Chapter 11

Happy was devastated; he had pulled into the side of the road unable to ride any further. He wanted manically to ride back, tie her to the back of his bike and bring her home but he couldn't stand the thought that she was unhappy with him. Almost like she wanted something better and that something wasn't him. He would be anything for her, and would do anything for her so he found it hard to stomach her reasons for not wanting him.

When he pulled his phone out, he was going to call her but pride got in the way and he sent her some obscure text message about still being his alibi. That's not what he wanted to really say, he wanted to tell her how sorry he was. He wanted to tell her how he'd change if it meant that she would stay with him.

He tried to think of all the reasons she would want to leave him, he couldn't understand, his brain didn't function like most others. Couldn't see what she hated so much about him. He was no different to when they first met. Stubbornly he flatly refused to believe that the reason was because of the way Club life had changed his sexual desires. He fucked girls behind her back, she knew about them but what happened on a Run stayed on a Run; that was the Club motto.

It slowly started to dawn on him as he remembered what she'd said in the motel room.

'My heart is fuckin' breakin'

'Fed up with the crow eaters'

'How do you think that makes me feel, it's like I'm not good enough for you, like I'm not worth the wait, this is not how shit works with us.'

And the worst one of them all, the one that rang deep into his guts.

'You disrespect me.'

He realised she was lonely, realised that what they had become was a far cry from how they used to be. Happy remembered the night he met her. Showing her the upmost respect, even a guy like him, could muster.

'Hap you enjoying the night so far?' his friend Steve asked over the loud music.

'Yea…its gettin' better' Happy raised a glass toward the stage, indicating his interests for the night.

There she was, the girl he'd seen strut passed him with nothing but a shorts type thong that covered the top half of her butt, letting her plump ass cheeks peek out underneath. Plus she wore a blouse that had braces over her shoulders and hooked onto the tops of her panties, and she was tall; maybe 5'10, 5'11. Her dirty blonde hair seemed to have natural highlights that caught in the nightclub lights. She didn't take one bit of notice of him; completely blanked him as he tried to get in her way to stop her from walking passed him so stealth like. He'd never been snubbed before.

Now she was up on the stage in front of him, crowds of men circled the edge and Happy watched as she worked her audience. He wasn't going to lie to himself, his dick twitched at the sight of her. Tiny rosebud nipples peeked through the thin material of the cotton blouse she wore and he watched tentatively as on occasion she would sweep her fingers over her pantie covered pussy. Gyrating closer than close to the men that cheered for her by the edge of the stage; he noticed one man slipping money into the waist of her panties. Her body screamed sex and he knew, then and there, he was going to get her name by the end of the night.

Despite her bold antics on stage, Happy was a good judge of character, was pretty much reliant on that for his job, so he saw her upturned nose when she faced away from the men bidding for her attention. He saw her tightly gripped knuckles when she spun on the pole, not at all white for leverage but white because maybe she wanted to smack the man that was constantly grabbing for her ankle.

Happy was in the club celebrating a good week of deals. He ran underground security for the more illegal activities that graced the streets of Tacoma. There wasn't anyone Happy didn't know in the city. He was twenty-eight years old and money was no object for him. He never had to pay for anything, people knew who he was and the majority of the time they gave him a wide birth.

The stories ran amuck about him and most of them were true. His temper was one of his most famous attributes but he was a good person. Stepped up to the plate when people were being treated unfairly, protected the good folk and God be with you, if you got on his wrong side. Slowly he had realised that his soul was darkened the more he beat the shit out of people that didn't pay him back but it comforted him that he had the power to do that. He liked beating, he liked killing.

He loaned money to people, he helped people out with the kindness of his heart but come payback day, if you didn't have the money, stories of him breaking your fingers, cutting slithers of skin from forearms or just plain killing you were all true. It was all true, Happy had a thirst for trouble and was found countless times on the wrong side of the law but even then he had the police in his pocket. There was nothing money couldn't buy and that included his freedom on many a drunken occasion.

Looking at the girl coming down off the stage, a man held open a shawl for her to slip into. Happy then walked to step in her way, but she abruptly stepped to the side, avoiding any kind of contact he had intended.

'Excuse me please.' She barked.

Happy noted immediately that she looked sad, a little upset and strangely he wanted to know, wanted to help her, like he did all his people, all his friends.

'Hey, I couldn't help but notice…' he was cut short as she raised her tiny palm to his face.

'Please I just want to get back stage.' She said and then pushed passed him.

Damn he thought and then cringed as he heard his cheesy chat up line repeat in his head. However, pushing his embarrassment aside his senses were heightened and he stomped forward after her.

'Look I'm not tryin' it on…I just…' He jumped on the spot and blinked widely as she spun around, squaring off to him.

'Listen if you keep following me, he's going to want money. It hasn't gone unnoticed. He knows you're watching me, and my time is money. So please just quit haggling me and leave me alone. I want to go home.'

'But I've already decided I don't wanna leave you alone' He tried a tender smile.

That got her, he knew it. She lightly smiled back to him and then almost immediately her face changed back to stone, hard and impenetrable. She was afraid of something. She turned on her heels, her high stiletto heels and carried on walking. He reached quickly and grabbed for the top of her arm, his fingers folding completely around her thin arm.

Happy watched in astonishment as she looked to duck, her knees buckled in and she would have crouched to the floor if he hadn't of had hold of her arm.

