Opie looked up from his poker hand in time to see Mel storming into the clubhouse. No one had seen or heard from her in almost 24 hours since she'd set the fire alarm off. Tig filled him in on what he and Happy found when they got there. He felt guilty for leaving her alone after talking about Kyle. Now, almost a day later she looked like a woman on a warpath. He watched as she walked up to Tig and shoved the crow eater off his lap.
"Which one of you jack asses busted my door?" Mel had woken up 18 hours after Happy had left her bed. She had a massive headache, a mess in her sink and a busted front door. She couldn't blame anyone else for her first two problems but she didn't ask anyone to break her door. Tig put his hands up. "Was it you or Happy?"
"We tried knocking first. What did you want us to do? Leave you in there to burn alive?" Tig narrowed his eyes and stood up. Mel scoffed and pointed her finger right at his chest, almost touching it.
"One of you owes me a door." Mel stormed behind the bar and disappeared into the kitchen. She was starving and the cheese in her refrigerator was molded. She tossed a skillet onto the stove and plopped a pad of butter in it. Less than ten minutes later, she was enjoying a perfect grilled cheese sandwich and starting to feel better. Her headache was starting to subside and having food on her stomach calmed it down a little.
"Rough night?" Gemma asked. Mel jumped, startled by the sudden voice. "Yeah, you usually don't let anyone sneak up on you. Spill."
"How's Abel?" Mel deflected Gemma's question with the one topic that could change the subject. Gemma folded her arms and shook her head.
"He's getting stronger. Should be able to come home in a week or two. Don't try and pull the grandma card again. What's got you torn up, girl?" Gemma had known Mel her whole life, not that it was hard for anyone to tell when something was off with her. Mel took the skillet off the stove and walked it over to the sink. "Gonna wash that or just leave it sitting there?"
"I'm not a croweater." Mel snapped. "Sorry. Oh, come on Gem. Don't look at me like that. There's no point in talking about it again."
"Melody, you never talked about it the first time." Gemma tried to soften her voice a little. Mel was likely to fly off the handle if she pushed too hard. "Do you still love him?"
"Do I still love him? No. Fuck no. I hate him." Mel threw the dirty spatula into the sink and looked back at Gemma. "I just want to know what's wrong with me? Why would he do something like that?"
"Nothing is wrong with you, sweetheart. Men can do some stupid shit and sometimes we never know why. You've been thinking something was wrong with you this whole time?" Gemma realized why she was so touchy about Kyle now. He hadn't broken her heart nearly as much as he had broken her confidence.
"Gemma, everyone knows something is wrong with me." Mel scoffed with a little smile. "I'm not normal."
"Look around this club, Mel. No one is normal. You've just got to own it and find someone who's just as messed up as you." Gemma chuckled. Mel smirked, thinking of the tatted son that had gotten her mind off of the bad shit for a while. He definitely seemed to fit in the 'messed up' category. She didn't want a relationship but she could see a mutually beneficial friendship working with him.
"Thanks, Gem. I gotta go." Mel dipped past Gemma, walked through the clubhouse and out to the garage. She was glad to see an empty garage bay. As she worked on her car, all the bad shit started to leave her head. She stopped thinking about Kyle. She stopped thinking about Wendy. She stopped thinking about prison. Mel just focused on the tasks at hand.
"Heard you were looking for me." Happy said after a few minutes of staring at Mel's ass. She was bent over the fender of her car and fiddling with something in the engine bay. He watched her turn around and realized she hadn't heard him. She had wireless earphones in both her ears and was listening to an extremely loud metal song. Happy leaned against the tall tool chest and decided to see how long it took her to notice he was there. He smirked as she swayed her hips along with whatever song she was listening to.
"Shit! How long have you been there?" Mel dropped the wrench she was holding. She had turned around to put back in the tool chest to see him standing there watching her. Happy pushed off the tool chest and stood up straight, watching her cleavage as she leaned over to get the wrench.
"At least three songs." He said glancing around the garage and out to the parking lot. He reached out quickly and grabbed her by the hips, jerking her to him. "How much?"
"Excuse me?" Mel scowled and considered hitting his bald head with the wrench. He smirked and held her tighter.
"For the door." He growled. Mel had almost forgotten about her busted door. The talk with Gemma and working on her car had all but cleared her mind.
"Do I look like I work at a home improvement store? I don't know how much they are. Just fix it or buy me another door." Mel was starting to feel hot, despite the fan blowing right on her. Happy took the wrench from her and dropped it in the top of the chest. "That doesn't go there."
