Thanks for the reviews/follows, please keep them coming, it is good to know people enjoy the story. I will try and post the next chapter very soon as I really want to get the story moving along but in the meanwhile don't hesitate to check out my other story "In bed with the enemy." (cheeky of me i know!)

Enjoy!

Chapter 8– Don't go to pieces...

After running from the hospital, Ella had driven back to the ranch, finding refuge in her mother's bed. She wanted to take in the smell, remember every detail of it. She closed her eyes and willed herself to remember. She would have spent forever in there if the sound of a doorbell hadn't forced her to leave the security of her mothers' world and return to the real one. She had opened the door knowing it would be someone from the club. After all Simon was still manning the gates despite his obvious sadness at the news. It had been Dorothy Wiz's wife. Wiz's wife Dorothy had shown up about a half an hour ago shortly followed by Marie, Tease's wife. Soon after, old ladies and crow eaters had invaded the kitchen, cooking for what would obviously become a big gathering. She had hated the forced hugs she kept getting from everyone. It was so hypocritical. Her mother had hated the club and everything it represented. And the club hated her back.

Ella didn't hate Dorothy, and she actually liked Marie, but the last thing she felt like doing was making conversation to people who didn't know who her mother was. So Ella had taken refuge in her bedroom, trying to ignore the rustling that was taking place downstairs. It must have been 95 degrees outside but yet she kept shivering so she decided to try and warm up with a shower. She let the hot water batter her body for a long time unable to think straight. It was like her brain had been shut down and she kept thinking about the most trivial things like which dress she should take to the funeral house for her mother or which lipstick she might like. After what seemed like hours, she got out and once dressed she sat on her bed unsure of what to do next.

Her thoughts went back to her mother. She was always the perfect hostess. No matter who was at her table, no matter what humiliation she had to swallow that, she would always hold her head up high and smile when her guests arrived. Ella remembered how as a kid she used to sit on the stairs and watch her parents entertain the rest of the club. Ella never recognized her mother in the woman who laughed at dirty jokes, asked about kids she thought were rude, or complied with the complex hierarchy within the club. That woman was so different from the Nell she saw on a daily basis. But as she grew up, her mother explained to her there were duties that came with being the president's wife. Duties that could not be ignored. Ella had never quite grasped why after everything that went on behind closed doors, things everyone knew but no one admitted to, her mother still felt like she had to play along with the charade. It was her duty she always said by way of explanation. The last thing Ella wanted to do was disappoint her mother especially today. So she made a decision and raised her head up high closing her eyes as if she could somehow bottle in all the pain she felt. Once she was satisfied that she was in control, she stood up, straighten her skirt and made her way downstairs.

From outside the kitchen, she could hear the comments, the laughs between the women. Hearing them, she understood why they always claimed to be a "family". To the untrained eye, they might have all seemed like sisters teasing one another.

Ella entered the kitchen and as soon as they realised her presence the laughter stopped.

Marie walked to her, but thankfully her huge belly prevented her from attempting a hug. Instead she just rubbed her back like her mother used to do when she was a kid "How are you doing, honey?"

"I'm fine. What can I do?"

She didn't miss the looks they all threw each other but it was Dorothy who replied. "Sure you don't want to get some rest, sweetheart? There is going to be a lot of people here in the next couple of days."

"I'm fine."

Dorothy was about to reply when the kitchen door opened and Ella instantly recognized the woman. It was Darcy, her father's lover.

It was like the air of the room suddenly got sucked out. No one moved or said a word. They all knew about her father's affair with Darcy and worse they all knew she knew.

"Hi Ella. I'm... sorry about your mum."

Ella looked at her trying to summon the contempt and the hate she had felt so many times to the bear mention of her name. But she found that she didn't have the energy for it. Her mother was dead. Nothing else mattered to her at that instant,

Dorothy cleared her throat and turned to Darcy. "You should probably leave, hun. You being here..."

"Let her stay."

The whole room turned to Ella. They couldn't quite believe that those words had come out of her mouth. To be honest, she couldn't quite believe it herself. Ella had blamed her many times over for hurting her mother but the truth was Darcy was just a lost kid who needed a family and found the Sons. In exchange she had accepted to offer her charms to a man who would never love her.

