Happy POV:
Brick was thanking the bar wench and slipping her some money as Tig pleded with me.
"Come on, Hap. Drinks here or drinks at the club it's all the same." I rolled my eyes, but headed to the bar. The rest of the club was mounting their bikes and riding off while Tig all but skipped to the bar. The bar wench was opening the break in the counter to walk out from behind the bar when we took a seat on the stools at the bar. She looked surprised and shut the hatch as she walked back toward us.
"Need something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Two whiskeys." Tig orders and she nods as she pulls a bottle of whiskey off the shelf behind her and got out two shot glasses. She poured two generous shots before sliding one to each of us. She set the bottle behind the counter and then went back to what she had been doing before we sat down. She walked out from behind the bar and behind us. I heard keys jingle before the click of the keys in the locks of the doors and then the signs that had been buzzing in the windows were turned off and lastly the juke box silenced. Tig was rambling on about how he was disappointed about how he'd been sent here and then the fighting had gotten over fairly quickly. I answered enough to keep him from getting pissy. The bar wench came back behind the bar and poured us another round before walking to the other end.
At least she had the sense to keep her nose out of our business. I'd been in too many bars where the bar wench would try to include themselves in the conversation or stood close enough to eavesdrop. This one seemed like she couldn't care less about what we were talking about as she went about something behind the bar, she only came over with the clink of the empty shot glasses hitting the bar before going away again. I liked that, a woman that knew her place, plus she wasn't bad on the eyes. Long dark hair, slim, but had enough meat on her to hold on to, and a decent size rack. She was pale, but so were most of the people in Washington. She had a small diamond stud in her nose, several piercings up her ears, and a bandage on the underside of her right wrist, most likely covering a new tat.
When she filled our glasses for the fourth time she put the bottle back on the wall and went back to the other side of the bar to the cash register, she printed something and came back, laying two pieces of paper on the bar in front of us. One glance told me it was the check, she was cutting us off.
"We're not done yet." Tig said and I could hear the edge in his voice, he was irritated just like I was, but I was also a little impressed with her gall. She leaned against the counter and stared Tig in the eyes.
"That may be so, but I don't deal with drunk bikers in my bar. You want more, you can go somewhere else." She stated. Despite how laid back she acted her back was tensed and her face was set. She was standing her ground and it was obvious that she had no intention of giving in to intimidation. I watched curiously as she and Tig stared at each other for a long moment before Tig cracked and smiled at her, the irritation that had been in his posture and tone disappeared.
"I like you, you got fire. What's your name, doll?" Tig asked, some of the tension melted away as she straightened up.
"Jade."
"Jade, that's a pretty name. I'm Tig and this is Happy." Tig introduced. She didn't say anything, but I saw her brow twitch as she looked at me. Tig laughed, used to the reaction people gave to my name. Most assumed it was an ironic nickname and I didn't bother correcting them.
"It's his real name, trust me, I checked his license myself." Tig said and she nodded.
"Is Tig your real name?" She asked as Tig threw back his last shot and I did the same.
"Nope, real name's Alex." She raised an eyebrow. My name was much easier to understand then his nickname.
"Yeah I know, got the nick name while I was in the Marines. Guy told me I reminded him of Tigger and the guys just started calling me Tig." She smiled at that. Chicks tended to like his explanation, thought it was cute, but that wasn't why the name stuck. Tig liked to use that explanation instead of saying that it stood for trigger man, made the girls smile and fit with the model of the club being 'harley enthusiasts' instead of gang members.
"Alright, then." There was a bark outside and she moved quickly to the door leading behind the bar. She circled around the bar to the back exit, kicking open the door and blocking it open with her foot as she leaned out of sight. She was only out of sight for a moment before a large reddish-brown dog came trotting in. He immediately came up to Tig and I, sniffing us out. I couldn't care less about the dog, but Tig lit up like it was Christmas.
"What a pretty boy." Tig said in a baby voice and began acting like an idiot with the dog.
"What's his name?" Tig asked looking up at Jade.
"Ace." She said with a smirk as she against the and of the bar. Tig went right back to the dog and the dog seemed to like it, at least he wasn't growling or biting, so I took it as him liking it.
