"There's nothing we could do. Pissers folded like girls. Didn't give anything up. Charming don't trust me, Jimmy," Liam said into the phone. "I can smell it on 'em. And McGee? Shite, I don't know if he's got the heart for this."
"I don't need heart! I need gut and brains!" Jimmy snapped at Liam.
"Rumor has it your on the outs with the kings, Jimmy," Liam said to him before Jimmy could hang up. "That you managed to piss off a major contributor to the cause. There's even talk about a price on your head."
"Don't you worry about the kings," Jimmy said with a grimace that was supposed to be a congenial smile. Only his teeth were clenched too tightly together to actually pull it off. Not that it mattered to Liam anyway. "We're happy as a pair of newlyweds."
Jimmy hung up before the Son pissed him off any more. Not that it worked as he flipped the table at the little diner he had holed up in for supper and left, before the law could be called.
o0o o0o o0o
For the first time since 1988, SAMCRO and SAMBEL were all sitting around the table in the SAMBEL clubhouse discussing what could be done about their problem with Jimmy. This of course wasn't just limited to the two charters of the same MC. There were the three kings of The Coven MC, who had gotten in not long after SAMCRO, the acting president and VP of The Marauders, and Liam, who was the voice of the Cause in the clubhouse. It was a tribunal never before seen in the MC world.
The only ones not in the know about what was going on within the club, were the majority of SAMBEL's charter, with the exception of McGee, who was currently sitting quietly, knowing it was the only way to have any chance of walking out of Church alive.
"As you all know, SAMBEL and SAMCRO are two of the Cause's biggest runners for their guns in both Ireland and the U.S. west coast," Liam said calmly. "In fact, there is a shipment going out tomorrow. But it turns out, we have a rat in our midst." As he said this, Jasper and Jax took position behind O'Neill, while Bobby put a restraining hand on McGee's shoulder.
"It's due to young Liam here and your president, Keith McGee, that the local law tried to have us deported under the orders of Jimmy O'Phalen," Liam told those around the table. Chib's nephew went to dispute the claims, but Chibs himself stopped him, whispering into his ear.
"We wouldn't have brought it to the table unless we were absolutely sure, lad," he told him sternly.
"Aye," McGee aknowledged. "I wasn't aware that Jimmy was on the outs with the kings when he asked me to do what we did. I also wasn't sure about going against brothers, but didn't want to bring such wrath down onto the club if it was from up top."
"It's that reason alone that you are still in that seat, McGee. And the fact that you eventually wised up and gave us a warning," Clay said. "But you're calls will be second guessed from now on."
McGee shook his head. "That's no way to have a charter run. It only asks for mutiny. I'm calling for a vote to have me removed. I want to retire." The members of SAMBEL and some of SAMCRO began loudly protesting his decision. McGee simply raised his hand.
"I'll still be a part of the club, sit at the table. I'll even offer advise if it is asked for. But times are changing. My experiences are muddying the waters of possible advancement. This isn't 1974 anymore. We no longer have to fight for territory, we have well established ties with the local community and business ties to the Cause. You don't need war jaded soldiers anymore, you need people with an idea of where they want the club to go. So I want to step down."
"Brother, are you sure?" Clay asked.
McGee nodded. "Aye. The politics are doing my head in, Clay. Let someone else deal with the paperwork."
Clay stared hard at the only other president of the original 9. Weighing his words. "All in favor?" he asked.
There was a unanimous chorus of 'yea's' and 'aye's' from around the table. Clay stood and rounded to his comrade. McGee stood and ripped the president's patch from his Kutte before handing it to Clay. Clay stared at the patch in his hand, before looking up, embraced his brother, then took his seat to continue the discussion.
"We will discuss succession once things calm down, though I have no doubt Seamus will have no trouble stepping up," Clay said with a nod in the young man's direction. Seamus sat up a bit straighter at the attention, but had a determined glint in his eye.
"I'll leave it to more experienced hands for the moment, since we are hosting so many others," Seamus said. Clay again, nodded.
