Early the next morning, Collynn's phone chirped, indicating that her "vacation" was over and that she had work to do. She blinked blearily at her phone, fumbling with it to turn off the alarm. Her head was pounding, and she felt like her throat had been crammed full of cotton. Groaning, she tossed back a few ibuprofen and downed almost an entire bottle of water. Every morning, it seemed, she has had to reacquaint herself with her own life. She spent a moment reliving the past several days in fast forward and had to squinch her eyes shut to rid herself of the image of her fiancé's body on her kitchen floor.
Collynn did have a secret weapon. Sort of like the Hulk, she was always anxious. It was easy to cram her murder-anxiety in with all of the other useless shit she worried about back into the recesses of her brain to be dealt with at a later time. A time like when she's trying to fall asleep at night.
After a quick stop in the bathroom, she was plopped at the small table in her temporary bedroom and staring at her blank computer screen. She had just sent an email to her boss, explaining the "car accident" that she had gotten into while tending to that family emergency she had mentioned to her before. She requested that she telecommute for a few days and be back in time for her court appearances later this week.
Collynn had a feeling that her supervisor would go for it. She didn't give many details, and Bobby had mentioned that, if needed, they could get a doctor to provide an excuse for her.
It took her a long time to mentally put herself back into her work brain, but she finally kicked herself into gear. She pushed her laptop back on the table and withdrew a handful of files and thin volumes from her work bag. She was immensely glad that she thought to grab her backpack before leaving for Charming. On the top of her stack, her planner stared at her intimidatingly.
She grabbed it and leafed through to find the current week and groaned.
Caleb Tucker's pretrial was scheduled for this week, as well as his competency hearing. Caleb is a good kid. He burned down a building, but he is still a good kid. His file was creeping up on several hundred pages, but he still won't explain why he burned down the empty building near where he lived. Collynn, of course, knew why, but he will never say so. The district attorney who's handling it knows it too, but without Caleb's cooperation, there was little she could do.
Collynn pushed her glasses further up her nose, grimacing at the dull ache and exhaled. Normally she wore contacts while working, but she forgot to bring any backups with her on her impromptu vacation.
There was no way that she was going to be able to get through this shit without caffeine.
Quickly, Collynn exchanged her shorts for a pair of black yoga pants crept downstairs in search of coffee. She sighed in relief when she found the kitchen of the clubhouse to be blissfully empty.
About halfway through the ancient coffee pot brewing, Collynn heard footsteps coming down the stairs. There were just too many people here sometimes. Tig poked his head in at her and smiled.
"Well you're up early this morning." He yawned and sat in a chair next to a small table at the far end of the room.
"I can say the same about you. I thought bikers slept all day." Collynn grinned and watched the pot slowly fill up.
"Normal bikers do. I'm special." Tig shook a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket and lit it.
"When are you planning on making the return trip home?" He asked her around the cigarette between his lips.
"Probably tomorrow sometime if dad can take me. I've got to get my door replaced and I have a big hearing on Thursday for one of my kids." Collynn had a habit of referring to her defendants as "her kids," but it was a good way for her to remind herself and anyone else that she's talking to that these are, in fact, children that they're dealing with. Not hardened criminals with rap sheets a hundred yards long. It was a bit off putting to some of her colleagues who liked to distance themselves from a case as much as possible.
"Anything super devious? Got yourself the next Ted Bundy or something?"
Collynn cracked a smile and laughed sadly. "No, just a kid who I'm pretty sure was forced into drug running and turned to arson as a way out."
"Shit." Tig tapped ashes into an ash tray. "Poor bastard."
"Right. And the poor bastard won't cop as to why he burned down an old shoe store to save his own shit. We can't get him to talk."
"Well, obviously, he just doesn't want to out whoever was feeding him the drugs." A third voice drawled from right inside the doorframe. Collynn let out a yelp of surprise and even Tig flinched the tiniest bit, not that he'd ever admit it.
