It was closing in on midnight when Tig rolled into the driveway, parking beside his girlfriend's silver car. She knew he would be back late, and even though she was a bit upset about their date being cancelled, she could not be upset about the reason. She understood, and had stayed up to wait for Tig's return.
Tig walked in through the front door, finding some of the lights still on and the sound of the TV coming from the living room.
"Venus?" he called, "Baby, I'm home!"
Venus Van Dam, as she went by these days, looked up from her cell phone to the hallway.
"I'm in here, baby," she called.
Tig shrugged his cut from his shoulders as he shuffled into the living room. Venus was lounging in his recliner, her hair pulled into a ponytail, face bare, wearing baby blue pajama bottoms and a revealing lacy, white tank top. When she saw Tig into the room, she set her phone down and quickly stood to greet him.
"Hi, sweetheart," she said.
Tig smiled at her Southern drawl. It calmed him, and it was beautiful to hear after such a crazy night.
"Hey, baby," he said softly.
Venus smiled as he pressed his lips to hers.
"Look, I'm real sorry about breaking off our date—"
Venus shook her head and pressed her perfectly manicured hand to his chest.
"Honey, don't you worry about a thing. Unlike most women, I can understand. Come sit down. Let me help you relax," she said.
Venus took Tig's hand and led him to the sofa. Tig smiled smugly.
"Mmm, yes, ma'am," he replied.
Venus smiled and they sat together on the cushions. Venus took Tig's boots off and scooted them underneath the coffee table. Tig leaned back and let her. He was perfectly capable of removing his own boots, but he liked the attention. Besides, he did the same for her.
"You spoil me," Tig said.
Venus smiled.
"Anything for you, my sweet Alexander," she said, then leaned over and pecked his lips, "Did you have a hard night?"
Tig shrugged. Venus laid her head on his shoulder and laid her hand on his chest. Tig wound an arm around her waist.
"Nah, not hard. Just crazy. I'm sure it wasn't the sort of birthday Chibs was expecting," he replied.
Venus raised her head and gritted her teeth.
"Was he upset?" she asked.
Tig shook his head.
"I don't think so. It could have ended badly, but we saved the day," he replied.
Venus smiled up at him.
"What happened out there? On the phone, you said something about a wreck. Was that right?" she asked.
Tig sighed.
"Yeah. You know that hill outside of town?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Chibs insisted on going for a late night ride for his birthday, so we rode out. We were having a good time and all of sudden, two bikes come up over the hill. Apparently this asshole was trailing this girl, threw her off the road."
Venus stared at Tig in horror.
"Oh my goodness!"
"We don't think it had anything to do with any clubs. Just some guy with…bad intentions. Shot her. We caught him before he could do any serious damage. Juice found her unconscious. Chibs and I took her back to Red Woody, patched her up. Juice and Montez brought her bike back to TM," he explained.
"What about the guy who shot her?" Venus asked.
Tig looked down at her and smirked.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Venus smiled.
"You sweet, sweet man," she sighed.
Tig laughed.
"Chibs went out to check on the boys. Make sure they get rid of that scumbag. Juice is staying with the girl."
Venus nodded.
"I'm so glad you guys saved her," she said, "In the morning, we'll go up there and check in. Besides, I made a cake for dear, sweet Filip."
Tig grinned.
"He won't take it. You know how he is about birthday gifts," he replied.
Venus smirked and stroked Tig's chin.
"We'll see. For now, though," she crawled into Tig's lap, long legs straddling his thighs.
Tig's eyes widened.
"How about we go to the bedroom, Tiger?" she asked.
Tig's eyes darkened.
"Right behind you, beautiful."
I opened my eyes to see a bright light above me. At first, I thought it was the sun, but as I gathered my bearings, I realized the light was simply a hanging lamp. I looked down to see that I was not on the gravel I had fallen in, but rather, a soft leather couch with a wool blanket over me. Panic immediately settled in. Where the hell am I? Is this a dream? It felt too real to be a dream. How did I get here? Fuck! Did that guy kidnap me?
I tried to turn over, but a stabbing pain ripped through my leg, keeping me down. I hissed and laid my head back. When my head hit the limp pillow, my forehead felt like it had split open.
"Fuck!" I hissed.
I reached up grab my head, and felt a swollen place with rough edges that made my stomach roll. Stitches.
