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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 7: LADY OF THE NIGHT
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Sydney awoke abruptly to her heart pounding out of her chest after her phone had buzzed with a text. She rolled over, plucking the offending device off of the nightstand where the digital clock read 3:29 A.M. - realizing that the reason she had been so easily coaxed out of her slumber was because she'd only just managed to get to sleep. She felt another wakening rush of excitement crash through her as she thought back to her successful day in the club and her even more successful night with the Sergeant - completely distracting her from the text she'd gotten from Clay inviting her back to church the following day.
She was hooked; the feeling of his skin on hers, the dominance, the adoration... She'd fought with everything that she'd had in her to not stay at the clubhouse and spend the whole night in the same way that she'd spent the evening, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last time that she'd have to fight the urge as it arose once again. She was in strange territory - she knew that he felt the same way that she did, but the entire reason that they'd met in the first place was forcing her to maintain a mysterious illusion.
Sydney had left the clubhouse immediately after the mindblowing encounter - stumbling out with wobbly legs and a spinning head. She had hoped that her walking side to side would be seen as a result of the heavy drinking that she'd been doing earlier in the evening - even though she'd stumbled out completely sober - but she hadn't missed the incredibly discerning stares that she'd gotten from Jax and Bobby before they'd reluctantly sent Half-Sack out behind her. The innocent kid had nervously begged for her keys, eventually catching on to what had happened when he finally eyed the hickey on her neck as she tried to convince him that she was fine - somehow still managing to look even more embarrassed than she did. She giggled to herself at the memory of him turning bright red before running off back to the clubhouse where he would surely report his findings, finally drifting back to sleep with a smile on her face.
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Tig was still awake as his mind danced with the heavenly memories of the evening. The sex that he'd had with Sydney was the best sex he'd ever had; rewarding, validating, mutual. The chemistry that they'd had - both mental and physical, the way that their bodies had fed off one another, the way that she'd felt so right in his arms... She had exceeded his expectations tenfold. She was a perfect adaptation of his dream lover: kinky but submissive, sweet but sexy, innocent but evil. He'd thought about fucking her hundreds of times, but the anticipation had made it hard for him to see it as anything more than a fantasy - a fantasy that he still couldn't believe had actually become reality.
His phone buzzed with the same text from Clay, disregarding the message as flipped it open and scrolled through his contact list, hovering over her name... She must be asleep. He made the excuse, knowing full well that she would be awake by the numerous late nights and early mornings that they'd spent together since she'd arrived. He was unsure how to navigate the uncharted territory... He'd never been in this position before - even as a man in his forties. The only thing that was keeping him from thinking that this was a dream altogether, was the fact that he had yet to fall asleep.
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Sydney awoke peacefully this time to the sun shining through her window, but the peacefulness was short lived as her stomach flipped as soon as she gained consciousness. What was going to happen now? She laid in bed for a while as she tried to process the confusing mixture of emotions - happy, anxious, excited, nervous - before finally peeling back the covers and padding towards the bathroom for a shower. But her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she pulled off her nightgown to see the marks that Tig had left on her body; a large, dark hickey on the left side of her neck, some smaller ones on her left breast around her tattoo - and small red marks on her hips from where his fingers had been.
Though it had been some time, Sydney was no foreigner to sex. But what she was a foreigner to was sex like that. Sex with such passion, such need. She smiled to herself as she looked down at her white toenails, blushing before finally hauling herself into the shower. He definitely hadn't been wrong about what he'd told her after the wedding - he'd fucked her and her body knew. She could still feel the way that he'd worshipped her with a slight aching in her abdomen - which only tightened with excitement as she thought about what more was to come.
After a long shower which consisted of lots of daydreaming - Sydney dressed herself in black ripped jeans, a grey loose tank top that exposed parts of her black strappy bralette, and black platform mules before heading off to the clubhouse with her hair in messy waves that she'd left down in a weak attempt to conceal her hickey.
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Tig had never in his life woken up after a conquest and thought about it twice, but he couldn't get Sydney out of his mind. The senseless thoughts of her that kept him awake for most of the night had driven him almost as mad as the sight of her naked body had. He got out of bed eagerly - another thing that he rarely did - dressing for the day and walking to the kitchen for some coffee where Gemma was waiting for him.
"Mornin." Gemma was the type of woman whose tone could tell you exactly what she was thinking, but her famous raised brow and pursed lips only confirmed that he was completely busted before he could even try to plead his case.
"What?" He chuckled, remaining casual - not ready to give it up just yet. They hadn't exactly tried to hide what had happened, but they hadn't thought that it had been all that obvious either...
"Heard you had a good night." She walked over, brushing her fingers over the hickey on his neck where she snorted before lightly slapping it.
"Yeah, crow was crazy." He winked.
She raised her brow even higher. "Yeah." She scoffed. "This... crow doesn't have anything to do with Sydney stumbling out of the bathroom with you and convincing the prospect that she was okay to drive, does it?"
"Oh, nah Gem. She was just drunk - I was holdin her hair." His voice was full of over-exaggerated care in an attempt to prove his innocence.
"Not like the Tig I know to be such a gentleman." She scoffed again.
"Just tryna keep the princess happy. Bosses orders."
"You could've at least asked her to stay." Gemma smirked.
