Chapter XXXVI
-You know who I am and what I do-
The door to the clubhouse slammed open and Happy barged in Tig and Quinn in toe. He headed straight to Jo who was sitting on the couch waiting, Jax and Gemma nearby. As soon as she saw him, she stood and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest.
Dealing with the tweaker had been a piece of cake and they had about to head back to the Tucson clubhouse and unwind when he'd gotten the call from Jo. After instructing her to head to the clubhouse and stay put until he got there, he'd briefed the guys and hit to road.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I am."
He pulled away, his eyes pouring over her. "What the hell happened?"
"Gemma dropped me off at the house and a few minutes later, I heard a knock. I forgot my bag in Gemma's car, I thought it was her bringing it back. So I opened and he was there. He was drunk and he started accusing me of being responsible for my father firing him."
"Why did he think that?" Tig interjected.
Jo quickly glanced at Happy and he shook his head to Tig. "It doesn't matter. What else did he say?"
"Not much really. Like I said, he was really drunk, he kept ranting about me and my dad and how we were ruining his life and then Gemma showed up."
"How did he know where to find you?" Jax asked.
"When you work for a congressman, you need to be resourceful." Jo pointed out. "He knows about Happy and he knows I live in Charming. It can't have taken him too long to get his address."
Happy locked eyes with her and clenched his jaws."Did he hurt you?"
"No. "she reassured him. "I'm fine. He scared me mostly. "
Hap turned a curious eye to Gemma. "What did you do to scare him off?"
"Pulled my gun on him." She shrugged as if this was just a daily occurrence.
Tig chuckled and put an arm around Gemma's shoulder. "That a girl."
Gemma smiled and turned back to Happy."Scared him off, but he didn't look like he was done."
"Oh, he is done." came the answer and no one in the room could miss the quiet threat in Happy's voice. "You guys give us a minute."
"We'll be in Church. " Jax announced as the boys dispersed and Gemma walked to the bar to wait.
Jo looked at him, holding her hands to stop them from trembling but Happy remembered very clearly the tremor in her voice when she had called earlier.
"I need to call my dad, tell him what happened." She said quietly.
"You ain't gonna do that."
"Hap, he threatened to expose my past to get back at my father. I don't want people finding out about…" she stopped herself for a second, casting pleading eyes on him. "Please."
He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her face closer. "He ain't gonna do shit. Exposing your old man, it means exposing himself. A fucking 18 year old knocking up a 15 year old, that's statutory rape."
"What if he does it anyway? He threatened to spill other things he has on my father. I have to warn him."
"He's not gonna get the opportunity to do shit." Happy countered forcefully. "I'm gonna take care of this."
Touching his cheek, she forced him to look at her and meet her worried yes. "Hap, what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about that."
"I don't want anybody getting hurt."
"Don't defend him." He snapped through gritted teeth.
"I'm not. I'm talking about you and the club. Hap, Mark's family is very powerful and they've got even more powerful friends."
"You let me worry about that. I'm gonna get the prospect to take you home and stay with you. Don't call anyone, especially not your old man." He insisted with force.
"Okay."
"Hey prospect."
Parker walked from behind the bar and made his way to them. "What's up?"
"Take her home, stay with her until you're told otherwise."
"You got it."
He turned back to Jo and kissed her breathlessly before reluctantly letting go of her. He didn't want to let her out of his sight anymore but dealing with the asshole had to take priority. "I'll be home later."
She nodded with a small smile before following Parker out of the clubhouse.
"She's gonna be okay. She's just shaken up."
Happy turned around to Gemma who was observing him, perched on a bar stool. He walked to her and met her inquisitive eyes with his own. "You saw the asshole. What do you think?"
She seemed to thought about the answer for a second. "I think you need to do whatever it takes to protect your old lady."
Understanding very clearly what she was saying, he nodded. "Thanks Gem."
She smiled tightly and he left her there, joining the men in Church. Closing the door behind him, he took his seat, lighting a cigarette as he did.
"How is she?" Quinn asked.
"She's fine. Prospect is taking her home and he's gonna stay with her." Turning his attention to the intelligence officer, he drew a breath. "Did you find the son of a bitch?"
"I'm working on it. It takes time bro." Juice justified.
"I don't give a shit. Just find him!"
Jax put his hand on Hap's arm in an effort to settle him down. "Calm down bro. Juice is doing what he can."
"Don't tell me to fucking calm down." Hap snapped. "This guy thinks he can come to my town, me house, threaten my old lady and get away with it?"
