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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 13: ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR
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It was 1:45 PM as Sydney was in the middle of getting ready for the fair, holding the eyeshadow brush to her crease when she heard the muffled sound of a Harley through the music that was blasting from the speakers in her bedroom. She scowled, not expecting Tig for another forty-five minutes but rushing down to greet him at the door anyways.
"Oh? Hi." She greeted in surprise when she opened the door to see Chibs instead.
"Aye, Lass. Tigger sent me - Clay's got him in the meetin with Laroy before we meet up at the fair."
"Oh, okay." She told him with easy understanding as she stepped aside to let him in. "You're early... I'll be ready soon so go ahead and make yourself at home." She led him into the living room before heading back upstairs where she returned to her makeup - bobbing her head along to the music.
"Jesus Christ!" She gasped when she eventually turned around to see Chibs sitting on her bed, reaching to turn down her speaker.
"So this thing with Tigger..." He started.
She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Who wants to know?"
"Just me, love." His response was surprisingly sweet, taking her off guard. "He's in deep for you, Lass."
"You think so?" She blushed with a bashful smile.
"I know so... You love him?"
"In the five days that we've been dating?" She snorted sarcastically to cover up the fact that she had no idea how to respond as the words slapped her in the face.
"You can trust me, Lass." He told her sincerely. "I know it's scary, but Tigger - he's my brother." She nodded slowly, showing her acknowledgement of his words but not confirming anything. "Never loved no one before, have you?" He smiled in understanding.
"That obvious, huh?" She chortled.
"I think he loves you too." He admitted, hoping to offer the confused young woman some comfort.
"It's too early for that." She defended regardless of the feelings that his questions had her coming to terms with.
"You know, in this life? Nothin is too soon. Days can feel like weeks, months like years." He advised subtly. The Scotsman was not like Gemma or Clay - he wasn't looking for Sydney's confirmation or divulgence for a personal gain, he simply just wanted her to know that he was in her corner.
Sydney knew that he was right, but she wasn't going to say it out loud, nodding once again instead.
"I'll be waitin downstairs." He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning and starting towards the door.
"Filip!" She called after a second of hesitation, biting her lip nervously as he peered his head back in the door. "Thank you." She nodded softly, returning the sweet smile that he gave her before continuing down the stairs.
Half an hour later, Sydney was finally ready to go with her makeup done, her lips glossed, and her hair crimped into waves that had been secured in a half-up, half-down ponytail. She wore a tight white cropped tee that read 'I licked it so it's mine' in black script with distressed denim shorts over a pair of fishnet stockings. She stepped into her combat boots, spritzed her signature Givenchy perfume, and headed downstairs to meet up with Chibs - who she found sitting on the edge of the couch, very invested in an episode of Storage Wars. She stood with an eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips, trying to suppress the laughter until finally she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Jesus Christ!" He whipped his head around.
"My turn." She managed to utter out once she finished laughing, finding the exaggerated expressions of the Scot to be wildly entertaining. "Get real into that shit, don't ya?" He smiled sarcastically before grabbing his keys off of the island and leading her out the door.
Once they arrived at the fairgrounds, Sydney was immediately captivated by the sweet smell of carnival food, the music that flooded her ears, and the blinking lights all around. She scoped out the ride selection as they made their way to the entrance and she had to admit that she was impressed - a lot of the rides were much bigger than she'd expected to see at a county fair passing through a small town.
"Goddamn men." Gemma stammered where she stood with Happy, Juice, Half-Sack, and Jax - , clearly unimpressed by the tardiness of the rest of the ground when today was supposed to be a day off.
"Look hot, little girl." Happy nodded to Sydney with a smirk as she approached, handing her his cigarette to share a few puffs.
"I always look hot." She scoffed playfully.
"Tig seems to think so." She rolled her eyes. "What's goin on there?"
"What do you think is going on, Hap?" She fought the urge to roll her eyes again - partially at his questions, but partially at her inability to give a straight answer.
"Don't know. You aint tellin me shit anymore." He shrugged as he looked to the ground.
"Awe, Happy Meal." She mock-pouted. "Do you miss our late night gossip sessions where we would braid each other's hair?"
"We never did that." His stoic expression turned to one of displeased confusion over her ridiculous accusation - one that made her chest bubble with laughter when he took her question literally.
"Sydney." She turned around at the sound of her name, thankful to see Jax - only a distraction from a confrontation with the Tacoma Killer about her romantic feelings could make her thankful to see Jax.
Happy tossed her a glance to which she nodded softly, pushing his chest reassuringly as she passed back the cigarette - letting him know that she was fine to handle this alone.
"Hey." She greeted the Vice President with uncertainty.
"We good? I'm sorry again, about yesterday..." She took a deep breath, hearing the sincerity in his voice and being unable to help but realize that today was supposed to be about distractions from the bullshit, having a good time and not worrying about the weight of what was going on. "Forgiven?" He held out a strawberry lollipop.
Sydney giggled at the childish but cute gesture. "Forgiven." She nodded with a smile. Besides... She was a sucker for sweets.
Jax pulled her into a friendly hug. "For now." She whispered in his ear playfully, eliciting a bashful smile.
"Fitting." He laughed as he pulled away, pointing to her shirt as she popped the bright red candy into her mouth, but he didn't wait for a reaction when he saw Tig approaching behind her - quickly turning his attention elsewhere.
Sydney's brow creased when he abruptly stepped back from her, but it made sense as soon as she felt hands snake around her waist - the cold metal rings brushing against her exposed mid-section.
"Sorry, baby." Clay walked around to greet his wife, kissing her on the cheek apologetically as she rolled her eyes behind her dark sunglasses.
Sydney leaned back into the embrace as Tig pressed his lips against her temple. "God damn, babygirl... I can't believe you're all mine." He growled in her ear as he tightened his grip on her waist. She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, slowly sliding the lollipop out of her mouth and guiding it into his.
"Jesus." Bobby winced, physically recoiling as he watched their encounter in disgust.
Tig pulled the candy out of his mouth quickly when he heard Bobby's groaning, putting it back into hers - shoving his fingers in with it as she closed her eyes and sucked, moaning for dramatic effect.
"You jealous, old man?" He prodded.
"Everyone meet at the beer tent at 7:00. I do not want any trouble today." Gemma narrowed her warning gaze in the direction of the scandalous couple.
"What's your favorite ride?" Tig whispered in Sydney's ear as the queen gave her orders.
She turned around in his arms, cocking her brows before letting her eyes slide over his form, licking her lips while nodding. "I could show you better than I could tell you."
"No promises" Jax laughed, winking at his mother before he took off to get in line for the Adrenaline ride with Bobby and Chibs in tow.
Sydney laughed at the grown men who were so excited for a kids ride - not at all expecting such wholesome behaviour from the rough and tough bikers that she'd gotten to know over the last month.
"Come on, baby - you're mine this afternoon." Gemma cooed, resting her chin on Clay's shoulder.
