Keep it Together
"Hello, everybody sorry I am late" called Kendall's cheery voice from the front of the shop as she dropped her bag in her locker.
The guys who had no idea what transpired earlier called muffled hellos and grunts. Gemma stepped out of her office "Kay can I see you in the office."
"Sure thing Gemma." she kept a sincere grin on her face and a polite air to her voice as she walked in "What's up?"
"Cut the crap. I told Tig to tell you to stay home." Gemma said closing the office door.
"I'm fine Gemma," she said.
"To hell you are. You saw Ope with Lyla and that shook you up." Gemma said pointing her finger at Kendall. "Take a day to shake it out and come back to work. You were the first piece of tail he got since he got out of jail, I can only imagined the shit Ope said to you."
"It is a non-issue. To assume that I need a day to recalibrate is to assume that my feelings for Opie were genuine, I genuinely liked fucking him, which is where it ended." She said this in such a convincing unemotional manner Gemma looked like she believed her.
"Believe it when I see it, Get to work." Gemma said and opened the door.
Kendall went back to work and worked harder and faster than she had before. By the time lunch came around she had turned out every job in the shop and was working on the bike Piney was rebuilding. She was so intensely concentrating on getting the motor to turn she did not notice Opie pulling up in the tow truck and unloading a car directly behind her. Jax was watching Opie stare at her back at wondered why Kendall seemed bound and determined to look at nothing else but the EVO engine in front of her.
He walked up to Opie and said "Hey Ope, whats up man?"
Opie stopped staring at Kendall's back and said as quietly as he could "Lyla came back last night," and whispered "Kendall saw us this morning. I thought she was going to have the day off."
When the tow truck made the giant bang on the ground behind her Kendall pulled out the ear buds and turned around "Hey Guys! Sorry I didn't hear you there," she smiled brightly "We turned everything else out so all the other guys are at the club house. Whats wrong with this truck?" Opie and Jax looked very confused with her bright manner "Habla English? Spaken the Deutche?" she kidded.
"Battery can't keep a charge, probably the alternator." Opie said.
"No biggie then. When is the owner going to come and get it?" She asked wiping the grease off of her hands with a rag.
"Tomorrow."
"I can have it done by the end of the day, if you want to call them and let him know." she said unlatching the chain from the front.
"We charge for labor by the hour let one of the other guys do it." Jax said. "Plus, Tig told me you had some sort of presentation before the vote?"
"Two seconds…" she skipped to her locker retrieved a sample business model she had worked up for them and handed them to Jax. "It is 2 copies one for whoever the other for Bobby Elvis one is the business plan and prospectus the other is the Budget and breakdown of needs and costs."
"These look really good." Jax said as Opie gawked.
"Thanks! I approved the design for the bar I bought outside of town too. Tig said you wanted to help me with that…Do you want to go take a look so you will have an idea if it passes the vote?" Kendal asked.
"Sure."Jax said.
"Let me go change…" She grabbed her bag and then was out the back door headed to the clubhouse.
"Well that was ass awkward." Jax said. "but not really."
"She didn't even give me a second glance." Opie said.
"Did you want her to?" Jax questioned.
"I don't know what to do…." Opie said.
"I would feel bad for you buddy, but your options are a porn star and a hot piece of ass who is rich & dangerous" Jax said looking at him "this isn't exactly Sophie's choice Ope."
The sound of bikes behind them ruined their all too deep conversation it was Clay & Chibs followed by the Van and one Aztec biker. The Van pulled in the shop and a prospect jumped out and started to close all the doors. Without explanation Ope and Jax started to close the doors too; they shut the last one when Clay, Chibs, and the visiting Aztec were inside.
They pulled a man who was bound and had tape over his mouth out of the van and then ripped off the tape and he cursed loudly in Spanish. "What he say?" Clay asked the Aztec.
"I'm fourth generation man….I don't speak Spanish." said the Latino biker.
"We have got to find someone who speaks fucking Spanish!" Clay lamented out loud.
"He didn't say anything that useful.." Kendal said from behind him "Just that your mother fucks pigs in hell."
Clay turned to see her and was not pleased. "Where the fuck did you come from?"
"Arizona originally…" she smiled " Me and Jax were going to Lodi. I was coming back to get him. She spoke over the man who continued to curse in Spanish. "He said that your wife fucks for bricks to build your daughter a whore house."
"Tell that sack of shit I don't have a daughter and ask him who the fuck took our shipment and tried to take us out?" Clay said.