"No one is getting away with anything. But we need to be smart about this."
"Fuck that. " Tig intervened. "What we need is to find the asshole."
Bobby exhaled loudly. "You're not helping Tig."
"Look, this guy, he isn't some tweaker no one is gonna miss. He's got a wife, a family, friends in high places including your old lady's father. He disappears or gets killed, how long do you think it'll take the cops to come knocking at our door?"
"It's my old lady, my shit. Club doesn't need to be involved."
Tig shook his head vehemently. "Nah man. Jo's club now. It lands with all of us."
Happy let out his smoke, weighing his options for a second. He turned back to Jax, meeting the presidents eyes with a hard look. "Then what do you suggest?"
"First we find him. Once we do, I need to know you're not gonna go all rapturous on his ass. We find him, we send a message. Everyone gets out of there alive. Can you do that?"
He hated the idea of the asshole getting out of this alive. "Fine. This is a one time thing though. He comes near Jo or Charming again, he's dead."
**********SOA**********
Happy opened the door to the house and headed straight for the kitchen. Jo and Parker were sitting at the table, sharing a drink. As soon as Happy laid his hand on her, he felt an all consuming rage wash over him. Jo had changed and her naked arms were sporting some nasty bruises. She looked up and realised he was looking at her arms.
"Hey."
Parker picked up on the tension and stood straight away. "I'm gonna go for a smoke. I'll be outside."
Jo walked to Hap, forcing him to look at her in the eye. "It's nothing Hap."
"That fucker do that?" he said through gritted teeth as he touched her arms.
She took his hand in hers. "He didn't hurt me okay? That's nothing."
He turned away and poured himself a drink. He sat at the table, the exhaustion of the day hitting him suddenly. Scratching his shaved head, he met her eyes. "You call anyone?"
"No, you asked me not to." She answered simply as she leaned on the countertop. "What's going on Hap? What are you guys going to do?"
"I'm gonna do what needs to be done, Doc."
"What does that mean, Hap?" she pleaded, asking for an answer he didn't want to give her."
"Means this asshole and I are gonna have a chat and I'm gonna make sure he never bothers you again."
"Hap…"
"Don't!" he yelled jumping to his feet." You don't fucking tell me what I need to do Jo. You know who I am and what I do. Always been clear on that. He needs to know it to."
She looked at him, blinking away tears from his sudden outburst and he hated what he saw in her eyes. Fear, confusion, pain… he wished there was something he could do to change it. But still he didn't back down. He knew that regardless of her feelings he was in the right here and it maddened him that she couldn't understand that. "Whatever happens, it ain't on you Jo."
"How can you say that? Everything that is happening is because of me and my past with him."
"He came here, to this house, he laid his hands on you. That ain't in the past and that's on him." He finished his drink, setting his glass in the sink. Walking to her, he grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. "I'm gonna make sure that asshole never comes here again, and I'm gonna do whatever I have to do Jo. You can't get on board with that…"
He let his words trail off, not finishing his sentence but they both knew what he was saying. He let go of her in a sigh. "I have to go. Parker is gonna stay here. You should get some sleep."
As he reached the door she called out to him. "Hap? Please be careful."
He exited the house and found Parker enjoying a smoke on the stairs. Lighting his own, he moved past him.
"Get back inside. You staying here tonight."
"You guys find him?"
"Soon." Happy answered with certainty.
"Good. I'll take care of her."
Happy nodded and walked to his bike. He knew that with Parker here, he didn't have to worry about Jo. That kid would take a bullet before he let anything happen to his girl. So now all he had to do is locate the asshole who had started it all. And he had a good idea of where to start.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?"
"Be outside your house in an hour."
He heard shuffling on the other end of the phone. "What is this?"
"An hour." Happy repeated before handing up, not giving the man the opportunity to answer. He got on his bike and within minutes, he was hitting the highway. At this hour, it should take him a little over an hour to reach his destination. The man could wait. In fact, Happy was gonna enjoy making him wait for him.
**********SOA**********
By the time Happy reached Grayson Carter-Bells Ranch in South Sacramento, the man was pacing in front of the imposing wrought iron gate of his property, clearly irritated. If he hadn't been there on serious business, Happy might have smiled at the man's obvious displeasure. He took his time getting off this bike and walking to Jo's father.
"I don't appreciate your methods Mr. Lowman and I don't take orders. Is this about Joanie?"
Happy gritted his teeth at the mention of her name. "Jo is fine."
"What is this about then?"The man spat impatiently.
"That asshole you fired, where do I find him?"
