CHAPTER ELEVEN

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. Plugging my own story here: Anyone who hasn't already read it I re-wrote Laying Pipe and I'd appreciate all the feedback I can get. It's nothing like this, only 2 chapters and less than 5 thousand words.

Donna looks at my white face and pulls my arm till I sit down at the chair she's shoved behind me "What?"

I look towards the screen "They've moved the trial date up by almost a week."

Donna frowns "Isn't that a good thing?"

Shaking my head furiously my mouth is about 10 miles in front of my racing brain "No! Charlotte, the prosecuting DA was meant to come down here for a few days before hand to go through everything with you guys but now she's not going to have time."

Donna squeezes my hand "Why is that a problem?"

"Cause it was going to be the test if I could say with a straight face that I haven't seen Craig since I left New York."

Cam turns to me and narrows her eyes shocking me back into the present "Oh fuck." I whisper quietly looking towards Al and Donna hoping they'll be able to help me but their heads shaking make me realise the hole I just dug.

Cam taps her fingernails on the table "What the fuck did that mean?"

Swallowing tightly I get up and wave towards the living room "I'd rather be comfortable if I'm about to be executed." Curling into the armchair in the corner I wait till she's sitting across from me at the end of the couch "Craig showed up here about a week after I got back."

"Is that why there was always a patch with us at the hotel, and every time we left the place?" I nod "And when it suddenly stopped?"

I pick nervously at the clip on the back of the baby monitor that I'd carried through with me "I can't tell you Cam. Uncle Clay would kill me."

"You mean like he killed Craig?" Cam says it in such a matter of fact way that it's not just my head that shoots in her direction, the stunned look visible on my face. "Well that confirms it." She says in a 'no duh' sort of voice.

I shake my head "My Uncle Clay did not kill Craig." I state plainly, my eyes locked on hers.

She cocks one eyebrow "But he ordered it." She leans into the back of the couch and sighs "S, I'm not stupid, don't start treating me like I am. I know you almost as well as Donna and Al know you, you and I lived together for four years remember." I nod and she tugs her hair lightly "You always told me that you learnt the most about life from observing when you were younger, coming here to meet your family I took a leaf from your book and I'll tell you what I noticed and what I know."

I nod and Al sinks onto the couch beside Cam while Donna sits down beside me on the chair, our legs tangled together.

"Firstly I know that the Sons are more than a motorcycle club. I don't know of a single club where every member is armed with at least two weapons at all times. I know every single guy at least carries one gun, by now don't you think I know the bulge of a holster. Beside that fact why would a group of 'Harley enthusiasts' need a Sergeant at Arms?"

I bite my lower lip and stay silent while she taps her fingers on her knee "Add that to the fact that I know what burnt gunpowder smells like it kinda started making sense to me even before Happy and I hooked up the first time."

I lift my head, my eyebrows creasing "What does Hap have to do with any of this?"

Cam shrugs "Everything. His body is what put the parts together for me."

"Huh?" I'm truly confused and she giggles.

"Let me explain and it'll make sense I promise." I nod and she picks at a loose thread on the bottom of her shirt "First thing was the shedding of his holster, and the fact his gun was put within arm's reach of his bed, safety off. Also he has these amazing tattoos, shit half of them look like they're about to jump off his skin but there's a few that stood out to me. He has 'I live, I die, I kill for my family' around his neck. I know the only family he has is his Mom and his Aunt that both live in Bakersfield so I asked about it and he told me that the Sons are his family. That coupled with the fact that everyone calls him killer put everything into place. What nailed and cemented it was in New York, Opie's reaction to those photos and Jax's lack of overemotional reaction clicked the last pieces together."

Donna holds up her hand "Hang on a sec, S and I took ages to calm those boys down at your house, how does that make anything make sense?"

Cam smiles at us both "Simple, Jax beat the shit out of someone for simply comparing S to his ex-wife, there was no way he would have been calmed by just words after seeing that, and the articles, he barely got annoyed at them. Yes he swore a few times and there were a few articles that didn't survive him reading them but he was way too calm." Cam let's go of the bottom of her shirt "I don't want any details, plausible deniability and all that but I will say this, and I'm only gonna say it once, if that bastard suffered anywhere near as much pain as I think he did before his heart stopped it's only a fraction of what he deserved. Now as far as I know he's still alive and on the run somewhere."

Cam smiles hugely "I'd better ring Daddy and let him know the trial's been moved so we'll need the plane earlier." Jumping to her feet she goes back into the kitchen.

The three of us look at each other in silence for a few seconds before I laugh "I am not going to be the one to tell Clay she knows."

