Chapter 3

Emma and I were cleaning and getting our sniper rifles ready in one of the bedrooms. Emma had been my best friend for over eight years now. We had been training and learning together, and we told each other everything. Even though we were quiet for the most part, I knew that Emma would ask the question that I was dreading.

"So," she started innocently. "How did your family take it?"

I sighed as I cleaned my scope. "They…uh…they don't know."

"What? Why not?" she shot back.

"I'm not sure that I want them to know," I told her honestly. "I don't know. I know that I don't want it to turn into a big fight, even though it's already happened. My Pop and Opie will think it's their fault, and the boys will look at me with pity. They all will treat me like fucking glass more than they already do, and I don't want that."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Emma asked genuinely.

I looked up from putting the bullets into the clip and into her smokey gray eyes. They held no pity, only genuine concern and honesty. Emma was the only one who really knew what I went through. I smiled at her. "I would appreciate it Em," I told her. "Thank you."

"It's what family does Sav," she replied with a smile.

We finished getting our rifles ready and headed downstairs to meet with the others. We headed out to the meeting spot early. Emma and I were on overwatch in two separate locations as Niall, Heidi, and Anton were coming in to be with Jimmy for close contact. We were all connected with earpieces so we could talk to each other.

"Everyone in place?" Heidi's voice asked in my ear.

"All good," I confirmed.

"Here too," Emma called.

"Good, client coming in," she informed us.

I watched from my spot as Jimmy came in with the others. I heard the rumble of bikes as SAMCRO came up to the meeting. Almost immediately, once Opie saw Niall, he went to jump him. Tank moved between them and Jax and Chibs held back Opie. I could practically see Niall's smug smirk.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Opie's demand came over the com.

"He's here because I hired them," Jimmy replied. "I hired them for protection. I've had some trouble with some Russians. Are we all good here? Or is this going to be a problem?"

Clay managed to get Opie under control for a moment in order to get the meeting going. I could see from my post that Niall was still smirking cockily, and that was annoying Opie and many of the others. "Niall," I called in the com. "If you don't stop aggravating SAMCRO, I'd be happy to shoot you for them."

I watched through my scope as Niall lost his smirk and was replaced by a small frown. I heard the chuckles of my other three teammates, and I saw the confused looks of the Sons. Once they finalized the deal, I felt the rumble of vehicles coming towards us. I took out my binoculars and looked around the area. I spotted three black SUVs coming our way. "Puma," I said in my earpiece. "Incoming."

"How many?" she asked.

"Three SUVs," I reported. "I only see the drivers and passengers though. The windows are tinted, so I don't know how many there are." The cars parked, and a few more got out of the backs. "Correction, there are twelve. They just stopped and are splitting up into different directions."

"Where are they going?"

"Eight are headed towards you," I told her. "Four to your right and four to your left. The others are heading my way."

"Pixie stay alert and cover us," Heidi ordered, and Emma agreed. "Mayhem take the others."

A menacing grin spread across my face. "Lethal or non-lethal?" You could hear the excitement in my voice.

"Do what you want," she replied with a grin in her voice.

"Copy that." I quickly broke down my rifle and put it away before going after the four men. I managed to sneak up behind them and took out the one at the back. The other three quickly turned to me with guns drawn. "How ya doin' boys?" I grinned at them.

Quickly, I disarmed two of them and took them down. Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me, pinning my arms to my side.

"Mayhem," Heidi's voice called in my ear. "The others are out. How are you doing?"

"I'm a bit busy here," I grunted, throwing my head back. Hearing a satisfying crunch, the man holding me let go, grabbing his nose in response. I turned with a roundhouse kick to his head. He went down as I turned to the others to make sure they were down. After they were all down, I took a moment to catch my breath.

"Mayhem," Tank's voice called.

"Here," I called back. Tank soon came running through the trees with Opie right behind him. Tank took in the scene, before looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that," I huffed. "I haven't hit anyone in months, if you don't count Niall."

He just chuckled at me, before speaking in his com. "All good here Puma."

"Alright, everyone pack it up and meet back here," she ordered.

