All the Money in the World

Chapter 43

The next morning as Katie walked Happy to the door she stopped, hesitating to say goodbye, and grabbed his hand to keep him in front of her. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah," he grumbled. "You?"

Katie nodded. "I think so."

"Alright," he kissed her. "I'll be back early today."

She smiled and waved as he headed to his bike and raced off toward the lot. He was late for church but he was less obsessive with his club loyalty as of late. He arrived and sauntered in, after everyone else was seated, and took his spot.

"Alright," Jax cleared his throat at the start of church. "I know we've had a shitty run lately."

"What happened?" Bobby interrupted.

"What?" Jax looked genuinely confused.

"Your face," Chibs said expectantly. "Ya think we didn't notice?"

"Not club shit," he said offhandedly.

"Tara?" Tig laughed.

"It was me," Happy admitted. "Kicking the shit outta our President ain't a good look," he slapped papers down on the table. "So when this fed shit is over, I'm taking my family and heading back north."

"Transfer?" Jax huffed, snatching the paperwork off the table. "Tacoma?"

"No."

Jax checked the papers. "Nomad?"

"Are you high or stupid?" Tig asked angrily.

Opie eyed Jax, unsure how he would play it all out, but surely he'd have his president and best friend's back. It may have been a bad idea but Opie knew, or he thought, Jax's intentions were good.

"You can't leave," Jax said with authority.

"I can go wherever I want," he challenged.

"Not if you're taking my daughter with you," Jax growled.

"This ain't a club call," Opie interrupted.

"Transfer is," Jax snapped at Opie. "You won't get the vote," he said to Happy.

"Don't do this," Happy warned. "If you wanna play the good guy, like that matters, Charlotte will be better off outta here."

"I love my daughter," Jax said defensively.

"If you loved your daughter you wouldn'ta lied and guilted Katie into letting you pimping her out to the Irish behind my back."

The room froze, all eyes on Jax, after Happy leveled such harsh and damning allegations.

"What's happening?" Bobby lost his usual calm and sage tone and spoke now with anger and confusion. "Hap is one of the most blindly loyal brothers I have ever known. I need to know what happened to twist him up like this. Now."

Jax, visibly furious, fell back in his chair, his hands balled into fists. "I was trying to keep my club safe and keep the Irish off our backs so we can get out from under the goddamn Feds."

"He told my wife I fucked up, that I was gonna catch an Irish bullet, but if she saw that cock sucker Ryan, if she kept him smilin', I'd be safe, that we'd all be safe. THAT was a goddamn lie."

Bobby turned to Jax, his face long and forlorn, with disappointment in his eyes. "Jax?"

"It's true," he shrugged. "I added some dramatics but we needed him to keep selling to us, we need to keep this relationship or we're all gonna be looking at life. We needed her."

"No, you didn't," Happy growled. "Next time, send your wife out as the whore."

"Least Katie has the experience." Jax bitterly spat the cruel words, with no hesitation or regret, causing Happy to launch himself across the table at his President.

"Hey," Opie grabbed Happy and yanked him back to his side of the table. "No." He growled, pressing him back against the wall by his neck. "This isn't how we do shit."

"Fuck how we do shit," Happy growled, fighting against Opie. "What if it was Donna?"

"I'm sorry," Jax suddenly said. "That what you wanna hear? I regret it. I regretted it when I fucking asked her."

Happy relaxed enough that Opie gave him some breathing room. "Bullshit."

"Is this why you're leaving?" Bobby asked through the tension.

"No," Happy shook his head. "Not the only reason."

"Jax," Chibs said with a heavy sigh.

"I know," he snapped.

"Hap, we don't want you to leave," Tig said sadly.

"That prick is in town, his kid is in Charlotte's class," Happy growled. "We're not staying."

"What if he wasn't in town?" Juice asked eagerly. "I mean, he'll be easy to get rid of. Feds are up his ass and he doesn't even know it."

"He's not though," Happy glared at Jax.

"Fine. You're pissed at Jax You gonna go nomad though?" Tig scoffed. "You'll be alone. No one's got your back out there."

"Better than here," Happy grunted. "Out there if no one's got my back no one can stab me in the goddamn back either."

"You're not taking my daughter!" Jax shouted.

"You wanna start that battle again?" Happy warned him. "You wanna go for custody? Try to keep her in the state?"

"Stop," Opie bellowed.

"I'm fucking outta here," Happy stated, suddenly calm.

"We got business," Jax called after him.

"We're meeting for a pickup, 9 o'clock, usual place," he said. "Anything else?"

"It's tonight," Jax said, his voice shaking slightly. "They're taking Ryan in and whoever else is there."

Happy tensed. "So were getting locked up too?"

"Yeah, can't be too obvious," Jax said. "Won't be for long though."

"Alright," Happy turned away from the door and headed back to his seat. He wasn't thrilled having to put his rage on the back burner but getting out from the fed's crosshairs was more important. "What's the plan?"