Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own OCs and storylines…

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 26: Little Lies

By Love Ink

Weeks passed with nothing really changing. Juice and Angela circled each other in their little shared house like two fish in a fish bowl. Anytime they had a moment together, it got interrupted by the club. Meanwhile, Angela was living a whole other life in Oakland that Juice couldn't quite figure out. She'd bought herself a car, a brand new shiny Mazda 3 hatchback that was all tricked out. As proud as he was of her for saving up and buying her own car, it meant he lost his only way of tracking her whereabouts. Without it, he'd have to put a bug on her phone or install one in her vehicle himself; something he wasn't stupid enough to attempt. If Angela found out, she'd never trust him again.

He had some time off and found himself venturing out towards the funeral home to visit her. She'd jokingly told him to come visit her several times, and he was going to make good on it now. Parking his bike, he walked through the front doors, surprised when he heard a loud 'ding' to signal his entrance. Angela came in through a back room a moment later. She was wearing some kind of fancy dark green blouse with black slacks and low-heeled boots. Her hair was braided away from her face in a fancy style that he knew didn't take her long to do despite how intricate it looked. She was beautiful, but he always thought that no matter what she was wearing. "H-hey Angel," he greeted, hating how nervous his voice sounded.

"Hey you," she replied with a big smile. "What are you doin' here?"

"Oh I um...I had a minute. Came to see what you were up to. Seems like we never see each other anymore," he answered, scratching at the back of his neck.

Angela sighed. "I know. It's so weird. Our schedules clearly do not sync well."

"Yeah," he agreed on a chuckle. "What are you up to?"

"I was actually...about to embalm someone...so its not really the best time..."

Juice frowned, he wasn't ready to leave her just yet. "Can I watch?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want to watch me embalm someone?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Angela looked impressed as she shrugged a shoulder. "All right. C'mon, goofy."

He followed her towards the back, doing his best not to stare at her ass as he did so. His thoughts drifted back to the panties he'd seen hanging in the laundry room, and he wondered which ones she was wearing. Sticking his hand in his cut pocket, he felt the lacey panty he'd accidentally shoved in there that day. He'd kept it, not knowing how to return it without looking creepy but also not really wanting to give it back. He cleared his throat, trying to think of anything else but her panties. "You been busy today?"

"Here and there," she answered, opening up a door with a large biohazard sticker on it.

He stopped at the threshold, surprised by the naked dead guy just laying on the table. "Woah," he blurted out before he could stop himself. Angela laughed, from her corner of the room where she was undoing the buttons of her blouse. He froze as he watched her shrug out of it, revealing a simple black tank top underneath, a bit of black lace from her bra just barely showing above it. His mouth went dry as all the blood rushed to one part of his anatomy. "Y-you gotta get undressed for this too?"

She laughed again, shaking her head. "No, goof. That blouse is fuckin' expensive. Don't want to get chemicals on it."

"Oh. Right," he said, feeing stupid for asking. "What happened to him?"

"Just natural causes, which makes it easier for me," Angela answered with a shrug as she grabbed a scalpel. "I'm gonna make a couple incisions for the trocar and drainage tube, then I'll pump him up and drain him out. Massage the fluid into his arteries as I go. Make him look real pink."

Juice stared at her in disbelief. "Weird," he muttered, sitting down on a little stool in the corner to watch her.

She nodded, putting on two layers of gloves before getting to work. He had no idea what she was doing, but he loved watching her work. Her hands were graceful, deftly moving in a self-assured way. "How's prospecting going?" she asked without looking up.

He was so entranced by watching her hands, he almost didn't hear the question. "Oh um...it's...fuckin' awful, to be honest. Bein' everybody's bitch sucks. But when they're includin' me in shit like on the run? Loved that. Its nice to be a part of somethin' bigger than me, y'know?"

"Sure," she replied, though he could still feel her disapproval. "Until you do something wrong, and they kill you."

