White Lies

Chapter 24

Thankfully, by the time they had arrived, nondescript and dressed in all black, the sun had long since set and the sky was dark. The energy radiating from Happy was electric, Tig felt his hands and arms vibrating with excitement as they paced around the back. With a strong kick, Happy burst through the back door with his gun drawn and mask down over his face.

"Get the fuck on the ground." He growled.

Their target, the man pressing charges, did as he was told and sank to the floor shaking with fear. "Take anything you want, there's cash behind the clock on the mantel."

"We don't want your money." Tig tied the man up, raising his hands over his head and knotting the rope around the oven door handle. "We want to know why you're pressing charges against those two from that accident."

"I told you," he stammered, "I'm not. I did what you said; I dropped the charges last week."

From behind his mask, Happy grinned wickedly at Tig. "The girl too?" He asked, just to be sure.

"I never involved her." He began to explain with a quivering voice and sweaty brow. "The sheriff said she was pregnant, when the DA left he tried to talk me out of it. I felt bad, her being pregnant and all. I went to drop charges against the guy just like your boss said."

Tig figured their best bet was to go with it. Taking a knee in front of the man, he grabbed his jaw and glared at him. "We're just showing you how serious this is. We ain't a joke."

"We find out you're jerking us around and I'll be back here to slit your goddamn throat." Happy added for good measure. He hated leaving the man alive but it felt safer and obviously, SAMCRO was not on this man's radar as a threat, Ethan Zoeblle was. So, to ease his own rage Happy landed a heavy blow from his boot to the man's face, breaking his nose and popping out a tooth or two before exiting the way the came as the man lost consciousness.

-

"I called Lowen's cell, told her about the guy dropping charges so hopefully Ror will be out in the morning." Happy's voice was low and raspy as usual but there was a happiness in it the table barely ever heard. "But this Zobelle, I don't know. Darby said he was going to kill Parker and Rory, so why get this asshole to drop charges, why not just kill him?"

Clay and the others looked at one another, no idea as to why this new player would make these particular moves. "He doesn't make anything obvious." Juice started as he passed down the file he'd compiled on Ethan Zobelle. "He's in San Bernardino now, prominent business man, pillar of the damn community and the reason the War Boys MC crumbled."

"He's the reason?" The words were heavy with disbelief as Clay looked over Zobelle's information. "Church goer, how's he with street business?"

"It ain't street business." Juice explained. "This guy is 100% legit." He had truly dove into his work, it took him out of his own head and gave him something more to focus on aside from his crumbling marriage. "He moves into town, plays games with the local outlaws and then they get themselves locked up with sloppy retaliation that brings their own shit to light."

"How's he tied in with Darby then if he's so legit?" Jax exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke as he asked.

"The League of American Nationalists." Clay read from Juice's file.

"Rich, nonviolent, white power." Tig nodded, having heard of them before. "They use Darby and the scum neo-nazis to do the messy shit."

"White Hate, he musta loved Rory. Blonde hair, light eyes, all American look." Bobby chuckled. "That's probably why they used her and that pussy Parker."

"So what do we do?" Happy grumbled.

"Nothing," Clay said staunchly. "He's in San Bernardino and he's got no reason to look at us, I want to keep it that way. I don't want an unnecessary war."

—

The next morning, bright and early, Lowen charged into the Sheriff's station determined to walk out with her client. Without so much as a smile she demanded to see Sheriff Roosevelt and the receptionist didn't waste a moment.

"Counselor, how can I help you?" Roosevelt asked as he strutted out into the lobby.

"I was going over my client's paperwork and the charge sheet isn't here." With the file in her hand, Lowen waved it slowly as she spoke, her eyes locked on Roosevelt's. "The statement from the man pressing charges, his name, I'd like to see that. Now."

Roosevelt, as opposed to babbling away, swallowed slowly as he weighed his limited options. "I don't have that on me currently. I believe the DA does though. She took the statement herself."

"Then let's give her a call." Her heels tapped slowly on the linoleum floor. "Because if there is no proof of these charges, unless the state is pressing charges on this petty case, you need to let my client go."

"Let me give DA Patterson a call, see if she can't fax it over for you."

Not an hour later they were down in lockup, releasing Rory and handing her back her personal belongings. When Roosevelt handed her back her wedding rings she didn't put them on, she stuck them in the side pouch inside her purse and zipped it shut.

When Roosevelt contacted Patterson she didn't waver, she didn't even have to think about it, she agreed to release Rory. Her plans weren't changing but her tactics were going to if she wanted to keep the investigation legal and without question.

"Thank you," Rory grinned excitedly at Lowen. "I was losing my mind."

"Don't thank me," she said as they moved toward the front exit. "Thank your husband."

"About that," stopping just short of the doorway Rory looked out to see Happy waiting dutifully. "Can you draft up divorce documents? Custody should be fifty fifty, I don't need alimony or anything like that. Simple shit, really civil and even."

Lowen's eyebrows furrowed. "I can start them, sure. Are you positive about all this?"

"Yep. 100%. Just don't tell anyone. Keep it between us for now."

Rory didn't wait for a response from Lowen. She turned and stepped outside, moving slowly down the steps, and greeted Happy with a weak, crooked smile.

"How's Emma? I want to see her."

"Yeah, we can get her, she's at daycare now. Ror, can we talk?"

"Thank you for whatever you did to get me out. I was gettin' itchy in there."

"Rory," Happy gripped her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." She said sadly. "But this isn't something I can forget. You've done tons of shit but this, that whore in Indian Hills and that fucking Cara Cara chick, I can't just forget her or what you did with her."

Just as Lowen left the building and moved up the block, Happy grew desperate. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know yet." She lied flat out, unable to tell him the truth at that moment and if she was honest, she didn't actually want to tell him either. There was a part of Rory, bigger than she expected, that wanted him to take her home and make love to her but she wouldn't allow it. "Give me a few days. I'll stay at my old place."

"You're still renting that place?" He asked incredulously. "I didn't know that."

"Parker and I used it as an office when we needed to do shit like that," she explained. "I can crash there, with Emma no fighting on that, and we'll talk in a few days."

Snaking his arms around her waist, Happy tugged her close, ignoring her clear body language that screamed for him to release her and kissed her fiercely.

"You're the only woman I ever loved." He grumbled into her ear. "My old lady, my fucking queen."

"I don't doubt that and I love you, Hap, dangerously, but you know what you did. I'll see you on Friday."

—

Bibbit shout out in there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Xo