Chapter Text
"Okay, come on in!" I heard the familiar voice call, and I started myself back up and rode around the corner of the building into the garage yard with ease. Teller and Morrow were the two stand out names on the sign above the doors. I was suddenly aware of the amount of jaw dropping stares as I cruised into the lot and stopped to kickstand up. If there was a perfect moment for a slow motion entrance, it was now. VP had obviously left out a few details of his own as the two closest to him were slapping him on the shoulders as he shook with laughter.
I climbed off my bike, setting my helmet on my seat. "Sorry, my dick isn't as big as my tit*, but you're gonna wanna hear what I got to say anyways." I rolled my eyes at the two obviously ogling the size of my chest and then looking back at my bike before I turned my gaze to the older one next to Jax and the two that had been slapping him. He had that king like aura to him, so I made my way to him offering my hand. "You must be the President of this rag-tag bunch of droolers?" He chuckled, taking my hand with a firm shake.
"Clay Morrow, and you'd be correct, Sweetheart." He smirked. "My boy here tells me you got some special intel? Does your old man know you stole his bike to rat him out? That's a sweet ride." I dropped my hand taking a step back and folding my arms which only made the one moving to Morrow's right side drool more.
"Funny. Listen, I'm not some bike banger hopping bars, and I damn sure ain't a f*cking rat, but you do have a rat problem, or I wouldn't be in town." I moved to my saddle bag pulling out a cigarette, and using the lighter tucked in my bra to light it. As I tucked it back into place I blew out my first drag. "We should go to church."
"I'll go to church with you any day, sweet ass. I'll have you on your knee..." I pulled my knife out of my boot and wheeled around pressing it to the hard on pressing against his jeans.
"Finish that cheesy ass sentence, and I'll make you a female biker and have you on your knees for a different reason." I shoved the man with shaved sides back a half step before spinning back around and tucking my knife back into my boot. There was a mix of hooting and hollering and laughter around me.
"Careful there, Juice, she seems a bit feisty." The one I'd met at the hospital called out. I sighed following them into where their church was held. It had a huge patch on the wall holding the "Redwood Original" moniker on it. All the men took their usual spots, I assumed, at the table. All but one, a heavier set guy with brown curly hair that was losing some of its shine, pulled his chair out for me, and I took the seat to be polite. A show of respect should be honored, even if it could hold a mocking undertone.
"Alright, miss. What's your business here in Charming?" Clay leaned back in his chair and I leaned forward folding my arms on the table looking around the room before settling back on him.
"Name's Mary Bennett. Bloody Mary if you want to ask other charters about me, and you'll have to be specific." I sighed sitting back into my seat next to the guy from the hospital.
"Jax here said you had some business at St. Thomas. Care to enlighten us on that and tell us just who it is you ride for?" His voice was taking on a more hostile tone to it. Definitely the king like complex. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and when they returned to their natural position the one he'd called Jax, from earlier, looked at me.
"This ain't no joke, Mary. You're mixed up in something you don't fully understand. You came into that hospital half co*cked, for Wendy. Why? She ain't no rat. I know her." I hear some unintelligible scoffs from around the room that made me arch my brow to Jax before leaning forward toward him with emotion voided from my face. I was being fully serious.
"First off, Prince, I didn't get the name Bloody Mary because I got sloshed on cheerleader beers and passed out at sorority parties. I got it because I have a body count higher than your f*cking I.Q., and I specialize in rats." My body was humming with agitation. "As for who I ride with, I don't see many clubs jumping to patch in a member of the fairer sex." I rolled my eyes sitting back in my chair. "Half co*cked, my f*cking ass. I was ready to off that pathetic little crank whor*, and had I not stopped to be respectful to you, that little slu*t would be dead without a trace of me being there by now." I ignored the slapping of his hands, but noted the silence of the other members.
"Wendy ain't no goddamn rat. She's the mother of my son, and she's working on herself." I couldn't help my reaction to that. I bust out laughing and tossed my head back into the chair trying to calm myself.
