thanks for the reviews and support. As always it is much appreciated. Hope to update this sooner than i did with this chapter.
"What are you doing?" His voice was low and husky as he sat across from me at the dining room table, taking in the mess of guns littering it.
"Calming my mind." I whispered. "Too many thoughts and memories."
"You realize it's three in the morning right Brianna?" He grasped my hands and I dropped the gun to the table with a light thud.
I looked up and made his gaze. His blue eyes were dark. "Yeah Kozik, I realize that."
"Then let's get you back to bed." He stood up and walked over to me and helped me up. "Sleep makes things easier to deal with. Rested mind and all that type of shit." He smirked down at me.
"I can't sleep." I shook my head. "Happy isn't here."
"Is that what this is about? You need a cuddle buddy?" He pulled back the covers on my bed and I climbed in reluctantly and he pulled them over me.
"I just feel better when he's around me, it's not cuddling. I just always feel like I'm protected when he's next to me." I smiled at him weakly.
"He'll be home soon." He smiled. "I'll sit in this chair and watch over you. If you have a nightmare, I'll get you throw it Brianna. If I can help get you through drunken nights I can help get you through this."
"'S not soon enough." I stared at him in the dim lighting. "I appreciate this though. I really do."
I stared at him a little longer before turning my gaze to the ceiling and letting my mind drift off to find memories that wouldn't trigger me.
"You good Brianna?" His voice sounded fuzzy and distant.
"Who are you?" I asked from my seat on the cold bathtub. I tried looking at him but my eyes wouldn't focus, I just saw blurs and spots.
"It's Kozik." He sat down next to me. "Happy's friend."
"Oh." I hiccupped.
"He sent me to take you home." His voice was right against my ear as I took another chance at looking at him.
"Mmk." I stood and the room spun faster than I could adjust and I fell backwards into him and he fell into the tub.
He let out a strained laugh. "Let's get you home. Stop by somewhere and get you some food."
"No. I wantabanana." I giggled.
"Alright, Brianna." He lifted me into his arms. "We'll get you a banana."
"And vodka." I trailed a finger over his face. "Please."
"No, Happy said no more vodka. Just food and to get you home to sleep." He set me down on the sidewalk and I felt the cool air hit my face. "Where's your car and your keys?"
I reached into my bra and pulled out my keys and handed them to him. He hit the button and bright lights assaulted my eyes and I doubled over and threw up. "No light."
"Come on." He lifted me over his shoulder and carried me to the car. "Figures you'd have a purple car."
"Audi is my love." I said as he placed me in the car and strapped me in.
"Let's just get you a banana." He whispered. "Brianna Banana."
I laughed and he joined in. "Brianna Banana. I like it."
"Koz." I whispered.
"Yeah?" He asked sleepily.
"Do you think I'll get through all of this shit with some sanity left intact?" I looked at him.
"That depends on how well you handle this shit, be smart about it. Calculating almost every move and counter the moves." He said, his voice was a little louder than before.
"You're in your element, huh H?" I chuckled. "All militant and what not."
"Yeah. I guess I am." He smiled. "I just don't want you getting hurt, or killed."
"I want to survive it all. I need you, Hap, and Juice to survive it all. I need to fix this all so no war starts between us." I sighed. "I never thought being married off by my dad would result in this."
"Well, no one could've thought this shit up. Its a fucking crazy world we're in. Gotta ride it out." He sighed.
"Promise me something Herman?"
"What is it Brianna?" He stood above me now.
"Promise me you won't do anything reckless and get killed." I looked at him.
"I don't think I can make that promise, this whole life is reckless." He shrugged.
"I figured as much." I frowned. "Promise me, we'll be friends regardless of the Family and the Sons go to war?"
"Always. We've been friends since the strip club." He laughed. "Besties forevs Brianna Banana." He cackled.
"You're too much. I love it." I laughed. "You think Jax will yield to a truce or something?"
He shrugged. "Jax is an impulsive little kid. I'm not even sure he knows what he's doing in life. He's focused on getting the club legal so Tara and his boys won't leave but it's doing more harm than good."
"I have an offer I'm prepared to make him." I said. "I have so many friends in high places, when he sees us at the meet up later he'll jump at the chance to call a truce and play nice."
"I'm nervous about that." He sat down in the chair. "You shouldn't be in a position to take us down, but yet you are and it's weird to see that."
