*A few days later*
"Bishop?"
Being less familiar with him than many of the others and with her emotions so scattered, Zara approached him cautiously.
"Zara," he turned, smiling broadly and kissed her cheek. "How are you doing, querida?"
Surprised and comforted by his warm demeanor, Zara relaxed a bit. "I'm okay. I'm looking for Angel."
Bishop peered under the canopy and smiled at Reina as she slept, oblivious to the sounds and bright sunlight.
"She's beautiful," he remarked sweetly. "He's on the other side," Bishop quickly added. "You need something?"
"No," she shook her head. "He was supposed to be with Teddy for a few hours today while I got some things done at home with Reina. He's been alone all day," she said, growing angrier.
"That's on me," Bishop said, not wanting to throw Angel on the mercy of an angry woman. "I needed him to go with Coco and Taza. I'm sorry."
"He didn't even call," she huffed, "And he hasn't answered or text back. I've been trying to get ahold of him."
Bishop grimaced, hiding it by peering into the carrier again. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah," she forced a smile, "Thanks."
"Ah shit," Bishop grumbled, seeing Creep and Holly roll into the yard. "This I'm not taking the blame for."
"Huh?" Zara turned and saw the odd, but happy, couple. "Oh, Christ. I don't need this."
"I'll get Angel back as soon as I can," he said, hoping to ease her.
"No, let him keep digging," Zara said dismissively. While she meant his own grave, Bishop couldn't help but chuckle knowing Angel was, in fact, digging a grave on the other side of the border.
"Zara?" Holly almost squealed across the yard. "Zara, sweetie, please, can we talk?"
Zara grit her teeth. "I don't have time. I have to get over to the hospital."
"Are they okay?" She asked, peering under the canopy just as Bishop had but receiving a dark look unlike him. "Where's Wyatt?"
"Teddy," Zara corrected her mother. "They didn't discharge him yet, sleep apnea issues."
"Oh no," she sighed, "Poor boy. She's looking healthy though. She looks like you."
"She looks like a newborn baby," Zara grumbled. "I don't really have time for this right now. Enjoy your felon," Zara whispered harshly to Holly, "I know I'm enjoying mine."
"Zara, I was wrong about Angel," Holly said, "I'm sorry."
"I told you that," Zara snapped. "I told you you were wrong, that he's not a bad man, none of these guys are but you didn't believe me. You cut me off, abandoned me, but didn't hesitate to jump on the first biker dick you found. I'm glad Creeper changed your mind but you should have trusted me."
"Alright," Bishop said, stepping between Zara and Holly. He knew Creeper wanted to but couldn't so he had to take control. "No girl fights without a full audience, okay ladies? "
There was no mistaking the rage and shock on Zara's face. Bishop's attempt to ease the tension sent it skyrocketing.
"Yeah, sure, let me fight my own mother for your sick enjoyment while you make money off my family drama," Zara stepped closer to him with a furious look in her eye. "You know, Bish-"
"Whoa," Angel jumped off his bike and grabbed Zara before she could make life incredibly painful for him. "Z, Z," he turned her to face him. "I fucked up. I'm sorry."
"Yeah well your president wants me to fight my mom for a betting crowd," Zara snapped.
Angel looked over Zara's head at Bishop and pulled a face. "He made a bad joke."
"Not the first," Bishop said. "I didn't mean any disrespect, Zara. I'm sorry."
"You need to go see your son," Zara said to Angel, ignoring Bishop's apology.
"Hey, hey," Angel called after her as she stormed off. "I said I'm sorry. Bishop needed me and I forgot to call."
"Yeah, okay," she grumbled. "I'm just...I'm not feeling like myself."
Angel nodded, having noticed how high strung she had been recent. "Head back, I'm gonna go see Teddy and I'll come back with dinner?"
"You need to shower," she complained. "You smell like death," Zara said, sticking her nose up.
Chuckling to himself, Angel nodded. "I'll go clean up. Unless you wanna go see him and I can take Reina home and shower then."
Shaking her head, Zara grabbed her phone from the diaper bag and got an Uber. "I'll go. You take Rei home."
"Z, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Angel," she huffed. "I just need to calm down."
"I love you," Angel said softly. "I don't deserve you."
Smiling a bit, she nodded. "As long as you know it and never forget it."
