X~Talia~X
For almost 4 years, I stayed with Rostislav in Moscow and we trained in a gym a few blocks away from his place. He taught me Russian and trained me for most of my first year. He was a strict mentor too, had me on a bedtime curfew and everything. He barely let me have a glass of alcohol, absolutely no pot and he had me on a goddamn diet. I felt like I was in prison again, but it was to better me and it did. Granted, I snapped on Ros because I wasn't used to being told what to do and given rules to abide by, but he whipped me into shape and got me the discipline I needed.
After intense training, I had my first fight and I was half surprised to see that I was fighting a girl. She went down in the first round anyway and I thought this was going to be easy, I'd get through the rest of these fights like it was nothing.
There were 10 matches to get through to advance to the next stage and I won my first series of fights. It was break time and the leave would be used for rest and relaxation. Once I was healed, I started training again and was inducted into the 2nd part of the tournament. After my second grand winning, I had a very stubborn black eye and a broken wrist that had to be reset. It hurt like a bitch too.
When the last round of the tournament came up, I couldn't believe it when I won because I could barely see anything and I was sprawled out on the ring floor trying to breathe. Those 10 matches were by far the most brutal, painful and exhausting fights I've ever been in, but I still got the thrill from fighting and I was hooked on it. The injuries I had this time were the worst I've ever gotten. I had a slight limp that came from a PLC injury, a broken left forearm, Subconjunctival hemorrhage in my right eye 2 fractured ribs and one broken.
I was sore as hell in that hospital bed and I looked like a mangled kitten, but I was smiling like a winner because I was one. Ros was at my beside everyday of my recovery and he was already telling me about more matches or some challenges I could accept. As my current trainer, he forbid me to start fighting again until I was fully healed and even when I was able to get out of the hospital, he wanted me to take a few weeks get back to tip-top shape. In that time, Chibs called me and he told me how things were going at the Club, but I could barely hear him because all the boys were screaming their heads off trying to say hi or that they missed me.
Ros counted out my winnings and it actually totaled to 10K, but he took his share and I was rewarded 60,000. For the last year of my time in Russia, I accepted some challenges and aided Ros in whatever outlaw assistance he needed. He had 5 cathouses that were racking in some serious cash and he taught me how to run one of them. After a few fights and all my bruises faded, I got gussied up and dyed my hair a romantic shade of purple. It was time to go back home.
I returned to Charming at 24 and Ros said he had a gift waiting for me. Said gift just so happened to be a brothel that was being run by someone connected to him. The Kitten's Den was a 3 story Mediterranean estate and it was very popular. The first floor was the lobby and bar, second was the massage parlor and the third was their rooms. I had 20 girls and a pair of assistants, Marco and David. They weren't interested in my Kittens because they preferred tomcats and I think they were dating. They were my bookkeepers, took care of setting the girls up and scheduling appointments. The women were very well-trained though and they didn't act out of line when there was a change of command. With what Ros taught me, running this place would be a breeze.
After I got the working of the brothel settled, I visited Gemma baring a bouquet of flowers and she went nuts. She was very happy to have me back home and like any mother, she was trying to stuff me full of food until I was as big as a house. I asked her to drop me off at Cara Cara because I had a business proposition for Luann. I told her about some of my girls, showed her their files and she bought 3 of them. I called the Den and Marco was going to drive Kaia, Roxy and Gaia over. It was finally time to go to the clubhouse.
It felt so good to be back home. Being with the boys again, seeing them so happy because I was home, feeling like I was back where I belonged, it made me whole again. I missed these knuckleheads. If there was one thing I missed more than the Club, it was Tig and I was going to show him just how much I missed him when we got a minute alone.
Jax was still buzzing in my ear about bringing some of my girls for their little fuck party tonight and I was having a good time hearing him plead. Once he got on his knees and begged me, that's when I said I could probably scoop up something for him. For some reason, I was freezing and I was rubbing my arms to get warm. I guess my body was adjusting to the new climate.