Darcy shot her a grateful look before busying herself. The sight of group of women of which Ella would never be a part, women she would never understand in her mother's kitchen suddenly got too much. "Actually, , I think you're right I should probably get some rest."

"Okay hon'. You let me or Marie know if you need anything."

Lenny was sick of hiding. It had been two days since the ambush on the Sons and he felt like a lion in a fucking cage. Juan had guaranteed him a lot of money for his services. He had also promised none of the Sons would be around to seek retribution. So far, he had failed to deliver on any of his promises. He sighted thinking about what he done for Juan. Killing the Arsonist had never been part of the plan but the kid had gotten suspicious when he had started asking questions about the sons and Lenny couldn't let him voice his paranoia to anyone else.

Lenny took a long swig out of his beer finishing it. "Hey Tina baby, bring me a cold one would ya?" he exclaimed lighting a cigarette.

When she didn't respond, he called her out. "Baby?"

She appeared at the threshold of the door and he smiled at her until he read the expression on her face and registered the terror in her eyes. He stood up but before he could make a move, she was shoved to the floor and the room was invaded by the Sons all pointing their guns at him. Precious Pete walked to him and Lenny didn't see his fist coming until it was already hitting him, smashing against his stomach like a goddamn freight train. "Hey Lenny."

Lenny buckled from the force of the blow and he fell to his knees. Pete quickly followed with several punches in the face and Lenny went down tasting bile and blood. He could hear Tina screaming in the background but he couldn't see her. He heard one of the men tell her to shut the fuck up and Lenny tried to say something but he didn't get the chance. Pete's foot caught him off guard. He felt a cracking noise in his ribs and doubled over, gasping for air. He felt Pete's fingers grip his hair and pull him up. "Stand up."

"Pete, man, I can explain."

"Shut up." The order had come from their President. Lethal Ray. Lenny shifted his look to face him. His vision was blurred by the stream of blood coming from his eyebrow but he could see enough to shiver under Ray's eyes of steel trained on him. The room went entirely silent as if the air had suddenly been sucked out. The only sound you could hear was Tina's quiet sobs. Lenny knew that in all probability he would be dead in the next few minutes, but he had to try and protect her.

"She has got nothing to do with this."

Ray continued to stare right into him, emotionless. "I know."

Lenny felt himself relax slightly. Maybe he would be able to save her. After all, the Sons didn't have a reputation for hurting women and innocents.

Kozik shot Pete a questioning look. The tension in the room was palpable and He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do now. And by the looks on his brothers' face, none of them knew. Ray's eyes were burning into Lenny but it was like he was looking through him. He seemed elsewhere, as if lost in thoughts,. The girlfriend tried to move again and Chance told her to calm the fuck down if she didn't want to get hurt. Ray suddenly seemed to snap out of it.

"Chance, bring me the girl."

Chance obeyed and gripping the girl by her hair he dragged her across to the President.

"Nah, man I told you she has nothing to do with this." Lenny pleaded

Tease shot Kozik a look of incomprehension. Precious Pete threw Lenny back on the couch and turned to his best friend "Ray?"

Ray looked at him with cold, unfazed eyes and grabbed Tina from Chance. He took her arm violently and sat her down with force so that she was facing Lenny. Trails of tears were running down either side of her face, her lip was split.

"Please let her go man. You can have me, she didn't do anything."

"Do you love her Lenny?"

"What?"

Ray cocked up his gun and put it on the girls head, gripping her hair so she couldn't get away. She screamed in fear. The guys threw each other bewildered looks all wondering what the hell Ray thought he was doing.

Pete was starting to get very nervous about what the President might do "Ray."

The President ignored them and repeated. "I said do you love her?"

"Yes, man, I...I love her."

"You would anything for her right?"

"Yeah."

Would you die for her Lenny?" Ray tightening his grip on her hair."

Lenny swallowed hard."Yeah. Now please let"

"Please man" Lenny begged him closing his eyes.

"Open you eyes."

"Please."

