Up In Flames

Chapter 34

Rory began to stir just about a day later. Happy was by her side most of the time she was asleep but when she opened her eyes he was in the living room with Tig and Bobby. They spoke about what had happened with Rory and the couple’s suspicions even before anything went down. Tig had Emma on his shoulders, pacing the room, when they heard Rory groan through the monitor.

“You put the baby monitor in there with her?”

Happy nodded and shrugged. “How else am I gonna know she’s up if I’m not there?”

Bobby and Tig looked at each other and shrugged as Happy headed up into the bedroom. When his footsteps creaked on the bedroom floor, she curled up and peeked with one eye. He could see she was trembling and clearly confused. Sitting on the edge of the mattress beside her Happy took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

“Baby, you okay?”

“No.” She moaned in pain and Happy missed her usual breathy, high-pitched moans. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” He asked with concern.

“Kind of,” she struggled to sit up but Happy forced her back down. “I was out with Ryder then I went to scout the dealer and,” she stopped and her eyes went wide. “Shit, Benny.”

“Yeah baby, Benny.” He stroked her hair gently. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel like fucking death. When will it stop?”

“Depends on your body.” Standing, he scooped her up in his arms and held her close. “You need to eat something, maybe in a few hours you can have a Vicodin, it’ll help with the come down.”

She cuddled close to him and felt comfort in his arm, his smell easing some of her symptoms if only in her head. “Where were you?” Her dark eyes looked up at him with sorrow.

“Emma was having a fit, I couldn’t leave. I am so sorry, Rory, I am. We’re going to get Benny and that fucking dealer.”

Carrying her down the steps, Happy and Rory heard Tig and Bobby start to clap, Emma joining in excitedly. “She’s risen.” Tig joked

“Just barely.” She forced a smile and made Happy let her walk into the dining room “Hi guys, I didn’t know you were here.” The lift in her voice told Happy he made a mistake in not telling her. She felt too weak to hold Emma, who shrieked in excitement, but Rory gave her daughter kisses and hugs as much as she could before Happy put her down for her nap.

“We’re helping out,” Bobby explained. “Whatever is going on needs to be handled.”

“I agree.”

---

After some soup and an impressive grilled cheese sandwich made by Happy, Rory joined the men in the living room. “Where’d you learn to make sandwiches?” She whispered into his ear.

“We have a toddler, I had to learn fucking quick. You just never realized.”

Looking at him dreamily, she nodded and turned to Tig and Bobby. “Guess you want the play by play?”

“At least we know you’re not just looks,” Bobby joked.

“After yesterday it would appear I am.” Rory curled up and leaned her head on Happy. “So I went to the truck stop, started talking to the dealer. He said he didn’t know me so he asked my name. I’m assuming they keep close tabs on their buyers there because of the SOA risk. I don’t know. Anyway, he tried to get me to sleep with him for drugs I said no we went back and forth before Ryder showed up.”

Tig raised his hand politely to interrupt. “Ryder and who the fuck is Ryder?”

Happy grunted and his back tensed. “He’s just some fucking asshole who wants to get in Rory’s pants.”

“Continue,” Bobby said seeing Happy grow angrier.

“So I told the dealer my name was Michelle,” she winked at Happy. “And when Ryder called my name, the dealer kind of panicked. We went back and forth but we ended up tied to chairs in some nasty trailer. He asked me who I was and checked us for ink, he saw my back.”

The room was quiet for a moment. “I guess that gave it all away.”

“You’d guess right, Tiggy.” Rory tried to sound lighthearted but she couldn’t. “I’m assuming he called Benny cause that asshole showed up. We played dumb, all of us, and he said he was sorry and offered me some lines as an apology. He didn’t take no for an answer. I ended up doing four fucking lines and now I want to die.”

Kissing the top of her head, Happy tried to calm down and think clearly. “SAMTAZ is dealing, we know that much.”

“Sons don’t deal.” Bobby said ominously.

“But what’s his endgame in drugging her?” Tig asked.

“He doesn’t know me and Hap got back together, no one knows. He either took me for an idiot and thought I didn’t know about the Sons stance on drugs or he figured I’d be scared after what he did or just too mad at Happy to say anything.”

“You ever see a patch there?” Bobby asked as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“No. I’ve only ever talked to Benny about it anyway.”

“I can’t see this being voted.” Always logical and calm, Bobby said what no one was thinking. “It’s such a glaring punch in the nuts to the club.”

“Does this make anyone think about Reggie?” Rory said with her hands over her face as she tried to focus on their talk. “Happy, you said that shit was unheard of, maybe he knew something about this?”

“His old lady,” Tig started snapping his fingers. “This truck stop, didn’t she work at the diner. She got them the in with the owner to start having meets and exchanges there.”

“How do you know about her?” Rory closed her eyes as she leaned more and more of her weight on Happy.

“We all know each other, a few of these guys started in San Bernadino.”

“When you been patched as long as these assholes you get to know everyone.” Happy pushed her to sit up. “You alright?”

“No,” she mumbled. “I need to go back to bed.”

“Okay.” Happy nodded at the guys and helped Rory back into bed. “You’re gonna be fine.”

“Don’t do anything that’ll get in you trouble, Hap.”

“I’m not doing anything without you.” He kissed her forehead and pulled the top sheet over her. “Sleep now. Me and the guys are gonna figure some shit out.”

“I love you.” She mumbled into the pillow before passing out.

Happy smiled and whispered, “Love you too, little girl.”