Sydney learns that a promise may be worth more than a patch, while some other members question whether the promises that they've made to keep their patches, are worth it.
General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death, racism/gang activity.
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CHAPTER 60: PROSPECT
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Sydney sat on top of one of the blankets that Tig had placed on the ground, a smile on her face as she watched him combing the shore for firewood—insisting that she stay put and off of her leg. Her appreciative gaze cascaded over the empty beach that had been overtaken by a blue hue as the sun began to get lower and lower in the sky, the familiar euphoria creeping through her veins as she took a deep breath, sinking her toes into the cool sand as her eyes fell closed.
D🍩: Think you can sneak away without a goodbye kiss?
She was startled by the vibration of her phone pulling her from the peaceful moment and filling her with anxiety as the reality of the situation waiting for her at home came flooding back, but her worry was quickly abolished when she realized that it was just Donut, smiling as she thumbed a quick response.
Kitty Cat: I'll owe ya an extra one next time 😉
D🍩: I'll add it to my birthday raincheck along with that lapdance ;)
Kitty Cat: I wouldn't have it any other way. Come visit when I'm better...
D🍩: Will do, honey poo. I'll make sure it's a solo trip next time.
Kitty Cat: Oh, D... You know me so well ️
Sydney felt her worry being replaced by appreciation for her gentle giant of a friend. If there was one thing that today had been missing, it was reassurance that her support in the MC hadn't been completely reduced to just Tig.
Tig trudged through the sand with the armload of driftwood that he had gathered, hopeful that it would be enough to create a half-decent fire on the beach and round out the perfect day. He dropped it to the ground, looking up to see Sydney smiling at her phone.
"Everything okay?" He questioned, partially glad that her good mood hadn't seemed to be interrupted by news from home, but mostly for the purpose of filling the silence so that she wouldn't notice him trying to figure out how he was going to construct a bonfire out of the measly pile of sticks.
"Yeah," she smiled. "Donut just left for Tacoma."
"So nobody's put out a a hit on me for stealing you away without saying goodbye?" He joked as he began trying to arrange the small logs into a teepee shape.
"Not yet… But you are an outlaw, so don't get too comfortable." She winked.
Tig smiled at the exciting thought that he allowed to linger—along with the smile on his face. Now that was a bounty that he wouldn't mind being the target of... Especially if she got to be his prize.
"Been a few years since your Marine days…" Sydney commented as she watched his structure tumble to the ground for a third time.
Tig inhaled sharply through his nostrils, slowly turning his head towards her in mock-frustration. "What'd I say about the peanut gallery?"
"It ain't comin' from the peanut gallery... It's comin' from someone who can build a better fire than you." She pursed her lips tauntingly.
"Oh really?" He scoffed. "What? Were you captain of the Girl Scouts, too?"
"I may have earned a few badges in my day." She mused, rolling onto her knees and crawling through the sand where she began constructing her own teepee.
"Of course you have." He chortled as he rubbed his brow, looking over her much sturdier design before realizing that she had managed to distract him yet again. "Jesus Christ..." He whined as she knelt in the sand, getting to his feet and lifting her off of the ground where he set her back onto the blanket as if she was a toddler. "You just don't quit, do ya?" He shook his head.
"You're getting faster." She smirked as she laid back on her elbows, surrendering.
"Oh so that's what I'm to believe, huh? That you're just tryin' to help me sharpen my skills?" He raised a brow as he pulled out his lighter.
"Ain't that what old ladies are for?" She quipped with a cocky smile.
"Damn…" He shook his head with a smirk as the flame instantly took to the structure that she had built, snapping the lighter shut and walking over to her, leaning down and dragging his hand up her thigh. "Who woulda thought that this was all I needed to do to bring that fire back?" He grinned as his hand smoothed all the way up her body, landing on her face as his eyes flicked to her lips.
Sydney felt the divine sensation of her soul igniting under his touch, ignoring his playful nature as her chest lifted up closer to his. "You miss it?" She rasped, licking at his lips.
"You know it." He growled, glancing up into those passion-filled eyes before quickly looking back down to her lips where he tilted her head up, and descended his mouth onto hers.
