A Matter of Vengeance

Chapter 16

Gemma had just huffed and walked away from him. The whole conversation had put both in a foul mood. No one wanted to approach the SAA when he was in a mood like this. Aria figured the best way of putting him in a better mood was in the bedroom. They could cuddle and watch a movie afterwards. It usually worked with her when she had a bad day. The dishes could wait after dinner. It made him smile when she pulled him to their bedroom after dinner. Sex always put him in a better mood and it made him excited that she was trying to elevate his mood in such a way.

The next day, Jax asked Tig to come to Gemma's family dinner but the SAA refused unless his wife was welcome as well. Jax promised to have a word with his mother. It still didn't ease Tig's irritation much but he remained quiet. Most of his brothers kept their distance knowing there was an issue between Tig and Gemma. The SAA finally walked over to Happy and asked if he'd do a tattoo for him. The assassin just stared at Tig for a moment before Tig went on to explain he wanted to ink Aria finally. Happy just nodded but remained silent.

During dinner that night, Tig explained about the crow tattoos all 'ol ladies got for their 'ol man. Aria just listened as he explained the meaning of this tattoo wondering where the conversation was going. When he asked if she would be willing to get one for him, she looked at him in shock. Wasn't being married enough? He watched her face as she debated with herself. After a while she finally agreed making him sigh with relief. He said he'd call Happy who would be doing her tattoo so they could get it done that night.

As she was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, Tig was on the phone with the assassin. Happy agreed and told the SAA he'd be over shortly. Tig gave him directions to their house before hanging up. He told Aria that Happy would be over soon to do her tattoo earning a head nod in response. She was a bit nervous about the whole thing. "It needs to be somewhere that I can hide it easily." she told him. Tig suggested they have it put on her upper left arm. Her t-shirts and scrub shirts should be able to cover it with no problems. She was satisfied with that.

There finally came a knock on the door so Tig got up to answer it. Happy stood there with his tattooing kit. The pair man-hugged before the SAA moved to let him in. Aria greeted him with a smile. Tig explained what he was thinking for her tattoo and where they wanted it to go. Happy just nodded before sitting down to sketch out a design. She just wanted something simple. Happy drew out a small-ish crow holding a heart in its claws with Tig's name in the middle. She liked the design and Tig did too. Before she knew it, she was sitting in the recliner to help give Happy the best access to her arm.

She wasn't as prepared as she thought she'd be for this tattoo. Tig and Happy chatted away about bike modifications as Happy tattooed her arm. She remained silent watching the killer work. It was turning out beautifully from what she could see. 'I'm surprised he is willing to tattoo me since I'm pretty sure he still doesn't trust me.' she thought as she sat there. Nearly two hours had gone by and he was wrapping her arm in plastic. Tig was thanking his brother for doing the tattoo for them. Happy just grunted something she wasn't sure what it was. She thanked him and stated how beautiful the tattoo had come out.

Happy left their house and headed back to the clubhouse. He still couldn't believe Tig had inked Aria or that he was actually married again. It boggled his mind how the pair had bonded while they had taken her hostage. Who fell in love with one of their kidnappers? What kind of person was she? Well, she did come to their aid whenever one of his brothers needed to be patched up. She never asked questions, just patched them up with no attitude. He still wasn't sure he could fully trust her or not.

It wasn't until a few weeks after her "branding" as she teased Tig that her loyalty was put to the test. She had the day off and was about to leave the house to head to the clubhouse to bring Tig some lunch so they could eat lunch together when two people showed up that she never thought she'd see at her house. Right as she was backing out of her driveway, a familiar car pulled in behind her. She parked and got out unbelieving who was there.