Happy New Year Everyone :)
Here's the next chapter, you can think of it as wee New Year's present from me for all me dedicated readers lol hope you enjoy ^^ sorry it took so long to update xo
Chapter 11
In this life, the MC life, there were certain things I had grown to live with. For example, three night with no sleep, piece of cake. Living off shitty road side coffee that tasted like piss, I could deal. Koz, Chib's and Tig's constant bitching and moaning on a run, even though it caused me to have a nagging headache, I could survive. There was one thing that I couldn't deal with, couldn't grow to live with even if I tried,and that happened to be the fact that I hated not being able to see what the fuck was happening when I was on a job, and the fact that the person I was meant to be protecting hadn't been seen in three days was starting to seriously piss me off. The small patient part of me was quickly deteriorating and in its wake it was revealing the very pissed off and very possessive side of me, the side most people both in the MC world and the outside word tried to avoid at all costs.
"They're starting to move out again," I heard Tig's gruff voice speak quietly and he pointed towards the back SUV's that were lined up outside of the run down motel that was across the road from our hiding spot.
"This is fucking ridiculous it's two in the morning," I growled out, "Why the fuck do they keep moving like this. It doesn't make any sense! There's not even a bloody port anywhere near here!"
"Just stick with it," Chib's grumbled from beside me, yea like you aren't as pissed as I am, I thought angrily. "We do this like we've done in every other place they've stopped at." Chib's ordered at us, sometime after the first stop the Irish had decided to make Chib's had taken it on himself to become the self appointed leader of are little fucked up group. "Koz wait till you're sure they've all left then go into the motel and see if Claire left anythin' for us, check everythin'." As Chib's finished stressing the last part of his order to Koz, I watched as the first of the SUV's started pulling out of the parking lot in front of the motel, the rest following in quick succession.
"Are we following then or are we going to just sit here and listen to your dictator impression." I snapped harshly at Chib's as I watched the last of the SUV's leaving the lot, receiving a glare from Chib's while Tig and Koz snorted. A sharp nod from Chib's was our signal to start moving. The set up was simple, while the three of us tailed after the Irish, Koz would run into wherever the fuck the Irish had stopped at last, check the place out and see if Claire had left us a message, so far though, we hadn't heard a single thing from Claire, no message, no phone call, just complete bullshit.
"Why the fuck does this lot need another coffee break? We've been on the road for all of, what, an hour!" Tig was just as pissed as I was, though he was pissed that the Irish had come crashing into our territory and stolen from us, and seeing as he saw Claire as a MC god he wanted to kill everything that had stolen his ideal. We sat about hundred feet up the road from where the Irish had pulled up to yet another shitty road side cafe, who would want to voluntarily stop and drink the rat piss they severed as coffee, I mentally questioned.
"They're waitin' for somethin'," Chib's spoke as if he had heard what I had been thinking. As he spoke I notice that he cocked his head as if he was trying to focus on something to far out of his range of sight. "Ya' still wana' see Claire?" He asked suddenly and I jumped at the chance, snatching the binoculars of Tig before I could get control of my body. Focusing the sights of the binoculars on the parking lot I was able to make out Claire, from what I could see she looked ok, pissed off as she paced along the length of the SUV I guessed she was being kept inside while she had a phone pressed tight against the side of her head, talking furiously into it until it was ripped from her hand for some beef cake of a man. I could make out the glare she threw at the man who took the phone off her clearly through the binoculars and I felt relief flood through me seeing that the fire Claire was famous for was still present. You're such a whipped pussy, my mind snapped at me and for once I couldn't find the strength to fight it.
"Who the hell was she on the phone to? She hasn't called any of us!" The fact that this was the first time I had seen Claire brought both relief and worry to me, and the fact that she had a way to contact us and hadn't, caused anger to flare in me.
"Either she's checkin' up on Kerri-Anne and Fiona or she's plannin' somethin' else," Chib's stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shit, I thought slowly, I'm losing me fucking edge over her, shit, god I have to pull my ass out of me head.
"Koz is back," Tig spoke as he nodded his head in the direction I assumed Koz was coming from. "Looks like the the kid actually found something this time." Tig's words had me spinning in the direction I had caught him looking in earlier, I had to check myself before I acted, knowing if Tig caught me acting like some whipped shithead I wouldn't here the end of it. As I watched Koz jog up to where we were all sitting I saw that he held what looked like was a small cardboard box between his hands.