The man narrowed his eyes on Happy. "What do you want with him?"
"It's none of your business."
Not liking to be dismissed one bit, Grayson held up his head. "Well, like you said, I fired him. I don't keep tabs on ex-employees."
"Yeah, you fired him and he went straight to Jo with it."
"What? Did he do something to her?"
Ignoring his question, Happy brought him back to the matter at hand. "You gonna tell me where to find him now?"
"If he threatened her in any way, this is a matter for the police."
"No one wants the police involved." Happy pointed out. "Especially not you."
"What are you implying?"
"I'm implying that whatever shady shit you two were into, your boy is threatening to expose it."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Grayson countered but the way he avoided direct eye contact with Happy told him that he knew exactly what Happy was referring to.
"Hope you ain't enjoying that lifestyle of yours too much. Life inside ain't like that."
"He wouldn't. It would only implicate him."
"You sure about that?"
Happy waited for a moment for an answer but Grayson wasn't forthcoming. Letting out a snigger, Happy made a move to turn around. He didn't have time to play guessing games with that asshole. The truth was he didn't want to be here. But so far Juice had only been able to trace Mark Pearce's home address which brought several challenges. For one, his wife was at the house. But more importantly, after a fake phone call to her to see if her husband was at home, she had informed them that her husband was on a business trip and not expected back home for another week. In other words, the man hadn't told her he'd been fired and was lying to her about his whereabouts. So they were back to square one. Except that Happy knew there was one person who would know under which rock Mark Pearce was hiding. The very man who had a vested interest in it.
Jax had originally been against the idea but Happy had managed to convince him that this was the best way to go if they wanted to find the man. And no one was going to stop him from finding that son of a bitch.
"Wait." Grayson called out as Happy reached his bike. The man waited for Happy to walk back to him but when he realised it wasn't happening, he took a few steps towards him. "What are you planning on doing to him when you find him?"
Happy shrugged. "Just want to have a friendly chat with him."
"And I'm supposed to believe that?"the congressman sniggered.
"I don't give a shit what you believe."
"If I tell you where to find him, I 'm gonna need some guarantees. "
This time, Happy had heard enough. He didn't give a shit who the man was or wasn't. He took a few menacing steps towards Grayson. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" he growled. "I ain't your fucking errand boy."
"You need me to find him."
"I don't need shit from you. I'll find him. Whether or not, it's before he spills your dirty secrets, that's up to you."
That seemed to get the man thinking as he considered his options. "He wouldn't threaten to expose me if he didn't have proof. He is too smart for that. Once you find him, you need to find out what he has."
"Like I said, I don't have to do shit for you."
"If this gets public, it could hurt my family. It could hurt Jo."
"Jo ain't a part of your life." Happy reminded him with a smile.
"She's still my daughter. The kind of scrutiny this would bring? Authorities would investigate everyone around me. Including her. And you. I doubt your club can sustain that kind of attention."
"You threatening me?"
"I'm telling you that no one has any interest in Mark Pearce sharing what he has with anyone else."
Happy was tired of wasting his time and decided to cut the conversation short. He could deal with Jo's father later. "Where is he?"
Grayson realised he wasn't getting anything else out of Happy and exhaled loudly. "Mark has a taste for cheap whores. One of them he particularly likes the company of. Her name is Monique Crawford. She has a shitty apartment on Riverdale Street. Number 7. Third Floor. If he is anywhere, he's there. "
Happy didn't want to waste another minute here and spun around walking to his bike.
"Do we have an understanding Mr. Lowman?"
Happy didn't even bother to answer as he drove off.
**********SOA**********
The side door to the van slid open and Juice jumped back inside, joining Happy, Jax, Bobby, Quinn, Tig and Chibs. "It's that building over there. Third floor."
They 'd found the place quite easily once Happy got the address from Jo's father. They had left their bikes outside of town for discretion and driven the van. Juice had gone out to check out the place to give them an idea of what they were walking into.
"Can we get inside the building without getting seen?"
"No doorman. No cameras. Door to the building is already broken It's a shitty neighborhood so doubt anyone care who gets in."
From the passenger seat, Bobby exhaled. "Alright, how do we play this?"
"Hap, Quinn, Chibs, Tig and I we go upstairs." Jax explained. " You guys stay here and keep a look out."
"Works for me." Juice said with a smile.
The men removed their cuts, carefully laying them on the van floors and opened the door jumping off. As Happy was about to follow then, Jax put his hand on his arm, stopping him. "Hey, remember what we agreed?"
