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

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 27: In the Club

By Love Ink

Angela stared at the clubhouse, her "go-bag" hanging off her shoulder as she watched people move around, buzzing in and out of the door like worker bees. It was quite impressive to see. Much bigger and more fortified than the warehouse that served as the Mayan clubhouse. There was a nervous energy in the air mixed with a bit of foreboding. Something dangerous had happened, and they were there for protection. If she had known more people, Angela would've been stoked for it; it was a big party. A part of her wished she had gone to the Mayan's lockdown like Esai had ordered her to when they'd last talked on the phone. It would've been a lot more fun to be stuck there with all of her friends than at this place where she knew no one except Juice, Koz, and Hap, and those three were likely to be busy. Unfortunately, the Sons had gotten her first, and she was about to be stuck with strangers for who knew how long.

Exhaling, she headed towards where Juice had parked his bike. Kozik intercepted her, a big smile on his face. "Welcome to lockdown, kiddo," he said, arms outstretched. He slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her away from where Juice was and towards the clubhouse. "C'mon inside."

She wasn't surprised when he escorted her in and pushed her towards where Happy was playing pool with another Son she hadn't met yet. Happy pulled her into a quick hug before gesturing towards the other man. "Kid, this is Tig, Tig, this is my cousin," he introduced, gruffly.

"Angela would be my name," Angela input, rolling her eyes as she shook his hand.

Tig grinned at her. "The undertaker, right? Nice to meet ya. You as weird as Hap?"

"Weirder," Hap muttered under his breath, smirking when she glared at him.

Angela glared at him, shaking her head. "Am not. I don't kill people."

"Just chills 'em," Kozik put in with a big grin.

Happy chuckled, but Tig acted as if he hadn't heard. Just went right back to the pool game as if Kozik wasn't standing right there. She looked between them curiously. "Don't ask," Happy muttered, shaking his head. "Bitch problems."

A tall grey-haired man headed towards a set of double doors, the rest of the crew following in behind them. Angela watched them all go with a frown; there went all of the people she knew. Except Juice. She had no idea where he'd gone. Grabbing her bag, she took a seat on the couch and pulled out the classic Gameboy Color she had stored in there, praying the batteries were still charged. The last time she'd used it was on her road trip from New York to California. It'd been a godsend when she was spending nights at different clubhouses across the country, keeping her entertained and keeping club members away. She turned it on and sighed as it came to life, her half-finished Pokemon Blue game popping on the screen. "All right, let's see if I can get any farther," she muttered to herself.

She wasn't playing long when she felt the couch shift beside her. Lifting her head, she found a young boy who appeared to be about eight or nine sitting beside her. "Hi," she greeted, smiling at him.

"Hi," he replied softly. "W-what are you playing?"

"Pokemon Blue. Have you played before?" she answered, showing him the screen. He nodded, studying the screen for a moment, which made her smile. "I'm Angela."

"Kenny," he replied, more focused on the screen than her. "I beat this game last year, but it was hard."

"No kiddin'," she said on a laugh. "I'm trying to get through these tunnels, but I keep runnin' into Zubats. Been stuck there forever. Think you can help me out?"

"Yeah, for sure." Kenny grinned, eagerly taking the game from her. "Watch this."

Gemma had spotted Happy's cousin the second she walked into the clubhouse. The girl had caught the attention of several of the men there even though she wasn't much to look at. Average height, dark hair pulled away from her face in some fancy braid, and tan skin the same color as Happy's. That wasn't the only similarity between the cousins though. She had the same dark eyes as him, almost black in appearance, and a resting bitch face that seemed to ward off most people. She wasn't dressed like the Croweaters. A plain dark blue tank top with some stupid sports logo on the front, tight jeans, and workboots. Most of the club members kept sizing her up as though they couldn't quite figure her out. That was until Happy put an arm around her shoulders and introduced her as his cousin for all to hear. That little tidbit was sure to spread like wildfire through the Sons who gossiped like teenagers.