"Hey guys," He said breathlessly as he got closer, "I miss anything?" Shit head, I muttered to myself as he spoke.
"Finally got a glimpse at Claire," Tig answered while I stayed silent, glaring at the box in my brothers hands trying to figure out what the hell could be in it.
"Damn and I missed her sweet ass," Either Koz was being intentionally dense or trying to piss me off further but before I could act Koz began speaking again. "Bet your happy, pun so fucking meant, bro'," I ignored Koz's childish words and simply looked from him to the box in his hands and back to him to show what I really was interested in, glaring at him the whole time. He caught on quick, yay, the sarcastic part of me thought.
"Oh yea, I got something from reception at that motel, it's addressed to Chib's though not you Happy." Koz's words had me glaring harder at him, confusion and hurt vying for top place in the emotional rank system that was forming in my head, something I really wasn't familiar with and sure as hell didn't like the felling of.
"Giv' us it here then," Chib's grumbled as he moved over to where Koz was standing, "Tig ya' take over watchin' in my place and Koz ya' go with him, me and Happy can deal with this." Translated that meant, fuck of this is family business and its bad enough I have to deal with Happy without you two hanging around, have to give it to the Scottish for their subtlety I thought quietly asTig and Koz followed Chib's words without question and made their way through the undergrowth, leaving me and Chib's to stand alone beside the bikes.
"You going to open it then," I snapped after awhile of just me and Chib's glaring at each other.
"Can ya' really deal with all this?" Chib's questioned, " 'Cause if ya' can't, ya' gota' tell me now 'cause there might be somethin' that ya' really ain't gona' like in this." Chib's spoke calmly as he shook the box in his hands at me.
"Open the fucking box now or I'm going to open you." My words were harsh but I honestly didn't give a shit, the lack of faith Chib's words had in me cut deep and if you added that to the panic his words had created in me I was in no mood to be tested by him or anyone else.
"You'll do fine brother," He spoke with a smirk at hearing my words, guessed you passed the test asshole, my mind said bluntly. I watched as Chib's set down the box at his feet while he pulled out a switch blade from his boot. Kneeling down beside the box as Chib's did the same I waited impatiently as he sliced through the tape that sealed the box closed. As Chib's pulled the box opened I saw that a piece of folded paper and cell phone lay within it.
"What the hell is that all about?" I snapped at Chib's as he lifted the contents of the box out and stood to his full height, me following quickly after him.
"Use your fuckin' eyes, what the hell do ya' think it is." Chib's snapped back at me, "Ya' really think ya' big bad biker snarls gona' scare me? I'm just as worried 'bot Claire as you are, so don't think ya' can fuckin' order me 'bot! Ya' got that?" I glared hard at Chib's. It was easy to see the family resemblance between Claire and Chib's when they got angry like the way Chib's was at the moment, but even though I would never admit it, I knew he was right. Bowing my head slightly I waited as Chib's calmed down before I spoke.
"Look..." I started before he cut me off.
"I know, but ya' still ain't got any right to talk to me like that, she's family, blood and your just the boy whole took a fancy to her and until I see a crow on that girl you lose your claim to be the one that decides what happens to her." By the end of Chib's speech I was in shock, the only time I'd ever seen Chib's like this was when Jimmy threatened him with Fiona and Kerri-Anne's safety but now seeing him like this with Claire I remembered my place. I watched as Chib's read through the folded piece of paper that had been in the box before he handed he another piece of folded paper that had my name scribbled across the front of it.
"Seems she remembered that you'd get pissed at me when I opened the box, sent ya' your own little letter." It was the only explanation he gave me before he turned back to the letter in his hands. I opened my own piece of paper and read.
Happy,
Before we get any further, don't freak out at Chib's he's doing what I told him to do, and for what it's worth he's doing the right thing. Remember our conversation in the club house before I left? The one where I said if it was necessary I'd be a cold hearted bitch, well I've kind of been living through that cold hearted bitch stage. With all the shit Jimmy's trying to pull off it's been necessary and you've probably realised that seeing as you haven't seen me since we left Charming.
Please follow the instructions I've given to Chib's and look after Charlie. You'll need Charlie's help if you're going to get to The Strip and if you're going to get rid of Jimmy for good.
I warning you now, it's probably safer if you keep Charlie and Tig as far away as possible from each other. You need to keep both of them alive and I swear they'll probably kill each other if you left them alone for too long.