"Gonna be hard to get rid of him now." I said as I watched Tig acting like a moron. She shrugged, seeming to not care.
"Dog lovers welcome. Poor thing was abandoned. I found him eating out of the trash out back a couple years ago, he was still just a pup. No collar, no chip. I put out posters, but no one ever came to claim him. So he's just the bar dog now." She said and Tig moved off the stool to sit on the floor with the dog.
I dug into my wallet and pulled out the cash for my drinks and laid them on the counter before turning to separate Tig from the dog. I grabbed Tig by the collar and pulled him to his feet. Tig started to protest, but I shot him a glare and he shut his mouth knowing I didn't care.
"Pay the woman." I pushed Tig toward the bar. Tig grumbled but pulled out some bills and laid them on the bar.
"Guess we should get back to the clubhouse." Tig said, but looked longingly toward the dog who was laying belly up on the floor.
"Nothing's keeping you from coming back. You can visit Ace anytime." Jade offered. Tig and I were both surprised, earlier she seemed eager to get rid of us and now she was inviting him back because he'd acted like an idiot with her dog.
Not only did we go back the next day, but every night the bar was open for the next two weeks. Tig hated that the bar was closed on Monday and Tuesday even tried convincing her to open just for us, but she just shook her head with an amused smirk. I'd been right about the bandage, it had covered a new tattoo, a blacked out howling wolf with a moon. I was impressed that it wasn't something girly like a flower or a butterfly like most of the sweet butts had back at the clubhouse. She wasn't much like the women that usually hung around the club. Sweet butts, crow eaters and even most of the old ladies were catty and ready to brawl at the drop of a hat and if they weren't doing that they were throwing themselves at the members.
Jade held herself with respect and didn't treat Tig or I any different than any other person in the bar. She was independent, the few men that got handsy were given a swift smack to the hand and a sharp look before she moved on, she never looked for someone else to defend her. She ran the place efficiently and without help. Even carrying the heavy looking crates of bottles, she never asked for help, not even from the cook. Tig offered one time to help and she shot him down, telling him shortly that if she wasn't capable of doing the basic work, she wouldn't be capable of anything else. I respected that and I could tell Tig did too.
Tig and I were knocking back our last drink of the night when Jade came around with the checks. She placed them on the bar before leaning against it.
"Hey, we need to talk." She said bringing Tig's and my attention to her.
"What is it?" Tig asked while I raised a brow.
"Something needs to give. I appreciate that you guys seem to like coming here and that's great, but you're scaring away my customers. I know it amuses you guys that everyone practically runs away when you walk in, but if this goes on too much longer, I'm not going have any customers and I'll have to put up the closed sign permanently." I shifted to face her and looked her over. She was tense again like she was expecting a fight and what she was saying sounded a lot like she was throwing us out.
"You telling us not to come back?" I asked lowly. Being straight forward always cut through the bullshit, if that's what she wanted she was going to have to say it out right. Her eyes turned to me, but didn't back down.
"Not at all. All I'm asking is that you start parking your bikes out back when you're here in an unofficial capacity and that the leather comes off at the door." It wasn't what I had expected, but it still wasn't something I wanted to hear. If she thought she could dictate my behavior she was sadly mistaken.
"The bikes are easy enough, but the kuttes are a deal breaker." Tig said and I nodded.
"This kutte comes off when I die." I added, still staring hard at her.
"Then consider this place heaven." She shot back with a glare.
"I've put my heart and soul into this bar and I'm not going to let myself go out of business because of two bikers." She said sharply glaring at Tig and I in turn.
"What makes you think that taking the kuttes off will stop scaring off your customers? People still know we're with the club. What difference would it make?" Tig asked.
"The kutte says your here on business. It declares who you are and why you're here. If you're in here without a kutte people don't think bullets will start flying at any second and it will definitely take them a moment to realize who you are without the kutte. That's the difference and hopefully they'll already have a drink in their hand by the time they recognize you. I think it's pretty reasonable. No bikes out front brings people in and no kuttes inside lets people stay and that means the bar stays open. I'll even make an exception about the kuttes when you guys come in with the club for negotiations." Tig looked to me, but I wasn't budging, I'd worked hard for this club to earn my kutte, I wasn't taking it off just to please some broad at a bar.
