Walking into the clubhouse, Jax and Clay headed straight toward the chapel, Gemma and Tara both following distantly behind them, having been told their presence was needed also. They watched as the hangarounds and some of the mechanics cleared out, hearing Clay's warning as he stormed in that if you didn't wear a patch, you needed to get out. Both women shared glances with each other, both furious for their own reasons. Gemma knew what this newly found information would cause, potential heat to fall back on the club due to retaliation against Weston and Zobelle. SAMCRO had every right to avenge what happened to Tristan, and no doubt they would. Elliott and Tristan were family, and the club protects family. She also knew that a secret she carried could be revealed and would destroy her marriage if Clay ever found out.
Tara was beyond furious. At the moment she didn't know who she was the angriest at; Olivia for facing Weston alone, Jax for not doing anything to stop Clay from attacking her friend and for pulling her back from going to Olivia's defense, or Clay. She didn't know why it had surprised her to see Clay act the way he had toward Olivia, although she had hoped that the talk she and Clay had after he pulled her info had cleared up any suspicions he had, but she was wrong. To him anyone who was an outsider was a threat to his club and he didn't tolerate threats. She began to feel sick to her stomach at the thought of Olivia being harmed because of misguided thoughts from Clay. What bothered her almost as bad was that Clay had always been the father she had never had. He had always told her that he thought of her as his daughter, but it was obvious he didn't trust her, or he would have never attacked Olivia the way he had tonight.
They men all took their seats, curiously looking between each other, as to why church had been called. Something was wrong.
"Where's Tig and Happy?" Jax asked, lighting up another smoke.
"Their dorms. Walked in just before you got back." spoke up Juice.
"Go get your laptop." he said seeing Tig walk in the room.
Tig immediately could feel the tension, seeing Clay staring at a dvd in front of him. "Brother, you alright?" he asked sitting down beside his President.
"Yeah. Hap here?" Clay responded.
"Yeah. Went to shower." he replied.
Jax and Clay both knew the minute they shared with the others what they learned tonight, the calm that the club had just begun to enjoy was going to be shot to hell. Jax glanced over at Tig knowing that he especially was going to explode at the news. It would be up to Clay and himself to keep the guys in line, for SAMCRO to form a plan, then give Tig the pleasure of ripping the life out of Anthony Weston.
Happy walked into the room from showering to see Tara and Gemma sitting at the bar. Acknowledging the Queen and Tara, he grabbed a beer from behind the bar and walked into church, hearing Jax tell him to close the door. Taking his seat beside Tig, he glanced at Chibs who shrugged not knowing what was going on either.
"Before we get started, it needs to be very clear that we keep the club protected and no one goes off half cocked and does something stupid." Jax stated looking each member in the eye, making sure his comment was heard by everyone.
Bracing his arms on the table while running his hand over his chin, "We've been made aware of some information tonight." he slowly spoke watching everyone at the table. Clay Morrow rarely let his emotions show and right now he was fighting everything inside of himself not to show them now. "We now know who raped Tristan." He watched as everyone's eyes went wide, then to see anger flash across their faces.
"Who?" Tig stated, the disgust evident in his voice.
"Again, we're going to handle this, but no one goes out on their own with it." Jax stated again. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked looking throughout the room, seeing everyone in agreement. Looking over at Clay, he just nodded.
"Anthony Weston". The second the words were out of his mouth, the room erupted in anger. Giving everyone a minute to digest the news, Clay slammed the gavel on the table, causing everyone settle back down, all waiting for more information.
"Clay, are we sure it's Weston?" asked Bobby, always cautious about the club going to war without one hundred percent proof. He watched as Clay and Jax looked at each other, then watched them both shake their heads.
"Yeah. We're sure."
"Does Elliott know?"
Blowing the smoke from his mouth, "Not yet. He's out of town. Back tomorrow evening. We'll tell him then." Clay replied. "This information was just given to us about an hour ago."
Opie could tell by the looks on Jax and Clay's faces that they hadn't told them everything. "Where'd the info come from?" he asked.
Leaning back in his chair, Clay took a deep breath before he spoke. "Juice, tell Gemma and Tara to come in." At this point, every member sitting at the table were staring in confusion at their VP and President. It was only on extremely rare occasions that women, old lady's or not, were called into church. Juice walked back in with Gemma and Tara following behind, closing the door and walking over to stand behind Clay and Jax.
