A/N: Ok ladies and germs, here it is. Chapter 28. It's been fighting me for MONTHS but with a Stay at Home order in place, I can finally think about it. A few warnings: a couple of sensitive subjects mentioned here. They're not horrible at least to me, but may be trigger inducing to some. Y'all know I don't do those kind of scenes a lot, but there ya go. Also, I updated the previous chapters. Some grammar, a minor plot point dealing with Chibs. I had an idea for him that I liked better than my original idea for him lol. So here we go! Thank you again for all the favs and follows and support. Keep them coming, gimme your comments and criticism. I do enjoy seeing what you think!
Chapter 28
Bella snuggled deeper in Opie's arms as the last vestiges of sleep fled from her body. The sleep over with Gemma for the kids had, of course, been cancelled. There was no way neither Bella nor Opie were going to let either child out of their sight. When they got home, Bella had found some ibuprofen for Kenny and quickly gotten everyone ready for sleep. They had all laid in Opie's massive bed and while Kenny and Ellie had quickly dropped off, Bella had stayed awake just watching them. She knew Opie had done the same before they eventually had both dropped off.
Quietly, she pulled herself from the bed and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. It almost felt like she was on autopilot. Every moment of the night before replayed in head and the guilt began to crush her. How could this happen? Kenny should have never been in danger. It was all her fault. She should have told him no, she should have not left him in the truck. But the truth of it was, if she really thought about it, she should have never wandered Forks like she did and met that asshole.
Bella was so lost in her thoughts she jumped when she felt arms wrap around her waist. "Mornin'" Opie's deep voice greeted her. She smiled slightly as she turned around to great him. He had a smirk on his face. "I know what you're doing and you need to stop right now. None of this is your fault. It's all on that asshat and we're going to find him and return the favor."
She ducked her head, guilt and shame still swirling inside her. "I hear you, I do. I just…"
"No, no 'I just'. No buts." Opie put his fingers under her chin and raised her face to meet his. "Nothing is your fault. You and Kenny were victims of circumstance. You're both fine now, that's what matters most."
Bella took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I know this. It's gonna take me a minute to really accept it, but I'll get there." She stood on her tiptoes to reach his cheek for a quick kiss before turning back to the pancakes. The clomping of feet signaled the kids were awake and coming to eat.
After a raucous breakfast, Bella got the kids dressed and readied herself. She was heading back to her father's house and the kids were going with Mary to the carnival that opened the day before, Fun Town, and staying with her that night. She was anxious to make sure everything was okay at the house. Hopefully, the men had left after she did and didn't harass her father.
Opie followed her over to download Chibs on what had occurred. The walked in the front door of Chibs house to absolute silence. Everything looked okay so far, but she let Opie go down the hall to her father's room. She heard them talking as she went to her room to empty her bag, still slightly upset her night hadn't gone the way they planned. Was it a sign that it wasn't time yet? Maybe. Or it could have been just coincidence.
"Ye alright, lass?" Bella turned at the sound of her father's rough voice. He stood in her doorway in just a pair of baggy pajama pants. She smiled faintly at him before approaching him. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her for all he was worth and kissing the top of her head. She let him, relishing the security he gave her in just that one moment. It was so different from what she was used to, but oh so wonderful. She traced the anarchy symbol on his arm and knew that he would do anything and everything to make her safe.
"I'm okay dad. It's done and over. They got away, but I know you guys will handle this. I'm just sorry Kenny got hurt in the middle of this. Where were you? I heard you sleeping, I don't know how you slept through all the screaming!"
Chibs chuckled and stroked her hair. "Aye, I was dead to the world. I didn't hear shite. I took a pill for me back and it knocked me to fuck out."
Bella giggled at that. She knew he had occasional back trouble and his pills were pretty hardcore. They stood there a few moments longer, just enjoying each other's presence. It had been a while since they'd had any time alone between the club, work, and Leah being around. Now with Leah probably moving in with Jax and this latest scare, she had a feeling she would be seeing a lot more of her dad, if only as a bodyguard.
"Chibs, Clay called. Church." Opie said from the hallway. Chibs nodded and released Bella. She followed them out the door, locking it behind her. She didn't want to be alone and felt like a visit with Leah and Abel would be exactly what she needed right now. She expressed this to Chibs and Opie who agreed with her.
"We'll follow you over," was all her dad said before kissing her cheek and going over to his bike. Opie engulfed her in a tight hug and gave her a lingering kiss. "I know we didn't get to our plans last night and I just want you to know that I'm okay with that." He stroked her cheek sweetly. "I'm in no hurry, it will happen when it happens. I just want you safe. I love you."