"You tamper with something good while you were in Russia, Tal?" Juice asked from the stool next to me with a crooked smile. "You look like you're suffering from withdrawal."
"I didn't turn into a junkie, fuckface." I punched him in the arm and he pouted at me. I could never stay mad at Juice, but My God, he could do and say some really stupid shit sometimes.
Juice and I were like breathing and blinking, fire and kerosene, a gun to a bullet. I looked to him as more of a big brother than I did Jax, but I still loved the blondie. Juice and I were so close because we were both strays that got adopted into this Club, we got our own family and loved it to pieces. I often protected him from the 'Brotherly Love' the guys gave him, made them stop using him as a goddamn punching bag when I was around. He usually tags along with me when I go do my bounty work, body-guarding a meeting if it's out in public or he'd be running right next to me when we were chasing our next pay. We've robbed a few houses before, raided some stores and it was all in good fun. As the youngest pair around here, we were bound to act like kids.
"What's wrong then?"
"I'm just cold. It feels like it's below zero in here. Hey, cutie!" Their Prospect turned around came came to my end of the bar.
He really was just the cutest thing and I couldn't stop the girly smirk that spawned on my lips when I saw those darling powder blue eyes. From his short sleeves, I could see his arms and they were pretty toned. Blush pink lips, adorable smile. His curly locks made him look cute and young. We probably had a couple years separating us because there was no way he was already in his 30's.
"Can I get a shot of fireball? I'm dying of hypothermia over here."
"Sure thing." He smiled and me and started on my drink.
When he finished it, I took it back and it gave me the intense burn I was looking forward to. Oh, how I've missed that delightful scorching feeling. I started coughing a bit and Juice was lightly patting me on the back, but I asked for another shot.
"Hey." Juice whispered and I got closer to him, sensing the sudden seriousness. "I've heard about some hits already, bounty on some drifters. The pay's real nice. I've got some info on my laptop. You can check it out later, see if you like it."
"Nice. I already booked a pickup, wanna come with me?"
"Of course." Juice smiled and I hugged him.
"You get any war wounds on your leave, Tal?" Chibs asked from behind me and I carefully took the shot back, still choking off it, before I sat on the bar.
"Check it." I tugged my tank up and let everyone see the bandage on the left of my torso. I got a few impressed whistles and some cringing faces, but I smiled at them. "2 fractured and one's broken."
While everyone else was cringing in delight, Chibs came to my front to gently peel the bandage off and he tenderly poked around my ribs until he felt the ones that were abnormal from the rest. Chibs poked the bottom one again and I hissed this time. The pain that came with breathing started making its presence too. Looks like the drugs were wearing off.
"What's the doc got you on?"
"What doctor?" I asked and Chibs looked up at me like I was crazy.
"What've you been takin' for the pain?"
"Die-hydro-crocodile." Chibs blankly stared at me and turned to Juice. He shrugged with a smirk and I asked for someone to bring me my suitcase.
Jax rolled it over and that's when I noticed Tig was missing. Bobby was leaning on the wall near the dorms and he smiled at me when I glanced at him. Jax set my suitcase on the bar and I unzipped it, digging through it to find the pills I've been taking to give it to the Scotsman. He looked over the white and orange box and took out one of the foil packets to inspect the drug.
"See? Die-hydro-crocodile."
"Dihydrocodeine." He corrected. "You need a prescription for this and ya' didn't go to the hospital, so where'd ya' get it?"
"I said I didn't go see a doctor. I never said I didn't go to a hospital."
"Our little thief is home." Jax laughed and pat me on the shoulder. He was right though.
"Talia..." Chibs started and I knew he was going to start his badgering about my ribs.
"It's nothing anyone needs to worry about." I cut him off and he raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious. I'll be healed up in a few days."
"And you're gonna be restin' for those few days. No hits, no fightin'."
"Chibs!"
