Taste of Wolves

Chapter 31

Quinn just nodded before leaning down and kissing her not caring who saw them. She grabbed ahold of his kutte to help steady herself. She was glad he wasn't really mad at her. She wasn't sure she could handle it if he was. Jax was calling for church again so Quinn finally pulled away from her to head into the chapel. As the boys were in church, Gemma once again called on the 'ol ladies to help clean up. The clubhouse needed to be swept. She had a prospect bring her a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide to help dissolve the blood that was on the floor. Tables and chairs had been knocked over and some hadn't been put right yet.

Aria was walking behind Lyla with a trash bag so once the dustpan was full, it was easier for the blond to empty it. Two of the other 'ol ladies were setting the tables and chairs up right where they went. One women helped put the mugshots that had fallen back on the wall. After fifteen minutes, Gemma had the prospects dabbing up the hydrogen peroxide soaked bloodstains up. She didn't want any reminders of what had transpired in the clubhouse or a stain for cops to come in and begin nosing around. The women were just finishing up when the chapel doors opened up and the bikers all began filtering out. Quinn was happy to see Aria helping with the cleanup. She was doing what was necessary as an 'ol lady within the club and it made him sure he was making the right decision by asking her to be his 'ol lady.

It had been agreed that they would coordinate strikes on the L.O.A.N. members and make it look like accidents until all of them had been annihilated. This last attack had been the last straw. Specifically attacking their women and children had crossed a line that none of them would take siting down. They planned to strike at night so they had the cover of darkness for their activities and their get-a-ways. Everyone sat around having tense conversations until dinner time. Gemma had Aria and Lyla helping her once again in the kitchen to make dinner for everyone. Chicken fried steaks, fried okra, corn on the cob, cream pepper gravy, and corn bread. It would be a hearty dinner especially for those going out on club business that night.

The chatter in the kitchen was all about cooking. Gemma noticed that Aria seemed to make things by scratch and didn't cut corners when cooking. She liked that a lot about the younger woman. When asked who taught her how to cook and bake, she was told it was her grandmother since her grandparents raised her from the time she was about six years old. The Matriarch got her talking more about her younger days as they prepared the meal. Aria happily told the pair all about her parents' death when she was young, how her grandparents lived next door and raised her after her parents' deaths, how her grandfather taught her to shoot a gun to protect herself and how her grandmother taught her all she knew about cooking and baking. She explained how she was a wild youth until she discovered video games and how she decided she wanted to play games for a living when she was still in high school.

Lyla was shocked to her she was only twenty-five as they chatted. 'She's still a baby but already has the makings of being a great 'ol lady.' Gemma thought as she tended to the steaks. Aria was tending to the okra and corn while Lyla was making cornbread. The younger woman told them about the few guys she'd dated and how she'd broken up with her high school sweetheart when he went off to college and began cheating on her with some sorority slut. Lyla chuckled at her phrasing making Gemma smile. The more Gemma found out about Aria, the more she liked her. She was very family oriented, she was clearly one to protect those she holds dear, and she didn't back down in the face of danger. The real test would come when ATF came sniffing around though or the boys went back to prison.

After dinner, the bikers all prepared to head out on business. Quinn pulled Aria in for a passionate kiss before he followed his brothers out to their bikes. She worried greatly for him and his safety. It was understood what they were doing would be dangerous and could potentially cause them to go to jail. She hated that thought more than anything. She sighed as she stared at the door. It was bad enough she was losing money by being stuck at his clubhouse but now her 'ol man was out doing something potentially dangerous and most likely illegal. Lyla sat down with her with a smile.

The pair chatted about random things for a while before Aria decided she wanted to go lay down. She bid the blond a good night then headed to her dorm room. Aria decided to take herself a quick shower before heading to bed. The hot water might help ease the stress she was feeling. At least she hoped. Standing in the spray of the water, she just let it run all over her as she silently cried. Once she finished crying, she bathed herself, then climbed out of the shower and dried off. She got dressed for bed and promptly slid into bed before turning the TV on and browsing stations before settling on something to watch. It was going to be a long, lonely night she figured.

It was nearly dawn by the time the Sons were finished with their task. They made it back to the clubhouse and parked their bikes. Each walked solemnly to the clubhouse just wanting some rest from being up all night. Quinn entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him. Not wanting to crawl into bed feeling dirty, he stripped and hopped into the shower to try and clean up before crawling into bed with his girlfriend. As soon as he got settled in bed, she scooted around and curled up next to him bringing a sleepy smile to his face. He wrapped an arm around her before closing his eyes and promptly drifting off to sleep. When she woke up, she found herself laying on her side with an arm holding her tightly by the waist, hot breath in her neck, and a leg situated in between hers. It made her smile when she realized their fingers were interlocked as they laid there together.

She slipped out of his grip to take herself a shower then get dressed. By the time she was out of the shower and dressed, he was still passed out. She frowned not knowing when he'd gotten in the previous night. Slipping out of the room as quietly as she could, she made her way into the kitchen for some coffee. People were still passed out everywhere and no one but her seemed to be up. She made a pot of coffee and wondered when the lockdown was going to be lifted. Once the coffee was made, she poured herself a cup and fixed it the way she liked it. Since she was the only one awake still, she had a seat at the bar and waited quietly as she slowly sipped on her coffee. Little-by-little, the women began to wake up. Gemma wanted to start on breakfast knowing the children needed to eat.

Most of the bikers were still in bed sleeping as breakfast was being made. It began to worry Aria since Quinn was usually up before now. Gemma noted how anxious Aria seemed to be and asked about it. The younger woman explained how Quinn was usually up before now and she was worried about him. The Matriarch just smiled and said they had probably come in extremely early this morning and were just catching up on sleep. The younger woman was still worried but tried to be optimistic about things. Most of the women, children, and bikers that had remained had all eaten and the kitchen was cleaned up by the time the other bikers began stirring for the day.

Jax told his mother things had gone as they had hoped and that he was sure it was safe to lift the lockdown. Aria sighed with relief at hearing that. She quickly made her way back to the room she was sharing with Quinn, who was still asleep, and packed up her bag to leave. She thanked Gemma for cooking before she said goodbye to Tara and Lyla. She was hoping to do some streaming that afternoon since she'd been gone a few days. When Quinn woke up, he didn't realize Aria had left the compound. He headed to take himself another shower before getting dressed then heading out into the clubhouse. Upon asking where Aria was, since he didn't see her anywhere, Lyla told him she'd already gone home. He sighed hoping she'd have stuck around. He wanted to see her, to kiss her, to hold her.

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