Tig continues to lose the control that Jax only continues to gain as he capitalizes on his leverage on Clay, which is only solidified when Sydney snaps under the pressure and reveals a shocking piece of information.
General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death, racism/gang activity.
Playlists are available on Apple Music (mssierraalexis), and Spotify (M.S. Alexis), links can also be found on the ARAC Tumblr (aravenamongcrows). Be sure to follow where ask and submissions are open, and m. s. alexis on Instagram (tracking #aravenamongcrows), for exclusive photos, updates, and more!
CHAPTER 12: HIDDEN TRUTHS, REVEALED LIES
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Jax begrudgingly stalked back into the hospital with a frustration that motivated his long strides across the waiting room, but he painted it over with smugness, just as he had done every day until he - and everybody around him - had started to believe it.
"You know anything about a 'Georgie Caruso'?" He practically spat at Sydney as he stomped up to where she sat, deeply immersed in her phone.
"Poached a few of Luann's girls. Why?" Sydney's brows furrowed as she tried to look up at him disinterestedly, but she couldn't help the interest that his statement had piqued.
"Well." Jax ground his teeth as he tore himself out of the inquisitive gaze that he hoped he could capitalize on. "It looks like he's gonna poach a few more, come with me."
;
Gemma yelped from where she sat in the hard leather chair of her hospital room as she tried to lean down far enough to pull her tall boots up under her long skirt, wiping the wince off of her face the second that she heard the door open.
But the wince was only replaced with a grimace as she recognized the large set of black leather boots, straightening up to see Clay standing over her.
"Oh, baby…" Clay shook his head when he finally saw what it was that Gemma didn't want him to see, dropping down to his knees beside her. "I'm so sorry." He shook his head, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He didn't care how bad she thought she looked, he wanted her to know that he was there for her, just the same.
"Um-" Gemma nearly screamed as she placed her hand on his chest to stop him in time.
"I'm sorry." He pulled back quickly, not realizing that the gentle action would be that painful.
"No, no." She shook her head as a whirlwind of emotions that she hadn't had time to expect, began to tingle behind her sore eyes. "It, um, it's okay. I'm just." She blinked the tears away as she hid from his gaze. "I'm just kind of jumpy." She looked down at her hands where she clasped them tightly in her lap as she realized that they had succeeded in doing exactly what they had set out to do, after all; they had ruined her.
"You're gonna have to lay off the midnight joyrides." Clay grinned, hoping to lift her spirits with some lighthearted fun that showed her that her swollen face had done nothing to deter him, and it never would.
"Yeah." Gemma forced a laugh that even she could hear the fakeness of, briefly meeting his eyes the way that his hovering just inches from her face, was begging her to do.
Clay quirked a brow as she squirmed beneath him, refusing to look at him for more than half a second. "You okay?" He had seen Gemma through countless ugly traumas, surely this wasn't the one that had her fearful of his commitment to her?
Gemma blinked as she contemplated her answer, her lie - a lie that was hard to deliver when it was so far from the truth. "Oh." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she swatted the air. "I'm fine." She nodded as convincingly as she could as her voice faltered.
Clay scanned her expression, desperately looking for some kind of guidance on what to say to reassure her. "It's kinda hot…" He smirked.
Gemma only felt her heart sinking further in her chest, but it didn't quite reach her stomach, because at least it meant that she had succeeded in her deception. "Thanks." She chortled, reaching up to the square of gauze taped over her left cheekbone. "It's what I was goin' for."
Clay smiled when he finally saw some of the Gemma that he knew, taking her hands in his as he squeezed them while getting to his feet. "You ready to go home?" He nodded out the door.
"You know, they have to, uh…" She placed her hand over her forehead as she sifted through the multitude of excuses, for the right one. "Tara said they gotta do some more x-rays…"
"I talked to the Doc… I'm sure she'd be okay if I broke you out of here." He winked.
Gemma blinked as the sadness hit her once again. "Neeta can give me a lift." She shook it away.
Clay frowned as she did what she always did; refused to let him help her. "I can wait…" He told her gently. She did so much for him, so much to make his life easier, the least he could do was return the favor.
"No, honey. It's okay." She braced herself for the surge of pain as she reached down to grab her purse. "I guess it's gonna be a while." She looked back up at him with whatever sincerity she had managed to gather in the ten seconds since she'd last been forced to meet his eyes.
"You sure?" He narrowed his gaze.
"Yeah." Gemma swallowed the crack in her voice as the softness in his hit her ears - a softness that he'd only ever cared to give to her. "I'm sure." She nodded, regaining some strength. "I'm really, I'm-." She cleared her throat. "I'm fine."
"Okay." Clay sighed, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, but once again, she didn't move. He smiled apologetically, reaching for her hands again where he brought them to his lips. "I love you."
Gemma felt her lips beginning to wobble. "I love you too…"
;
"Add these two cameras to the list, okay?" Was the first thing that Sydney heard as she passed through the doorway where the string of pink beads had been parted to allow the unnecessarily large crew of ATF agents easy access as they hauled boxes of equipment from the studio.