"Jesus Christ, Jax. What the fuck?" Tig crowed and snapped his head over toward the other man. He was about an inch taller than Collynn and had a shit eating grin on his face.
"I think I need a goddamn award for sneaking up on you." Jax sauntered over to take a seat next to Tig at the table. He nodded at Collynn and she sent a jerky nod in response, trying to hide the fact that he scared the ever-loving shit out of her.
Collynn turned and started going through the cabinets, looking for coffee mugs. She used the time to still her thudding heart and blink away the welling tears in her eyes. What the fuck, Rourke? She thundered at herself. Get your shit together. You're fine!
Tig noticed the rigidity in her shoulders as she rustled through cabinets and glared at Jax. Jax returned with a look of curiosity. He hadn't yet heard about Bobby's fugitive daughter making a temporary return to Charming and was really curious as to why there was an unfamiliar woman currently making coffee in the clubhouse who looked like she just went twelve rounds. He couldn't put it together. He thought that Collynn was decently average looking, but not even remotely Tig's type, so he had nothing.
"You guys both want a cup?" She asked, back still turned, praying that her voice remains steady. She finally found the cups and gave a sigh of relief as she fished them down from the cabinet overhead.
"Yes, please, darlin'. I don't believe we've met. I'm Jax Teller. What's your name?" After receiving the nonverbal chastisement from Tig, Jax treaded lightly. The name struck a familiar chord in Collynn's brain as she turned back around, three coffee mugs dangling from her fingers.
She gave him an apologetic smile. "Collynn. I'm Bobby Munson's daughter. Sorry about that, just a little jumpy. Gemma's your mom, right?"
He returned her smile as she filled the mugs and carried them over to the table, passing them out as she sat next to Tig.
"Couldn't deny it if I tried. Thanks for the coffee."
"Not a problem at all. So, as you were eavesdropping, you heard me talk about one of my clients' cases. We already know why he won't talk, but his scrawny ass needs to talk, or he's going to be spending a long ass time at the ranch. What's your take?" Collynn regained control of herself and circled back to the topic on which she could always focus up, her work.
She's already tried a multitude of things to get the specifics out of Caleb, but any fresh eyes would help.
Jax shrugged. "What's the kid's home life like? That should go a long way."
Collynn sighed. "The same as most of my kids. Shitty parents, dad overdosed a long time ago. Single mom trying to raise four kids. My kid is the oldest, and there has been a long string of protective services complaints for abuse for all four kids." She took a sip of coffee and continued. "I've tried talking to teachers, family members, friends, but I haven't been able to find a crack in the wall yet. As soon as I ask about the possibility of him being involved in drugs, everything shuts down."
Typically, Collynn wouldn't be vomiting information all over a stranger at 6:30 in the goddamn morning, but here she was. Caleb's is a case that keeps her up at night. A case where she knows it will bother her until she dies unless she finds a way to get through to him.
"Well I don't envy you on that one." Tig muttered as he took a gulp of coffee and jittered his fingers against the tabletop.
"That sucks. Who do you think has him running? Go at it from that direction?" Jax asked. Collynn didn't even recognize her life right now. A week ago, everything was normal, and now she's asking for advice from bikers.
"There are a few local groups in the Bay Area that I know of, but I'm pretty new. I don't have any connections to the criminal underworld yet." Collynn rolled her eyes. "I'll have to check my Rolodex when I get back to the office."
Jax smirked and added "You'll get there." He stood and grabbed his cup, moving his attention to Tig. "I'll see you at Chapel later. Gemma needs help with the fundraiser, and we've got an exile to deal with."
"You got it." Tig nodded to him as he left.
"That does give me a different starting point on my kid. You guys know of anyone that operates up there?" Collynn curled her hands around her mug and looked pleadingly at Tig.
"Not off the top of my head, but I'll think on it, Kitten. Are you good by yourself? I've got some stuff out in the garage to take care of."
Collynn waved him off, "Of course! I'm good. Just gonna go back upstairs and work." She stood with him and they left the kitchen to go their separate ways.
