Amber had somehow managed to idealise the memory of sleeping in her car. It was ten times more uncomfortable than she remembered and the light and noise from the street made it hard to get to sleep. The birds were beginning to wake up and sing when she finally got to sleep. She was dreaming, Tig was yelling at her, his voice getting louder and louder before becoming slightly panicked.
When Amber woke up she could still hear Tig's voice.
"Fuck woman, thought you were dead or something, open the door."
"Tig? What, huh, what are you doing here?" she felt groggy and tired and his presence by her car was causing her great confusion. "What time is it?" She unlocked the door allowing him to open it.
"11ish, been driving around for about an hour trying to find you." He lit a cigarette, "look I'm not going to fucking apologize or anything, I just need to know you can keep your god damn mouth shut."
This was unexpected. "I'm not a shrink or anything but I think you're slightly bipolar. You can't get mad at me like that one day and be all sweet the next."
"I find it slightly fucked up that you took what I just said as being sweet," he actually almost laughed.
"Whatever dude, I won't say anything to anyone about anything. Our conversation last night will never even enter my mind again."
She rubbed her neck. Sleeping in her car had made her stiff, sore and feeling overall yuck. As always she was in need of coffee.
"You know what, after today you won't even have to worry. Once I've seen the others I'm gone burgers, Charming and I don't mesh well."
Pushing him out of the way she stepped out of the car and stretched.
"You can't leave," Tig blurted out surprising both himself and Amber.
"Oh yeah, and why's that?" she was slightly entertained by the conversation but it was growing old fast.
He didn't know why he wanted her to stay. There was a part of him that was telling himself to let her go and never think of her again yet another part of him, a part that had been in a catatonic state for too long, a part woken by the death of Dona, wanted her, needed her to stay.
"First off I'd like to keep an eye on you, make sure you keep your mouth shut," he looked out at the road, over the street, up at the trees, anywhere but at her. "And your working at the Dog has come in handy so far. We have a lot of shit to deal with at the moment and dealing with the Nords just adds to it, maybe you could keep an eye on things, I don't know."
"I can't afford to live in Charming Tig," she sighed and sat down in the car half in half out. "I can't stay in Charming if it means I have to live in my car, I may be a drifter but I'm a drifter who likes comfort."
Tig hadn't thought of her accommodation issues. He hadn't thought about a lot of things.
"I'll sort that shit out. The Prospect will put you up if I tell him to, it will get sorted." He nodded to himself, congratulating himself on the idea.
"O great, an unwanted house guest is just what I want to be. I don't think it's a good idea," she was getting annoyed that he wouldn't look at her.
"I don't give a fuck if you think it's a good idea or not. I am telling you, you are staying in Charming; if you try to leave, and I do say try because you won't succeed, my brothers and I will make your life hell."
Finally he allowed his eyes to lock onto hers, they bore into her and all she could do was nod.
"Great, so glad you see things my way," he patted her head in the most patronizing way. "They others are on their way back now so I'll follow you back to the clubhouse now and we can sort shit out."
"So, what's your deal kid?" Piney asked sliding a coffee over the bar to her.
"My deal?" it was not good coffee. None of the guys knew how to use the coffee machine and it showed, big time.
"There must be a reason you're away from family travelling by yourself, hooking up with crazy bastards like him," he threw a thumb in the direction of Tig who was working on his bike outside. "A pretty wee thing your age should be heading off to college or something."
She stared at her coffee as if it was the most interesting thing in the world and shrugged. "I like to be alone. I don't have any real family, got passed around a lot growing up so moving around just comes naturally I guess. As for crazy bastards, I've come across worse than him," she forced herself to smile at the old man.
"Ah you have family now girlie," boomed Chibs' unnecessarily loud voice.
She jumped slightly wondering how she failed to hear the bikes drive in. She jumped off her stool and allowed the Scot to give her a big bear hug. At first it felt odd but when he let go she wanted him to hold her again.
"Welcome home," she smiled. "Good trip?"
"Aye it was, an eventful one that's for sure," he laughed looking at Tig working on his bike with his injured leg out at an awkward angle.
"Where's everyone else?" she asked looking behind him
"They all headed home first, will be here in a couple of hours. I wanted to swing by here and check on you. Where'd you sleep last night?"
On hearing she slept in her car he frowned.
"It was no trouble. I parked near the police station and out of the way, I was totally safe," she went round the bar and grabbed him a beer trying to distract him from the subject.
"I've already talked to Juice about it, you're going to stay with him as long as you need. I'd put you up but I thought Juice's would be more to your liking, he actually has a TV, I only just got a microwave."
"Oh, um, I think Tig was going to talk to Half-Sack about putting me up," she didn't know who to take direction from and felt a little flustered.
"No need now. I'll go talk to him and fill him in and then you can follow me to the little retards house."
Amber waited for Chibs out by her car wondering what Tig would say about her staying with Juice and Chibs sorting things out for her instead of him.
"Something happen between you two?" he asked heading towards her.
"Um. No," she had no clue who knew what about Dona's death and was smart enough to not mention Tig's demand she stays in Charming. "Why do you ask?"
"Might be my imagination but he seems a bit invested in you somehow, probably just Tig being Tig. Come on let's get you to your new home."
Juice lived closer than she had expected, off the main road in a little colder sac that screamed suburbia. It didn't at all seem like the kind of neighbourhood a bachelor in a MC would live in.
"Shit man, I told you to give me some time to sort shit out before you bought her round," Juice said opening the door with a pile of porn magazines in his hand.
"I know but I thought it would be more entertaining this way," said Chibs pushing him out of the way and walking into the house.