She beamed at him then. She knew it was true but it was always nice to hear. "I love you too. Be safe"
Opie pecked her one more time before mounting his bike. She got in her truck and backed out the drive. When they got to Jax's house, she parked in the drive and waved at the men on bikes as she made her way to door. Leah answered her knock promptly, obviously happy to see her friend.
-00000-
"It was that arsehole Cullen." Chibs voice was rough as he responded to the information relayed from Jax and Opie. He felt like utter shit. It was bad enough that his daughter was attacked, again might he add, but the part that was killing him was that he had been in the house, passed out in his own bed unable to help. He had failed her again.
Jax eyed his friend knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Cullen and some other guy. Cullen got Kenny at the truck, the other guy got Bella at the door. No clue who he was though." He took a long drag from his cigarette. Each of them owed Bella in some way and this is how she was repaid? Attacked at her home that was supposed to be a safe haven. No, this wouldn't fly. Jax glanced around the table and took in the expressions of his brothers. Most were determined, following along the same lines that he was. All except two. Clay was stone faced, almost contemplative. He didn't seem concerned one little bit. Juice, however, looked concerned, but also nervous. He was biting his lip and flipping the lid on his Zippo. Jax knew this to be one of his tells and vowed to himself to have a conversation with his former prospect soon.
Clay's mind was racing. This was in equal parts good and not good. Good because it scared the bitch, bad because it riled up the club. This girl was more trouble than she was worth. It was time to put some of that information Juice dug up to use. He knew exactly who the Cullens were and who he was dealing with now. A connections to the Russians for guns, a Boss in Italy, and a flourishing drug trade. Well except in La Push. He frowned mentally at that. He knew there were benefits and losses to the drug trade. It wasn't something he was willing to touch at this point.
"Well, we know who it was, we know why. But how'd they get the info?" Piney's voice sounded from the other end of the table. Clay had to hold back a groan. He would have to admit something, but maybe he could work it in his favor.
"Ah, that uh, may be my fault," Clay reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "If it's the same guy you're describing, I may have saw him at the diner when I was picking up the pies Gemma ordered. I was talking about the homecoming for little Abel. He may have used that information somehow."
Opie heaved a sigh, his fists clenched tightly resting on the table. "I want this motherfucker found and I want to rip his motherfucking head off." His voice was low, the growl more than evident. "He has attacked her twice now and injured my son. I need him gone."
Chibs rested a calming hand on his shoulder. "Aye. We will make it happen."
Clay nodded at that. "We will. Eyes open everyone. Juice, dig up what you can. See if there's anything about associates he may have connected to Bella." Juice nods at him, eyes darting between Clay and Opie and Chibs, nervously. "Now, one more thing. We have a patch to vote about."
-00000-
Gemma sat in the office of Teller Morrow, sorting invoices and humming softly to herself. After the drama of last night, she needed something monotonous to relax her brain. Nothing did that better than some paperwork. She glanced into the garage at Lowell and Dog working on a car and sighed. The guys were still inside, making decisions about this Cullen asshole. Hopefully they did something quickly. She did not like outsiders encroaching on her territory. There had been enough of that lately.
A cheer from the direction of the clubhouse startled her out of her thoughts. Gemma rose from the desk and walked to the door and leaned against the jam, a small smile gracing her lips. She watched as the guys poured out of the clubhouse, each one taking a turn to punch and jostle and rub noogies on the head of the prospect. Well, maybe not prospect any more. Her eyebrows raised slight as the gangly boy turned around, a freshly sewn on patch glinting in the sun. Good, he made it through. She was happy for the kid. He was honest, a good worker, great in the ring, and very crafty when he needed to be. Most of all, he was loyal. She had seen him do some crazy shit, heard even more from Clay and knew he would be a great asset to them.
Clay approached the office, a slight smile on his face, though there was something in his eyes that spelled trouble. Gemma narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what kind of shit was about to be dropped on her head. She went back to the desk and sat before speaking to her husband. "Well, looks like the kid made it. Proud of him." All she got was a hum as Clay settled on to the couch, hands clenching and unclenching slowly. "Hands acting up again?"
Clay shook his head before relaxing back into the couch. "Nah, just got a lot on my mind." At Gemma's raised eyebrow he sighed. "It's this shit with Bella. She seems to be attracting trouble, trouble we can't afford to have around here. If anyone else had reported that incident last night, we would've had Charming PD so far up our asses, Unser wouldn't have been able to retrieve them with a crowbar."
Gemma snorted at that. "Yeah, well they didn't. They knew who's house it was and knew who would take care of it. You are taking care of it right?"