"Had to grow up and stop avoiding this sometime. I'm the head of the Family. It was the hand I was dealt and I need to play it plus I lost my job at the firm." I laughed. "It sucked."
"Power looks good on you, just don't take it to the head all at once. Take a shot and chase it with fruit punch." He lamented. "Go to sleep though."
"I'll try. I make no promises that I will." I turned to my side and closed my eyes. Hoping that sleep would come easy and that the nightmares would leave me alone for a few hours.
SOASOASOA
Kozik's POV
I don't know exactly when she had gotten this far under my skin, but she had managed to do so and she didn't even know it. Brianna was everything I could ask for in a woman, tall, intelligent, funny, a little weird, with the ability to be bitchy or nice in a matter of meer minutes. The only problem about her was that she was head over heels in love with my best friend Happy.
"You ok baby?" Nikola asked as she climbed back into bed with me with a cup of coffee for the each of us.
"I'm fine Nik." I sat up and smiled at her. She looked so much like Brianna it was crazy. Her blonde hair and green eyes were soft and caring but I preferred the piercing grey eyes and dark hair Brianna had.
"You look lost in your thoughts." She smiled at me.
"I was, I was thinking of the club business I have to tend to later." I let out a sigh and sipped the coffee, getting an instant jolt of caffeine.
"So, you'll be seeing Katarzyna today?" She looked suddenly sullen and broken.
"Yeah, I mean she's who the club is meeting with today." I looked at her and offered a soft smile.
"She's so high and mighty." She shook her head and her mouth was twisted up with disgust.
"She's not so bad. I don't see why you two have problems. She's a sweetheart." I drained the cup and slid out of bed.
"She's a bitch. She never helps me out anymore and I'm her sister." She whined and I cringed.
"Do you help her?" I looked at her. "Do you help her at all? Did you reach out to her after she got kidnapped outside of the club you worked at?"
"No." She shook her head. "I guess I should reach out."
"You should." I smiled. "I'm going to head out. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah of course." She gave me a small kiss. "Be safe."
"Always am." I lied.
#
I stood next to Happy and Juice as we waited for Brianna and her crew to show up to meeting spot. Of course we had arrived early because Jax felt we could scope it out and wouldn't be able to be ambushed by anyone if we knew how to place ourselves both in and out of view.
"She should be here soon." Jax turned to face us. "I need you all to be on high alert. We don't know who she's rolling on here with."
"Aye." Chibs nooded. "Russians are sneaky bastards."
I shifted and looked around me. Everyone looked scared out of their minds as the thought of an attack by a woman half our size.
"She's coming." Juice said. "You can hear the music approaching."
"That shit she listens to isn't music." Bobby spit.
"We're here." We turned around and saw the Bastards walking towards us. It was the best we could so at the last second to seem like we had the power and bodies.
"Good." We exchanged pleasantries.
"She's here." We all turned and watch the truck come to a sloppy stop in the marking lot. She made no move to get out as the rumble of bikes drowned out her music.
"Mayans?" T.O. looked at Jax.
"Yeah." He threw out his cigarette just as Brianna hopped down from her truck and made her way towards us. The guys falling in line behind her.
She stopped in front of us and smiled. "I see you brought friends."
"We did." Jax smirked. "Let's sit down and do what is needed."
"Before we do that. I want you guys to meet my newest friends." She whistled and men started coming out from various parts of the park. Cuts clearly visible on their bodies but they were of a club I hadn't ever seen before.
"Let us introduce you to the Aztecs." Marcus Alvarez spread is arms out.
"Aztecs?" Jax asked.
"Formerly known as the Calaveras." She smiled. "This is Reyes, Oakland Charter president, Esai Alvarez, Oakland V.P, Hugo, Stockton President, Ignacio, Stockton V.P."
"I'm confused here." I looked at her. "Who patched over the Calaveras?"
"We did." Marcus said gesturing between himself and Brianna.
We all laughed. "Seriously?" Jax smirked.
"Yup." She smiled. "I have a few other people I want you to meet." She whistled again and we watched as more guys appeared and stood next to her.
"Who are they?" Jax asked.
"I know you remember Putlova." She shrugged. "This is what's left over of his faction."
"Jesus." Bobby said.
