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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 18: BULLSHIT BEFORE BULLETS
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Tig felt himself being slowly coaxed out of his sleep by a pleasant tightening in his stomach. He kept his eyes closed, still not fully awake as his hands gripped the sheets below before eventually moving to grasp the source of his pleasure. His eyes flew open the second that his hands made contact with the softness of hair, realizing that his wet dream was very much a reality. He wearily opened one eye, looking down where he was met with Sydney's wide eyes as she knelt on the bed in front of him, topless and sucking his cock into her mouth. Both of his eyes flew open once he realized what he was looking at - the feeling so intense at the early hour that he didn't even acknowledge the pounding in his head from yesterday's painkillers and whiskey.
"Baby." He groaned, starting to sit up before she pressed her tongue harder along the underside of his length as she withdrew him from her mouth, licking the tip teasingly before pushing herself up the bed to meet him halfway.
"Relax." She pressed her lips to his in a hard kiss, curling her tongue around his before pulling away just as abruptly - pressing her palms against his chest and pushing him back down to the bed.
"You are gonna kill me." He growled through gritted teeth as she made her way back down, smoothing her hands down his thighs - careful to avoid his injury.
"Why's that, Tiggy?" She asked with a pout, her lips only a hair away from the tip as she looked up at him innocently.
"Because-" But before he could get his sentence started, she shoved him all the way to the back of her throat - effectively cutting him off. She withdrew again, laughing sadistically as he caught his breath.
"That's fucking why. Get up here." He ordered with a growl.
"Or what?" She bit her lip, teasing him when she knew that there wasn't much that he could do in his predicament.
"Come on, doll. You wouldn't do that to an injured man, would ya?"
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did." She grinned playfully. "Now, are you gonna be a good patient and sit still for the nurse?"
His eyes glinted, saying nothing as he laid back - besides, he figured that letting her finish the task at hand wouldn't exactly be the worst thing on the planet.
Sydney raised a brow and narrowed her eyes as she lowered herself back down, continuing the sloppy blowjob she had started.
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"You gonna keep making me ask what went down yesterday?" Tig asked with a raised brow, lightly tickling Sydney's exposed ribs as she laid with her back pressed against his chest - enjoying what was the relaxing sensation of his hands caressing the sensitive skin covering her upper body.
She squealed, trying to wiggle out of his grip before he managed to calm her by stilling his hands and pressing his lips to the back of her neck. "Maybe I just want you to make up for falling asleep on me so early. I was so lonely, I almost had to use Jax to get off." She tilted her head all the way back to look at him with those sparkly, mischievous eyes - watching his bright blue ones narrow. "What first?" She caved, rolling her eyes as she turned onto her stomach and used his outstretched arm as a pillow.
"The fact that you ride."
"I got my motorcycle license not long after I got my drivers. I'm surprised you didn't catch on when you were teaching me and somehow I knew how to switch gears and lean opposite while turning." She smirked.
"Yeah, yeah." He groaned. "What about Clay?"
Sydney's light expression fell when he brought up her defiance. "He didn't think that the bounty was serious. Jax tried to reason with him and we all know how that seems to go." She scoffed.
"Didn't used to be that way." Tig observed aloud.
"Yeah..." She nodded slowly as he confirmed her ongoing suspicions. "You think it has anything to do with me?"
"Maybe." He blinked. "Started just before Abel was born, got worse when you came. I don't think it's anything against you - think it's somethin against you siding with Clay." Sydney nodded, agreeing with the theory that she hadn't yet considered.
"Piney knew it was serious so I went with him" She continued. "Jax, Chibs, and Hap joined... You know the rest."
"Syd…" He shook his head. "Crossing Clay... You gotta be careful-."
"Yeah, I know." She snapped, not needing a lecture from the man who was laying in his own bed and not in a jail cell because of her. "I talked to Clay, he aint happy but he aint pissed at me either. I'll be fine."
Tig just nodded in response, chuckling as he realized that the little firecracker was even harder to be reasoned with than he was. "Guess I have some explaining to do, too." He grimaced.
"Yeah, what the fuck?" She exclaimed with wide eyes and a crease in her forehead, punching him in the shoulder.
"Ow!" He recoiled. "The hell you hittin me for? I'm cooperating!"
"You're fucking stunted if you don't know why!" She playfully hit him again. "Making me forget that you were the one who caused all this shit, getting your ass hauled off for god knows what!"
"Hey." He held up a finger in protest. "Technically, Bobby was the one who caused it."
"Oh, yeah? Bobby cause the bounty too?" He just winced in response. "Yeah, that's what I thought." The pair chuckled before Tig went on to tell her about the bounty hunters and Bobby being dubbed his bitch until he was healed, the two of them laughing hysterically as he recounted what he had done to provoke the beating that had ironically saved his ass.
Even battered and bed ridden, Tig was glowing - basking in the safe haven that she provided him. He'd never expected to see the day where he would be spending a morning laid up with a blonde in her twenties, laughing about his less than conventional mishaps.