I looked around, trying to figure out where the hell I was. The room looked almost like a warehouse. In fact, I believe it was at one time. I couldn't see much, but nearby was a bar.
I tilted my head and my heart dropped to my stomach. On a barstool was a leather cut, a familiar grim reaper carrying a bloody scythe staring at me. I blinked a few times, making sure I was not hallucinating. When the reaper was still there, I knew that this was not a dream. The question was, how?
"Hey, you're awake."
I jumped and looked in the direction of the voice. A man approached me. Young guy, bald with tribal head tattoos. Soft facial features. Gray v-neck and jeans. He looked harmless enough, but I knew better than to trust looks.
"Who the hell are you?" I snapped.
This could be the guy that nearly killed me.
The guy stopped and held his hands up.
"Hey, it's okay. We're the good guys. I won't hurt you," he said, smiling.
I glared at him.
"And I'm supposed to fucking believe that?" I growled.
The guy smiled and approached me.
"We found you on the side of the highway unconscious. Brought you back here and stitched you up. Don't worry. You're safe here," he said.
He walked around the pool table and sat down on a stool beside me.
"Where's here?" I asked nervously.
He gestured to the room.
"Charming, California. Welcome to Red Woody Productions," he said.
I felt my eyes widen.
"You're…Sons of Anarchy?" I asked.
He smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. You know of us?" he asked.
I felt my eyes dart around. Who didn't know about SAMCRO? After the previous years' events, the entire state knew about the Sons of Anarchy, the IRA, and several other M/Cs that were thrown into the mix. To most, this was new news, but I had known about SAMCRO for…well, some time now. IRA, Mayans, SAMBEL, and a few other Northern Cali clubs. The reaper was a familiar symbol to me. Of course, how it became familiar was a long story.
"Um, yeah," I replied, "Seen you guys on the news a couple of times."
He smiled.
"Yeah, we were pretty popular there for a while," he agreed.
I nodded.
"I'm Juice, by the way," he said, offering his hand.
I reached up and shook it.
"Callie," I replied.
He nodded.
"Callie," he repeated, "Are you from around here?"
I shook my head.
"No," I replied, "Just…on my way. Off to hibernate for the winter."
I wasn't sure if I could trust this Juice kid. He seemed nice enough, and with the bullshit that had gone on with this club, I had always sided with them, but still. Didn't want to unveil too much.
"Yeah," he said, "Well, we picked up your bike. It's in bad shape, but it's nothing that can't be fixed."
I sighed and nodded.
"Thank-you," I said, "How bad is the damage? I mean, on me."
Juice shrugged.
"Just a few stitches, I believe. The bullet never entered. Just grazed you," he replied.
I nodded.
"Who stitched me up?" I asked.
Juice smiled.
"Our Prez," he replied.
I stared at him in horror.
"God! Not that Teller kid!" I exclaimed.
Juice laughed.
"No, no. He resigned a while back," he replied.
I sighed in relief. From the information I had gathered on this particular charter, it was clear Jackson Teller was an idiot, and I would never in a million years trust him with a needle and human flesh.
"But, you're in safe hands," he continued.
I just nodded. Exhaustion was beginning to creep back up, and all I wanted to do was rest my eyes.
"When can I talk to your new President?" I asked.
"Tomorrow. They'll be back in the morning," he replied.
I nodded and looked up at the lamp above me.
"'Kay," I said tiredly.
Juice clapped his hands against his jeans and rubbed them.
"Is there anything I could get you? Anything you need? Water?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah, sure," I replied quickly.
Juice gave me a small smile and stood.
"One water coming up," he announced.
I turned my head and watched him walk away to the bar. My mind was having a hell of a time processing this. I didn't expect this. I wasn't prepared. My plan was to leave. No pit stops. I just wanted out. Never had I imagined this would happen, and I was never meant to come this close to these guys.
I pressed my hands to my eyes. Fuck this.
"Hey," Juice said.
I removed my hands from my eyes and looked up at him, worried brown eyes watching me.
"You okay?" he asked.
I swallowed and nodded. Juice tilted his head to the side, concern written on his face.
"'Kay," he replied softly, and handed me a cold bottle of water.
"Thank-you," I said, my voice just above a whisper.
Juice gave me a small smile.
"Get some rest. The rest of the guys will be by in the morning. If you need me, just call," he said.