"Oooh!" He hummed and lifted her over his shoulder.
Sydney smiled at the affectionate display of the couple that she admired so greatly; so strong together, yet so weak for each other.
"You know what the cutest part about that shit was?" Tig asked, nodding towards the power pair.
"What?" She scowled.
"How she didn't try to shank him with her shoe."
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well lucky for you, I've retired my weapons for the day." She turned around and lifted a boot.
Tig snickered, pulling her towards the line where Jax and the others stood eagerly before the gate opened and kids began bolting to get the best seats on the ride - the full grown bikers among them.
"Hey, I want the outside!" Sydney pouted when Tig hopped the metal beam that was holding the purple ride car that he'd picked for them, securing the funnest seat for himself.
"Hell no!" She kept her lip jutted out while she stood still, hoping that he would change his mind. "Think we could switch halfway through?" He proposed with a mischievous grin - changing her expression as she lit up and nodded rapidly, excitedly jumping in next to him.
Tig buckled the seatbelt to satisfy the gruff man operating the ride as he made the rounds to ensure that everybody was strapped in, unbuckling it the second that he passed their car. He placed his hand on her knee as the ride began - the beams raising them higher and higher into the air until they were above the trees.
"Ready?" He asked her as his hand left her leg and moved to the restraint.
Sydney bounced in place, readying herself to make the jump at the right time. "Go!" He pushed the protective bar out of the way right as the car reached its highest point in the air, sliding across the seat as she stood to climb over him.
The ride abruptly switched directions halfway through it's runtime - something that they hadn't anticipated - the force knocking Sydney off of her balance and sending her falling backwards before Tig caught her just in time, pulling her back to the worn leather seat by her wrist.
"Oh my god!" She exhaled, their eyes both wide with fear before they began laughing in nervous relief.
The carnie hadn't missed what had almost happened - not willing to take on a lawsuit because of some stupid bikers who thought that they were above the rules. He powered the ride down, enduring the chorus of displeased whines from both the children and the bikers.
"Ah shit..." Tig cursed as the scraggly man eyed them down.
"Get outta here!" He yelled to the dark haired biker and his ditsy arm candy.
"Oh come on!" Jax argued with a charming smile, attempting to sway the angry worker.
"You wanna go too, blondie? I aint got no problem with that!" He argued back, shutting up the blue-eyed pretty boy.
"The hell did they do?" Jax turned to Bobby who was in the car behind him and Chibs.
"My guess is a handjob." He shrugged.
Sydney snickered as she climbed off of the ride with Tig in tow, laughing as they ran towards the gates. "Well, we got one down. Wanna see how many we can get kicked off of?" She proposed with a wicked smile and glint in her eye.
Tig's expression of uncertainty quickly turned to a wild grin that matched hers - thrilled over her proposition but even more thrilled over the fact that she wasn't upset with him for the rocky start to their day.
"Let's do it, baby." He nodded and reached for her delicate hand, taking off in search of more rides to defile.
As they walked through the fairgrounds, Tig's eyes were drawn to all of the prizes hanging from the game tents. He'd picked up girls at the annual fair plenty of times before and they'd all loved the bullshit cliche of a man winning them some stupid stuffed toy, giving it up easily by the end of the night. But Sydney wasn't exactly a normal girl and for some reason, she made him second guess everything that he used to do without question - sending his usual confidence with women plumpeting faster than the one-hundred-foot Free Fall ride.
"Uh, do you want me to win you somethin?" He looked to her for direction. He was happy to do it if it would make her happy - he'd done it before for a lot less.
"No." She snorted, shaking her head. Tig grinned, his eyes lingering on her in appreciation when she proved yet again that she was perfect for him. "What?" She asked bashfully, her cheeks pinkening when she couldn't pretend that she didn't notice him staring any longer.
"Uh..." He snapped out of it, the smile still on his lips. "I don't think there are any rides we can go on over there." He pointed in the direction that they were headed, an abundance of kiddy rides being the only thing between them and a dead end - realizing that they had been too in their heads thinking about each other to actually pay attention to where they'd been going.
"You aren't a very good tour guide, Sergeant." She chastised playfully.
"Was able to take you around the block just fine." He retorted, squinting in the sun with a proud smile on his face as he avoided her grin of approval at this clever response.
On their way back through the games alley they ran back into Jax, Chibs, and Bobby who were now joined by Juice and Half-Sack at the dunk tank - unable to refuse a game that suited them so well.
Jax threw the first ball, completely missing the target.
"Oh, the big bad biker can't hit a target." The man dressed as a clown perched on the platform began harassing him in a mock-pout, prompting another throw which was harder this time but still missed. "What's the matter, tough guy? Cant put the ball in the tight hole? Bet goldilocks over there said the same thing." He nodded to Sydney.
"That's a Bozo no no." Tig snarled as soon as the robust man brought his woman into this, stalking towards him with Jax close behind.
"Oh come on guys, I didn't mean anything by it-" He began to protest as they got closer.
Sydney ripped the red ball out of Bobby's hands, whipping it directly at the target and hitting it with a clang - sending the mouthy clown crashing into the water just before they could get to him. She flashed the cockiest grin possible, making Jax roll his eyes while he and Tig held the guy under the water - everyone laughing before carrying on down the line.
After a close round of ski-ball - which Tig won - they moved onto basketball, a tie between Sydney and Jax; all of them taking turns giving their prizes to the kids who'd watched them win in awe. The men quickly became smug as they approached the next game, knowing that this was a sure win for them; darts.
Sydney rolled her eyes, sitting out as there could only be six players at a time. She watched in amusement as they got competitive, playing round after round, racking up the points. The final round was between Tig, Half-Sack, and Chibs. If Tig got a bullseye he would win, but if not it was still anyone's game. The final three began lining up their shots when Sydney saw her opportunity as Tig drew his hand back, ripping the dart out from between his fingers where she threw a perfect bullseye - smiling devilishly as the buzzer sounded.
"But... Darts at the clubhouse?" Juice questioned in disbelief.
She smirked knowingly, turning her attention to Tig as she grabbed his hand and led him away. "Don't be fighting over my prize now, boys." She called over her shoulder.
"You tellin me that you missed that shot on purpose?" Tig asked with a lazy grin and his arm draped over her shoulders, recounting the stripping that had resulted from her 'missed' shot the previous weekend.
Sydney held onto his hand as it dangled off of her shoulder, giving him a side-eyed look and swaying her body playfully as he slowly shook his head. "What am I gonna do with you?" He pondered in a playful growl, looking her up and down with a smirk.
She winked, her cocky half-smile turning into a grin before she broke away - walking ahead of him and spinning around in small circles, stopping when her eyes landed on her next target. "I hope you're in the mood to get wet, Tiggy." She cocked an eyebrow, her gaze set on the log ride.
"Only if you're the one gettin me wet." He smirked, nodding his approval of her next choice.
"Should we stand or switch?" Sydney plotted their defiance as they stood in line while children and families boarded the plastic logs shaped carts that sloshed around in the knee-deep water.
