12/
I rolled to find him bare chested and still asleep beside me the next morning. I let out a sigh and placed my hand against his chest allowing it to linger on the tattoo I knew he'd gotten in memory of Donna. I pushed her from my mind. We hadn't addressed everything last night but it had been a start.
I bit my lip as he began to stir. He rolled to face me, making my hand placed against his chest slide to his shoulder. "Morning Kitty Kat." he murmured.
"Morning." I greeted him back leaving my fingers where they were on his shoulder, letting them trace up and down his arm a little. I didn't regret last night; not one part of it.
He lifted his head and placed his lips softly against mine. "I've missed you baby."
"I missed you too." I murmured, thinking back upon his tenderness the night before. It had been good to feel him bare fleshed against me once more, his lips soft across my body before he'd entered me slowly making love to me.
He kissed me once more trailing his fingers down my cheek, "We should get up." He murmured.
"Yeah we should." I said with a smile before I leaned forward to meet his lips again. My mind still grappled with many issues form our past but deep in my heart I felt that I could trust him again. Maybe he really was a changed man. I knew he'd been sincere when we'd talked the previous night and when he'd touched me the burn that pulsated through me had been so familiar, like there hadn't been years between the last time I'd felt it.
He traced his fingers down the side of my neck and pressed his hand at it's nape as he returned my kiss. I knew the way my body began to mold to his that I could easily let him take me again. I moaned into his mouth as I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. I knew he was right and we had to get up. I drew away.
"Mom will be waiting for me to help set everything up for Abel's thing." I said.
"Yeah." Was all he said letting his fingers trail across my arm as I rolled out of bed. "Kitty Kat?" He called me back as I headed toward the bathroom. I turned back and cast my eyes back questioningly at him. I could see in his eyes he had something ticking away that he wanted to tell me. "Thanks." was all he quietly said.
"What for?" I asked.
"For giving me another chance."
I gave him a small smile in return as I turned back to the bathroom and hoped my eyes didn't betray my thoughts. I'd enjoyed being with again but I knew there was still so much we hadn't addressed and also knew that wasn't what he'd been meaning to say. I tried to push aside my feelings that he was hiding something from me. If I was completely honest with myself I knew I still wasn't quite sure that we could last. But I guessed only time would tell.
"So when do you need me?" I asked Jax later that morning as I cleared away some plates from the bar.
"We're still working out the details. Can you hang here until we need you?" He asked.
"Yeah. I spose I can." I answered, looking around the clubhouse and the mess that it was in after the morning's celebrations.
"Thanks Kat. We'll fill you in as soon as we can." He said heading toward the door.
I sighed once again wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
It was mid afternoon when I stood leaning against the side my car at the roadside where they'd told me to wait. I glanced up the slope of the road behind me, feeling like my heart was in my throat as I waited for them to appear over the horizon. I cast my thoughts back to the morning that had just transpired in an effort to distract myself.
Mom had been in her element flitting about making sure everyone was fed and cared for and happy and holding Abel in my arms, seeing how perfect and unharmed he was had been the best. Everyone had been at ease, the guys all sweeping aside whatever heavy shit was going on to welcome Abel home. And Lyla, she'd announced that she and Opie were getting married. While I was happy for them I had to admit I was a little taken aback. I know I hadn't spent a lot of time around the club lately but I was surprised that he had moved on from Donna. It seemed too quick but it wasn't my decision to make.
And then when it was all cleaned up and done shit got serious again. I stood with Opie as he pointed out on a map where I needed to go and Jax had handed me a flack jacket which he insisted I put on. They still hadn't told me what it was they were transporting though.
I glanced up at the approaching sound of Harleys and saw the club's van head over the rise of the hill behind my car, heavily flanked. I drew in a deep breath as I picked Tig and Jax out among them. They rode past me and Happy pulled up beside me in the van. I watched as Happy jumped out of the driver's seat and ran toward the back opening it and allowing Phil and Miles to jump out.
"Key's baby." Tig said getting off his bike and heading to my side. I passed them to him and watched as he opened the trunk of my car.