;
Clay waltzed out onto the compound, feeling a sweet relief washing over him—each wave stronger with every step that he took towards his Southern Cali brothers where they were making to head out. The road hadn't been smooth, but finallyhe found himself steadily approaching the destination that he'd set out for; peace of mind. His family was safe, his saviour was on the mend, and the long-time beef with the rival MC had been squashed.
"Hap around?" Packer asked as he pulled his helmet down over his thinning grey hair, squinting as he scanned the crowded lot for the bald man. If he didn't get to say goodbye to Sydney, he at least needed to speak to the one man who he could trust to pass the message on to his goddaughter.
"Nah, he hit the road last night." Clay looked to the pavement.
"Ah," Packer nodded stiffly. "Well, you keep an eye on my girl, now…" He eyed the Redwood President knowingly as his mind began to wander over the abundance of out of character behaviour from both of his Northern Cali residents.
"I'll do my best." Clay chuckled.
"I know it ain't an easy job." Packer smiled back, deciding that Happy was likely just too embarrassed to face the San Bernardino charter after letting something happen to their Princess—no matter how well they all knew that there was nothing that he could've done.
"Yeah." Clay scoffed. "I, uh… I think that's kinda what got us into this…" He spoke guiltily.
"It's the kind of loyalty that she's got…" He smiled proudly. "The same loyalty that her daddy had." He hoped to convey that he didn't hold SAMCRO responsible for what had happened to Sydney. He knew better than anyone that throwing herself in front of that bullet was a choice—he just hoped that it would be a choice that paid off.
"James was a good man." Clay bowed his head respectfully.
"She will be too." Packer nodded pointedly as he mounted his bike. "Given the chance…"
"Look, Les..." Clay began. "This don't change what we talked about before you sent her out here."
"What about your crew?" He squinted in the low evening sun.
"There were a couple of doubts before," Clay shrugged. "Couple more after…" He chuckled, refusing to let the resentment destroy his progress. "But it ain't cause they don't want her around. Hell, I think they want her around a little too much..." He widened his eyes playfully.
"I'm glad to hear that." Packer smiled genuinely. "Wish that I could say the same about my guys..." He added regrettably, his smile of relief turning to a frown.
"She's got a seat at my table, brother." Clay clapped Packer's shoulder, giving him a reassuring nod.
;
Tig leaned back onto his elbows as he took a hit off of the joint that he had rolled earlier in the day, exhaling the smoke into the orange sky as the sun set across the horizon, and the fire crackled beside them. "This is better than I thought…" He nodded thoughtfully as he passed it down to Sydney who was in his lap, cuddled up against his chest—still shocked that he had been able to pull all of it off.
"I came here, actually." She smiled as she brought the joint to her lips. "When you went to Nevada the first time..." She explained as she exhaled slowly.
"And here I thought I'd be surprising you." He chuckled as he looked down at her with a playful scowl.
"It's a good spot…" She looked up with a bashful smile, resting her head back into the crook of his neck. "You planned a good day..." She nodded as he stroked her thigh below the bandage, taking another puff before returning the joint.
"Nah, it's okay, babe." He shook his head, gently patting her thigh. "You finish it. I'm gonna pack up." He carefully moved her back down to the blanket that they were sitting on.
Sydney enjoyed the remainder of the marijuana as she revelled in the comfort and peace of the beach, feeling her chest getting tighter and tighter as Tig packed up the van, getting closer to the time that they would have to return back home...
"You ready?" Tig nodded as he stood above her with his hands on his hips now that he was dressed back in his regular clothing.
"I guess..." She exhaled dramatically, reaching for his hand so that he could help her up.
Tig smiled, pulling her up and into his arms where he carried her to the passenger seat, rounding the van in search of her dress. "Damn…" He returned a few seconds later, groaning as his grip tightened around the teal garment. "Ain't this a pretty sight..." He drawled as his baby blue eyes raked over her as she sat in her tiny bikini while her wavy blonde hair framed her sunkissed face.
"I don't have to put it back on…" She bit her lip as she slowly swayed her chest back and forth.
"You want me to crash on our way back?" He chuckled as he stalked up to her, leaning over and placing the dress behind her seat.