"Shit... You think so?" He shook his head, backing down quickly. He knew that he could trust Gemma - she was one of the only people that he allowed to see his soft side.
"Don't worry Tigger, something tells me that wasn't your only chance." She chuckled with a smile, walking out of the kitchen where she left Tig alone - giddy as a school girl.
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Clay sat at the coffee shop in Pope where he had arranged to meet Darby to press him about dealing in Charming. He was taking a risk going alone - but Darby was the least of his problems right now, and he had a plan that he knew his crew wouldn't go for.
"Been a while, wanted to make sure you didn't forget about our agreement." He greeted the Nord shot-caller.
"I kept Opie safe the entire time we were in Chino." Darby defended when the MC President was already on his ass.
"Oh, I remember how it works inside. Question is: do you remember how it works outside?"
"A lot changes in three years, Clay."
"A lot stays the same... Nothing happens in Charming that we don't control, or get a piece of." His cryptic words told the balding man that SAMCRO had already caught onto the fact that he was cooking again. "See you got some new ink in the joint." He nodded to the swastika tattoo in the centre of Darby's chest.
"Subtle but it says it." Clay chuckled. "I'm dealin in Pope. Your precious little town ain't on my shit list."
"Good to hear. Why don't you uh, make your way down to my clubhouse later - convince my guys that you aint dealin here." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Do me this favour - we'll consider this trucking issue off the table."
"What do you care about some cracked out truckers?" Darby contorted his face in confusion - surely Clay didn't think he was stupid enough to so willingly walk into an ambush?
"Well you see, the Sons of Anarchy protect a local company: Unser trucking. Coincidentally the same trucking company owned by the Chief of Police, Wayne Unser." Clay grinned. "Your crank in the truck has caused the Chief to question our abilities. If I can show my guys that you aint dealin in Charming, then we don't have to destroy your entire operation."
"You think I'm just gonna pull up to your clubhouse with a death wish?"
"I'll consider it a good faith gesture. Got a tight little San Bernardino prize there for you that'll give you some of her own good faith gestures, I know you got a thing for the blondes with blue eyes." He mused.
Darbys brown eyes flickered. "Fine." He sneered, getting up out of the booth.
"2:15 P.M., see you there." Clay called after him.
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Sydney pulled up to the clubhouse at 1:55 P.M., she had been so nervous - wanting to leave as little time to be grilled by the guys before church at 2:00 P.M. as possible. She'd dealt with the hassling about Tig for weeks - but it was another thing when the hassling was now substanced and her nerves still hadn't settled from the incident itself. She walked into the clubhouse, trying not to draw any attention to herself as she hurried over to Gemma who was standing at the bar.
"Hey sweetheart, heard your first church went well." The older woman smirked.
"I think I showed em who's boss." Sydney smirked, glad that her accomplishments in the club were what was being recognized here and not her accomplishments with its members...
"Looks like someone showed you who's boss, too." Gemma used the arm of her sunglasses to push Sydney's hair out of the way, revealing her hickey - the colour draining from her face in embarrassment before the two women started laughing.
"That's me" Sydney announced when Clay walked in, fluffing her hair back in place and walking towards the chapel where Tig was waiting among his brothers, meaning that she didn't have to worry about a potentially awkward encounter.
Tig's eyes lit up when Sydney walked in, and as much as he wanted to stand and stare - he quickly turned away, pulling his chair out and resting his chin on his folded hands.
Sydney took her seat as church began and so far all she'd gotten were a couple of scowls and smirks around the table - which she was more than happy to accept. But she noticed a new face joining the meeting - a face that she'd only recognized from Bobby's wedding: Piney Winston - Opie Winton's father.
She'd heard about him from Gemma and a few others; a crazy old fuck complete with an oxygen tank and an alcohol problem who pretty much did as he pleased as long as it didn't cause trouble - the luxury of a founding member. Regardless of his absence in the weeks since she'd arrived in town, he politely introduced himself to her - giving her condolences for her father and telling her about the many times that they had worked together.
Clay began explaining the situation with Unser's truck driver as Sydney nodded off, thinking about Tig but managing to keep her eyes locked on Clay. "Met with Darby, says he's only dealing in Pope."
"And you believe him?" Piney protested.
"Yeah, we do." Jax replied sincerely, his defense taking Clay a little by surprise, but he nodded and continued anyways.
"Unser's coming by later - he's gonna need a friendly reminder that this is an isolated incident and it doesn't affect our deal."
"You got it, man" Tig nodded.
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A few minutes after the chapel doors closed, Darby walked into the clubhouse. To say that Gemma was confused was an understatement - ready to cause a scene until she remembered that the Nords were at peace with the Sons, at least that's what paper showed for now...
"Hi, Ernie." She greeted seductively.
"Gemma... Wow..." Darby's eyes nearly popped out of his head as they laid on the gorgeous woman that he'd never been able to get. "How's the beautiful queen of bikers?"
"Holdin it together. What are you doing here?"
"Favour for Clay." He dismissed her question quickly. "Damn Gem... You look real good." Clay had been right, he did have a prize for him. "Clay keeping you happy?" He smirked.
Gemma smirked as the man that she'd known for many years made it clear that he'd never gotten over his school-boy crush on her. "He does the best he can. Interesting new accessory you have there." She used her sunglasses to now pull the neckline of his shirt down, exposing his hateful ink.
