Money Can't Buy Happiness

Chapter 17

With her perfectly painted face and sunny, flirty smile, Katie tried to focus on steadying her breathing and looking relaxed but Pope could see the sorrow and fear in her eyes and he loved it. To everyone else in the restaurant he still had a trophy on his arm but he knew the power he held over her and that was everything to him.

"When's the last time you spoke to him?" Pope asked cheerfully.

"I haven't," she drained her glass of wine and waved for another. "It was a mutual decision."

"Mutual is good," he chuckled. "You look delicious."

"Thank you," she muttered politely. When the waiter arrived he looked at Katie for her order but Pope ordered for both of them. He left and Katie took a giant gulp from her new glass of wine.

"I thought you kept drinking to a minimum on dates," Pope remarked as he too sipped his drink.

She nodded, running her index finger along the base of her glass. "I did that to maintain control, stay clear headed and protect myself. You've already hurt me enough, it doesn't matter now."

"Oh, no, that's where you went wrong. You never had control," Pope whispered, leaning over the table, in a sick menacing voice.

Feeling her stomach lurch she just nodded, realizing now that it was probably true. "Yes, Damon Pope, Master of All."

"Don't be snippy," he corrected her.

Katie clammed up and forced herself to respond now and again with polite but short phrases. The urge to vomit didn't seem to fade until he received a call.

"I'm busy," he said as he answered. "Again? That's the second set." A few moments of silence passed as Katie tried to eavesdrop but she couldn't make out the other voice. "Guess I have to," he huffed. "Yeah. Give me 30 minutes." The phone call ended and he looked at her again with a disappointed expression. "I have to handle something. You're not going free, not yet," he growled. "My guy is gonna take you back and you wait for me in my office. If I make it back before sunrise, I'm gonna fuck you raw until you cry but if not I'll save it for next week."

Katie clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her sobs from escaping and nodded, agreeing as if she had a choice. Once he was gone, Katie was escorted to an identical black SUV and driven back to Pope's office. She was there, alone and locked in, for roughly twenty minutes before her phone rang.

"Hello?" She sounded broken and it killed Happy. He handed the phone over to Tig, unable to speak to her. "Hello?" She said again, angry this time.

"Yo, sorry," he said quickly. "You at his office?"

"I am," she whimpered. "That goddamn night is replaying in my head, Tig. I need to get out of here."

"I know," he glanced over at Juice, "We're working on that."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked timidly. "I don't need you guys to feel guilty or pity me."

"It ain't that," he dismissed her concern. "No one is right on the door, probably cause they locked it, once Juice gets into the camera he's gonna do some nerd shit so there's no evidence you left early."

"And if he comes back?" She asked, terrified of making him angry.

Tig smiled, "He won't be back tonight, Katie. When I say, the door's gonna be unlocked. Leave the office, turn left and head down to the end of the hallway. There's a stairway exit on the right side of the hall. One of us will be there waiting for you. Okay?"

"Who?" She asked hesitantly.

"Who do you want? Juice can't go but it's me, Jax, Hap and Chibs."

She was silent, weighing her options, but managed to choose rather quickly. "You, I guess. I don't know Chibs that well, and uhh, you know."

"Gotcha'," he sighed. "I'll be there; here's Juice, he's gonna walk you through it."

He did and he was sweet, as Juice always is, and a few minutes later Katie swung the giant steel door open to see Tig waiting for her with a smile. "Come on," he smacked the back of the seat. "Home?"

"Yeah, home," she held him tight, her eyes screwed shut, and almost prayed they'd crash. "Tig," she said as they pulled up in front of her house. "I can't live like this. If you can't do anything, if this sneaking around is all you can do, tell me. I'll handle it myself if that's the case."

"We're gonna take care of this, we're gonna take care of you, I promise."

"Why? Why are you doing this? Please, don't feel guilty or pity," she said again. "I made my bed, so to speak, and now I have to... well, not exactly lie in it."

"We're doing this because Pope is a piece of shit, no one deserves what happened to you and cause Happy wants to make sure you're okay. He feels responsible for you, Katie."

"He hates me, doesn't he?" She asked, unsure if she wanted the answer. "He thinks I'm a whore, fuck, I am a whore. I am literally a whore."

"No," Tig said sadly, "He doesn't hate you. He hates everything else but not you. Don't worry about Happy or Jax, okay? Go get some sleep."

"You think I'm a whore," she laughed ruefully. "I never cared before. I didn't give a shit what anyone thought of me because it was my choice and I loved what I did."

"You're not a whore," Tig said, growing uncomfortable with the conversation. He was sensitive and he had mountains of emotional issues himself but he was never so open with them and he knew he couldn't make Katie feel better.

She nodded and headed inside but the roar of Tig's bike leaving was quickly replaced by another arriving. Katie opened the door, expecting to see Happy, smiling sadly as him as he stood under her porch light.

"Yes?"

"I"m gonna be here, just in case, okay?"

Stepping aside, she gestured to the over-sized chair in the living room. "You can sit, if you want."

"I'll be good out here," he assured her.

"I would feel better if you were inside," she admitted.

"Okay," he said in defeat.

"How'd you do it?" She asked on her way to her bedroom.

Happy smirked, "Shot up both delivery trucks," he was clearly proud. "Then got him stuck in traffic."

"You forced traffic?" She asked, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

"Kozik and a few nomads did," he nodded. "Tow truck, a bunch of stalled cars, and ya know, it all fell into place."

"Thank you," she said with sincerity.

"Go to bed, you look exhausted," he said, throwing his feet up on the coffee table.

"Happy," she began to cry.

He closed his eyes and huffed, pulling his feet off the table and motioning for her to come closer. As she did he felt his heart speed up and a lump grow in his throat. Patting the space between the arm of the chair and his legs, telling her to sit, he wrapped Katie in his arms as she sobbed.

"I don't have anyone," she admitted. "Crying alone isn't as therapeutic as this," she mumbled into his chest.

His eyes filled with tears as he held her, his chin resting on the top of her head, and they cried together, for completely separate reasons. Katie passed out first, Happy not far behind, and they stayed there, squeezed in the chair together, for the rest of the night.