"Jesus Christ." I muttered as I watched Happy and the prospects remove their 'package'; a well dressed man with a sack over his head and his hands tied behind his back, from the van and place him into the trunk of my car. Tig slammed the lid down and handed me my keys back and ushered me to the driver's side door.
"Drive straight to the lot." Jax ordered Miles as he moved around and opened my passenger door to slide in.
"Absolutely." he responded.
"Go baby." Dad said to me as he passed me on the way back to his bike.
I took a deep breath as I slid behind the wheel and put the keys into the ignition.
I floored the accelerator and pulled away from the side of the road. I noted Phil's white knuckles as he gripped tight to the handhold above his head. I smiled a little to myself at the big man's edginess. I knew my car and how to handle it around the twists and bends of this road that wound it's way through the hills that surrounded Charming.
I slowed a little as I hit the highway turnoff into Charming, having been told to not draw attention to myself once I was in town. My anxiousness began to subside the closer I got to the lot and I breathed in a huge sigh of relief as I drove into it and watched Chuckie close the large security gate behind me.
I expertly reversed my car into the garage as I'd been instructed to do and half wondered whether I should pop the lid of the trunk to give the man in it some air.
"All the other old ladies are in the clubhouse." Miles said interrupting my thoughts. "We'll take care of it from here." He added letting me know my role in all this was done.
I nodded and gave a brief polite smile. I knew Tig had made it clear we were on again and that I was once again considered an old lady as I headed toward the clubhouse, glancing back behind me to see the garage door slide down, hiding both my car and the prospects from view.
"Are you okay baby?" Mom asked as soon as I entered the clubhouse.
"Yeah I'm fine." I answered letting her place her arm around me and pull me close. "So what happens now?" I asked as she led me over to the table she'd been sitting at with Tara and Lyla.
"Now we wait for them to get back." She answered somewhat edgily.
"What's going on Mom?" I asked. I could always tell when something had her rattled.
"I'm worried about your brother." She answered me with a heavy sigh. "I think he has some deal going on with the Stahl that's gonna put him in some real hot water with the club." She said quietly before we reached the table.
"What? Why would Jax do that?" I asked her in a hushed tone.
"I don't know baby. I guess if things go his way it'll reduce their prison time."
"Prison time? What prison time?"
"Oh shit. Tig didn't tell you."
"Tell me what?"
Mom sighed. "Their going away for federal weapons charges."
I turned on my heel and stormed from the clubroom. "Kat!" Mom called after me but I ignored her. I didn't bother asking how long. I wasn't stupid. I knew it could be years. I was furious with him for not telling me; sucking me back in; making me think he really had changed.
I leaned against the picnic table, my knuckles turning white for how hard I gripped it's edge as I stared out towards the gate waiting for him to return.
I watched them roll into the lot a short time later and waste no time in stalking over to Tig's bike. "You asshole!" I snarled at him nearly knocking him off his feet as I shoved him square in the chest with my fist.
"Whoa Kitty Kat. What's going on?" He asked as he steadied himself.
"You didn't think to tell me you were going to prison before you slept with me last night." I snarled knowing the eyes of the club were on us.
"Ah shit baby. I tried to tell you."
"Bullshit you did Tig." I said the tears I'd been trying to hold back sliding down my cheeks as the rest of the guys headed inside to give us space. "If you wanted to tell me you had your opportunity last night."
"Kitty Kat I'm sorry."
"Don't fucking call me that! Did last night mean anything to you or was it just a fuck before you go inside for god knows how long?"
"Baby." he pleaded. "Last night was great.
"Really? Have I ever meant anything to you Tig?"
"Yes Kitty Kat. You know what you mean to me."
"I'm not sure I do Tig."
"Kat I love you baby."
"Then why didn't you tell me Tig?" I said as tears began to sting my eyes.
"I tried baby. I just couldn't find the right words." He said forcing me to meet his gaze. I closed my eyes both in an effort to blink back the tears that welled there and so I could ignore the sincerity I saw in his.
"I can't do this Tig. We can't start out again like this." I said opening my eyes, resolute that I was not going to forgive him for this.
