Up In Flames

Chapter 21

Happy nestled Emma in his arms and brought her up to Rory's room. He peeked in to see her, surprisingly sitting up although still on her side, while in a rather emotional conversation with Johnny. Stepping in he gathered their attention easily.

"Oh my baby." Rory was already in tears but when she saw Emma she began to cry full force. "Is she okay?" She whispered.

"Yeah. She's just exhausted and filthy."

Carefully Rory combed Emma's hair with her fingertips. "Thank you," she looked up at Happy adoringly," For bringing our daughter home."

"Of course." Johnny had already excused himself from the reunion so Happy took his empty seat. "Putlova's dying, tonight, I promise."

Happy and Rory we're both holding onto such dark thoughts as they gazed at each other with eyes full of love. All she wanted to do was grab their daughter and run while Happy was thinking of ways he could push her as far away as possible.

"Okay. We'll be safe then, right?" She cradled her sleeping child in her arms while swallowing down the pain from her back.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Rory."

"Hap, I'm thinking Charming isn't the best place for her."

"I know." He kissed her deeply then placed a quick peck on Emma's cheek before saying his quick goodbyes. Stepping outside the room, he shook Johnny's hand. "You keep your eyes on them, got me?"

"Always, man." That was what Happy hoped, it was what he was counting on actually.

--

They piled into the black panel van, less men than they would have liked, and rolled out off the lot with a dangerous energy pulsing around them. No one was more excited than Happy, his hand trembled at the thought of crunching Putlova's bones and making him bleed.

"Connor said they're five minutes out." Chibs announced from the passenger seat as they turned off the highway. "He's having that little fucker wait in the car for the plane."

"Yeah, one that ain't gonna show." Happy said darkly.

The van crept into the hangar, the club quietly snuck out and surrounded the town car with blacked out windows. Happy smiled as he swung open the door to see Putlova Junior's petrified face. Wrapping his fingers around his collar Happy dragged the Russian out and tossed him onto the cement floor.

"Hey Vik." Reaching behind him, Happy smiled as the cold metal of the tire iron hit his hand; Jax had a matching sinister grin as he handed the weapon to his brother. "You fucked with the wrong man." He growled, dropping to his knees on the floor beside Viktor.

"I didn't hurt the baby." He sputtered. "This wasn't the deal."

"You know what wasn't part of the deal? You taking my kid and slicing open my old lady." Happy shoved Viktor onto his stomach and slammed the tire iron against his back to keep him from struggling. "I want you to know what you did to her, how much it hurt her."

With his heavy boot jammed against Putlova's testicles Happy unsheathed his knife and cut off the man's shirt and jacket. The other club members, Jax, Clay, Tig and Chibs, watched with horror as Happy cut into Putlova's back. There was no pattern; he just tore the man's flesh apart with a sick pleasure. The guys looked away and Tig's eyes fell on a sack of rock salt in the far corner of the hangar. He grinned, jogging over and kicking it down to cover the floor in salt.

"Hap," he pointed to the crystals.

Happy dropped his knife and picked Putlova up by his neck, dropping him on his back onto salt. The man howled, writhing in pain as he rolled along the floor in a desperate attempt to get away from the horrid burning sensation. Taking in the sounds Happy watched with pleasure but knew he had to end it. With less enthusiasm than anyone expected, even Happy himself, he lifted the tire iron high into the air and smiled before swinging it down with all his strength into Putlova's head. He repeated the action twice more, less blood spurting from Putlova with every blow, before Clay stopped him.

"You're good." He said darkly. "He's dead."