"Picked it up on my little retreat in Chino." He grinned.
"Bet the Jewish doctors keeping your mom alive just love that." She mused, narrowing her eyes.
Darby's eyes glinted, almost having forgotten just how powerful Gemma was - but her allure was even more powerful. "That's right." He smiled somewhat uncomfortably, getting back to the flirting once again. "You got a little Jew in you too, don't you?" He feigned recollection.
"A bit, on the angry Russian side." She smirked before her phone began buzzing with a text from Clay asking if Darby had arrived. She texted back her confirmation, knowing that something was up but knowing better than to ask questions - right away at least. "It was nice talking to ya, Ernie." She grabbed the man a beer, hoping to keep him occupied in her absence before whatever Clay had planned could get underway. "Gotta run and catch my train back to Auschwitz." She winked.
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"We need to start thinking about our little Mexican problem." Clay's voice brought Sydney back to earth as he changed the subject to something interesting enough to pull her from her daydreaming.
"I say we retaliate at equals; find our guns, torch their facility in return so that we ain't got Laroy up our asses when we don't have anything to sell." Jax suggested.
"It's been weeks since the explosion, by now they're thinking that they got away with it - dropping the extra precautions and security they would've had. Perfect time to move in." Tigs eyes sparkled as Sydney spoke in a tone that was all business as she dove headfirst into her club associate role.
"Juice, start hacking into crime databases - get addresses of any Mayans in the system. I want surveillance on them til we find out where their warehouse is and what their security's like." Clay ordered
"On it." Juice nodded eagerly.
"Alvarez's got the local cops on the payroll." Chibs added.
"Which makes them lazy, they won't try too hard to cover their tracks." Sydney added.
"They wouldn't take a chance housing the AK's at the cut shops - they know we'd be onto those." Tig shook his head.
"Gotta be someplace off the grid... Pull together all the intel we got." Clay's final request ended the session.
Sydney was the first to get up to leave when she heard Tig's voice, stopping dead in her tracks. "Damn, Princess... You know, I heard last night's show was better." He teased.
"I think ye got a good enough show last night." Chibs hollered.
Sydney and Tig's faces both went white, then red as the entire table turned to look at them. She raised an eyebrow, shooting Chibs a theatrical challenging face but her rosy cheeks gave her away - which made Tig's face loosen a bit in amusement.
"That why you stumbled outta here last night?" Clay teased, but it had the opposite effect when Sydney's ego took over.
"Drunk." She stated.
"And you drove home?" Jax challenged.
"Talented." She said coyly with a tilt of her head.
"And your neck?" Chibs added smirking.
"Curling iron." She shrugged with her lips curling up.
"You got an excuse thought out for everything don't ya, Princess?" Clay mused.
"Of course." She said cockily, making him snicker.
"Did he burn his neck with a curling iron too?" Juice yelled across the table, pointing at Tig.
" You thought this was natural, brother?" He pointed to his hair, making everyone laugh.
"You think fucking him is gonna get you special treatment around here?" The room fell silent as Clay's harsh accusations stopped Sydney from leaving once again.
Tig shot his President a glare, letting him know that he was going too far.
"Well, it would just be an added bonus." Sydney smirked before Tig could get too upset. "Besides, your Sergeant gives me all of the special treatment that I need." She rasped, giving Tig a dramatic once over.
Tig's eyes returned to Clay with the shock on his face as she smiled devilishly and headed out of the chapel with a proud smirk as the whistling and hollering started behind her. She made her way towards the bar where she saw a tall, balding man sitting there with a jolly face, but she knew that this man was anything but jovial - this was Ernest Darby.
Jax was the first to follow Sydney out the door, stopping when he saw Darby - whipping his head around to Clay who was right behind him. "What the hell is he doing here?"
Clay put his arm up, signalling for everyone to hang back. "Getting his welcome home present." He said with a devilish grin.
Sydney continued towards the door, acting as if she had no idea who the man was. She knew something had to be up, so she smiled politely at Darby - almost making it past him when he reached out to stop her with one hand on her waist and the other on her bicep.
"Eh, not so fast sweetheart."
"Who the hell are you?" She asked, playing dumb. She wasn't sure what angle Clay was working here, but she knew that there was a reason that everyone was hanging back in the chapel - especially if Darby had dared to step foot in their clubhouse.
"I can be anyone you want me to be." He reached up to stroke her hair.
"No thanks." Her tone was that of pure disgust as she pushed him away and winced, keeping up the act.
Tig puffed out his chest as he tried to get past Clay while everyone watched the encounter unfold. "What the hell, man." He seethed.
"Just. Wait." Clay sneered, keeping his eyes trained on the entangled pair.
"You don't gotta play hard to get." Darby reached out for her again.
"I'm not playing at anything." She said as she stepped back, turning her head to glance towards the chapel but it was stopped by Darby's hands pulling her face to look at him.
"Don't worry sweetheart, your President said you were allowed to spend some time with me."
It clicked. Darby thought she was a croweater. Clay must have used her to get him here, knowing what would happen if he tried to make a move on her - explaining why he had been so willing to forget about the trucking situation - he knew that she would give him the warning that he needed.