"Marvelous…" Chibs mused as he looked around the nearly bare building that still looked every bit entertaining to him.
The small group made their way over to Luann who was tearfully hugging both Lyla and Ima.
"Otto wasn't kiddin'..." Jax sighed regretfully.
The two blondes both nodded to Sydney as they took their leave - a leave that Sydney feared would be their last. "That's some lovely merchandise walking out that door." Chibs shook his head.
"And they'll keep walking if I don't come up with the rest of their money." Luann widened her worried blue eyes.
"Otto said some guy's giving you trouble." Jax nodded.
"Georgie." Luann nodded. "The shitbag's been threatening my girls if they don't join his company!" She shook her head. "If I can't keep them away from him, they'll end up strung out, and turning tricks!"
Sydney knew that it was true. No matter how unappealing Georgie's gig was, or how loyal the girls were to Luann - they needed money, and there were only so many other options in a town as small as Charming…
"Can't you just talk to him?" Jax nodded. "Make some kind of temporary arrangement?"
"That isn't how it works with this." Luann shook her head. "Georgie's game is fear - god damn 'roid crew runs his girls like pimps running pussy." Tears began to brim her eyes once again. "If SAMCRO could just lend me some money-"
"That's not gonna happen." Jax cut her off.
Sydney closed her eyes in a wince, hanging her head as she looked at the glittery black tiles beneath her shoes, knowing that there was nothing that she could do to help.
Jax stopped himself from scoffing at the older woman's audacity as she crossed her arms in front of her chest - and it was a restraint that came only because he respected her old man. "Look, I said to Otto that I'd back this guy off of you, and that's what I'm gonna do." He nodded.
"And how are you gonna do that?" Luann didn't bother hiding the scoff of her own. "You can't just walk in there and threaten them, Jax. They're not like your-" She searched for the right word. "Gang enemies."
Jax took a step towards the ballsy woman as she dared to order him around, as if she knew anything about his dealings. "My gang enemies?" He mocked her. "That's exactly how it works, Luann. And you're right, he's not one of my gang enemies, now tell me where his office is."
Luann rolled her eyes, looking to Sydney for backup, but she got nothing as the little blonde shook her head apologetically.
Jax smirked as he forced Sydney into the submissive position that she should've known to take the day that she'd set foot in his town. As painful and unfortunate as Donna's death had been, he almost wished that it had happened sooner, because their dirty little secret was going to continue getting him everything that his father would've wanted.
Sydney chewed the inside of her cheek as she matched Jax's glare with a harshness that she wished she still had the means to substantiate, but the simple expression was all that she had left - and that bitter reality made her grateful for the buzzing of her phone in her pocket that gave her a reason to pull away from the degrading staredown.
Lyla👅🍆: I'm sorry, but we have to go to Georgie. You know I love Luann, but I can't go weeks without pay when Justin is already skipping out on child support…
Sydney sighed, turning away from the tense group as she clicked on the message that opened the private thread between her and Lyla.
Sydney💋 : It's okay, babe. Take care of Piper, Luann will understand.
Lyla👅🍆: Is Jax going to help her?
Sydney💋 : Does Jax ever help anyone?
Lyla👅🍆: Ima seems to think so…
Sydney chuckled, sadly grateful that even a depressing conversation with her friend was better than a productive conversation with her enemy. Ever since the day that she walked into Cara Cara with the release forms that Luann had tried to slip her countless times, Ima had been on her case about hooking her up with Jax.
Sydney💋 : Think it would get her to stay?😅
Lyla👅🍆: It might 👀
Sydney💋 : 😂 I wish. Even Jax isn't that easy…
But the light-hearted exchange was cut short as another message vibrated Sydney's phone, her eyes travelling up to the top of the screen.
Mary: You seen Opie? He hasn't seen the kids yet. Never ended up coming home last night…
"You comin'?" Sydney looked up from her phone to see Jax standing above her impatiently. "No, you guys go ahead." She nodded as a sarcastic smile came to her face. She would let them fuck this one up on their own. "I'm going to go check on Opie's kids, because apparently he hasn't." She waved the phone in his face as she cocked her head before brushing past him and making her way out to her car.
;
Tig and Opie stood silently in the back room of what had ended up being the smartest front that they'd seen yet; a gun shop, as Edmund and a few of his employees hauled in the crates full of disassembled AKs that, less than a week ago, they claimed were unattainable.
The pair got to work unloading the parts, spending what felt like an infinite amount of time wordlessly screwing the pieces together until they finally got to the last crate.
"Need six more." Opie nodded.
Tig felt like his heart was going to explode as it hammered against his chest, pushing around the slough of worry, dread, and guilt as he was forced to share the same space as the miserable man whose fate he had so cruelly decided before he'd known all of the facts - which wouldn't have happened if he had just been transparent with Sydney, the way that he had spent months preaching about.