"Water surfing." Tig nodded with excitement.
When it was their turn to board, Tig stepped in front of her - taking the better seat once again. "What the hell!" He smirked as she complained behind him, keeping his back to her.
"If you think that I'm letting you walk around this busy-ass place in a soaking wet white t-shirt, you're wrong." He shook his head, slipping his sunglasses on to shield his eyes from the spray.
Sydney pursed her lips with an understanding nod - he had a point, but it didn't mean that she was happy about it.
The ride chugged along the track, water lightly splashing around them as they neared the ascent to the top before starting the slow, uphill climb. Sydney was glad that it wasn't too tall - she was a fan of rides, she loved the adrenaline of the fast moving, spinning, upside-down thrillers, but big drops that were out of her control were something she could never force herself to enjoy, no matter how hard she tried.
"Ready, babe?" She heard Tig call, snapping her out of the dread that she'd conjured up while looking up at the big red Free-Fall.
"Yup! Last one standing wins." They pushed themselves up as the log slid over the curve, sending them over the edge and down the drop.
Sydney bent her knees in an attempt to keep a better balance - something that Tig couldn't do if he was trying to shield her from the tidal wave. He managed to keep his balance all the way until the end when the force of the water sent him tumbling back, the harshness of the blast taking him by surprise as he ripped his sunglasses off and tried to regain his bearings, the sound of Sydney's howling bringing him back to earth.
Sydney would've held her stance longer, but the second that Tig landed on his ass she lost her composure, falling back in hysterics. His plan had worked, she was going to come out unscathed apart from some water droplets that had coated her legs and arms as a result of him taking the full impact.
"Jesus christ!" He muttered, still taken aback by the force of what was supposed to be a ride for kids.
"Guess that's why you're supposed to sit down." She laughed.
"Yeah... Guess so..." He muttered, his gaze falling to the exit of the ride where the carnies were standing with their arms crossed - the line not moving as a result of their stunt.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!" Sydney chuckled when yet another overweight, scruffy man began yelling at them.
"Oh come on, man. We're fine." Tig grinned, helping Sydney up and out of the ride.
"Who the hell do you think you are!"
"Thanks for the ride!" Sydney smiled sweetly, pulling Tig's arm as they hastily took their leave to avoid getting security called on them.
"Think we better lay low for a bit..." Tig scanned the grounds, landing on the beer tent where he knew Gemma and Clay would be.
Sydney's eyes followed his to the lively adult area of the fairgrounds. "Good idea." She nodded.
When they entered the tent, they saw that Gemma and Clay were on the dance floor where they had met up with Jax, Chibs, and Bobby who were all trying their damndest to do the country swing, alternating their starry eyed dance partners who didn't care for their poor skill - just the fact that they were dancing with the Sons.
Sydney smiled as she watched the scene before her, feeling her heart getting heavier in the best way possible. She loved this; the warm air, the good music, watching the people that she loved having fun.
"Come on, doll." Tig led her to the dance floor.
Sydney hadn't at all known what to expect from Tig as a dance partner - the only dancing she'd done with him was relatively slow or goofy, but she was beyond impressed as he twirled her around expertly. Halfway through the song, Tig and Clay twirled Sydney and Gemma at the same time; switching partners, then switching back - keeping a huge smile on Sydney's face the entire time.
"Well, I'll be. The Sergeant at Arms does dance." She teased in a southern accent as the two couples made their way to a picnic tables after a few songs.
"You aint the only one full of surprises." He wiggled his eyebrows, removing his arm from around her as she situated herself across from Gemma and Clay. "Republican...Twelve o'clock." He said in warning, taking the opportunity to disappear into the crowd before he could sit down.
"How you doin, Elliot?" Sydney straightened up as an older, clean-cut man approached the table with who she assumed was his wife on his arm.
"Okay, Clay." The man nodded, shaking Clay's hand.
"Karen." Clay nodded to the stuck up women who forced a smile.
Sydney tilted her head and wiggled her fingers in a dainty wave to the attractive gentleman for no reason other than to shove the stick further up his wife's ass than it already was.
"We gotta go." Sydney snickered as Karen Oswald pulled her husband away from the flirty gaze of the gorgeous young blonde.
"Damn... You'd think that with all that money they could pay somebody to remove those sticks from their asses." Gemma mused.
"Mhm... Maybe he's just a little paranoid that his country club cronies are gonna see him talkin to the outlaw."
"Come on, I need to talk to the outlaw." Gemma flirted, pulling him up from the picnic table.
"Oooh." Clay hummed, waving goodbye to Sydney as she chuckled.
Tig quickly reappeared - not leaving her alone for too long. "Eat." He handed her a giant pink cloud of cotton candy and sat down on the opposite side of the table with a bag of peanuts.
Sydney was in heaven as she devoured the treat - a giant smile plastered on her face as she revelled in the warmth of his presence and the sweetness on her tongue.
Tig smiled in amusement as he watched her try to contain herself, but his expression fell as someone caught his eye behind her.
Sydney turned to see a man with a buzzcut standing with his hand on the lower back of a skinny young blonde. "What? Used to fuck her or somethin?" She teased with a raised brow.
"That's Kyle." He explained, not taking his eyes off of the exiled member.
"Hobart?" She scowled.
"Yeah. Better hope Clay doesn't see him..."
"He was kicked out clean, right?"
"Yeah... Doesn't mean he won't still get his ass beat for showing his face in Charming."
"We gonna throw that beating?" She surmised hopefully.
"Only thing taking a beating tonight is that pussy." He nodded with a dirty smile. "Come on." He sprang to his feet and walked around to her side of the picnic table where she sat with her lip between her teeth, grabbing her hands and hoisting up.
As they made their way through the thickening crowds on the grounds, a group of young kids ran right towards them. Sydney giggled as she took the opportunity to let go of Tig's hand and raced ahead of him, leaving him to get caught up in the traffic.
It was in that moment when she spun around to laugh at him that Tig's entire world froze. It was like he was watching her in slow motion as her hair bounced and her eyes glimmered. He ripped off his sunglasses to take in the sight of her waiting for him with her hand out, fingers wiggling with a giant grin. He felt his heart sink, realizing that he had fully fallen for her before he recovered with a chuckle, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head before he retook her hand.
"I think that's our next target, baby." He nodded to the Free-Fall.
Sydney's entire body tensed when the moment that she'd been dreading all day finally came to face her. "Um, I don't think we could get kicked off that one, it would just be a waste of time." She attempted to keep her voice as level as possible but Tig wasn't buying it as he stared down at her with a smug smirk and a raised brow.
"Are you... Are you scared of a ride?" He questioned theatrically, milking her weakness as much as he could - as it wasn't something that he got to do often.
"No! I just-" He took the opportunity while she searched for an excuse to lift her over his shoulder, running to get in line. For fucks sake, she cursed herself for giving him the idea earlier. He put her down, spinning her around and standing behind her with his other hand on her hip to keep her from running away.