"Oh." She changed her demeanour, lowering her voice and dropping her hip as her expression softened. She reached up to grab his hands with hers, stroking them gently as she brought them down from her face. "Sorry about that, love - let me grab you another beer." She spoke, leaning into his mouth as she slowly slid her hands off of his and grabbed his empty bottle.
"What the hell is she doing?" Jax pressed, the anger building in him when once again, his President kept him in the dark.
"Exactly what I knew she would." Clay beamed proudly.
"I thought we said that she wasn't a piece of ass to pass around." The VP challenged.
"She's not." Tig snarled, pushing past them before he was stopped by a loud smashing sound that drew everyone's immediate attention to the source - finding Sydney pinning Darby against the bar by his shirt collar as she held a broken beer bottle to his neck.
"Now, Mr. Darby." She cooed sweetly. "Didn't mommy ever teach you how to talk to a lady?"
The bald man was stunned, scared, and pained from the bottle he'd taken to the side of the head - but tried not to show it. "You aint no lady." He spit out. "You're just a little biker slu-."
"Ah-ah." She pressed the large point of the broken glass against his skin. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart." She sneered, letting the jagged bottle neck fall in her fingers - the sharp point moving from his neck down to his chest as she lightly traced his swastika tattoo with the makeshift blade. "I'm no crow." She looked up into his eyes as she pressed it into his skin, cutting a deep gash as her eyes went from green to black - listening to him hiss in pain as she released the glass from his skin. "You ever try to push up on me again?" She whispered close to his ear in the same low tone, just barely brushing her lips against his skin as she moved her head down to the bleeding cut where she ran her tongue across it. "I'll kill ya. Got it?" She cocked an eyebrow as a toothy, terrifying grin spread across her face.
The man was in utter dismay when she looked up at him, her murderous stare only intensifying with the taste of his blood. He nodded, watching her dainty hand release his shirt collar before he took off out of the bar.
Sydney turned to see all the leather-clad men standing frozen with their jaws on the floor - a look that she was getting quite fond of seeing on them. "I hope he wasn't a regular." She shrugged, walking behind the bar to grab a mop and broom.
"Holy shit... She really is just as twisted as you" Juice exclaimed, looking at Tig who couldn't hide his shock or his erection as he stood wide eyed with his hand on his crotch.
Clay threw Jax an 'I told you so' glance before making off to give the young girl his praise. "Exactly what I hoped you would do, Princess." The President bellowed with a grin, it was the happiest that Sydney had seen him since she arrived.
Sydney watched as Tig slipped down the hallway without saying a word. She wasn't doubting his feelings for her - she could tell that last night was just as ground-shaking for him as it had been for her. But between that and what had just transpired, he didn't know how to take it.
"You tell her to do that?" Jax asked Clay once he returned to where he stood at the pool table.
"Nah."
"You tell her who Darby was?"
"Nope."
"So you're tellin me that she figured all that out on her own - who he was, why he was here, what you wanted her to do."
"I told you not to underestimate her... Son." Clay sneered.
"Told you yesterday VP - I did my own recon." Sydney called from across the bar.
Jax whipped his head towards her voice, surprised that not only had she heard him - but that she'd had the balls to interrupt a private conversation between the two of the highest ranked members in the club. "Why don't you stay out of conversations that you weren't invited to, like the rest of the women."
"Why don't you learn to lower your goddamn voice when you're talking about somebody ten feet away from you." She retorted calmly as she made her way over to him.
The blonde man backed himself up against the pool table, but she didn't stop until her body was pressed completely against his. "I know your big boy balls are having a hard time grasping this concept, Jackson but-" Her gaze shifted from his pulse to his eyes. "I'm not like the rest of the women. It would be smart of you to start realizing that." Her voice was eerily calm before she turned back to the broken glass that she had been cleaning from the floor, being sure to whip him in the face with her hair as she did so - earning a sly smirk from Clay.
The white haired man approached Sydney as she was crouched down with a broom and dustpan in hand, motioning for Half-Sack to take over the clean up. "Between Jax, and what I just saw back there? I might have to consider you as my new VP." He chuckled.
"Just doing my job Pres... But I'd be happy to take that rocker." She winked as he shook his head with a laugh.
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Sydney hung around the clubhouse for the afternoon while they waited on Chief Unser, shooting pool with Bobby while Juice and Clay got to work pulling surveillance on the Mayans. After a few hours, they'd seemed to be satisfied with what they'd been able to find out as the younger man packed up his laptop in preparation to start tracking down their warehouse.
"I'm coming." Sydney piped up with an innocent smile.
"Uh." Juice stammered, glancing at Clay for back up against the persistent blonde.
"Mayans don't know who she is, she blends in." The President shrugged. "Plus, you'll have some backup." He said through a grin. "Be back by 6:00 P.M., Juicey." He winked.
Sydney's sweet smile widened when she easily got her way, pleased with her progress in winning over the tough President.
Tig inhaled sharply from the garage where he watched Juice and Sydney walk around the building towards the van as she did cartwheels, angry that Juice was the one assigned to the job and not him.
Sydney followed Juice to the grey Savannah parked behind TM - clearly their designated job vehicle as it was big enough to transport their guns and harbour the entire crew, but it blended in perfectly at the garage as if it were any old shuttle service vehicle.
"Not bad." She said out loud.
Juice acted like he hadn't heard her, too nervous to ask what she meant. "You gonna wear those?" He scowled and pointed at her feet.