The laughter still lingered in my words, "Jesus, you think with that stick of meat between your legs, don't you? Let me put it to you this way, Jax. She's nothing more than an egg donor. That c*nt doesn't deserve the title of mother. A decent mother wouldn't choose the needle and a thick co*ck between her legs over her kid, and apparently her husband? Seeing how defensive you are, I'm guessing she's your old lady." I laughed, shaking my head moving to stand up. "Christ, you're in deep then kid. Because your little mole rat runs for Darby." I dig in my back pocket and slap down my thin roll of cash and the info card and picture of Wendy in a not so flattering position in exchange for what put her into St. Thomas early. "Look. You won't like it." I shrugged and glanced down to Jax who was staring at the openly viewable Polaroid slowly moving to pick it up. "That's how she got her fix, and that cash was the starter deposit on me silencing her."
"And we're just supposed to believe ya'?" I peeked over to the Scottish accent's source.
"I can't make you, but you'd be wise to. Information on you and dick is how she paid for her drugs, and Darby is afraid she'll talk to get out of prison. A rat's a rat. If you offer more, I go away. I'm not tied to a charter so my money is in my jobs. I wouldn't even mind being paid to go after Darby, anyone who sells to a pregnant woman earns it in my eyes."
"Well, the Sons and Darby have an understanding of sorts, so I don't think he'd endanger that over some second hand snatch." Clay looked at Jax whose jaw was tense. He'd crumpled that picture into his now closed fist.
"Like I said no skin off my back." I grabbed my money and tucked it back into my pocket. "I'm going to be in town for a couple of days at the least if you change your mind. I either have to complete my bounty or find a new one before I ride out of Charming. I won't cause you or your crew any major inconveniences."
"You better not. We have a rule not to kill women, but now there are always exceptions." He clasped his hands together at the closing end of a shrug as he leaned forward to observe me. "Got it?"
"Oh I got it, but just remember to watch your ass. Rats attract the wrong kind of attention." I give the older man wearing oxygen a slight squeeze on the shoulder. "If you should need me, I'll be staying at the local hotel. You can find me there."
"Wait, a minute." The man in front of me spoke, taking a heavy hit of his oxygen. "Clay, we going to let this one out of our sight?"
I tilted my head reassessing the room. I moved to prop myself up on the door crossing my arms again giving a theatrical yawn. "I'm tired of the jerk around. I'm a woman, not glass, and I'm not going to go vigilante. Bad for business. Pissing of a widely respected charter? Also, bad for business."
"Well, as a thanks from us then, Doll. Stay here. We got apartment spacing in that other building across the lot." He shrugged. "That way if we choose to enlist your services you're close by and not out any hotel money." He was smirking like he'd won some kind of hidden game, or he had some plan I wasn't in on.
"Fine, but I'll add on an open bar to that, because I need a drink after all of today's bullsh*t." I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Deal. All in favor," hands raised up in the majority. "alright. Majority rules." His gavel hit the table, and then the ringing Jax's phone interrupted the chatter that was erupting around us.
"Yeah?" He answered, and it was silent for a few minutes, and I could see that crease between his brows come back, his jaw tensed back up, and he was gritting his teeth. "Christ, today just keeps getting better. No. Tara, it's not about...." He groaned slapping his hand to the wood of the table, but the crumpled photo dulled the sound. "For f*ck’s sake! She's just being protective." I rolled my eyes as I watched with everyone else the scene unfolding. "Fine, I'll come, but I won't do anything she hasn't already done. I tried to help... No. No! Dammit, f*ck this! I'll be there shortly, bye!" He slapped his phone closed and ran his fingers through his hair and tangled them in about half way towards the back of his head.
The one that had given me his chair was rubbing Jax's back reassuring him. "Come on, Brother, it's okay. You got to go if you got to, we got this handled." I sighed pushing off the door and looked to Jax. I knew what he was probably bottling up. If roles were reversed, it would be my concern, as a mother.
"Jax." My voice came out gently for the first time this meeting and everyone instantly met me even Jax who had tears in his eyes from the frustrations he was battling inside himself. "Listen, I'm not part of your family, but I do know medical sh*t, and it is a medical miracle that the boy is surviving. He's tough. Whatever that call was about, I doubt you'll lose him. Just focus on that, and handle the rest." I nodded sure of myself. Awe, wariness, and admiration washed through the room. I nodded once to Jax who was on his feet now. He nodded back and rushed out of the room. I turned back to Clay, my voice taking more of my edge back on. "I'll stay, but if sh*t goes sideways, I'm gone." Clay nodded, and I was out the now opened door behind me making my way out to better park my bike and get settled in.
This damn trip to Charming was turning into a bigger hassle than I had planned to take on.
