Enjoy.
Chibs wakes early and alone the next morning. He glances over to the bedside and it's still early with a few hours before he has to be at the garage for his shift and check in with the guys. He listens carefully and he can just hear the loud hissing of the electric kettle from the kitchen. Lass must be trying her hand at tea. He runs a hand over his face and filters slowly through the events of yesterday night.
There's no denying River has been through the ringer recently but the look on her face last night when she'd read that line from her father's lawyer really put things in perspective. It was honestly the first time Chibs had seen her wall drop in front of someone other than himself and the look of utter relief made him realize how much she'd been holding in the concern that her own family might have wanted her dead. After the initial burst of emotion, it was like the girl didn't have anything else left in her.
Chibs watched her mime her way through the dinner and then she followed him, a hollow look on her face, out to the bike. She'd made him nervous on the short ride to the house. Then she'd looked so tired as she stripped down and crawled into the bed with no hesitation. He'd expected her to take up her usual position, curled on her side, face turned away from him to the door, but she'd crawled across the mattress to press her face into his chest instead. Despite their little — what should he call it — half shag maybe, he hadn't been expecting her to be cuddler. She surprised him though keeping herself curled around him, her head tucked under his chin, one of her hands pressed into his neck until he'd felt her body relax in sleep.
He's just about to pull himself out of bed when she appears in the doorway still in just a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts, two steaming mugs of tea in her hands. He pushes himself up in the bed as she moves into the room setting the mugs down on the nightstand she crawls back into the bed and slides under the covers, leaning back against the pillows.
"Sleep well then?" Her eyes are bright and alert as he speaks and she looks relaxed. Truly relaxed in a way he hasn't seen before. She nods her fist yes and points back at him the question on her face. "Aye," he nods his fist as he speaks, "I haven't woken up this early in a while though." She rolls her eyes, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth before she turns to pick up one of the mugs and passes it to him carefully. He takes it in one hand and pops a thank you off his chin. Her returning smile lights up the room.
He doesn't mind the signing. He keeps telling himself he's trying because the better they can communicate the better their chances of coming out of this mess alive but he knows there's more to it. He's starting to really like her and more dangerous than liking her, he's getting used to her. He's starting to become accustomed to her calm quiet presence in his house. He likes how she reorganized his books, he likes working through how to get different expressions on her face and noises from her throat, he is calmed by her steady breathing.
Chibs knows that the news from the night before was a positive turning point for the woman carefully sipping tea next to him. She's got an exit strategy now and he has a feeling she will hang around long enough to see his club through the ominous two-week deadline set by Luis but long term she's got a life to get back to. Her life, her real life, he'd gotten his first glimpse into it the night before when Jax pointed out the photo of her online.
Mother of God the girl was fit. He'd thought she was darkly attractive that first night with her chopped hair and dark eyes almost too big for her face but that photo had been her at her peak. He would pay to twist his hands up in the curls from the photo and palm those tits. In that little black dress, she'd looked every inch the confident mafia princess he knows she is. If that was her normal, she's definitely a rung up from the tail he normally manages to pull around Charming. He slides his eyes to look at her next to him in bed. She's probably 15 pounds lighter now, too thin in his opinion, her short hair is standing up in every direction and there's still a fading bruise across one cheek. The combination makes her look a little haggard and dangerous. He's not sure which version of her turns him on more.
There's no point thinking this way though. The other night had been about stress relief and everything else was lust. Anything more is too risky and could make an already very messy situation even messier. He pushes the thoughts away entirely and puts himself back in the moment. With everything that happened the day before he hadn't found any time to ask her what she'd picked up during her morning at the garage. He sets his tea aside and turns in the bed so that he's facing her, waving a hand to get her attention.
"Yeh good to lip read for a bit?" She nods her fist yes and puts her tea on the other nightstand, picking up the pad and pen. "Was there anything to report from the garage yesterday?" She scrunches up her nose at the question and he gets the impression she would rather not answer. Still, she starts to write.