"We've brought them in here tonight because this information was brought to us by them." Clay said motioning his head toward his wife and Tara. "While I'm not thrilled by how this information was obtained, we have absolute proof that bastard raped Tristan."
Happy could tell that Tig was struggling to remain calm. While it had shocked him to learn that his partner in crime had a unique relationship with Tristan, it was clear that his brother cared for the young girl as an uncle and now that they knew who had hurt her, Happy had no doubt that Tig would end Weston's life, slowly and as painfully as possible. He was actually looking forward to watching it.
"How did you two find this out?" Chibs asked the question everyone wanted to know.
Clay looked over his shoulder, looking between the two women, then back at the table. "They didn't. Olivia Parker did."
All it took was Clay saying her name for Happy's head to snap toward his direction, pushing his chair back from the table. "What?" he yelled. His mind was racing faster than his thoughts could process. How the fuck did she find this out? was the question screaming through his mind. Realizing his unusual outburst, he quickly pulled his chair back under him, settling back down, his forearms resting on the table, fist clinched.
It had startled Tara and Gemma to see Happy react. As long as they had known him, he had never showed any outward emotion in their presence. For the next few minutes Tara proceeded to tell the club of Olivia finding Tristan's drawings, Weston approaching her about helping him with a house, seeing him outside the back entrance of the cigar store, putting the pieces together and setting up a meeting with the man. Tara was doing her best to remain calm and answer the questions being thrown back at her, but her fear for her friend was coming to the surface. Hearing Tara's voice start to crack, Gemma finished.
"She had the mindset to video their meeting." the Queen said, able to feel the intense anger in the room.
Handing the DVD to Juice, he loaded it and hit play. Happy couldn't believe his eyes. Without even realizing it, he shifted closer to the screen, causing Chibs to have to slide over. He watched her walk into a conference room with Anthony Weston following behind her. They sat opposite each other for a few minutes, Olivia showing him different objects laying on the table. After a few minutes, he watched her walk out of the room, seeing Weston eying her every move. Within a minute, she walked back into the room carrying a cup of coffee. Just as she was about to hand it to him, the cup slipped and she poured it all over his shirt. It happened in the blink of an eye. Weston's face went to pure rage, he threw the mug against the wall, then violently grabbed Olivia by her upper arms and threw her against the wall so hard causing the picture on the wall to fall, while screaming at her. Happy's composure was gone, the veins in his neck were so tight he thought they would burst at any minute as he watched in disbelief as Anthony Weston backhanded Olivia so hard she fell to the floor.
Shattering glass and the roar from Happy's mouth stunned everyone. He was now standing, his chair turned over behind him. Pointing to Juice, "REWIND IT NOW!" he yelled. "NOW!"
Juice did as he was ordered to do and hit play. Happy again watched as Weston assaulted Olivia, the rage inside of him building. What the fuck was she doing? he silently screamed. Looking up from the screen, he saw complete shock on everyone's faces. "The mother fucker's dead." he said, his voice now eerily calm.
Tig knew that look all to well. The Tacoma Killa was out in full force right now. Seeing Happy recompose himself and sit back down, Tig leaned forward, "What's the plan?" he spoke looking directly at Clay.
Tara and Gemma knew that was their clue to leave, having no desire to hear of how SAMCRO planned on killing Weston. While Gemma headed toward her office, Tara sat down at the end of the bar, putting her hands over her face. She had accepted her role within the club, knowing that when she and Jax found their way back to each other, she'd have to learn to deal with the club. And she had, better than she had ever expected, but with it looking like Olivia was being drug into things, she started regretting that she had begged her friend to move her life here. She could see the anger on all their faces as they watched the DVD, but Happy's reaction had her terrified. He had just squeezed his beer bottle so hard with his hand it shattered. She knew what he did for the club and regardless of him being a brother to Jax, just his presence made her fear him. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her best friend and the club assassin had just recently slept together. His reaction to the DVD had her confused and worried. Yes, she knew that all of them were going to be pissed, their intense hatred for Weston obvious, but there was more to Happy's outburst. She saw his face soften just for a split second when Olivia appeared, then watched his face and eyes transform into something she had never seen before, and hoped she'd never see again. Her mind was running a mile a minute, was he angry at Olivia? Would he hurt her or worse for thinking she was hurting the club? She had a hundred questions she didn't have the answers for. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed that somehow, someway, Olivia would not be hurt by all this.