"Don't care. Prospect can organize it later." He watched her eyes carefully for a moment, calculating the risk of kissing her. On one hand, she could bite him. On the other hand, she could punch him. He took his chances and kissed her roughly. She did bite his bottom lip but then she ran her tongue over it and into his mouth. He broke the kiss off as quickly as he'd started it, knowing anyone could walk in and see them. "I'm leaving in the morning."
"Tacoma?" Mel asked. He shook his head but didn't offer another answer. "Want to come over and take a look at the door tonight?"
"Was it your back door?" He smirked when she punched his stomach; she didn't put any force behind it. Mel backed away from him and smiled.
"I'll be home around 10." Mel turned her music back on and closed the hood of her car. When she looked back, he was gone. After cleaning up her mess in the garage, Mel headed over to her brother's house for dinner. Donna had invited her to dinner and she looked forward to some family time. It was a relief to see Opie's bike in the driveway.
"Hey." Mel accepted Opie's hug as she walked inside. The kids were sitting in the floor in front of the tv playing a video game, so she decided not to disturb them. Donna walked out of the kitchen with a smile, honestly surprised to see Mel there for dinner. She noticed her sister-in-law seemed more relaxed than usual. Whatever she was doing, Donna hoped she kept it up. "I brought pie."
"Blueberry?" Opie asked hopefully. Mel laughed and handed to pie box to him with a nod. Opie turned his head up towards the ceiling and spoke a silent 'thank you'. Mel rolled her eyes. She knew it was his favorite. "What's got you in a good mood? Last time I saw you, you were about to fight Tig in the clubhouse."
"Sorry, would you rather I be angry?" Mel asked, popping the top off a bottle of beer. Opie folded his arms and waited for a real answer. "I had a grilled cheese, talked to Gemma and worked on my car."
"Of course it has to do with the Datsun." Opie should have known it had something to do with the car. "You've been racing haven't you?"
"Not much." Mel smiled. "Don't tell Pops. You know how he gets when I race."
"I won't say anything. Are you still looking for a job?" Opie motioned towards the back porch and Mel followed him curiously.
"What's up?"
"It's nothing permanent but a friend of the club needs something moved up to Canada. Their transportation fell through." Opie spoke quietly, obviously trying to keep Donna from overhearing them. Mel took a drink as she considered her response. She knew for a fact that her father wouldn't like this plan. He didn't even like her working for the club before she got pinched.
"Not drugs." Mel said quietly. Opie furrowed his brow and shook his head quickly. "Give me the contact information and I'll reach out to them."
"No time. Needs to leave in the morning." Opie said quickly. Mel twisted her mouth, wondering if this had anything to do with Happy's departure. "They'll pay three grand and you'll have protection. I wouldn't even ask you if it wasn't safe."
"Oh I'm well aware of that." Mel growled at her overprotective brother. She didn't have any other job offers lined up and she still had a valid passport. "I'll do it."
"I'll let them know. Be at the clubhouse by six." Opie whispered as Donna walked out to announce that dinner was ready. Mel smiled brightly and followed she and Opie inside. She sat across from the kids and made a silly, teasing face at them before Donna could see. Ellie giggled and stuck her tongue out. After dinner and dessert, Mel settled in on the couch and watched the kids finish their video game. Donna and Opie sat in the recliner together, looking happier than Mel had seen them since she got out.
"Are you always punctual?" Mel asked, stepping out of her car. Happy looked up from the game of solitaire on his phone and shrugged. It was two minutes before ten. Mel pulled her garage door up and looked back at him. "Do you want to pull inside?"
"Good idea." He walked his bike into the garage and pulled the door back down. Mel led him inside and offered him a drink. "I'm good. Don't need a hangover."
"Yeah, same." She decided not to ask him about the job in the morning and just be surprised if he was there. "So, are you going to look at the door or what?"
"Later." He said, stalking towards her. Mel met him half way and started undoing his belt and jeans while he sucked and bit at her neck. She took his gun out of his waistband and set it on the counter before pulling his jeans down. He toed his boots off, glad that he'd already loosened them while he waited for her to get home. She didn't seem to be in the mood to wait for him to undo his boots. Happy wrapped her hair around his fist and pulled her up off her knees. She was doing a damn good job but he wanted a good fuck, not a blow job.
Mel hissed and shoved Happy lightly. She didn't mind hair pulling but she'd been enjoying herself before he stopped her. In a flash, he had scooped her up and thrown her on the couch. She smiled, stripping the rest of her clothes off as he stepped out of his jeans and boxers. Mel whined as he continued teasing her. She was a fan of foreplay but he seemed to enjoy torturing her more than just getting her wound up. Finally, she'd had enough. She grabbed his jaw and pushed him back, ignoring the angry look in his eyes. Part of Mel knew he was letting her push him around but she enjoyed the control all the same.
