AN: If you have trouble reading the Irish accent, I apologize, but I have to admit it was fun writing. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Nine will be up shortly!
Chapter 8: Family or Foe?
Tara is called into work for an emergency surgery; a ten year old boy with a ruptured appendix. The surgeon on call is tied up in another OR room, so Tara pulls herself away from her warm sheets and throws on whatever she can find that is clean and still fits. She leaves a note for Gemma and puts the coffee pot on timer for her, Tig and Juice and makes her way to the hospital.
"Do we wait for Tara, or can we start now?" Juice is visibly antsy. Tig smacks him upside the head. He immediately stops jiggling his legs. "What was that for?" He rubs the back of his head gently.
"Knock it off. Tara will be home in a little while. Plus she has to pick up something from Lyla's." Gemma picks her head up from the book she's reading.
"What's she getting? An STD?" She coils at what she says; she truly likes Lyla, the comment just slipped out. "Sorry, that was inappropriate. Occupational hazard I guess."
"Yeah, but it was kinda funny. I thought you liked Lyla." Tig comes to sit next to her.
"I do, it just slipped out. So, really what is she getting?"
"Oh, you'll see."
Tara comes home with two extra house guests, well actually three. She comes in carrying a small crate with a blanket covering it. Lyla comes behind her with an even bigger crate, also covered with a blanket. The noise emanating from it instantly sets Gemma on her feet. "Are they what I think they are?"
"If you think these cute 'little' creatures are snakes, then yeah. I borrowed them from a friend of mine. Tara did some digging and found that a certain houseguest hauled up in the basement is terrified of snakes. And I do mean terrified." Tig looks at Tara and with a questioning gaze points at the two crates.
"Tig, we both know she's not going to give in that easily."
"True."
"She'll need some added persuasion."
"Well, then, I say on with the show."
"Oh, Tig," He turns to look at her,
"Yeah?"
"How good is your Irish accent?"
"Well, lass, what do ya' need me te say?"
"Perfect. She doesn't know Cameron Hayes is dead."
"I guess we're going with a 'father scorned' today eh lass?" Juice tries picking the blanket off the larger crate and the snake lunges towards the glass and Juice backs away quickly.
"That's one huge mother fuckin' snake."
"Then be glad you're not tied to a chair in a dark basement with a pillow case over your head." Tara nudges Juice with her shoulder and then hands one crate to Tig and Lyla brings down the other. Juice thinks to himself while shuffling down the stairs behind the group. 'Remind me to never get on your shit list Tara. I don't want no Anacondas sleeping with me in my bed.'
"Hello? HELLO? If you don't let me out of here right now, I'm going to-" Tig interrupts her, is Irish accent is thick and very convincing.
"What? You're tied up lass. That chair ye's sitting on is nailed to the floor. You're not going anywhere dear." She's obviously startled by Tig's voice.
"Don't get smart with me you smug bastard!"
"Aye, it's easy to talk rubbish with ye hands tied behind ya back."
"I don't know who you are, or what you want, but when I find out, you'll become fish food!" Stahl tries to pull up from her seat but quickly falls back, the rope not giving any slack.
"Not if you become that way first lass. Here's how this is all going te go down. I ask questions, you answer them. Simple, aye?"
"Bite me!" Tig gets close to her face and whispers coldly,
"Ye must be bloody away in the head if ya think ye getting out of here alive with that mouth. You best steady on if you want out of that chair. 'Cause if ye don't, I'll let you rot here."
"Fuck off. Why don't you go drink a pint and eat some potatoes."
"Well now, the lass seems to know her culture. But maybe I wasn't clear before. I ask the questions and ye answers them."
"Or what?"
"Ye girlfriend gets a bullet between her pretty little eyes." Stahl tenses and her breathing quickens and her chest huffs with quick, uneven breaths.
"You leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this."
"Aye, but if ye won't answer, then the lass pays for it. It's a simple trade really. Her death will be a lot quicker than yours. Just 'BOOM!' and she's done."
"I said leave her alone! She doesn't know anything."
"Ah, that's where ya wrong lass. Seems she's been snooping 'round. Finding things you ought to have hid better. Care to tell me what ye thinks the lass found?"
"She too naïve to go snooping. She hasn't found a damn thing. You're just trying to bait me. It won't work. She's on assignment, out of state. You'll never find her."
"Ah, I'm sure there are only a handful of places in Washington she could be." Stahl's shoulders slump slightly. She isn't an easy one to crack.
"Again, she has nothing to do with this 'investigation' of yours. She's not smart enough to go snooping."
"Ah, then why keep her 'round? Good lay?"