Sydney. That thought only brought on a whole new wave of nauseating feelings that he didn't know how to escape. Too many secrets, too many demons, too much noise.
"You, uh-" He felt the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them - some kind of desperate attempt at normality. "You doing okay?"
Opie chewed the inside of his lip as he ignored the stupid question that he was so fucking tired of hearing, reaching for a recoil spring as he avoided the Sergeant's pitiful blue gaze.
"You know, uh, family and stuff…" Tig pushed further. "I've, uh… Spent a lot of time around the kids… You know, since they've been at Syd's." He nodded thoughtfully as the simple statement inadvertently forced him to relive the agonizing last few months, fighting through the familiar onslaught of overwhelming guilt, and deceptive but genuine sympathy that he hadn't been able to stop from bleeding into every single part of his life.
In some sick and twisted way, watching Sydney foster the children that had been orphaned by his mistake had only made him fall even more in love with her, because it was exactly what she had done to him. But now he feared that his inability to express that, was going to land him back on the street where he had always known he belonged.
Opie sighed as he snapped a lever into place. "I guess." He bit out the lie that he wished would've tasted vile, because at least that would've meant that he still cared. But it didn't. He couldn't feel anything, not even the shame in knowing how disappointed she would've been in him.
Tig nodded slowly, bringing his hand up to his face where he rubbed his goatee. "I lost an old lady." The forbidden words rolled off of his tongue with an ease that only the selfish prospect of easing some of his own guilt could provide. They were forbidden words that had already caused him a world of his own grief, of his own complications - helping him form an adverse understanding for how Opie was feeling, which was what ironically made them that much easier to let go of.
"Yeah." He nodded as he felt Opie's gaze shift to him, focusing on his own gun now as he willed himself to maintain his casual tone. "I dumped an FXR on the I-5… Poor bitch slid right into oncoming traffic." He looked up, waiting for the sting of tears behind his eyes, or the tingling of regret in his jaw, but when he saw the hollowness momentarily disappear from Opie's eyes, all he felt was relief. For the first time in months, he had made the right decision.
"Shit, I didn't know that…" Opie nodded slowly, his own grief taking the backburner for the first time since he'd pulled up to that crime scene. "Your kid's mom?"
"Nah." Tig scoffed. "I wish it was that gash." He chuckled through the only truth that didn't sting, shaking his head as his smile faded. "Nah, it was before I got patched." He nodded slowly as the next words came a little harder, but he knew that they were the necessary nails in - or out of - the coffin. "I'd just found out that she was pregnant…" He chewed his lip. "I really loved that one."
Opie nodded curtly as he, for the first time, saw the Sergeant - the soldier - as a human being. "I, uh…" He forced his own words of vulnerability out this time, deciding that if he was going to open up to anyone, it may as well be the one person who didn't have a personal stake in it. "I keep dreaming." He swallowed. "I'm back in Chino - really violent shit." He shook his head. "And then I wake up, relieved that I'm home… And it takes me a minute to realize that I'm alone in bed."
Tig blinked slowly as the anticipated wave of emotion finally hit, and his eyes brimmed with tears. Had this conversation taken place for any other reason, he would've been able to see it as growth - that he was finally starting to make peace with the horrible mistake that he had made all of those years ago, but instead, it was because he had made that same mistake, all over again.
Lessons are repeated until they are learned. And it was clear that he hadn't learned a damn thing.
"You're not alone, Ope." He nodded as he gripped the taller man's shoulder.
;
"Hey!" Kenny whined as Sydney stole a Kit-Kat from his massive pile of Halloween candy that he had spread out, covering the entire kitchen table.
"You can consider it payment for the costume, young man." She popped the chocolate into her mouth as she smiled knowingly at the poor boy who was always having his fun ruined by the girls. "Because I know that's why you got half of this." She narrowed her eyes.
"Fine… " Kenny couldn't argue with that. This was the first year that he'd gotten to pick out a brand new Halloween costume, and by the ohs and ahs that the full-body Incredible Hulk suit had elicited at countless doors last night, he knew that she was right. "You can have two more." He decided that was fair compensation.
Sydney chuckled, kids. "Pleasure doing business with you." She nodded, swiping two more Kit-Kats.
"No fair!" Kenny whined. "Those are my favorite!"
"Well you didn't say which two I could have." She shrugged, poking him in the ribs. "Besides, they're my favorite, too." She winked.
"Finally, the Tacoma Killer has a worthy opponent." Sydney scowled as she heard a deep voice beyond the slapping of her gloved hands against Happy's palms, craning her neck from behind the tattooed man to see a short-haired boy with piercing honey-coloured eyes, and a giant, sparkling white grin.
Happy whipped his head around as worry shocked each cell of his body. The voice didn't sound particularly threatening, but he had been called by his not-so-infamous moniker, and they were in a building that was supposed to have been empty.
"How you doin', buddy?" Happy chuckled once he recognized the potential threat as the rowdy new patch from Tacoma.