"Want me to look at the door?" Happy asked after recovering from the second round of sex. He took pride in his ability to rally but Mel was wearing him out. He wasn't complaining but he had a few years on her, he needed a break before he even thought about going again. Mel nodded and tossed him his shirt. He followed the trail of clothes and knocked over shit on his way to the front door.
"So?" Mel asked when Happy returned to the bedroom in his boxers and T-shirt. He shrugged and took the joint from her hand. "Are you going to fix it or replace it?"
"I'll get a prospect to replace it. I'm not sure when I'll be back." He blew smoke towards her as she shrugged. "Not going to miss me?"
"Nah. I'll be fine." Mel teased. She didn't have any expectations of their fooling around to go anywhere. If he went back to Tacoma and stayed there, she'd be fine. She didn't necessarily want that but it wouldn't hurt her. "I'm leaving in the morning anyways."
"Yeah?" He sighed and gave her the joint back. "So, you're the replacement driver."
"That a problem for you?" She asked, lungs full of smoke. He shook his head. "Who all is going?"
"Just us. Might get an escort from Tacoma for a few hours but they don't want to draw any attention." Happy could think of worse travel companions than Mel. She didn't talk too much and she could handle her car if something went sideways. "Did you tell anyone about us?"
"Us?" Mel smirked and passed the joint back to him. "No, I didn't tell anyone we hooked up after I burnt a box full of pictures of my ex."
"Good." He rasped, putting the joint in the ash tray and pinning Mel onto the mattress. She snapped her teeth at him when he lowered his head to kiss her. "Be nice."
"You wouldn't want that now would you?" Mel asked.
"Shit." Mel muttered, waking up to her alarm clock blaring beside her head. Happy stirred and sat up, rubbing his palms over his face. "You weren't supposed to stay over."
"What time is it?" Happy asked, turning to see her in all her morning glory. Her hair was a mess and her chest had red spots from his teeth. Seeing the marks he'd left on her made him want to leave even more.
"Five." She pushed him away when he tried to kiss her. "No. I need a shower and I'm sore."
"I'll be gentle." He would try at least. Mel bit her bottom lip and climbed out of the bed. He admired her naked body as she walked to the bathroom.
"Come on then." Mel called back over her shoulder. He smirked and threw the covers off, following her into the shower.
Opie looked up at the sound of Mel's car speeding onto the lot. It was five minutes to six and he was starting to worry whether or not the transport would start on time. She stepped out of the car and he saw that she had dark sunglasses on with her wet hair pulled up into a high pony-tail. He walked across the lot and grabbed her arm.
"Ow. Watch it." Mel jerked her arm away and pulled her sunglasses up. She noticed Happy sitting on his bike near the place where Opie had been standing. Had he found out? "What's your problem?"
"Are you hung over?" He snapped. Mel had been in a decent mood after the shower sex but Opie's accusation rubbed her the wrong way. "This job is important."
"I only had the two beers at your place. Don't be a dick." Opie rolled his eyes as she stormed away from him. He was going to follow her but Jax walked out of the clubhouse before he got the chance.
Mel listened closely as Jax went over the plan. She stopped thinking about Opie's accusation or Happy's eyes watching every move she made. She focused solely on the plan. It sounded simple: load the car, drive the car, make the drop and come home. There was a problem with simple plans though. The simpler the plan, the easier it was to get fucked up. Mel was glad to have protection on the run, not that she would admit it to Happy. She wasn't oblivious to his reputation within the club. He was the one they called to get hard jobs done.
"Hey, come here." Happy said. The prospect and Juice were loading Mel's car with whatever she was transporting. Jax had told her it was best that she didn't know what the cargo was, that way she could have some deniability. Mel glanced back at Opie, hoping his attention stayed on Jax. "If shit goes sideways, just drive. Don't turn back or try and fight."
"What? You want me to leave you for dead?" Mel twisted her mouth. Even if she wasn't hooking up with him, even if he was just any other Son, she couldn't just agree to bail on them. It didn't sit right with her. It was too similar to what had happened to her.
"I can take care of myself." Happy pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes and nodded towards Opie who had started walking over. He was ready to get on the road for a few days and spend some time with his charter after the job was done.
"Take care of my sister." Opie said, hugging Happy goodbye. "She can be a pain in the ass."
"Hey! I'm right here, jackass." Mel raised her middle finger at Opie with a scowl. He pulled her over and kissed the top of her head.
"Be careful." Opie said. Happy pointed at Mel's car, signaling her that it was time to go. She felt her adrenaline fire up as she started the engine.