I nodded.
"'Night, Callie," he said.
I gave him a weak smile and opened my water bottle.
"Goodnight, Juice," I replied.
Juice leaned over and flipped a switch on the wall, shutting off the bright lamp. He then left me in silence, with only the light above the bar to keep my company. I pressed the cold bottle to my head and settled down, but sleep would not come. I had no mode of transportation. No way to get to Washington. I only had one way out of Charming. Well, two. A bus, or call a friend from home to take me back. I had not planned on ever returning, though. Not again.
I had not realized that I had fallen asleep, but I woke up in pain, much worse than how it was when I spoke to Juice. I awoke to throbbing pain, a quiet room, with the faint thundering of motorcycles in the background, and sunlight streaming in from the window above the couch. I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eye before slowly rolling onto my back. The water bottle, which I had only sipped a little from and had used as an ice pack, was now warm from being trapped underneath me all night. I picked it up and let it slip to the floor with a soft thud.
"Morning," a voice spoke.
I jumped, pain ripping through me, and looked over to see a guy in jeans, blue button up, and a cut walking towards me. He held his hands up.
"Hey, easy, sweetheart. No one's gonna hurt ya," he said.
I studied the guy, noticing a large knife sheathed and dangling from his hip. He was a tall guy, much larger than Juice, with crazy, curly dark hair and the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen in my life. I studied the patches on his cut, and noticed the V. President patch. So this wasn't the guy that stitched me up.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He smiled.
"Name's Tig. Chibs is gonna come in and check your stitches in a minute. I just wanted to see if you were up. You took a pretty hard fall last night," he said.
I remained quiet. Unlike Juice, who had a very sweet demeanor, this guy was absolutely intimidating. He didn't come off as mean or anything, just scary.
The door opened and a guy, almost as tall as this Tig guy, with long, dark brown hair with streaks of gray, black hoodie, jeans with a chain on his hip, and matching cut entered the room. He glanced over at me and smiled.
"Good morning, darlin'," he spoke, "Callie, right?"
I cleared my throat.
"Um, yeah," I replied.
The guy walked over to the cabinets over the bar and reached inside for a white box. Tig looked over his shoulder at the man.
"Juice took good care of her," he said, "I was just coming in to see if she was up."
The other man nodded. He walked over to me, and I was able to get a better look at him. My eyes went straight to the scars on his face. He had a deep crescent on the side of his mouth, and when he turned another jagged line ran straight from his mouth to his ear. A nasty Glasgow Smile. However, my eyes didn't stay focused on the scars. Regardless of them, he was a good looking guy. Soft, tired brown eyes, wrinkles decorated around his eyes, making him look older than I'm sure he was. Mustache and goatee matching his brown and gray hair, gentle features. By the sound of his voice, he was definitely European.
"You the Prez?" I asked.
He pulled on a pair of latex gloves.
"Aye," he replied, "Chibs."
I narrowed my eyes. These bikers and their nicknames.
"You a licensed medical professional?" I asked, suspicious of him.
He smiled.
"Sweetheart, I used to work as a medic for the British Army. Not to mention, I've been keepin' these fuckers alive for years," he replied.
Definitely Scottish. Low, gruff, thick Scottish accent.
"It's true," Tig said, "How many times have you had to stitch up my ass?"
I had to laugh at that.
"Too many," Chibs replied.
Tig smiled.
"You're in good hands, darling," he said.
I looked from Tig to Chibs.
"I just want to check your dressin'. Make sure everything is good and there's no infection," he said.
I nodded. Chibs looked over his shoulder to Tig.
"Out with you," he ordered.
"Man, I'm not gonna—"
"Do you not understand English?" Chibs snapped.
Tig laughed.
"I'm gone!" he said, then left the room.
Chibs opened the first aid kit and shook his head.
"Thought you may want a little more privacy," he said.
I just smiled and thanked him. He instructed me to lay on my left and pull the blanket down so he could check my hip. I carefully lifted the waistband of my jeans and panties and pulled them over the dressing on my hip. It looked like a professional had applied it. I turned my head and watched as he pulled the surgical tape and lifted the soiled bandage, revealing puffy, red, stitched skin. I cringed and looked away, immediately feeling dizzy.
"God," I breathed out.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Chibs said, "It's a little irritated."