"You'll be fine." He chuckled against her temple, pressing a kiss against it when he felt her start to shake.
She backed into him, pressing her ass against his crotch as hard as she could as her nervous body vibrated - needing some kind of retribution from the torture she was about to receive. He pulled away from her quickly, inhaling sharply as his grip on her tightened. Victory.
Sydney regretfully boarded the ride, pulling the restraint over her head quickly while Tig watched in amusement. She tried unsuccessfully to hide her reddening face in the padding that came over her chest, which only made him laugh harder. She kicked him in the shin to shut him up, which was also unsuccessful.
"Come on, baby… Don't be mean. I'll even hold your hand." He taunted. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand after staring at it for a few seconds, bringing both of them up to the optional handle bars on the chest restraint where she squeezed until her knuckles went white. "Kitten... The ride hasn't even started yet."
"Shut it!." She snapped as they lifted off the ground and he continued to mess with her, trying to play footsy as their feet dangled. She caught her breath as they ascended higher into the air, admiring how gorgeous the town was from the altitude - her eyes twinkling as all of the lights from the fair started to come to life as sunset neared.
When the ride finally reached the top, Sydney squeezed her eyes shut - taking Tig's hand into a death grip while the ride sat there for what felt like ever. She opened one eye slowly, then the other. "Why the fuck would they do tha-" Just as she started to complain about the suspense, it dropped. Her eyes slammed shut as she screamed a blood curdling scream that made Tig wish that he hadn't offered her his hand so that he could cover his ears. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god." She repeated over and over, her hand still squeezing his.
"Babe..."
"What!" She snapped, opening her eyes to realize that the ride had stopped. She laughed nervously, releasing his hand and rolling her eyes at his face which was red from laughing at her - taking off towards the exit where she intended on getting as far away from the ride as possible.
"I think you broke two of my fingers." Tig laughed as he caught up to her, shaking his hand out.
"Well, let's hope they're not my favorite two." She raised her eyebrows and looked at him expectantly.
"Oh I can get creative, baby." He growled as he grabbed her waist playfully, pulling her in for a kiss which she deepended, smiling as he dipped her backwards. She had an arm around his neck with a hand in his hair, gripping his shirt under his kutte. He smiled, straightening up and pushing off of her hip. "C'mon." He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowds once again, the light starting to fade as the sun set.
A cautious smile formed on Sydney's face as they approached the ferris wheel, surprised when he actually came to a stop. "Serious?" She asked, waiting for his punchline or a laugh before he dragged her off to another torture chamber.
"You wanted to see how many we could get kicked off of." He shrugged. "And I know how much you wanna see the sunset from up there."
Sydney felt herself freeze for what felt like the hundredth time when such unexpectedly romantic words came from his mouth.
Tig caught the look in her eye before she looked away, smiling and wrapping his arm around her shoulders - draping it over her chest while she clung onto it in full swoon.
After climbing into the two person hanging basket, Tig pulled her closer, his fingers trailing back and forth along her arm as they slowly made their ascent to the clouds - stopping every minute or so for new people to get on. He shifted his body to the side slightly so that she was laying with her back to his chest, staring up at him.
Sydney saw something different in his blue eyes - it was similar to the lusty, intrigued looks he'd given her before; but it was deeper, softer. "Thanks for today, angel." He stated sincerely, kissing her on the forehead.
"I'm sure you've been to the fair with other girls before, Tiggy." She rolled her eyes jokingly as she sat up.
"First time I've done it for more than just pussy." He shrugged honestly.
"Is that supposed to be romantic?" She raised a brow as her lips curled up.
"Aint it?" They both laughed, their carriage nearing the top while Sydney's eyes sparkled up at him. He shifted, turning her head to look over the side which gave her a perfect view of an even more perfect sunset as pink clouds littered the sky above the orange and red horizon peeking over the hills.
"Wow..." She drawled dreamily.
"Beautiful, huh?" She turned around and nodded with a smile wide on her face, catching the look in his eye again as he watched the golden light of the sun reflect off of her skin - making her green eyes pop. He continued to stare at her longingly, like she was something straight out of a dream.
She cowered under his gaze, laying back down on his chest and grabbing one of his hands lightly in an attempt to ground herself and calm the flipping that her stomach was doing. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, tracing her finger along his cross ring and clutching her necklace - giving her the much needed comfort for what she was about to do, allowing her tightly sealed emotions spill over.
"I'm in love with you." She blurted out - her eyes flying open. Fuck, fuck fuck. She winced as her eyes squeezed shut as embarrassment coursed through her entire body. That was not at all how she had planned on doing this. She stayed silent as his entire body tensed under, feeling his heartbeat speeding up beneath her temple while she laid frozen as all of the regretful thoughts flooded into her mind; this was a bad idea, it's too soon. I should've waited, I should've let him say it first.
Tig cupped her face with both of his hands, gently turning her head to face him - ripping her from the internal cursing she was giving herself. She opened her eyes when he touched her, but she kept them glued downwards - too scared to look at him as her heart raced a thousand miles a minute. She flinched again when he brushed his thumb under her eye gently, unintentionally lifting her eyes to meet his which were soft as ever and crystal clear from the sun.
This was Tig's first time seeing her properly vulnerable. Sydney was the kind of girl who demanded the attention of everybody in the room without ever having to ask for it - a stark contrast to how he was seeing her now, which only made him realize just how strong she was; made him admire her that much more to know that she did have these feelings, she just masked them well. Just like he did.
"Say that again, babygirl." He whispered as he pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.
"I-" Sydney felt her throat lock up, still in shock.
He opened his eyes and pulled away from her, staring at her while she sat stunned, unable to speak as she trembled in his arms. "Syd..." He said firm enough that she flinched at the sound of her name, opening her eyes to find him staring into them deeply. "From the second you walked across that parking lot, I knew there was somethin more… I knew when you left the bathroom that night and it wasn't enough." She giggled. "You make me feel somethin... I can't remember the last time I felt that." He nodded slowly. "I'm not a good person. But you... You know that. I don't have any secrets when I'm with you. I can't. I-I ha-" He cleared his throat as he got choked up with the tidal wave of feelings that he had denied himself for the last twenty years. "I have to open myself up - all the shit that I hide, all the shit I hate about myself. You see it all baby... And through all that you still love me? Wow... I mean, man... I've never had that with anyone." It wasn't a lie, Tig had never been loved by a woman who knew what a monster he truly was. "When I try to get close, you know, to feel..." He trailed off as he tried to find the right word, his voice more delicate than she had ever heard before.
"Normal?" She finished for him.
"Yes!" He nodded eagerly. "Yes. I-I, I just can't hook it up... But I want to. I want to." His voice cracked. "I wanna know what it's like to have someone to go out with, come home to, fuck… Just someone to talk to. When I saw you walking today, all smiles just for me?" He looked away, pulling himself together to finish. "I knew. I knew it, baby. I knew that I'd fallen in love with you." He looked down into her eyes where he could see the happiness filling them as she processed his words. He brought her face close, his lips meeting hers as he kissed her deeper than he ever had before - holding her tight.