"Never," he kissed her goodbye.
"I'm still mad at you and Bishop," Zara reminded him. "Don't let my mom touch Reina either. I'm fucking serious."
Angel looked at Creeper for a second and nodded. "I won't. Text me when you get there."
Zara nodded and waited in silence with Reina and Angel until the car came. It felt awful to be relieved once she left but Angel was, monumentally so in fact.
"Creep," he called out, pushing Reina in the stroller back up toward the clubhouse. "We gotta talk man."
"What?" He turned away from Holly looking clueless as to what Angel would want to discuss.
"What the fuck are you doing bringing her here?"
"What are you talking about? She ain't my old lady but she's with me, Angel."
Angel shook his head. "Nah man, you know the shit with her and Z is nasty, fuck the shit I have with Holly is nasty. You can bring her around here like she didn't fuck us over."
"I'm sorry," Holly stuttered from a few feet away.
Bishop groaned, having yet another scuffle to defuse, and stepped between them. "You two are gonna have to work this shit out, if you can't, it's the cage and this time I'm not kidding."
Angel and Creeper glared at each other but the former was the first to back down. "I got Rei," he said, shaking his head, "But this shit is gonna be handled. You're disrespecting my wife, carnal. That can't happen."
"Ever since you got that secretary flash and got back with Zara you think shit is about you. It's not and it's not about her either," Creeper went back at him.
"Zara is my wife," Angel growled. "Holly fucked her over and she fucked me over. She's not a fucking friend of the club she's just riding your dick."
"Sorry, your feelings got hurt," Creeper said mockingly. "Why don't you and Zara go back to sucking Bastian's dick. We all know why you and her are his favorites."
That was it. Angel swung wildly, connecting with Creeper's jaw and, before he could fully recover, Angel shoved him into the side of the cage.
"Don't talk about her like that again," Angel roared.
"That won't make it not true," Creeper said, launching himself off the fence toward Angel.
"Hey," Bishop bellowed, "Inside! Now!"
Bishop swung open the door, ordering Angel and Creeper to move the fight inside. The volume of his voice also called the attention of the other Mayans. Boots and shirts were tossed aside while Coco and Hank held their brothers' kuttes.
"I didn't want this," Holly whinnied. "Stop it. Stop the fight," she begged Bishop.
"You could have done that ten minutes ago," he said with annoyance. "Let em' handle it."
Holly watched, her stomach sick, as Creeper and Angel brutally battled it out in the cage. Every punch made her angrier and her stomach more upset, so much so that she had to turn away. The excitement from the other, their interest and enjoyment, made it exponentially worse.
"You need to get back here. I made a mistake and I need your help."
Zara was tempted to delete the text before reading it but something told her not to and she was grateful she didn't. The driver did as she asked, speeding back to the lot, and left her off right where he had picked her up.
"Jesus Christ," Zara huffed, instantly seeing what her mother was so upset about.
While she wasn't as horrified as Holly, she was just concerned who was at fault, she hated watching Angel take any hits. Much to her dismay, he caught three in a row, in the kidneys, and as she got closer Zara could see he wasn't thinking, he was just wildly throwing punches.
"They're fighting over us," Holly told her. "Angel said it was disrespectful to you, me being here was disrespectful," she elaborated.
"He said that? That's why they're fighting?"
Holly nodded shamefully. "I didn't want this, not for Angel or Neron."
Zara rolled her eyes at Holly's use of Creeper's real name. "God, Mom," she huffed. "Do you like him?"
"I do," she admitted, "But I miss your father."
"Fucking Neron isn't helping that," Zara scoffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Angel take a fist to the mouth, blood instantly dripping from his lips. "Get your head in the fight, Reyes," she hollered, turning her attention to the fight and shaking the fence. "Come on, baby."
Angel glanced over, giving her a singer bloody smile, and turned back to Creeper. Instead of rage fouling his attempts it was his desperation to show off for Zara.
Grabbing Creeper, Angel slammed his body against the fence and kneed him in the gut. Using the upper hand, Angel tackled him to the mat and began throwing wild punches. When Bishop caught sight of blood, more than a bloody nose or simple cut, he prompted Hank to end the fight.
The gunshot startled not only Reina but her mother and grandmother as well. The baby cried out, reminding everyone she was meant to be the center of attention, while her father and Creeper shared a hug.