"How'd you get in here?" He gave Sydney a small nod, dismissing her from their session as he walked over to the side of the boxing ring at Krazy Kane's.
"Tank let me in." He winked, tossing his senior a towel.
Happy growled as he tried his glistening abs, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the rambunctious prospect who was supposed to be watching the door.
"But the real question is…" The mystery man crooner. "Who is this?" His mischievous gaze landed on the small girl who couldn't be more than twelve years old.
"I should ask you, first." Sydney put her still gloved hands on her hips that she could tell were getting wider.
"Oh!" The two men both chuckled. "She's a feisty one…" His light eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, m'lady." He made a show of curtsying to her. "My name is Donut, future explorer of all the roads, near and far."
Sydney squinted as she assessed the burly man who stood below her. She knew that if he had both Tank and Happy's trust, then she had nothing to worry about, but she had been taught to proceed with caution in the presence of men that she didn't know.
"You look like a prospect to me." She scoffed as she jumped down from the ring. It was a lie. Even though the man's boyish grin couldn't be any older than twenty-one, his meaty stature definitely could be.
"Oh yeah?" Donut grinned again as he placed his hands on his hips, posing like a Roman God in front of the little girl who revealed herself to be only half of his height.
"Yeah." Sydney nodded tauntingly in his shadow that did nothing to faze her. "Besides…" She reached for the Kit-Kat on the edge of the ring that she had been waiting all morning to eat. "Donut is a silly name." She bit straight down the middle of the wafered rows rather than breaking them off one by one.
"Well, aren't you just a little psychopath?" Donut laughed as he ruffled her mane of sweaty blonde hair. "You're trainin' this one good, huh?" He winked at Happy who gave him a smirk. "What's your name then, huh? Kitty Cat?" He swiped the chocolate from her hands and held it above her head.
"My name is Sydney Harding, your future queen." She smirked, making no attempt to grab the candy bar from his large hands that, under her stare of determination, lowered immediately.
"Sydney!" Sydney was pulled from the sensory-induced memory as the chocolate melted on her tongue, looking up to see Ellie skipping down the hallway towards her.
"Hi my precious Rapunzel!" She mused as the young girl wrapped her arms around her, stroking her long hair. "Did you do the braid okay?"
"Yeah." Ellie looked up with a smile, not unwrapping herself from Sydney's waist. "I did it like you showed me."
"That's my girl." Sydney nodded as she pulled away. "Did grandma take pictures for me?"
"More than enough." Mary rolled her eyes as she appeared in the frame of the back door after packing away the last of the Halloween decorations. "How're you doing, sweetheart?" She scanned over Sydney's less-glamorous-than-usual ensemble. "Rough night?"
Sydney expected herself to tense under the bitter reminder - to find a judgment in the former old lady's stare, pity in her expression, but she didn't; all she saw was a blinding understanding for the soul-splitting position that she had put herself in.
"You have no idea." She scoffed. "Rough night, rough day, rough life…" She mused.
"Oh, don't I know it…" Mary nodded as she turned towards the kitchen sink, running her chilled hands under the warm water before lathering them in lemon-scented soap.
"I don't know…" Sydney leant over the countertop. "I'd say you're pretty good at this whole mom thing..." She raised a brow.
Mary narrowed her small eyes over her shoulder at the little blonde who was far too clever to be caught up in this lifestyle. "I could say the same to you." She nodded, turning back away. "The school loved those cupcakes."
Sydney nodded slowly, her eyes hollowing as the reminder of her guilt crept back in - the reminder that all of this was compensation, not generosity.
"Are you gonna sing for me today?" Ellie's voice came out in a whine as she stood, impatiently waiting to get a word in while her grandma took up the little time that she got to spend with her favorite person.
"I don't have time today, honey." It was a lie, but it was a lie that was necessary, because after the night that she'd had, she didn't think that her severely damaged wall was strong enough to keep her emotions from seeping through. "You been practicing that new song?" She nodded, avoiding her eyes as she pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the montage of messages that she'd missed in the group chat that Lyla had reverted back to.
"Where's dad?" Kenny whined from the table as he tossed a packet of Smarties away from him. "You told us he was supposed to be home yesterday."
There was the tense that Sydney had been expecting. The innocent question had been hard enough to stomach when Opie was gone, but now that he was back in town and actively choosing not to see his kids, it almost made the churn unbearable.
"Daddy's workin'." She told them with as little emotion or consideration for the circumstances, as possible.
"I wish he didn't have to work so much." Ellie sighed.
"Gotta work to pay the bills." She mused, ruffling the little girl's dirty blonde hair.
"He should just quit." Kenny shrugged.
Sydney snorted. Like mother, like son. "Well I don't see you two makin' any money." She widened her eyes theatrically, shaking her head playfully at the two long faces.
"I would." Ellie piped up. "If it meant that he would be home more…"
Sydney felt the room beginning to spin as the innocence took her into a chokehold and threatened to squeeze every last bit of forced deception from her pores.