"What if we say no?" Tig asked cautiously. She shrugged.
"I guess you're gonna miss Ace and I." She gave Tig a smile and I knew he was caving. Dogs were his Achilles heel and she'd just knocked him on his ass with it. That dog was the whole reason he wanted to come back here.
"In all honesty I don't even need to make the concession for negotiations. Using the bar as neutral ground was a deal worked out with my uncle when The Cross-Eyed Cricket was struggling to get by, but now we're doing just fine without the need for the club to be waving money around. The only reason I don't stop it now is the respect my uncle had for the club and that it doesn't happen often. I was only losing half a night's profit then, but with you coming in nightly, I've lost roughly a week's profits just from the two of you sitting at the bar for an hour or two" Tig looked to me again and I knew he was moments from giving in and even though I could see why she was asking I didn't want to give that easily. It took more than a sob story and a pretty face to make me change my mind.
"I'll even throw in one free drink a night. Final offer." She said as she picked up our empty glasses.
"Sold!" Tig said smacking his hand on the bar. She smiled at him before turning to me. I weighed it over for a little longer. Honestly it was fair and a free drink didn't sound terrible. If the last two weeks were any indication he wasn't going to make us bowing to her a big deal and knew that if she did it could just as easily bite her.
"I guess I can live with that." I said grudgingly, annoyed that I was caving but it wasn't like this wasn't like I was being stripped of the kutte, it was my decision whether or not to come here.
"That's good, you two are some of my best customers." She said and smiled as she took our glasses away. I shot Tig a glare as he opened his mouth. He closed his mouth, but smirked and went back to playing with the dog.
"Not a word of this to anyone." I growled out and Tig didn't even turn around, just nodded. Tig was rambling on once again when Jade came back by washing down the bar. She glanced up and frowned when she noticed something.
"Hey, Tig you might want to fix that." Tig looked up to her while I looked at his kutte, his 'Original' patch had popped several stitches and was pulled away from the leather. Tig looked down and fiddled with the patch for a second before leaving it be.
"Thanks, doll. I'll fix it later." She nodded and moved on down the bar.
"Man, she confuses the hell out of me." Tig grumbled as he fiddled with the patch a little more before giving up.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"One second she's against anything having to do with the club and the next she's a friend. She obviously can't pick a side." Tig said and I shrugged. Whatever her opinion was it didn't affect the club and that was enough for me. When she came back by she leaned against the counter to gain our attention once again.
"So I've been wondering. Where's Redwood Original?" She propped her head on her hand as she looked at Tig.
"The Redwood charter is in Charming, California." Tig said and she tilted her head, just like you'd see a dog do.
"Then why does the patch say Redwood Original instead of Charming like Happy's says Tacoma?" She pointed to my 'Tacoma' patch and Tig shrugged.
"The Redwood Original was the charter that started it all, I just assume they started naming the charters differently after that. Easier to just name a charter after where it's located then to come up with different names and try to keep track I guess." She hummed, accepting the answer before starting to straighten up when Tig spoke up.
"You know, doll. You're a weird chick." He stated and she raised an eyebrow and aimed a small glare at Tig, but didn't say anything.
"Anything that comes to the club, you're hot and cold. Can never place what your true feelings for it are." Tig continued and she set her jaw.
"You mean the fact that I don't throw myself at your feet like the women who's only desire is to be some biker's arm candy?" She asked and Tig shook his head quickly, realizing the mistake he'd made and back tracking quickly to fix it. He was probably worried she'd kick him out if he didn't set this straight.
"No, no, no. The fact that one second you're asking us to leave our kuttes at the door and the next your making sure I take care of mine and asking about the patches. Sometimes you act like a friend of the club's and others you write it off completely. I'm just confused." Tig said and her glare disappeared though she still wasn't happy about the subject.
"I was born and raised here in Tacoma. I remember the club moving in, then I remember everyone being scared of the men in the club, then I remember the way some of the women around the club changed. I learned quick that when it comes to the club ignorance can be bliss. I'm not stupid, I know what the club's involved in, I've seen it in the paper what happens to those who know too much. I know the more I know, the more danger I put myself in." She said looking directly at Tig.