He let out a long sigh; he didn't want to get into this fight again. "Don't go there."

"Just sayin'," she murmured on a shrug. "How much longer do you have anyway?"

"I've got like six months 'til I hit my year. Could vote me in then, could make me wait longer, could be earlier if I do somethin' to prove myself."

Angela looked up at him in then, worry creasing her brows. "Don't do anything crazy, Juice. It's not worth it. Just do your time. They'll give you the top rocker."

"Hope so," he said, leaning back against the cabinets. "What have you been up to?"

She visibly tensed, but her answer was quick. "Nothin'. Spending a lot of time with my friends in Oakland. Ro, Lino, Nessa. Sometimes I go see my aunt. I don't really know anyone here other than you and Hap and Koz, and being alone is not fun for me right now."

"I get it. Hap and Koz have been helpin' a lot in Tacoma with somethin'. That's why they haven't been around," he explained, messing with his rings. "They won't tell me what, though."

"Dangerous stuff?"

"I don't think so. Its above my pay grade, that's for damn sure."

Angela sighed, still looking incredibly worried. "I hate not knowing."

"You and me both," he said on a sigh. "They're all in Oakland today, though. Meetin' up with the Mayans."

Her head snapped up this time, eyes wide. "What? Why?"

He'd hit a nerve. Maybe Hap and Koz's suspicions about her rekindled romance with her Mayan ex were right. God, he hoped not. "Oh um...some kind of sit down. It's a peaceful meeting. Nothing...nothing dangerous that I know of. We're good with the Mayans. It's the Niners that we're not on good terms with."

She looked relieved for a moment before she shook her head. "That's not good either. Niners are a legit gang. What the hell does your motorcycle club have to do with them? Mayans I get. Biker on biker is nothin' new, but where do the Niners fit in with it all?"

Because of the illegal gun trade we're running, Juice thought in his head, but he didn't dare say it out loud; he'd just been trusted with that bit of information. "Dunno."

She frowned, shaking her head as she murmured something to herself in Spanish. He was about to ask her what when his phone went off. "Shit," he cursed under his breath before answering. "Hello?"

Kozik's voice came clear over the phone "Grab the kid 'n' get to the clubhouse. Niners just did a driveby at the Mayans' record store. Almost killed the girl workin' there. Thinkin' they're hittin' up affiliated places. She ain't safe there. Lockdown's happenin'. Now."

"I'm with her now. She's working. Like...mid-embalming," he said, not surprised at Angela's curious look.

"You armed?"

"Yeah, 'course."

"Stick with her. Tell her to finish up and then get her to the clubhouse. Somethin' happens to her and its your head," he threatened before hanging up the phone.

Juice hung up the phone, running a hand over his hair; she most definitely was not going to go along with this. "That was Koz. Niners just hit up the Mayan record store. We gotta go to lock down."

"What?" she asked, eyes wide. "Shit, Nessa works there sometimes! Is everyone okay?"

He didn't think to ask if anyone was okay because he didn't know any Mayans, but he'd forgotten about Angela and her ties. "Oh um. Koz didn't say anyone had been hit. Just said we gotta go into lock down..."

"Lockdown?" she repeated quietly. "I'm halfway through embalming! I can't leave now!"

"I know, I know. That's what I told him. He said you could finish and then to head over to the clubhouse," he explained, grimacing when he saw the anger in her eyes. "Please, Ang. Its for your safetly. This place is known to be affiliated with the club. Way before you. Koz is probably gonna call Skeet 'n' have him close up shop for the day."

Angela scowled. "That's fuckin' ridiculous. We are barely associated with the club."

"And how much is the record store associated with the Mayans?"

She cursed under her breath just as her phone went off. With another curse, she stripped off the first pair of gloves and answered it. He listened to her argue with someone in Spanish before she slammed the little flip-phone shut. "Shit," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Who was that?"

"Don't worry about it," she said cryptically. "I need to finish this. The viewing is tomorrow."