Clay waved a hand dismissively at his wife. "Yeah, yeah. Juice is looking into the asshole. I just…"
His hesitance drew Gemma's full attention. She had a feeling that she knew what was coming and she would have to shut that down quickly. She needed Bella. That girl had changed something about the guys and they were now on a good track. Jax was more focused on what he should be: his club, his family. Opie had come back into the fold. Chibs was less stressed. Hell, even Tig seemed to have a soft spot for the girl. Gemma wanted her to stay exactly where she was.
Clay heaved a sigh. "I'm wondering if she's worth all this shit. It seems like there's one thing after another with her and it's distracting Chibs and now Opie. Not to mention Jax. She's got some kind of…control over them. I dunno, maybe she would be better off away from here."
Gemma scoffed openly at him. "You're out of your damn mind." She grabbed the papers of her desk, straightening them and shoving them in the filing cabinet. "Anything happens to that girl, your boys will be even more distracted than you think they are right now." She leaned against the desked and crossed her arms, facing her husband. "That girl has done something to them. They are more focused, more thoughtful, recognizing good and bad situations and thinking before they act, something I never imagine Jax would do. If something happened to her, there would be hell to pay. They would seek vengeance to the ends of the earth, no matter who was responsible." She raised her eyebrow at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
Clay's eyebrows were lowered as he thought about what his wife was saying. It was true, but something had to give. He wasn't going to get support from her, he should've known that. She had fallen under the younger girl's spell. He sighed heavily. "I know, I know." He'd have to figure this one out on his own.
-00000-
Bella laughed as she watched Half-Sack dance around with one of the crow-eaters. She was so happy for him getting patched it. They decided to go to Fun Town that night to celebrate before heading back to the clubhouse for the real party. She watched as the guys tried to dunk the asshole clown, threw balls at bottles, and generally goofed around. Clay seemed to be more attentive to Gemma as the sun began to set and they gathered near a stage. There was a local talent show going on and the guys mostly jeered at the performers, lame magicians, bad actors, and the like. It wasn't until a woman started singing that they stopped and paid attention.
She had been standing between Opie and her father when she felt him stiffen. Bella glanced up at him and smiled at the look on his face. He seemed entranced as the woman continued her haunting melody. It was actually one of Bella's favorites, "My Immortal". The woman's voice rose and fell, entirely acapella and it captured everyone's attention. But it seemed none more so than her father.
The woman was truly enthralling. She stood alone on the stage, microphone on the stand in front of her. She was average height and build wearing a dark blue peasant skirt and white shirt. Her hair was long, dark red with a bit of waviness to it. She opened her eyes briefly and Bella could see they were a bright blue, sparkling with the emotion of the song. As the final note rang out of the small crowd, applause and whistles broke out, the loudest sounding from next to Bella. The woman on stage gave a little bow, her cheeks tinted pink and made her way off the stage. The rest of the guys broke off, making their way to the bikes, but as Opie pulled her away, Bella watched her father stay.
They wandered over to the line of bikes that were close to the woods. Just as everyone was settling on their bikes, a shout could be heard from the woods. It immediately drew everyone's attention. They all exchanged glances before looking at Clay who nodded his head. Opie turned to Bella and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Stay right here with Gemma, do not move." Bella looked at him wide eyed and nodded emphatically.
The group, consisting of Jax, Opie, Tig, Bobby, Half-Sack, and Juice, each pulled their guns out of their kuttes and started making their way over to the woods. They were quiet, following the faint sounds of distress coming from their left. Clay and Jax led, guns pointing towards the ground with Opie, Tig, Bobby, and Juice watching all sides. The eventually ran up on a site none of them ever wanted to see. A large man had a girl pinned to the ground, groping at her as she struggled against him. Opie felt his jaw tighten as he recognized the man. It was the idiot clown from the dunk booth. He didn't immediately recognize the girl, but knew that she was not consenting to anything.
Jax looked as his brothers then pointed at himself and to the man. They all nodded and formed a semi-circle around the area. Jax crept up slowly, his bright white sneakers not making a sound on the sandy ground. He got close enough the man before he audibly cocked the gun and placed it on the back of the clown's head. He immediately stopped what he was doing, the girl bellow him continued to sob uncontrollably. "I suggest you get the fuck up right the fuck now." The clown raised his hands and then cautiously pulled his feet underneath him.
Juice walked carefully up to the girl, not wanting to spook her. "Hey, hey, it's ok now, it's ok. I'm gonna take you to someone who can help ok?" He kept his hands up and eyes wide to hopefully calm her a little bit. The girl glanced behind Juice and Jax at the men holding the clown at gunpoint before she nodded and scrambled up from the ground and to Juice. Her hair was in complete disarray and she had the beginnings of bruises and some scratches on her arms and face. Clay's brow creased as he recognized the girl and wondered for a moment if he could use this somehow. Juice took her hand and led her over to the bikes where Gemma and Bella were waiting. Gemma immediately recognized her and let Bella take the girl into her arms while Gemma pulled her cellphone from her pocket, intending to call the girl's parents, Elliot and Karen Oswald. This was devastating, but at least the guys had stopped the asshole before Tristen was more severely hurt.
