Hands All Over

Ch. 34 Home Safe

Happy loaded the last bag into the back of the truck and cast a look at Juice. The intelligence officer was grinning like a fool, no doubt excited to go back to Charming to be with Angela. He shook his head at him wondering how that idiot managed to win over his cousin. Bobby caught his attention, gesturing him over before looking to Juice. "You might want to hear this too," he said waiting until they were both close enough before starting. "Jax is on the phone with Tig. Somethin's goin' down in Charming."

Juice looked confused, but Happy knew exactly why Bobby needed to speak with both of them. "What'd she do?"

"Salazar's got her and Tara," Bobby explained, a grim look on his face. "Tig and Koz have been tryin' to keep up with his demands to get her back, but they didn't do 'em in time."

Juice felt like he couldn't breathe. Salazar had Angela. Salazar the man who'd taken his cut, who'd killed one of the Grim Bastards, who wanted revenge against the Sons had Angela and whatever he'd wanted for her safe return hadn't happened. "What the hell does that mean?"

"He's gonna kill 'em," Happy answered confidently. Juice looked at him in shock; how could he be so calm about this all? His cousin was kidnapped! He should be freaking out! Instead Happy looked stoic as usual. He glanced at Jax who'd just hung up the phone. "What do we know?"

"Not much," Jax answered with a shake of his head. "We're workin' on a location now."

Happy nodded. "How long's he had 'em for?"

"Almost two days now," he answered looking at the truck. "We should go. The more time we waste, the harder it'll be to find 'em. Keep it quiet for right now."

Juice swallowed hard as he ran a hand over his head. His heart felt heavy as he got into the truck, silently praying to any god that would listen for her safe return. He needed to see her again, needed to apologize. He sat down next to Happy on the cargo plane back, his head in his hands.

"We're gonna find her," Happy's rough voice assured him. Juice lifted his head up to look at him and he continued, "She's a tough kid. She'll figure a way out."

"What if he kills her?"

"What if this plane crashes?" Happy shot back.

Juice looked at him like he was crazy. "The plane's not gonna crash."

Happy nodded in agreement. "And he ain't gonna kill her."

"But you said..."

The Tacoma killer scowled at him, shaking his head. "He's not gonna get the chance to. She won't let it happen."

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Angela heard the car start up and opened one eye, trying to focus on the car Salazar drove away in. Her vision was blurry, distorting the license plate, but she'd managed to make out the color and what kind of car it was. She'd had to hold her breath while Salazar moved her over to where he'd already laid Luisa and the woman whose car he'd stolen. She was lucky he had been so distraught over Luisa that when he moved her, he hadn't noticed she still had a pulse.

Once she was sure the car was out of the small lot they were in, she started to pull herself out from underneath the heavy blanket. Her head pounded with every movement as she started to crawl out. Her aim was to stand, somehow make it to the road, and flag down a driver. Get help somehow. The sun blared down on her, the rocks from the gravel scraping at her skin as she moved. Gritting her teeth together, she crawled out a little farther, gasping when the movement pulled at her ribs. That last kick Salazar laid into her side when Tara told him she was dead had to have cracked something.