"Yeah? What's wrong with em?" She asked genuinely as she looked down to examine her Steve Maddens.
"Oh nothing! I mean..."
"Juice, we're friends. Spit it out." She laughed as a sense of relief appeared over his face.
"I just mean like, in case something goes wrong and we have to run."
"Well I'm not gonna have to run, but you might." She cocked her brows with a smirk, walking over to the passenger side. "Can we get something to eat on the way? I'm starving."
"What, your knight in shoe polished leather didn't bring you your morning donuts?" He joked.
Sydney actually laughed out loud at his joke before rolling her eyes when once again, Tig was brought up - turning towards the window with a bashful smile.
The drive to Oakland began and after a couple minutes of awkward silence, Juice finally worked up the courage to ask the question that he - and everyone else - had been dying to know the answer to. "Syd - if we're friends, can I ask you something?"
Sydney knew what he was about to ask, sighing heavily. "Shot for shot, Ortiz." She decided that if she was going to be grilled about Tig, she may as well use it to her advantage.
Juice nodded, accepting the challenge. "What the hell's going on with you and him? It's freakin me out."
"If only I knew the answers to those questions, Juicey..." She said longingly while looking out the window.
"I mean... We all figured you would hook up with a member but... Not him."
"Who then? Bobby?" She chuckled with an eyebrow raised.
"Nah." He laughed. "Maybe Jax... Maybe..."
"Maybe... You?" She prodded, finishing his sentence as he stiffened.
"You're avoiding the question." He brought the attention back to her.
Sydney chortled before he dramatically turned his head to the side to stare at her, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, okay." She snapped playfully with another roll of her eyes. "I don't know what happens next. But it's public knowledge that I'm into him." The corners of his mouth turned up at her admission. "And if you fucking tell anyone that we had this conversation I will not hesitate to slice your tats in half too."
Juice gulped, looking up towards the tribal tattoos on either side of his head. "Copy that... Your turn."
"What do you take this shit with us for?"
"You serious about him?" She nodded cautiously. "Crows have been asking if you're his old lady - he doesn't really pay them any attention anymore."
Sydney couldn't help the smile that formed from the butterflies in her stomach while Juice laughed and shook his head, laughing harder when she hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Now shut up and get me my donuts."
Forty minutes later, Sydney and Juice were parked a block away from the Mayans clubhouse - and the row of ape-hangared Softails along the curb was a telltale sign that they had a full table.
"Would be real easy to just throw a grenade in there and eliminate all of our Mexican problems right now, wouldn't it." Sydney said dreamily as she held her lemonade to her lips, not putting down the binoculars that she was looking out of.
"Jesus Christ." Juice looked at her, horrified as her lips curled into an evil smile. Just then, the doors flew open and men wearing Mayans kuttes poured out. "Shit - get down." He scrambled to get to the flew.
Sydney shot him a scowl. "You get down." She scoffed. "I don't have to get down... I'm just a lady of the night, driving around in her handjob mobile." Juice looked confused before she yanked him by the kutte and made him switch seats with her, slowly creeping up to peer over the dash. "Which ones do we follow?" He asked.
"When Clay needed a routine at the warehouse, who did he send?"
"Me, prospects, Chibs sometimes."
"Then we follow them." She put the van into gear and placed her lemonade into the cup holder as she nodded to the group separating from their President.
After ten minutes of carefully tailing the Mayan's, they were led to an industrial area near the rail line in San Leandro. Juice was using the GPS on his laptop to try and guide Sydney in order to avoid directly crossing paths with their enemy as they made their way through the countless warehouses and factories when suddenly the signal crashed.
"Shit." He cursed, smacking the screen a few times.
"What?" Sydney asked with a trace of worry in her voice.
"GPS died."
"Shit, Juice... They're gonna catch onto us." Sydney looked up as half of the Mayans took a sharp right into the warehouse gates while the other half stopped and looked at their van. "Fuck... Get in the back and lay down, now." She kept her eyes on the road while frantically searching the glove compartment for a map. Her hand brushed against a gun and a pair of leather gloves - which almost made her chuckle - pulling the safety tab and tucking the gun under her leg. Just in case.
Just as she neared the two men, she found a crinkled map folded under a stack of expired insurance slips and owners manuals - ripping it open and beginning to make herself hyperventilate as she brought the van to a slow stop.
Two Mayans scoped out the suspicious vehicle that held an unexpected driver. "Oh my god, thank god I found you." Sydney exclaimed in her best valley-girl accent. "Can you boys help me? I'm so lost and my boss was just in an accident. I need to get to Kaiser Medical Center." She spat out between her gasps for air, worry filling her tear-brimmed eyes.
The men looked to each other skeptically, but once they got a good look at her cleavage - they pointed her in the right direction. "Thank you boys so much, I promise I'll come back and return the favour." She added suggestively, the men raising their eyebrows excitedly at each other before walking off.
Sydney pulled the van to the dead-end at the bottom of the hill, making a gentle u-turn and starting back towards the highway. "We're good." She called back to Juice.
"Holy shit... We should've had a girl on the crew years ago!" He exclaimed in awe.
"That's what I've been tellin ya Juicey, now put this shit back." She laughed, shoving the gun and map into his chest.