"I'm not finished." They group parted and more guys walked through. "Meet the Family enforcers." She smiled. "I'm here to let you know, I don't need your help Jackson. I have many people to help me." She gestured at the group behind her. "I helped you because I thought we could be friends not because I thought I would gain something from aligning myself with you."
"This is you flexing your muscles." Bobby scoffed.
"This is me, showing you guys what real power looks like." She crossed her arms. "This is me telling you guys I will move against you if I HAVE to. Do I want a war with you? No. Will I go to war if I HAVE to? Yes. I just want you to realize I'm not stepping into your territory, we have our own. We want you to know what's up. You start shit with any of us you're starting shit with us all."
"We don't want a war." Jax said. "We want backing to move to a legal venture."
"I made an offer Jackson, took you to see it. You didn't get back to me so I gave the offer to Marcus who took it." She shrugged.
"You have pull, we just need a little help." He said. "I'm sorry I fucked up again but my mom needed us to help her out with her problems."
"Ok." She looked back at her guys and rattled off a few sentences in Russian and the Russians fell back, then she looked at Marcus and leaned over and whispered to him in Spanish before turning to Reyes and doing the same. "I may be willing to help you, if the Mayans and Aztecs agree."
"Ok, that's a start." Jax said.
"You sit down with them at different times, tell them what you're expecting from us and they'll decide how to go about things." She smiled. "I'm in a democracy, I do what's good for my homes."
"Speaking of homies Ruca." Esai said. "We got two homies I know the Sons would like to meet."
She nodded at him. "Bring 'em in."
"Fiasco, Gomes." Esai said. "Y'all know the Sons." They nodded.
"What're you doing with Nero's guys?" I asked.
"They're cool with us Teller." Marcus said. "Brown with brown."
"Brianna's white." Bobby scoffed.
"Ye, she's whiter than Jackson." Chibs said.
"She's fam though Teller. She's done a lot to help us out." Marcus rasped. "We all sit down and see if we can't come up with an agreement. We have a truce right now though. We won't touch you if you don't touch us."
"Deal." Jax said. They all shook hands and walked off. Leaving only Brianna standing with us with her goon Aleksandr.
"Where are your supposed snipers at?" Bobby asked.
"They're around." She smirked.
"I don't see them." He laughed.
She lifted her hand and shots rang out. "They're always around Bobby. I gotta be protected at all times now."
SOASOASOA
I don't know why I went easy on the Sons. I don't know if it was because of Happy being one. I went to the meeting dead set on making a big scene but half way through I realized that if I started a war the love of my life would be at risk.
"You're too quiet. Talk to me Bri." Happy pulled me over and into his lap and captured my mouth with a rough needy kiss.
"I'm sorry." I frowned up at him.
"For?" He trailed a finger over my eyelashes.
"For getting into it with the club and building a small army to rise against them." I smiled.
"Let's not talk about that. That has nothing to do with us right now." He kissed me again. "I think we should go do something."
"I agree but what?" I asked him.
"We can go see Ma." He smiled.
"No. I want it to be the two of us." I smiled back at him. "Let's go to the beach, it'll be fun maybe."
"No beach, last time we went I got sand in spots I can't even talk about." He laughed.
"I know where we can go." I slid of his lap and grabbed his hands and pulled him up off the sofa.
"Where?" He asked.
"You'll know when we get there." I smiled as I grabbed my keys and bag. "Trust me, you'll love it baby."
"I trust you." He smacked my ass hard. "Let's go."
#
"Bri." Happy whispered as we walked along the pier. "This spot is perfect."
"I know." I smiled at him. "I love you Happy."
"I love you too." He kissed my nose.
"Here." He handed me a small box.
"What is it?" I smiled at him.
"Open it and see." He nodded at me and I pulled open the box and gasped. It was a gold smiley face ring.
"I love it." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Let me put it on you." He took it from the box and went to put it on me.
"Its gorgeous babe." I looked at my finger.
"Its not an engagement ring so don't start on about that shit." He smirked. "That ring is saying you're mine, you're my lady."
"Wouldn't have it any other way." I smiled and pulled him in for a kiss.
"Still fits." He ran a finger over the ring.
"Barely." I smiled. "I gained weight since those days."
"Filled you out in all the right places." He pushed my hips against the railing of the pier.
"Remember when we jumped off this thing?"
"I remember your drunk ass falling off this pier and me jumping in after to save you." He laughed.
