A Happy Coincidence

Chapter 1

Happy hovered over the Russian, wounded but still breathing, with a pair of pliers in his bloody hands. Never one for words he grunted, tossing the pliers down and turned his back on his current project. The club would be there soon and Happy hadn't gotten a word from the man, his patience was now wearing thing. They were alone so when Happy caught a shrill scream from the south, down by the creek he didn't think anything but trouble. Once, maybe twice, he'd heard of one of the guys bringing a woman up around there but the woman he'd heard was far from enjoying whatever was going on.

Throwing a hard left, he knocked the Russian out, a short but welcomed reprieve from what he'd been suffering at Happy's brutal hands, and checking he had his gun slipped out from the warehouse. Moving with stealth, he made a left and scurried down the steep embankment following the direction he swore the shriek had come from. There wasn't a sound, not even the chirp of a bird or the buzzing of a bee or fly that crowded the woods every other day Happy had spent there. It wasn't right.

From almost out of nowhere a skinny, blood and mud matted woman latched onto his legs. He swiftly turned his gun on her, finger off the trigger but stuffed it back in his pants when he saw her sobbing. Frozen in awkwardness, not fear, he looked down at her. The woman's bleached, knotted hair hung down in her eyes, her dark roots matching the bruises forming along her cheekbone and under her right eye.

"Please, help me."

Without a care for any injuries, he swung her up over his shoulder and hurried back into the warehouse. She sputtered and sobbed as he laid her out on the table, the unconscious Russian's head dangled in her direction. His closed eyelids making her skin crawl even more than the idea of her attacker still out in the woods.

"He's still there." She whispered.

"Who?"

"I don't know his name; he's a cousin or brother of Henry Lin." Grunting again as the Russian began to stir Happy kept his hand on his gun that sat snugly in his pants. "Please, I need to go." When she tried to sit up, he caught view of the sheath on her pants, at one point she was armed even if just with a knife.

"Why's the Triad after you?"

The woman shook her head, the action made her head spin and she slowly reclined back on the rickety table. "Doesn't matter."

Happy had almost forgot why he was even there since meeting the intriguing stranger. There were no other sounds from outside the building that he could make out; whoever was after her hadn't come that far out of the woods.

"Happy." He said uncomfortably. "You don't have to worry."

"No, I'm not happy." She groaned. "I have to get out of here."

"No, I'm Happy."

She sat up again and forcing herself to keep level, slipped off the wood and wobbled on her feet. Happy reached out, steadying her with his hand but before she could speak again Chibs and Juice rolled up. "Please tell me that's you."

"That's me."

"Happy!" Chibs shouted as he pushed open the doors. "How's it going?"

"Holy shit." Juice stopped in his tracks at the sight of the girl. "What did you do, man?"

"I didn't do shit." He barked. "I found her."

"Mary mother of Christ." Chibs was squeezing his head between his palms as he looked at the whimpering female.

"I just need out of California." Her voice faltered as she listed back and forth.

"Sit down, poppet." Chibs pressed her to sit with minimal force necessary. "What are we going to do about this?" He asked Happy who stared at him, his face was stone he had no idea.

"She can't go anywhere." Juice said pointing to her.

Two loud shots, very clearly a gun, rang out behind them in the wood and interrupted their budding conversation. It roused her, her hazel eyes popping open as adrenaline flooded her system. "That's my cue, I have to go."

"Hap," Chibs snapped and pointed toward the open front doors. "Take her, we'll cover from the back."

Scooping her up, Happy hurried but moved safely without being scene. "I'm Rory." She said as he jumped on his bike. "I get it, you're Happy."

"Let's move." He turned the throttle and the engine roared. Rory held onto Happy as he skidded away as two more shots were fired in the distance.