Chapter 3

The calls went out and soon after, the men of SAMCRO filtered into the clubhouse. When Clay arrived they made their way to the chapel and took their seats around the table. Calling the meeting to order, Clay began. "There's been a new development with our Irish connection that we need to discuss, but first I'd like to take care of another piece of club business. I was gonna wait til the Friday meeting but since we're all here, we can do this now. Happy has made a request for transfer. I know that personally I welcome the move. I know that Happy will be a great asset to SAMCRO and I look forward to having him here with us on a permanent basis. Let's take a vote."

They went around the table and in a unanimous decision, Happy was accepted into the charter. Clay congratulated him before moving on to the next order of business. "Cameron Hayes has made contact. He has given us some insight into the behind the scene goings on with the Army. It appears Jimmy O's relationship with the Army may be about to implode. There may be an opportunity for a much more lucrative deal for SAMCRO but it could get messy." Clay stops a moment to let the men absorb what he said. He can already see Chibs getting riled up. Before anyone else could speak he continued. "According to Cameron, Jimmy is losing control. His recruits are too young and inexperienced; they are getting killed instead of getting the job done. He also implied that Jimmy may have turned to drugs which could make Jimmy unpredictable, we don't know for sure. These things haven't gone unnoticed and the Army isn't impressed. They may be looking for a way to dispose of Jimmy while continuing to do business with SAMCRO here in the States."

Chibs speaks up. "Is this true? Have you confirmed any of this information with SAMBEL?"

"Cameron said he can put me in touch with someone with the ear of the Kings. I haven't made that connection yet. I haven't spoken to McGee yet but something feels off there. Either Cameron is lying, which, doesn't make sense; he's got nothing to gain, or our Belfast brothers are keeping secrets from us. There's no way, if what Cameron said is true, that SAMBEL didn't already know about the problems with Jimmy. Or they are just being lazy fucks and not paying attention. Either way I have no plans in confiding anything to them over the phone. We're gonna have to make a trip across the ocean to get to the truth."

"Why not let the Irish deal with their own problems? Can we really afford to get involved right now with the federal charges pending?" Bobby asked, voicing the thoughts of most of the men sitting around the table.

This time it was Jax who spoke up. "Cameron came to my house this morning to let me know that Jimmy ordered him to kidnap Abel. Jimmy thinks he can control me through my son, and he'd be right to think that. Jimmy wants Cameron to prove his loyalty by doing this, but Cameron wants justice for his own son." Jax looks at the faces around the table. "I believe him; he has connections to the IRA outside of Jimmy, now we just need to find out what can be done."

"That Bastard." Chibs spits out. "If the Army wants him dead, I'll be more'en happy to oblige them."

"Well then, buckle up Chibs your going home." Clay moved on to the final topic of the meeting. "The cops still have no evidence in the drive by. An eye witness said it was a Mexi that did it, and that would lead me to believe it was Mayan related, if it weren't for the truce we currently have with Alvarez. Now, I had a meet with Alvarez and he denies responsibility for the attack. Jax and I spoke to him again about our business arrangement and he swears he didn't violate the détente. I know in the past our dealings with the Mayans haven't gone the way we'd planned but I believe Alvarez in this senario. The Mayans don't do this kind of damage without claiming responsibility. What are your thoughts, son?" Clay asks Jax directly.

Jax agreed. "I've had my problems with Marcus in the past, but Clay's right, he would have owned it, if he ordered the attack. Cameron said that Jimmy witnessed the drive by but we can't confront Jimmy without giving up Cameron. I don't think Jimmy ordered the hit; it wouldn't serve his purpose. My guess is someone's trying to stir up trouble for the Mayans and SAMCRO. It's no secret there is no love lost between our Clubs. It feels like a setup to me. Fed's maybe, or someone with an axe to grind against MC's in general. Marcus agreed to work with us on finding who did this. He's got a lot to lose if Mayans go down for this. I think he'll keep his word."