Jax continued to hold the gun to the clown's head as the guys circled up. "So, get your rocks off with little girls, huh?" Jax's voice was deep, a growl blatant in it. "Yeah, that don't work round here."
Opie was the first to strike, his right fist colliding with a meaty thud against the man's face. His knuckles were immediately sore, but it wasn't enough. All he could see was the girl on the ground, only it wasn't a stranger. It was his Ellie, completely helpless and scared to death. So his left fist followed his right and back and forth over and over again until the man was on his knees. Tig grabbed Opie's arm and pulled him back, fully aware of what the younger man was seeing. It was the same thing that flashed through his head with his own daughters. Tig got in a couple of his own swings before relinquishing him to Bobby, then Sack. By this time the man was on the ground so Sack took his boot to the clown's gut.
Finally worked over enough to satisfy him, Jax spoke. "Stand him up." Tig and Bobby grabbed the man under the arms and pulled him up. Clay walked forward, knife open in his hand. Jax still held the gun at the man's head. Clay studied him for a moment before he spoke in a soft yet deadly voice. "The man is right. We don't tolerate rapist round here. You can't get your dick sucked like every other man, buy yourself a whore. Hear they got good ones in Lodi." The knife glinted in the rising moonlight as Clay brought it close to the man's crotch. "So here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna cut you, you may live, you may not. But one thing is for sure, you will never hurt another little girl ever again."
They all watched as Clay used his knife much like the Elsie maker Elliot had showed him once. Bobby and Tig held their hands over his mouth as he screamed bloody murder, but did not let him go until Clay stepped back. He dropped to the ground limp, breathing shallowly. He tried to roll over on his side but his girth and blood loss prevented it. Eventually his breaths slowed and then stopped completely. Clay sighed as he put his hands on his hips and looked skyward. "Tig, Sack dig a hole. Put this sumbitch in it. No tracks."
Tig pulled his phone from his pocket to call Happy to bring a truck and a shovel as Sack and Jax grabbed the clown and started to drag him further in the woods. Opie, Bobby, and Clay walked over to the bikes and met the girls who were waiting with the Oswalds. Clay explained what had happened, saying the culprit had been dealt with. He had some sympathy for the girl and left out the gory bits for her sake at least. The Oswalds thanked Clay, promising they would never forget it and got in their car and drove away. Bobby straddled his bike and waited as Clay and Opie comforted their women for a moment. Once they were seated, they cranked their bikes and headed to the clubhouse. They took the long way around, knowing they would need to clear their heads before they joined the celebration.
-00000-
The woman on stage aimlessly made her way his direction and Chibs could do nothing but stare. Just as she reached him, he managed to gather his wits and clear his throat. "That was lovely, lass. A most beautiful performance." The woman paused and looked up him. Chibs breath caught as their eyes met, the bright blue sparkling at him.
"Thank you. It's been a while since I've actually done that in front of people. It felt great to be up there again." Her voice was soft with a slight southern lilt to it. It was pleasant against his ears.
"Aye, well, you should do it more often. It's somethin' that needs to be shared." Chibs replied. He didn't know what else to say, just that he wanted to keep talking to her.
She chuckled. "Well, by the sound of your voice, I'd wager you have some kind of hidden talent as well. Of course, an accent always helps. Lemme guess, Scottish? Maybe a little Irish?"
Chibs eyes blew wide at her assumption. "Well done, lass. Scottish, mostly grew up in Ireland. Name's Filip by the way. Most people call me Chibs." He reached his hand out for hers. When she placed hers in it, he gently turned it over and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. He watched as the blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Idly, he wondered how far down that blush went.
A smile graced her lips as she responded. "Christine Wiley. And thank you again." She removed her hand reluctantly from his and turned as if to go.
"Where ya headin'?" His voice gave her pause. She honestly didn't have anything else to do and had planned on going back to her hotel after grabbing a quick bite to eat. She explained that to him and he shook his head at her. "Nah, can't let you do that alone. Tell ya what, let's go to the diner, my treat."
She hesitated for a moment before nodding at him. "Alright, I can do that. No funny business though."
Chibs burst into loud laughter. "Aye lass, I think I can handle that." He led her over to his bike, not even noticing the other bikes still on the lot and handed her the helmet. "Hope you don't mind a little helmet hair," he said with a wink.
Christine just giggled as she strapped the helmet on and reached down to gather her skirt between her legs. She waited for Chibs to climb on before carefully seating herself behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. The engine roared to life and they quickly left the lot, not realizing the amount of chaos they left behind.