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It was 5:40 P.M. when Sydney pulled the van back into TM. "Now, you bring Clay that address." She instructed Juice with a narrowed gaze, blinking as he thanked her for letting him take credit for this victory with the depth in his eyes.
The two walked in together, beaming as Juice held up the napkin with the address and presented it to Clay where he sat at a table with Tig, Bobby, and Chibs. "Tracked some of Alvarez's half bright prospects. Ran the address - looks like a dummy-corp."
"Good work, kids." Clay grinned.
Tig craned his head around to look closer at Sydney, concern washing over his face as he walked around the table, cupping her face when he reached her where he rubbed his thumb under her eye. "You been cryin, babygirl?"
Goddammit Juice - leave it to him not to tell her that her makeup was running. "Oh! No. I'm fine, it's nothing." She tried to brush it off, but Clay turned around to face her - his eyes pressing her for the truth.
"Lass." Chibs added with concern of his own.
Sydney gave Juice an apologetic glance when Tig didn't let up on his grip. "We had an issue with the GPS while we were following them to the warehouse, they spotted the van. Pretended I was just another dumb blonde needing directions, got the waterworks going so they wouldn't want anything to do with me."
"That what happened?" Clay glanced at Juice.
"Yup." Tig broke into a proud smile as Juice nodded where he stood with the stance of a soldier - his shoulders back and his hands cupped in front of him.
"Thinkin on your feet... Good job, Princess." Clay nodded in approval.
Sydney forced a smile, feeling Tig pull her in closer before she felt his lips on her forehead - a surprising act that had Chibs choking on his beer while Clay scowled and Bobby raised his eyebrows. The warmth in her body spread to her face as she started to smile, but immediately snapped out of it. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up." She uttered out, heading off to the bathroom.
"You gonna follow her back there again?" Bobby joked as Tig watched her walk away.
"Thinkin about it." Tig blinked as they all chuckled.
It had been ten minutes since Sydney started blushing when Tig had kissed her forehead and she still hadn't stopped - and being in the very bathroom with the vivid memory of him defiling her against the sink the night before wasn't exactly helping her cause. She could even see the scuff mark on the wall where her stiletto had been resting. She couldn't help from glancing at the door, hoping he would slip through it like he did last night...
She shook the hope away, fluffing her hair and started for the door, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she swung it open, getting one foot across the threshold when she ran directly into a leather wall. She looked up to see those piercing blue eyes as Tig leant against the doorframe, smirking down at her.
"Waitin for me, doll?"
"Maybe." She teased as she cocked a brow, looking up and lifting her lips towards his.
Tig leaned down to meet her halfway, but just before they made contact, she swiftly ducked under his arm and proceeded down the hallway. He hesitated momentarily, but hesitation was what had him in his current predicament - if he wanted her, he needed to act. He gave in, grabbing her elbow and lightly pulling her back to him. "You sure everything's okay?" He looked over her.
"What's it to ya?" She glanced up at him through her eyelashes.
"What do you mean?" He crinkled his eyebrows.
"Well, you've been ignoring me all day." She forced the corners of her mouth to stay in place, fighting her mischievous smirk.
"I care about you." He stated, cursing himself for giving her the wrong impression by not knowing how to move forward
"You makin me a habit?" She raised a brow.
"You're mine." He said by way of an answer, staring deep into her eyes.
"Roger that." She cocked her head, her green eyes consumed by flames as the words left her mouth in a rasp before she leaned in and kissed him hard - running her tongue across his upper lip before sinking her teeth gently into his lower one, pulling back and letting go. "Sergeant." She cocked a brow and turned down the hall.
Tig released his grip and watched her walk away in disbelief before he pulled himself together, stalking out of the hallway to see her standing behind the bar. "Not so fast, Mrs. Dahmer." Sydney chuckled. "Mind telling me what the hell that was with Darby?" His squinted twinkling eyes.
"Just rolling out the welcome mat for our good friend, Ernie - teachin him to mind his manners." She said innocently, swaying side to side.
"Where the hell did you come from?" He asked dreamily, shaking his head as if he was in a trance.
"Straight from your dreams, darlin." She winked, sliding him a beer.
;
Chief Unser had arrived at the clubhouse right on time. He was a shorter, much older man than Sydney had expected - actively balding with drooping eyes - the kind of man who looked like he could kick it any second.
"And who's this?" Unser asked, turning to Clay as he was shaking the hand of the beautiful young woman whom he'd never seen before.
"Sydney Harding. Newest addition to our crew."
Sydney's stomach flipped hearing Clay refer to her as part of the crew - her ego inflating even larger when she saw Unser scowl in confusion. "Nice to meet you." She said with a smile.
"Uh, you too, darling. Call me Wayne."
"Sure thing, Chief." She nodded.
Clay snorted at her quip before spending the next ten minutes convincing Unser that Darby was no threat to Charming, or their deal - which was not that hard to do, giving Sydney the impression that Unser had a soft spot for SAMCRO, one way or another.
Once Unser left, Sydney began getting ready to head out for the night when Half-Sack approached her. "Hey, uh you heading home?" She could tell he was trying to make conversation, feeling out of place among the men that hadn't quite accepted him as one of their own yet.
"Yeah, I was planning on it." She smiled sweetly. "What're you up to tonight?" She hinted that she wouldn't mind hanging out if he didn't want to spend his Saturday night cleaning up puke from the bar floor.
