"This is Piney." My dad grabs the phone from Chucky and growls into it. I watch his face from the doorway. The guys have been gone for a few days and Chucky has helped me keep the garage going. It's been relatively quiet with the exception of Kozik and Tig constantly wanting to kill each other in the garage.
"What the hell do you want?" My dad's angry, his face turning several shades of red. I hurry to his side, making sure he's ok. He listens to the person on the other end for a few minutes before hanging up.
"What's going on dad?" I ask, my arms crossed over my chest. Chucky leaves the office, giving us some privacy.
"That fucking Mexican has Tara and the bitch from the hospital." He drops his voice, while he knocks on the window to get Tig's attention. "Holding her for ransom."
I move past the initial shock and move into auto-pilot.
"You and the boys go handle this. Take prospects if you have to. I'll call in some of the others for the day. Just go." I push him out the door where Tig meets him, watching the exchange between us with a curious expression.
"I'm supposed to get the kids after school for Lyla, she's not feeling well." He turns back to me.
"I got em. You just go now." I reassure him.
I'm able to get a few of the guys in on their day off and Chucky helps me rearrange the schedule. After the guys leave, my phone lights up. I don't recognize the number.
"Yeah." I answer cautiously.
"It's me Bree." Jaxson's voice is gritty and low.
"Oh my God, please tell me you're ok." I whisper, hurrying to lock myself in the office.
"It's been a crazy week sweetie." I listen to him without interruption as he tells me about the issues with police, Jimmy and now the two rats. He's exhausted and at his wits end. "How're things there?" Moment of truth, I needed to lie to him.
"I ain't gonna lie Jaxson, it's been hard without you guys here. I miss you, Opie. . . Filip. We've been busy at the garage. Tig and Kozik are gonna end up killing each other." He laughs a little at that. "But don't worry, we're all helping out and getting through it. Everyone's just waiting for Abel to come home." It wasn't a complete lie and he doesn't question it. I hear the music and voices in the background and realize how late it probably is there. "How's he doing Jax?"
"I really don't know. This has been hard on him, seeing his daughter and Fiona; then his nephew getting blown up by a Son." I hear him sigh on the other end. "He's ready to come home." I don't say anything. There are a million catty questions I could ask, details I could demand but I don't want to. I wanted Filip to decide and either way, I had to accept whatever he decided.
"What about Tara?" He asks.
"She's been a huge help, coming in to the garage after work to help me out and taking turns picking up the kids for Lyla." He doesn't ask for any details either. I feel miserable keeping this secret from him but he's going to do us no good from half a world away. Back to this stupid game.
"I gotta go Bree. You tell them we're safe and we'll be home soon." He tells me without emotion. I can tell he's hiding something and I let him for now. We'll talk more when I can see if he's lying to me.
"I love you Jaxson. You tell my brother the same thing. All of you better get your asses home." Tears threaten my eyes. "Tell Filip I love him ok?"
"Yeah, I will. I love you baby girl. Take care." He disconnects and I drop my head to the desk. Every time we seal up one dam, another bursts. The constant chaos is taking its toll on this club, on this family.
Time passes as I wait for news from both sides of our club. My fingers drum lazily against the bar. The boys were called into Charming PD an hour ago with some kind of news. I feel helpless. Tig calls me and tells me what happened.
"What do we do now Tig?" I ask.
"Gotta call the boys." He sighs on the other end.
"I'll do it." I offer.
"No, no. This falls on us." He asks me to do some favors before hanging up.
Kozik and Tig are back at the club house within minutes. They're actually getting along when they walk in together.
"Thank God you're back. What's going on? What'd Jaxson say?" I jump off the stool.
"Whoa, no 'hey big Tiggy, I missed you, I love you.'?" He smirks at me.
"Hey Kozik. Now Tig, what the fuck is going on?" Kozik laughs as he comes to sit down next to me.
"No news on Tara yet but Abel's safe, they'll be home tomorrow." Tig tells me as he puts his arm around me. I grit my teeth at the wave of nausea. Even though I had become used to faking things around Clay and Tig, each time they came near I was disgusted.
"That's amazing. I'll get shit set up, welcome our boys home." I move away from him, heading toward the door.
"Make sure you call the bitches or we'll never hear the end of it." Tig calls behind me with a sneer.
I'm almost to my car when Kozik jogs out to catch me.
"Bree, wait up." He calls. I stop and turn to wait for him. "You shouldn't go home alone."
"Wow, you've been hanging around Tig too much." I give him an odd look. "You're gonna need a way better line than that."
"Not like that, Salazar's nuts. He got Tara, I don't want something happening to you too." He explains himself. "Stay in one of the rooms here, that way Tig and I can keep an eye on you."
"Yeah, ok. I can do that. But if you hear Tig screaming tonight he was castrated for trying something." I warn him as we walk back to the clubhouse. Tig is already in one of the back rooms with one or two of the girls who were still up.
"Have a drink?" Kozik offers, handing me a glass. I take it gladly accepting the distraction.
"How have you been?" I ask. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"All right." He says, taking a drink from his glass. "What about you? And don't give me this I'm fine bullshit you've been shoving down everyone else's throat."
I fall to the couch, putting my legs under me and he sits down next to me. I stare at my glass, searching for answers in my whiskey. Nothing comes to mind.
"Honestly, since Donna's death shit's been crazy. We haven't had a moment to breathe. You know?" I don't look up at him.
"What's goin on with you and the Scot?" He asks the one question I wish he hadn't.
"We're . . . complicated." I finally decide on the word.
"Shit, all relationships are complicated." He turns on the couch to face me.
"Well thank you for your wisdom. Get that off a fortune cookie?" He chuckles.
"What are you gonna do if he comes back with the wife and kid?" I wonder who he's been talking to. I figure it's Happy but don't ask.
"I don't know." I confess.
"You're a good girl Bree. You deserve better than to be sitting here waiting for someone to maybe come home to you." He turns serious.
"I seem to recall a certain someone who bailed when I asked them to give up the crow-eaters." I take a sip of my drink and wait for him to say something. His face flushes. I roll my eyes at him and stand up. I take my glass to the bar and pour another drink. I don't realize he's behind me until his hand grazes my hip. I whip around to face him and he's right there.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice shaky and uncertain. Memories from my teenage rebellion resurface and I remember how great of a kisser he is.
"I was a kid. Young and dumb. So were you." He says, putting each of his hands on the bar around me. I lean back on my elbows.
"And now?" I ask.
"Now, part of me wanted to slit Chibs' throat open when I heard what he did to you." He leans in closer and I can't help but to stare at his lips.
"He didn't do anything. It was all on me." I tell him, closing my eyes.
"Bullshit!" He pushes himself away from the bar. "You're broken and you didn't do that to yourself."
"You don't know what you're talking about." I wrap my arms around myself, slightly surprised by his outburst but I choose to blame it on the alcohol.
"I know you love him and you're lying to everyone, including yourself." He leans against the pool table. "Just now, you had your chance to kiss me, something I know you used to love. Instead, you shut down. You couldn't do it. You can't 'betray' him even though you owe him nothing. He left you here to go be with his wife."
"Yeah, and it's killing me." I tell him.
"I know. We all see it." His voice turns soft again.
"I did not love kissing you." I laugh at him, eager to change the subject. He laughs and shakes his head at me. We hang out and catch up for a little while longer before I finally head to bed. I lock myself in Filip's room and curl up into his bed, surrounding myself with his scent.