Once Collynn was back upstairs, she pulled out her favorite notepad and a pen to write down some of the ideas that crossed her mind while talking to the two men. Tig was markedly quiet while she tried to pry ideas from Jax. It was odd.
She spread Caleb's file out in front of her, going back over old interviews with him to see if she had possibly missed any hints as to who was running him. If he could only give them something, she could push to have the case dismissed. She'd already talked to the DA and they were on board with protecting him if he would only give something up. She needed a Hail Mary on this one.
Sighing, she went back over the list of exhibits that she was going to provide at the pretrial. She had statements from Caleb's caseworker and his teacher for the competency hearing. Caleb had minor developmental issues that made critical thinking nearly impossible.
Collynn checked over a few of her other cases, relieved that she'd pulled such long days the weeks before, as they were fairly well caught up. She rehearsed a bit of a statement she'd be giving at Caleb's competency hearing and felt like she was on top of things.
Looking up, Collynn noticed that it was nearly noon. She'd been at it for much longer than she had anticipated. Standing, she stretched out the stiff muscles in her shoulders and neck and pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. She caught her reflection in the mirror again, taking note of the state of healing on her face. While her glasses weren't exactly comfortable, they weren't as bad as she had expected, and they masked a tiny bit of the swelling of her nose. A lot of the other swelling had decreased and the bruising around her neck had faded remarkably well. She'd never been more grateful that she didn't bruise easily. She wasn't someone who had random bruises and couldn't exactly recall where they came from.
Her stomach growled loudly as she changed into a clean pair of jeans and a long sleeve black t-shirt. "I know, I know. We'll get some food. You deserve to be treated a little." She slipped her debit card and ID into her front pants pocket, testing to make sure it wouldn't slip out.
Leaving the bedroom she'd been staying in, she went to the first floor of the clubhouse, where it was fairly quiet. She heard some noise coming from the garage, so she decided to follow it, hoping to find Bobby. She wanted to go home and needed to find a ride. She'd been so hysterical when they whisked her away to Charming that she didn't really consider how she'd be getting home. She was just glad that Maggie was being taken care of. She got a picture texted to her of her smiling mutt every single time her neighbor stopped by for bathroom breaks.
Collynn quite literally ran into a wiry young man, nearly her age, as she turned the corner near the garage's office.
"Shit! I'm so sorry!" Collynn burst in surprise, taking a step back.
"No problem. You must be Collynn, Bobby's daughter, right?" He rushed, somewhat nervously.
"Word travels fast, huh?" She offered a small smile to assuage his anxiety.
"I suppose it does. I'm Half-Sack." He stuck out his hand for her to shake, and she took it, but stared in confusion.
"What?"
"Half-Sack. I was injured in Afghanistan, and it took one of my nuts." He grinned widely, his thin goatee framing his mouth.
"Yeah. No. I'm not calling you that." She snickered a little, unable to help herself. "What's your actual name?"
"Kip."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kip. Have you seen my dad around here anywhere? I've gotta talk to him." Collynn wanted to crack up. What has her life come to? Honestly?
"Oh, he's in the Chapel. He won't be much longer now, I think. They've been in there a while." The pair walked into the garage and sat on a bench outside the office.
"The what? I promise I'm not stupid, I just have no idea what's going on in this place, ever." She felt like she needed an English to Biker Dictionary. Collynn liked to think of herself as tough and mature, even though she was so young (just like every other twenty-something out there), but she could not wrap her head around this new world. It was like its own little society off by itself and she was neverendingly confused.
"Well…" he trailed off, thinking of the best way to put it, "it's sort of like a board meeting. Voting, personnel changes, and all that shit." A smile lit her face. She understood that. He seemed like a nice, unassuming, nonthreatening guy. She could use a little bit of that right now. She was sick of planning, and directives, and scheming. She wasn't sure of what kind of scheming was happening in this place, but it was happening. As a professional bullshitter, she knew how to sniff it out.
