Mea Culpa

Chapter 31

It wasn't that Roxy wanted to think about everything she, Happy, Tig, and Rat discussed but she didn't have a choice. The words kept rattling around in her brain until she started to truly wonder if they were meant to stick together after what happened. While Coco was gone, Letti saw how the words stuck with Roxy and how often the Sons were coming by to reminisce. The second Coco pulled up to the house, Letti was at the door ready to tell him everything.

"What's up?" He asked, seeing the look on her face and knowing there was trouble. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she grumbled. "It's Roxy though, those assholes from up north have been here, they're fucking with her head."

"Where are they?" He hissed.

Letti grabbed his arm to keep him from running off before getting the full story. "Roxy's in the shower, I think they're staying at some other clubhouse."

"SAMDINO?"

"Yeah," she said, recognizing the name. "I think that's it."

Coco gestured for her to move out of the doorway and further into the house so they could talk.

"What were they saying?"

"It reminds me of the girls in school," Letti described, "Trying to win some other girl's loyalty. Be my best friend, not hers," Letti rolled her eyes dramatically. "Happy keeps pushing about Mateo too," she added almost as an afterthought. He seemed less malicious than other topics.

Now there was a flash of jealousy in Coco's eyes. He nodded, having seen little hints that made this less surprising the longer he thought about it. "I'll handle it."

"What are you gonna do?" She asked.

"I'm just gonna talk to Rox," he said calmly. "It's alright, I'm not gonna pop off."

Letti nodded although there was still a look of concern on her face. "Okay."

"Where's Teo?"

"In bed," she replied.

Coco hadn't even realized how late it was. He nodded and finally took his kutte off, kicked his shoes into the corner and tossed his keys in the basket. "You did the right thing," he told her. "They're playing with her head, takin' advantage," Coco explained.

Letti nodded. "Think she'll be mad?"

Coco knew Roxy would be mad at first but she'd understand, eventually. "Nah, she'll be fine," he said to Letti, hoping he wasn't lying. Giving Letti a kiss on the head, Coco climbed the stairs to wait for Roxy in their bedroom.

When she walked in, Roxy immediately dropped her towel and went to hug him but Coco stepped back. "I'm dirty as fuck," he complained. "Give me five minutes," he said, already stripping his clothing off on his way into the bathroom.

His shower was less than five minutes and their reunion romp was more but still within an hour od arriving home, he was in bed, ready to fall asleep.

"Everything go smoothly?"

"Yeah," he stifled a yawn. He was tired. He wanted nothing more than to sleep but he knew they needed to have an unpleasant conversation sooner rather than later. "We gotta talk."

"That's never good," she said, glancing over at him. "Are you leaving me? Did something happen? If I have to storm out I wanna get dressed before we talk so I can just leave and not do that awkward hopping around trying to put my clothes on."

"No," he said, slightly angry she'd even think it. "I know Happy's been here, I know what they're trying to do, Rox."

"What?"

"Letti told me they were here, talking to you about the past, family shit," Coco huffed. "That's not real."

"I grew up with them around," she said shamefully. "They're my family."

"He took advantage of you, even Jax knew it, that's why he did what he did," Coco told her. Although he had no proof it was always his assumption that Jax had more motivating the lie and forced break up than what he told Roxy.

Roxy shook her head. "We were just talking, remembering my brother and my mom," her voice cracked. "It was healthy, after so much loss I left and maybe I should have stayed longer, we could have healed as a family."

"No," Coco said forcefully. "Marcus had you stay with us for a reason, he knew you'd be safe, that Bish would look out for you. That shit up north is toxic as fuck."

Her chin trembled as she tried to find a way to explain Charming and SAMCRO, they were much different than many clubs or charters, clearly, she could see that by comparing them to the Mayans and even SAMDINO.

"I can't explain it," she shrugged.

"I know what Happy did," Coco finally admitted.

She looked at him with intense eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"He killed Angel's mom, shot her in the fucking head," Coco said with purposeful cruelty.

"How do you," she stopped and shook her head. "You don't know that shit."

"I do," he hissed. "I heard you two talking, I heard you promise you'd get him out from under EZ after the surgery."

Roxy's face fell. "I was bluffing."

"Were you? Cause you looked pretty fucking serious to me," Coco was angry now. "She was an old lady, he didn't even rob the shop, why would he do that shit?"

"I...I don't know," she admitted. "He won't get into with me."

"Cause he's a heartless fucking coward," Coco seethed. "You see me killin' old ladies? Angel? Creep? Riz?"

Shamefully, Roxy shook her head. "No."

"Cause we don't do that pussy ass shit," he snapped. "We don't fuck our friend's baby sisters, either. Happy is a bad guy, Rox, and if I gotta say it, you know he's bad."

Roxy covered her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep the heart-wrenching sob from escaping but it did no good. She cried for a minute or two before Coco finally moved to comfort her. Once she was finally in his arms, Roxy almost collapsed against him as she sobbed.

"I'm so confused," she admitted.

"I know," he said softly, "And I'm not gonna make you do anything but just remember who came here and fucked with your head, used your loss to try to win some pissing contest. Happy doesn't want to be a dad or a husband, he just doesn't want you here with me."

"You said husband," she sniffled.

Coco chuckled. "We'll end up there. Shit, Rox, look at us. I'm as fucked as they come but I'm playing house, takin' on Mateo like he's my blood, if you could get me here I gotta go there for you."

"You don't have to marry me," Roxy said. "I'm perfectly comfortable without the paperwork."

"Whatever you want," he whispered, kissing her temple. "But Rox, I can't let you help him. They lost their mom, EZ did 8 eight fucking years because of what Happy did. You know what's gotta happen."

Roxy stepped away from him. "And what are you going to tell the Sons? Killing another member is an act of war, Coco, you know that."

"Then we won't tell em' anything," Coco said darkly. "But I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm going to EZ, I'm gonna help him settle this."

There were no words forming in her mind. Roxy knew Coco was right but she couldn't find it in herself to give him her blessing. "I'm just an old lady right?"

Coco nodded quietly.

"Then you men do what you have to do," she said, her eyes on the floor.

"Please, mi Reina, tell me I can trust you, tell me you won't go to him with this," Coco begged.

Although Coco said he wasn't going to make her choose, he was right then and there asking her to betray the Reaper, her blood, and side with him. Roxy thought on it for a second and her brother's and mother's words rang in her head. "Blood doesn't make you family, loyalty does."

"You can trust me," she whispered, "I won't say anything."