Charlie Bishop and Happy Lowman were childhood sweethearts as they grew up in Bakersfield, California, but fate intervened sending Charlie with her parents to Alaska. Now, several years later, they are both in the same place again, but will fate int...
Hit for hit, blow for blow, Opie stayed with Happy until both men dropped to their knees, bloody and sweating buckets. As they collapsed on the mat, Opie turned his head tiredly to look at his brother.
"You good? If not, you're gonna have to give me a few minutes to recover."
Happy spit blood on the mat and shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I just don't know what the fuck to do about Charlie, man. What if she decides to leave town?"
Opie sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. You love her?"
Happy stared up for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, since we were kids. I can't let her leave."
Opie nodded and grinned. "There's your answer. Give her a reason not to leave."
Happy thought about it for a moment before he grinned and nodded. "Damn straight."
Charlie made her way slowly to the door, cursing the tightness in her thigh as she opened the door to find an older man with a denim kutte on standing there. He smiled at her and nodded.
"Hi, sweetheart. We haven't been properly introduced, but I'm Piney Winston."
Charlie nodded as she stood back to let him inside. "You need some ice for your nose, Mr. Winston? That looks a little painful."
He shook his head and chuckled as she followed him into the living room. "Nah, I'm good. Your old man has quite the right hook."
Charlie shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Happy hit you? What the hell?"
Piney waved a hand as he lowered himself to the couch. "I had it coming, Charlie. That's why I'm here actually." He sighed as Charlie sat down beside him. "I'm gonna tell you something but I'm telling you, Charlie, Happy's old lady. I'm not telling a cop so if this ever comes up anywhere else, I'll deny ever saying it."
Charlie nodded, giving him a small smile. "Well, I'm not sure that I'm Happy's anything, but I am pretty sure that I won't be a cop for much longer, so you tell me whatever you need to, Mr. Winston."
He grinned and reached over to pat her hand. "Piney, sweetheart." When she nodded, he continued. "I'm the reason you're having such a hard time now."
Charlie shook her head. "I may not remember a lot from that day, but I know that you aren't the one that shot me, Piney."
Piney nodded. "I know, but I put the gun in the bastard's hand." He sighed. "I didn't know what they wanted them for, I swear to God that I didn't, but it's on me just the same."
Charlie looked down at her lap for a moment before locking her eyes on his. "Did you make it right?"
She saw the look of surprise come across his face. "You heard me that day?"
She nodded. "I remember hearing someone say they'd make it right." She shrugged. "I guess I was starting to come back around, I don't know, but I heard it." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Did you?"
Taking a shaky breath, Piney nodded. "I did my part, and so did your old man. We took care of it."
Charlie closed her eyes for a moment before nodding and looking at him again. "I don't want to know how, not now. There may come a time when I do, but it's not when I still have a shield. I can't hear that information, Piney." When he nodded in understanding, she reached out to turn his face to the side, wincing at the ugly bruise forming under his left eye. "I'm sorry Happy felt the need to take out his anger on your face."
Piney chuckled as he stood up, Charlie following. "I'm not. If he hadn't, I might not have gotten the nerve to come talk to a pretty girl."
Charlie chuckled as she followed him out the door. When he reached his trike, she put a hand on his arm to stop him before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. As he hugged her close, she whispered in his ear. "Thank you, Piney."
Piney leaned back to grin at her. "No reason to thank me. You're one of us, sweetheart. We protect our own."
Charlie frowned up at him as she stepped back. "How do you figure that?"
Piney chuckled as he swung a leg over his bike. "Charlie, whether you think so right now or not, anyone with eyes can see that you're Happy's old lady." He winked at her as he hit the starter. "Might as well just enjoy the ride, darlin."
Charlie watched him ride down the road before turning and walking back inside. She grabbed an old book off of the bookshelf and plopped down on the couch to leaf through the pages. She smiled at the picture of her and Happy sitting on her front porch with popsicles and goofy grins on their faces. Another picture showed them a few years older, Happy already slouching like a badass as they leaned against his new to him bike, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist.
She sighed as she laid the book beside her on the couch and let her head fall back against the couch. She knew what the other pictures were, she'd looked at them often over the years. She had been gutted when he'd been sent to juvie for theft, and her parents, wanting to keep her away from that influence, had decided to move to Alaska while he was gone. The day before they had left California, she'd gone to see Happy's mother, and they had cried together for so many reasons.
She thought about what Piney had told her and sighed. She knew that the men of SAMCRO weren't boy scouts, and she had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about it. She let her eyes close as she wondered exactly what kind of ride she was in for.