"I'm sorry," Creeper said to Angel.
"You're good, man," Angel replied. "I know shit got crazy, my focus wasn't here, I'm not good as juggling shit."
"Idiot," Creeper laughed as they hugged one more time. "I'm fucking bleeding. You wearing razor blades?"
"Nope, just cut like fucking diamonds," Zara said, greeting Angel with Reina in her arms.
Creeper laughed, looking at Zara and tipped his chin up a bit with a smile. It was all settled for them and he was already off to settle it with Holly.
"I'm sorry," Angel said as soon as they were alone.
"That was necessary," she said, walking with him toward the clubhouse. "A talk is too."
"Taza," Angel waved the Vice President over. "Think you could sit with her? Like, don't step away or take an eye off her for a fucking second?"
Laughing, Taza nodded, "I think I can handle her."
"Not if she's anything like her mother," Angel joked. Gently, Angel placed Reina in Taza's arm, securing her with pillows. "Try not to drop her, man. Please."
"You really need to talk, don't you?" Zara asked as Angel pulled her into the large bathroom.
"Yeah I'm also about to fucking cry," he grimaced, hissing as he splashed water on his face. "Didn't want her to see me bloody and crying."
Zara rolled her eyes but before she could even say anything, Angel called himself out.
"Yeah, toxic masculinity," he huffed. "I know."
"What's wrong with you?" She asked suddenly. "This fight with Creep was about my mom but this feels like more, it feels like you needed that and he was just the outlet."
"There's so much goddamn pressure," he admitted, cleaning himself as Zara watched. "The club, you and Rei at home, Teddy still in the goddamn hospital," he rattled off. "I can't...I can't stop thinking about Riz, Z," he hung his head. "Maybe we shoulda named Teddy after Riz. Maybe Michael, or just fucking Ariza," Angel mused.
"Angel," Zara said softly. "Riz isn't your fault."
"I brought Bastian to the table, I opened that door," he said angrily.
"No, I did," she corrected him. "What happened to him that night, it's fucked up I know, but you can't live with his blood on your hands or his memory crushing you."
"I do," he snapped.
"You didn't kill him," Zara snapped back.
"Then why's it feel like I did?! Like we killed him?!"
Zara stepped back. "Is this why you've been so distant? We said we'd deal with it after the babies were born. They're here now. We're still taking his money and keeping his secrets."
"I'm sorry, Z," he sniffled.
"Talk to me," she said earnestly. "Jesus Christ, Angel. Now more than fucking ever we need to talk. We're a team. Remember?"
"Yeah," he huffed, "I remember."
"I have an idea, I know how we can put a pin in Bastian's bubble," she said proudly.
Angel shook his head. "I don't want you getting involved."
"What?"
"Z, I'm an idiot, I'm an asshole, let me do something right for once," he huffed. "You really think he's paying you a hundred grand a year for whatever you do there? He's watching us," he said harshly.
Zara rolled her jaw and eyes, annoyed by the comment despite her already knowing she did very little for the sum she was paid.
"You didn't have to be so mean about it," she grumbled.
"You're fucking smart, way smarter than me," he shook his head. "You're so fucking smart and I know he needs you but be realistic," he said in a gentle tone.
Zara hung her head, embarrassed and hurt by his words. "For a second I wanted you to fuck me on that sink but I think the mood is dead."
"Wait, what?" He looked at her eagerly. "It's been so fucking long, mi dulce."
"Later," she said quickly. "Mood is dead and I want to make sure they don't have Rei serving drinks or something."
Angel laughed and nodded, patting his face dry and looking over the damage. "I kicked his ass."
"I know you did," she smirked, "My man."
Slapping her ass, Angel opened the bathroom door and followed her out into the main room again. They found Taza, surrounded by a few of the others, looking at the baby with big smiles.
"Oh my god," Zara laughed. "Look at them. I think baby fever has hit the club."
"They better find some girls to fuck em' first," Angel laughed.
Zara shook her head, "You're awful. Come on, Teddy's been alone all day, I want to see him. We can take Rei too."
"I'll run home and shower, I'll meet you there," he said, punctuating his statement with a kiss. "I love you."
"You better," she clicked her tongue, "And I love you too."