"It would be worth it…" She rasped as she pressed her chest against his, feeling herself trembling under his gaze as she tilted her head further back.
Tig hesitated for a second, wondering if her morbid response had anything to do with her worry about returning home to the table where she had been ridiculed just days before, but as his hands smoothed up her bare sides, he managed to brush it off.
"Damn, you really don't wanna go home, do you?" He grinned, lowering his mouth to hers in a hot, passionate kiss before she could answer, abruptly pulling away and rounding the front of the van to the driver's seat, smirking to himself as he caught the pink flush on her cheeks.
As they made their way back, Sydney felt herself getting antsier and antsier where she sat in the passenger seat so far away from Tig... She couldn't tell if it was her nerves getting the best of her as they got closer to home—no matter how many times she tried to tell herself that she had nothing to worry about—or if it was the raging fire that he had lit inside of her. Either way, she knew what the cure was...
She shifted her body to face him as he boasted about correctly guessing the mystery sound on the radio show that they were listening to, leaning against the door as pushed her tits out as much as the limited space would allow, slowly dragging her foot up his calf to get his attention.
"What the hell d'you think you're doin'?" Tig raised his brow as he tried to concentrate on the road, shifting his gaze towards her to see that she was laid back in her seat with her legs spread wide open, snapping his head back in place as he felt the van beginning to drift towards the shoulder where a little red car with Texas plates had been abandoned.
"You know…" She drawled as he looked away, looking down at her hand as she trailed it up the inside of her thigh until she felt his gaze on her again. "The only thing better than looking at a pretty sight, is touching it..." She lifted her head up to meet his eyes.
Tig felt a mischievous smirk tugging at his lips as he watched her other hand smooth over her breast. "Well, get on over here then." He nodded to his lap. Sydney bit her lip, accepting his challenge as she pushed herself out of her seat and got to her knees on the floor between them. "No, no, no, no, no, baby. Not your leg—" He tried to stop her the second that she called his bluff, cursing himself for so stupidly thinking that she wouldn't take him up on his offer.
"Tig," she cut off his protests. "Shut up." She pressed her lips to his in a hungry kiss that stopped his shaking head as he attempted to keep driving in a straight line.
"Okay." He gave in easily, wrapping an arm around her shoulders where he pulled her greedy mouth closer, indulging in her sinfully sweet taste before he felt the van veering off to the side once again, her lips moving to his neck as he pulled away to straighten out.
"Don't crash." She whispered into his ear with a dirty smirk as her hand ran over his crotch.
Tig's breath caught in his throat when he felt her hands pulling at his belt buckle. He blinked a few times as he tried to compose himself, leveraging his foot against the gas pedal to help her get his pants down far enough.
"Jesus Chirst, Syd…" He shivered as she wasted no time wrapping her lips around his length the second that it was free of its denim confines, his eyes rolling into the back of his skull and his fingers weaving into her hair as she quickly began bobbing her head.
Sydney raked her nails up and down his denim covered thigh as she sucked him off eagerly, the weight of his hand on the back of her head only pushing her to take him deeper into the back of her throat as she moaned around his cock.
Tig hadn't even realized, but at some point his eyes had fallen completely shut—fully surrendering himself to the peaceful world that her hot little mouth brought him to. It was only when he heard the blare of sirens that his eyes snapped open to see that he was driving way over the speed limit on the dark road.
"God dammit." He groaned, begrudgingly coming back to earth and untangling his fingers from her hair where he slowed the van to a stop on the side of the empty highway, but apparently the van was the only thing that was coming to a stop... "Babe," He nudged Sydney, but she didn't stop—feeling his heart picking up as he heard the cop cut off the sirens in preparation to approach the vehicle.
Sydney smirked around him, feeling his cock swelling in her mouth as his stress began to build. She pressed her tongue against the underside even harder as she continued to slide up and down his length, hollowing her cheeks as tightly as she could.
"Syd!" He exclaimed as he watched the door of the squad car swing open in the side mirror, but in the same moment that his panic exploded, so did he. He writhed beneath her as he bursted in her mouth, moaning like a damn whore as she licked him clean.
