"Where's Recker?" I asked the short, redheaded guard who was watching over the unit. He looked up at me nervously and I watched his Adam's Apple move as he swallowed hard.
"Inmate, that is none of your business." The officer stuttered. I scowled at him and clenched my fist, considering breaking his nose. He must have seen my fist, because his leg started bouncing and his voice got a little higher.
"Look, all I know is the captain said she was going to be late and then about an hour or so later, she called saying she couldn't come in. I didn't talk to her and that's all I know." He said as quietly as he could. I nodded and headed back to my brothers' table without a word.
"Clay, you mind if I borrow that burner?" I said, standing a couple feet away and looking him in the eye. He noticed the expression I wore, which must have looked worried and pissed. Clay didn't take his eyes off the guard as he slid the burner cell-phone over to me with a nod.
Without hesitation, I hurried up towards my cell, which the officer had left open after a little intimidation. Tig was right on my heels. Before he had a chance to interrogate me, I was saying hello to Chibs.
"Hey, brother. I need a favor." I said, getting right to the point of the call.
"Aye, what's up Happy?" Chibs asked. I ran my hand over my head and tried to think of how much he needed to know and exactly what I needed from him.
"I don't have time to explain why but I need you to find somebody and make sure they're alright. You got a pen?" I asked, knowing he would have to write her name down if he wanted to get it right.
"Aye, go for it." He said and I heard a faint click of a pen. I spelled out Katerina's name for him and had him read it back before moving on.
"I don't have a whole lot to go off. She has an apartment in Oakland. Sorry to throw this on you." I said, fully aware of how hard it was on our brothers to keep the club running smoothly with such low numbers.
"We'll take care of it, Hap. Just make sure tha lass is okay?" He asked to reconfirm. I nodded and spit out my now broken toothpick.
"Yeah, keep your distance and let me know as soon as you find her." I said as I finally looked over at Tig. Chibs assured me they could take care of it, and I ended the call. I gave Tig the phone back and looked at him curiously.
"What?" I snapped as I stared at him. He shook his head with a sigh.
"Hap, I don't even know what to tell you. Just try to get some rest to pass the time. I'll wake you if Chibs calls." Tig said as he sat down on the floor and grabbed a book from the desk. I couldn't think of anything but Recker.
SOASOASOASOASOASOASOA SOASOASOASOASOASOASOASOA
"What on earth is this?" I asked as I sat my beer down and stood up from the booth Lauren and I were sharing in the back of her bar. A taller man with deep scars on his cheeks and a hint of gray in his black hair stared down at me.
"Are you Katerina Recker?" He asked in a heavy, Scottish accent. I folded my arms across my chest and remained silent. He was looking for me, but I had no idea who he was or why I was sought.
"I am." Lauren lied as she stood up next to me and placed her hands on her hips. The man cocked his head a little and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't think so. Look, I'm here as a favor to my brother." He said with an aggravated tone. I relaxed a little and sighed with relief.
"It would help if you were wearing your kutte." I said with a scowl as I sat back down next to Lauren. "You're welcome to sit. I know it must have been a long ride."
The scarred man raised his brow but sat down across from me and leaned back against the back rest. I took a drink of my beer and watched him as the waitress took his order.
"So, how do ya know Happy?" The man asked as he surveyed my face. I shrugged and motioned for another beer.
"It's a long story." I said, refusing to give any details that Happy obviously hadn't given to his brother.
"Oh! Wait, Happy is the guy that you fuc-. Uh, never mind." Lauren said quickly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her as she blushed apologetically.
"Aye, that would make sense. So, can I tell him you're okay?" He asked with a raised brow.
"I guess. I don't even want to know how he has a secure line to talk about this shit." I scoffed as I took a drink of my fresh beer.
"If you tell me your name and what's going on, the drinks are on the house. Otherwise, you're paying for whatever you drink." Lauren said, trying to bribe the man with alcohol. He laughed and shrugged.
"Name's Chibs. Happy sent me to check on this lass when she played hookey to get drunk in a bar." He said with a smirk before taking a swig of Jameson.
"What good is owning part of a bar if you can't come get drunk in the middle of the day?" I asked with a laugh as Chibs nodded and Lauren laughed.
"Move, I've gotta go pee." Lauren said, pushing me out of the booth. I sat back down and grabbed Chibs' hand to get a closer look at his rings. He was taken back at first, but laughed as I looked at each one. My level of intoxication was obvious as I slurred on about how cool they were.
"So, this is why you broke shit off? I knew you were a cheating whore." Declan's voice said from behind me. I swallowed hard and turned to look at him as I shook my head.
"It's not like that, Declan. He's just a friend. Don't make this worse than it already is." I said as I stood shakily on my feet. I heard Chibs get out of the booth as well. Declan grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him. His hand shot up and pulled my shirt collar over to expose my shoulder. I swallowed hard, knowing the bite marks were still faintly visible as a yellowing bruise.
"Stupid bitch. I knew you were hiding something." Declan said as he pushed me away. I stumbled back, but Chibs caught my shoulders and steadied me before stepping forward.
"I think ya should go." He growled as Declan continued to yell at me. I was happy the bar wasn't more crowded than it was. The scene he was making was bad enough without a big audience.
"My mother was right about you, Katerina. You're nothing more than a fucking gold digger. I hope you're miserable." Declan said with a loud laugh before spinning around and almost walking right into Lauren. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed towards the door as he stomped away.
"Is there any way you won't be telling Happy about that?" I asked with a hopeful smile. Chibs ran his hand through his hair and took a breath.
"If he asks, I'll have to. I'm not looking to piss him off." He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number quickly. I groaned and sat back down, rubbing my back as it smarted through my alcohol induced numbness. Chibs spoke on the phone for a matter of seconds before passing it over to me.
"Hello?" I asked with a smile. Lauren rolled her eyes at me as she moved closer to my ear so she could listen in.
"You okay?" Happy's voice sounded tense under his normal rasp. I bit down on my bottom lip, realizing I wasn't nearly as fine as I told Chibs and Lauren.
"I'm not hurt. I'm safe." I said while I fought to hold tears back. Regardless of his concern, Happy didn't seem like one to deal well with crying women.
"Chibs is going to make sure you get home and it's safe. He's also changing your locks. Don't argue with me, Katerina." He didn't sound happy and I knew the call couldn't last much longer. I took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay, Happy. I'll see you in the morning." I avoided saying anything more intimate with his brother standing over me. I passed the phone back to Chibs and waited for him to end the call. Lauren was looking between Chibs and I, obviously concerned for my well-being.
"Ya did something to get under that man's skin." Chibs said with a grin as he slipped the phone back in the pocket of his kutte. I blushed a little as I hitched my shoulder.
"I'm giving Declan until tonight to get his stuff out." I explained, knowing it didn't go along with Happy's plans. Lauren put a hand up to stop Chibs' protest.
"Chill, Scotty. She can stay with me. No lock changes required." She said with a satisfied smile. Chibs strummed his thumb on the table for a minute before finally nodding.
"Aye, alright. You're closing early." He stated as he rose to his feet and looked around the all but empty bar. Lauren sighed but took it as an excuse to lower labor costs for the day. An hour later, we were on our way to Lauren's apartment in a mini convoy with Chibs riding his motorcycle behind my car.