"Can I be mean to him?" Kendal asked kindly.
"If you think it will work." Clay chuckled. "I might enjoy watching this…she is a fire cracker." he told the other guys and took a step back to give her the floor.
First she went up to Chibs and whispered in his ear "Whatever I do, play along and seem really turned on. Now give me your knife and slap my ass." his eyes widened but he did as she asked.
She smiled cracked her neck and then focused on the man on his knees, she began speaking in Spanish and no one really understood what she said but it sounded sickly sweet. He answered by spitting at her feet. She laughed a haunting laugh. "Chibs, Jax I want him on the ground." the guys seemed to know what she was asking they pushed him down flat and stepped on his shoulders. Clay even grabbed the tape on his legs and tethered it to the tow chain. She demanded her to tell him her name in Spanish and he laughed at her. She straddled him and began to cut open his shirt leaving small cuts in the fabric and his chest. Your name she demanded.
"Salvador!" he said looking apprehensive.
She started to say something in Spanish that seemed to frighten him, and she giggled at his wide-eyed terror. As instructed Chibs looked so turned and rubbed his self, looking at her Jax gave him a strange look "I just like to watch her work man." he said straightening his junk.
She smiled up and him and licked her lip seductively and returned her attention to Salvador. She ripped open his shirt and dragged the knife across his bare flesh leaving a pink mark on his skin. She asked the same questions again in Spanish and he shook his head violently. The other guys understood her saying thank you in Spanish but were confused about what followed. Whatever she said seemed to make him skeptical until she reached up and pulled on Chibs's jacket until he was face to face with her and she gave him a big kiss. Then when she let go she licked the scar on the side of his face and said something else in Spanish that seemed to scare the pinned man into confessing because he started to talk quickly and to confess everything there was to confess.
Kendal translated the confession to the guys it had to do with drug cartels and the other bike gangs.
"Is that all?" Clay asked.
She looked back at Clay and then down at the man with a curious look on her face. "No I think he can give us more…" she said in English then turned to him and said it in Spanish. She pulled Chibs to her again and made him get on his knees beside her she leaned in and whispered "you are doing great. I need you to grab my tits and suck on my neck."
"Whatever you say dear." came his thick Irish brogue.
He did as she instructed and she licked the knife before putting it back on Salvador pushing down harder and cutting the skin "I will tell you whatever you want just get this psycho bitch off of me." he pleaded from the others.
"Oh you do habla English." Clay said. "We ain't gonna be as nice to you as she was…"
"Are you going to carve into me while your boyfriend fucks you?" Everyone looked rather shocked.
"Please!" Kendall said "the way you ratted out I wouldn't have pricked you before you gave up your own mother." She got up and wiped his spit on his pants. "Fucking Amateur!" she cursed the man on the floor then turned to Chibs "Thanks sweetie." She said kissing him on the cheek.
"Any time love." he said smiling.
"You ready?" she looked at Jax.
"No she isn't." Opie said "we need to talk." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the empty office. "What the fuck was that?"
"Effective interrogation." she answered.
"How? Why? What the fuck Kendall!?" Opie yelled.
"Did you think I was a wilted innocence lost flower or something?" She looked at him quizzically. "You have seen my scars…" she gestured to several parts of her body where Opie had seen small imperfections. "Where the hell did you think I got them? Look." she put her hand on his chest "I am not a violent person, but I have a sordid background which equips me to handle situations like that." she removed her hand and went to leave.
"What about this morning?" he said softly.
She took a big sigh "Oh, that." she turned around to face him again she was still a little raw from earlier "What do you want from me Ope?" she paused and gave a sigh "Do you want me to tell you that I am sad? That I don't want you to go home to your family? That I want you to pick me? Or that I am fine with being your ass on the side?" her voice was thick with emotions that he could not understand.
"No…I just want to know…" He gave a gafaw "Why are you so damn difficult?"
"How about the truth Opie…I have never lied to you Ope, and I am not going to start now…" she started to get louder and angrier letting her more primal emotions break her calm exterior. "The truth is that I am fucking furious—Not at you though. I'm pissed off that I didn't get what I wanted!" she could see him open his mouth to further question but she pressed on louder and more animatedly "And what I want is to brand my name on your ass, take you home, and fuck you and then fuck you some more. Get up and make pancakes for your kids before they go to school, then climb back in bed and fuck you again." Opie was trying to hide his smile he really loved watching her rant "But I can't have that…" she said slumping down and he was no longer smiling. "Because you are engaged, to that skinny blonde with great legs…who should stay away from me for just a couple days, cause I kind of want to bash in her pretty fucking face." He looked grim. "I won't." she assured him in a regretful tone.
