Up In Flames

Chapter 40

A few days later...

--

Although Clay took pleasure in the punishment against a brother betraying the patch he wished it never happened. Happy didn't want to be the one to outline the betrayal so Bobby detailed it all, Rory's information as well as Reggie's, who was here to substantiate everything Bobby said.

"This is up to you, this is your charter but we all know what needs to go down." Clay said as diplomatically as possible. "But my guy needs to get right with what your VP did to his old lady. I support that."

Huff nodded and waved the Redwood members toward the door. "We know what to do, Clay."

Tig, Happy, Bobby and Clay headed out into the bar area confident that the SAMTAZ patches would make the right decision regarding Benny.

"They'll strip it, no doubt." Tig said as he took the first sip of his beer. "I'm not sure about Mayhem."

"No Mayhem." Bobby wasn't even entertaining the idea. "Put yourself in their shoes, if Jax did this would you really vote Mayhem?"

In unison all four men confidently said no. "As long as I get to rip into him," Happy grumbled. "I can't wait to see him kicked the fuck out. No cut, no ink and chased outta Tucson."

"Satisfying." Clay agreed. "Still wish it never happened."

The nodded and raised their drinks knowing it would be a short weight for an answer.

--

"The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again!" Rory acted out the song as she sang to Emma and the child clapped and attempted to sing what she knew.

Leaving her with a big kiss, Rory went out into the kitchen while Emma played happily. Sitting at the kitchen table she yawned and sent Happy a text.

"Too tired to cook. Pizza? Burgers? What do you want?"

It didn't really matter what he said. Rory set her phone down and closing her eyes, buried her head in her hands. The lying and pretending was eating at her even more than sickness.

--

Huff exited chapel with a sorrowful expression. It was done and they all knew what happened. Benny exited the room with no cut, one of the SAMTAZ members had it and was slicing off the patches.

"No Mayhem," Bobby said nodding. "Told you."

"I'm sorry for the trouble he put on your family." Huff said to Happy before apologizing to Clay for tarnishing the Sons of Anarchy.

"Do I get my vote?" Happy sneered.

"You do," Huff grinned. "Take it out back."

Happy grinned and dragged Benny out by his shirt collar to the back alley. "I'm gonna have fun with you."

Tossing him against the brick of the building Happy cracked his knuckles. "You think my girl was scared of you? That she couldn't handle her shit? You went down because of my girl."

Happy stomped on Benny's hands as he crouched down and threw the first of many punches. At first it was cathartic and Happy enjoyed the throttling but soon he grew bored.

"Hit me," he ordered. "Fucking hit me."

Struggling, Benny attempted to do as he was told but his fingers were broken and his grasp on consciousness but weak.

"You're fucking pathetic." He spat in Benny's face.

--

When Happy got home he found Rory asleep at the kitchen table and Emma was playing in the living room. She had just closed her eyes ten minutes before he arrived. "Hey. Wake up, babe."

"Huh?" She jumped and slapped her hand to her chest. "Jesus. You scared the shit outta me."

Grabbing a napkin from the table he wipes the blood trickling from her nose. "Ror, are you okay? You left Emma alone, you can't do that."

"What?" She compulsively touched her face attempting to wipe the blood. "Is she okay?" He nodded and passed Emma to Rory. "Okay, good. I'm fine. I'm telling you, that coke fucked me up.

"You're lying to me." He tossed the bloody napkin away and washed his hands in the sink.

"I'm good. I'm just stressed and I want to go home. How'd it go with Benny?"

"I got my hits in." He grinned and showed off his bruised and bloody knuckles. "He was voted out."

"Dick." She smiled. "Happ, I love you."

"I'd love you more if you told me what was going on."

She forced a smile and nodded. "I'm sick, Hap. It's nothing big, probably anemia or something. I'll see Tara when we get home."

"I'll go with you."

"No." She snapped. "I'm not going to run but I can take care of it myself. She'll just tell me to take an iron supplement. It happened in high school too."

Happy still felt uneasy but he trusted her and really had no reason to suspect she'd lie. "Alright. You wanna take her out? Park or something?"

"No you two go. I'll start packing."

He packed up and left and that was exactly when Rory lost composure. It wasn't anemia, she watched her mother start out the same way. She grabbed her phone and texted Brad Goldstein back in Oregon.

"Hey, long time I know. I need a favor. Do you know any good oncologists? Not for me, for a friend, she's thinking it's leukemia."