"Kitty Kat, we can make it work baby."
"No Tig. Not like this. You knew that if you'd told me last night we wouldn't have slept together. I thought you'd changed Tig. I really thought you'd changed but no; the lies just continue."
"Please baby ..." He said placing his hand against my arm.
"No Tig. I'm done." I said backing away as Mom and Dad sauntered into the lot from the clubhouse, I could tell both keeping their distance but anxious to know I was alright.
"Kat. C'mon baby."
I shook my head 'no' as I began to turn away "And I'm not visiting you in there." I said letting out a shaky sigh as I continued to fight back my tears.
I glanced across to where my parents stood, Dad staring my way until Mom turned his attention back to her by planting a kiss on his lips. Their attention was quickly diverted again as Jax rolled into the lot on his Harley with not one but two fed cars and a prison transport vehicle close behind him.
Mom and Dad walked across to meet Jax as he got off his bike. I found myself following alongside Tara who I hadn't noticed there before. I wondered how much she'd heard of the exchange between myself and Tig.
"Oh shit." I heard Jax murmur as Agent Stahl got out of the leading car.
"Where's Jimmy O?" she asked as she approached the growing group in the lot. I knew now that was the man they'd had me transport to the lot in the trunk of my car. Neither Dad or Jax gave her an answer. "Okay look I could have a dozen agents here in twenty minutes and they'll shred this white trash shithole."
"Get 'im." Dad reluctantly ordered to no one in particular. I watched as Tig and Juice who were closest to the garage doors rolled it up and released Jimmy O from the trunk of my charger. I watched as Jimmy was led away, gloating at his luck, to one of the waiting fed cars.
Stahl also watched as with her usual arrogant swagger she moved to stand beside Dad. I bit my lip, knowing there was more to her arrogance than usual. She was about to drop a bomb on the club and it wasn't going to end well.
"How did you know he was here?" Clay asked.
"Because your VP made a deal." she said.
"You son of a bitch!" Jax yelled from beside me. I spun around to watch him try to launch himself at Stahl.
"What's she talking about?" Dad said as a federal agent beside Stahl pushed Jax away and toward his clearly angry brothers.
"What? You made a deal for Jimmy?" Tig cried launching at Jax. A scuffle ensued between the patches as I looked on. I sucked in a breath knowing now that Mom's suspicions had been true. I knew now why she had been so worried. If Jax had made a deal that made him a rat. Rats got killed even if they were the VP or the President's step son.
"It wasn't his fault. She made him do it. He isn't a rat Clay." Mom tried desperately to interject tears welling in her eyes as even Dad looked ready to kill Jax the first moment he got. Bobby pushed her aside as the feds began to round up the patches, taking them into custody.
I fell in beside Mom as an officer took Dad by his shoulder. He turned back to Jax a murderous look in his eye. "You're dead. You hear me? Dead!" He growled pointing his free hand menacingly toward the man he'd raised as his own son for the most part of his life.
Even Tig glared menacingly at him as he too was led away. I found myself focusing on him as they began lining the guys up and frisking them before loading them into the waiting transport van.
As Tara ran to catch up to Jax and hug him to her, I could have sworn Tig winked at me as he glanced back. It was fleeting but I knew it meant something. Was this all part of some other plan?
I placed my arm around Mom who stood sobbing, fearing the worst for her son. She slid her arm around me and rested her head on mine as she watched them being placed one by one into the van.
Stahl turned to Ally Lowan, the club's lawyer and handed her the folders in her hand. "Your clients will be out in three years. Fourteen months if they don't kill anyone." She said with her usual arrogance.
As the van pulled out of the lot, Mom continued to sob beside me. I knew she thought Jax was already a dead man but I wasn't so sure. I knew the first day I'd come across Stahl that the club was smarter than her. Happy had told me the club had a lot going on today and there were so many of them not here right now. I hoped that wink Tig had given me meant everything was going to plan. A plan they had purposely kept from the rest of us to avoid anything going wrong.
I watched Stahl slide into her car and hoped it would be the last time I'd see her.