Happy didn't appreciate being questioned. But Jax was his president and that was his prerogative, so Happy just gritted his teeth and nodded affirmatively before stepping out of the van. They quickly made their way to the building, climbing the stairs one after the other. Juice was right, it was shitty. The walls were covered in graffiti's, place smelled of urine and loud music and yelling was escaping from several apartments.
As they reached Monique Crawford's apartment, Chibs put his ear to the door, listening in. "They're inside. What do we do?"
Quinn looked at his friends with a devilish smile. "I guess we knock."
Jax chuckled and knocked on the door, moving away from the peep hole. They heard shuffling and seconds later the door opened slightly and a tall blond woman appeared at the door. Her eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to scream but Jax pointed his gun at her and put his hand on his lips, silencing her straight away. He grabbed her hand to pull her towards them and she followed, smart enough to know this was the best option for her right now.
"Please don't hurt me." she whispered, terrified.
Quinn took a step toward her and locked eyes with her "We ain't gonna hurt you. Is he in here?"
"In the bedroom. He's high as a kite."
"What's your name?"
"Monique."
He raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Your real name sweetheart."
"Rachel. Rachel Dawson."
"Alright Rachel , here's what you're gonna do.…"he rummaged through his pocket, taking out a few notes." I'm gonna give you this money. You're gonna head to a motel and stay there. Tomorrow morning you come back as if nothing ever happened. Don't call anyone, don't talk to anyone. We clear?"
She nodded energetically, her scared eyes going from one man to another. "Yes, I understand."
Quinn took another step forward completely dominating her. "Rachel, it's important you really understand what I'm saying. As long as you keep your mouth shut, we won't have a problem. But you ever tell a soul about us or anything that happened tonight, this guy? He's gonna find you and he's gonna kill you. And I'll be with him. Don't think we won't do it."
The woman looked at Happy who glaring menacingly at her and nodded again. "I won't say anything I swear. Please."
"Get your shit and get the fuck out." Happy ordered. She walked back into the apartment escorted by 5 bikers, grabbing her bag, phone and shoes. "
"What's going on babe?"they heard a voice from the bedroom.
Jax met her eyes, silently warning her.
"I'll be right there baby. Just relax."
"Go." Quinn whispered and she didn't need any more encouragement to ran out of there as if her life depended on it. And it did.
As soon as the front door was closed, Happy moved straight to the bedroom, a man on a mission. Mark Pearce was sitting on the bed, sniffing a line and barely had time to reach when Happy entered the room.
"What the fuck!"he yelped as he leapt to his feet.
"Hey shithead, it's the pussy police!" Tig sang out as he followed Happy inside the bedroom. Mark's startled eyes went from man to man as he tried to comprehend the situation he was in.
Happy took a step forward. "Pull up your pants, asshole."
"Where is Monique?"
"She left, dickhead." Tig answered. "Guess she doesn't give a shit about you."
"Stupid bitch."
Jax grinned at the man. "Yeah, no loyalty at all those hookers."
"What the fuck do you people want?"
Happy whose eyes had not left Mark since he'd walked in the room clenched his fists tightly as he tried to control himself, the need for a kill even stronger now that the man was standing in front of him. "You know why we're here. You know what you did."
"Do you know who I am?" the man yelled. "You have any idea of what shit storm you're gonna bring on yourselves if anything happens to me?"
Happy moved towards the man, closing the gap between them, making Mark instinctively retreat until his back was against the wall. "Does it look to you like I give a shit? You show up at my house, threaten my old lady, lay your fucking filthy hands on her. Again."
"I didn't do…."
"So you didn't go to my house?" Happy barked. "You didn't grip her arms so hard you left her with fucking bruises? You calling her a liar?"
Mark raised his hands in a stupid attempt to calm Happy down. "She got me fired!"
In a smooth move, Happy took out his gun and pointed it to him. "Stop talking. "
Suddenly realizing the seriousness of his situation, Mark looked panicked. "Look, I don't know what she told you…"
"You say one more word, I'm gonna shoot your kneecap. Then I'll do the other one. After that I'm moving onto other parts of your body. You understand me?"
Mark nodded reluctantly and Happy took a step back. "Now I'm gonna ask you questions and anything comes out of your mouth that isn't a direct answer to my question, I'm gonna shoot you. You and your old boss, whatever shitty business you had going on, I'm gonna need whatever it is you have on him."
"That bastard." Mark spat contemptuously. "Did he send you to do his dirty work? Is that why you're here?"