"Dude, I don't mean to be rude, but please just…don't talk about it. I'll barf on your couch," I said.
Chibs chuckled.
"I'm sorry, darlin'," he replied, "Let's get your mind off of it."
I nodded. I felt him apply cold moisture to the stitches. It numbed the pain a little.
"Where are ya from?" he asked.
I cleared my throat and tried to focus.
"Um, the Los Angeles area," I replied.
Chibs whistled.
"That's a long ways from here. What brings ya to Charmin'?" he asked.
I closed my eyes as he dabbed a cotton ball to the wound.
"Yeah," I replied quietly, "I'm just passing through."
I heard Chibs opening a package. I assumed it was new dressing.
"Where ya headed?" he asked.
I opened my eyes. I guess it didn't matter if I told him.
"Seattle," I replied quietly.
"Ah," he replied, applying the dressing, "Goin' up there for the holidays?"
I nodded.
"Something like that," I said.
Chibs looked up at me, concerned. He seemed like he wanted to ask, but he said nothing about it.
"Can you roll onto your back for me? Slowly," he asked.
I carefully moved onto my back. Chibs grabbed a pillow and slipped it under me, taking pressure off of my hip.
"There ya go," he said.
I relaxed into the couch as he scooted up and checked the cut on my head.
"You have family up in Seattle?" he asked, dabbing a little antiseptic onto a cotton ball.
I remained quiet for a moment, watching his hands move above my face. I wanted to say yes, but the words wouldn't come.
"Not anymore," I said, my emotions betraying me.
Chibs paused and looked down at me, a piece of brown and silver hair defying him and falling around his face. He furrowed his eyebrows and watched me, studying me. I tried to remain impassive, but when you have been working yourself—your emotions…when you have been battling them alone for so long, you immediately want to spill to the first person who treats you with any kind of kindness. I knew better, but the temptation to open my mouth was pretty strong. I was able to keep it in, but my eyes and voice had other plans.
Chibs broke eye contact and moved to grab some gauze.
"You um, have a home up there?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"No," I replied, my voice just barely above a whisper.
Chibs looked down at me worriedly.
"I may be wrong," he said, "but sounds to me like it would be a lonely vacation without family or a place to go to."
I swallowed thickly. Chibs gave me a small smile and taped a small piece of gauze over my stitches. I didn't like this. Not the situation, but him. The tone of his voice, though deep and rough, was nothing less of caring, as were his eyes. I knew this club had changed since the change in leadership, they did good for the people of this town. I didn't fear Chibs, or Juice and Tig, for that matter. I rarely feared motorcycle clubs unless they were known for evil. Pure, malicious cruelty. That was not SAMCRO. I knew that. They cared about their own, their community, and fellow bikers…like me, I suppose. However, this President…he seemed to be a gown to earth guy. Kind hearted. Fatherly to these guys. All qualities anyone should appreciate. Just not me. The last thing in the world I wanted was someone to give a shit. Not right now. Not…just not now.
"Or, is it just the kind of vacation ya need?" he asked, "Gettin' away from all the hullabaloo at home?"
I smiled and shook my head.
"I um…I don't really have a home there anymore. Just kinda riding, you know?"
That did not ease his worry a bit. In fact, it made it worse. He watched me for a moment, then stood and put his supplies away. He set the kit on the pool table, then turned back to me.
"Is there somethin' ya runnin' from? Some kind of trouble?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Not that I know of," I replied.
Chibs cleared his throat.
"The reason I ask is that we thought the guy who came after ya, the one who pushed you off the road, may have been causin' you some trouble," he explained.
I shook my head again.
"I left on my own accord. I had no idea who that guy was. Never saw his face or anything," I replied.
Chibs nodded.
"He looked Mexican to me. Ring any bells?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Nah. He came out of nowhere. I don't have any shit with anyone," I replied.
Chibs nodded.
"What worries me is that that might have been a possible stalker situation. He may have been tailin' ya for a while before he thought he was deep enough in the middle of nowhere to hide a body."
I took in a shaky breath. Now that I thought about it, that sounded possible.
"He could have seen me at my last pit stop. I topped off a few towns before. Maybe then," I replied.
Chibs nodded.
"What did you guys do with him?" I asked.
Chibs smiled.
"Got rid of him," he replied.
I smiled at that. I really didn't care what they did to him. As far as I was concerned, he deserved it.