The plan at the moment was to lay low, let things settle for Weston. Elliott still had to be told and that was something Clay Morrow dreaded. Slamming the gavel down, the men slowly made their way out of church and back into the bar, each feeling different forms of anger. Tig had seen Clay's motion to say behind, so he just sat in his chair.
"Just want to know that you're good. You know it's yours brother." Clay said, reconfirming to Tig that Weston's death would be at his hands.
"I want him dead, but I won't fuck up the club to do it." he replied.
"Where's Hap at in this?" the president asked, unsure of why his hit man had such a harsh reaction.
Running his hand over his head, Tig was loyal to Clay, always had been, but his brotherhood with Happy went deeper. "He's fine. Won't tolerate fucker's beatin' on women. He's in, don't worry." Tig finished, knowing there was more to Happy's reaction. "Goina' go catch up with him." he said, standing up from his chair, giving Clay's shoulder a squeeze.
Tig found him standing in his dorm, looking like he was ready to tear someone's limbs apart. Catching Happy's attention, Tig closed the door and propped himself against his dresser. Happy turned away, walking over toward the chair and sat down, resting his forearms on his thighs. Looking down at the floor, "How long you waitin' on killing his ass?"
"Don't think we'll wait that long. Need him to go about his life, catch him off guard. Fucker won't know what hit him."
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS SHE DOING?" Happy growled, his mind flashing back to her being thrown against the wall.
Tig just shook his head, he didn't know why Olivia did what she'd done, but he was grateful. Tristan's attacker would be dead and the twelve year old could maybe find peace knowing he could never hurt her again. "Don't know, brother. Brave bitch though."
Standing up from the chair, he walked over to the closet, switching out the piece he had in the back of his pants. Clubhouse or not, Happy always carried. Finding his favorite, he put it in the holster, and grabbed his cut.
"Going somewhere?" Tig asked, having a feeling he was heading to Olivia.
"Yeah."
"You good?"
"Be better when that fucker's burned and buried."
"Comin' back tonight?"
Happy didn't reply just shook his head no. With a silent understanding between the two friends, Tig gave his brother a hug on his way out the door.
Everyone was gathered in the bar, when Tara saw Happy walk through and leave. Her heart immediately sank, fearing that he could be on his way to Olivia's. Feeling the tears ready to fall at any minute, she covered her face with her hands and prayed. Tig saw the look on Tara's face as she watched Happy leave. She was afraid Happy was going to hurt Olivia. Making his way over, he sat down, gently touching her shoulder, startling her.
"He won't hurt her."
Her eyes widened at Tig's statement. Tilting her head slightly, "What do you know?" she asked almost whispering the question.
Quickly scanning the room, "Nothing. Just know in my gut something's happening between those two."
She didn't know why and right now she didn't care, but Tig's comments just made her feel a lot better.
***Olivia's***
The clock on the wall read ten thirty. All she wanted to do was sleep. Thinking another hot shower would help, she picked the uneaten cup of soup from the coffee table, emptied it into the sink, then placed the cup in the dishwasher. Walking toward her bedroom, she checked the locks on the door and started to turn around...
KNOCK...KNOCK...KNOCK...
She screamed...but what she heard next scared her even more.
"OLIVIA!" pound...pound...pound..."OLIVIA! OPEN THE DOOR!" yelled a raspy voice who she knew without even looking through the peep hole belonged to Happy. Catching her breath, she slid the barrel lock over and turned to dead bolt. Before she could even get the door open he was pushing through, with a large gun in his hand, moving her to the side of the door. He quickly scanned the room, trying to find who had made her scream. Sensing no one, he quickly turned his attention to her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her heart beating uncontrollably.
"Why'd you scream? Someone here?" his guard still on alert from her scream.
Shaking her head, "No, no one's here. I'm alone."
Re-holstering his gun, "Then why'd you scream?"
Again shaking her head, "BECAUSE YOU KNOCKED ON THE DOOR!" responding in a loud tone. " I was checking the locks when you knocked. It startled me." she said, seeing his chest rising and falling. "Why are you here?"
Giving himself a minute to calm down, knowing that no threat was in her condo, "what the fuck did you think you were doing?" he stated, seeing her eyes widen in response.