"I don't have to answer that."
"No, but ya can answer this." Tig gets close enough to her, that if her face wasn't covered their noses would touch. "Why'd ya kill me son? Why not let him run, eh?"
"Mister, I don't know what you're talking about." 'Liar!' Her voice is empty, and callous.
"I took a wee one from his parents. I killed a man. Instead I should have finished what I sent me son to do. Never send a laddie to do a lads' job. Won't make that mistake twice."
"Well then, here's your big chance. A poor defenseless woman, tied to a chair."
"Poor and defenseless, eh? You seem to handle your self well. Three shots to the back of me son. No, I want answers first. I want to know why I took that wee one from his family. I want to know why me son is dead. Mostly, I want to know why ye's still breathin'."
"Well, I guess it's because SAMCRO is a bunch of pussy's who can't handle shit at home." Tig tenses, wanting to take his hand and wrap it around Stahl's neck. He composes himself and stands behind Stahl. Juice takes out one of the recorders, ready to turn it on at the right moment. The other still rolling; just in case the boys want to hear what happened. Of course it will be properly burned afterwards.
Tig leans in close to Stahl's ear; his breath making the pillow case quiver. "I'll ask ye one more time. What did ye do to me son?" She pulls her body forward, as far as the rope will let her,
"Go. To. Hell."
"Still not talking, eh? Guess I'll have to get creative then, aye lass?"
Tig pulls open the top of the smaller crate and Gemma cringes and grabs a hold of Tara's arm. Tara bites her lip to hold in her giggles and can not believe rough, tough Gemma Teller-Morrow is also afraid of snakes. The pitch black Racer snake slithers and coils reaching out for Stahl. His tongue hisses in her ear. Her body goes stiff, her hands struggle against her bindings. Still, they give no slack. Her fingers grow pale with exertion. "What is that noise?"
"Aye, this here?" Tig shoves the snake closer to her face, the forked tongue pokes through the slice in the pillow case. "This here is a Racer snake. It's about the length of me arm. Hasn't eaten in quite a while (which is sort of a lie) so he's agitated." Tara says to herself, 'Being in the cage is what agitated the dam thing.' "Now, if the lass plays nice, I won't bring out his friend. He's just as pissed, if not more so. Ya see, he's a mighty big fella, don't like bein' cooped up in a cage." Tig's accent grows thicker as he lets the snake climb down her shoulder. Stahl tries to catch her breath, she tries to back away from the slithering snake, but the Racer keeps on shimmying down her body. It turns and hisses in her ear once more and Tig lets the entire body of the snake fall from his grasp. "There's nowhere to go sweetheart. Nowhere at'all." He turns and purposefully stomps his feet and pounds his shoes against one step and then another, and then…
"HELLO? HELLO? Please don't leave me here. Please. Just, oh my God. Get this t-thing off me. Please. I-I, oh God, p-please I'll tell you, I'll tell you anything, but my God get this thing off me." Her voice is barely above a whisper. The forked tongue of the Racer snake hisses out once more, licking her neck. He hangs like a necklace from her shoulders. "PLEASE!" she screams just a little bit. Juice gets the recorder ready, after Tig gives him the sign, he'll turn it on. Tara looks at the seen before her and can't help but think, 'Heartless bitch! She wouldn't give up any information knowing that Tig had threatened to put a bullet in her girlfriend. But just put a snake in the same room with her, and she's ready to sing like a Canary and confess all her sins.' Tig makes it sound like he's coming back down the stairs; the rest of the group is still while Juice tip toes quietly to stand in front of her; his thumb on the 'record' button. Lyla brings the biggest crate upstairs and sets it down on the floor, making sure the lid is still secured with the padlock. Tara feels a wave of nausea wash over her and looks to Gemma, her face growing pale. Gemma nods and lets go of her arm and carefully follows Tara up the stairs, to the second floor. They pass Lyla and she looks confused. But in an instant, she seems to know what's going on. When the girls come back from the bathroom she gives Tara a small, knowing grin. "Knocked up I see."
"You can thank my son for that." The girls share a quiet laugh and Lyla wraps her in a hug.
"Does Jax know?"
"Yea, he does. I didn't want to keep it from him, but things went a little crazy there for a while and I kinda just threw it at him in the middle of a fight."
"Sometimes, they ask for it."
"When did you find out?"
"Uh, the morning Abel was taken."
"Oh, Christ. I'm sorry. That turned into the shittiest of days huh?"
"Yea, but it's all working itself out."
Gemma and Lyla quietly sit on the basement stairs. It's been four hours and they're ready for Stahl. Tara brings down a class of water, with 'roofie' mixed in. A pink straw sticks out from the top.