Sydney melted in his arms, bringing one hand to the back of his neck and the other to cup his jaw, trying to bring him as close as possible.
A few minutes into their passionate embrace, they were startled by the rattling of the carriage door and an angry carnie ushering them off of the ride.
"Damn... We didn't even have to try that time." Sydney grinned.
;
Gemma and Clay sat at a table in the beer tent while they waited for everyone to make it to the rendezvous. "What the hell is it with everyone today?" She exclaimed in frustration as she checked her watch for the third time before Jax appeared just in the nick of time to appease his mother's outburst - kissing her on the cheek. "Where are Tig and Sydney?" She looked around the incomplete circle.
"Just saw em being escorted out by security." Chibs announced as he and Bobby approached alongside Jax.
"The hell for?" Clay scowled.
"Somethin about a blowjob in the photo booth..." Jax grinned knowingly, his divulgence earning a round of mixed reactions - some laughing and some groaning.
"You sure you didn't find her at Luann's?" Bobby asked Clay with a raised brow.
"I'm not sure of anything anymore." Clay sighed.
"The Irish are comin." Juice panted as he reached the group after jogging the entire length of the fairgrounds.
Clay nodded to Jax, signalling that it was their time to leave the fun and get back to business. "Sorry baby..." He apologized to Gemma. "I'll be sure to finish you off later." He added in hopes of keeping her happy.
"Yeah... I've heard that before." She rolled her eyes. "Give me some quarters, I'm heading to that booth." She grinned, her spirits remaining high - grateful to have had somewhat of a stress-free day.
;
An hour later, everyone was back around the table after Clay's meeting with Cameron Hayes - Michael McKeevy's partner - whom he had met with to hand off the cash that they owed for their last gun order, as well as discuss a new transport method for the trying times that lie ahead.
"Laroy's giving us an extra few days to come through with his order…" Clay began. "We get the rest of our AK's back from the Mayans on Sunday, hand em off, meet with him again on Monday for the handguns which are comin down from Tacoma with the Grim Bastards." He gave Happy an appreciative nod. "All we gotta do is get them from Lodi to Laroy. With the Mayan heat bringing the cops sniffing lately, we're gonna try out somethin new."
"Grim Bastards?" Chibs scowled, unsure that he'd heard his President correctly as he mentioned the MC that SAMCRO had always been on the outs with.
"T.O., G.B. Pres. - Laroy's cousin, he's convinced him to join our cause." Everybody nodded, not seeing any other option.
"What're you thinkin here, boss?" Bobby asked.
"Charity ride front. Children's Hospital in Lodi."
"SAMCRO community servants." Jax flashed a smug grin.
"How do we carry?" Tig asked.
Clay placed a bedroll on the table, unrolling it to reveal ten slots designed to hold the Glocks. "Edmund Hayes, Camy's son." He explained. "Boy's a genius."
"Must take after his mum." Chibs laughed as they spoke of his kin.
"Just a biker with a bedroll." Clay grinned. "Six Riders, five dozen... Me, Jax, Bobby, Tig, Chibs, Hap."
"It's a good haul." Happy stated with a nod of approval.
"Cops won't mess with us when we're serving humanity." Jax grinned, a little too proud for Sydney's liking.
"Alright... Now, princess, why don't you tell us what we've missed." Clay shifted his gaze to where she sat with a smug look on her face - a look that the table was becoming all too familiar with.
Sydney smirked. "It's a smart plan - but slapping a charity banner over the reaper don't make it an angel. You may think that the cops won't fuck with you during a good deed, but right now they're looking for probable cause - anything that will get them closer to pinning any of the crimes in the last few weeks, on us. They'll have every deputy from here to Lodi on the lookout for SAMCRO to pull you on anything: speeding, expired plates, unpaid tickets, you name it. You need a distraction."
"And I'm assuming that's you?" Clay raised a brow.
"Hasn't it always been?" She mused cockily. "If we're passing this off as a charity ride, we need to do it right. Cops are gonna wonder why only half of SAMCRO is contributing to the cause, maybe even more than they'll wonder why we're just now suddenly showing consistent community support. If I started turning tricks, people would be a little suspicious if I only sucked half the cocks dry, don't you think? I mean... Some may call it favoritism but others may call it lack of commitment." She shrugged.
Tig bursted out laughing at her choice of comparison. She smiled, biting the inside of her cheek to try and maintain her sincerity. "They also might wonder why we're carrying bedrolls for an hour-long ride." She cocked an eyebrow. "Juice takes the van and drives ahead a couple of miles - alerts us of cops, radar traps, anything. You can do that, can't you, Juicey Fruit?" A couple of snickers arose at his nickname, but he was too excited to care.
"Yeah! I can hack the police scanners and use the radar detectors!"
Sydney studied Clay's face where he seemed to be taking her criticism well, continuing while she had the chance. "When we get wind of a trap, I'll get far enough ahead going fast enough for a good ticket that their small-town quotas can't pass up. Cops out of Charming will have no idea that I'm associated with the club, won't suspect that it's a ruse. By the time that I'm good and pulled over, you guys pass. We repeat that until we reach Laroy. The tickets will be close enough together that their system won't register anything in time to impound me. If we start this out slow and safe, the cops get used to the charity rides and don't suspect anything going forward - won't bug us on the long runs." She finished her pitch off strong, seeing that Clay was deep in thought as he weighed the pros and cons. "What's the matter, Pres? Don't think I can run with the big dogs?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh no, Princess." He snorted. "I know that you can... But I don't think my guys are taking too kindly to you stepping all over their manly-hood with those stilettos of yours."
She smirked, hoisting her feet up onto the table. "Well, it looks like I chose a good day to trade em in." She cocked an eyebrow. "The future of this club is more important than the egos of your crew, don't ya think?"
"You're sounding more loyal than my damn prospects."
"Maybe you'll just have to patch me in." She mused.
"This goes well, you come talk to me."
Sydney felt a rush of triumph through her veins - she had to imagine that it was the same rush that junkies lived for because she would've done anything to experience it again. She kept her external reaction under wraps, not knowing if Clay was being facetious or not. There had never been a female member in the history of the SOA, and the thought of potentially being the first ignited a fire of ambition behind her eyes.
"All in favour?" Clay asked, everyone yelling words of affirmation and hitting the table.
Sydney beamed as her first vote passed with the familiar sound of the gavel. She stood up from the table first, exiting the chapel with a confident stride before she was met by Elliot Oswald - the uptight republican from the fair - standing behind the doors, looking like a mess.
"Hang back." Clay ordered his club before he walked over to see what had brought in their prestigious visitor.
Tig retook his seat and pulled Sydney into his lap, gripping her thigh and nibbling on her neck while she giggled.
"Ain't that a pretty picture." Bobby joked to Jax, watching them whisper dirty things into each other's ears.