By this point she'd had enough, now understanding why he was here. Making her way past him, her intention was to sit back down, but she found her inner strength. Turning to face him, "I don't need you or anyone else telling me how stupid I am for doing what I did. Believe me, I get it. But I'm not sorry. And just so you're clear, I didn't do this to butt into club business. I haven't told anyone about this and have no intention to ever tell anyone about this. I gave Clay the only DVD copy of the meeting, but feel free to check my home, my office, whatever. Tristan deserves to know who attacked her, and whatever happens to the son of a bitch now, I don't give a damn. He deserves worse than he'll ever get." she said walking past him back over to the door. "Now I'd like to try and actually sleep tonight." she firmly said as she opened the door, waiting for him to leave. He didn't move, just stared at her. Her normally bright, shiny eyes were dull and she looked exhausted. "Fine. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Shut the door behind you on your way out." she said leaving the door wide open and Happy standing there alone.
Pulling her hair into a bun on the top of her head, she saw that the bruise on her cheek looked darker. She'd have to keep ice on it all night if she wanted to be able to cover it with makeup in the morning. Stripping off her clothes, she tossed them into the hamper and made her way into the steaming shower, just as she heard her front door shut. Leaning her body against the wall, she again closed her eyes immediately seeing him there. She now regretted not asking Tara for a sleeping pill. Still able to feel the tension throughout her body, she lathered up with body wash and rinsed off. Wrapping a towel around her body, she stepped out of the shower, walking over to the sink. Grabbing her favorite bottle of lotion, she covered her entire body, then pulled the towel back around her. Opting for something comforting than girly, she pulled her favorite vintage Jack Daniels t-shirt from a drawer and slipped on a pair of black and white polka dot cheeky panties. Looking into the mirror, she let her hair down, taking in her appearance. Nothing sexy about this look she thought as she turned off the light and walked out to her bedroom. Standing still, her condo was completely silent. For her piece of mind, or what was left of it, she walked down the hall to recheck the locks. Her locks secure, she turned and froze.
Happy had never been a patient man. Didn't tolerate people bitchin' at him but he stood there silently and took what she threw at him. He didn't like it, but he took it. That thought alone left him unsettled. He learned without her saying as much that Clay had ripped into her earlier tonight and that had him feeling something completely foreign. Tig was right. This woman did have balls, considering she left him standing at her front door after telling him to get out. He wasn't leaving though, and she'd just have to get over it. He'd shut and locked the door, then found him a comfortable spot on the far end of the couch. After about thirty minutes he heard her bathroom door open. The condo was silent, except the low sound of the clock on the kitchen wall. He heard her coming down the hall but remained unnoticed. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw her, wearing a short black t-shirt that barely covered her ass. He watched her check the locks, turn and freeze.
"Happy!" she said, startled for the second time tonight by the biker. "I thought you left."
Standing up from the couch, he made his way over toward her, "Nope, still here." he said noticing how jumpy she was.
"I asked you to leave." she said, now uneasy with the way he was staring at her.
"Not happening." he responded and was about to say something else when he finally saw her entire face. Instantly reaching out for her, she took a step back, unsure of what he was doing. "Come here." he demanded, his voice soft but forceful. She didn't move. "Come here." he repeated, his voice softer this time. Though they were just a few feet apart, he felt it took her forever to step toward him. The second she was within reach, his hands instantly found her face, as he lifted her chin, turning her face to see the damage. Her cheek was badly bruised but he could still see the bastard's hand print and he felt his rage building.
Sensing the change in his mood, Olivia pulled back, "It's not that bad." Her words caused him to step toward her, his hands on her forearms.
"Not that bad? The fucker hit you so damn hard you fell." his voice bitter sounding. He saw her flinch when he touched her arms. "What's wrong?" as he dropped his hands from her arms. She shifted to move around him, trying to ease the soreness from her arms. He reached out, grabbing one of her hands to stop her.
"Hey? Did I hurt you?" he asked, not meaning to have grabbed her so hard.
Looking down at their intertwined hands, she could only shake her head. "No, you didn't hurt me." now looking up at him.