I'm sorry I haven't been able to get in contact with any of you; Jimmy's little shit of a bodyguard took all my crap off me including my duffel. All I actually got left with was the clothes on my back but I can last, can even deal with the babysitter that has to come with me every time I need to use the fucking bathroom but hey, when you've got a sick fucker like Jimmy wanting to kill you where you stand you figure it's best not to ask too many questions.
If everything goes according to the plan me and Charlie have set up I'll be seeing you lot in about twenty-four hours give or take, Charlie will explain everything better than I can so if you can wait a little longer you can get your answers love, I can promise you that.
Speaking of promise's mine still stands and I hope this letter proves it.
Alex.
I read the letter through twice before I finally looked up at Chib's, seeing him looking at me patiently, waiting for me to speak.
"What do we have to do," My blunt words seemed to give Chib's all the encouragement he needed and he began speaking quickly.
"Koz, Tig, get ya' arses over here," There was a paused as Tig and Koz sauntered there way over to us.
"What was in the box," Koz asked, curiosity clear in his features, while Tig looked bored.
"The next stage in this plan is 'bot to start," Chib's explained. "We gota' ring this Charlie person and from there on were working are way to gettin' Claire back and gettin' rid of Jimmy."
"Claire gave us a phone just for that? Why not just give us a slip of paper with the number on it and instructions?" At Tig's questions Chib's gaze flicked up and met mine briefly.
"There was something else but that ain't the point, point is we need to get moving as soon as we've called 'cause according to Claire's letter we've got less than twenty-four hours before all this shit hits the fan." Chib's covering for me showed that he'd finally found the proof that he needed to trust in me. After a while we all decided that when we were ready to ride we would call Charlie so we could act quicker if necessary, packing up our gear didn't take long and before long we were all saddled up on our bikes. "Ready?" Chib's asked, and as he received nods from all of us he started dialling the only number programmed into the phone, putting it on loud speaker as it began to ring out.
"Hello," A distinctly feminine voice answered although it seemed rather groggy.
"Can we speak to Charlie?" Chib's asked rather politely for once.
"Speaking, now who the fuck are you? And why the hell are you ringing me at, Jesus it's three in the morning!" I couldn't help but snort at the woman's reply seeing the scowl it caused Chib's features to turn into.
"You're Charlie?" Chib's questioned slightly sceptically.
"It's short for Charlotte asshole even though it happens to be none of your business. You still haven't answered my question." Charlie's voice seemed to be more awake now as she continued to argue with Chib's, now I see why I'm not allowed to let her and Tig get to close, I thought, they'd rip each other to pieces.
"I'm Chib's," There was a pause after Chib's answered before curses rang clear through the speaker causing a confused expression to fall over Chib's features, his scowl vanishing.
"Shit, you're Chib's? Claire's gona' kill me when she hears I tried to bitch you out for waking me after she warned me this shit was about to go down." There was another pause and the sound of sheets being thrown back could be heard through the line. "Where are you at the moment?"
"A road side cafe," Chib's answered with a shrug even though Charlie couldn't see it.
"No shit Sherlock, the name of the road side cafe if that's not too much trouble," Charlie huffed back, I could hear more reselling sounds coming down the line and I guessed the Charlie must been getting dressed.
"It doesn't have a name," Tig answered for Chib's when he sent us a questioning look.
"Who are you?" Charlie questioned as she heard the new voice.
"Tig," Short and sweet, Tig's only style, I thought with a silent snort.
"Well Tig, seeing as you seemed to be the brains here, is there a green, white and orange flag over the middle window of the cafe?" Even though the first part of Charlie's question was sarcastic by the end she had become serious again.
"Yea, how'd you know that?" Tig asked as a glared forming on his brow.
"You're at the Tricolour. Those bastards actually took her to that hole?" I noticed that there was a sharp edge to her words as she spoke.
"Isn't Claire Irish? Why would she care if she was taken to an Irish cafe?" At Koz's question two things happened, first Chib's shot him a 'are you being serious' glare and secondly a sarcastic laugh sounded out through the speaker of the phone.
"You better have a pretty face boy because your brain ain't gona' be what gets you through this world," As Charlie spoke I noticed there was the remnants of and Irish accent coming through, something I'd have to look into. Charlie's quick witted reply had Tig all but pissing himself with laugher at her accurate image of Koz without ever meeting the dick. "And just so you know sweetie, Claire's Northern Irish, not Irish, there's a difference, I'll be with you in about ten minutes don't move from where you are even if the Irish convey moves out." With those final words the line went dead, leaving the four of us to sit there acting stupid.