Happy directed his gun towards the man's knee. "Did you not understand me before?"
"I give you that, I got nothing left. You might as well kill me."
"Ask me again and I'll do it."
Mark clenched his jaw but did not speak for a long moment so Happy released the security of his gun and took aim.
"Stop, please, stop!"
"Last chance, asshole."
"In my jacket!" Mark yelled desperate. "it's in the living room. Black memory stick. It's all on there"
Happy turned to his brothers but Chibs had already disappeared to go check it out. A few seconds later, he appeared at the door, holding a memory stick between his fingers. "Got it."
"You got a computer?"
Mark sighed. "In my briefcase."
Once again, Happy turned to Chibs who simply nodded, understanding the request straight away before disappearing. He would take the computer and stick and have Juice check this was what they needed.
" Now you got what you wanted. Get the hell out."
"You think I came to get back some fucking files? You and I we've got something to settle."
"I didn't…"
Hap grabbed his collar and punched him. "Shut up! You only talk when I allow you to talk."
He punched him a few more times until the man could not stand anymore and fell to the floor. Happy kicked him in the stomach in the couple of times aiming where he knew it was likely to hurt the most.
Mark spat blood and looked up at Jax and the other guys pleadingly. "Please stop him. I'll pay you. Whatever you want. Please."
Jax shrugged and turned to his men. "I'm gonna go have a smoke boys."
"I'm with you boss."Quinn chimed in with a smile.
As he walked out, Jax threw Happy a knowing look and Happy nodded his understanding.
"Get up."
Mark sat up with difficulty. "Please stop."
"I said get up asshole!" Once again, happy grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, making him stand in front of him. "What's the matter? Don't want to grab me, see what happens, uh?"
Happy punched him again a couple of times as Mark tried and failed to protect himself from Happy's fury.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Happy looked back and met Tig's eyes. "He's had enough man."
Happy turned back to Mark, grabbing his neck, forcing him to look into his eyes. "You ever come anywhere near Jo again, try and contact her in any way; I'm putting you in the ground like a god damn dog. You hear me you sick son of a bitch?"
The man was too bloody and probably stunned to be able to answer. Happy threw him back against the wall and he slid down like a ragged doll. Happy glared at him with hate and contempt for a moment before following Tig outside.
"I don't care what she said. " Mark grumbled behind them. "I didn't do anything to that bitch she didn't want. If she's pretending otherwise now she's lying. I never raped her.
He said it in a low voice as if he was talking to himself but Happy heard him as clear as day. He spun around, rage blinding him as he ran towards the guy. "What did you say?!"
He wasn't sure what happened next. He knew he sat on the man and started hitting him, again and again until all that was left of Mark's Pearce face was a bloody mess and Jax and Quinn were dragging him away from his lifeless body.
"Hap! Hap Stop! Now!
Quinn locked his arms around Happy, preventing him from making any movement in an effort to calm him down. Happy couldn't tear his eyes off Mark, breathing heavily as his mind reeled from the man's last words.
Jax kneeled to check Mark's pulse and looked back at them gravely. "He's gone."
"Shit."
"What the fuck happened to not killing him?" Jax yelled as he straightened up.
Happy glared at him as he struggled against Quinn's hold. They heard the front door to the apartment open and seconds later, Chibs appeared at the door.
"Holy shit." he exclaimed as he took in the scene in front of him. "What happened?"
Happy finally managed to shake Quinn off and walked off without another word, heading for the kitchen. He lit a smoke, taking a long drag before noticing his bloodied knuckles. He had hit the man so hard that his bones had scrapped his skin in several spots. But frankly, he didn't give a shit about his hands right now. His mind was still racing, playing Pearce's last words again and again, I never raped her.
She'd lied to him. Again. Or at least she had lied by omission when she told him her history with the asshole but forgot to mention that he had raped her, which in his book was the fucking same thing. That was the reason why she had been so distant with him after her father's party. She hadn't expected to be confronted with the man, not because he'd gotten her pregnant like she'd claimed but because he had raped her. Happy was fuming and he wasn't even sure who is anger was directed at right now. Pearce, Jo or himself. Right now, he couldn't even think straight.
He'd killed an asshole who deserved every bit of it, no question. But something bothered him. Happy was a man of method. He was the one always in control. His kills might get messy but they were always thought through and precise. But in that room? He had completely lost his shit, blinded by his hatred and anger against the man and as pissed off as he might have gotten, that had never happened to him before. He wasn't Jax or Tig. He didn't let emotions dictate his actions.