I laughed. "I wasn't that drunk."
"So you say." He kissed me softly. "I'm glad you're not how you were in the beginning."
"Me too." I said. "I'm glad you stuck with me through that shit."
"Glad you haven't made me regret letting you in." He set me on top of the railing.
"Never will." I smiled. "I'm happy you let me in."
"It's peaceful here." He nodded.
"Yeah, wanna fuck?" I laughed.
"Thought you'd never ask." He bit on my neck just as his phone started ringing.
"Ignore it." I bit his bottom lip. "Please."
"I can't." He pulled away from me. "Hello."
I slid off the railing and walked away from him and towards the car. Giving him space to handle the phone call.
"Bri." He looked at me. "Its Ma."
"What's wrong?" I started to feel panic rise inside of me.
"She's been admitted not doing so well, let's go." He grabbed my hand and we rushed the rest of the distance to the car and got in. He drove this time while I sat in the passenger seat trying to keep calm.
#
"Drink this." I handed him a cup of coffee I managed to get from the beat down machine in the cafeteria. He waved it off but I gave him a look and he took it. "It'll warm you up."
"I'm fine." He pouted.
"You're shivering." I said. "Drink it, won't do us any good if you're admitted in here too." I stalked off to find a nurse to get a blanket.
"Excuse me." I tapped the nurse on the arm and she shook me off. "Can I get a blanket?"
"No." She said rudely as a doctor passed and stopped at us.
"Dr. Hohrykova." He said. "Nice to see you again sweetheart."
"Dr. Beckett." I smiled. "I was trying to get a blanket the waiting room is cold."
"Here you are." He reached past the nurse and handed me a blanket.
"Thanks." I smiled and walked back to Happy who was staring into the cup of coffee.
"Bri." He whispered.
"Yes my love?" I spread the blanket over him.
"I'm afraid." He said. "I don't want her to leave us just yet. I at least want her to meet our first born."
"Our first born?" I smiled at him.
"Yeah." He smirked. "Lil Happy."
"Oh lord." I laughed. "I'm all for popping out a kid for us. Not naming him Lil Happy though."
"Go tell her. Maybe she'll perk up at the mention of a baby." He squeezed my hand.
"I'll tell her." I smiled. "You're something else Lowman."
I walked into Ma's room. She was laying in bed peacefully. The machines beeping occasionally. I smiled down at her and held her hand.
"I'm no good at this heart to heart stuff but I'll try because I love you to death Ma." I took a deep breath. "I don't know how to thank you, you've changed my life. You introduced me to your son, who turned out to be the love of my life, you supported me while I finished up my residency and you let me into your home, life, and heart. You treated me better than my own mother ever did. You also dealt with me and the endless arts and crafts we tried." I smiled.
"Muneca!" Ma yelled. "So much glitter."
I laughed. "Never too much glitter Ma. It's supposed to sparkle."
"Ay, it's making me blind." She laughed. "Lay off the glitter."
"Fine, fine. No more glitter." I smiled. "You think Hap will like it?"
"Yeah. He'll like anything that comes from you." She hugged me. "No more glitter though, it's everywhere! Even on the dog."
"Happy told me he wants a Lil Happy." I sniffed. "Can you believe that? Mr. I'm too old for kids, wants one." I laughed.
I smiled down at her. As she started to stir I hit the nurse's button and within seconds the doctor and nurse were in the room, followed by Happy.
"She's waking up." Dr. Beckett said. "She's responsive." He flashed a light in her eyes.
"Thank God." I said as I gripped the rosary I kept tucked in my bra.
"What did you do to her?" Happy asked.
"I told her about Lil Happy." I smiled.
"I knew she'd like hearing that." He laughed.
"We gotta wait it out though." I said. "Let's get me food. I'm starving."
"Alright." He smiled. "Let's go."
#
"I got to call Dr. Moore back. He called but I ignored it." I said as I sat on Happy's lap in the waiting room. The blanket draped over us.
I dialed the number and put it on speaker so Happy could hear it as well in case I zoned out from any potentially bad news.
"Hey Dr. Moore, its Dr. Hohrykova." I said.
"Finally you call back." He said. "I have news for you all good news."
"Spill it." I said.
"No infections!" He said cheerfully. "The best part is, that your blood work also showed that you're pregnant. So congratulations!"