"I love you." He grinned.
"Yeah, I bet you do." She shook her head teasingly. "You're lucky you're hurt or I'd make ya get on your knees and grovel to me."
"That would hardly be a punishment." He smirked suggestively.
"Oh yeah? I'll hold you to that." She smirked before exiting the bed to get herself ready for the day's work at TM - unbraiding her hair from the night and dressing in the only things that she had around his dorm; a pair of light washed jeans, a slightly cropped red tank top, and combat boots.
"I need more clothes here." She whined as she exited the bathroom, feeling her skin crawling in the ground level shoes that didn't at all match her casual outfit, and the jeans that she longed to be a pair of shorts on the hot July day.
Tig raised an eyebrow when she stomped around the room, gathering her things in a huff. He didn't understand what she was so upset about, he thought she looked hot in the tight jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places - but if there was anything that he'd learned from being a dad and a husband in his lifetime, it was to smile and nod when it came to things like this.
"Babe." Sydney was temporarily distracted from the tantrum she felt bubbling in her chest, looking up to see Tig sitting against the headboard in amusement as he watched her pout like a child.
"I don't wanna hear it." She whined, knowing how ridiculous he probably thought she was being.
"Bottom drawer." He chuckled, nodding towards his dresser. "The black Harley one on the top."
She furrowed her brows in confusion but followed his instructions anyways, opening the drawer to see a bunch of t-shirts. "You don't have to-"
"It's fine. I don't need it back." He nodded, letting her know that she could do whatever she wanted to make it her own - knowing that it would make her feel better about the situation. He'd seen her wear band tees before, and he didn't mind sacrificing one of his if it meant that she would be more comfortable - especially since he was the reason that she didn't have her proper clothes. "We can just consider my debt squared." He winked.
She bit her lip and swayed bashfully as a blush spread across her face, grabbing a pair of scissors and heading back into the bathroom where she cut out the front of the shirt to expose her cleavage - leaving the neckline intact to give a choker effect before knotting it up in the front to tie the look together.
"I should've left you in the other top." Tig grimaced when she re-emerged after somehow having turned the large men's shirt into something even more revealing than the tiny one that she'd been wearing earlier. "Bring some more of your clothes here, I can give up another drawer if I need to." He winked.
"You only got yourself to blame, Sergeant." She smiled back as she walked over to him and leant down for a goodbye kiss which she deepened, showing her gratitude for his thoughtful actions. "Thank you." She whispered before pressing her lips back to his in another sweet embrace before she finally pulled away to get to her shift on time.
"Hi, Kippy." Sydney cheerfully greeted the prospect who was lugging cases of beer to the fridges behind the bar as she passed by on her way out to the office.
"Hey, Syd." Half-Sack raised a hand in greeting before remembering just as she was walking out the door, that he was supposed to be keeping her confined to the clubhouse. "Shit." He grumbled, racing after her. "Hey!" He caught up to her just as she was about to cross the threshold."Uh, that was cool yesterday." He attempted to look nonchalant by sticking his arm straight up and flopping his body against the doorframe.
Sydney raised a brow in amusement - the poor kid couldn't be deceptive even if his life depended on it. "It was." She nodded with her lips pursed, her expectant eyes telling him that she was onto him.
"Your bike looks real cool, you know... With all the other bikes." He waved his hand frantically towards the bikes that were lined up in the middle of the compound.
Sydney glanced quickly in the direction he was pointing before using the element of surprise to catch him off guard, taking one giant step and pressing him against the wall with her body, holding him in place.
"Cut the shit, prospect." She nodded to him as he squirmed against her. "What're you tryin to distract me for?" She spoke close to his face.
"What? Distract you? No way." His grimace overtook his scoff.
"You wanna keep that one nut, don't ya?" The poor kid winced in defeat. Even though she only stood at a mere 5'4 - he found her calm, casual tone to be scarier than any menacing threat she could've presented him with.
"In the garage..." He mumbled.
Sydney looked him up and down with a smirk. "Good boy." She nodded before taking off in the very direction that she wasn't supposed to go.
"Thought the ol' Fat Boy was supposed to be lyin in a ditch somewhere off 99?" Bobby and Juice jumped at the sound of a woman's voice behind them, whipping their heads around to see Sydney leaning against a car with a smirk on her face.
Bobby scowled, scanning the compound for Half-Sack who he'd tasked with keeping Sydney and Tig away from the garage whilst he and the Intelligence Officer attempted to fix his beloved Fat Boy that Tig had ordered he leave behind. Half-Sack stood in the doorway, wincing dramatically to try and let Bobby know that he had done everything in his power to keep the invasive blonde occupied.
"All you had to do was get him to tell me that I had the day off." She stated matter-of-factly, sporting a smug smirk as she taunted the men and their lack of effort.
"Look, this bike is my baby, okay. It's my baby!"
Sydney turned her head dramatically and raised her brows. "Tell ya what, I won't say anything to Tig if you all pretend that Half-Sack told me that I have the day off."