"Open your eyes!"

Lenny did as he was told but instead of looking at Ray he looked at the woman he loved.

"You failed her Lenny. You were meant to protect her and instead you put her life in danger because of your greed." Ray seemed to relax his tight grip on Tina and Lenny eyes darted back to Ray "This is on you." Ray announced softly before pulling the trigger.

Blood exploded across the room as the young woman's lifeless body fell to the floor under the shocked eyes of the Sons. None of them had expected Ray to actually pull the trigger.

After a moment of stunned silence, Lenny wailed "Nooooooooooooooo!"

"Jesus Christ!" Pete exclaimed.

Ray had not shifted his look from Lenny for even one second. "Finish him." He ordered before walking out of the living room and into the kitchen. They all stood in silence, stunned by what had just taken place. Lenny was crying softly over his old lady's body. Pete approached him and shot him twice in the back of the head. The old man looked up at his brothers "Let's go." he said softly before leaving without another word.

Ella woke up and immediately saw it was dark out. She checked her watch and realised she had been asleep for hours. She could hear loud voices coming from downstairs and knew that the club was there. Her thoughts quickly flicked to Kozik but she dismissed them and admonished herself for thinking about a guy in those circumstances.

She went to the bathroom to freshen up and checked her reflection in the mirror. She was a scary sight. She had cried herself to sleep and dried streams of tears could still be seen on her cheeks, her eyes were swollen for crying and her hair was a tangled mess. She splashed her face with water and brushed her hair.

She picked out new clothes from her wardrobe and changed before checking herself in the mirror again. It was better.

She felt strangely detached, like she was on automatic pilot as if the events of the last twenty four hours were happening to someone else. She was lucid enough to know she was still in shock and the enormity of her mother's death would probably hit her later, but for now she was grateful that she could still feel in control. She gathered herself and decided it was time to make an appearance downstairs.

Kozik was standing with Tease and Wiz in the foyer, drinking beer. The place was absolutely packed. Three charters had already made their way to Tacoma and it was likely that others would follow suit. The family man was still flabbergasted by what had taken place that afternoon. "This is messed up, Koz. We don't kill women. If that's what we're about now, I..."

Koz put a hand on his shoulder. "His old lady just died man, he probably just lost it."

Wiz looked up and saw Ella making her way down the stairs. "Boy, let's keep it for church."

Kozik saw her and was amazed at how different she looked from the girl he had met a few weeks before. She was still beautiful but it was like the fire in her had been extinguished. Her eyes were empty, void of any emotion. They kept flicking through as if she couldn't fix her gaze for too long. Once again, Kozik had to resist the urge to comfort her. Tease spotted her and open his arms. "Hey Elle."

"Hey David." He held her tight for a moment before letting go and then it was Wiz turn to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry Kid."

"Thanks."

She looked at kozik and Wiz intervened. "Have you guys met?"

Kozik nodded affirmatively. He knew he was supposed to say something but words didn't feel quite enough. "Sorry about your mum."

She locked her eyes in his and Kozik thought he saw her eyes tear up as if she could finally let her defences down. It was gone as suddenly as it had appeared but it rattled him. They were taken out of the moment when the door opened. Kozik turned around and recognized his old charter, lead by Clay Morrow coming in. He spotted Kozik and opened his arms.

"Hey Brother."

"Hey Clay."

"Where's the old man?"

"He's in here somewhere."

"It's awful shit man."

"Yeah, but it's good that you guys are here."

Ella watched attentively as Kozik hugged his old brother in arms one by one with the exception of one. He had black jet curly hair, piercing blue eyes and his patch designated him as the sergeant at arms. Could he be the reason Kozik had left the mother charter?

She was interrupted in her thoughts by a husky feminine voice. "My condolences about your mother sweetheart." Ella turned to the woman and knew who she was straight away. They had never met but her reputation far preceded her. She was the Queen Bee by excellence. The mothers of the mothers. Gemma Teller Morrow in the flesh. Ella nodded her gratitude before the older woman continued. "Let the boys go around their business and let's go see the girls." She didn't wait for an answer and led the way, Ella following behind.