"You know what…" She shook her head. "Maybe I do have time for one song."
;
Jax stalked into the dingy office of said 'big player' Georgie Caruso, looking around the space to see nothing but a white desk, and two black leather couches where he recognized one of Luann's girls, signing forms.
"Oh! I love that movie!" Juice exclaimed as he thrusted his finger towards a 'Cum Dog Millionaire' XXX film poster - the only piece of art that hung on the brick walls.
"I laughed, I cried, I came." Chibs mused as he looked over his shoulder, waiting for Bobby to toddle in the door behind him.
"No shit…" Jax grinned as his entourage finished filing into the tiny room that they filled to the brim. "It must've been good… It won an Anal Oscar." He pointed to the gold stamp in the corner, making everybody laugh.
"Oh, hey, hey, hey." Bobby looked up to see a tall black man advancing towards him from down the hallway, a shorter white man in tow. "Here we go." He nodded to the body guards that surely would've scared off any disgruntled employees, but they were Sons.
"You need somethin'?"
"We're here to see Georgie." Jax took a step towards them, rolling his shoulders back.
"Wait, wait, wait." Juice shook his head. "The guy we're here to talk to, is named Georgie?" He nearly choked on the laugh.
The men both exchanged a glance before sharing a silent nod. "You got an appointment?" The taller one spoke, sure now of what he had suspected in the first place - that the kuttes weren't part of an audition.
Jax pursed his lips, that smug smirk gracing his face. "Nope." He shrugged.
"Then you don't see him."
"Hey!" A third man joined the now completely cramped space. "Auditions are out back." He nodded to the back of the building, his thick-framed glasses almost falling off of his wrinkled face.
"Let me guess…" Jax grinned as he looked the sleazy man up and down. "Georgie Caruso."
"They were just leaving, Mr. Caruso." Bodyguard number one stepped in between them, shielding Georgie's short stature completely.
"That's too bad…" Georgie's opportunistic nature took over, stepping out from behind Jones. "This one here has got kind of a Brad Pitt thing going, only not quite as gay." His lips twitched into a smile as he examined Jax.
"Yeah..." Jax chuckled nervously. "I'm a friend of Luann Delaney." He narrowed his eyes.
"Is that so?" Georgie mock-pouted. "I'm real sorry about what happened to her studio…"
"You terrorizing her actors? It stops now." Jax nodded.
"I'm helpin' those girls." Georgie shrugged. "Luann is out of business."
"Luann's not out of business." Jax took another intimidating step forward - an action that had become almost second nature to him.
"That's not what I heard." Georgie smirked as his beady eyes flicked down to Jax's lips.
Jax raised his brows. "Don't make me come back here." He grinned menacingly, Chibs and Juice both doing the same as they followed him out.
"You got a problem?" Bobby heard through his ringing ears, blinking a few times as he refocused his eyes to see Georgie standing just inches away from his face, the overwhelming scent of his spicy cologne inducing a spray of projectile vomit that had been threatening him all morning.
"Oh!" Juice hollered while Jax and Chibs went into hysterics as Bobby covered Georgie's tan suit in his welcome home spread.
"Not now, man." Bobby nodded as he wiped his mouth. "I'm feelin' pretty good, thanks."
;
Sydney stood in the hallway with her hands over her burning face as she fought the pain in her heart that only seemed to get worse each time that she gave in to singing the gut-wrenching songs that comforted the grieving little girl. She felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, launching herself into the bathroom before she could be seen by Mary - the one person in the house that she couldn't play off her reactions to.
She blew out a breath as she leant her head against the closed door. She supposed that was part of the reason why she had found so much solace in Opie's kids - not just because she felt like it was the only way that she could right her wrong, but because they didn't ask questions. They couldn't tell when she was choked up, or when she was lying, or how many smoke breaks were too many smoke breaks. They didn't have any expectations of her, and she didn't have any expectations of them. There was no lingering disappointment like she felt when she was in the presence of Tig, or Jax, or Gemma, or anyone in Charming.
"Sweetheart, you okay?" She heard a gentle knocking at the door, the spike of anxiety forcing her to pull herself together.
"Yup." She blinked a few times as she pulled the door open to see Mary standing behind it with a frown. "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave Ellie in there… Those Disney songs always get me choked up." She chortled.
Mary nodded sympathetically. "You have a beautiful voice." She smiled.
"If only I'd picked a different career path." She snorted.
"You know…" Mary reached out and grabbed her hand, looking into her eyes with a sincerity strong enough to threaten every lie and fake smile that Sydney had spent the last three months perfecting. "It's never too late." She nodded.
Sydney stared at the older woman's pudgy hands wrapped around hers, her gaze flicking up as a familiar defensive fire warmed her chest. "What about you, Mary?" She seethed. "It too late for you?"
;
Gemma groaned with each painful step that she took down the hallway of St. Thomas as Neeta escorted her to the car with Abel in hand, stopping in the doorway of the waiting room when she saw Luann holding a towel-wrapped ice pack to a blonde girl's face.