"What the hell just happened?" Tig finally asked as he stopped chuckling, asshole was more like a kid than anyone else I'd ever met, twisted beyond belief, but so fucking childish.
"Some girl named Charlie just put us all in are places and hands our arses to us down a fuckin' phone." Chib's spoke slowly as if he didn't fully understand what had happened either.
"Are we meant to work with her?" Koz asked with slight glint forming in his eyes as he spoke, he did all ways like them feisty, I thought with a mental shrug.
"Yea, and don't be gettin' any ideas, ya' don't go near her, we're workin'." Chib's growled at Koz when he saw the look that Koz was wearing, the chuckle that I let out couldn't be helped as Koz's face fell into a full on pout.
"How we meant to know what this chicks going to look like anyway?" I asked trying to distract Chib's and Koz from their petty argument.
"You don't need to know what I look like hunny because I already know what all of you look like." A feminine voice sounded behind me, turning I spotted the woman who had spoken. She stood about ten paces from where I sat and as I turned to look at her I heard the metal click of the safety catch being taken of a glock.
"Who the fuck are you?" A dark voice growled out from behind me, shoot first, ask questions second, had to be Tig, Ithought as I let my gaze flick over the woman standing in front of me. She was about five foot six, long brown hair, eyes covered with a pair of tan coloured sunglasses, nice hour glass figure, good set of legs, not my type; I thought with a chuckle, so whipped, my mind countered.
"Charlie sweetie, so you can stop barking at me. I'd also appreciate it if you pointed that gun somewhere else, I like my heart beating." The dark look I saw fall over Tig's face as I turned back round on my back told me that Claire had been right. Keep Charlie and Tig as far away as possible from each other.
"So what's the plan then beautiful?" Koz spoke as he leant forward on his bike, his eyes trailing up and down Charlie's body.
"I don't do blondes kid so you can forget about it." She glared at Koz for a few second until she turned to look at Chib's, "We need to start moving to the Strip, it's about a two hour journey up the road and we need to stop of somewhere first?" Charlie seemed to have suddenly went into serious mode, bitch has wild mood swing, I mused, mind you, you thought most women were like that until Claire bitched you out, my mind sounded.
"Mind tellin' us what that plan of yours is lass," Chib's drawled out.
"Not a problem suga'," Charlie spoke as she flashed a pretty grin in Chib's direction; I snorted as I heard a faint growl come from Tig. "About an hour up the road we'll pace through a small town, lots a pretty wee houses, we're gona' stop at one of them, belongs to Claire actually, round up some weapons, ammo and shit and then make are way to the strip and go from there." Since when did Claire own a house? And since when did Claire stock pile weapons in said house? As questions started to flood my head I realised that Claire had a past far more expansive than I previously thought. "You ok with that or am I gona' have to figure out a new plan that Claire will just have to figure out as she goes along, which will probably result in Claire getting herself shot," There was a short pause before Charlie spoke quietly, "Again."
"Your plans fine," I answered quickly not letting Chib's get a chance to speak. Claire was still healing from the first bullet wound she'd got since coming to save our asses; I sure as hell wasn't letting her get another one when I was the one meant to be making sure she stayed safe. I liked my balls attached and I knew that they wouldn't stay that way for long if Claire came home with another injury.
"Let's go then," Charlie said as she started to make her way over to where a bike was standing. Shit, I missed that, I growled at myself, getting slow old man, my mind teased me. It took us just over an hour to reach the house Charlie had described to us; one thing she missed out was that the house was a very suburban living house. It was one of those houses that you could imagine the children running around in the summer while in the winter they'd be building snowmen in the winter. Not the image I wanted in my head at the moment if I was being honest with myself.
"These guns should be enough," Charlie said as she lifted to duffels onto what I guessed was meant to be the dining room table, "We'll need to assemble them but that should be fine, right?"
"Yea lov' they're grand," Chib's spoke, reassuring Charlie, "So how long has Claire had this house?"
"Couple of years, had it ever since I moved over here actually. This is the first place I came to after she got me out," Charlie's answer might have been vague when it came to her past but when it came to Claire's it revealed more than enough.
"Claire's been here for two years?" Charlie let out a small laugh before she answered.