She took a breath and considered editing the next part but drove on "I am not going to do any of that because deep down inside I am just like all those miserable cunts out there and I just want YOU to be happy." She sounded very flustered "Every fiber of me wants to slap, kiss, or fuck you…both—All. I don't fucking know!" she finally threw her hands up in surrender "Just go! Go to you small asses porn star fiancé and take your family out to dinner and live your happy fucking life. I will be fine."
"I am still having a hard time with it." He said quietly
"Well," she patted him on the back "I am sure you and Lyla have some things to work out…I am not going to be one of them…" she said and then looked at him sternly "and I am not going to help you through them. That is for someone else to do." she said "But you can count on me for anything to do with Piney or your kids. I love them more than you can know. They are really fantastic. Any time you need me let me know. I'll see you around Ope." she sounded tender again said heading to the door.
He reached out and grabbed her hand "I…"
"NO." she pulled her hand away from him "I have to go shoot or fight something…I don't deal with pent-up aggression well." and she left him in the office. "Jax I will catch up to you later." She said on her way out of the shop ignoring the body strung up upside down on the hydraulic lift.
She was in her car and heading to the bar she now owned just outside the Charming city limits. It was a small looking roadhouse with a wood sign above the doors that read "Jerry's" and a few neon beer signs in the barred windows. She was not in the mood for business so this time she would not tell them who she was she rationalized. "Just a girl in need of a drink or a whole bottle of whiskey." She muttered to herself before she opened the doors.
She strode over to the bar grabbed a stool and ordered three shots of Jameson and in drank all of them within seconds, then ordered Jameson & Ginger ale and sipped on it as she padded over to the Jukebox and fed it a $20 and began to pick an array of songs. She sang them out loud to herself as she went back to the bar and ordered 3 more shots. She swayed to her song selections trying hard not to think about her own emotions, and delving into the heartbreak in the songs.
She was belting out "Angel from Montgomery" out of tune and time with her eyes closed when the doors opened and a gaggle of Bikers came in. She quieted down and ordered another drink. Two shots later the bartender wandered over and cleared the shot glasses from in front of her and poured her another. "You keep that up, you are going to need a ride, little lady."
From behind her she heard "Don't worry…I'll give her a ride home."
The bikers with red patches were in the corner, they had been cat calling her and asking her to join them since they came in; thus far she had ignored them. Kendal ordered another and drank it down before the largest of them stood up and sat next to her "I'll be real nice to you, baby…you can believe that." He said invading her personal space but not touching her yet.
"Jimmy, you leave her alone." said the bartender to help Kendall out.
She put one finger up in Jimmy's face in conveying just one moment. She pulled out her phone and dialed her brother. "Hey sis, you doing alright?" Tig asked.
"Hey sugar, I am going to need a ride home a little later." She explained and Jimmy finally put his arm around her "and possibly bail money."
"Where are you at?"
"Roadhouse off of 85 right outside of town." Kendall explained while
Tig waved to a couple of the guys and mouthed "Kay's in trouble."
"How is your standing with the Red Jackals?" she asked.
"There a bullshit club from LA. Is someone hassling you?" Tig said as he strode to his bike. "you tell those douche bags I am your brother they will back off."
"I can handle them." She sounded amused.
"We will be there in 10 minutes." Tig said hanging up the phone. He looked at the other guys who had moved to come with him all on their bikes and ready to go. Tig looked at Opie and said "Maybe it's best if you sit this one out man."
Opie looked like someone splashed him with cold water and stabbed him at the same time. "Yeah, I get it…" and he watched the rest of the guys speed away.
As Kendal hung up the phone Jimmy said "Daddy doesn't like waiting…" and he pressed close to her and kissed her shoulder.
She removed his hand and gave him a tiny push "I do not want to have your company. Touch me again and I will break your nose and make you lose that stupid fucking smile from your face." And drank her next shot.
"Oh she is a feisty one!" he said pressing against her and pulling her close.
Kendall looked apologetically at the bartender and said "I did warn him…" she mumbled before pushing him back and slapping him with loose wrist first in the left ear then in the right making a loud pop and blowing his equilibrium off. She then elbowed his face and heard his nose break
"Stupid fucking cunt! Now your going to get it!" he said staggering and bleeding from his nose and tried to punch her. As she dodged the punch she took a hold of his forearm led him into her elbow one way and then the other.