He knew something else was wrong, "Let me see your arms." he said, gently pulling her closer to him. She came willingly to him, her eyes never straying from his. He gently pushed each sleeve up to find Anthony Weston's hand prints on her upper arms. She saw his eyes go from chocolate to black in a split second, hearing a growl escape from his lips. "Fucker's a dead man." he spoke as he looked at her arms one last time before easing her shirt sleeves down. They stood there silently just staring at each other, their bodies almost touching. For the first time in two days, she felt safe, but completely exhausted, unable to hide the yawn that escaped her mouth.
Covering her mouth, "Sorry. I'm so tired." she said, walking around him and sitting down on the couch, curling herself back into the corner. Following behind her he sat down beside her, but not touching her.
"Go to sleep." he said, bluntly.
"I can't." leaning her head back against the couch, "every time I close my eyes, I see his face." she finished, turning her head toward him.
He felt bad for her. He was still pissed as hell at what she had done, but he could see she was too tired to discuss it. "Close your eyes."
Raising her head, "What?"
"Close your eyes. Lay your head back and close your eyes." he stated as he leaned toward her. "You heard me." as he saw her following his orders.
"This is not going to work." she replied, but did as he asked.
"Shhh."
Looking over at him, she was met with a serious stare, "Close them."
After a few minutes, she felt herself relax. She turned toward the back of the couch, her feet barely touching his leg, and slowly fell asleep. He didn't move from where he had sat down. A short time later, he could tell she was finally asleep, her breathing was steady, just as he had noticed the other night. Sitting back, he found himself content to sit there and watch her sleep. He sat on the couch for the next hour, just watching her. He had moved her legs across his lap, covering her with the throw she had on the back of the couch. His need to protect her, had caught him off guard, but he found himself still sitting in the dark, unable to take his eyes off of her.
Forty five minutes later, his eyes snapped open the instant he felt her move. She was still asleep in the same position. Carefully moving her legs off him, he stood walking down the hall to her bedroom. Turning on the lamp sitting on her dresser, he saw her bed was unmade. He walked back into the living room, stopping directly in front of her. He pulled the blanket back, and picked her up, lifting her close to his chest. Standing up, he stilled, feeling her move her face closer to his neck, he fought his urge to groan, between her breath on his neck and the soft moan that she just made. As she settled into his arms, he walked into her bedroom and gently laid her down, covering her with the sheet, but not before his eyes roamed over her body, causing his dick to twitch. Shaking his head he turned off the lamp and walked out of her bedroom.
He took his cut off, hanging it on the back of her dining table chair. With his favorite custom piece in his hand, he checked the locks and walked back into her bedroom. Seeing the chaise in the corner, he stopped in front of it, quietly taking his clothes off. Stripped down to his black boxers, he walked around the bed, pulling back the sheet and climbing in, his eyes never leaving her. Without hesitation, he slid his arm under her and pulled her to him, until her body was flush against his. His eyes closed at the feel of her hand moving to rest on his chest, her leg sliding over his, her body molding itself to him. He tightened his arms around her, his fingers slowly trailing up and down her spine. His eyes glanced over to the side table, his piece within reach and ready to use. Hurt her again mother fucker his mind and thoughts going dark before his eyes looked down at the beauty now laying safe in his arms. Feeling his eyes become heavy, he placed a kiss in her hair and let sleep claim him.
She slowly opened her eyes, her room still dark with just a hint of daylight, but her eyes were met with a vast array of colors. Her hand was laying on his chest, her left leg intertwined between his. He was turned slightly on his side, his muscular arms holding her close to his chest. Between his steady breathing, masculine scent, and his body heat, she felt herself being pulled back to sleep. After a few minutes debating on if she should get up, her mind and body decided for her. She moved her hand lower on his chest around to his back, feeling herself move even closer to him. Within a minute, she was sound asleep.
He felt her wake up but stayed still. He wasn't sure what she was going to say about him putting her to bed and inviting himself without asking her. She hadn't moved all night, staying firmly against his chest, his arms tightly around her. He had only woke up briefly one other time tonight, after she shifted her leg, feeling her lower body press harder into his. He felt her hand move from his chest around to his back, as she moved closer to him. Waking up to her laying in his arms was perfect, but feeling her move to be closer was indescribable. After a few minutes, he felt her body relax again. He tightened his arms around her, shifting his body so he could feel every inch of hers. Lowering his face to take in the scent of her hair, he let out a low groan, closed his eyes, feeling completely at peace and back asleep within minutes.