A Happy Coincidence

Chapter 15

*Bit of a slower chapter! Would love to hear from you!*

--

"I didn't know you guys were into kidnapping now."

Yanking herself free from Eric's grip she took her usual spot on the couch. He had raced Rory back and she could see by the looks on John's and Jeffrey's faces that she was not an expected guest. She glared at the three of them wondering which would be the one to let her go. If Rory had to bet she'd say Johnny, he was the sweetest and the one most likely to give into her tears.

"What are you doing, Aurora?" Jeffrey stayed at his desk positioned by the fireplace. He spoke just like her father and it played tricks in her heart and mind.

"So you did know he was bringing me back here against my will?" Pulling a face, she rolled her jaw around refusing to answer his previous question.

"No." Johnny sat beside her but was sure to have plenty of space between them. "But we're not mad he did."

Softening, but only toward Johnny, she turned and looked directly at him. "I'm sorry you're not exactly thrilled with my decision but I am free to make it. Come on guys, I'm not some project and I don't need saving."

"We think you're confused." Jeffrey said calmly as Eric stewed in the back of the room. "Losing Emmett really messed with your head and you've lost your focus."

"Confused?" Rory stood up, feeling less threatened than before with Eric quiet. "I did this gig for my brother and my dad. I've always been the weirdo. What ten-year-old girl has a knife collection? I'm not some sicko getting off on hurting people or something so I don't need this self-righteous shit. I'm not into that. I love you guys, I do, but I'm ready to move on."

"To what?" Eric snapped. "Those assholes are murderers and criminals. They will get you killed, they almost did already."

Combing her fingers through her hair, Rory trembled with frustration. "My leaving had nothing to do with them. Timing was just a coincidence and besides it's your fault I ever even met them." She added that to help keep them from suspecting something although she feared they already did.

Johnny looked at her suspiciously. "Rory." He said, already defeated. "You're going to get arrested or hurt or worse."

"My choice. I'm a grown woman. I can do whatever I want and I want to go." Rory wanted to mention something about Happy looking for her, coming to get her but she wasn't sure he would and she didn't want to depend on him.

"You're staying." Eric demanded. "I want you with us for a few days. Please, Rory." There was a sudden flash of his usually well-hidden vulnerability. None of them took rejection well but Eric was the worst of all.

It was a strange kind of kidnapping. She wasn't bound or gagged, held at gunpoint, but she knew if she went for the door, they'd all be on her. "Guess I don't have a choice, huh?"

"Not really." Johnny admitted without the smallest amount of amusement or pleasure over her having given in. "You left with a lot of stress on you. Maybe a few days in a calmer state of mind will help."

Rory puckered her lips and nodded, far from convinced.

--

The chase proved futile. Happy and Kozik returned back to the house empty handed and the latter knew he was going to get it.

"Call Jax." Happy said without getting off his bike.

"Where are you going?"

"I gotta find her. Won't be long. Get the others up here."

"You think she found them?" Kozik asked fearfully pulling out his phone.

"She would have called."

He spun off back down the direction he had assumed she went. Happy was right, it didn't take long but he didn't find her, only her car hastily parked with her messenger bag still in the passenger seat.

Staring at the car Happy pulled out his phone and called Rory but her phone rang out through the air around him. The uncomfortable feeling that overcame him was foreign but it filled him with a frenzied need to do something he just didn't know what.

When he arrived back at his mom's, Kozik and Jax were just about to come to blows. He bolted between them and while Opie held Kozik, Happy worked at keeping Jax at bay. "I know where you can go." Happy shouted over the hurling of insults. "Any shit stolen in this hood goes through Vivica; I got to go though, man."

"What?" Jax's anger shifted from Kozik to Happy now. "Bro, we need you. Those AKs are paid for; we need to get them back. Where you going, what's so urgent?"

Swallowing slowly, he realized he'd have to admit to feeling something for Rory. "She went after them and she's gone."

"So?" Jax didn't care, he truly didn't. "The damn bounty hunter can take care of herself."

"Hey, she went after those assholes to help us."

"So you think they took her?"

Happy shook his head, he was already sure he knew who had her all he needed was an address from Juice. "I'll take you to Vivica's." He said, his loyalty to the club taking precedent over his loyalty to Rory. "But then I'm going to find her."

--

"Johnny, can I use your computer?"

It had been hours since Eric brought Rory back, hours of sitting around doing nothing while she tried to figure out a way of contacting Happy. Without her cell phone or having memorized his phone number, it seemed like she was stuck until something popped into her head.

"Yeah." He said skeptically. "Please don't make me regret this, Ror."

"Promise you won't." Only because she didn't plan on him finding out she had contacted anyone

Tapping away on the keys, she tried to search for garages in the area, having forgotten the shop's name, but none listed rang any bells. "Shit." She mumbled her mind still blank. "T, TM," Rory was ecstatic as she remembered. "TM," she whispered again going down the list. "Teller-Morrow Automotive, sounds about right."

Sneaking a peek out the back she could see Eric and Jeffrey in a heated debate and while she didn't know where Johnny had gone, he was the least of her worries. Grabbing the phone, almost comically old fashioned, she hurried and dialed the number for the shop.

"Hello?" The woman answered with an abrupt tone.

"Hi, uhh, is Happy there?"

Gemma was instantly annoyed. "No, he's not. Can I help you?"

"What about umm, Tig?"

"What is it exactly you need, sweetheart?"

"Some help." She said, beat, and sighed heavily. "Can you give me Happy's number?"

"Is this the bounty hunter?"

"My reputation precedes me."

"Oh, it does. Why don't you give me your number and I'll see if Happy wants to call you."

"That's not going to work. Here," she rattled off Jeffrey's address. "Can you just tell him that's where I am? Oh and I'm with the three guys, hardly armed."

With disgust, Gemma laughed and scribbled the note for Happy. It didn't sound at all like a ransom or kidnapping call, so, the thought never entered Gemma's mind. Rory didn't feel threatened so much, she just needed to get out and starting some dramatic search wouldn't help things. The quieter this went down, the better.

"What is this?"

"It's family shit. I could just use some backup."

"Mm hmm." Gemma hung up just as Piney lumbered in the office. "You sticking around?"

"For you darlin', anything."

Not that she cared much in the first place but Gemma jumped at the chance to skip out and in her excitement completely forgot about Rory's note.

"I have my cell if you need me." She said, racing out eagerly.