Juice didn't like the sound of that. "Koz told me to stay while you finished, and then follow you to the clubhouse."

"Great," she muttered on a sigh. "How long is this lockdown gonna last? Do I need clothes or somethin'?"

Juice knew she wanted to go home to prolong getting to the clubhouse, but he also knew she always had clothes ready just in case she needed to make a quick getaway somewhere. After living years with Happy, she was always prepared. "You have a go-bag in your trunk."

She smirked, shaking her head at him. "You know me too well."

"Yeah. No kiddin'," he said, watching as she went back to work. "Who were you talkin' to?"

"My aunt. Apparently, Hap called her to warn her, too. She called to tell me to listen to what he says and not be a brat about going into lockdown."

This time, he couldn't tell if she was lying or not. It was entirely plausible that it had been her aunt, but it also could've been a Mayan calling to tell her he was okay and to make sure she was too. "Oh. Okay. She coming over too?"

"No way. She's well protected where she's at."

"Shame. Love to see her and Gemma go toe to toe. Mix your Ma in there, it'd be quite a show down," he commented on a chuckle.

Angela snickered. "Elena and my Ma would win. No question."

"I dunno. You haven't met Gemma yet."

"I doubt she would hold a candle to the woman who made and raised Happy," she stated with a smirk.

"And you. You're pretty badass too."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, I guess."

She started some weird machine, and Juice watched in disgust as some pink solution got pumped into one tube while blood mixed with something else flowed out another. "Gross. How much longer 'til you're done?"

"An hour...ish? Depends," she said, slowly rubbing her hands over the dead guy's arm.

Juice watched as the man's skin started to get a little pinker in color as the fluid made its way through his arteries. "This is weird."

"You wanted to watch," she reminded him with another smirk. "You can sit outside if you want."

"Nah, I'm good," he said, watching her instead of paying attention to what she was doing. He loved the look of concentration on her pretty face. "Just...talk about something else."

And she did. They spent the hour and a half she had left to finish talking in the same way they used to back on her roof in New York. Just two best friends talking about nothing and everything at the same time. He missed these moments. Missed being alone with her and telling her everything that was on his mind. It was therapeutic in a strange way. He didn't have to worry about putting on a front in front of her. He could just be himself. It was nice to let his walls down and relax.

"All right. All done," she said, covering the dead guy with a simple white sheet.

He was almost disappointed; he could've sat there with her forever. "You ready to go?"

"Can I take a shower first?"

"Angel, stopping by the house is not a smart idea," he said on a grimace.

Angela shrugged her shoulders as she peeled off her gloves. "That's fine. There's a shower here. C'mon."

He followed her out of the work room towards a random door he'd assumed was a closet. She opened it to reveal a flight of stairs. "Creepy," he muttered, following her up them and trying not to stare at her ass. The door at the top opened into a small apartment. There was a couple of caskets and a few boxes marked "Urns" on them. "Wow. Gotta hand it to Skeet, he sure knows how to decorate."

She laughed shaking her head at him. "He's been using it as storage for a long time. Said he doesn't want to live where he works."

"Huh," he said, leaning against the back of the couch. It was a nice place. Perfect for one person. He knew originally Elena mentioned Angela would have a place to stay in Charming. That her staying at his place was only temporary; he wondered if this was the place she had in mind. It didn't seem like any changes were being made, though. The caskets all had a thin layer of dust on them as if they hadn't been thought about or touched in a long time. "And you?"

Angela's cheeks seemed to flush a bit. "I um...I like where I live," she said on a shrug.

Juice smiled so big his cheeks hurt; she liked living with him. She wouldn't say she liked living with him if she was dating some Mayan punk. "Good. I like where you live too."

"Goof." She rolled her eyes at him, though he caught the smile that pulled at the corners of her lips. "I'm gonna shower. Make yourself comfortable. The TV works."