"Your stitches will be out in about two weeks. However, it will take you some time before you're able to ride again. That muscle needs time to heal. It will probably take that long before your bike is up and runnin' anyway," he explained.
Ah shit! The bike!
"Look, don't even worry about that bike. I have a feeling it's going to be a money pit. Just, keep it. Scrap it. Whatever. I'll call someone. Have them come out and pick me up."
Chibs smirked.
"Darlin', I know my bikes, and I know you spent a pretty penny on that thing," he said.
I smiled at that.
"Doesn't mean I have the cash to fix it," I said.
Chibs tilted his head to the side.
"That's your baby. I know it is. I don't want to see the pain of partin' with it. You're obviously a bike girl."
I nodded.
"Then you know how it is when you have to bury one. I know that pain," he said, his widening.
I just nodded, understanding. He smiled and patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry about the bike. It's on me," he said.
My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to protest, but he stopped me.
"Ah-ah-ah," he said, then smiled warmly, "You just work on gettin' better. In the mean time," he gestured to the room, "As they say, mi casa es su casa."
I smiled at that.
"Thank-you."
Chibs stood and picked up the kit from the pool table.
"You hungry?" he asked, walking back over to the bar, "Got a couple of guys makin' a donut run."
I nodded. Food, now that it was mentioned, sounded heavenly. I had a bag of potato chips for lunch and no dinner, and I didn't realize that I was starving.
"Yeah, sure," I replied.
Chibs put the first aid kit away, then walked over to a room off this room and returned, pushing a worn out office chair.
"Come on," he said, pushing the chair up to the couch.
He moved around the chair and offered his hand.
"I know you don't want to be stuck on that couch all day," he said, helping me sit up, "Easy."
Chibs helped me off of the couch and into the chair.
"I don't mind playing orderly," he said.
I smiled, but the pain in my head kept me from laughing.
"Goddamn," I growled, holding my head in my hands.
"I have something that will take the edge off. You ready?" he asked.
I nodded. Chibs pushed on the chair, moving me away from the couch and over to the bar.
"Tiggy brought your backpack in. You want to sit at the bar?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure," I replied.
Chibs pushed me up to the island and helped me onto a barstool. Once I was seated, I reached for my backpack, which was now dirty from its tumble in the dirt.
"I hope nothin' was broken," Chibs said, walking around the island, "Coffee?"
I pulled the top zipper open.
"Doubt it," I replied, then glanced up at him, "Yes, please."
Chibs walked over to the counter and prepared a pot.
"Oh, by the way," he walked over to a lockbox near a couple of vodka bottles, produced a set of keys from his pocket to unlock it, the pulled a gun from it—my gun.
"Thought you might be missin' this," he said.
I felt my heartbeat pick up as he set the gun in front of me. I watched as he set the weapon down, then move over to the cabinets to get a couple of mugs down.
"Now, what is a young lass like you carrying for?" he asked.
I bit my lip.
"Look, I bought the thing legally. I have a license. I—"
"Darlin', I'm not gettin' on to ya. I mean, when you think about it, do I have room to talk?"
I twisted my lips in thought. He had a point. I knew the club had been in guns and drugs, at least, back when the Tellers ran the show. I doubted any were legal.
"I was just curious," he said.
He approached me and handed me a mug. I gave him a small smile and thanked him.
"I keep it for protection," I replied.
Chibs nodded. That wasn't the only reason I kept it, though.
"Guess it didn't do me much good," I went on.
Chibs smiled.
"At least he didn't kill ya," he said.
I nodded in agreement.
Across the room, the door opened and two men walked in carrying three closed boxes, and one open. The first guy was huge! Long hair, beanie, massive arms and a towering stature. The other guy was scrawny, with messy brown hair and big eyes. Both were wearing chains and cuts.
"Don't tell me you already got into them," Chibs said.
The tall guy shrugged.
"Just the one. The others are still warm," he replied, handing the boxes over to Chibs.
Chibs rolled his eyes and took the boxes. The door opened again, and Juice walked in, looking excited.
"I heard there were donuts," he said.
Chibs opened a box in front of me, then picked a glazed one.
"Help yourself, sweetheart," he said.
I reached into the box and picked the next glazed donut. Chibs turned around to face Juice.
"I thought you didn't eat this kind of 'crap,'" Chibs teased.