The men in the room listened with different levels of belief. Mayans had been their enemy, their competitor, for many years, and those bad feelings just don't go away. Hearing the rumbling of discontent, Clay had the final word. "Men, times are changing for the MC world, we all know it; and so does Alvarez. If we can't work together, we at least need to stop doing the laws work for them by taking each other out. The Mayans may not be our friends but the bigger enemy is the Law right now, for both clubs. MC's are an easy target now because we fight amongst ourselves. We don't need to be affiliated with the Mayans to understand we are all in the same boat. We also can't have the Mayans causing us problems if we can get a better arms deal with the Irish. The risks are on us, and we need to do what's necessary to remain a viable force." Looking around the table, Clay quickly called the meeting adjourned with a rap of the gavel.

The men made their way out of the chapel and into the clubhouse congratulating Happy on his transfer. The lateness of the morning after the hastily called meeting had most of them returning back to the garage to work. Happy put his new patches that Bobby handed him in the pocket of his cut and got to work.

An hour later Happy spots Jax having a smoke outside. He sets aside what he's doing and head over to his friend. "You ok man?"

Jax looks up from his shoes that he'd been staring at for the last few minutes. "These threats to my family, Hap, it's not right. What if Cameron hadn't come to us and instead Jimmy took my kid? What the fuck!"

"That's why we need to stop him. We've taken some missteps lately Jax. We need to make our way back to the top of the food chain or the hits will keep coming."

"And you think we should get deeper into the Irish gun trade to get back on top?"

Hap stops to think about the implications of his next statements. "We need money for the club, one way or another. SAMCRO needs to be in a secure place financially so we can shore up the rest of our problems. What will happen to our families if we go to prison and leave them with no funds and no protection? Money won't solve all our problems but we can sure buy some piece of mind with it while we're behind bars-however it's made. So yeah, I think we should see what the Army has to say."

Jax's interest was piqued at Happy's statement. "You've thought a lot about this; more than you've let on. You going to Ireland?"

Happy just shrugged before asking "If Clay asks, what about you?"

"I have to go represent, but I don't want to leave my son here unprotected. We only need a small contingent to go, and I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I knew you were here looking out for my family." Hap nodded at the request. "I guess I've got some thinking to do." Jax says as he drops his butt on the ground and steps on the burning remains before turning back to the garage.

Elliot Oswald walked into the garage office that afternoon and greeted Gemma.

"Elliot! What a nice surprise. What can I do for you today?"

"I need to speak to Clay, is he around?"

Looking at his unreadable face, Gemma cast him a worried glance. "Let me get him for you."

When Clay arrives in the office he shuts the door behind him to allow for privacy. Elliot may support the club but he didn't need this controversial friendship broadcast to the good citizens of Charming either. SAMCRO was a hot button topic in town, with Jacob Hale laying the blame for his brother's death on the MC's doorstep.

Elliot wasted no time in getting to the point. "Jacob Hale is going to be a big problem. He's got half the town already supporting him and his mayoral run and he hasn't even officially entered the race. He's using David's death to push his hidden agenda and the town has no idea they're being manipulated."

"Relax Elliot, you are a long time resident and respected businessman in Charming. Hale's death is still fresh in everyone's mind. People are confusing their support over David's death with their support for Jacob's political goals."

"You don't seem to get it Clay. Go walk around the town. Club support is at an all time low. Too much has happened with the club front and center. The town supports you when the Club protects the town. But with the recent guns, drugs, standoffs and shootouts in town, their loyalty is wavering. You don't have the full support of the town anymore."

"Things will settle down. We can't do anything about it right now. It's too soon after David's death to make accusations against his brother. We need to find some hard evidence about Jacob's current shady land deals, but once the truth comes out, the town will reconsider."

"Maybe, but we need to find something soon. The town board is going to hold a vote about a possible special election for the mayor's position. This election could actually happen in a few months. I certainly feel badly about what happened to David, but I also know Jacob is not above using his brother's death to facilitate a mayoral bid."

"Let me put out some feelers and see what we can come up with. Unfortunately, David was our source for the last dirt we got. And Elliot? Don't sell yourself short. The people of this town respect you; Jacob has always looked for that kind of acceptance but could never make it happen. Once the uproar dies down, the good citizens of Charming will come around to what is best for the town."

Elliot turned towards the door. With his hand on the knob he turned back to Clay, "I hope you're right."