"Deal." Bobby replied easily.
Sydney smiled big before waltzing back to the clubhouse, looking around the poorly lit room where a few more members had trickled in for the day. Her eyes landed on Jax who was sipping his coffee at the bar, deciding that she would try to converse with the prince in an attempt to maintain their current good standing.
"No church?" She slid into one of the empty bar stools next to the blonde man.
"Money's in the safe, marked envelopes." He nodded to the chapel, assuming that was what Sydney was interested in.
"Damn... He is pissed." She raised her eyebrows and snickered - her knowing smile matching the one spreading across his face. "What's going on there anyway?" She questioned as casually as possible, knowing that she was still on thin ice with the VP.
"I don't know, man..." He shrugged. "Just thinkin about shit since the kid was born... The club, the future, my dad." He explained weakly. Since re-establishing close contact with Tara in the past few days, he had managed to gain enough awareness to at least control his emotions on the spot instead of lashing out defensively.
"She could be good for you." She shot him a knowing smirk as she nodded. "How's Abel?" She asked with a smile and a softness to her tone as she broached the next, and even more sensitive subject.
Jax returned her knowing smile, glad that at least somebody seemed to be on the same page about Tara - even if it was Sydney. "Seems to be out of the woods... Gonna be in the cage for a while though." Resentment found its way back into his tone as he spoke about the incubation chamber that Abel was to stay in until he was bigger and healthier.
"Like father, like son." She chuckled before falling into a short silence where she contemplated his words. "You don't think that Clay is carrying on the legacy." She surmised with a distant nod as the conclusion finally came to her.
"Yeah… Somethin like that." He nodded curtly.
Sydney could see the quick change in his demeanor: the way his jaw clenched tighter, his eyes went darker and his expression went sour. She knew that there was more to the story - making a mental note to do some digging where she could.
"Looks like I'm not the only one with daddy issues." She nudged him playfully.
Jax allowed himself to temporarily drop his brooding when she moved onto a much lighter subject. "Darlin... You got more than daddy issues, you got grandpa issues." He scoffed.
"If grandpa issues are on the table... I'm next in line." Piney husked as he entered the room, hauling his oxygen tank up onto the bar top.
"You're my next stop, old man." Sydney licked her lips lazily as she gave the founding member a once over.
"You ever fucked anyone your own age?" Jax grimaced.
"Uh, yeah." She rolled her eyes. "What do you think made me realize that juvenile dick aint my bent?" He smiled bashfully - the brashness of the young woman never failing to take him aback.
Sydney took her leave after some more progress with her male counterpart, heading to the chapel to retrieve her payout from the gun run before returning to the main room for some more socializing.
"Hi, Chibby." She greeted the scot with a friendly smile, taking a seat at the table that he was occupying by himself.
"Aye, Princess." He nodded. "Ye aint workin today?"
Sydney glanced out the door where Bobby and Juice were working incognito. "Apparently not." She smiled.
A couple of hours later, Tig came hobbling out of his room after his calls to Fat Elvis went ignored. "Bobby!" The Sergeant screamed at the top of his lungs, startling Chibs who was in the middle of a heated round of 'five finger fillet' with Sydney.
"Holy fuck!" Sydney exhaled in relief, wide eyed and laughing nervously with her hand pressed over her heart after dodging the knife that would've found itself plunged through the top of her delicate hand - no thanks to her man's outburst. "That's you." She looked to Half-Sack who was parked behind the bar, looking unsure of what to do about the needy Sergeant.
"Christ! Nearly chopped your lass' hand off! I'm sure ye don't want that." Chibs gave Tig a pointed look.
"Where the hell is Bobby?" He whined impatiently.
"In the garage fixing the Fat Boy." Sydney replied casually, not looking at Tig as she began slamming the knife between Chibs' fingers.
"What?" Tig exclaimed right as Bobby walked in.
"What do ya need, Tigger?"
"I thought I told you to leave that hunk of junk on the side of the road! What the hell you doin fixin it?" Sydney smirked as the argument began.
"You can't be serious, man-" Bobby began to protest.
"No, no, no, no, no." Tig shook his head. "I don't give a shit, get rid of that fucking bike." Bobby shifted his gaze to the unbothered blonde who was supposed to be keeping him and his Fat Boy under wraps.
"Really?" He widened his eyes and held out his hands in disbelief.
Sydney looked up, still moving the knife across the hand of the foreign man. "Slip of the tongue." She stated sweetly with a shrug, slamming the blade down harshly without looking. She grinned sadistically as the entire table shook under her force - seeing the worry on everyone's faces before she pushed herself up. "Oh by the way." She called over her shoulder as she stood in the doorway of the clubhouse. "You should try replacing the fuel lines." She winked at Bobby.
"Is there anything she can't do?" He asked in disbelief.
"Taxes?" Juice suggested.
"Did em in San Bern. when we didn't have a treasurer." Happy seemingly came out of nowhere to answer the question.
"Handstands?"