Sydney lifted herself out of his lap when her stunt finally had the desired effect, cocking a brow and smirking at him deviously as he rushed to get his pants back up while she took her time getting back into her seat.
Tig glanced into the side mirror again now that he was properly situated to get away with a speeding fine and hopefully nothing more, watching as the middle-aged man rooted around his squad car for something. "You weren't kidding about that indecent charge…" He panted, shaking his head as his cheeks flushed—something that only she could make him do.
"Nuh-uh," she shook her head slowly. "Especially when my man has a reputation for me to uphold..." She smiled knowingly.
Tig grinned as she joked in the face of what surely would've had any other woman running far away. "You're fucking crazy," he shook his head before reaching for the back of her neck, pulling her against his lips harshly where his tongue claimed her mouth as his cock just had.
"For you." She nodded with an evil smile.
Tig felt a familiar tingling in his chest when he recognized it, that fire. The fire that he could see her eyes, taste in her kiss, and hear in her voice. The fire that spread from her soul and lit up his heart. The fire that he had no idea how much he'd missed until he found himself basking in the flames, once again.
Sydney's eyes glossed over as she slipped under that familiar trance of Tig Trager—a feeling that she hadn't gotten to experience enough in the past couple of weeks, and she hated that the moment was about to be cut short by a half-bright patrol officer who was spending his Friday night cock-blocking motorists on their trip down lover's lane.
"I'll handle it." Tig whispered tenderly, waiting for her to settle back into her seat before he slumped back into his with a sigh, hating for their moment to be interrupted just as much as she did. They waited impatiently as the cop finally approached the vehicle, fiddling nervously with his flashlight before shining it directly into Tig's face.
"Jesus Christ, man." He recoiled harshly, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.
"Now just because this is an empty road, does not mean that you can be going seventy damn miles an hour!"
"I'm not listening to shit until you get that damn light out of my f—"
"I am so sorry, officer!" Sydney cut him off. The man shifted his flashlight to the other side of the vehicle, not at allexpecting to see a gorgeous, bikini-clad woman in the passenger seat of the creepy guy's van.
"This is all just one big misunderstandin', I'm afraid." She put on her best southern accent. "You see, I'm not from around here, and this nice fella stopped to give me a hand with my flat tire a few miles back. If it weren't for him, I woulda been stranded out here all alone until the wee hours of the mornin'." She widened her eyes. "I guess I was just a little too eager to thank him…" She looked down to her lap bashfully where she began twiddling her thumbs.
Tig looked to the officer to gauge his reaction before he nodded his confirmation, hoping that he wasn't crazy to put his trust in her after what she had just pulled minutes ago.
The man blinked a few times as the absolute fantasy of a woman spoke her explanation in that core-tingling drawl, still trying to comprehend what he had done to find himself lucky enough to lay eyes on the southern belle, let alone what the man driving had done to be blessed enough to get her in his van, willingly. He had always been somewhat of a believer in karma—that what you put into the universe, you will get out. So maybe, if he let the blue-eyed driver have his…
"Pull it over next time." He stated firmly, lowering his flashlight and walking back towards his squad car.
Tig looked from the window where the cop had been, to Sydney with widened eyes. If he wasn't surprised by her before, then he was thoroughly mindblown now. "Looks like we're good to go." She shrugged casually as she watched the police car drive off.
"Nah, nah." Tig shook his head, keeping his eyes pinned straight ahead as he killed the engine. "Get back there." He pointed to the back of the van with a growl.
"What're you doing, Sergeant?" She questioned with a seductive purr in her voice as the mischievous smirk fought its way back onto her face.
"Fixing your flat tire." He grinned as he pulled her out of her seat and to his lips, gently guiding her to the back of the van as he scoped out a position that wouldn't put any stress on her leg, deciding on the block heater.
"Trip down memory lane, huh?" Sydney smirked as he bent over the metal box.
"You gonna squirt for me for old time's sake?" He questioned with a cocky grin as he slid her tiny bathing suit bottoms down.
"You gonna make me?" She challenged over her shoulder with expectant eyes as he slid down his already disheveled jeans.