"O'Neill," Clay said, turning to the man now being forcefully restrained, with Jasper's and Jax holding him down into his seat.
"Where's Jimmy?" O'Neill remained quiet. "Look, kid. We can either do this the easy wa-" he never got to finish as Chibs rounded the table and punched the Irishman square in the jaw.
"Or we can let Chibs at him," Clay mumbled.
Chibs grabbed a handful of O'Neill's hair before he could gain his bearings again and brought him up to look him dead in the eye. Once he saw he had the man's focus, he growled. "I trained under the Casey's in my youth. I know how to torture information out of someone like the best of them. But you want to know something?" O'Neill had a small sliver of fear enter his eye as the Scotsman spoke. "I've seen my old lady at work. She tortured three people for failing to kill me. And she scared the right piss out of me."
Jasper snorted. "Bubba, she scared the piss outta all of us. You know I'm now afraid to go anywhere near a hardware store. Never mind I can't stand anything spicy or citrus anymore. It was Emmett who taught her how to through a proper punch," he said.
"What could that little gash do?" O'Neill said with more bravado than he felt. Chibs punched him so hard, his hair ripped from the root, as Chibs never let go, and he went crashing to the ground.
"I would be careful how you speak about my woman, traitor. Most everyone in here has and/or will kill for the lass. You would be nothing but an inconvenient footnote in her long list of dead," Chibs said dangerously.
"Where's Jimmy?" Clay asked again.
"He's too protected there, but the only place I can thing that he'd be, is at his pub," McGee said as he ran his hand down along his beard.
"Even with the notice that he's to be hunted?" Jax asked.
"Aye," Seamus said. "We'd need someone he trusted to lure him out. There's only one person he even halfway trusts anymore. The priest."
"Any chance we can press him to put in a call?" Clay asks.
Liam nodded. "I'll see it done. What's to be done with him once we have him?"
"Kill him, and I get the privilege," Chibs said lowly, daring anyone to contradict him.
"No one will dispute that brother, but-" Clay trailed off, thinking.
"But what?!" Chibs shouted. "The man took my woman, threatened her life and that of both of my children. I will not have the man alive to try again!"
"I'm only thinking, brother, that we might be able to use him if we can get him back to the States," Clay said.
"To what end?" Marcus asked, finally voicing his thoughts to the quorum.
"We've been having a small issue with some Feds. An ATF bitch sniffing around and trying to catch smoke to find something to put us down for good. What if we gave her what she wanted?" Clay asked.
"Stahl," Opie and Chibs said staccato.
They looked at each other as they came to an agreement. Chibs got Jimmy, Opie would handle the Fed.
"Stahl. We have Jax call her up-"
"And why me?" Jax interrupted.
"The disillusioned MC prince seeing the dangerous path his old senile stepfather is leading the club down. Perfect cover," he explained calmly. "Jax calls her up. Tells her we have Jimmy O and that we are willing to give him up in exchange for immunity for past crimes. It'll grate against her grain something fierce, but she's too desperate."
"We offer to do an exchange, trap them both," Clay explained simply.
"The Coven will send some of ours to ensure that all of you and Jimmy get there. Just as a precaution to see it done," Caius said. "Never leave anything to chance."
"Well now, I don't know about you, Remus, but I feel like we're just here for comic relief," Sirius pipped in.
"You are, Padfoot," Remus said under his breath.
o0o o0o o0o
"Are you really all right?" Angela asked once everyone was inside and the men had gone to discuss business.
Izzy nodded. "Now that everyone is here and my family is safe, I'm happy even," she said.
"Chibs was spitting mad when he got the call you were in labor. I'm sure he's staking his claim to kill off Jimmy O before any of the others can," Donna said.
"I got my own kill in," Izzy said with a shrug. "I won't deny him his. There was a sick sort of satisfaction to killing his ex before I started freaking out that I killed someone." Izzy acted like the act of killing Fiona didn't bother her, but Angela could hear the slight waver of regret in her voice and voiced her opinion.