"Nah brother, she can do those too." Tig winked and nodded with a devilish squint.
"I don't even wanna know what that means." Juice scowled.
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After some much needed TLC from his wife, Clay had managed to get over his mood from the day prior - gathering up the courage to finally show his face in the clubhouse as the afternoon rolled in.
"Afternoon kids!" He emerged from the chapel holding the envelopes that had not yet been collected. "Deal with the Niners has officially closed. Spoke with Laroy and he is giddy about his new assault rifles." The President had a giant grin plastered on his face as he tossed the envelopes to their respective owners.
Sydney and Jax exchanged a look of amusement, knowing that his excitement was being heavily exaggerated in an attempt to distract everyone from his equally dramatic tantrum the day before.
"I love the greed! All about the benjamins." Chibs waved his envelope around.
"Hey!" Juice got everyone's attention before they could get too excited. "Just got an update from my City Hall snitch… Looks like Hale's got a warrant to search the warehouse."
"The warehouse that burned down a month ago?" Sydney questioned with a scowl, unsure how or why a warrant was now being obtained for a pile of bones that had been sitting untouched for weeks.
"Why's Hale the one doin it?" Clay sneered. "That ain't Charming jurisdiction!"
"Is there still evidence up there?" Sydney was appalled that she even had to ask, but based on Clay's reaction - she already knew the answer.
"Trammel was keepin it under wraps." Jax sighed.
"So what the fuck is he doing now?" Sydney exclaimed. "You are seriously telling me that you haven't bothered getting that shit cleaned up?"
"Had bigger problems to deal with." Chibs defended.
"Twenty-five to life seems like a pretty big fucking problem to me." She retorted.
"Our names aint connected to that warehouse... Hale should've had no way to link it to us. Trammel was keeping it contained!" Clay's voice boomed in frustration.
"Well something has made him decide to start looking into it, now hasn't it?" Sydney blinked dramatically. "If there is even a shred of your DNA somewhere in that pile of rubble and gun parts, you better get cozy with the idea of spending the rest of your days getting topped by a cellmate."
"Shit!" Clay cursed after sitting on her words for a second. She was right, the evidence of gun running in the warehouse was never the issue - hence why they had been lazy with the clean up - but now, the possibility of Hale linking it to SAMCRO was. "Call Unser, call Trammel. Get everyone at the table!"
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"Trammel said that there was nothin he could do. Hale showed up, started pokin around - got enough for a warrant." Tig relayed his phone call with the San Joaquin sheriff to the full table.
"If we don't somehow get that shit taken care of, that gun factory could land right on our doorstep." Jax winced.
"And ATF takes up a permanent residence in our collective rectums." Juice added - making Sydney giggle.
"That warehouse sits on County property. Hale's gonna have to wait days for San Joa. to shake loose a forensic unit." Clay smoked a cigar while trying to remain calm.
"It's a local case, County won't get involved." Juice scowled. "Hale will just wind up borrowing a unit from Lodi."
"Hey…" Jax remembered something important. "Big Otto's sister still works for the ADA in Lodi... Call her, see if there's a forensic team heading this way."
Sydney nodded in agreement. She was starting to realize that when Jax was level headed, he was a force to be reckoned with - not just a pretty face. Perhaps she'd judged the temporarily weak-minded Vice President too harshly.
"I still gotta talk to Unser. Maybe I can convince the Chief to put a leash on his hyperactive Deputy." Clay scoffed as he smacked the gavel.
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After church, Tig laid whining on the couch in the clubhouse while everyone attempted to go about their day as usual. Sydney took the lull in business as an opportunity to head back home - it was her day off after all. She fired up her bike, getting ready to peel out of the compound when she realized that the keys to her house were still in Tig's room. She groaned, cursing the delay for keeping her from her Ninja - and her change of clothes - ripping off her helmet and jogging back into the clubhouse. But she stopped with one foot in the door, seeing Tig on the couch with none other than Cheryl as she tried to rub his leg.
"I said I don't need anything." He tried to brush her off but his injury didn't exactly have him in a position to make a breakaway.
"He needs more medical shit." Sydney answered for him. "You can go get that from the hospital, can't you Cheryl?"
The croweater straightened up when she heard the unexpected voice from behind her turning around with a nasty scowl. "I don't take orders from you-"
"You can go get that from the hospital, can't you Cheryl?" Sydney raised her voice - a much firmer tone than her previous one as she repeated herself, letting the older woman know that it wasn't up for debate.
Cheryl looked to Tig for confirmation - or rather backup as the mouthy little blonde tried to order her around.
"Are you deaf? Go." He shooed her away.
Sydney stood firmly planted in front of the door, staring Cheryl down as she was forced to awkwardly try and slip past her.
Tig's eyes were wide as his mouth opened to plead his case but Sydney just raised a brow and gave him a discerning smirk, walking down the hall to retrieve her keys and walking right back out to where her bike was waiting.
