Happy Lowman is the quintessential biker badass. He loves the biker lifestyle: drinking, carousing, and taking care of business. What happens when fate literally puts him in the path of a woman that has always lived a simpler life? Will he be able t...
Happy shut the doors behind himself and took his seat at the end of the table beside Piney. Clay looked around the table before nodding to Happy.
"She good until we're done here?"
Happy nodded. "Yeah, Oswald's going to go back with her. She'll be alright until I can get there."
Clay nodded before looking at the others. "Anybody have any ideas on who's behind this? Because I'm stumped."
Jax shrugged. "Yeah, me too. It's been quiet lately. The last dust-up was when Galindo went after Happy but we cleared that shit up."
Chibs nodded. "Aye, I know it's no' the Irish. We're on good terms righ' now."
Bobby spoke up from beside Jax. "We're good with the Mayans and the Niners too. I got no ideas."
Happy rubbed a hand over his head and sighed. "It would have to be someone who has time to watch Josie and the house. The first time we've been seen together really was yesterday, so someone has to be watching."
Tig looked at him and nodded. "You think it's someone on her side."
Happy shrugged. "I don't really know. I mean, she's a farmer. I can't see anyone having a beef with her."
Clay rubbed his forehead. "Well, whatever it is, you need to convince your old lady to make an extended visit in Charming until it can get sorted because I can't spare you for guard dog duty."
Happy blew out a breath before nodding. "She's not going to like it. She likes her privacy."
Clay shrugged and grinned. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't like. She's a big girl, she'll get it. Take Tig and Chibs with you, find out exactly what went down and we'll go from there."
Jax spoke up from beside his step-father. "I'll go too. If nothing else, maybe between all of us, we can strong-arm her into coming back with us."
Tig nodded and chuckled as Happy smirked. "There's always the plan of just throwing her in the back of the van and hauling ass."
Clay chuckled along with everyone else as he brought the gavel down. "Do what you need to but bring her back with you. Meeting adjourned."
Josie stood staring at what was left of her outbuildings. She shook her head as she thought bitterly that at least whoever had done this had left the house intact. The barns were still smoldering and she could smell the burned flesh of her animals. She swiped a hand across her cheeks as she turned to her brother.
"Why didn't they at least set the animals loose before torching everything?"
Elliott shook his head as he put an arm around her shoulders and turned her toward the house. "I don't know, Jo. Maybe they wanted the extra shock value? Thought that it might scare you more?"
Josie snorted and shook her head. "Oh, I'm not scared, I'm pissed!" She looked at her brother before motioning toward the house. "I'm going to go fix something to eat, not that I'm all that hungry."
Elliott nodded. "Sounds good. I'm going to find Elmer and see if we can't start a running inventory of what's been lost for the insurance."
Josie sighed and nodded as she headed toward the house. Once inside, she pulled ingredients for a salad out of the fridge and started chopping lettuce as her mind tried to put everything she'd seen together. She heard motorcycles approaching but didn't bother to go look as she took some chicken breasts out of the refrigerator and starting dicing them up to fry to add to the salad.
Happy could do nothing for a moment but stare at the gaping holes where the barns and outbuildings had been. He cursed under his breath as he swung his leg over his bike and dismounted, Jax and Chibs right behind him as Tig got out of the van. Elliott met them halfway as Jax swore and kicked a piece of charred would out of the lane. Happy nodded to Elliott.
"What do we know?"
Elliott sighed and nodded to the burned out shells. "All the buildings but the house were destroyed. The animals too. I've got a call into the local vet for carcass removal." He shook his head. "This is bad, guys. They've pretty much wiped her out."
Happy shook his head as he looked around for his woman. "Where is she?"
Elliott nodded at the house. "Fixing something to eat. She cooks when she's stressed."
Happy nodded as he turned to the house. "Did you clear the house before she went in?"
Elliott gave him a look. "I'm not an idiot, Lowman. Any ideas on who did this?"
Jax shook his head as he lit a cigarette. "Nope. We're good with everyone right now. Any way at all it could be someone who has a beef with Jo?" He held up a hand when Elliott started to speak, his face showing exactly what he thought of that suggestion. "Look, we got nothing. I have to ask."
Oswald sighed and nodded. "I get that, but nobody had it in for Josie. Nobody would have a reason to."
Tig spoke up as he stepped beside Elliott. "I know this may sound like a weird question but hear me out. Anyone that might not like it that she found herself a man?"
Oswald shook his head. "I can't think of anyone that would want to hurt her, but honestly, we haven't seen that much of each other the last few years. I wouldn't know if there was."
Happy spit his toothpick out and nodded. "I'm gonna go check on Jo, tell her to pack her shit. Obviously, she can't stay here."
Elliott nodded. "That's a good idea. She can stay with Karen and me."
Happy shook his head. "She stays with me."
Oswald looked at him with a brow lifted. "She going to stay at the clubhouse?"
"Until this is figured out, yeah. She's going to be glued to my side or the side of a patch until I have my hands on the fucker who's trying to scare her." Happy shook his head. "You just said yourself that you haven't seen her in years. She's my woman, she belongs with me."
