Houdini || A Happy Lowman Love Story

27

A few days after our first visit with the guys, I was stuck on a protection detail with Adam. A friend of the clubs was having issues with the Mayans between Charming and Oakland. Ope promised protection for the storefront. That meant prospects posted overnight.

When Opie had told me I was instantly angry.

"Why him? Give me Phil or Miles," I said.

"You're still a prospect Houdini," he said. I glared at him and headed down to the dorm I've been staying in off and on. I grabbed my gun and some knives. I also grabbed my vest out of the closet. I threw it onto the bed and changed my tshirt so I had a tighter shirt on with a hoodie for the vest. I slid my kutte on over my hoodie and returned to the main part of the clubhouse.

"Am I gonna need this?" I asked Opie, holding the vest up.

"You might," he said. I nodded and started pulling layers off to fit the vest on my body as Koz handed me a cup of coffee. I nodded my thanks and took a sip before re-velcroing my vest.

"You got a loaded gun?" He asked I nodded and turned a little so he could see where I stuck it in my waistband.

"Just the one?"

"Extra mags in my kutte," I said. He nodded.

"You don't think it should be me?" I asked, instantly annoyed.

"No, I don't know about Adam though," he said as Opie walked in with Adam in tow.

"You two know each other?" Opie said. We both nodded we were about the same age and both from Charming so we'd seen plenty of one another at school and such. We've also been doing grunt work together the last few days.

"Good. Koz is going to take you and drop you off in the van. I'll come get ya in the morning. Do you both have prepaid?" Opie asked. I nodded and Adam just stared at me.

"That's a no," I said. Opie grabbed one from the bar and handed it to him.

"Put Koz's prepaid on speed dial," he said. I nodded and handed the prepaid to Koz. He entered a few numbers.

"Ope's 1. I'm 2."

I nodded and pocketed the phone again.

"Wait, why does she get a bullet proof vest? Are we in that much danger?" Adam asked.

"No," I said.

"She's Happy Lowman's old lady. Which means nothing to you but that you keep your hands off her if you'd like to keep them," Kozik said. "She also has to be more careful than the rest of us."

Adam just nodded and Kozik led us out to the van. We got in and he started the short drive. I made small talk with Kozik as he drove. We tried to include Adam but Kozik was insistent on keeping up his tough guy facade with the newest prospect.

When he pulled up to the business, we all got out and headed inside. If I was trying to break in I would have loved this place. There was no security really and being between two towns meant that it was county sheriffs that handled shit, not local PDs which respond a lot quicker.

"Stop casing the place," Kozik said as we walked towards the back room.

"Gotta know what I'm protecting," I said. He just shook his head and introduced me to Scuff, the guy who owned the convenience store.

"You're a Winston?" He asked.

"Yes sir," I said, leaning against the counter a bit.

"Good," he said. "You're father and brother are good people."

I nodded a bit. "That they are."

"Ope will be here at 8:00 am for you two," Kozik said.

"I'm headed out. This is my son Vic, he's going to be here til midnight when the store closes."

I nodded and said goodbye to the two as I walked off to a cooler and grabbed an energy drink. I paid for it and cracked it open, hoping to stay awake til 8:00 am.