"Shit…" She quickly turned around and shuffled back down the hallway.
"It's gonna be okay, just tip your head back a little bit." Luann nodded to Lyla as she wiped her bleeding nose. "I don't think it's broken."
"What?" Neeta scowled, following Gemma back around the corner.
"Uh." Gemma took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what the right answer was. "That's just somebody that I don't wanna see - she's gonna have a million questions."
"We can wait in here." Neeta nodded without a second thought, ushering Gemma into the chapel that she thankfully found to be empty.
Gemma nearly rolled her eyes when she saw what her safe haven was. "Okay." She sighed. Thirty-five years, one state, countless towns, and she still couldn't escape it.
Neeta felt herself struggling to breathe as she watched Gemma painfully take a seat in the pew next to her, fearing that the suspicions she'd had since the unscheduled doctor's appointment for the baby this morning, weren't far from the truth.
"I'm not gonna do it today…" She began as she lifted Abel from his carseat, and passed him to the woman that clearly needed the healing powers that the innocence of a child possessed. "Cause I ain't a stupid sister." She waited for Gemma to meet her eyes. "But you know at some point, I'm gonna have some questions."
Gemma nodded slowly when yet another person managed to see through her horrible front. "I know…" She sighed.
Neeta nodded curtly. "While we're here." She looked around the red, velvet-covered room. "You wanna say a prayer with me?"
Gemma scoffed. "I'm not big on prayin'." She licked her swollen lip, looking back down at her grandson.
"Sure you are." Neeta smiled warmly. "Look at the way you holdin' him… I can see it in yo' face. You thakin' God."
Gemma didn't necessarily believe her, but the comforting southern accent of the dark-skinned woman who was willing to sit with her while she processed her trauma, was enough for her to nod anyways.
;
Sydney's eyes widened as she waltzed back into the hospital, rushing over to where Luann was crouched on the floor next to a bleeding Lyla.
"Oh my God!" She dropped to her knees in front of her friend, taking over for Luann who was struggling to position the bag of melting ice. "Was this Georgie?"
"Yup." Lyla sighed.
"Why didn't you call me?" She shook her head.
"I figured we'd already caused enough trouble…" Lyla's considerate blue eyes crinkled as she forced an apologetic smile.
"Yeah… Speaking of trouble." Luann scoffed as she saw Jax approaching across the room, getting to her feet to meet him halfway. "I told you not to stir things up! Look what that asshole did to her!"
Jax scowled, making his way over to Lyla where he yanked the ice from Sydney's hands to get a look at her face, before tossing it back into her lap. "This was Caruso?" It had barely been an hour since they'd left Georgie's office, surely he hadn't taken the threat that lightly?
"Who do you think?" Luann spit at him.
"Little prick." Chibs shook his head.
"You guys must've really put the fear of God into him." Luann crooned. "Tell 'em what Georgie said." She nodded to Lyla.
Lyla sighed, pulling the bag away from her face. "He told me to tell Luann that if the little biker boys show up again, he's gonna roll the cameras while he jams his dick up all of your asses." Sydney couldn't help but snort, helping Lyla get the bag back up to her face in time to cover her smirk.
Jax nodded. "We'll see Gemma later." He turned on his heels, heading back out the door.
"Jax!" Luann called after him. "Don't you do anything!"
Jax felt his anger bubble over in the presence of yet another person whom he knew would allow it to. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" He screamed, whirling back around where he stomped up to the little gash who he owed nothing to. Everything that he was doing for her, was out of the goodness of her heart - and he was going to make sure she knew that.
"Who the fuck do you?" Sydney stepped in between them the second that Jax advanced on the older woman who immediately backed down, throwing her arms up in defense as she began spewing apologies. "You're fucking talking to a woman who told you exactly what would happen, and as usual, you couldn't fucking listen! This?" She pointed to Lyla. "Is on you, not her."
Jax looked between the two seething women. "Get her patched up." He thrusted his finger into Luann's trembling face, making her jump. "Tell your girls to lock their doors. And you…" He growled as his hateful blue eyes turned on Sydney. "You would know a lot about carrying the weight of injured women." He smirked as a brilliant idea came to him. "Now call the others, it's baseball time."
Sydney felt blood fill her mouth as she harshly bit down on the insides of her cheeks before storming outside to do exactly what he wanted, just like she'd been forced to do every time that he knew he was going to lose, because she had so stupidly given him a way to win.
;
Tig couldn't tell if his admission to Opie had done anything to lessen the weight that had been suffocating him for the last twenty-two years, because the phone call that he'd received from Sydney only seemed to drop it right back down as the same situation continued to present itself; his old lady, in danger because of him. And this time it really was because of him, because if he hadn't fucked up so badly, she wouldn't have had to seek refuge away from him, at Cara Cara.