Since he'd started this thing with Jo and up until now, he had never stopped to question how being with her was changing him, he had never questioned her place in his life. But by killing Mark Pearce, he'd just put his club in jeopardy and he had done it because the thought of what that man had done to his old lady made him lose all control. His reasons were valid but it didn't change the fact that this could create a whole host of problems for the club and that was on him.
He heard someone enter the kitchen and looked up as Jax took out a smoke . One look at his president and he realised that Jax knew what had happened.
"Tig tell you?"
Jax nodded. "I'm gonna guess you didn't know?"
Happy gritted his teeth and shook his head negatively.
"Well look, we'll clean it up. You should head back to Charming with Tig. Tell Juice to drop you off to the bikes and get back here. I'll give Tara a call, she'll be waiting for you at the clubhouse to have a look at your hands,"
Happy opened his mouth to protest but Jax stopped him.
"Bro, I get it alright? Trust me, I've been there. Best thing you can do right now for this club is to do what I'm telling you."
Happy thought about it for a moment as he wet his cigarette in the sink and threw it in the bin before reluctantly nodding.
"Alright."
The men hugged quickly and Happy made his way out, Tig following him silently.
**********SOA**********
"You'll need a tetanus shot as a precaution." Tara said as she took out her latex gloves. "Come over at the hospital tomorrow and we'll do it."
Happy locked eyes with Tara ignoring the judgment he could hear in her voice. He knew the last thing she wanted was to be here treating him. "Thanks."
She forced a tight smile and left the dorm room, taking her medical bag with her. Seconds later, Tig walked into the bedroom.
"How you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Happy growled, annoyed that everyone was making a big deal for a few scraps. His hands looked a mess but it wasn't as if he hadn't had worse before.
"You gonna head home?"
"Nah."
"Hey man, listen."
"I ain't talking about it Tig."
"Hap…"
"You deaf Tig? I said I ain't talking about this shit."
Tig raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, man. I get it."
As he watched him leave, Happy let out a loud breath. Tig was looking to help. He knew that. And that was precisely what pissed him off. By losing his control, he had showed emotion, he had showed weakness. Now they all looked at him differently. They were his brothers, but he hated the look in their eyes, it only served to anger him even more.
He made his way to the bar and was surprised to see Gemma still sitting there. She had been there keeping Tara company when they'd gotten to the clubhouse earlier, but he hadn't expected her to still be here."
"Hey, you heading home?"
He sat on a stool next to her and she smirked.
"Guess not." She answered for herself as she stood and walked behind the bar. "Can I get you anything?"
"Whiskey."
She poured him a drink and he downed it in one go before nodding to her to pour another one. She smiled and set the bottle in front of him."How about I leave the bottle?"
She leaned on the counter, casting her inquisitive eyes on him. "You okay, Hap?"
"You knew, didn't you?"
She straightened up, putting her hand on her hip as she shook her head. "Stupid son of a bitch. He told you didn't he?"
"Thought I knew." Happy explained before marking a pause. " She should have told me. I told her not keep shit from me. I've been real fucking clear about that."
Gemma took a deep breath. "Surely you haven't forgotten what happened to me?"
"It wasn't the same thing."
"No. It wasn't. I was a grown woman. She was a fifteen year old kid. She spent seventeen years alone with that secret eating at her from the inside. Seventeen years trying to forget it ever happened. I know what that's like. The shame, the blame you put on yourself about all those things you could have done differently. Her not telling you wasn't about you. It was about her. I know you're pissed. I'd be too. But don't direct your anger at her. Trust me, she's already punished herself enough." She patted his hand with a compassionate smile and grabbed her bag from the bar. "I'm gonna head home. Sheets in the dorm are clean. If you need anything you let me know."
**********SOA**********
Happy felt like shit when he woke up the next day, opening his eyes with difficulty. It had taken the whole bottle for him to silence the bloody voices in his head and now he was feeling it.
He jumped to his feet quickly and checked his phone. It was nearly 10 am in the morning and he had two missed calls from Jo. He had let Parker know last night not to wait for him but he hadn't talked to her. He threw the phone back on the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Ten minutes later, he came out and heard his phone ring. He wrapped his towel around his waist and walked to the bed. It was Jo again. He let the phone go to voicemail and heard a knock.
"Yeah."
The door opened and Jax entered the room. "You spend the night here?"
It wasn't really a question and Happy didn't bother to answer.
"I'll be in the chapel when you're ready."