Juice smiled.
"I don't, but it's hard to turn down a donut, man," he replied.
Chibs smiled and watched him walk over to the other boxes.
"You must be Callie," the tallest man said.
I smiled shyly and nodded. Chibs gripped my shoulder.
"Callie, this is Rane Quinn, and this little shit who's stuffing his face," Chibs began.
The smaller guy looked up, frightened, with a cheek full of sugary bread.
"Sorry," he quickly apologized.
"Is Ratboy," Chibs finished.
Ratboy. I could see it.
Ratboy quickly swallowed and wiped his face with a napkin. He then gave me a nervous smile and shook my hand
"Nice to meet you," he said.
I smiled.
"You, too," I replied.
"Oh shit!" Juice exclaimed, then jumped in front of Chibs, donut in hand, "Dude, I forgot to tell you."
Chibs watched the younger man worried.
"'Bout what, Juicey?" he asked.
Juice swallowed visibly.
"That—"
The sound of a car door shutting alerted us.
"Venus is here," he finished.
Chibs sighed, then looked down at me.
"You're in for some quality entertainment, Callie girl," he said.
I watched him worriedly.
"Who's Venus?" I asked.
"Tig's girl," he replied.
Juice laughed.
"In so many words," he said.
Chibs smiled.
"She ain't bad," Rane said.
Outside of the room, we heard Tig call for us.
"Just don't let her scare ya," Chibs said.
We could hear the clacking of heels on the concrete floor, and I had a feeling I was about to see some kind of show. Heels? In a place like this? Must be a high maintenance woman.
Then, she entered, Tig following behind. I nearly choked on my donut. Chibs tried not to laugh at me, and Juice bit his lip.
"I told you!" Juice whispered.
I stared at Venus. High maintenance, yes, but woman…
Venus strode in, carrying two plastic boxes. She was a tall woman, with long, flowing brown hair, legs that could make any woman jealous, flawless makeup, and she wore a white skirt and a very, very revealing black top, as well as a gorgeous statement necklace. However, it was obvious not a lot on her was original. She was definitely male underneath the makeup and breast job, but if this was how he, or she rolled, then I was good. I was more surprised by Tig, though. He was proving to be quite interesting.
"I hope you boys don't fill up on donuts. I brought something for our dear President's birthday," she drawled.
Chibs groaned.
"Darlin', no," he said.
"I know you boys are used to Gemma making cakes for you, but since her unfortunate mishaps, I wanted to keep up the tradition. So, Chibs, hun, Happy belated Birthday," she said.
She walked up to him and kissed his cheek.
"Thank-you, love," he replied.
"I had some last night. Better than Gemma's, and she was an awesome baker," Tig spoke up.
Juice snorted.
"I bet you did," he teased.
Tig curled his lip and back-handed Juice's shoulder.
"Learn some damn respect, ya little punk!" he snapped.
Juice smiled and rubbed his arm.
"Ah, shit!" Chibs said, "Juicey, can you run out to my bike? Grab the Ziploc bag from the left saddle bag?"
Juice nodded.
"Sure thing," he replied, then grabbed a chocolate donut before heading out the door.
"Hello, sweetheart," Venus said, stepping up to me, "Alexander told me all about what happened. I'm so sorry."
She leaned down and gave me a gentle hug. Alexander? Who the fuck?
Tig shook his head and pointed to himself, mouthing "me." I nodded. So that's his name.
zVenus and I parted and she cupped my cheek with well manicured fingers.
"If there's anything you need, hun, you just let Aunt Venus know, okay?" she asked sweetly.
I nodded. As crazy as this was, she was as kind as the rest of the club, and I didn't know what it was, but I was starting to like her.
"Thank-you," I said.
"You're so welcome, sugar," she said, then moved back to Tig's side.
"You know, Venus and I were talking last night, and we don't think it's safe for her to stay here. I mean, definitely not by herself. Especially if this is some stalker situation or gang deal we're up against," Tig said.
Chibs nodded. Juice reentered with the bag and held it up.
"Here it is," he announced and passed it off to Chibs.
Chibs thanked him and opened the bag.
"I have a couple of different things here. But, we can try this topical stuff. Works beautifully, most of the time," he said.
I nodded and smiled.
"Chibs, do you think it would be okay if Callie stayed with Alexander and I? It's definitely much quieter than here," Venus proposed.