His face lit up with excitement before Clay walked between them - cutting the moment short. "No you're not." He told Sydney. "Church."
She raised a brow expectantly at Half-Sack. "Guess not." She giggled, following Clay into the chapel and claiming her seat at the table between Chibs and Happy - wondering what could have happened for a meeting to be called so suddenly, especially after the meeting with Unser had gone in their favour.
"Mayan retaliation. We strike tonight. Me, Jax, Chibs, Ope and Tig." The President announced, earning a confused scowl from Juice. "The less bodies, the better. We do this quiet." He explained.
"Ope?" Happy asked with a scowl.
Clay looked uncertain with the decision, but continued anyway. "Bobby's got that gig in Tahoe - needed someone for the pyro."
"Nobody blows shit up better than Ope." Tig nodded.
Sydney knew that he was right - Opie had just recently gotten out after a five year stint for arson after his getaway driver had abandoned him at the scene - but still, nobody looked convinced.
"Ope's leaning right these days." Happy protested which visibly angered Piney.
"Opie's gonna lean any way that we need him to." Clay pointed his finger and widened his eyes.
"He's just tryin to get on his feet with his family, guys. He didn't turn on us when he was arrested - he's not gonna start now." Jax defended.
Piney nodded, silently thanking his best friend's son - and his son's best friend.
"How we doin this, man?" Tig questioned, getting antsy in his seat. The only thing that got him more excited than sex, was violence.
"No bikes, no kuttes. We take the van and Ope's truck - hit it after sunset."
Sydney couldn't help but admire Clay as he spoke. He was a strong leader, the kind that she would want to be; ruthless but calm, smart but not arrogant - he didn't let anger cloud his judgment. There was no bullshit or doubt in his voice when he addressed his crew, every word held purpose.
"Weapons?" Sydney heard, undoubtedly coming from the Sergeant at Arms himself.
"Hand guns, silencers. We don't take any risks out in Oaktown. We ain't got friends in places that high." He scoffed. "We leave here just after 10:00 P.M." The slam of the gavel concluded the plotting.
Sydney couldn't deny the disappointment that she felt when she found out that she would have to hang back, but she wasn't about to pout about it - not in front of the guys at least. She got up and exited the chapel with everyone else, deciding to stick around the clubhouse after all with all of the excitement going on - knowing that Half-Sack would be stuck on call in case shit went south.
The job had called for the bar to be closed to hangarounds tonight - which meant that Sydney could have some downtime without the distracting presence of crows or drunken bikers. She'd briefly thought about asking Gemma if she wanted to spend the night together, but something about knowing that there would be fire and blood, set her blood on fire. She'd been contained over the past month... Darby was merely just a workout - giving her a taste for what she craved. She was dying to wreak some havoc.
She got herself a beer and sat down at the tall table by the stripper pole. She'd begun to unwind, the music was faint and the lights were dimmed as she was browsing on her iPhone, doing some online shopping when suddenly a heavy bag slammed down on the table, startling her.
"Jesus Christ." She looked up, slapping her hand over her heart where she saw Tig who had changed into a grey hoodie.
"Just can't get enough of me, can ya Pussycat?" He teased, unzipping the bag of Glock 17s and silencers.
"I never will." She said with that devilish smirk on her lips.
Tig smiled bashfully, watching as she reached into the bag and began assembling the silencers - taking him a little off guard.
Sydney pretended to be oblivious to his stare, but Half-Sack wasn't - he could see the way that Tig was looking at her from a mile away.
"Where'd you learn to do all this shit?" He asked with heavy admiration in his voice.
Sydney felt the unexpected pain spreading through her chest as a sad smile came to her lips when she pondered the answer. "My dad." She could feel the words lodging themselves in her throat as she forced them out.
Accepting that her dad was gone was something that Sydney had not even come close to doing. In her mind, he was just on a long run or waiting back home for her to come and visit. She had pushed all thoughts of him deep into the back of her mind since the day that she'd found him lying dead in their living room, but Tig had just inadvertently ripped them out of her.
She fought the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. Her dad had been her best friend - her rock, her mentor, her saviour. Everything she had, everything she'd learned and accomplished - she owed to him. She felt Tig grab her hand, his touch sending a shock through her body and making her flinch where she looked up to meet his sympathetic eyes. She quickly looked away, not ready to show him that kind of vulnerability yet - but she didn't let go of his hand, squeezing it tight as she held her head down. She felt herself beginning to recover as she focused solely on the feeling of his hand in hers - it was warm and comforting, not rough and masculine like it had been before.
"Shit!" Like clockwork, the moment was interrupted as Clay kicked over a barstool as he stormed into the clubhouse after ending a phone call.
Tig immediately jumped up, resuming his role as Sergeant. "What happened?"
"Ope aint comin. Jax says somethin with his kid. I call bullshit." He sneered, wracking his brain for another option. "What the fuck are we gonna do now?" He snarled - knowing that nobody in his company knew the first think about pyrotechnics.
"We can do it without him, man." Tig assured him - he no idea how, but he knew that they would figure it out.
"Let me come." Sydney piped up as she hopped off of her stool, her request coming across as more of a demand than a question as Clay and Tig whipped their heads around. "We can use blow torches and diesel instead of a bomb. It's not as fast but it's better than tripping the wrong wire." Clay looked skeptical, but he didn't outright say no, so she kept pushing. "I know where the warehouse is and the best place to hit it from."