The blue eyed man sat on the couch in a conundrum - he had no fucking clue if she was actually pissed or if this was just another one of her games. He thought that he'd seen a ghost of a smirk on her face, but her storming past him without a word when she left had made it impossible to tell. He groaned for the hundredth time today, yelling for Half-Sack to bring him the whiskey bottle.
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Sydney spent the early afternoon tidying up around her house, leisurely sipping rosé and absently listening to Forensic Files as it played through her speakers before the broadcast was interrupted by a call from Tig. She decided to ignore it, letting him sweat a little for the incident this morning. She wasn't at all upset, in fact, the bit of competition turned her on - but she didn't need him to know that yet.
Tig groaned as his call went to voicemail, sure that she was ignoring him. He ran his hands over his face in frustration, unsure of how to handle the situation - if she was going to get upset every time a croweater or a hangaround tried to hit on him, they were going to have a lot of problems. However, something about the predicament vaguely ticked a memory in his brain - the memory of her storming off for show before her striptease when they had played darts, making him once again question the motive behind her actions. Regardless of what his standing was with his much younger girlfriend, he was not in the shape to deal with it hands on.
"Sack!" He yelled. "Call Syd for me." He ordered when Half-Sack jogged over, trying to look as enthusiastic as possible after spending his entire day catering to the injured Sergeant.
"Did you need me to get your phone for you or-" He turned down the hall.
"Did I say ask questions?" Tig cut off his alternative solutions. "Nah, I said call Syd for me." The poor kid wasn't trying to talk back - he was genuinely curious, but he had yet to catch onto the fact that the reasoning for his curiosity wasn't the problem, the problem was the fact that he expressed curiosity at all.
Sydney snorted when she saw her phone lighting up seconds later with a call from Half-Sack, unable to believe how obvious men could be with their tactics.
"Hi, Kippy!" She answered cheerfully, knowing that even if Tig wasn't listening - he would know that she'd answered at the very least.
Tig glared at the younger man as his call was instantly answered. Half-Sack widened his eyes frantically, half in apology - not wanting to be collateral damage in whatever sick game the odd pair was playing at - and half in uncertainty over what he was supposed to say.
"Church." Tig grumbled, pushing himself up off of the couch and hobbling off to the chapel, too defeated to ask for help.
"Uh, could you like, come back to the clubhouse? You know, for church?"
"I sure can." She replied sweetly. "I'll see you soon." She ended the call before she rode her bike back to the clubhouse, swapping her jeans and combat boots for a pair of denim shorts and black converse - still not her usual heels, but they allowed for riding; something she was going to have to get used to.
She entered the clubhouse a few minutes later with a bubblegum flavored lollipop between her lips, mentally preparing herself for whatever other bullshit that these men were likely preparing to lay on her as she fell into formation behind Bobby, Juice, and Chibs who were all lined up outside of the chapel - dropping their phones into the empty box on the pool table.
"Jimmy Cacuzza called. The Italian's wanna place an order, I didn't know what to say." Bobby looked to Clay for direction.
"How about: 'the store burned down, they missed the fire sale.'" Clay suggested as he crossed the threshold, to which Sydney snorted in response - her expression falling as soon as she saw Tig already in his chair.
"Well, I talked to Otto's sister… Lodi forensic team will be here first thing in the morning." Juice regretfully reported the bad news as he sat down.
"And the shit keeps piling on my head." Clay gave a sarcastic smile.
"So we distract em with something big in Lodi and get the shit out while they're busy." Sydney suggested easily, not able to keep the disappointment out of her tone - for such smart men, these guys could be incredibly fucking stupid.
"There's only one thing that's gonna stop that Lodi forensics team from gettin to our warehouse - and that's another murder in Lodi." Clay narrowed his eyes.
"Yep." Tig agreed.
"I don't know..." Jax exhaled, shaking his head doubtfully. Here we go again... Sydney thought, seeing that Clay was apparently thinking the same thing as his head snapped up, prepared to defend himself against whatever bullshit excuse Jax was surely about to come up with. "Hale's on red alert... Mayan's, Nord's - everyone's twitchy as hell man..."
He had a point, but Sydney failed to see what two thirds of it had to do with the situation at hand. "You're all gonna be twitchy as hell sitting in ATF holding." She reminded him of the vast difference in consequences.
"It's not a good time to kill-" He shook his head.
"It's never a good time to kill." Clay cut him off. "But we're talking about the whole club here - stayin outta ATF's crosshairs." He nodded in response half-heartedly along with everybody else as they pondered the ramifications of the messy situation that could land on all of them. "We hit the projects, find ourselves a scumbag, a dealer..." Clay tried to present the grim solution in the most ethically sound way possible.
"We should off a coupla Nords Clay, is what we should do. Alright? We should just do that and then dump the bodies in Lodi. Buys us some time, sends a message to Darby - kills two birds with one crow." Tig nodded.
"That points fingers at us with Hale and with the Nords." Sydney shot down her man's idea. She wasn't doing it purely out of spite - she truly did mean what she said about it blowing back on the club - but she didn't mind the idea that her disagreement gave him.
