Legacies

Chapter 4

It had been a month since Happy had dropped Denni off at work for the first time. Ever since he would drop in once in a while to check up on her and get a glimpse at what she did. He had to admit she was slick. The way she would run books and still be able to stand behind a crowded bar blew his mind. 

As he walked into the bar, he could tell that night was going to be a busy one. He saw Denni behind the bar and creased his brow when  he saw a scowl on her face instead of the usual bright smile. Within the time it took him to get from the door to the bar, Denni had a frat boy pinned to the bar and a knife In his face. He watched as she handled herself and had the bouncer drag the guy off.
To say he was impressed was an understatement.  
She noticed him walk to the bar and met him with his usual beer and a bright smile. “My favorite customer.” She gushed as she handed him his beer. She blushed at the wink he threw her. “I’m almost done for the night, you wanna take me home?” 

Happy gave her a nod and cocked his head, “Where’s your car?” he asked. 

“Had a flat and was running late. Just had Lee send a prospect to take me in.” she said on a shrug. 

Happy’s brow creased at that answer. “Why didn’t you call me? I woulda brought you in.” 

Shrugging she looked at the glass she had in her hand and refused to meet his eyes. He knew she was hiding something from him. “I gotta get back to it.” she sighed. “I’m done in a half hour.” 

He nodded and watched as she served other customers. Something didn't sit right with him. This wasn't the Denni he came to know. Watching as she worked he could tell that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and she was more calculated with everyone she served. 

Once her shift was over, he went out to his bike and waited as he always did when he picked her up. He wasn't out there long when he heard a woman yelling. The voice he knew like the back of his hand. It was Denni. He heard her yell once more before he ran to the side of the building. He saw two men cornering her. He saw the glint of metal and heard her scream. Before he knew it, he had one man down and the other by the throat. 

"Get to the bike." He growled as his fist connected with the man's face.

She refused to move. "No way in hell. I'm not leaving you."

He let out a low growl as his fist connected with the man's face again. "Just do as I ask… please."

Her eyes bugged out of her head a bit at his words. In the time she knew Happy she had never heard him utter the word please. Nor had she ever heard him ask of anything. She sucked in a deep breath and grabbed her bag off the ground and headed for Happy's bike. She wasn't waiting for long when she saw him emerge from the alleyway and meet her. 
No words were exchanged as they both mounted the motorcycle. Denni's arms wrapped around his waist, and was a little surprised when she felt him pull her closer. Once satisfied, Happy started the motorcycle and sped off towards Denni's place.
       ~~~~***~~~~
The knot in her stomach was enough to make her want to vomit. She knew Happy wasn't going to take a short answer to what happened that night. 
Pulling up beside her car, he already noticed the slashed front tire and the word 'BITCH' etched into the side of it. She could feel his body stiffen. She dismounted the bike and took her helmet off, trying to put distance between her and the still seething killer. Before she could get too far, she felt his hand wrap around her arm stopping her.

"What the hell is going on, Denni?" He rasped. His eyes were full of concern and the worry etched into his face. Again, something she hadn't seen since she had met him. 

She sighed heavily and pointed up towards her apartment. "Come on up, it's gonna be awhile." 

He let go of her arm and followed her close as they walked up the two flights of stairs to get to her apartment. When they stepped into the hallway she could tell something was off.

Happy pulled her behind him as they reached her apartment. The door had been kicked in and from what he could see, her once pristine apartment was now in shambles. 
"Stay here." He ordered as he walked inside. Pictures she had hanging on the walls were now smashed on the ground. Her couch was torn, and the tv was now on the floor with the screen cracked. He quickly went room by room and cleared the apartment.

When he was satisfied he went to get Denni. He needed an explanation. Seeing the horror on her face when she saw the state of her apartment shook him. He watched as she rushed passed and went to her bedroom and checked the safe she had hidden in her closet. 

"We need to talk about this, Denni." He said as she sighed in relief. 

She sat back on her heels and looked up at him before sighing again. "I guess we do." She admitted. "When I went down to my car this afternoon, my tires were slashed and bitch was written on the side. I didn't have time to deal with it. So I called Lee for a prospect. Just told him that it was a flat and I would deal with it tomorrow." 

Happy huffed and he listened to her. He held out his hand for her to take and led her to the bed to talk. "Why didn't you call me?" He asked. He couldn't deny that he felt a little disappointment. 

She took his hand and gave him a small smile. "Cause you would have flipped." She said matter of factly. "And you wouldn't have let me work."

"Damn right. Look what happened tonight. What would have happened if I wasn't there?" 

She hung her head and knew he was right. The men who attacked her knew her. Knew where she would leave, knew that it would be dark in the alleyway. "But you were there." She argued. "And I can handle myself."

Shaking his head he pulled his hand back. "That's why when I got to you one of them had you by your throat?" He asked incredulously. "Give your head a shake, Denni. Whatever you got goin on, you gotta tell me."

Huffing and getting up she began to pace. "This guy Rocco, he owes a lot. I made a stop by the place he works and had a chat. Next day I had my tires slashed." She explained.
"Who was the guy at the bar? The one you slammed into the bar."

"That was one of his goons that ran numbers for him." She waved off. "He's probably one of the ones that grabbed me outside."

Happy watched as she began to chew at her cuticles as she thought everything over. He could tell she was adding things up and calculating a plan. "Whatever you're thinking, squash it. You gotta call your Pops and let him know what's going on."
She snorted at that. "The hell I do." She argued. "If I do that I'm on the fast track back to good ol' Charming. "

"That's a bad thing?" He asked. 

She flopped down onto the bed with a heavy sigh. "Hap, I don't exist in Charming." She tried to explain. 

"Call him, Denni." He urged, pulling her towards him he wrapped his arms around her. Kissing her temple he sighed. "He needs to know what's goin on. If he wants you back in Charming it may be good for you. You need a vacation anyway."

She chuckled and started to melt into him "you're not wrong. I'll call him in the morning."