I went back to grab my bag with my rifle in it. Tossing it on my back, I walked back to Tank to follow him. I spared Opie a glance and he was looking at me with a worried and confused look.

"Sis," he started, causing both Tank and I to stop.

"I don't want to hear it right now Harry," I snapped, and walked away. I heard the large footsteps of both giant men following me. We reached the meeting place, and I could see the shocked looks of SAMCRO when they saw me. I didn't pay them any mind as I turned to Heidi. "Clean up on isle four," I told her with a wicked smirk.

She smiled and nodded to me.

"Have fun Mayhem?" Emma asked me, leaning against our dirt bikes.

I smiled at her. "Oh, you know it."

"Hold on!" Tig shouted and we all turned to him as he pointed to us. "Who are they?!"

"Sorry, we were never introduced," Heidi said with a diplomatic smile. "We're the Hell Cats. I go by Puma."

"Green," Niall said when Heidi motioned to him.

"Pixie," Emma introduced and then pointed next to her at Anton. "Big guy here is my husband, Tank."

They all looked over at me. "You already know me," I snapped in irritation. "Pixie and I are gonna head back to the house Puma."

She nodded to me as I climbed onto my dirt bike and put my helmet on before starting it up. Emma did the same and we took off towards our safe house. I was going a little faster than necessary, but I didn't care. I just needed to get away from the Sons as fast as possible. Once we got to the house and headed inside, I put my bag down in my bedroom and went to take a shower. I could feel the blood in my hair, and I was covered in dirt and sweat.

After my shower, I put on a matching light blue bra and panty set. I put on a black SAMCRO t-shirt and a pair of distressed jeans, along with my black boots. I left my wet hair down to dry and went downstairs to find Emma. She was waiting by the front door with an expectant look. I sighed at her. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

Emma only smiled at me and threw my car keys at me to catch. She held up another pair of keys. "You have to get the rest of your stuff and your car anyway."

She grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the orange 1990 Dodge Charger. Everyone in Hell Cats had some kind of classic muscle car. I got in the passenger side as Emma started up the engine and drove us to Teller Morrow Automotive.

*Coming Home*

Emma had me explaining what happened when Niall showed up and I told her about Happy as well. She even started cursing Niall. Emma parked the car on the street and turned the car off. "You can't wait forever to get this done Sav," Emma said quietly when I didn't get out right away. "I'm gonna be there with you the entire time."

"I don't know if I can do this," I whispered. "I don't want them to know how broken that I really am."

"Savannah," Emma scolded. "You are not broken. You weren't broken back then, and you certainly aren't broken now. I'll walk up there with you if you want me to."

"Give me five minutes, then you can come rescue me," I joked lightly, and got out of the car. After closing the door, I looked around the lot to see that the lights at the gym next to the clubhouse were still on. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Slowly making my way over, I started to hear voices.

"You didn't see her eyes Pop," Opie's voice sounded aggravated. "She wasn't the same girl that I remember."

"No matter what she's been through," my Pop's voice argued. "She's still your sister."

"Piney is right," Gemma's voice joined in. "She's still a part of this family, and we need to support her."

I crept around the corner and saw Opie standing at the heavy bag. The rest of the guys were scattered around the area. Clay sat at one end of the picknick table with Gemma standing next to him, and Pop sat at the other end, looking pissed off. Tig sat between them trying to keep the peace. Jax stood next to the heavy bag along with Juice. Happy sat on the boxing ring while Kyle, Chibs and Bobby stood on either side of him.

I took a deep breath through my nose and stepped around the corner. "I thought I felt my ears burning," I said, announcing my presence. "Now I know why."

Clay, Tig, Gemma and Pop spun around to look at me, and the others looked shocked that I was there. Happy even hopped down from the ring. I didn't really look at anyone else but Opie, as he took a step forward. A silence fell as the two of us stared at each other, the others looking between us noticing the tension between us.

"Hi," I said to break the silence.

After a moment, Opie went to open his mouth, but closed it for a second and looked unsure of what to say. Then he said the one thing that I didn't think he would say. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked, tilting my head in genuine curiosity.