"Those two psychos piss me off but I gotta admit… They fuckin belong together man." He nodded before Clay returned to the chapel with his head hung. "What?" He asked worriedly.
"Oswald... Someone raped his little girl at the fair." Sorrow washed over the table and Sydney's blood ran cold. "Unser's got Hale out lookin - kid don't remember much." He put his face in his hands as he sat back down.
"He hit her?" Sydney questioned, wondering how much truth there was to the statement.
"Nah, just threw her down in the dirt." He nodded towards the chapel doors. "Wants us to find the guy - bring him the scumbag."
"We got a rebuild and the cops hangin over our heads... Do we really wanna be out there playin some pro-bono Lone Ranger?" Bobby argued.
"Yeah... We got a lot of shit on the go right now, man..." Jax sighed.
"What if that was your daughter." Sydney snapped at Bobby who reluctantly accepted her point, her outburst serving to stop Tig from making any of the arguments that he'd planned. He knew that the Oswalds wouldn't have given him a second thought if he was the one in trouble, but it seemed to mean something to Sydney and Clay - and he wasn't one to pass up on violence.
"I get it. I just don't know how I feel about puttin my ass on the line for an outsider."
"She's thirteen... Thirteen!" Chibs chimed in - his fatherly instincts kicking in as he thought about his own teenage daughter, no doubt.
"Clay, Oswald doesn't give a shit about SAMCRO." Jax tried to reason.
"When people have shit happening in this town, they don't go to the cops, they go to the club - that should mean something to you." Sydney shot angrily at Jax over the sensitive subject. "You wanna send the message that people can come into your town, rape little girls and get away with it?" She argued further, unable to understand why he seemed so hellbent on opposing everything that Clay brought to the table.
Tig tightened his grip on Sydney's thigh, loosening it and rubbing gently to try and calm her down while Clay chuckled, enjoying that someone other than him felt the need to remind Jax of his position in the club.
"That's right. Us, Jacky boy." Chibs nodded.
"Look at little pussy-whipped boy not sayin a goddamn thing, you know he'd be shootin this shit down if she wasn't here!" Jax pointed at Tig in mock-frustration, trying to lighten the mood.
Sydney gave a small smirk, placing her hand over Tig's in appreciation for his display of respect - knowing that Tig didn't give a shit about Oswald or his kid.
"Do I need to call a vote?" Clay sighed.
"Nah, brother. We do this." Bobby assured his President.
Jax reluctantly nodded along with everyone else. He didn't like the idea of unnecessary violence or blood on their hands - but at least it was for a cause that he could get behind.
"Guess we're huntin the tot banger." Tig joked.
"Found em." Jax nodded to the curly-haired man across the table - everybody's laughs filling the previously tense room.
"Me and Gemma will find out who did this." Sydney announced when the laughter died down, getting up to leave.
Jax scowled but Clay just shook his head, not up for another argument. "Woman's job, VP. Woman's job." Sydney chuckled and patted the table before heading out the door.
Everyone cleared out of the chapel and began their hunt for intel while Sydney waited for Gemma to arrive, which gave her the perfect opportunity to approach Clay. "A word?" She nodded towards the empty chapel where he followed her. "You think he's gonna be able to do it?" She began the second that he closed the doors.
"Oswald?" She nodded. "Don't know." He shrugged. "Anyone else? Nah. But his little girl? That shit can make any man go crazy."
"You're going to blackmail him, aren't you?"
Clay hesitated, unsure if he could trust the little hellraiser with his plan. "You got a problem with that?" He tested.
"Make sure that he can't." Sydney ordered.
"What?" Clay shook his head in confusion.
"Do it." She clarified. "Give him a knife, not a gun. Make sure it's something that you know he won't be able to stomach."
"What are you getting at here, Princess?" He wasn't following. The entire purpose was to use the kill against Oswald as leverage - something that he wouldn't be able to do if the white-collared businessman didn't carry out the deed.
"You were going to have him kill the asshole, leverage him for money for the rebuild." She relayed his thought process. "Do it for something more. He owns land right? Buildings?" Clay nodded slowly, catching her drift. "Bring a bag for the printed knife. When he can't - we use it as leverage for a new warehouse. No one would ever suspect that a property owned by the notorious Elliot Oswald is housing illegal firearms, and he won't have a choice. That way we have our rebuild and our asses covered."
The face of the President lit up in response to the extremely clever young woman who somehow managed to greatly improve his plan every time. "You're just what I needed around here, you know that?" He grinned. "Too many of my guys goin soft these days…" He shook his head. "So, this run to Lodi..."
"Been dyin to get back on the road." She answered his question before he could ask it. "Not really a side saddle kinda gal." She winked.
"Speaking of goin soft... I aint gonna have to worry about my Sergeant, am I?"
"Not on my watch."
"That's what I thought." He chuckled.
"Don't you worry, Pres. I'll keep him hard." She gave a suggestive smirk, cocking a brow before strolling out of the chapel - leaving Clay chuckling to himself.
Not long later, Sydney and Gemma pulled up at St. Thomas on the hunt for Tristen Oswald. "Okay, you distract mom. I'll talk to Tristen." Sydney relayed the game plan to her partner in crime.
On the way to the elevator, Sydney spotted Unser's deputy, David Hale, talking to Karen Oswald. She nodded to Gemma who headed over to distract them while she ran for the stairs, making it to the paediatric wing where she quickly found the one person who she knew could help them.
"Tara! I need to know where Tristen Oswald is."
"The girl from the fair?" Tara scowled.
"Yeah." Sydney nodded.
"Is there a reason you're asking?" She asked sheepishly, letting onto the fact that she wasn't supposed to give out the information, but she would if she found the reason to be justified.
Sydney gave her a look that told her all she needed to know, taking her back to her old lady days when Gemma would give her the exact same look - a look that told her not to ask questions. "Thanks." She said as Tara turned to retrieve the patient log. "Hey, has Jax been around?" She caught the doctor off guard when she suddenly realized that as far as she was aware, Jax hadn't seen his son in days.
"No." Tara tried to sound nonchalant but Sydney detected her disappointment easily. "This way." She avoided the subject as she led her down the hall, scanning her keycard which unlocked the door where Tristen was being held.
"Hi, sweetie..." Sydney entered the young girl's room, closing the door softly behind her.
Tristen hesitated before picking up her phone. "My mom said I have to call if anyone talks to me." Her voice was trembling audibly.
Sydney sat down on the bed quickly, taking her hand gently and lowering the phone. "That's okay, sweetheart. You don't have to do that. I'm a good friend of your mom's." She nodded assuringly.
"You are?" Tristen questioned gently, the hope evident in her voice.
Sydney's stomach dropped further with every word that left the poor girl's busted lips, she hated that something so horrible had to have happened to someone so innocent. "Yeah, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, though. My name is Sydney."
"I saw you at the fair. You were dancing with that weird curly-haired guy." She giggled.