Kendal released him smiled and took a step to her left and he finally landed a punch as he was punching the air wildly, "You hit like girl, Pussy!" she spat at him and laughed.
"Do you know who your messing with bitch?!" he bellowed before she stepped forward and landed a solid punch to his chin staggering him back enough for her to pivot her body and land a kick to his liver. This took him down to his knees wheezing in pain.
He growled and lunged at her when he got close enough she used her leg as a fulcrum and rolled to the ground catapulting him over her and on top of a table. No one could really tell if the cracks were coming from Jimmy or from the table breaking. He did not get up he just made grunts of pain and yelled "goddamnit get that cunt!"
The three other guys rushed her from behind. The first she was able to flip over her back and the next she gave a revolving back kick to his solar plexus. The third stood back and pulled a knife she backed up enough to have all three in her sights. "Well now we have a fair fight." She giggled.
The two unarmed men stepped back and let the biker with a knife come forward "Cut that bitch Tom!"
Tom lurched forward thrusting the knife at her, she anchored her legs and grabbed the knife wielding forearm and hugged the wrist to her turning the knife in his hand and into hers, she then used her back leg to kick him in the temple for good measure releasing him at the same time and he stumbled backwards, lost his balance, and toppled to the floor. "This is a nice knife." Kendal said and laid it on the bar and looked at the bartender that now had a glock aimed at her. "I don't want any trouble." Kendall said putting her arms up.
"Neither do I." he said. "I don't know what hell you came out of girly, but you ain't bringing it to my bar!"
"I get that…" she said.
The door busted open and Tig yelled "Phil Stop pointing that gun at my sister, now!"
Kendal took this small distraction to grab the top of the gun jamming it she pulled his arm forward and bent his wrist back making him release the gun. She let him go and turned to Tig "Sorry."
Tig looked around at the 4 big men 2 of which were on the ground still and the others rubbing their chest and back and the gun that was now in Kendal's hand then looked at Jax and Kozik who had come with him. "Looks like she has things under control…let me buy you guys a drink." He smiled at her "so what you drinking sis?"
She took the last shot of Jameson that was still waiting for her. "Whiskey."
"I think you broke my ribs!" yelled one of the guys.
She looked over her shoulder do him "Don't be such a baby I didn't kick you hard enough to break anything…" she chided him "Now, he…"she pointed at Jimmy who had yet to get up "He's gonna need help."
"What did you do to these guys?" Jax asked walking up to the bar and sitting in on the other side of her.
"Jax," she looked at him very seriously "Never fuck with a Marine's daughter…they will win."
"yes ma'am." He said.
Kozik came up and sat next to Jax "I am glad she likes us."
"You were pushing it with that bullshit last night soldier." Kendall looked at him sternly.
"Won't happen again." He said holding up his hands in surrender.
"So you and Ope good?" Jax asked.
"Yeah," she said "as we are going to get I guess." She drank the other shots that were lined up for her "Your, Mom's gonna be pissed though…"
"Why?" he asked and he turned to watch the other bikers pick up their friend and make their way out of the bar "Fellas, this stays between us…"
Tommy nodded "I ain't telling anyone a 150 pound girl kicked our asses."
Kendal threw and empty shot glass and it hit him in the head "136 dickhead!" they left quickly with no further comment after that. "I have to quit the shop to work on the new business."
"You found a place already?" Koz asked.
"You're sitting in it." Kendal said.
"This place?!" Jax was looking around in disbelief.
The bartender turned around "You are the new owner?"
"Hi." Kendal said standing up and stumbling "I am your new boss." She stuck her hand out to shake his hand and he flinched. "I am not going to hit you…" she smiled. He cautiously took her hand a shook it. "I will be back next week with the contractor for the new…" she gave a wave of her hand and slured most of what she was saying. "Tiggy? I think I might need that ride now." And she sat back down.
"How many has she had?" Kozik asked.
"I think that was her 12th shot in an hour...not counting the ones she had before then" The bartender said.
"I'm fine." She said "but just in case, wil you gentlemen excuse me…" she stumbled to the bathroom and made herself vomit and splashed her face with water. When she came back the guys were standing waiting for her. "Much better."
"We got to go." Jax said as they all left; Kendall slowly stumbling behind them.
