Six months later
With a hand underneath his head Happy stared at the ceiling. Cobwebs were hanging down in the corners. "No news?" he asked.
A few hours had passed since Kozik had visited Tig. If there had been any news, his brother would have told him by now, but Happy still felt the need to ask. He hadn't want to talk about it in the dinner hall, he didn't want to mention Dana's name when other people were around. Tig was the only person he trusted. Even his two brothers from Tacoma he didn't fully trust, since their pal was the reason they were here now. And his father – well after two and a half year he still didn't know what to think of him. Up to now, he wasn't worth his trust. The only way to get Happy's forgiveness, was by getting Dana away from her abductor.
"No. Sack is still doin' that hypnosis shit but without results," Tig answered from the lower bed. "He doesn't remember anything."
Happy didn't think that was gonna change. Not after such a long time. "We've waited long enough. We've waited way to fucking long."
She was a prisoner for two years now. And her cell was much worse than his. Kozik had told him that she had given birth to a kid, that Maddox had killed it and send the body to Juice. Some asshole had believed it was funny to send Happy some pictures of the corpse. During his life Happy had met a bunch of insane people, but Maddox surely was the worst.
Even though Happy was usually very talented in ignoring his feelings, the powerlessness and anger because of what had happened to his little sister never left his body. It was always scalding underneath the surface, always looking for a way out. It didn't want to be locked up; it wanted to smash things to pieces, wanted to rip heads off, wanted to crush every skull in this god forsaken place. He however could do shit without getting deeper in the hole. And still he would do it. He couldn't care less if he would end up in solitary or worse – as long as he'd get the information he needed.
"You wanna set the plan in motion?"
There was not a shred of doubt in Happy's thoughts. "Yeah."
The plan had been there for a long time, and they had discussed it many times. When they had heard that Sack had escaped or was released, they had decided to wait to see if that would lead to new information.
For Happy's plan was solely built on a gut feeling. An instinct. And even though he was used to follow his instincts blindly, there was a lot at stake this time. If he was wrong, it was done. He wouldn't get another chance.
Ever since he was inside, he had kept an eye on the guards. He knew some where on Maddox' payroll; the question was which of them. One man had stood out; looking more nervous than the others and Happy always felt his glance. The moment he answered his looks, the man always turned his head away.
He was hiding something or he was fucking gay, it was hard to tell. But given the circumstances, the first theory seemed the most obvious. There was a big chance that Maddox was paying him.
How to isolate a guard was a trade in its own. Reluctantly he had allowed his father's help. He had already been inside when Maddox was still in elementary school and the past two decennia he had built his own contacts among the guards. It were two of these guards which were now accompanying the third as they ran towards a staged fight in the showers. Without much of a struggle the two guards let themselves being pinned down by some inmates who belonged to Happy's father's group. Happy himself took care of the nervous guard that was left. After two strikes at the head he fell down, and Happy took his weapons. Then he dragged him to a corner.
The other men kept their distances. Most knew about the conspiracy, and the ones who didn't were curious to what would happen. Nobody would stand in his way by clobbering a guard.
In the corner of the shower room Happy clamped his knee into the man's throat. It was a fat guy, cold sweat already trickling down his forehead.
"You know who I am?" Happy asked in a low voice.
The man stared back with wide, scared eyes. It made Happy doubt. Why the hell would Maddox hire a coward like this? He put a little more pressure on the neck, although he made sure it wouldn't snap. His fingers groped for Happy's boot, but the pressure of his toe was enough to make the man gasp for breath.
"Well?"
He thought to see the man nod and looked over his shoulder. Tig and his father crouched down next to him, pushing the shoulders of the man against the floor. Happy took a box of needles from his father which one of the corrupt guards had brought with him, bent his knees and took off the lid.
"Tell me everything you know about Maddox."
"W-who?" the man whispered through quivering lips.
"Every time I think you lie, I'ma do this," Happy continued. He grabbed the man's hand, place the point of the needle under the nail of his middle finger and pushed.
The hand of his father was covering the guard's mouth, muffling his screams. Behind them some men cheered, but after an angry look over his shoulder they shut their mouths and understood the party was over as soon as other guards showed up.
"I know you're working for Maddox," Happy bluffed. "Even when you're so scared that you puke out your intestines, I won't stop. He has my sister and you're the only lead we have." He moved his hand a little, holding the next finger and pushing another needle into the flesh.
The man's body was jolting, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. His father's face showed him that the guard had bitten his hand while trying to breathe. His father however didn't move. The glance in his eyes was ice cold – and for the first time in his life Happy saw a similarity between himself and his father.
"How do you contact him? Lift your other hand when you're ready to talk, if not I just continue." He took another needle from the box.
Right when he grabbed his pinky, the other hand was lifted, shaking. Happy moved his attention to the tear-stained face.
"Get them out," the man whispered, staring at the pieces of needle that were still visible.
"How does he contact you?"
"He – he calls me," the man floundered. "Always with a number that is untraceable."
"How does he pay?"
"He – he doesn't." The lips of the man were quivering, his voice just a whisper. "He has my daughter."
Happy saw that the man was telling the truth. It explained why he was such a nervous mess. Still Happy didn't feel empathy; he was still on the wrong side of this fight.
"Tell me everything you know."
"I barely know anything. I hired a private investigator when my daughter disappeared two and a half year ago. She was in a relationship with a guy for a few weeks and the investigator concluded that her boyfriend had taken her. I had to consider the fact that her abductor was engaged with the sex industry. Maddox is trading women, I think."
Happy clenched his jaws. They had looked into the weapon and drug dealers, but the sex industry? He hadn't thought about that for a single moment – which was stupid, for nothing sold better than sex. And as it seems, it wasn't just a normal brothel he was owning. He was probably coordinating various whorehouses, delivering unwilling girls to rich, perverse men who found no satisfaction in fucking normal whores.
He clenched his hands to fists. If Maddox ever grew tired of Dana, he would ditch her. In a filthy brothel in some god forsaken shed where nobody would ever find her. And now he also understood why Maddox had access to a way to erase memories. That might be helpful, when one of the girls escaped or were returned after collecting ransom.
Happy stood up. This was all the information he would get. If the guy had known more, he hadn't still been dancing on Maddox's tune.
Right when he was standing again, his father bent over. Happy saw the flash of a knife, before the blade was buried in the guard's neck.
Happy pulled his father's arm. "The hell are you doin'?!" he grunted.
"I make sure Maddox will never know he talked," he answered simply. "I got this, son."
And it turned out that he was right. Happy never heard a single word about the killed guard. He however neither heard a word about his father. In the days that followed he was nowhere to be found, and only three days later, right before he finally had the opportunity to meet with Kozik and tell him what he had discovered, he heard that his father was locked up in solitary for at least a year.
A miracle – Happy thought. He dared to bet that anyone else would have gotten death row.