"Finally. Someone who speaks plain old goddamn English. What are you doing right now? I was just about to go forage for food. Are you hungry?" Kip returned her smile and nodded. He wasn't about to tell her that he'd been tasked with keeping tabs on her until Bobby was finished up with Chapel.
"There's a diner a couple blocks from here. Feel like walking? It's shaping up to be nice today." He shrugged on his kutte, which had been hanging over one arm.
"A walk sounds great," she smiled and hiked up her jeans. She managed to grab the least comfortable pair of jeans she owned and groaned inwardly. They were just on the verge of being too small, but she couldn't bear to part with them. She'd fit back into them…eventually.
Kip was dying to ask her about how she caved her boyfriend's head in, but knew he'd be in deep shit if he did. As they walked in companionable silence, he appraised her. She'd pack a decent punch in a fight. Clay had been pushing them to try and reel in more women who could do some damage.
"So, tell me about the club. I was born here in Charming, but we left before I could really remember anything." She pulled him away from his strategy planning.
"Well, I'm a Prospect. It's like a pledge trying to get into a fraternity. I have to do all the dirty work. There's a couple more of us, but you probably won't see them. They're off on business."
Collynn nodded at him, urging him to continue as they turned a corner down the street from the garage. Charming was a cute little town. It was one of those towns that was fairly low income, but made up for it in genuineness. She enjoyed the lazy pace.
"Clay Morrow is club president. He calls all the shots. It's a very 'Robert's Rules' setup."
Collynn grinned at the kid. He was sharp as a tack. She had to dig for the reference to the rulebook for parliamentary procedure.
"Jax is the VP, sort of next in line behind Clay. Tig is Sergeant at Arms, he protects Clay and provides muscle, should it come to that. Bobby handles all of the bookwork for us. The rest of us are pretty much just minions."
They neared the Village Café, and he held the door for her. They were blasted with AC and Collynn was grateful. She was sick of wearing long sleeves. What the fuck was she thinking when she packed this bag? Her internal beratement helped to distract her from the odd looks she was attracting. The pair slipped into a booth in the far-right corner of the small restaurant, Kip sitting with his back to the corner. She could appreciate that move.
"What's good here? I'm starving." Collynn perused the menu, her mouth water and stomach grumbling. She hadn't been super attentive to herself in the past few days and she made a mental note of having to pamper herself a little when she got home.
Kip hummed in thought. "The fries are great, hand cut. The breakfast is good and they have a hell of a salad." Collynn nodded. Fries sounded heavenly.
The waitress stopped by and scanned Collynn's face with concern, much to her chagrin. Collynn quickly ordered a sweet tea and looked to Kip to see what he wanted. He attempted to look as nonthreatening as possible so the waitress didn't become any more suspicious.
A few moments later, Collynn was slugging down tea, not realizing quite how thirsty she was.
"So, you said you were military. What branch were you in?"
"Army, but I was discharged after I was injured."
"What did you do while you were in?" Collynn felt kind of bad for rapid firing questions at him, but she liked him. He seemed like a good guy and smarter than he let on.
"I was a sniper, but I always enjoyed the hand-to-hand. I was pretty good at it, if I may say so myself. We have some fights at the clubhouse every once in a while. Lets everyone blow off steam."
"Wow," Collynn said, "That's awesome. I used to box a little in college, but never anything serious. My college roommate worked part time at a gym and always needed someone to spar with when she went in to work out. I guess I was stuck being the crash test dummy on that one."
Their conversation was interrupted by the waitress, returning to take their orders.
An hour later, Collynn had just inhaled the best burger she'd had in a long time along with a metric ton of fries. She was nearly dead on her feet in carb heaven by the time she picked up their tab. Kip protested, his cheeks reddening, but she insisted. She had asked him to lunch, and it was the least she could do to repay him for his kindness.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, the sun was hot, her pants were too tight, and she had a killer headache, but she felt like things might eventually be okay.