As soon as the boys had gone to church and left her alone, Happy's cousin became a little more relaxed. The resting bitch face seemed to melt away, and she just looked young and a little sad. Gemma felt for the girl; she'd heard what had happened to her old boyfriend, understood what losing a loved one felt like. She got the impression the younger girl wasn't over it yet. And then she'd pulled out a video game, ignoring all of the men around her and focusing on the tiny screen in her hands. Clearly the girl wasn't as mature as she wanted to seem if she was still whipping out toys to play with, especially in a room full of men who would entertain her in other ways if she showed the slightest bit of interest. Unless she'd taken out the game to keep people from talking to her; that would be a genius move.

To Gemma's surprise, the little video game had caught Kenny Winston's attention. The poor boy and his family had been forced into lockdown by his grandfather, despite the fact that his father was jail. Since Opie had gone inside, Kenny had become withdrawn. Only talking to his mother and sometimes his sister. Most of the time, he had his own little video games to play with. But there he was, talking to Happy's cousin like they were old friends. She'd even surrendered the game to him, and he was excitedly showing her something on it. Gemma liked the way she was actually listening to the kid, her whole face lit up with a smile.

She glanced over at Juice, who was watching them too. He looked a bit entranced, rubbing a rag over the same spot on the bar as he stared at her. She headed over to him and took a seat on one of the barstools near him. "That your girl?" she asked, smirking when he jumped a little bit. "She's pretty."

"Oh...n-no, that's...that's Happy's cousin. Angela. S-she's my best friend," he said, a blush coloring his cheeks as he looked down at the countertop.

"Can't believe she got Ken to open up to her. That kid doesn't talk to anyone," she mused, leaning against the bar. "Must have a good heart. Kids can always tell."

Juice nodded a little over-enthusiastically. "She's...she gave me all she could so I could get over here safely. Hasn't mentioned it since or asked for any money back. She just wanted me to be safe."

"You've mentioned that before," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "And how long have you been in love with her?"

His light brown eyes grew wide as he shook his head. "I'm not," he denied on a breath. "I'm not...we're friends, Gemma. Told you already."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I see the way you look at her. You look like a big puppy, practically drooling," she accused with an amused laugh. "And I bet she loves you to. She wouldn't have taken care a ya if she didn't."

"Nah. She's just a good person," he insisted with a shrug.

Gemma leveled him with a stern look. "A girl doesn't just do that shit 'cause she's a good person. She does it 'cause she loves you. I'm willing to bet on it," she stated. As if sensing they were talking about her, Angela looked up, her eyes catching Juice's. A small smile spread across her face, and she winked at him. Juice's smile widened until it looked like it was going to split his face in half. Gemma chuckled, wondering just how long it was going to take the two to finally get together. She reached out and patted Juice's hand. "Careful, baby. Your feelin's are showin'."

Juice's smile dissipated, and his face grew red again. "She's my best friend," he repeated, looking down at the counter.

"Sure she is, sweetheart," she said, patting his hand condescendingly. Her eyes followed Angela as she stood, ruffling Kenny's hair before heading down towards the hall opening, no doubt to go to the bathroom. "You should introduce us."

"Oh no. Gemma...I don't..."

"Call her over."

He hesitated, so she glared at him beseechingly. Reluctantly, he cleared his throat. "Angel!"

Angela froze and turned around, her eyebrows raised. "You called?"

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "I um...wanted to introduce you to um...Gemma. She's Clay's wife. Jax's mom."

Gemma extended her hand to shake Angela's. "Gemma Teller."

"Angela Ruiz," she replied with a small, nervous smile. Obviously, Juice had given her some clue as to who she was. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Teller."

"Gemma," she corrected, smirking. "You're Happy's cousin, aren't ya? The undertaker."

She nodded slowly, a small proud smile turning up the corners of her mouth. The girl had pride in her work and in her family. Gemma liked that. "Yeah."

"Heard a lot about you. Juice here told me you paid for him to escape his old life."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, I helped a little," she stated, shrugging a shoulder. "Just wanted him to be safe."

A little. From what Gemma had heard, the girl financed Juice's whole trip. She appreciated the girl's humility, though. "Nice of you."