He took a deep breath as he pulled into the small parking lot with Opie, spotting Sydney where she sat on a bench outside the doors. He sighed as he prepared himself to face her, hanging his helmet over his handlebars as he approached wearily, but she didn't even acknowledge him as she stormed right past him and stopped in front of Opie.
"You need to see your fucking children." She spit at him before he could even utter a greeting. "Explain to them why they know me, more than they know you. Because I am tired of dodging the question." She sneered before stomping to her car where she peeled out of the lot.
;
"God…" Ima moaned from where she was crouched between her new castmate's legs. "You're so stiff…" She stroked up her thighs, her hands creeping under the red athletic shorts that he wore. "You know…" She bit her lip. "You won't score in the second half…"
"Georgie!" She looked up, scurrying to her feet as a barrage of screams and bangs began to fill the studio as the Sons stormed in, taking down anybody in their path.
"Hey!" Georgie stood from his director's chair. "Get the hell out! This is a closed set!" He eyed Jones who stood to take care of it, but quickly found himself on the ground after a baseball bat to the face.
Any fear that Ima had, was erased the second that she saw Jax… But he didn't have to know that. She got to the ground and curled herself into a ball, peeking up through her thick false lashes until the VP finally made eye contact and made his way over.
"You okay?" He helped her to her feet while his crew smashed anything, and anyone in sight.
"Yeah." She nodded. "After I saw what they did to Lyla, I just…" She shook her head frantically.
"It's okay." Jax nodded. "Sack!" He hollered to a tall, skinny kid. "Get her out of here." He ordered before passing her off, much to her dismay.
"Hey!" Georgie hollered again as he watched Chibs kick his most expensive camera to the ground.
Jax scoffed, walking up the shorter man who immediately started backing up, sucker punching him square in the face where he landed to the ground with a force that nearly paralyzed him.
Jax smirked as he got to his knees and forced Georgie's face into the concrete. "You so much as send a friendly text to any of Luann's girls, your next movie? Canseco does Georgie." The man below him sighed. "You understand?"
"I get it." He grit out.
"Good." Jax patted him on the shoulder before getting to his feet and waltzing out.
;
Sydney puffed on a cigarette as she sat in the very chair that, just a few short months ago, had her feeling the highest of highs, but now only dragged her to the lowest of lows.
"There's a ton of guys like Georgie out there." Jax nodded to the full table. "If Luann can't pay her talent, they'll keep coming… So to speak." He smirked.
Sydney wished that she could laugh, but she kept her heavy head down as Jax spoke to what had become his table, what they had allowed to become his table, even from the left-hand seat.
"That's why Otto wants us to give her money." Clay nodded over the chorus of snickers.
"That's not gonna happen." Tig shook his head.
"Obviously." Jax fought the bite in his tone. "But we can offer her something else… A partner."
Clay scowled, the cigar smoke trailing over his lips as he tried to figure out where his VP was going with this. "What are you talkin' about?" He nodded. "All of a sudden you're Larry Flynt?" He raised a brow, watching as Tig stifled a laugh.
"Georgie's just a scumbag with muscle and a lease, right?" The consideration left Jax's tone the second that he detected hesitance in Clay's. "His staff and talent do all the work. Well, we can have staff, and talent too if we partner with Luann."
"So we'll be the scumbags with muscle and a lease?" Bobby nodded.
"Why not?" Jax looked to the man on his left. "We take over the lease, front her a little cash for the shit that the feds took. Keeps Otto happy, keeps Luann in business, and gives us a legitimate stream of income if we split the profits."
Tig nodded along as he listened to each blissful word that passed through Jax's mouth. Not six months ago, the prospect of owning a porn studio would've been comforting for much different reasons, but now, they were strictly business - not pleasure. He hoped that maybe, Sydney would give up the new job that he had hated so much, that he knew she took because he hated it so much, if it was no longer an escape from the club - or from him.
"I could upgrade her internet and shit." Juice nodded. "There's plenty of room for servers at Cara Cara, and that's where the real cash is."
"And I was blessed with an excellent eye for casting." Chibs added with a cheeky grin.
"Clubs get into trouble when they take on too much." Clay shook his head.
"Guns have been downsized. We could use the extra income." Jax shot him down quickly, his anger boiling as he heard the phlegmy sigh. "It's a legitimate business, Clay." He growled. "We run it clean - feds think we turned over a new leaf, they go away.
"And…" Chibs widened his eyes. "At the very least, we'll get Bobby laid." Everybody laughed.
Clay sighed again. "Thoughts?" He turned to the right side of the table - the side that he knew would have his back.
"I'm in." Tig nodded quickly.
Sydney scoffed. Of course he fucking was. Keeping her head down as she rolled her eyes and twisted his ring around her thumb.
"Everybody loves pussy." Chibs shrugged.
"I second that." Opie nodded.
"Third it." Juice grinned.