"That's why I'm 'hot and cold' as you put it. I ask you to leave the kutte at the door because of the danger that comes with it, but when I noticed the patch coming off I brought it to your attention because the club and that kutte are obviously something you care a lot about, so I do that out of respect to you. I ask questions when something peeks my interest, but also when I know it's not going to land me in hot water. Asking about that patch and the name was the same as asking where you're from and the history of the place, nothing that would get me shot. I act as a friend to the club out of respect for the danger it represents, but at other times write it off because when the cards are on the table I mean nothing to the club, no Son is going to put his life on the line to protect me or mine." She straightened up and looked hard at the two of us as we stared back at her. I was once again impressed, she was playing the same game that so many other allies of the club did, but she played it much better than most of them.
"Understand?" She asked and we both nodded.
"I can understand that." Tig said softly.
"Smart girl." I said and stood up from my stool. Tig stood up, too, following me out, lingering for a second to say goodbye.
The next night was a head ache. Brick had realized that we had a mole when he'd negotiated with the Outsiders and had spent the last two weeks slowly eliminating suspects. Brick had Tig and I set up a trap for the mole and it had worked like a charm. The mole was a prospect nearing his year mark, once we'd caught him, Brick wanted to know what the little weasel knew and left Tig and I to get it out of him. The bastard proved to be more resilient then we'd first expected, but he broke just like all the moles before him. Tig was still bummed though as it meant that it was already the next day when we'd broken him and ditched the body while reporting back to Brick. Brick would be having church in the morning, but Tig still wanted to go to the bar.
Jade seemed surprised when we showed up. She must have thought that her demands had run us off. Though I'll admit I gritted my teeth as I slipped out of my kutte and tucked it into my saddle bag. As much as I hated to do it, Jade had gained my respect and that was the only reason that I even entertained her request. It was after last call when Tig broke the news to her.
"I'm heading home to Charming in a couple days. Just wanted to let you know that it might be a while before you see me again." Tig said as she poured us another round.
"That a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked setting the bottle down.
"It's a good thing. I miss my brothers in Charming, but doll, I'm sure gonna miss seeing you." He leaned against the bar, shooting her a smirk like he did to get into the pants of one of the crow eaters at the clubhouse. I shot Tig a glare, but now hid my smirk as she raised an eyebrow and shook her head. She looked to me as I knocked back the shot she'd poured.
"Please tell me that girls don't usually fall for that." It amused me to see Tig's smile fall. She took my smirk for her answer.
"You've got to be kidding." She said and looked to Tig. He smirked, but she scoffed before laughing.
"Well the only thing I've got to offer you is booze. Whenever you come back you're more than welcome here as a customer." She said before putting the whiskey away.
"That mean you're gonna stop coming by?" She asked me as she leaned back against the liquor counter and I shrugged.
"I'll still come by." I said and knocked back the shot. She nodded and went to print out the check. Tig was back to playing with Ace and making baby noises. The asshole was ridiculous.
"Poor Ace is going to feel so unloved when Tig goes back to Cali." She says and I glanced at Tig and rolled my eyes as he's making faces at the dog.
"He's like that with every dog." I grumble, but it just made her smile. All the other customers had left, Tig and I the last ones there so she came out from behind the bar to start closing, I watched her ass as she walked by. It's a nice ass, too bad I didn't get to see much of it. As she's busy shutting down I fished out my wallet and placed a couple bills on the counter before getting Tig's attention. Tig pouted but pulled out his own wallet.
"Good night, doll!" Tig called as he headed for the door.
"Good night!" She called back. I gave her a nod and then followed Tig out. Tig was stopped just outside with a shit eating grin. I raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked, not in the mood for his games.
"Oh come on, Hap. I didn't miss the look you shot me when I flirted with her. You're into her." Tig declared and I roll my eyes, heading for my bike.
"And what's even better is that she's into you, too." Tig says as he mounts his bike. I stare at him blankly and he laughs.
"Did you miss the way she asked about you? I tell her I'm leaving town and she's worried about if you're going to keep coming around when I'm gone. She's totally into you." Tig said again with a grin. I rolled my eyes again and started the bike, taking off back to the clubhouse. Tig's a dumb ass if he thinks he's the only one that could figure that out.