Home | Happy Lowman/OC (Book 1)

nine

HAPPY

A dive bar called the Red Hot was home to the Tacoma charter of the Sons of Anarchy MC. The first floor catered to the Washington Sons and their closest while the upstairs had been transformed into the clubhouse not long after the bar opened and SAMTAC was formed. It was a seedy kind of place on the south side of the city where you could only get a decent night's sleep in one of the three apartments if you'd had enough to drink to pass out or recently smoked a fairly decent amount of grass.

Unlike some of the other clubhouses, SAMTAC's was situated right on the corner of one of the busiest intersections for nightlife. Across the street was Mystic—home of the hottest strippers in Tacoma. Most of which ended up at the clubhouse almost every night. Next door was The Tripod—a bar known for the ease of getting any kind of street drug you could dream of. The Tripod wasn't exclusive like the Red Hot, so it attracted customers from all walks of life.

Despite its high security and reputation, the MC clubhouse was never quiet, and on any given night after ten, it was filled to the brim with all sorts of people. Most had affiliations with the club in some form another, but some didn't. Some wanted to see what they were about. Others were looking for the kind of outlaw thrill you could only find in the home of a notorious MC.

But to Happy, the Red Hot was a place to lay his head after a long day. One of several because he was by nature, a wanderer. Sleeping in a different bed every night didn't bother him like it did most people. He liked the adventure, and it was so much a part of him now that standing still made him restless.

But as much as the Red Hot offered all the familiar comforts—the booze, the women, the trouble, there was a little voice calling out to him that said it was time to hit the road. He'd already overstayed his time in Tacoma, and he was reminded of that fact as soon as he walked through the doors after dropping Victoria at her apartment, running right into Lorca. He should've been gone days ago.

"Charming's been calling all morning," Lorca said with a knowing look. "They're looking for you."

"I know, I'm callin' Juice as soon as I get upstairs. Lee back yet?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." Lorca headed for the door dressed to ride. "Alright, I'm headed out to meet Bowie and Pat."

"What are you gettin' into?"

Lorca just laughed. "Nothin' brother, I'll see you when I get back."

Brandy, the blonde bartender flashed him one of her flirty smiles as Happy made his way across the room and over to the door that led up the stairs to the clubhouse, but he was too distracted to care. The door was guarded by a pin pad to keep any unwanted guests from wandering where they didn't belong. He keyed in the four-digit code and took the wooden steps two at a time.

Silence met him at the top of the stairs.

He made his way over to one of the chairs circling the enormous wooden table in the center, the one with the reaper that'd been burned into the surface by Lee's wife, who did pyrography.

After plopping down in a chair, Happy scrolled through the contacts in his flip phone and hit call.

Juice picked up on the second ring. "Where the hell have you been, man?"

"I had some shit to take care of. What's up?"

"We need you back in Charming. Both of you. Things are heating up a lot faster than we planned."

Happy ran a hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh.

"When?"

"By the end of the week. Clay needs everyone at the table."

"Alright, yeah. We'll be there. I'll find Koz."

They hung up not long after and Happy tossed the phone down, feeling the weight of what was to come slamming down on his shoulders. Before he could spiral, he shoved it all down and headed back down to the bar.

"You look like you could use a drink," Brandy said while pouring a shot of bourbon. She pushed it across to him.

Even though he'd rather talk to anyone other than her, he accepted the glass and shot it back.

"Wanna tell me what's on your mind?" she asked.

"Nope."

If he mentioned Victoria to a clinger like Brandy, she'd probably cut off his balls in his sleep. So, he changed the subject. "Have you seen Koz?"

"He left for the tattoo shop about an hour ago."

Happy scrunched his brows. "Boneshakers, why?"

Brandy leaned against the bar, leaning forward just enough so he could see down the front of her shirt.

"He said something about, and I quote, 'a tight ass and she's funny, too.'"

Of course.

Victoria's blonde friend.

Happy slapped a flat palm down on the bar top. "Alright, thanks."

With that, he was back out on his bike on the road to the tattoo shop.

His eyes burned. The muscles in his back hurt a little, too from the fight with Victoria's old man. Hell, he was getting old. He needed sleep, at least a few hours, but after talking to Juice, he didn't see how that was going to be possible.

They could get to Charming in half a day if they rode straight through, but Kozik preferred riding through the night which usually meant stopping to get some sleep somewhere along the way so one of them didn't end up laying their bike down on the interstate. It was only Sunday, so there was plenty of time to get their business in order and head south.

Though he was restless to move, to get out of Tacoma and get on with the shit storm down in Charming, the little voice in the back of his head told him he had unfinished business. It was tempting and he knew himself well. Well enough to know that once he sank his teeth into something, he had to see it through.

Victoria.

They'd parted that afternoon on rocky terms, and it was a distraction. She wasn't like the rest. She had a conscious, at least enough of one to feel guilt over what they'd been doing the last few days.

Happy didn't.

Somehow, he had to make her see that he meant well. That he wasn't like the only one she knew. Victoria wore a brave face, but underneath it, there was something lurking under the surface. Happy found her curious and he wanted all the blanks filled in.

And he wanted to beat her boyfriend's face in for putting his hands on her. For bruising her smooth skin. He'd relish breaking him. In the way the blood would feel on his hands as it leaked from the wounds Happy would graciously gift him, the way he'd sound begging for Happy to stop–

Happy bit down on his tongue and shook his head, trying to drag himself back up with a little bit of pain, clearing out the darkness before it overwhelmed him. The monster could so easily consume if he wasn't vigilant, if he let his mind wander too far away.

He had to stay focused.