Happy quickly got dressed and stopped by the kitchen to pick up a cup of coffee before he made his way to Jax. The president was sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette as he waited for him. Happy took his seat at his right. "What happened?"
"It's done bro. We dumped the body outside of town, near a shady motel. The amount of blow he had in him, it looks like drug deal gone bad."
"What about the girl?"
"Chibs and Quinn are waiting for her to come home. Colette agreed to take her in. Make sure she keeps her mouth shut."
"If she says no…"
"She won't."
"Juice managed to get into the files?"
"Yeah. It was like the who's who of the richest assholes in Northern California. Compromising files about all of them. Drugs, girls, dirty money, you name it. They also all happen to be contributing to Jo's old man's campaign."
"Shit."
"Well, the good news is that some of those names could be very handy to us in the future."
"What do we do?"
"Your call man. You want to give him the files?"
"Screw that asshole. He ain't getting shit."
"You gonna tell Jo?"
"She's got enough shit to deal with."
"Look, you remember when Tara first came back to Charming? You were a nomad then but there was an ATF agent who got all up in our business?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Tara had been involved with him in Chicago. He…he attacked her one night. In her house. He nearly… anyway I got there and the asshole is on the floor and he's shouting his mouth off you know. And I lost it. I put a bullet through his brain, didn't even think twice about it. I burned his body and buried him where no one would find him. Never told anyone about it. The reason I'm telling you is to make you understand that I get it. What happened last night? Had to happen." Jax rolled his chair backwards and stood, putting a friendly hand on Happy's shoulder. "Go home bro. Talk to her"
Hap got to his feet calmly. "Something I need to take care of first."
"You gonna go see him?"
"You gonna try and stop me?"
Jax shook his head and walked to the door. "I'll see you later man."
**********SOA**********
Hap stood against his bike, patiently waiting as he smoked a cigarette. As he reached Sacramento, he had looked around to find a quiet place to meet the congressman and had chosen an underground car park. He couldn't take the risk of being seen with the man especially not today but he had to do this.
He watched a black Mercedes enter the lot and he recognized Grayson's car. He crushed his cigarette under his boot and watched as the man walked out of his car, obviously agitated.
"You want to tell me what you're doing here?" he seethed as he looked left and right to make sure he couldn't be seen. "The police was in my office not an hour ago to tell me that Mark had been beaten to death."
Hap kept his calm demeanor as he spoke. "What did the cops say?"
"They think he was trying to buy drugs and that's why he was killed."
"Shame."
Grayson's eyes grew wide as if he'd just understood what had happened. "What on earth did you people do?"
"Like you said, guy was trying to buy drugs. Dangerous business."
Grayson scoffed. "You expect me to believe this wasn't your doing?"
Happy shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, you're the one who told me where to find him."
"You weren't supposed to kill him!"
Happy felt his jaws clench. "He got what he deserved."
"Jesus Christ, does my daughter know what you are?"
"She knows me better than she knows you. Found your files, guess I know how you getting your votes."
"You don't know anything."
"I know you're a fuckin' lying piece of shit. " Happy spat with bitterness. "You tried to play me. You said those files could hurt Jo. Ain't nothing in there that could blow back on her. Or me."
"Do you have any idea of what would happen if those files got into the wrong hands? The press would be all over it, I…"
Happy interrupted him with a smile. "You'd go to prison."
" And you'd be right there with me." Grayson pointed out with a smirk. "Whether you like it or not Mr. Lowman, you and I are at a stalemate. Any wrong move could destroy us both. Let's try and remember who gets hurt the most if that happens."
Happy narrowed his eyes on the man as he stood towering him. "You threatening me?"
"I'm reminding you that right now, I'm the one person who can keep the investigation into Mark's death from going viral. I'm protecting all of us."
"Yeah, coz you're a fucking stand up guy."
"Because we both have a lot to lose, so the best thing right now is for you to hand me those files."
Happy just smiled. This guy really was something else. He might be wearing a 2000$ suit but he was just a thug. The guy would stop at nothing to protect himself and climb up the ladder even if he had to sell his own mother to do it. He might have had Jo convinced he had changed but Happy knew better. "Ain't gonna happen."
"What?"
"You ain't getting those files. Not today, not ever. That way, you keep your business clean, Jo doesn't get hurt. Ain't that what you wanted?" Happy taunted him, convinced the man only gave a shit about one thing, himself. He had never had any intention of handing the files over, but he had underestimated how much pleasure he'd get from stringing the man along.
"I don't like games Mr. Lowman."
Happy glared at him. "Should have thought about it before you tried to use me to do your fucking dirty work."