"For what I said earlier today," he muttered.

I looked at him in confusion. I expected him to apologize later and not in front of all of his brothers. Blowing out breath, I shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to forgive." He went to argue, but I shook my head. "Opie, we're Winston's. We get angry, we fight, and we say things we don't mean. It's what we do."

"What's this I hear about you being a part of a mercenary group?!" Pop asked angrily as he stood up. "How long have you been a part of that?"

"Point proven," I nodded towards him and shrugged. "Seven years. Trained for two and worked for five."

"Is that where you went to do when you ran away?!" he asked angrily. Opie walked over to try and get him to calm down. "No! This is not how she was raised!"

"I didn't run away," I cut in simply, and everyone stopped and looked over at me in confusion. "Did I have a fight with Ma? Yeah, I did. Did I run away after that? And leave all my stuff behind? No, I didn't. I went for a walk to cool down after the yelling match. I had every intention of coming back."

"Why didn't you?" Jax asked.

I sighed. "I was out next to one of the wooded areas next to the road, and I got grabbed by some men in a black van. I got knocked out, so I don't remember much of where we went, but when I did wake up, I was south of the border."

"Mexico?" Tig asked in disbelief, then he looked angry. "Human traffickers." I nodded in confirmation. "So, they sold you?"

I shook my head. "No, fortunately. Turns out all that studying Spanish paid off, I was able to understand them. When they figured that out, they decided to keep me. I was their translator for the girls that they grabbed."

"They kept you for that?" Kyle asked skeptically.

"For the most part, yes," I answered shrugging. "Apparently, the leaders son took a liking to me and wanted me to be closer, so I got more privileges."

"Did they-?" Opie started but looked unsure and leaving the question open.

"No," I replied shaking my head. "He wouldn't let that happen at all. He killed three of his own men for even trying."

"How long were you there for?" Opie asked.

"Three years," I told him in a quiet tone, and Opie turned away to punch the heavy bag.

"How did you get out?" Juice asked curiously. "You said that you were a part of the Hell Cats for seven years and you were south of the border for three. So, how did you get to them?"

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "They grabbed the wrong girl. Emma, her father, is decently rich, so they asked for a ransom. Instead of listening, he hired the Hell Cats to get her out. We became close during the time that she was there, and she wouldn't leave me behind, so they got me out too. I made a deal with Puma that I train for two years and then work for five, then I could come back home."

"Where's Emma now?" Tig asked. "If you were close, do you still stay in contact?"

"You met her," I replied, and smiled at their confused looks. "Pixie is Emma. She decided to join me instead of leaving me alone. She even met her husband by doing so."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Pop asked me in concern.

"Because you would treat me like glass," I spat, getting angry. "You all do already. I didn't want to be put in another box with limited room to do shit and with rules of what I can and can't do. While it was understandable when I first got here, it is not as fun after a few months."

"We just wanted you safe," Opie defended. "We lost you for ten years and then you show up. We didn't want you to leave again."

"Yeah, well, as you can see, I can take care of myself," I countered. "There's no reason to be that concerned. Not to mention, I waited those ten years as well to come back home. I'm not leaving again."

It was quiet as everyone digested what was said. After a minute or so, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked over to see Emma standing there with a questioning look. I nodded at her before turning to the others. "Everyone, this is Emma Florian. Em, this is my family." I then pointed to each person as I said their names. They all either nodded or waved at her. "Lastly, my brother, Harry or Opie as we like to call him, and my Pop, Piney."

"It's good to finally meet you all," she said with a smile. "Sav has told me a lot about you."

I blushed a little bit as everyone gave me questioning looks. "You all are my family, of course, I'm gonna talk about you," I shrugged, trying to play it off, and Emma gave a quiet giggle. "Anyway, Puma bought a house here in town, so I'll be staying there for a while. I'll leave the address inside if you ever want to come and talk."

As I made to walk inside, Clay spoke up. "You're still employed here Savannah," he told me, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I expect you to be back here on Monday to work."

He tossed my work shirt at me, and I smiled as I caught it. "Yes sir."

