Or dealing with club wife stuff. Or just not near her phone."
"I know. I know that's probably it." I forced my hands to stop shaking. "Something just feels wrong."
Bobby studied me for a long moment.
"You've been wound tight since this LOAN thing started. I get it—you've done good work, found real threats. But you can't let paranoia eat you alive."
"This isn't paranoia."
"Then what is it?"
It's knowing the future. It's watching a tragedy unfold in slow motion because you're too far away to stop it.
"I don't know. Just... something."
---
[Highway 99, Northbound — 1:45 PM]
Bobby's phone rang.
We were an hour from Charming, riding in formation, the shipment secured and heading to its destination. The worst of the tension had faded—the deal was done, the guns were safe, we were going home.
Then Bobby's face went white.
He pulled off the road, the rest of us following. When he took off his helmet, his hands were shaking.
"What is it?" Jax demanded.
"That was Unser." Bobby's voice was hollow. "Something happened to Gemma."
My heart stopped.
"What happened?"
"He didn't say specifics. Just said we need to get back. Now." Bobby looked at each of us in turn. "He said it was bad. Really bad."
The world narrowed to a single point.
You knew. You knew this was coming. You tried to stop it and you couldn't because you weren't there when it mattered.
"Let's go." Jax's voice was tight with controlled fear. "Everyone. Now."
We mounted our bikes. Engines roared to life.
The ride back was the longest hour of my life.
---
[Highway 99 — 2:30 PM]
I pushed my bike harder than safe.
Ninety miles an hour. Ninety-five. The wind screamed past my helmet, the engine straining beneath me.
Somewhere behind me, the others were keeping pace. Somewhere ahead, Gemma was dealing with something terrible. Something I'd spent weeks trying to prevent.
You knew. You documented. You warned. And none of it mattered because they pulled you away at exactly the wrong moment.
LOAN planned this. Zobelle planned this. The shipment issue, the timing, all of it—designed to get the club out of Charming when they made their move.
My knuckles turned white on the handlebars.
Gemma. Whatever happened to her, you could have stopped it. Should have stopped it. If you'd just refused to go, if you'd found some excuse to stay—
But I hadn't. I'd followed orders like a good soldier, left Charming exposed, and now the worst thing I'd been trying to prevent had happened anyway.
[QUEST FAILED: PROTECT GEMMA] [CONSEQUENCE: PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA ACTIVE]
The notification flickered at the edge of my vision. I dismissed it with a thought, but the words burned.
Failed.
After everything—all the surveillance, all the intelligence, all the warnings—I'd failed.
The miles blurred past. Charming drew closer with every minute. And with every mile, the weight of what waited grew heavier.
You can't undo this. Whatever happened to Gemma, it's done. The only thing left is dealing with the aftermath.
And making sure whoever did this pays.
I didn't know what I'd find when I got back. Didn't know the details of what had been done. But I knew one thing with absolute certainty:
LOAN had just started a war.
And this time, there would be no restraint. No proportional response. No waiting for consensus.
They'd hurt family. And family protected its own.
No matter the cost.
To supporting Me in Pateron .
with exclusive access to more chapters (based on tiers more chapters for each tiers) on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes .
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!