Bad Medicine - An SOA Fan Fiction

Chapter 5

Jax eyed Clay and Tig as they walked close together, deep in conversation, toward their bikes. Sometimes he couldn't tell if his suspicions were justified or just colored by his personal issues with the man.

The two took off toward the address Tig had copied off the paperwork from the day before. He wasn't sure how Clay was going to play it, as usual he'd just follow his president's lead.

Pulling up to a little single home not too far from the school they dismounted. Clay walked right up the path while Tig moved slowly, his eyes roaming around the block. Ignoring the bell Clay knocked his swollen, aching knuckles on the door.

The sound made Mae jump, she never had visitors. Pacing over she pressed her cheek to the door to look out the peephole. It was more than a little strange but knowing they were friends of Opie compelled her to open the door.

"Hi," she smiled, the door only partially open. "I told him I'd pay for the work, I swear." She laughed nervously.

Clay smiled a little to put her at ease, he wasn't going to hurt her but he knew often times he could be intimidating. Normally it worked to his advantage but it would only serve to keep her from opening up.

"We're not here about that," he offered her his hand. "We didn't meet yesterday, I'm Clay and you know this clown." From behind Clay Tig nodded at her quickly.

"Nice to meet you." What the hell was going on? If anything she was hoping to hear from Opie, not these guys. "So what can I do for you?"

"Mind if we come in?"

Mae felt her chest tighten but smiled and stepped aside to let them in. She immediately noticed Tig's wandering eyes around her home. "Can I get you anything?"

They declined while she and Clay took a seat in her living room. It was quaint, a few knick knacks but mainly bare. Mae waited for a moment for one of them to start. She felt self-conscious in her tee and kept her arms crossed over her chest.

Clay stared at her for a minute. "You're new in town?" Behind him Tig stood casually but his eyes didn't stop moving, he was always on alert.

"I am."

"Then you must not know much about the friends you've been making."

Shaking her head Mae knew this wasn't going to be easy. "I don't really have any friends, other than Opie."

"What do you call Ernest Darby then?" He came out and asked coolly. The change in her was immediate and obvious. "You do know him, don't you?"

She closed her eyes, the pressure in her chest growing with every breath. "I do but he's definitely not a friend." Folding her hands on her lap she tried to think of how she could get out of this. They were interested but she just didn't know why.

"That's good. That's not a friend you want to make." Clay said ominously.

"Last night," Tig finally sat. She was thankful for that, he was exacerbating her anxiety by constantly pacing the room. "I saw you."

Mae shook her head. "Please don't tell Opie, don't tell anyone. I know it's bad." She knew this would happen, Mae didn't want to go to jail.

"What's he got on you?" Clay leaned forward and took her hand in his, extending her arm out with a little pull. He pointed to the faded track marks in her arm. "Owe him money?"

"No," she snapped and pulled her arm back. "I haven't used in a while actually and never meth." Mae said defensively. "I don't really want to get into it, it's," she just shook her head.

"That shit doesn't come in my town." The words were cold and stern, a quick turn from the tone he'd been using. "Darby knows that, now you know that."

"Who are you?" More than mechanics and bikers, that was clear now.

Ignoring the question Clay calculated his next move. "Just concerned citizens. Darby have any other shacks lined up?"

"Not that I know of," Mae shook her head.

"What do you know?"

"Nothing. I drive from point A to point B and that's it." Mae pulled a face, her car and the things Darby had said the night before made more sense now. "You're what he's so afraid of," she mused.

Tig and Clay laughed at that. "He should be." Clay nudged Tig and he slowly got to his feet.

"What are you going to do?" Ignoring her question Clay stood, Mae followed suit. "Please, I really don't want trouble. Darby already thinks I'm going behind his back."

Shaking his head Tig pulled a face. "You don't have to worry about him."

"I need him." She stammered, Darby was better than Laroy that was for sure.

Stopping cold he turned and look at her. "You need him?" Clay smirked. "Why?" He was going to let it go but her desperation upped his curiosity. "What's Darby doing for you?"

"That's...between me and him." Mae swallowed as Clay's grey eyes narrowed in on her. "He helped me out of a jam, that's it. I'm just trying to get him off my back. Even up and I'm done. Please don't say anything."

"You keep this little powwow between us," he leaned closer. "And no one knows a thing, especially Ope."

Clay and Tig left without another word and sent the message out to Jax for the guys to take care of the cook house. They had other plans though, neither one of them had to discuss it, they both knew they were going to end up visiting Darby.

---

Jax, Opie, Chibs and Juice waited until much after dark to head down to Water road. It was easy for Clay to brush off the questions as to how he got the location, it was an area they were all familiar with, Tig just happened to stumble on it.

"You sure this is the one?" Juice had his hood up as they checked out the house from a good distance before moving further.

The whole area looked abandoned, there was not one sign of life anywhere on the property. "This is what he said. Red house, white shudders." Jax repeated it again. "Let's just do it."

After spraying the front of the house with bullets they all expected at least a few people to stumble out but there was no movement. Jax and Opie looked at each other anxiously, it didn't feel right.

"Jackieboy," Chibs wasn't sure what their next move was. "Keep on it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's clear it."

The four of them burst in the house, it was completely empty, floor to ceiling bare. This wasn't right and they all knew it. Jax wasn't sure who was on which side, leaving or completing their task both had some heavy consequences.

"Jax?" Opie was pulling the explosives from his bag but looking to his best friend for guidance. "We doing this?"

When Jax nodded the rest of them left the house as Opie placed the explosives. Hopefully this was the right decision but he really wasn't sure.

"What the hell was that about?" Juice asked as they huddled behind a few trees to watch Opie's handy work.

His nostrils flared in anger as he shook his head. Jax had no idea but the suspicion was clearly on everyone else's minds as well. Opie booked it from the house to the line of trees and tapped the remote once he was safely with the others. The boys watched with concern as the house exploded, the flames reaching far up into the night sky.

Darby could have sworn Mae had been keeping her word, she was too scared to say anything or at least that was what he thought. Moving his lab was a precaution he was now relieved to have taken. Not only did he save his business but he outed Mae as well. If the Sons really thought they could remove him from Charming with the help of a recovering junkie, they were sorely mistaken.

The little pile of sunflower shells at his feet proved to his cohort how long he'd been contemplating their next move. Mae and the club had targets on their back now.

"So?" Twitchy and beginning to go through withdrawal Darby's buddy was pacing the porch.

"Tomorrow, we sell. I'll wait till the next meeting with her and you wait till SOA comes after you. Then we move from there."