"Doesn't matter." Tig shook his head quickly in response to her argument against what he'd thought was a seamless plan.
"I'll handle that." Clay responded to Sydney. "You." He pointed to Tig. "Set it up." Tig nodded, hastily getting up from the table in a temporary slip of the memory about his injury - too hyped up with adrenaline from the combination of getting to slaughter some skinheads, brownie points with his President, and winning this battle with Sydney.
"Looks like you lost this one, pussycat." He purred into her ear before heading to the door.
Sydney felt all of her senses electrify as his smooth but condescending words passed through her ear. She smirked, moving the lollipop in her mouth from one side to the other with her tongue. She was weirdly okay with the defeat, as it proved that just when she'd thought that she had the upper hand, he pulled her right back into another challenge - showing just why he was perfect for her.
"Hey!" Jax called after the Sergeant who was just about to exit the chapel forcing Sydney's smirk into a full blown grin - giving her the feeling that the approval on Tig's plan was about to be revoked. "What if I could do this without spilling blood?" He suggested.
Sydney fought off the urge to roll her eyes only because Jax was her saving grace in this round - but luckily for her, she didn't need to as Clay rolled his and Tig bore a scowl deeper than she had ever seen.
"Look, this aint me tripping some guilt shit because of my kid. This is about one of us thinking straight." She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips in amusement, it seemed Jax had caught onto their assumptions over his mindset. "Brains before bullets, right?" He pointed to the sign with the matching quote on the wall behind him - pulling out all of the stops to attempt to throw them off of his trail.
Sydney snorted. More like bullshit before bullets. Tig retook his seat, looking less than impressed as he avoided her taunting gaze. But she couldn't help but linger her eyes on the brooding man who looked sexy as hell while he stroked his goatee with his ring clad fingers.
"Let's hear it." Clay uttered out begrudgingly.
"All we need for murder are bodies, and a crime scene." He explained.
"Jackie Boy... Now you lost me." Chibs shook his head.
"Skeeter... He's always got more gambling debt than he can handle. I'll make it worth his while." Jax explained smugly.
"The cemetery guy?" Bobby scoffed.
"Cash for cadavers... I like it." Chibs agreed.
"I give Lodi a front page murder and we don't stir up another shit storm to bite us in the ass." He finished his pitch on the strongest note possible. Sydney wasn't necessarily against this plan - she would've much rather offed some kiddie fucker in Lodi, but she supposed this would get the job done - what she was against however, was the mother chapter's VP going soft.
"What about educating Darby?" Tig asked the second that Jax finished talking, still avoiding Sydney's eyes as she found herself entranced by every single thing that he did.
"I'll figure that out." Clay brushed it off. "The important thing right now is keeping our DNA out of a petri dish - protect the club." He looked around the room, deciding that now was as good a time as ever to erase the strike he'd put on his own record the day prior. "Path of least resistance is always best, right?" No one seemed to object - not openly at least. "We do it your way VP." The glare that Clay gave Jax was not lost on Sydney. "The other thing..." He switched gears before everyone cleared out. "Unser's supposed to be stepping down as Chief... Hale's taking his spot in a few weeks."
Nobody seemed surprised by the news, but surprised or not - the fact didn't change that having the new Chief of local police up the MC's ass would be very bad for business.
"What does that mean for us?" Sydney asked.
"Not too sure yet... Made several gestures of friendship and Hale's declined every one."
"There's no way that we can convince the good Chief to stay on any longer?" Clay smirked at Sydney's inquisition - wishing that more of his patches could be as like-minded as the young woman.
"Well, maybe there is." He smiled. "Gonna have to find out... That's all I got for now." Everyone cleared out after he finished, stopping to retrieve their phones from the box outside of the door. "Don't make me regret this." Sydney heard him sneer to Jax on her way out.
"Tig! Syd!" Clay called as he exited the chapel - the Sergeant and his girlfriend stopping in their tracks and turning quickly to face their President. "Go get Darby's vehicle to transport the bodies." He smirked.
The couple momentarily forgot about their little game of ignoring each other to share a wicked grin, glad that they were at least getting some satisfaction from Jax's plan.
Just as everybody was about to head out to complete their respective tasks - Tig and Sydney to fetch Darby's vehicle, and Jax, Chibs, Half-Sack, and Juice to talk to Skeeter - Hale pulled his old, sheriff's branded Ford Bronco into the lot. Clay, Jax, and Tig all exchanged a look from their respective positions on the compound, beginning to walk over to the nosey Deputy with Sydney trailing close behind - not caring that this was clearly a task to be taken on by the highly ranked members.
"How you doin, Jax?" Hale greeted the VP who was the first to approach. "Heard about Wendy and the baby... I'm sorry."
"Thanks." Jax gave a cordial nod, remaining short with the man on the other side of the law. "What brings you here?
"You know, I took a ride to the other side of the stream today… Saw that warehouse that burned down."