Tristan was waiting in the car for her father to come out of the garage. He'd picked her up from choir practice and they made this stop on their way home. She was annoyed that he refused to allow her to go in with him. She was just going to say hello to Gemma. Well, that was a lie. She wanted to see Juice. Carlos. His real name was better suited to the man she'd gotten to know recently, she thought. With a sigh, she put away the schoolwork that was not getting done and stared out the window. Things had been different since what happened to Audrey. She still went to Audrey's to work with Daisy and play with the puppies, but she missed Juice not living there any more. She'd come to look forward to their conversations, and with them, she learned there was more to Juice than he let on. He had ideas and dreams and vulnerabilities; she wondered if he ever shared them with anyone else. She scoffed at herself for getting so moon eyed over this man, and he was a man. She needed to remind herself of that; keep telling herself that this was all a stupid crush and she needed to get over it. Easier said than done when he turned out to be the only male she felt a connection to since she was attacked. While she was very glad to find out that she can still feel these feelings, she was frustrated with not being able to act on them.

Turning her head, she looked towards the clubhouse door and saw Juice heading back to the garage. She couldn't stop the excitement she felt at the sight of him, regardless of the warning she'd just given herself. She was about to step out of the car when she saw him stop and turn back around the way he came. Looking back to the door Juice had just come from, Tristan saw what captured Juice's attention. She felt a tightening in her chest when she spotted the girl walking towards him. High heals and short shorts, really? She thought angrily. Tristan quickly deflated. She could not compete with that. Not that there was a competition but, she couldn't help the way she felt. Watching this girl put her hand on Juice's arm and holding his attention was painful to watch. She felt the tears burning her eyes, ready to fall. Tristan squelched them away, not willing to let anyone, especially her father, find out about her feeling for this man.

She continued to watch their interaction, not able to look away. Is that the kind of woman he liked? She shouldn't be surprised. Isn't that what all men liked; an overtly sexual woman? A stab of betrayal struck her before she pushed it down. Just because he liked this kind of woman didn't mean he couldn't someday like her too. Tristan knew that she wouldn't always be a teenager, and someday, Juice would know exactly how she felt about him. She felt the shift inside of her; from anxiety to determination. Someday…she thought as she watched Juice as he watched the girl walk away.

Audrey is sitting at her computer working on her rehab reference database when she hears a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone, she first goes to the bread drawer and retrieves her revolver, throwing on one of Happy's shirts to cover the bulge in the small of her back before heading to the door. She frowns at who she sees standing on her front porch, but is not threatened by his presence. As she opens the door, she watches the fake smile cross his face.

"Hello, Audrey, it's good to see you again."

"Rick." Audrey's tone lets the man know he's not welcome but he doesn't even flinch at her harsh response. She takes in his expensive suit and Italian leather shoes, thinking how out of place the man looked in her world. His appearance may be that of a high priced attorney but in her rural existence, he simply looked absurd. And though physically attractive, she had learned in their short time together that his true self was less impressive. "What are you doing here?"

The smile still on his face, he gestures with his hand towards the door. "May I come in?"

"No. What do you want." She demands uncomfortable with his being here.

The smile turned quickly to a scowl when he realized charm wouldn't work on his former lover. He stood on the porch, the screen door between them. If he couldn't get her with charm he would use anger to get a reaction. "Still the same cold blooded bitch you always were, I see."

Audrey internally rolled her eyes at the idiot at her door. "Rick, if insulting me is your reason for flying across the country and showing up at my door, you've wasted your time."

"I've got nothing but time thanks your manipulations Audrey." He points a finger at her as his face takes on an angry visage. "You owe me."

Having no idea what he was talking about, Audrey made her feelings known. "I owe you nothing. We had a less than memorable relationship for a while then we moved on. You did me no favors that weren't to your benefit during that time Rick; I can't imagine what it is you think I owe you."

His dark eyes flashed with resentment. "I was on the fast track to make partner until you dumped me for no reason. You used your friendship with Wainwright's wife to get her to influence him against me; you've ruined my good name. And since his name is the only one on the masthead I don't stand a chance of making partner now that you let your bitterness ruin my career."

Audrey snorts in disgust. "Oh, please Rick, your ego is ridiculously over inflated. Bitterness? Do you really think I gave you a second thought after I ended things? I can't help that you stopped getting attention after I put an end to our dating. I have been friends with Debbie a long time. Did it ever occur to you that I was the reason you got dinner invitations from Dennis in the first place?" She stopped to watch his face as his gazed dropped from her own. "You did, you little prick! You used my friendship with your boss's wife to further your career and now you have the audacity to blame me for your lack of success? My guess is that Dennis saw past the smarmy exterior to your soft white underbelly that isn't so attractive, am I right?"

