[I felt bad for how long it's been so, boom - Multiple chapters]
They hadn't talked on their way to the clubhouse. Tig had allowed Mina to get off the bike before parking it in his usual spot on the right side of the lot. She looked to the office and saw Gemma drop a half smoked cigarette to the ground. As she went to approach Mina, she stepped on the smoking butt to put it out.
"Jax says someone broke into your house?" Gemma covered her eyes to keep the sun out from them.
Mina, who was adjusting her pants, wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs before walking towards Gemma. "I don't really know what's going on." Her eyes had been puffy like she'd been crying en route to the shop. Gemma could tell and pulled her into a hug. Tig stood and watched the two women embrace before seeing Jax and Opie exiting the clubhouse and walking towards him.
"Can't catch a fucking break, man," Tig said aloud.
"Comes with the territory. She remember anything about the truck or the guy?"
"No." Tig pulled a cigarette from his cut.
"What happened, man?" Opie said, curiously.
"We were in the middle of something and heard a banging over our banging."
"That's putting it nicely," Jax said as he lit a cigarette.
"By the time I reached the front door, they'd sped off. I don't even know if it was a guy or a girl, to be honest. Neighbors got a show though."
"Well, all's quiet here, for now. Same shit, nothing crazy." Jax took a long drag from his cigarette. "But we got that thing tonight so we're gonna have to get one of the prospects on it. Chibs comes back tonight, and I'm gonna need you and him for this."
Tig nodded as watched Mina pick up her bag and walk to the clubhouse.
"She gonna be okay?" Opie noticed Mina's upset and the look of anger Gemma gave the group before she returned to the office.
"Yeah, we had a fight. It'll blow over. What do you need me to do?"
….
"Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?" Mina pulled the phone away from her ear as Molly shouted at the other end.
"Listen, he said it was a green truck. That's the only thing we could see." Mina trotted down the familiar hall to Tig's room in the back of the clubhouse and pushed open the door. The bed had been replaced, so that was good. She walked over and pushed on it-pillow top. Even better, she thought.
"Green truck?" Molly was a bit calmer. She looked to Chibs who was very attentive to the conversation at hand. Molly shrugged at him.
"I dunno. I got a bad feeling." Mina placed her bed on the ground and figured she'd unpack the little clothes she'd brought later. At this point, she felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
"Well, someone broke in. I'd have a bad feeling too. Did they take anything?"
"No," Mina sighed before resting her head on the pillow. "He just sat at the table and when Tig went to investigate, he'd fled. That's all I know. And it isn't just because someone broke. It feels…I can't explain it. I feel off."
"Great," Mina could hear the syrupy sarcasm in Molly's voice. I know, Mina thought to herself. She sat up and reached for the smokes in her purse. Pulling out a menthol light, she lit it and laid back down on the bed. She remembered how new the bed actually was, so she sat up on the edge so as not to burn it. (Not as if she had the intention-this was just a precaution.) "Well, Mina, we're like an hour out, so I'll see you at the clubhouse."
"Yeah, I'll see you." And the two said their goodbyes before hanging up. Mina finished her cigarette and put it out in the ashtray at the side of the bed. She laid her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes before sighing deeply. Moments later, she heard a couple people enter the clubhouse. She was so comfy on the bed, she couldn't think of anything to convince herself to close the door so in bed she stayed.
After a couple minutes, she'd fallen asleep.
….
"QUINT! MORRIS!" A 17 year-old Mina screamed as the two boys came up the back steps onto the large porch. Mina and a few of her friends had decided to have an impromptu BBQ at Stumpy's despite the 60 degree weather in the middle of July. The sun was out, so they weren't freezing but it definitely wasn't the sweltering heat they'd been suffering through only a few days prior. Quint and Morris had just come back into town after serving a bit of time in Juvie for stealing a car. Morris and Quint were like night and day. Morris was loud and boisterous while Quint was quiet and shy-even now. She hugged them both and offered them a couple beers.
She'd remembered that the group of them drank themselves into a stupor so the night was a blur, only a collection of moments here and there. There was a flash of them laughing over the burnt hot dogs and hamburgers, a flash of passing a joint between the group of them, Quint always foregoing the joint and passing it to the next person; the next flash was watching Morris and Amber, one of her friends from high school, dancing rather seductively with each other while Stumpy and Nicole pretty much fucked each other. Mina turned turned her gaze to Quint.
Quint had always been a quiet kind of kid. She'd known Quint since he'd moved to the area around the 3rd grade. He'd quickly become the target of bullying until, one day, Mina had stood up to the kid harassing Quint and the bullying stopped. Since then, she'd been friends with Quint. She knew all about Quint's father and his military background. She knew about the strict up bring and knew about the beatings Quint and his brothers suffered because of their father's alcoholism and PTSD. She had hoped he wouldn't get involved with a bad crowd but she couldn't say she was surprised. The first time he was locked up, it was for beating his father for going after his 5 year brother. Once they were in high school, Quint moved to another suburb, so she'd only heard about him from friends but every so often, she'd get a letter from Quint. She knew that his father was finally put away for good and that his mother and brothers were safe but Quint still found himself in trouble. He had gotten a couple tattoos in the time he'd been gone but he still had a nice smile.
And here he was beside her, smiling and looking into her eyes intently. He was quiet but there was a glint in his eyes that sparked some unknown feelings in her. She attributed it to danger-almost as if that spark in his eyes was the Mr. Hyde to his rather meek Dr. Jekyll. She saw it shining through now in his eyes. Maybe it was the reflection of the fire or maybe…
She smiled at him. "What?"
"You're absolutely beautiful."
"Aw, Quint!" Mina giggled as she playfully punched Quint's arm. Even in the dimness of the firelight, she could see Quint's cheeks go red from blushing. Mina felt the alcohol now as she became light headed and leaned into Quint. With her head on his shoulder, she felt his head turn to her and he whispered something she couldn't understand. Instead, she nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. Mina felt something stir inside her and a thought occurred to her. She decided to test the waters, so to speak, and she looked up to him. When she caught his attention, she leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and harmless. Once done, she put her head back on his shoulders and said she loved him.
Despite all the trouble he'd been in, Quint was a good guy. Maybe one day, he'd shape up. Maybe all this stuff was a phase and eventually, he'd find himself a good girl who'd love him and he'd treat her like a princess. As she stared into the fire, she drifted off to sleep.
…..
He woke up covered in sweat despite having slept in the nude. Throwing the light blanket to the ground, Quint walked over to the desk and stood beside it, the only light coming from the now neon sign proclaiming "Free HBO." As he looked out towards the town, he could see the lights of several motorcycles turning the corner and drive past the little motel. Quint squeezed the bunched up fabric of the moth eaten crimson curtain until they'd passed. He then turned his attention to the picture on the desk before him and stared at Mina.
…..
She'd been asleep for about an hour now. Tig stood in the doorway and watched her torso go up and down- a steady rhythm signifying deep sleep. He had a sudden wave of anxiety come over him, like the feeling of missing the last step coming down the staircase. He needed to find out who that guy was and what the fuck he was doing in their house.
Their house?
Her house.
Aw fuck.