Al and Donna both shake their heads "Ditto there!" Donna says with a shudder "If she worked that out though just from what we've been like do you think anyone else would have?"

Al shakes her head "Nah, no way. Cammy's a bit like S, she's always observing and always listening. She puts together stuff in her head like a puzzle. Besides that, who else is ever going to get close enough to Hap to ask him questions like that?"

I clear my throat and Al looks over at me and laughs "Yeah but Hap loves you, you're his little sister and he'd give you the moon if he could."

I shake my head, only stopping when Donna pokes me in the side "Do you remember that weekend when we were 16 and you wanted to go to some light show? Who was it that not only convinced Gemma to lie to your uncle about where you were but also took you there?"

I laugh remembering the night Donna's talking about "Yeah I remember that. Hap had to promise Gemma he wouldn't leave me side all night before she'd agree to let me go with him, she was sure he'd dump me there and take off. Strangely no one came near me all night." I squeeze Donna's hand lightly "That probably had something to do with the hugely tattooed man who was glaring at everyone though."

Donna laughs "Yeah that'd do it. Hap still scares me sometimes."

Al nods enthusiastically "Juice said that Hap would help me move my tattoo gear if I needed it but he's just so intimidating."

I snort at them being scared of him but looking over at Al I get what she means, her insulted look at my snort has me opening my mouth before I can think "Ali-bean I know what you mean, I do. Hap is very scary looking, he's frightening and if I didn't know him as well as I do I'd never ask him anything and probably run away from him but he really would do anything you need him to. You're his brothers Old Lady that makes you family."

Cam dances back into the room and drops back onto the couch "Plane sorted, house viewings sorted, Ali-cat you're coming aren't you?" Al nods and Cam grins "Sweet, we can use your car cause I have no wheels on this coast. Ahh fuck, that means I've got another cross country drive to do!"

I sit up straight "So wait till the beginning of September to bring your car over and we'll come with you."

"What?" Cam looks almost as confused as I felt before.

"Well, the Viper will be ready sometime in the first week of September and Jax and I are going to fly to Detroit to pick it up, why don't you drive to Detroit and meet us, that way we can go together. In fact with the trial moved we may as well just stay in New York till the fucken car is finished. Abel can come with us I'm sure, course that means he'll have to travel in your Escalade."

Cam frowns "I don't know S, taking a baby across the country in a plane then driving back isn't that gonna be a bit hard on him?"

I shake my head "No it's perfect actually. I know Jax he'll want to be back as quickly as he can which would mean 10-14 hour driving days but with Abel we won't be able to drive more than about 6 hours a day."

"Okay, other problem then. Including Abel there's going to be 8 of us and what, 7 seats?" Cam says with a raised eyebrow.

I shrug "Yeah that's a point."

Donna twists her head to look at me and then at Cam and Al "I could have a solution." She says quietly waiting till we're all looking at her "Well Ope's been bugging me to get a new car, what's wrong with buying one from New York or Detroit and driving it back as well?"

I smile and hug her tightly bouncing in my seat "It's completely perfect that way you can buy brand new and this way Kenny and Ellie can come too!"

Donna shakes her head "Uhh no, budget won't stretch that far S but it would be nice to take the kids away before they start school."

I roll my eyes "You think your budget won't stretch but as long as you buy a Dodge or a Jeep I can get you a discounted rate from Dodge. Those guys love me."

Al snorts and nods "They see dollar signs every time you walk through the door into the dealership S. That's why they love you."

I poke my tongue out and look at Donna "I'll send them an e-mail later and find out what they have and what prices they are okay?"

Donna sighs and nods silently.

Al leans over and pats her knee "Don't worry D. When she picked up her Challenger from the plant in Detroit it was meant to be a 9 hour drive back to New York. It took her 2 days."

I laugh and lean back into the seat "Yeah cause I kept stopping to take photos of it."

Donna shakes her head and laughs "Okay okay, I get it I'm being railroaded into this. You give me the costs and I'll talk to Ope, we have a very strict budget for this S, so no giving me half amounts and paying the rest behind my back. Okay?"

I nod and rest my head on her shoulder "I wouldn't do that Donna, I really wouldn't." The use of her full name has her squeezing my hand and whispering that she knows.

Cam looks over "So we're sorted then. Go over for the trial, pick up Sarah's new car the first week of September and whatever Donna buys then drive all the way back across the country?"

I nod and grin "Yep and you can pay for accommodation this time. I'll cover food."

Cam smirks "I think I'll get the cheaper end of that."

"Probably. Now, I've got a bed covered in boxes of a junkies shit and a storage unit full of stuff to sort out, who's helping?"