It's harder with new people and without context.
He recognizes the stall tactic immediately and presses his lips into thin line. He taps the page demanding more and she lets out a sigh before ducking her head to write more.
All of them seemed stressed. Bobby and Tig are messed up but not threats. It's concern, not dangerous.
She pauses letting him read and he nods. It makes sense, she'd named the two brothers Chibs knows would do anything for the club despite misgivings. She starts writing again.
Opie has something going on at home, I think?
He nods, "A fight with his old lady yesterday morning. Wouldn't say anything else. They're newlyweds." She tilts her head at that and writes again.
He wasn't a newlywed yesterday but I don't think he's a threat. Jax has something going on but I don't know. He's not uncertain, he's confident in something.
She pauses again and he nods along as he reads. The idea of Jackie-boy having a plan also makes sense. The boy had just gotten engaged and seems ready to move heaven and earth to get the club profitable.
I couldn't get a read on Happy, he's scary.
She taps the last word as he reads and makes her eyes wide to emphasize her point. Chibs smiles, that sounds like Happy. "He is scary." Chibs agrees but his smile is teasing and she rolls her eyes in response poking him in the arm with her pen. Then her face goes serious and she starts to write again.
Your problem is Juice. He's nervous, hiding something. He avoids eye contact with any of the brothers and never laughed along with the jokes. Don't know what he's got going on but he's acting guilty. Dangerous for you.
He finishes reading and looks up to find her watching him with wide eyes. She looks nervous, a little line pulled up between her eyebrows, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
"Yeh've done this kind of watching before?" He thinks he knows the answer but he's curious. She writes.
This is what I do for my dad and Nic. I do this for the family and play poker.
He gets it. This is her job for the family, she may do it informally because she's a woman but it's real work. Important work. The poker thing raises other questions, he'd been curious about the logo on the image of her the night before but had forgotten until now.
"Yeh play poker for the family?" He knows the Italians own a number of casinos but he's curious about how deep in she is. She signs no, and writes.
I play poker professionally. I have since I was 24. Sponsored and on tour.
He lets out a low whistle. He'd suspected she was a ringer on Friday night but seeing it confirmed in writing sinks a new piece of her puzzle into place. So she has a public career outside the family. It also means she's equating using her people reading skills for the family with her real career. These are her jobs.
"If yeh were giving yer Da this information on Juice what would yeh tell him?" He regrets the question then minute he asks it. Her eyes narrow and she looks like a killer. Dread settles in his stomach and she doesn't bother to write. Instead she twists her hands into the same letter R sign she uses for her name and brushes the fingers across her nose and mouth twice. Her lips mouth the word rat with such clarity he's surprised he can't hear it.
"That boy ain't a rat." She's not shocked by his reaction; she just shrugs and cuts her eyes to the side before moving the pen to the pad.
Maybe not, but you asked what I'd tell papa.
"And yeh'd do that?" He mimics the sign back to her and she nods both head and fist. "Aye, and how often have yeh been wrong? Sent some poor sop to his death on accident?" Her eyes go soft and she holds up a single finger. He turns his face away.
He loves that stupid lad. Juice was a goof, sure but he boy loves the club. He's certainly saved Chibs from a tight spot more than once and the idea that he could be their Judas feels terribly wrong. He's pulled from the thought by the feeling on her hand on his face. Her fingertips are soft but firm and she turns his face back to the notepad where she's already scribbled out a new note.
Wrong once, wrong again.
When he looks back up there's pity in her big dark eyes and he hates her for it just a little. She's got her safety net back and his club is still walking the tightrope with nothing underneath. Her hand reaches out towards him again but the moment is interrupted by the doorbell. Chibs is out of the bed in a flash and her face is one big question mark.
"Door, stay here. Get rid of that." He nods to the page covered in writing as he talks and he's happy to see her move quickly towards the bathroom to flush the page. He tugs on jeans and the closest t-shirt before padding down the hall in bare feet. His uncovered gun heavy in his hand.
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