"Don't feel guilty for killing that cunt, Izzy," she snapped. "She helped take both you and Callum. She got the prospect killed and even Hale was hospitalized because of what she helped do."
"How is he?" Izzy asked.
"Woke up this morning. Carlisle called en rout and gave us the news. He seems to have all of his mental faculties, though he doesn't remember the accident. He says the look on his face when his brother told him that he was giving up on his campaign to run for mayor may not have convinced the patient himself that he was ok," Angela told her.
Callum began to fuss and Izzy dug out a blanket from the baby bag at her feet before settling it over her and situated the infant at her breast so he could feed.
"Chibs was right. Boy does have a one track mind," Angela chuckled.
"Never changes, either," Gemma said as she made her way to the three younger women. "How are you doing, mama?" she asked as she leaned down to embrace the new mother, careful not to disturb the feeding little one.
"Happy now that everyone is here. I'll feel better in a couple of days time when everything is said and done, though. Get some time to my man and son for a while."
Gemma nodded. "Have y'all had any bonding time since he showed," she asked, waving her hand in the direction of the church door and Chibs.
"A bit," Izzy smiled, before biting her lip. "Gemma, I don't want to step on any toes, but Jax and Trinity-" she trailed off. Gemma sighed.
"If anyone would put it together, it would be you." Gemma shook her head. "Product of an affair. Though I can't say I was all that faithful to JT during the late 80's either."
"Do either of them know?" Izzy asked.
"No," Gemma said quickly, looking away. "No, neither has any idea." Donna and Angela followed the conversation, but stayed out of it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the main plot though, and neither woman was simple.
"It might be prudent to tell them. Everyone here knows Jax is faithful to Ange, but we know nothing about Trinity. If she gets it into her head Jax is a catch-" she gestured with one hand, and let Gemma figure the rest out on her own. Gemma nodded but said nothing. Izzy didn't persue the topic, letting it drop, knowing she had said her piece.
It was just as well, as the doors opened and the various MC heads were filing out. Izzy was very interested to see that Sirius and Remus were frog marching a semi bound Liam O'Neill out the door. She looked over to Chibs, who had taken his customary seat at her side with a bottle of beer.
"I take it things got a bit… complicated," she said with a slight tilt of her head. Chibs nodded.
"Aye. Seamus is now the president of SAMBEL, and O'Neill is about to learn what happens to those who go against family." That was all he said on the matter and no one needed him to elaborate.
o0o o0o o0o
The party was loud and in full swing. Jax was boxing with the new president, testing his metal. Clay and Gemma were watching the match at a picnic table. The various MC's were gathered to celebrate Callum, Izzy, and Chib's reunion and the latter two's coming nuptials. Even if Izzy was currently sitting with Callum and Chibs was talking with Charlie about the coming wedding around a burning barrel. Gemma, getting tired of the noise, leaned over the table to whisper in Clay's ear.
"Hey, you want to take me to your luxury suite?" she asked seductively.
"You want to watch your boy defend the club's honor?" Clay asked over his shoulder.
"Nah. I'd rather watch my man's big dick."
"What about your ticker?" he asked, turning more towards her. Gemma shrugged.
"Fully medicated."
Clay nodded, then stood, groaning as he did. He turned, and kissed her. "There's one thing that needs to be done first. To make sure the air is clear and the slate is clean. May need a patch up afterwards, though." With that, he made his way towards Charlie and Chibs.
"Brother," he said to Charlie. "I'd like to get this done now, if you don't mind. Best if we get this all done before the wedding, don't you think?"
Charlie sighed. "Yeah. Meet you in the ring. Just let me tape up."
Clay nodded and left. "You're the last you know. I did my dance with him before we left. Word to the wise, watch his left."
Charlie nodded and went to get ready. There were many things set in motion tonight, and many of them would meet their end within hours. He only hoped that everything after would run smoothly.