"No, Tal. You work yourself too much and that's gonna turn into a punctured lung."
"But I just got a call today!"
"No working, Talia." I slowly turned my head to Happy and my jaw was probably about to fall off my face. How could he, of all people, forbid me not to do a job? "We'll handle it and anything else that comes up, but you're not doing anything 'til you're better."
"Sorry, lovie." Chibs started replacing the bandage around my torso, giving me a peck on the cheek after.
"What's the job, Tal?" Clay asked and I was angrily muttering empty threats as I got the folded picture of my target from my pocket. I handed it to Chibs and it circled around.
"It's a simple pickup and deliver. Some CEO in Clovis wants his daughter back because she wants to run around Charming with her boy-toy, name's Sylvia. Daddy said she ran away to her boyfriend, owns a strip club called Muff N' Topz."
"Damn, this broad is big." Jax looked disturbed at the photo of the daughter. The girl was sporting at least 290 pounds, but I've seen bigger 21 year olds than her. "The girls at Muff N' Topz are like 3 times her size. They could eat her for a midnight snack."
"Juice, get some info on butterball's boyfriend, phone it through." Clay instructed and Juice nodded, probably going to get his laptop. "How much for little miss Piggy?"
"7 grand and Daddy'll throw in another stack if you bring the boyfriend. Word of advice, bring all the muscle you can 'cause that girl is like 12 tons. Get a box of Twinkies too. And be gentle. The price goes down for damaged goods. You guys keep the money." I wrote down the place where Sylvia's Dad said she might be staying and Clay took Happy and Jax out to go scope out the scene.
Chibs drilled me on coming to him if anything was wrong and I kept telling him I was fine, but he wasn't hearing it. He told me to cut back on the pill-popping too because I was taking more than I should in a day. He went to go get me some Tylenol or something and I headed back into the dorms, partially in search of Tig, but more to get my cut because I knew it was still sitting on my bed. I felt bare without it.
Bobby slung his arm around me before I went down the hall and he was leading me away from it.
"You're comin' with me, little lady." He smirked and took my suitcase from my hand to roll it near the doors of the Chapel. "We're going to Salinas to audition for a show. Half-Sack's comin' with me and you can tell him how cute he is on the drive."
"He is cute."
"He's freakin' adorable." He chuckled and I giggled.
"I gotta make a pit stop at my place first."
"You really don't wanna go there." I stopped Bobby before he pulled me out the door and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even gonna lie to you, Tal. We turned your place into a bachelor pad and trashed it. Tig told me not to tell you, but he's cleaning up your place now and he wanted me to keep you busy until he got everything situated."
So that's where he ran off to. I didn't even notice when he left, then again, the man could move like a shadow. I could only imagine that my place reeked of pussy, stale vomit and possibly piss, so I didn't have a problem with keeping clear of it until Tig got it cleaned up. It was sweet of him to do that too.
"Gemma told you guys about us?" I coyly asked and Bobby laughed, his arm going around my shoulders as we walked outside.
"Yeah, but we knew long before she did. Happy caught you guys banging in the bathroom, almost broke Tig's neck."
Bobby teased me about being with Tig for a few minutes while we waited for Chibs to come back and I took every hit because I know they put him though the same thing. Bobby did tell me that Fang, Buffy and Rouge were still alive, so I wouldn't have to rip someone's soul out. He said my little bitters were almost the size of handballs now and that they finally knocked boots. Buffy and Fang had a pretty big litter of babies and the boys sold some of them, which I wasn't upset about. I was really interested to hear that they used the fish for means of getting answers out of someone and the guy was walking around with 3 fingers now. He told me they had a club-housekeeper around here too, some guy named Chuck. I had yet to meet him, but Bobby said he was a good guy.
When Chibs came back, he had a few bottles of Aleve for me and I took one dry because it felt like someone was stabbing me in my chest. Again, he told me to take it easy and call him if something feels wrong or if I start coughing up blood. He looked and sounded really concerned, so I asked him to stop by the Kitten's Den to check on the girls. That got his mind off my minor injury.