"Outside your jurisdiction, aint it?" Sydney asked casually as she approached alongside Tig and Clay.
David Hale scowled - wondering who this little tart was, why she was interjecting herself in their conversation, and most importantly; why Clay was allowing her to. "I'm sorry, and you are?" He asked condescendingly, hoping that his authority would overtake his shock as he laid his blue eyes on the absolute dime of a young woman.
"Sydney Harding, nice to meet ya." She smiled and stuck her hand out to the man who was trying to mask his surprise, having zoned out but managing to keep the hard-ass look posted on his face. "C'mon Deputy, you wouldn't leave a girl hangin, would ya?" She teased when he didn't return her handshake.
Hale snapped out of it - remembering where he was, and why he was there. "David Hale, sheriff's deputy." He briefly introduced himself, shaking her hand and cutting off contact quickly to turn his attention back to Jax. "Whole area was littered with casings and gun parts... Warehouse was a weapons depot."
"No kiddin." Jax said, appearing unamused with Hale's accusations - even if they were true.
"Chief Unser is retiring at the end of this month. I'll be stepping into those shoes." He looked around the circle - making sure that they all got the message. "I know that Unser's always had a 'look the other way' policy with the Sons of Anarchy..."
"Look, I don't know what it is that you think Chief Unser is lookin the other way for. We're just mechanics and motorcycle enthusiasts." Clay replied with a casual shrug.
Hale looked between his former classmate and his stepfather. "Just a friendly heads up that I will not look the other way." He told them before turning back to his vehicle.
"We're all free men protected by the Constitution." Jax shrugged. "You look any way you want, Chief." He held eye contact menacingly as they began to part ways.
Sydney smirked at Jax's response before she felt Tig's hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the van, glaring at Hale as he did so - just as aware as she was of how taken aback he had been by the green-eyed charmer. He walked her around to the passenger side, opening the door and gripping her waist where he lifted her up and into the seat without a word - seemingly forgetting about his injury that'd had him crippled for the better part of the day, which of course had nothing to do with him being dramatic...
She flashed him a cocky grin, biting her lip under his domineering action - the sexy look on her face only pushing him further. "Don't think that I won't drag you to the back of this goddamn van..." He told her in a low growl - possibly lower and darker than she had heard thus far as she continued to push him.
Her eyes widened and her pupils instantly blew out as a blush creeped up her neck. "I knew there was a jealousy kink in there somewhere... " She teased smugly as he was about to shut the door.
Tig stopped his movements - realizing that he hadn't been crazy in wondering if she had just been toying with him the whole time, after all. He threw her door open, grabbing her out of the seat that he'd just placed her in, ripping the sliding door open and shoving her inside without saying a word. His original plan on how to kill two birds with one stone wasn't going to pan out - but this one would: round up the game and blow off some steam.
Sydney smirked as he tossed her into the van just as he'd said he would - not bothering to even try and look innocent. She was pleased with herself and she wanted him to know.
"This aint me giving in easily." He informed her as he climbed into the box of the van, sliding the door shut.
"Of course not." She widened her eyes and spoke with mock-innocence as she looked up at him.
"You've been fucking with me all day." He growled as he fisted his hand into the back of her hair.
A small whimper escaped her lips as her head was harshly jerked back, but her eyes were filled with fire as he manhandled her in the way her body loved. He clenched his jaw, releasing his grip on her hair before lifting her by her hips to set her on top of the block heater where he got between her legs as he placed his hands on her thighs and licked his lips.
Sydney tried to regulate her breathing under his predatory gaze so that he wouldn't catch on to just how excited she was, biting her lip nervously as she waited for his next move. He took his hands off of her and began unbuckling his belt, keeping his eyes trained on hers - daring her to look away. She shivered under the intimidation of his ice blue stare, goosebumps breaking out across her skin where there was no physical contact to combat the chill.
Tig pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, passionate kiss - surprising her as she melted into the familiar comfort of his arms that she knew would be short-lived. And it was as Tig took advantage of her position, yanking her bottoms off in one swift tug.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins as she squeaked in surprise, the rough movement pulling her back to earth after her moment of weakness. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him into her as soon as their clothing was out of the way, but her ministrations were halted by his hands prying her thighs from his hips and pinning them to the metal box she was perched on, doing the same to her hands. Without any warning, he pushed directly inside of her - sliding all the way home, thanks to her abundant arousal.
They both reacted exactly the same - rolling their eyes back and holding their moans in the back of their throats, not wanting to give each other the satisfaction. His thrusts got harder, but remained just as deep as he tried to coax the noises from her lips - but instead being met with her defiant, dark green stare.
He thrusted with more force, pushing her backwards with a hand to her throat, pinning her body against the wall behind her. She gasped when her back made contact with the cold surface, but the air was quickly knocked out of her lungs by the angry, animalistic snaps of his hips that had him slamming into her so hard that the van was shaking.
She continued to glare at him as she took his punishment, silently challenging him to push even further - even if she didn't think that she could take much more. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold back her screams for much longer - so she figured that she may as well squeeze every last drop of frustration out of him before letting him have the satisfaction.