"All in favor? Like I gotta ask…" Clay rolled his eyes as he rubbed his forehead, listening to the hollers that came for allthe wrong reasons… "Alright…" He narrowed his eyes at Tig who continued to put his own needs before the needs of his club, before the needs of his President - before smacking the gavel. "Looks like we're makin' movies." He got to his feet. "Now we got a delivery to make."
"I'll tell Luann she's got a new partner." Jax smirked, his eyes following Clay as he scurried out of the chapel after yet another defeat.
;
Sydney had been the first to exit the chapel after Clay. She was surprised - and slightly disappointed - by how quickly the visiting charters had cleared out as she made her way through the empty compound, since the party had filled the space to the brim not twenty-four hours ago.
Kitty Cat: Now who's the one leaving without a goodbye kiss…
The Road Captain chuckled as he read the message across the screen of his Blackberry, thumbing back a surprisingly quick response as his thick thumbs found the tiny buttons.
D🍩: Figured I stole enough last night… Didn't wanna make Flea-bag too mad ;) You get that worked out?
Sydney rolled her eyes as she stuffed her phone into the bottom of her purse, foregoing the answer that, at this rate, she didn't know if she would ever have an answer to. She chucked her bag onto the passenger seat of her car, making to climb in when she noticed that the light to the office was on.
She looked around before cautiously making her way across the pavement, peering inside the small room to find Gemma sorting through order sheets.
"Gem…"
Gemma jumped, blinking rapidly as her eyes landed on Sydney, trying to force her nervous system to recognize her the way that her eyes had been able to. "Oh." She finally caught her breath. "Hi, baby." She looked back down out of that painfully apprehensive green gaze. "Just, uh… Catchin' up. You know I hate falling behind."
Sydney said nothing as her eyes scanned over the battered woman in the bulky clothing that she knew she was hiding under, feeling her eyes welling up with tears once again.
"You and Tig have fun last night?" She nodded, going for the subject that she knew would stop any kind of conversation. She knew that Sydney knew, but she also knew that if she acted like it, then she would do something about it. And she couldn't have that.
Sydney nodded slowly, understanding now what this was as she turned back out to the parking lot where she saw Tig and some of the others getting ready to head out to Laroy. She blew out a shaky breath, wrapping her arms around herself as she made her way back to her car as a crawl rippled under her skin.
"Hey." She nearly screeched to a halt as the ear-grating voice hit her ears, looking up to see Tig jogging over. "You coming?"
But Sydney's already spotty attention was stolen away as she watched Gemma painstakingly move around the office, through the open door - studying each one of her stunted movements.
"No…" She decided as she felt the nagging agitation seep into her bones, not taking her eyes off of the older woman.
"Why not?" Tig scowled.
"That wasn't a car accident…" She breathed out, shaking her head as she carried on the observation that continued to produce one regretful conclusion.
"What do you mean?" Tig followed her inquisitive gaze.
"What happened to Gemma." She snapped her head back into place, her frustration foregoing an impatient eye roll and skipping straight to a glare of intolerance.
Tig blinked as he tried to make sense of what she was saying - what he refused to entertain the thought of, because if she was right, then it would mean that he had failed gravely. Again.
"Okay, I'll see you at home later then, I guess."
"Yeah…"
"I love you." He narrowed his eyes, watching as she zoned out once again. "Sydney." He nudged her.
"What?" She snapped out of it, shaking her head.
"What's going on?" The gentle way in which the tender question rolled off of his tongue in such concern should've melted her, but instead, the blatant obliviousness only made her blood boil as he stood before her like he had no idea what could possibly be wrong - not a clue why she was so shaken. But deep down, she knew that it was the same reason that he had been acting this way the entire time; because taking responsibility would mean dealing with the consequences, and he would rather continue to sweep them - and her - under the rug. And that realization made her anger red hot.
"I was with Jax." She blurted out before she even realized what she was saying, her eyes widening as she hurried to amend the statement that had come out so horribly premature, but that was when she saw it on his face… Concern. Worry. Care.
"W-what?" Tig nearly choked on his own tongue as he felt his mouth go dry, his ever-pounding heart coming to a full stop.
"Yeah." She blinked, straightening up. She was no longer ashamed, or guilty. She was angry. "After you left for Nevada." Her statements were sharp, and left nothing up to the imagination as she stared him down in her desperation to get something from him other than fucking monotony - some kind of sign that he still cared.
"D-did you?" He choked out, his glossy eyes looking her up and down in horror.
"No. I didn't." She bit out. "Because I wanted you, not him." She shook her head. "But maybe I should've, because it doesn't look like it would've made a difference." She looked him up and down now.
Tig exhaled as he clenched his fists, chewing the inside of his lip. "Why would you tell me when you know that there's nothing I can do about it?" He whispered through gritted teeth.
Sydney scoffed - the action only adding insult to injury. "I guess I just wanted to know what your idea of doing something about it, would be." She cocked her head. "But I can't say I'm all that surprised that, as usual, you've chosen to do nothing."
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Songs for this chapter
You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins
Dark Times - The Weeknd ft. Ed Sheeran