"Wanna remind me how I did it the first time?" He asked darkly as he lifted her injured leg. He remembered exactly what had made her squirt the first time, but he hoped that the combination of her ultra-high sex drive, and heightened sensitivity would be enough to get the job done while she was still healing.
"Hmm… I think it started with a leg injury..." She mused, pressing her barely-covered chest against the cold metal as she pushed her ass out against him.
"Well, we're right on track then." Tig hummed, guiding her knee to rest on the heater as he dragged his hand over her bandage, and up the back of her thigh.
Sydney whimpered when his touch left the rough material and landed on her soft skin, his callused palm sending a jolt through her. "And then, I was being a bad girl…"
"Yeah?" Tig responded distantly as his hand roamed up her ass cheek, his thumb teasing her slit as he leaned over, and attached his lips to the sensitive spot below her ear.
"Mhmm…" She hummed as she leant into his touch.
"What were you doin', baby?" He asked as he pushed her back into place, straightening up as his thumb travelled away from the familiar entrance, and closer to the unfamiliar one...
Sydney shivered when she felt him going where they hadn't gone before; where she had never gone before with any man—choosing to submit, staying where he wanted her with a moan as she felt herself puckering around his digit. "Teasing you…" She began as she rocked back into his touch, his fingers finding her wetness.
"You do that everyday, doll." He scoffed.
"Making you jealous…" Her voice shook as she brought up the sensitive subject—the one that they both knew was a major turn on for the other.
Tig felt her arousal spreading as she recounted the events of that day. "God, you're so wet…" He his hand, wrapping it around her neck and pulling her up to look at him as he slid his fingers into her mouth. "Making me jealous makes you wet, huh?"
Sydney nodded as she sucked his fingers clean of her juices, squeaking when she felt him enter her so unexpectedly, bottoming out with ease.
Tig shivered as he watched her eyes squeeze shut, and then flutter back open as he stood buried deep inside of that tight little pussy that rocked every corner of his world. He slid his fingers out of her mouth, replacing them with his tongue as he pulled back before thrusting harshly once again, feeling her lock down on him before he lowered her back down to the metal surface, beginning a slow and steady rhythm that he hoped would be enough to bring her where he wanted to take her without the excessive use of force. He hadn't been properly rough with her in a while—not since their temporary demise when he had been trying to prove his love for her in any way that he could, and definitely not since her injury. He knew that she missed it, but he hoped that he could continue to temporarily fill the void with his creative tactics.
The contrast between this, and their first tangle on top of the block heater only served to remind Sydney that he was holding back because of her injury, and she hated it—but the pleasure that he had rolling over her body was enough for her to quickly forget all about it.
"Feel good, baby?" Tig husked as he gripped her hips while his snapped against them.
"Mhmm..." Sydney moaned, looking over her shoulder at him with those glossy eyes that were begging for more...
"Yeah?" He drawled, pulling his eyes away as he trailed one of his hands across her lower back, grabbing her ass so that he could watch himself slide in and out of her—letting his thumb fall back between her cheeks.
Sydney's entire body jolted when he tested her again, biting down on her wrist to muffle her cry as she looked into his light eyes which were coated with a dark lust. "You like that?" His gravelly voice barely carried as he raised a brow, feeling her inner walls squeezing him even harder.
She nodded with her teeth still sinking into her skin, feeling her legs beginning to give out as her stomach began tightening, and her toes began curling. Her entire body had been wildlysensitive, but she hadn't expected that she would be wildly sensitive there, too.
An evil smile spread across Tig's face when she gave her nod of approval, applying more pressure to her second hole as he continued fucking her. He knew by the way that she was pulsing around him, that he would be able to get the job done—and now he had valuable insight on what more he could do to get it done in the future..
Before Sydney knew it, her entire body was gyrating with her fourth orgasm of the day. She pressed her forehead against the heater as she drove her hips back against him, her quivering body unable to take any more of his deep strokes.
Tig chuckled when she tried to stop his movements, grabbing her hips to still her as he sped his pace. "Come on, baby… I know you can do it for me..." He encouraged her, listening to her high-pitched squealing until he finally felt it; her release coating his thighs. A wave of satisfaction rolled over him, allowing him to let himself go as well as he basked in her mewling below him, and her warmth around him.