"Yeah, I was." Sydney laughed, happy that she was able to momentarily distract the poor girl from the heinous trauma she'd undergone - even if it was at Tig's expense.
"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked cautiously, clearly confused about the gorgeous woman choosing the creepy older man to be her boyfriend.
Sydney laughed freely, glad that their close proximity in age made Tristen feel more comfortable around her. "He is." She smiled big, still feeling the butterflies when she referred to Tig that way. "It's okay... All the guys bug me about it too." She joked, nudging her leg playfully.
"They aren't so bad, are they?" Tristen asked inquisitively, her opinion of the rough bikers clearly tainted by her parents.
"Not nearly as bad as you would think." Sydney smiled. "They look scary but really they're just one big family. And that big family is working as hard as they can right now to find the guy who did this to you, because they care about you."
"Really?" Tristen asked hopefully to which Sydney nodded. "He looked at you special... Like he loves you." She did her best to focus on one of the happier things from the evening - trying her best to follow her mother's advice and forget about what had happened.
Sydney's heart throbbed as the meaningful words came from the girl who's life had just been changed forever. "You're a strong girl, Tristen." She nodded in admiration. "He told me tonight... That he loves me." She smiled.
"I hope someone feels like that about me one day."
"A beautiful, kind girl like you? You're going to have a line of men who feel that way about you in your lifetime, sweetheart." Tristen began to smile, but her lips started trembling and before she knew it, the tears began spilling uncontrollably.
"Not anymore." She sobbed.
"Don't say that." Sydney shook her head as her expression changed to a frown. "Look at me." She ordered firmly, she knew from experience that a firm hand was needed in these situations.
Tristen looked up, meeting Sydney's eyes which were a soft forest green. "Did you ask him to do what he did?" She asked.
Sydney watched as the young girl became visibly confused and uncomfortable with the upfront question, eventually shaking her head wearily. "Did you tell him to stop?" She continued, getting a slow nod. "You're a smart girl, Tristen. Smarter than a lot of girls your age, I'm sure your parents tell you that, right?" She smiled softly and nodded. "As a smart girl, you know that there is nothing that you did to bring this on, and there wasn't anything you could do to stop it, right?" She elicited another cautious nod from the young girl. "There are sick people in this world, baby. Nothing about this is your fault." She clutched her hand in an attempt to reinforce her sincerity. "The same thing happened to me when I was younger." She admitted after a few moments of silence, knowing that the only way to get through to the damaged girl was to help show her that these things could be overcome.
"What?" Tristen squeaked, unable to believe that the gorgeous, confident, intimidating woman who ran with the notorious bikers could've ever been hurt the same way that she had been tonight.
"Close." Sydney nodded, staring off distantly as she attempted to ward off the weight of the memory.
"How did you-, I mean... You don't look like-" The young girl stumbled over her words, trying to find the right thing to say.
"I didn't want to tell anyone… Didn't want anyone to look at me differently, but I had to. And I was lucky that I had the right people to show me that it wasn't my fault."
"Can I trust you?" Tristen asked meekly after a few seconds of thinking over Sydney's advice.
Sydney hesitated, remembering that her purpose here was to find out who was to blame for this, and finding who was to blame could very well involve breaking Tristen's trust. She did something that she very rarely did - going with her heart over her head as she nodded her confirmation.
"I remember everything. My mom says it will ruin my reputation if I tell. I know it's not my fault. But… She's making me feel like it is."
Sydney felt her stomach wrench in disgust for the preppy mother of the broken young girl who clearly cared about nothing more than what the suburban housewives would have to say about her the next time that they met for brunch.
"I promise that isn't the truth." Sydney shook her head. "If you tell me what happened, I will make sure that it neverhappens again."
Tristen squeezed Sydney's hand while she told her the heartbreaking story of what had gone down that night, who did it, and where it happened. It was hard for her to listen to, but she felt better knowing that this time, rather than being a victim, she was going to be the assailant.
"I'm going to fix this." She nodded. "And once I do, I'm going to come back and visit you, okay?"
"Please." Tristen nodded.
Sydney got up off the bed, heading towards the door. "Tristen." She looked over her shoulder as her hand sat on the door handle, noticing how much lighter the girl looked now than when she'd first entered - seeing so much of her younger self in the poor, battered girl. "You're gonna be just like me one day, baby." She nodded with a smile.
Sydney met up back with Gemma downstairs, hoping that the matriarch had come through on her end of the bargain so that she wouldn't have to carry the betrayal of the young girl's trust on her shoulders.
"Carnie raped her. Big guy dressed as a clown." Gemma reported.
"Thank god..." Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. "And thank god that you managed to talk some sense into that cunt..." She sneered as they passed Karen on their way out.
Gemma laughed as they got in the car where Sydney dialled Clay. "Get Oswald, meet at the fairgrounds in twenty." She barked into her burner before snapping it shut - giving him no time to argue.
"Jesus, you're sounding like more of a President than him." Gemma commented with a raised brow - worrying that Sydney was overstepping her boundaries.
Sydney just smiled smugly. "Why didn't you ever try to join like I am? You would be amazing."
"Not doubting you there, sweetheart." Gemma chuckled. "John never would've let it happen... And by the time that I was with Clay, I had a son to take care of... Family took over for me. Clay is too protective to give me a seat at the table."
"But you know everything, right? He privys you, you give advice..." Sydney mused.
"Yes, I do." She smirked knowingly.
"So you keep your man happy and let him think that he's in control while you pull the strings behind the scenes." She surmised cockily, nodding as she sussed out Gemma's play.
"I knew that I was gonna like you..." The matriarch smirked in approval. "I have a feeling Tigger's gonna have an even harder time containing you than Clay does with me."
"Can't let their lives be easy all the time." Sydney snorted, her heart fluttering when she remembered the events of the evening. "He told me he loves me."
"What?" Gemma screeched excitedly as she slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road.
Sydney howled in laughter at the over the top reaction from Gemma, unable to deny the happiness that it gave her. She bit her lip and nodded through her smile. "You don't think it's too soon?" She asked nervously. She rarely cared about the opinions of others, but she was going into this relationship completely blind with no one to consult with. If she was ever going to seek someone's approval - it was the approval of the biker queen.
"Baby, it's never too soon in this life."
"That's what Chibs said too." She chortled.
"If Chibs is telling you that it isn't too soon, it definitely isn't too soon." Gemma nodded, resuming her previous speed. "Now what the hell happened in the photo booth?" Sydney barked out another laugh before relaying the story to her friend.
Sydney stalked over to where the guys were waiting after Gemma dropped her off at the entrance to the fairgrounds, pure adrenaline filling her veins with the thought of what was about to go down. "Oswald?" She questioned when she didn't see the clean shaven man among the group of outlaws.
"On his way." Clay nodded.
"Carnie. Clown from the dunk tank."
"Jesus fucking christ." Jax groaned, shaking his head.
"We grab him, have Oswald meet us in the woods." Clay ordered.
"Got it." Juice confirmed as he flipped open his burner.