"Yeah, and Venus will be home most of the time. Save Juice from sleeping on cots," Tig added.
Juice shrugged.
"I don't mind," he said.
Chibs grabbed a napkin and reached up to peel back the gauze on my forehead.
"If this starts to itch, let me know. You could be allergic," he warned.
"Fantastic," I said sarcastically.
Chibs smiled.
"Just a precaution," he said, then dabbed the ointment on.
The heated, swollen skin immediately began to cool, and the pain began to lift. It took all of me not to let my eyes roll back. The throbbing was really beginning to take its toll and make me feel sick. This was a godsend.
"Tiggy, I'd say yes, but her dressin' need to be changed every few hours to prevent infection," Chibs said.
"I can do it if you show me how," Venus offered.
Chibs placed the gauze back down.
"I'll get ya new tape," he said to me, then turned to Tig and Venus, "I suppose I could. Wouldn't be a bad idea. Especially if there are more than just the guy we whacked last night."
Venus and Tig nodded. Chibs walked over to the cabinet for more surgical tape.
"Of course," he went on, turning back to us, "It's up to her."
I felt cornered. I appreciated the offer, but I just wasn't sure what to do yet. Call a friend from home, or stay? Apparently I was in good hands here.
"You don't have to decide right away, sweetheart," Tig said, "But we take care of everyone, and we're just looking out for you. We're like family."
I smiled at that. There was definitely a very deep-rooted brotherhood between these guys, and even though I felt like an outcast, they made me feel welcome.
"If you decide on Tig's place," Chibs said, then ripped a piece of tape and applied it to my forehead, "and you get sick of them, you can always come to my place."
I took a deep breath, letting all of this absorb.
"Somebody's jealous," Tig teased.
"Fuck off!" Chibs snapped playfully.
Tig laughed. Venus came up to me and patted my shoulder.
"You think about it, sweetie," she said softly.
I nodded.
"Right," Chibs said, "You guys get out to TM and see what you can do about her bike."
Ratboy, Rane, and Juice nodded. Chibs placed a hand on the center of my back, grabbing my attention.
"Why don't I give you the grand tour of the place?" he asked.
I just nodded.
"Of the studio?" Tig asked, "There's not much."
Chibs shrugged.
"Why not show her Charming?" Venus asked, "It's quite the quaint little town."
I smiled at her.
"She shouldn't be on a bike," Chibs said.
"I drove the car. It won't be a problem," she replied.
Chibs sighed and looked down at me. I shrugged, silently answering his questioning gaze.
"I'm game," I replied.
Venus smiled widely.
"You need your rest, though," Chibs reminded me.
"Small tour, then," Tig compromised.
Chibs shook his head.
"What?" Tig asked.
Chibs smirked and leaned down to my ear.
"I believe, if you choose to stay, you're gonna be quickly accepted as one of the family," he murmured.
I smiled at that.
"We'll see, I guess," I replied.
Tig jingled the car keys.
"We'll pull up," he said.
"Then, when we get back for lunch, we can cut into that cake," Venus said.
Chibs nodded.
"Sounds like a plan," he commented.
Venus grinned and kissed his cheek again before turning on her heel and following behind Tig. Juice patted Chibs' shoulder.
"We'll see ya later, brother," he said.
Rane and Ratboy walked to the door, but Chibs stopped Juice.
"Hey," he said.
Juice stopped and looked at his President nervously.
"Thank-you for watching her," he said.
Juice smiled.
"Welcome," he replied, then nodded before following after Rane and Ratboy. Chibs turned to me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Ya cool with riding piggy-back? I don't want you walkin' with stitches," he said.
I laughed.
"A piggy-back ride?" I asked.
Chibs shrugged.
"That's what us big, rough, rugged bikers do," he said jokingly, then winked.
I smiled and gave in.
"Sure, but I think I'll walk once we're outside. I don't want you killing your back," I said.
Chibs snorted and put his hands on his hips.
"Please!" he said, getting cocky.
I smiled and raised my arms in the air.
"If you insist, Prez," I said teasingly.
Chibs shook his head and lifted me onto his back with ease. I had barely known these guys for a day, and already, I felt oddly comfortable. Almost in place. I wasn't sure if I was going to stay here, of what was going to happen, but I knew deep down these guys were going to make it hard for me to leave.