Once Sydney came to, she slowly lifted her exhausted body off of the metal box to see Tig looking around for something that he could use to clean them up—realizing that he had buried the blankets under everything else when he'd packed up.
Tig rubbed his temple, looking back in Sydney's direction for something to use where he saw her standing—albeit wobbly—with her green dress dangling off of her lifted foot .and a smirk on her face.
"What are you gonna wear when we get back?" He raised a brow skeptically. She didn't have much at all for clothes in his dorm anymore, and there was no way that he was letting her walk into church wearing that tiny bikini.
"I got an idea..."
;
Clay sat at the head of the table without a bone-crushing weight on his shoulders for the first time in weeks. And as his crew trickled in, he received what he needed to keep that weight suspended; the nod from Bobby confirming that Opie had successfully carried out the hit on Brenan Hefner. which meant that his pockets were about to be thoroughly lined, and his head was about to be crystal clear.
All other worries that he may have had, faded into the background—including the fact that Sydney and Tig were late. Jax had at least started to get over whatever power trip he had been on— even if it had ended up costing the President much more than he would've liked—and Laroy didn't have enough push in the small town to set anything off nearly as strong as the Mayans could; and those were both turmoils that he had lived through for decades, and managed to come out on the other side...
;
Tig pulled the van onto the compound under the dim lights, looking around the empty lot with a sigh of relief. "Looks like you're in the clear, doll." He was glad to see that for Sydney's sake—and by extension, his own—that nobody had decided to stick around.
"Not yet…" Sydney scoffed, her eyes fixed on the door of the clubhouse.
"Hey," she looked away to see his hand on her leg. "We're movin' past this shit, okay?" He narrowed his eyes.
Sydney nodded before looking down at her lap. She knew that she had nothing more to worry about, but she wouldn't be able to accept that until she was back in her seat at the table where she belonged.
Tig knew that she wasn't fully convinced, but he also knew that it would be much better to show her, rather than try and tell her. "Aight, so what's this bright idea you got?" He changed the subject, nodding to where she was still sitting, half naked.
A devious smirk quickly replaced Sydney's weary expression. "Go get me one of your shirts, and my boots." She instructed, watching as Tig raised an eyebrow and widened his eyes skeptically. "Unless… You want me to go in like this?"
"What colour?" His face snapped back into place.
"White." She giggled.
"Okay." He nodded before hopping out of the van.
Sydney felt herself buzzing with giddiness as a stupid smile forced its way onto her face no matter how hard she tried to stop it. How was it so easy for him to lighten every single dark corner of her mind? Shrink every one her doubts?
"Tiggy, wait!" She called out the window.
"What?" Tig jogged back over, looking nervously over his shoulder at the door. But instead of an answer, as soon as he turned back to her all that he felt were her lips on his in a hard kiss that he could feel her smile through.
"I love you." She grinned.
"I love you, too." He smiled back, pecking her lips once again before abruptly pulling away. "Now quit tryin' to get me into more trouble than I'm already in!" He mock-scolded before taking off across the lot.
Sydney chuckled as she slumped back into the passenger seat, looking down at her grown out nails when she remembered something… The file from Alvarez. She sat up, popping open the glove box where she practically ripped open the envelope which contained photos of Clay, of McKeevy, of the ports—all of which confirmed exactly what she and Jax had been worried about this whole time; that Kohn had known everything about the guns, which meant that the feds knew everything about the guns...
;
Tig slipped through the front door of the clubhouse undetected, tiptoeing through the bar when his eyes landed on the open doors of the chapel. "Shit..." He muttered, slowly turning back around.
"Oh, hey, man! You guys are back!" Tig heard the dreaded cheerful voice echoing behind him, his teeth clenching as he turned on his heels, coming face to face with the stupid fucking prospect who just didn't know when to quit. He exhaled slowly as he cracked his neck, shooting the younger man a warning glare as he bit his lip in an attempt to stop himself from doing exactly what Sydney had begged him not to do—what he had already come dangerously close to doing.
"Oh, shit..." Half-Sack looked over his shoulder, into the chapel where he could see Bobby looking at him with a raised brow. "Just, uh… Just talkin' to myself! Sorry!" He waved awkwardly, turning back to Tig.