"You don't know what you are talking about, you ruined my chances to get what I want and I'm here now to make sure you fix it." He deflected and dismissed her points as usual.

"Do not condescend to me." Audrey yells at him, getting fired up that this man was wasting her time with petty bullshit. "You have a law degree, big fucking deal. It didn't do anything to help you become a decent human being. Now apparently the firm sees what I see; someone not worthy. Go away Rick, you bother me." Audrey starts to shut the door.

Rick quickly opens the screen door and puts his hand up against the inside barrier to stop her from shutting him out completely. He continues his diatribe. "Please Audrey, you haughty bitch; you are barely human yourself. You leave a man cold with your frigid excuse for passion. What are you offering the new guy to get him to stay with you? Even better, I wonder what your good friends Debbie and Dennis would think of your new jailbird boyfriend? Do you think he'd get an invite to dinner?"

"Besides my life being none of your business, I now live all the way across the country so I don't think it matters at all, do you?"

"Your decision might matter to the felon you're shacking up with. I've taken it upon myself to contact several of the good Christian families that were terrorized by your boyfriend and his motorcycle gang friends. They were leaning towards not filing a civil case against your new friends, but are now rethinking their decision. You see, I explained to them their responsibility to do their civic duty in order to keep these men from harming anyone else and that their testimony would extend these criminal's prison sentence."

Audrey could feel her ire rising. "You son of a bitch! How dare you come here and interfere in our lives!"

"The way you interfered in mine?" Rick countered. "You started this-now you can finish it. Come home with me and play nice until I make partner and I'll get the plaintiffs to rescind their civil suit."

She could not believe her ears, and her words continued to antagonize. "Are you delusional? I have no influence in you making partner. You exaggerate your importance in my life. I never said a bad word against you to either Deb or Dennis; you never mattered enough. You didn't make Partner this year based on your own merits or lack thereof. Now fix what you did to my friend's case or I will ruin you."

"So you're just going to leave your new man to fend for himself in prison when you have it within your power to protect him? You always were a cold hearted woman. I can't imagine what he sees in you."

"You didn't do your research Rick, maybe that's a reason you didn't make partner' your ego is bigger than your brain. You better hope that you didn't do anything that can't be reversed. There's nothing I can do for you or your career, so just leave Rick. Do I need to spell out what it means to not make partner after this many years at the firm? Take a hint; it's Dennis's way of telling you there's no future for you there. It's time to move on." Swallowing some of her anger, Audrey continued. "Look Rick, if you leave quietly and stop causing trouble, I won't tell Debbie or Dennis what you attempted to do here. You can give your resignation or stagnate in a dead end job-I don't care which. But hear me-I will wreck you if you continue down this path. You have nothing on me and you can't change my friend's opinion of me. Think hard on it before you make your next move. Now get off my property."

Audrey pushed him back enough to shut the door. She was fuming inside and she felt like an idiot for allowing that asshole into her life. She never felt love for the man, or anything close to love, but she did feel a kinship that was based in the lies he told. When they first met she'd been expanding her rehab facilities. Rick was an associate at Wainwright Law, and he offered to do some pro bono work for her animal rights cause. He professed a love of dogs, and a desire to do some good to help the cause. She bought it because she didn't understand what he could gain from lying. They'd dated some and slept together when she was visiting the area and it was convenient, but they didn't have any long term potential. When he started asking more personal questions about the Wainwrights and trying to finagle more frequent invites to their house for the two of them, she'd backed off. She'd pulled back from him slowly, as he was still working on some legal stuff for her foundation. He'd recognized what she was doing and started to work her with his charm. Audrey hadn't bought it. She'd told him she was no longer interested in a personal relationship, friend or otherwise, and made arrangements for another attorney outside the firm to take over the legal work. It cost her foundation some money, but she got piece of mind out of it. When Audrey wanted something over, she made sure it was. Cut ties and don't look back-ever. Now Rick was pressing the point.

Sighing, Audrey made a decision. Picking up her cell she made the call, leaving a message. "Hey, I know you're probably busy right now so when you have some free time, please call me back. I may need your help with a problem that followed me out here."