Small Town Hero

Chapter 10

The next day Clay was in a rather foul mood. Hearing him ranting about not able to find much about the girl and how it was driving him mad not knowing anything about this girl was beginning to irritate the killer. Happy grunted and stared at the beer in his hand. Clay began yelling at Juice who shrugged and said he'd done all he could and nothing was coming up. Happy finally sighed.

"I finally got her to talk to me a little last night." Happy stated.

"Oh? What's she running from?" Jax inquired.

"Honestly? Her mother's reputation." Happy told them, confusing quite a few.

"Say what?" Juice asked.

"Her mother is a hard core addict. First name basis with the local law enforcement. Into prostitution to support her habit but not the household or her daughter. Noelle didn't want that hanging over her head. It's why she wants to get as far away from her hometown as possible." Happy explained.

"Is there more to her?" Clay asked making Happy sigh.

"She was emancipated from her mother at fourteen." Happy told the group making several gasp.

"Well shit." Chibs commented.

"How old is she now, then?" Bobby asked.

"Seventeen."

"Oh holy fuck. And we've got this kid living in our safe house?" Clay shouted.

"She needed a good place to live, Clay. That motel was bad news." Jax stood up for her.

"We don't need this kind of shit at our doorstep." Clay countered.

"She's a legal adult since she's emancipated. All she wants is to be left alone and be as far away as she can get from her mother." Happy added in.

"You really want to keep this kid around?" Clay eyed the killer suspiciously.

"She's no threat t' the club. All she ever does is go t' work, go home, sometimes go t' the grocery store. That's it." Chibs exclaimed making Clay sigh.

"If things go south with her, the two of you are in trouble." Clay stated making both men look at one another.

Happy knew she was going to be upset with him for telling the club a little of what she'd confided in him last night. They needed to know. To be truthful, they needed to know all of it but he didn't feel it was his place to give out those details. Chibs watched Happy carefully. The killer was even more withdrawn than usual. He sat down and looked around. Most had gone off to work or to the office. Chibs looked at Happy.

"What else is there? What didn't you tell them?" He inquired.

"It's not really my place to say. But she's had a very hard life, I'll tell you that. Seen shit as a child she should have never even been exposed to. Had..." Happy grunted just thinking about it.

"You've got feelin's for the lass?" Chibs questioned.

"She deserves a better life than what she's had." Happy replied.

"That ain't answerin' my question, brother." The medic exclaimed.

"I... I take her to and from work every day. She depends on me." Happy stared at his bottle.

"Take things slow. Get t' know one another. Nothing naughty till she's eighteen. Show her the good side t' the world." Chibs offered.

"Hey Happy? How did you get her to talk?" Jax sat down with them.

"Took her out for a ride, didn't give her a choice in that. (Jax & Chibs chuckled) More or less forced her to tell me. She does hate her mother, the venom in her voice as she spoke about the woman said it all." Happy told the blond.