"Get out." Tig sighed, shaking his head as he slipped out the front door.
;
Sydney eased herself down to the ground when she saw Tig approaching, accepting the large white t-shirt that he gave her, slipping it overtop of her bathing suit before sliding her feet into the clunky black combat boots. She fluffed her hair before turning to the side mirror where she stood on her tiptoes to get a good look at her outfit, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head to the side as she tried to figure out what was missing.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." Tig rushed her with a flailing hand.
She bit her lip, looking him up and down with a creased forehead before it finally hit her. "I need your laces."
"What?" He shook his head incredulously.
"From your boots." She clarified innocently, keeping the smirk off of her face as he grew more and more impatient, and began to whine.
"Yeah, yeah I know from my boots." He sighed. "What the hell for?"
"You wanna stand around and ask questions, or do you wanna give me your laces? I thought we were in a hurry."
"We are." He rolled his eyes.
"Oh? Shit, okay..." She feigned panic, pulling the hem of the shirt up.
"Goddammit." Tig grumbled, yanking her into his arms where he pulled the oversized garment back down, chuckling under her playful grin.
"I'll put them back on for you later, Sergeant…" She slowly dropped to her knees, looking up at him with wide eyes as she began untying his boots.
;
The silent room of leather-adorned men perked up when they finally heard the footsteps that they had been waiting on, turning in their creaking chairs to see Sydney and Tig standing in the doorway with no regard for how obviously disheveled they looked. They all exchanged their knowing glances, but the looks only turned to full blown hysterics as Tig hobbled into the room.
"I thought she was the one who should have a limp." Jax laughed.
Tig ignored the jabs, rolling his eyes as he took his seat, but it was Clay who noticed the cause of his altered gait; his laceless boots as Sydney brandished one wrapped around her waist as a belt overtop of the makeshift dress where the dark bikini could be seen through the thin fabric, and the other one wrapped around her neck as a choker. He raised a brow, chuckling when she responded with a smug shrug of her shoulders.
"Alright," the President began. "Hefner's been taken care of," he gave a formal nod to Opie.
Sydney and Jax shared a look as the praise for the bearded man went around the table, smiling and nodding along with their brothers—the only thing worse than Opie lying about carrying out the hit, would be Clay finding out that he was lying about carrying out the hit.
"And so has Alvarez." He looked to Sydney with a nod before the room exploded in a much more substantial cheer. "And I'm going to tell myself that's why you had a wardrobe change." He added with a playful smirk.
Everyone laughed at Clay's joke, but Sydney even didn't hear it. She was too busy beaming with the validation that she had needed; the confirmation that everyone at this table cheered for her, supported her, respected her.
"I let Cameron know that his order is up. Should get that cash in the next few days, but for now..." Clay nodded to Bobby, the shorter man beginning to dole out a round of cash-filled envelopes that Clay had put together as a show of good faith to his crew who had more than earned it.
Sydney accepted her payout gratefully, but it didn't take her long to notice as she looked around the room, that her envelope was much thicker than everybody else's. She quickly shoved it under her leg, hoping that she had been the only one who had seen—but the look on Jax's face from across the table told her that she hadn't been.
Clay wrapped up the session, deeming everybody free to go home to their families where they were assured that they could sleep a little tighter now that they had safely arrived at the destination that their President had been trying to bring them to for years; peace of mind.
"You wanna give me that file?" Sydney heard behind her as she stood just before the threshold, smirking mischievously as she looked back over her shoulder at Clay who was waiting at the table expectantly. She chuckled, nodding for Tig to go ahead as she stepped back inside the chapel.
"You wanna stop slipping me extra cash?" She challenged with a playful smile, pulling the folded up manilla envelope out of her boot.
"Pay your hospital bills." He shook his head as he reached for the very item that had nearly torn his club apart. "Gemma tells me that there will be more…" He added, narrowing his eyes as he nodded to her stance.
"I'll be fine." Sydney rolled her eyes, the grateful smile not leaving her face.
"I hope so…" Clay nodded with a small smile. "I can't lose my prospect."
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Song for this chapter
Drive - Halsey