"Fine." He realized that she wasn't going to let up. "You and Tig go and get Ope's truck. Me, Jax and Chibs will take the van." He stomped out of the clubhouse.
As soon as Clay was gone, Sydney looked at Tig and grinned - unable to contain the excitement of getting to go on her first official SAMCRO job.
Tig just laughed and shook his head, impressed that she'd managed to talk her way into achieving her goal - especially while Clay was mad.
Half-Sack ran over to her and picked her up into a hug and spun her around. "Holy shit, that was so cool!" He shared in Sydney's excitement, the two of them happy-dancing like a couple of elementary students while Tig stood with his brow raised and his hands on his hips
Sydney laughed before smacking him on the bicep. "Come on, Tiggy. We have a job to do." She told him before skipping out the door.
Tig laughed at her excitement once again, following her outside while she did front walkovers on the way to the car.
"Nah-ah Sergeant." She scolded as he reached for the handle of her passenger door. "Take your bike. We stop at my house for a bit and then head to Ope's in my car, leave it there while we have his truck. If he really is bullshitting, his wife seeing a Harley parked in their driveway won't help his case. He can tell her that Clay asked if I could borrow the truck to pick up some furniture. Drop the truck off when we're done and you can ride back here from my place. It's gonna be a late night and I need my beauty sleep."
Tig stood motionless for a second, taking in the abundance of information that he hadn't even considered - thankful that she had. "Yes ma'am." He nodded as if he really had a choice, not knowing that Sydney's plan was in the favour of anything but convenience - she just wanted an excuse to have him alone at her house as long as possible.
The two headed off, taking turns brake-checking each other and weaving in and out of traffic - laughing the whole way to her house. They had a couple of hours to kill before they needed to head to Opie's for his truck and Sydney had no idea what was going to happen - they'd spent a lot of time together in the past few weeks, but the dynamic had changed drastically.
Sydney put on her favourite Marvel movie to fill the silence once they got there - the one that Tig had told her on multiple occasions that he hated. "Oh come on doll, this again?" He groaned when he saw the opening credits for the film that she'd made him watch twice already, insisting that it would grow on him.
"Of course, Tiggy! I know it's your favorite." She smiled sadistically at him as he sat down on the couch next to her.
Sydney watched the movie lazily, the repetitiveness making it hard to focus with Tig sitting so close to her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the gorgeous man lounging with his arm across the backrest of the couch - a peaceful sight that she could happily get used to. Her initial intention was just to push him over the edge into making a move, but apparently he'd found solace in her as much as she did in him. His presence was so warm, his smell was so intoxicating - she never wanted him to leave.
Sydney had seen many failed relationships, but had never actually had any of her own - and maybe that was exactly why. She'd seen how boring things became after settling down - the lust, the excitement, the uncertainty always faded and people became miserable. She couldn't push herself to make the leap of faith with Tig yet, even if something deep down told her that a relationship with him could never be boring.
Before they knew it, the ending credits of the movie were rolling across the TV screen. It took Sydney a second to realize that she was actually there and that she had managed to zone out for the entirety of the movie. "Like it yet?" She turned to a dozy Tig with a smile.
"I think one more time and I'll be sold." He chuckled, beginning to sit up as she got up to turn the TV off, wincing and rubbing the back of his neck.
Sydney watched as he grimaced with discomfort, figuring that it was a result of the uncomfortable position against the couch that he had spent the two hours in.
Tig's eyes were closed when suddenly a jolt ran through his body as he felt her hand on his cheek, hearing her soft giggle at his startled reaction before opening his eyes wearily while her nails tickled his neck as she moved her hand back.
"C'mere." She sat back down and scooted sideways, patting the couch in front of her.
Tig closed his eyes as he did as he was told and leaned back - her gentle touch turning into light pressure on the tense muscles in his shoulders as they began to relax under her rolling fingers. The feeling was bliss - pure, comforting, untainted bliss.
His eyes snapped open a few minutes later, realizing that her touch had begun to lull him to sleep.
"Happy ending?" She asked with a raised brow and a playful smirk.
Tig barked out an unfiltered laugh - something that he was unfamiliar doing around a woman. "Mmm don't tempt me when we got a deadline, baby." He hummed as he closed his eyes again.
"I can be quick." She breathed into his ear, smirking when his eyes flew open and he sat up off of her lap - trying to figure out if she was serious.
Sydney smiled smugly, getting up off the couch and heading down the hall so that she could get changed. "We probably won't be eating for a while so you can help yourself." She called over her shoulder before disappearing up the stairs.
Tig sat in the same position, pondering everything - trying to remind himself of all of the excuses that he'd managed to live with over the last fifteen years: Pussy is a distraction, women cause nothing but problems, she will try to change you. But he couldn't. Easy pussy in the life of a biker made it so easy to forget what it was like to have something real, to want something real - something worth the risk. Tig was a fearless man, he would take a bullet for any one of his brothers - but he was terrified to admit that he was falling head over heels in love.
;
Songs for this chapter
damn! - Jeris Johnson & Ricky Desktop (Chad Kroeger Remix)
Strange Love - Halsey
Hypnotic - Zella Day
Hot - Avril Lavigne