Tig grimaced as the ruthless blonde challenged him with those irresistible eyes. He was the kind of guy who liked it rough and often had to hold back - but with the way that the girl who inhabited his heart took everything that he had to offer, he wasn't sure if he was even capable of giving more.
"Turn over." He pulled out, giving her thigh a slap - praying that the change in tactic would work because he was running out of ideas in the limited space that he had.
Sydney smirked when he lazily ordered her to bend over the metal box, knowing that he was nearing his limit. "I wanna hear those pretty little sounds you make for me." He growled as he smacked her ass with one hand while the other yanked her hair back - his cock pushing into her at the same time, creating an overwhelming medley of sensations that elicited a moan deep in her throat. "That's better." He pulled her hair tighter as he leaned over her, his lips making contact with the soft skin behind her ear while he bottomed out inside of her - hitting that spot that he knew drove her crazy.
Sydney didn't react to the deeper penetration, but it wasn't purposely this time - she was too overwhelmed by the pleasure to formulate any kind of sounds.
Tig released her hair and roughly shoved her down against the metal surface when she didn't comply. "I'm not gonna ask again." He spanked her harder this time - making her cry out in ecstasy as his rough hands spread pins and needles across the plush skin of her ass. "That's it, baby." He lightened his tone when she finally gave in - whether it was purposeful or not - and placed a gentle kiss against her shoulder before letting loose a barrage of bruising thrusts, using her shoulders for leverage.
"Tig-g-y." She whined helplessly as she felt her orgasm approaching, the intense tightening in her stomach telling her that it was going to the best one that she'd ever had.
Tig felt her walls getting tighter and tighter around his dick as he continued pounding into her - getting much stronger than he had ever felt from her before, from anyone before. He decided to ignore the worry that she might actually snap his dick off and instead focus on the fact that he was about to give her a mindblowing orgasm - meaning a final victory for him.
"I feel you baby, come on... Cum for me." He cooed in her ear, coaxing her gently - knowing that the contrast between his rough actions and sweet pleas would launch her over the edge.
"Oh god!" She cried out as a feeling so strong washed over her as she came undone below him - her release exploding between her legs.
Tig's stomach dropped and his dick twitched as he felt her squirting around him - a wicked grin forming on his face as hers reddened in embarrassment. There's no way that he could've gotten that lucky...
He continued fucking her, trying to hold off for as long as possible just to teach her a lesson - but unfortunately her squirting and squealing were far too intense. He pulled out of her, grabbing her wavy blonde mane and dragging her to her knees, pushing himself into her mouth and coating her tongue with his seed before he pulled her back up, wrapping one hand around her throat to tip her face up towards his where he crashed his lips down to hers and pushed his tongue into her mouth before pulling away just as suddenly.
"Get dressed. No more fucking around." He ordered as he redressed himself.
Sydney was glad that the rush of excitement had managed to mask her embarrassment over the unexpected finale - hoping that maybe he hadn't noticed. "I told you before, I'm never done fucking around with you." She replied coyly, trying to brush it off as she went to slip back into her shorts, but was stopped when she realized that wasn't an option. "Um..." Her cheeks flushed scarlett as her chest began to tighten, if he hadn't noticed before - he definitely would now.
Tig chuckled, grinning wolfishly as he reached out and placed his hands on her waist. "You never told me that you were a squirter, baby." He couldn't have hid the cockiness in his voice if he tried.
"You know me, always the element of surprise." She teased with an eye roll, clutching to the lapels of his kutte - needing some intimacy after the less than romantic encounter.
Tig realized by the way that she was looking at his chest yearningly that they had crossed a line today - a line that she had never crossed with anybody before. "I love you." He said gently, resting his forehead against hers.
"I love you too." She whispered back weakly while looking deep into his eyes as the exhaustion of relief began to set in. He pulled her into a hug, both of them sighing in contentment as they revelled in the comfort of each other's scents.
"I'll go grab a towel." He kissed her on the forehead and winked before pulling away.
"Okay." She laughed, grateful that the shame was only one-sided with the wild man.
Tig pulled the door open, revealing Clay, Jax, Chibs, Half-Sack, and Juice all standing with raised brows. Both his and Sydney's eyes widened as they realized that not only were they caught - but that Sydney was completely naked below the waist. He quickly jumped in front of her where luckily she was sitting sideways, so the men hadn't gotten a full peep show.
"Hey! Didn't anybody tell you girls? If the van's a rockin, don't come a knockin." He scowled.
"Get goin." Clay winced, regretting his poorly thought out idea to pair the two together on this mission.
Tig jogged across the compound after safely shielding his naked girlfriend from the inquisitive eyes of his brothers, grabbing a blue towel from the rack in the garage.
"God dammit… You spill somethin in the van again?" Gemma questioned with a raised brow from the desk in the office.
"Somethin like that." Tig grinned, winking before he took back off to clean up his mess.
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