"Good job, Princess." Clay nodded.
"You owe most of the thanks to your old lady." Sydney winked.
"Will do." He raised an eyebrow, giving her a smug nod.
SAMCRO stomped through the grounds of the fair which had shut down by now, making their way over to the campers where all of the carnies were drinking around a fire.
"Hear you're harbouring a fugitive." Clay called out.
The wandering eyes of the sleazy, disgusting men all fell on Sydney as she stiffened in discomfort - thankful when Tig immediately pulled her behind him.
"What are you gonna do about it?" One of the bigger guys challenged.
"Citizens arrest." Clay sneered as he hit him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.
Another guy tried to sneak around the side where Sydney was standing as the fight broke out, which landed him right next to his buddy - thanks to Tig - while Bobby and Chibs wrestled the culprit to the ground, dragging him to the woods as most of the men backed off when they realized that the bikers meant business.
The rapist was on his knees in the dirt, deep in the woods when Elliot approached. "Here's the scumbag that raped your little girl." Clay pointed as the man muffled protests against a gag. "Cattle guys call this an elsie maker... It's used to cut the balls off of bulls." He explained as he presented the homicidal father with a small knife.
Sydney's eyes widened, twinkling against the moonlight while Tig gripped her hip, obviously just as excited as she was. She was impressed by Clay's creativity - she knew he was ruthless, but on the surface he had always appeared much more intimidating than twisted.
"Strip him." Clay ordered Jax and Bobby who began yanking the man's pants down.
"Jesus." Elliot muttered, tears in his eyes with his hands trembling while sweat beaded on his forehead. Perfect
"He deserves every second of the pain." Clay coaxed.
Elliot grabbed the knife and walked up haphazardly, dropping to his knees where he pressed the tip of the blade against the blubbering man's skin, ever so slightly drawing blood as he continued to plead and cry - screaming in pain before it became too much for the straight-laced man to bear, shaking in frustration before he ripped himself away.
"Oh, jesus." Bobby groaned.
Sydney's evil smile took over as her breathing got heavier, watching her plan unfold before her eyes. Clay cocked an eyebrow at her, showing his gratitude that her plan had worked - eyeing the knife which had dropped to the ground from Oswald's hand.
"What do you wanna do here, Elliot?" He prompted.
"I'm sorry." The terrified man shook his head and walked away, wanting to be far away from that scene before they did what he knew they were going to do.
Clay quickly picked up the knife with a plastic bag, nodding to Sydney as Jax ripped his grip away from the man, Opie taking his place before the scumbag could break away from Bobby.
The Sergeant at Arms stepped forward to finish the job, rolling his shoulders back as he began to pull out the knife that was strapped to his thigh before he was stopped by a delicate hand on his bicep.
Tig looked into Sydney's wide eyes with confusion, not understanding what was going on - looking to Clay who gave him a nod which he returned before stepping back, placing his trust in his President.
"Hold him still." Clay ordered.
Jax's confusion began spiralling as the guys exchanged scowls when Sydney got to her knees before the man, gently caressing his face. "Hi, sweetheart." She wiped away his tears until he stopped his screaming against her gentle touch. "Don't worry, baby... I'm gonna make sure these big, bad bikers don't hurt you, okay?" He whimpered and nodded, not catching onto her choice of words - the words that he had used against them just hours before.
"Thank you." He cried as she pulled him into an embrace.
"Shh, it's okay." She cooed as he sobbed into her shoulder. "I heard you like little girls... Is that true?" She whispered to him in a low, cold voice while his head sat tucked into the crook of her neck.
"What the hell?" Bobby groaned in frustration, not enjoying the time that Sydney was wasting with her theatrics.
With one swift move, Sydney revealed a pink chrome Swiss Army knife that had been concealed along her inner arm, ripping the curved blade along the top of the guy's nutsack and pushing him off of her to avoid the blood spatter on her clothes.
"Clay! Don't make her do this!" Jax screamed as Sydney got to work detaching his organs while he screamed in excruciating pain - nobody moving to stop her.
Sydney looked up evilly once she finished her knife work, revelling in the soundtrack of the scumbag's screaming. She stood up from the man who was now lying in the dirt, bleeding out - wiping her knife on his shirt before tucking it back into her boot.
"This makes so much more sense now..." Opie thought out loud as he looked between Sydney and Tig.
Happy walked over and placed a hand on Sydney's shoulder, giving her an approving nod. He knew how lethal Sydney was - Clay, Tig, and a few others had caught on, but the rest of the men still had no idea to what extent she operated, watching the scene in shock.
"Tacoma Killer and the Cali Queen." Clay announced, staring at the two.
Sydney swore that she could feel the goosebumps wash over the group as everyone realized who she was. "San Bern's finest." She cooed playfully before skipping over to Tig, looking up at him expectantly with those wide, innocent eyes. "Take me home?" She asked sweetly.
He gulped, shaking his head slightly as he snapped out of his state of bewilderment. "Sure, doll." He choked out, his erection threatening to rip open the button on his jeans.
"Let him bleed out. Bury him in the woods - mark the grave." Clay ordered Half-Sack.
"What the hell are we doin?" Jax got in Clay's face, earning him a menacing stare of challenge that made him rethink his statement. "I can't be your number two if I don't know where you're taking this club." He rephrased.
"Takin out some real estate insurance." Clay grinned. "We just bought ourselves a new warehouse, boys." He held up the bagged knife.
Cheers arose as they came to the realization of what had just happened - the way that their President had managed to kill two big birds with one very small stone.
"So you knew this was comin... Whether Oswald had the nerve or not - this whole hunt was about blackmail."
"Well, actually... The leverage was just a fortunate byproduct of my community spirit." Clay grinned before walking off.
As they approached the bike, Tig gripped Sydney's elbow hard, spinning her around to face him. "So the rumours are true... Cali Queen, huh?" He brushed the back of his hand against the top of her left breast where her crown tattoo sat underneath her shirt. She didn't answer, looking up into his eyes as she tried to read his expression while his fingers trailed up her chest around to the back of her neck where he pulled her closer. "You're still my Princess." He whispered huskily.
"Always, Sergeant." She choked out in a whisper as a shudder rolled through her body.
As Sydney was getting herself comfortable behind Tig on his, Clay approached - handing her an envelope. She accepted it with a crease in her forehead, opening it to reveal a thick wad of cash, eyeballing about $10K.
"What's this?" She scowled.
"You just saved me a shit ton of money on a rebuild... Buy yourself somethin nice." He winked. "Tigger, you take care of this one tonight, you hear me?" He ordered with a raised eyebrow.
It would be an easy order to follow, Tig had been dying to get her home since their little photo booth escapade had been cut short. He looked her up and down, ghosting his palm over his crotch.
"Oh don't you worry, boss... I will."
;
I hope you all know how hard it was for my unromantic, hoe ass to write this mf chapter
Songs for this chapter
Johnny Cash - Jason Aldean
Natural - Imagine Dragons