Overexposed

Ch. 9 Lucky

Happy cursed quietly under his breath, thankful it was Quinn behind the wheel of the van and not Chibs. "All right, kid," he murmured, kissing her forehead. " 'm a take care of you. Don't worry. I got you. You're gonna be okay."

Quinn looked over his shoulder. "Was she drivin' alone, Hap?"

"What?" he demanded, more concerned about his little cousin than whatever bullshit question Quinn had.

"Ang. Was she alone?"

Happy felt a new wave of anger roll over him at the realization that Angela wasn't the only one of his girls who'd been hurt. Chloe had been the driver and by the looks of it, whoever had taken Alvarez's Old Lady had gone after his as well. Whoever it was had signed their own death warrant when they went after his family. They were all going to die. Like a lot.

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Tig watched Chibs pace back and forth in the hospital hallway from the doorway of the small St. Thomas waiting room. While Chibs, Hap, and Quinn had gone out to find Angela, he'd made sure to call Kenny and Ellie to get them down to the hospital. They'd gotten there in minutes with Bones and Jazzy in tow. Now Bones and Ken were working on seeing if any traffic cameras caught the guys who'd taken Chloe while Ellie had taken Jazzy down to the cafeteria to explain the situation to her. The poor girl had looked like a deer in headlights when she'd walked into the room filled with outlaw bikers.

Happy was outside, going through pack after pack of cigarettes as he waited for news of any kind either about Angela or Chloe. His pants, shirt, and cut were covered with blood, but he refused to leave the hospital no matter how hard Chibs pushed him to go get cleaned up. The farthest he'd go was outside the front doors for a smoke or up to the fourth floor to visit with his mother.

The only people missing were Angela's husband and daughter, Tig realized with a grimace. He knew Evie was safe with the Mayans, but Juice was probably still in Texas, completely clueless to what was going on with his girls in California. He had to call him. It wasn't right for him to be so far away while his wife's life was in danger. He needed to be there for her and his family. "Shit," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Clearing his throat, he stepped in Chibs' path. "Need to talk to ya."

Chibs gave him a quizzical look but stopped pacing, eyebrows raised. "Now's not a great time, Tiggy."

"Hear me out. This is some big shit," he insisted, scratching nervously at his eyebrow. "There's somethin' I gotta tell ya, and it ain't gonna make sense, but just hear me out, all right?"

He cocked his head to the side curiously. "All right."

"Angie...she's pregnant again," he explained, wondering if he was making the right choice in telling him.

Chibs paled a little bit, running a hand through his hair. "No shite," he scoffed with a small smile. He let it sink in for a moment before asking, "Who's the lucky father?"

Tig shifted awkwardly, knowing this was the right decision even if it could possibly damn him. "Juice."

A flicker of hope briefly passed over Chibs' face. He tilted his head to the side as if he were unsure if he'd heard him right. "Tha's not possible. Juice is gone, brotha. Ye killed him yerself. This some kinda turkey baster baby?"

He shook his head slowly. "Nah. Its legit. I never went through with the hit. There was no Mayhem vote or anythin'. Didn't feel right, taking a Dad away from his daughter like that, 'specially after everythin' that happened with Ope so...I let him go."

Chibs leaned back against the wall, looking a little impressed with him. "Shit, Tiggy," he said, shaking his head. "Tha's a bold move."

"Too many brothers dyin'. Didn't seem fair he didn't get his day at the table," he admitted with a shrug. "You've seen that little girl. I didn't want to be the guy to take her Daddy away. Wasn't right."