'I just want to talk' He mumbled out, not really meaning to talk those words, they were just the words that he'd fixated in his mind before grabbing her attention. He just said them out of reflex but didn't really want to say it now she seemed to cower at his touch. Seeing her reaction he said the words he really wanted to say, the words that came with her response of him touching her.

'Tell me his name?'

'Please I don't want any trouble. I'm not interested.' She said dejectedly.

'I'm not going to cause you any trouble' Happy was serious but saw in her eyes that she wasn't going to be easy to persuade, he sighed. '…well, at least tell me your name, I'm pretty sure the stage name isn't real?'

They both looked up and saw on the schedule board the name 'Rider'. She hung her head and then shot her eyes into his, for the first time. Happy noted that they were mesmerising.

'Lana, my real name is Lana'

'Happy' he nodded his head and then finally let go of her arm as she appeared to be slightly more relaxed.

'It's been interesting but I have to go'

'Be more interesting if I could have some of your time?' Happy tried his luck.

Lana's shoulders sagged, total embarrassment caked her face as she was appalled by having to ask him for money if he wanted to spend time with her.

'Unfortunately I have to ask…'

Happy cut her off immediately, already sensing she was in an awkward spot.

'How much would it cost me?' he boldly asked and saw her eyes widen with shock. Even though he could tell she wanted to slap him, he caught her eyes wandering across the nightclub to a man that Happy knew of, but was in no way a man that Happy counted as a friend.

It was a black man, young hip-hop type with a bandana and really white shoes, the completely opposite end of the scales to him. Happy remembered that he belonged to the crew known as the One-Niners. However that didn't mean much to him, he wasn't afraid of little gangs that roamed the Tacoma streets, his streets.

Immediately Happy seized the moment and reached for her hand, clasped his fingers over hers and she jumped turning directly to him, her nervous energy radiating into his chest. He kinda liked it, knew that it was something he could work with, knew that he could make her a strong woman given some time.

'What are you doing?' Lana squeaked and tried to tug her hand free but he held it fast and steady.

Happy didn't say a thing; he had his eyes on a bigger prize. Tucking her hand tighter into his side, he walked and she followed close by with no choice in the matter. He liked how she felt, could even feel her body lean into his side and could have sworn he felt her tiny fingers grip hold of his belt from behind.

Walking through a crowd of club goers, he reached the barrier of goons that surrounded the hip-hop King Pin in the corner of the club. Squeezing Lana's hand tightly into his, suddenly then looking down to his stomach seeing her fingers gripped into his shirt, he felt an enormous amount of pride and wanted fiercely to protect her even more.

'Don't leave my side' he sensed her erratic worry and wanted to calm her, if he could.

Again he heard her mumble.

'Please this won't end well for me, whatever it is you think you can do to help me, it won't work. You're not the first man to think he can save me from this dreadful life I lead.'

Happy could hear the sarcasm in her voice but ignored it, stared hard at one of the goons that blocked his way and then tapped his finger on the butt of his Jericho 9mm that hid in the front of his belt. Within seconds the goon stepped aside and Happy, dragging Lana with him, walked up to the King Pin that was draped over a large corner lounger.

They locked eyes with one another and then Happy pulled a wad of money from his jeans pocket; it was locked together with a gold money clip. Chucking it on the table in front of wannabe King Pin Happy saw his eyes flash to Lana who stood close behind him. Happy took a brief look at her too and could see she was scared shitless. Turning back toward the Rapper he spoke clearly.

'That's for her time… the whole weekend.'

Lana wanted to die. She was no hooker, she was just a dancer. There were two types of girls that were on Richie's books, the Bad Girls and then the It Girls, Lana was the latter. The only difference being, that It Girls went as far as topless and the Bad Girls, well they did everything, even had special rooms they took clients into for sessions they paid Richie through the roof for. Lana never had the nerve to do that, she just danced, got her tips and then tried to get herself through college.

She turned her head to the side to get a better view of this stranger that thought he had the power to save her. She knew he was sadly mistaken, Richie wasn't one to mess with at least that was the assumption she had come to about him. He scared the living shit out of her so waited almost patiently for Richie to either disembowel her third knight in shining armour this past week.

Happy saw in the corner of his eye the King Pin pick up the wad of cash but Happy was already turned on his heels and pulling Lana with him, ready to leave. He didn't mess around, he wanted something, and he'd get it.

'Gonna cost you more than that player. She ain't any Bad Girl, you take her for the weekend it'll cost you more to break her in.'

Happy's heart actually skipped a beat, he was sickeningly pleased that she wasn't a hooker even though in the end it wouldn't have mattered to him; he still would have approached her. But, he actually wanted to shoot the motherfucker for talking like she was meat for rent. Still he knew the guy had a business to run, disgusted him, but still he had to comply so he pulled out another wad of cash, this time removing the money clip. With a flick of his wrist he chucked the money in the air and it flickered over the floor and onto the table.

'That should cover it… player' Happy mocked.

Happy tugged the throttle on his bike, Shit never disrespected her from the night I met her, yet since the Club I've fucked every bitch insight right under her nose, what's happened to me? He hated on himself and then zoomed off into the distance back to the Tacoma Clubhouse, regrettably bitchless.

~AN~

OK hope you guys like that. It will move on from flashbacks I promise but there are going to be a few more flashbacks…lol couldn't resist.

Anyways, really hope you liked this one, please review… love your comments.