With Bobby leading on his bike, I got on the back of Half-Sack's Dyna and we were set on our hour long drive to Salinas. I was squirming a bit through the ride and Half-Sack would ask me if I was alright. I just had to get used to being on a bike again and Tig's was a Street Bob, so I wasn't exactly used to riding on this model. The vibrations from the engine were something I could never forget though and feeling them purring against me again had me dry humping the seat.
When we arrived at the venue hosting the contest, Bobby was already humming to the tune he was going to perform. We walked into the building and it was a pretty classy setup, almost like a ballroom. The owner came to greet Bobby and led him to the dressing rooms to get changed. Half-Sack and I took it upon ourselves to scope out the competition and we sat at a table close to the stage. We were both prepared to kick someone ass if they decided to do an Elvis act too. A few acts went up and we weren't interested in them, so we were talking and ordering drinks from the open bar, but one of them caught my attention. It was a trio of guys...
"Josh?" I called to the short haired blonde with the guitar and he turned around.
"Talia!" I got up from the table and Josh was smiling his ass off as he helped me up on the stage.
Ethan and Dylan were equally happy to see me and after a round of hugs, I asked why they were here. They were auditioning for the 'New Age Rock' position and they said they had a temporary vocalist until they could get a permanent one, but he hasn't shown up yet. They were still just as dedicated to this little band now as they were when we were teenagers.
I had a feeling it was going to happen, so I wasn't surprised when they asked me to replace their singer. After some pleading, suffering through their blue-eyed puppy pouts and Half-Sack saying he wanted to hear me sing, I agreed to be their vocalist for today and this weekend if they got the position. Ethan gave 4 taps on his drumsticks before Josh started strumming and we caught the eyes of everyone in the place. I was so glad I never got stage fright because I would've dropped dead at the sight of all the eyes watching me.
"Every day I wake up
Every day I wake up alone
Every day I wake up
Every day I wake up alone
Let me open up the discussion with, I'm not impressed with any mother fucking word I say
See, I lied that I cried when he came inside
And now I'm burning a highway to Hades
Shut the fuck up when I'm trying to think!
I got to keep my concentration, give me one more drink
And then I'll try to remember all the advice that my good book told me
And all the lost souls say...
Every day I wake up
Every day I wake up alone
Kill me, just kill me
Or get me out of the sun"
Half-Sack started cheering and I couldn't stop the laugh that slipped out. The boys looked really happy as they continued to play and I saw Bobby come out in his Elvis getup. He was next to Half-Sack and he was cheering along with him up until I finished. Hell, they were both standing on the goddamn table and clapping for me. I got mad praise from Bobby and the owner went to speak with the boys before he went up. He started singing Mystery Train and I was grooving to the lively beat.
Half-Sack and I were goofily dancing together like we were kids from the 1950s and we were laughing our asses off throughout Bobby's performance. Everyone in the room clapped when he was finished and I already knew he was getting a spot. The manager was talking to Bobby now and the boys were packing up to go home. They said it was really nice to see me and that if I ever wanted to get back in the band, there was always a spot open for me. That was sweet.
Bobby did get the Elvis spot and we stayed at the venue until all the other acts were finished. When we left, it was dark out and I got a call before I mounted Half-Sack's bike. It was from Jax and he said they had the big broad. He was such a gentleman. I asked if they damaged the goods and he said they didn't, that they've been stuffing Sylvia full of Twinkies since they took her and that they had her boyfriend. I told them were her Dad would meet them and they were headed to the spot. I texted Sylvia's father and told him that his daughter would be at the meeting point in about 15 minutes.
When we started driving back to Charming, Bobby went straight to the clubhouse while Half-Sack drove me to my cathouse. I had to get the girls gussied up for my brothers tonight and I had to get glamorous too.
My first night back was going to be full of drinking and Tig, lots of Tig.