"Cool. Yeah, I'll sit, and you get clean," he said, throwing himself down on the couch and reaching for the TV remote. He tried to get comfortable on the lumpy couch, but it was strange to sit in there surrounded by the caskets. Turning off the TV, he closed his eyes, taking the opportunity to get a quick nap in since he knew it was going to be a long night. He could just make out the sound of Angela singing in the shower and smiled to himself. She wasn't the best singer, but she definitely wasn't the worse. He sighed, content to listen to her as he drifted off to sleep.

Angela was towel drying her hair as she walked out of the back bedroom. She smiled as she heard the unmistakable sound of Juice snoring, the sound growing louder as she got closer. He was totally asleep on the couch, arms crossed over his chest, mouth just a little open. God, he was handsome, she thought. The urge to lay on top of him, snuggle up against him was strong. She wanted to touch him, run her finger down the slope of his nose, across the stubble on his cheek. Instead, she leaned over and squeezed the ends of her hair so a few droplets of water fell onto his forehead.

"Shit," he breathed as he jerked awake, wiping at his face. "Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Don't worry, goof," she replied, laughing. "We really got to go to the clubhouse?"

"Yep. Lockdown. Koz and Hap are waiting for ya. Just want you to stay safe."

She sighed, working her fingers through her hair as she braided it. "Can I at least take my car?"

He pulled a face of disappointment but nodded. "Sure. Don't see why not."

Angela tied off her braid, setting her hands on her hips. "Do you have any idea how long this is gonna last? Not really a huge fan of staying in that gross clubhouse more than I have to."

"It's not that gross," Juice said as he followed her out the door and down the outside steps. "I should know, I gotta clean that place every time they have a party."

"Still pretty gross," she muttered to herself as she unlocked the door to her car.

He chuckled and shrugged. "You ain't wrong," he replied, swinging his leg over his bike and putting his helmet on. "You gonna follow me?"

"Yes sir!" She gave him a mock salute, to which he rolled his eyes and started his Dyna. Getting in the car, she leaned back in the seat and took in a deep breath, enjoying the new car smell that still filled the interior.

It hadn't been her aunt on the phone when Juice has asked. It'd been Esai. A lie that had left a bad taste in her mouth as soon as she'd told it. She'd been lying to him a lot lately, and each time it made her feel a little more sick to her stomach. She was doing her best to keep her relationship a secret, but if the Sons and Mayans were meeting up and working together, it meant her two worlds were in danger of colliding, and she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it. Hap and Koz were sure to freak out, demand she end it, and make her feel stupid for even considering giving E a second chance. Esai would get thick headed and fight them. Marcus would be on his side...which could royally fuck up whatever peace the two clubs had a the moment. She cursed under her breath and she shook her head. No. That was dumb. Esai wouldn't ruin their peace because of her, Marcus would never let him. She was crazy for even considering it!

She shook her head at her own thoughts, focusing on Juice's back as he rode in front of her. And what would Juice think? Would he be mad she lied to him? Jealous of Esai? Would he hate her for being with someone so soon after Raj? Someone who'd treated her badly in the past? Someone from a rival club? Or would he be happy she'd moved on? Glad she found someone who made her feel less alone? Maybe he wouldn't even care at all...

God, she hoped he did though. A part of her wanted him to be happy for her. It'd be validation that she wasn't crazy for giving Esai another chance. That it was healthy and needed for her to move on after losing Raj. Still...a small voice inside of her hoped he'd be a little jealous. That it'd get him to show if he still had feelings for her. She hated that selfish, crazy part of herself.

Leaning forward, she turned up the volume on her radio, letting the sounds of AC/DC drown out her thoughts.

She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'm fine. It's fine. It's going to be fine," she muttered to herself, only half believing it.

...

Angela's clearly not in her stable mind right now.

I swear I haven't given up on "Overexposed", but this story keeps pulling away my focus!

Thank you all for reading! Let me know what you think!