"No, she had people buy it for her using money she'd saved; sure she was still in prison." After Charlie had finished speaking Chib's excused himself with a tight nod of his head.
"Why you need to get out of Ireland then?" I heard Tig asking.
"You want the long answer or the short one?" Charlie's answered had a small chuckle coming from Tig before she replied, "I was working a job it went wrong, Claire saved my ass from the inside of her prison cell, and I don't know how she managed it in solitary mind you."
"Why the hell was she in solitary?" I heard myself asking.
"You don't know, I thought all of her SAMCRO connections knew, aren't you lot all like family?" Confusion washed through me at her words, Clay had this all hidden? Looking over at Tig I saw that he had his head was down and I could see that all the colour from his face had drained away, it was at that point I heard the sound of Chib's Scottish accent swearing up a storm.
"I think I'll go check on him," I spoke gruffly before leaving Charlie and Tig to assemble the AK's quickly; I just had to get out of the room. I followed Chib's voice until I ended up leaning against the frame of the back door, watching as Chib's growled down the phone until he suddenly snapped it shut, sighing deeply as he calmed himself.
"Who were you talking to?" My question caused Chib's to jump, spinning round to look at me wide eyed.
"What did ya' hear?" Chib's asked instead of answering me.
"You were cursing enough to deafen someone but other than that, that was about it." I answered honestly, seeing no point in pushing him further.
"Ya' know Claire wasn't always like this," As Chib's spoke he gestured to the house behind me. "She didn't have houses where she allowed people she'd help escape out of Ireland stay, or where she let people store or assemble weapons. Yea, she worked for the club since she was young but she was never anythin' like this." There was a sense of defeat and loss in Chib's voice as he spoke.
"Who did this to her then?" I questioned again, hoping that the name he gave would be the same person he had been on the phone to.
"I think ya' know that one already." He answered simply before he walked back into the house to leave me with my thoughts. Her father had done this to her, pushed her so far that she had become a legend in the MC life but one that he disowned. As I walked back towards the dining room I began to hear the start of what seemed to be a fight. Aw shit!
"You're putting it on wrong." A sickly sweet voice sounded, Charlie, I groaned mentally.
"No I'm not," Tig's aggressive snarl replied.
"Yes. You. Are." The sweetness had left Charlie's voice now, leaving it cold and blunt.
"No. I'm. Fucking. Not." The closer I got to the dining room the louder Tig's snarl became; mind you I think it was rising anyway.
"Oh really, then tell me why it's not going on then?" What the fuck are the arguing about, I thought dryly, better be worth it.
"It is, your just being an impatient bitch." Yep, Tig was definitely pissed off now, great.
"Guess what biker boy, I'm not an impatient bitch, and you're trying to put it on back to front." Not the best move there princess, I thought silently as I reached the door of the dining room. As I looked in I saw that both Charlie and Tig had riffles in their hands, probably not the safest thing in the world, and were standing at opposite ends of the table from each other, yet they wore the same 'I want to kill you look'.
"I think I know how to put a scope on a riffle." Tig's snarl had me leaning against the door frame and settling in to watch out the rest of Charlie's and Tig's little spat.
"Obviously not seeing as your doing it wrong," I chuckled slightly at Charlie's come back, flicking my gaze up to see that Chib's had sat down in one of the dining table chairs, unnoticed by the two and sat watching them, an amused expression clear on his face.
"I never do it wrong." Tig's double meaning to his words was clear as day and Charlie didn't hesitate to snap out a comeback.
"Well your hands tell a different story, I don't think you've mastered it yet, you might need to be trained up a bit more." I had to stop myself from full on laughing at Charlie's words, granted Tig did some twisted shit but no one and I mean no one ever complained about Tig afterwards, he seemed to leave all his girls satisfied, bruised maybe, but definitely satisfied.
"Well you need to take that pole out of your ass," Tig was getting severely pissed off now and with a quick nod in Chib's direction I meant to grab Charlie and drag her out of the room before she seriously got herself hurt.
"Why you son of a ..." Clamping my hand down over Charlie's mouth, I forced her out of the dining room and into a small room further down the hallway. Never leave Charlie and Tig alone. That was a warning I should seriously listen to if I was going to keep Charlie and Tig from ripping each other apart before I had a chance to get Claire back safely.
So there you have it :) sorry if there's any mistakes and I'm sorry if anyone was offended by anything :/ other than that review and let me know what you think :D xo
