Even after having a chance to sleep on her feelings Gemma Teller was still uneasy about Charming's newest visitors. She'd never publicly admit this much to anyone other than Tara, who already knew, but there had always been something about Fiona Larkin that just didn't feel right. The woman didn't seem to play by the rules of Charming, by Gemma's rules, and always seemed to be joined with the appearances of Jimmy O'Phelan in some fashion or another as if she were a hungry vulture drawn in by the carnage. Of course pride was a factor in Gemma's feelings as well. Other women almost never looked her in the eye without a measure of fear and discomfort, yet Fiona didn't treat her like a leader or someone befitting of higher status. This only added to the general unease that she gave off. Still, the last thing Gemma wanted to give off was the scent of fear, instead, she found herself trying to appear overly confident.
"The logic behind the fake article was brilliant." Tara commented as she scrubbed gravy off of a dirty breakfast plate.
"Don't strain your brain too hard over it Doc. It's probably a smoke screen."
Tara turned to look at Gemma over her shoulder, "What makes you say that?"
"A week and a half after O'Phelan suddenly rises from the grave she's ready to play loyal wife? I don't buy it. She's still in bed with Jimmy."
"She seemed concerned for Chibs last night." Tara mused.
"Look, I know you come from a world where you want to trust everybody, but trust is something that has to be earned where I come from sweetheart and she's done nothing to deserve our trust."
Tara mulled over Gemma's statement for a few seconds, briefly wondering why the older woman had developed so much hostility towards Chibs' wife. As far as she knew, the other woman had done nothing that should offend Gemma's sensibilities, yet she acted as if Fiona Larkin had committed some great crime by simply existing. Part of her wondered if race came into play with Gemma's feelings, if it was hard for her to imagine a black woman actually not only achieving the status as a biker's old lady, but being treated like the man's equal as well. Normally she would have kept such queries to herself, but she couldn't let the conversation die just yet. "Are you a racist, Gemma?"
Gemma bristled at Tara's comment "Look, I don't care what color pussy Chibs chooses to stick his dick in, but that woman's soul is far darker than the color of her skin." immediately trying to change the subject she added "Where's Wendy? I sent her to the store an hour ago to pick up a few items. It shouldn't have taken her so long to get them."
xxx
It was obvious that Jax's ex-wife was a junkie and possibly a whore, and in a way this was part of her appeal to Jimmy. Normally he chose women who took better care of their body and appearance, but a junkie was more likely to freely give out any information she might have about the club while in a drugged state and if he were to stay afoot in Charming he needed as much of an inside look into SAMCRO as he could get. That was why he was in the aisles of the Charming grocery store, in the most causal clothes he owned pretending to shop for groceries despite the fact that he only consumed organic vegetables and lean meats.
Jimmy watched the woman from an isle over, preparing to "accidentally" bump into her. Absently he realized how suspicious it would look to have an empty basket lest the woman actually manage to figure out that his intentions were far from benign. At this moment he happened to be right next to the packaged fish. Malone loved the smoked oysters in tins and this annoyed Jimmy. The other man who was at best tolerable with decent smelling breath became completely unbearable whenever he got drunk and leaned in close to Jimmy's face to talk after eating his favorite fishy snack. Still, the offending item was the closest thing that it made sense to grab. Maybe if Malone wasn't killed by SAMCRO he could make him more pliant to his demands by pretending he'd learned to accept his tastes.
Grudgingly he placed two boxes of smoked oysters in his basket. He was trying to discreetly follow the woman and placed a handful of other items in his basket only vaguely registering what they were to gauge a price point. Finally the point where he had to make his move or consider his morning wasted. Slowly he rounded the corner of the shelves pretending not to notice her standing in the aisle.
xxx
It took Wendy a few seconds to register anything as the figure bumped into her. It was the same man that had been at the ice cream shop the previous day meeting with SAMCRO. She couldn't remember his name, but she knew he hadn't seemed friendly with the club and she was initially wary by his presence. Her nerves were only slightly eased when he smiled at her. The scars on his face although very similar to the ones across Chibs' face combined with something in his eyes made him altogether unsettling. The thought to run and leave her groceries briefly crossed her mind, but something else told her to at least try to be polite.
The man continued his unsettling smile "I'm so sorry about that love, I didn't see you standing there."
She had been standing plainly in the middle of the aisle, so unless his mind had been elsewhere the statement seemed like it could have been a flat out lie, but it didn't feel safe to call him out on it, and from the senseless assortment of items in his basket it seemed like maybe his mind had been elsewhere. "You're the man from the ice cream shop. I don't think I caught your name yesterday."
The man extended his hand towards her "I'm Jimmy O'Phelan."
Slowly Wendy shook the extended hand. "Wendy Case."
"You were Jax's old lady. I can't imagine why he'd leave someone so pretty."
Even with the compliment, Wendy wasn't sure if she should be willing to trust the man before her. "He doesn't seem to like you, why should I feel any differently?"
Something almost dangerous flashed across Jimmy's face for a few seconds, but he quickly righted it "my animosity with SAMCRO is purely business related not on a personal level."