Going inside and going to my dorm, I got the bag that was under the bed out and set to get the rest of my clothes out. As I was folding, I couldn't help but feel as if this is what it would have been like to move out. It was something that I didn't get to experience. I heard a knock on the door and called for them to come in. I had half expected it to be my brother or Pop, but Happy walked in instead.

"Won't everyone get suspicious if you keep following me?" I asked as I put more clothes in my bag.

"Let them," he growled. "Are you really doing this?"

"Do what?"

"Leaving the clubhouse," he said as if it was obvious.

"We all need a break from each other Happy," I explained. "I need a break from feeling suffocated, and all of you need to get that I can take care of myself. You haven't treated me like glass like the others have. Don't start now."

"That's not what I'm doin'," he defended. "I just don't want you staying there by yourself. You won't have anyone to watch your back."

"I won't be alone," I told him, zipping up my bag. "Emma and Tank are staying until they find a place of their own. Emma wants to stay close, and she loves a small town. Niall's gonna stay for at least another week before going back to Ireland."

Happy growled in annoyance and I looked at him in confusion. "Is there something going on between you and him?"

I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I tried to work out what he was talking about. "Me and who?" I asked, then it dawned on me, and I scoffed. "Niall? Hell no. Nothing's going on with him. Niall is just a friend. He just came over to help."

"A friend doesn't drop everything and come over to help," Happy snarled at me angrily.

I stared at him for a moment and watched as his jaw muscle twitch. "Are you jealous?"

Happy looked startled for a moment before a hard look entered his dark eyes. "Maybe, but my point still stands. He wouldn't be here otherwise something else was going on."

I moved to stand in front of him. "Happy, Niall is just a friend." He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "One, he came over for a job, not just me. Two, Niall was there to help me when I was at my worst. He has me talk to him about my nightmares when I have them. But Niall and I aren't together. I'm not his type."

"What the fuck does that mean?" he questioned. "Is there supposed to be something wrong with you?"

I chuckled at him. "Happy, Niall is gay, not to mention married to a guy." He looked surprised at that, and I wasn't sure why he was so worried about this. "Why are you so interested in this? We're not together."

"I would like for us to be," he declared firmly, and I looked at him in confusion. "Look, Sav, I don't talk about feelings like this, so don't get used to it. I really like you and I want to see where this goes."

I stared into his dark eyes and saw nothing but honesty in them. Normally, I would jump to start something with him, especially when we both wanted it. But there was one major problem. "My brother and Pop won't like it. They'll never approve."

"Let me handle them," he said taking another step closer to me. "I just want a chance. Let me have that at least."

"I want that too," I whispered, then sighed. "But the others won't like it until they wrap their heads around what happened tonight. Not to mention, your SAMTAC, not SAMCRO."

Happy bent down and kissed me softly, while wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me closer. His other hand came up to cup my cheek and deepened the kiss. I matched his rhythm, and my hands came up to grip his kutt. When we pulled back, he put his forehead on mine, and I closed my eyes. Kissing him was different than others. "They'll come around," he encouraged. "I've been wanting to go Nomad, so I'll be here more often. And, when they do come around, I want to put my crow on you."

I looked at him shocked. "You want to take it that far?"

"I do," he confirmed.

"See where this goes first Happy," I whispered. "But right now, I've gotta go. Puma wanted to talk to me before she leaves."

Happy gave me one last lingering kiss before stepping away. I grabbed my bag and put it over my shoulder. I kissed his cheek as I walked out of the room with him following me. I stopped to write down the address on a note pad on the bar. Happy squeezed my shoulder as I walked by, and I gave him a smile over my shoulder.

As I walked out of the clubhouse, Emma smiled at me and walked over to wrap her arm around my shoulders. I smiled at her before looking towards my family. Opie looked at me with sadness in his eyes. I gave him a small smile and a slight nod. "Address is inside on the bar," I told them. "I'll be back in on Monday."

With that, I walked away towards my car. I tossed my bag into the passenger side as Emma went to her car with a wave over her shoulder. I got in, turned the engine over, and left the lot.