Tig looks at Stahl and puts on the Irish accent once more. "Do tell lass. Do tell. What did you do to me son and why?" The delirium starts, almost like and angry drunken rant. The snake still using her body as a play pen; going here, slithering there. Hissing in her ear.
"It had nothing to do with your son really. He just pissed me off. I want SAMCRO and all the other fucking MC's out of Charming." She waits to continue, making sure they're still listening.
"Go on lass." Tig gives Juice a nod and the recorder is turned on.
"SAMCRO? What a bunch of pussy's. They and the rest of the MC's can get thrown in the trash, like the pieces of garbage that they are. All of you can go to hell for all I care. But first, I want to start with SAMCRO, they are the easiest to turn against each other. Almost killed one of their own because they thought he ratted them out. Oh, but his wife took the kill instead. Boo-who. (Tig's head falls forward for a moment, remembering that night, all because of her.) I don't care what it takes. It was so easy killing Edmond. Gemma walked in at the wrong time. Well, right time for me. She got her prints all over my gun. But no one will ever see the real police report. No, that's hidden in my car. No one will look there. With Gemma in jail, who's going to keep the little brats in line? Especially that hooligan, she calls a son. HA! He tried cutting a deal with me, but the feds will meet him the minute he steps off that plane. I got Moran, what do I care what happens to their little club. Want more, huh? You bastards are all going down. You here me! You're all going down!" She takes a breath and continues, "I don't care who I have to kill, lie too, or steal from. ATF will run charming soon enough. And I say; that baby's better off. He'll probably end up in jail or dead, so why not give him up? Why not do it now; he doesn't know his hand from his ass, he won't remember shit. I will run Charming. You hear. ME! June Stahl is the new sheriff in town now, bitch!" Her delirium takes over and she starts laughing. Tara and Gemma force themselves not to lunge at Stahl and rip her fuckin' throat out. Instead Tara slams the class on the table and Juice stops the recording. He pulls out the other one and takes them upstairs. Tig bends slightly in front of Stahl. "Drink up lass. Ya had a long day." She sucks down the water in seconds. Tara's lips curve into an evil smirk.
Upstairs, Juice places the first recording in a yellow envelope and takes it to T.O Cross. Tig brings the other recording back to the bike shop and locks it in the safe. Piney is there and raises his glass; Tig gives him a nod and takes a seat at the bar. "Shot of dark whiskey please."
Juice meets up with T.O in a darkened alley. No one followed either one of them. Juice slips him the envelope. "You know what to do right?"
"Sure do. I bring it to Unser. Say we had a very loud visitor at the bar, running her drunken mouth and interrupting our meeting. Turns out she says some very interesting things. Wrong time, wrong place to be running her mouth."
"Thanks man."
"No problem. You ever need anything, you let us know. The Grim's gotcha your backs."
"Hey, we're good. It goes both ways. SAMCRO's on your side."
"We're good then." They set their hands in a firm handshake and get back on their bikes and head in opposite directions. Juice heads back to Tara's the same time Tig arrives. They head down to the basement in time to see Stahl nodding off in the chair. When the lights are just about out for her, Tara leans in, knowing she won't remember, but needing to say it anyway; "See bitch, I don't need a man to handle my shit." Stahl shakes herself out of the oncoming haze, her head dropping and her chin hitting her chest. She turns toward Tara's voice.
"Wha- You bitch-" and she's out, head hitting the table as she goes down. 'Hmm, the perfect kind of pain for a hangover.' She takes a cloth soaked in vodka and rubs it over Stahl. She will smell, look and feel like she's been drinking way too much.
Tig and Juice untie her from the chair and remove the pillow case. Tara takes the ropes and the pillow case out to the trash can and lights a fire. The smoke pipes out from the top and she's tempted to roast some marshmallows, 'Hmm, maybe I will.' She heads back into the house to grab a bag of the big puffy marshmallows and asks Lyla and Gemma if they want to join. "Cravings already?"
"Hmm, I don't, maybe. But I can't in good conscience let a good fire go to waste." In the meantime, Juice and Tig hoist Stahl up the stairs and walk her out to another beat up Honda they got from the impound lot. This car will get the same treatment as the one previous. They get her in the trunk and drive her back to her house. They make sure the coast is clear and put her in the front seat of her car, reclining the seat just a little bit. Juice drops her keys on the passenger side of the car, 'Guess she was too drunk to go inside.' Tig clips her gun back into her holster and quietly shuts the door and heads back to Tara's where he and Juice will swap cars, take the Honda to the impound lot and head home. Family or Foe… FAMILY!