"Koz!" she called out "I think I am going to ride with you…." She said "too drunk to ride with Tig." She tried to explain but settled on "don't get any ideas, soldier." As she sloppily got on his bike and wrapped her arms around him laying her cheek on his back and passed out.
They arrived back at the shop and Kozik carried her to the apartment in the back and left her to sleep it off while they dealt with an issue at the club. She woke up with an aching head and body and she was positive she was still drunk. She went to the bathroom and took a hot shower to relax her muscles and found some pain killers for her head.
Kendal did not put her clothes back on because they stank like bar and had blood on them. She searched the drawers and found a pair of clean mens boxer briefs and a SAMCRO tank top, she figured it would have to do. She finally wondered out of the apartment and ran smack into Opie.
"Hey" she said "What time is it?"
"About 10 at night." He looked her up and down he reached out and lifted her face so he could see it fully "Who did that to you?" he gently grazed her hair back from her swollen cheek.
All of her early resolve disappeared and she looked at him with such a thirst "just some guy, who didn't know how to treat a lady…" she said trying hard not to climb him.
"Did Tig, kill him?" Ope asked brushing her other cheek with his hands to cup her face.
"No…" she said lightly "I did cause internal damage though…" but the rest of the explanation was never said because they were kissing. He pulled away from her and she pulled him into the room she had just left and tossed him on the bed "This is the last time!" she locked the door and looked at him very intently "make it good."
She crawled on top of him and peeled off her shirt; he slowly kissed her shoulders and neck and behind her ears "I want to make this last all night." He whispered in her ear and kissed her and his hands started to caress her body "If this is it, I don't want it to be over…" he kissed his way to her other ear "for a long time." She gave a whimper of pleasure.
When they kissed again it was long and slow neither wanting to go further for fear it would end. He worshipped every part of her body slowly with his hands then his lips and then his tongue. She rubbed her body up and down his and let her hands travel everywhere. She kissed the outline of each of his tattoos and nibbled on his neck. It took them hours to even get to sex, and several more making incredibly slow and sensual love to each other. She was trembling in his arms when he came inside her, and they laid there like that for some time more before they got dressed.
"I'm going to miss you…" he broke the silence first. They really had not said anything since they started hours ago.
"Thanks…I will miss you too, Opie…" she said and then looked at him with sad eyes. He pulled her into his lap "you're going to have a great life, Ope." She kissed his lips and hugged him she got up and grabbed her dirty clothes, shoes, and purse and left quickly before he could make her stay.
Kendal was still too drunk to drive, so she snuck out as inconspicuously as possible, and began to walk home. She made it outside the gates before someone saw her. Chibs & Juice were sitting on the curb and looked up at her "Hey Gorgeous." Chibs called.
"Hey," she waved at them walking over "any chance you know who these belong to?" Kendal gestured at her jockey's and shirt.
"You know…" said Juice. "you need a ride?"
"No, I think I am going to walk…need to clear my head." She yawned. "Will you tell Tiggy I went home?"
"You're going to walk?" Juice looked concerned and then looked at Chibs.
"That might not be such a good idea, deary." Chibs said. "I'll give you a ride." he jumped up and went to get his bike.
Kendal was not too happy about it but gave in and walked back to the gate. Juice was talking to her about the fight at the bar when a sherriff's car pulled up.
"Ah come on man!" Juice protested as the officer got out of the car and approached.
"Mr. Ortiz, it is time for a surprise drug test, as a stipulation of your parole." He smiled at Juice and then looked at Kendal. "I don't believe we have met…Misses?"
"Miss Devlin. Kendal Devlin. We have not met, as we would have no occasion to." She smiled and presented her hand.
He looked at her with mild curiosity and shook it back. "That is a big shiner you have there, would you like to press charges against any of these men?"
"These men?" she scoffed "No, they came and saved me," she looked at him and tilted her head "I hate to be rude, because I utterly respect officers of the law, but aren't you suppose to ask questions before accusing people of things?"
"I apologize, you just looked like you needed some help…" he back pedaled.
"Ah, but you did not offer help you offered to arrest someone who did nothing." Kendal smiled at him "I realize that they are loud, and rowdy but before you judge them you should get to know them."
By that time Chibs had eased up on his bike. "You ready precious?" she nodded and hopped on.
"Good evening officer," she nodded at him then looked at Juice "And darlin' remember in the state of California they have to give you 2 hours warning before testing you for anything…not that it would matter because I know you have been a good boy." she beamed at him and looked behind her Opie was staring at her sadly. "Lets go."
Chibs waved as they drove away.