"I had no idea of what you were going to do."
"Bullshit. You might be able to bullshit your way into politics, but you can't bullshit me."
Grayson took a deep breath, trying his best to mask his anger but failing. He wasn't used to being challenged and Happy knew he hated every minute of it. Without those files, he had lost all leverage against those people and he knew he was in deep shit. "If you have no intention of giving me the files, then we are both wasting our time here."
Carefully adjusting his jacket, he turned to return to his car.
"One last thing." Happy called out. "From now on, you better stay the fuck away from Jo."
"I'm not gonna do that."
"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" Happy yelled as he approached him menacingly. Lowering his voice, he continued "You need to remember your place! I could kill you and not lose any sleep about it."
"You might be a criminal but you're not stupid. You know you'd never get away with it."
"You think I give a shit?"
"She would know. We both know that. She would know and she would never forgive you." Grayson stressed with a victorious smile. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we met, ? I told you I was gonna do everything I could to protect my daughter and get her away from you. That hasn't changed."
"You mean like you couldn't protect her from that asshole? Because here's some truth you need to hear. That son of a bitch didn't just get her pregnant. He raped her."
The shock was clearly readable on the man's face as he tried to make sense of the words he'd just heard. "What? No…No, she would have told me. It can't be."
"He admitted it to me himself. So let it eat at you like it's been eating at her for seventeen fucking years. That dick raped your kid and you took care of him and you abandoned your own blood. That's what I came here to tell you. You live with that, asshole."
He took one last contemptuous look at the shell shocked man in front of him before getting on his bike and riding off. When he left the parking lot, Grayson Carter-Bell still hadn't moved.
**********SOA**********
As soon as he opened the door to the house, Jo jumped from the couch and ran to him, locking her arms around his neck. "Hap! Thank God."
She looked exhausted and one look at Parker told him none of them got any sleep the night before. Parker locked eyes with him and stood from the couch. "Hey man."
He extricated himself from Jo's hold "You should get back to the clubhouse."
"Sure. I'll see you both later."
"Thanks Parker" Jo said quietly as he left the house. As soon as they were alone, she cast concerned eyes on him, searching through his face for clues of what had happened.
"Where were you? I called Gemma but she wouldn't tell me anything. I was worried sick!" her eyes continued to search his body as if to ensure he was still in one piece and fell on his hands. He had removed the straps that Tara had applied the night before and his hands were covered in bruises and dried blood. She delicately took his hand in hers. "Hap, your hands…"
Pulling his hand back, he moved past her and took out his cut, laying it down on the couch. "I'm fine. Tara had a look."
She followed him trying to meet his eyes. "What happened?"
He rubbed his sore neck unable to look at her. He didn't want to look into her eyes because he had no idea how he would react. His meeting with Grayson had done nothing to quench his anger but he kept replaying his conversation with Gemma in his mind. "What had to happen."
"Hap, what does that mean? What did you do?" She pressed him as she tried to understand. He finally met her eyes and she immediately knew the truth. "Oh god, he's dead isn't he? Oh god, what did I do?"
Was she kidding him? Why would she think any of this was her fault. After what that asshole did to her, she should know that he got what he deserved. It infuriated him a little more that she couldn't see that. "Don't take this on Jo. It's not on you. None of it lands on you."
"How can you say that? " she cried out as she fought back tears." He died because I told you about him!"
"He died because he deserved to die. For what he did to you. "
She looked up as he said that and she once again read right through him. She shrank back in shock as her hand flew to her mouth. "He told you. Oh God, he did. Hap…"
She looked so fragile in that moment. So vulnerable. She opened her mouth , perhaps to try and explain why she had lied to him, why she had kept that secret from him all this time but he didn't want to hear it. He was tired of her lies and he just wanted a shower and to get some hours rest in peace. "You should have told me. You should have fucking told me."
As she took a step towards him, he took a step back and retreated into the bedroom, not even stopping as he heard her sobs.
Et voila… the Mark threat is dealt with, SAMCRO style. Happy is super mad but hey what's new!
But come on, you all know there's more coming!
I once again apologise for the delay but between changing jobs, planning my daughter's birthday and general life stuff, it's quite busy at the moment.
400 reviews... Wow you guys really rock, thank you all so much for reading and supporting this story, it means the world!
Going forward, I do think the chapters will get shorter, but I'll try to keep the pace and post more often. The long chapters have been great to set up the relationships but things are going to get busy and shorter chapters will work better.
I hope you all enjoyed it and thanks to all for reading!