"That's what friends are for," she replied, on another shrug.

Juice shifted nervously as if he were waiting for her to say something about his feelings. " 'm gonna pay you back some day, Angel. I swear it."

Angela shook her head. "You not letting me pay you rent is more than enough, goof."

Gemma listened to them banter back and forth for a moment, intrigued by how easily they talked. Angela's smile was just as big as Juice, her feelings for him written all over her face. "Enjoying being roommates then?"

Matching blushes colored both of their faces. Angela fidgeted with a ring on her finger for a moment. "We barely get time together. He's always busy with prospect shit," she teased, her eyes showing him being gone hurt a lot more than she was letting on.

"And she's always working or out with friends, so its not just me," he shot back.

"Shut up." Angela stuck her tongue out at him, which he returned with a silly face.

"You two are cute," Gemma commented, looking between them. "How are you likin' Charming?"

The younger girl shrugged her shoulders. "Less busy than Queens, that's for sure. Nice change of pace."

"Leaves you a lot more time to play video games," she stated, baiting her. She wanted to know if her theory about the girl and her childish toy was correct.

Angela's cheeks turned red for a moment. "Oh. No. That...that's for my own sanity. Old bikers see a girl with a video game, and they think I'm too young to bother with and the sweetbutts see me as too immature to be a threat so they leave me alone. Keeps people away."

Gemma smirked; she'd been right. "Clearly, you haven't met Tig."

"Just did, actually. Seems like a nice guy," she quipped with a smirk.

"She grew up with Hap and Koz. What's normal for her isn't normal for most," Juice joked earning him a middle finger from Angela.

"Asshole," she said, though he smile took the bite out of her words. "I'm gonna head to the bathroom before they get out of church and start bugging me. Nice to meet you, Gemma."

Gemma nodded in response, watching as she walked off. She noted what part of her anatomy Juice's eyes had lingered on. "Nice ass on that one."

Juice quickly looked away, scowling at her. "Wasn't looking."

"Uh-huh," she replied, sarcastically. "She likes you too, baby. Can see it in her eyes. Better swoop that one up 'fore someone else does."

He looked stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't thought she liked him despite how painfully obvious it was. "Maybe," he answered softly just as the boys came out of Chapel, serious looks on their faces. Juice stood up a little straighter, ready for orders like the good little soldier he was.

Gemma chuckled to herself, wondering how long it was going to take the two to get together. She wasn't going to help. As interesting as it would be to play matchmaker between Mr. and Ms. Oblivious, she didn't have the time or the energy. She was more focused on making sure her own son found someone to get his mind off his high school sweetheart, who'd dumped his ass before skipping town to chase her dream of becoming a doctor. Jax had never fully recovered. Gemma hoped like hell he'd find a good girl to settle down with and make him forget all about that doctor twat.

Lino had his hand on Nessa's thigh as he sat next to her on the couch in the Mayan clubhouse. He couldn't stop touching her. Everytime she stepped even a few feet away from him, a sense of anxiety filled him. She had been at the Mayan record store when a group of Niners had driven by, guns blazing. Thankfully, she hadn't been hurt, but the threat had been real. She'd been in the back of the store when it had happened. One of the younger guys who was at the counter had been killed, though. A bullet that could've easily taken Nessa instead. The idea made him sick to his stomach.

He wanted to kill them all. Make them pay for what they'd almost done to her. But he couldn't. Not by himself. He looked over his shoulder to where all the Mayans were assembled, talking in low tones. They all nodded in agreement about something before breaking apart. Lino's eyes followed Esai as he walked outside. He started to get up, causing Nessa to look up at him, confused. "I'll be right back, mi cielo," he said, kissing her cheek.

He walked out of the warehouse, not surprised to find Esai leaning against it, a blunt between his lips. His eyebrows raised in surprise when he spotted him. "Sup, Lino?" Esai asked on an up nod.

"Hey," he replied, leaning beside him. Esai offered him the joint, and he took a long toke, letting out the smoke smoothly.

"She's with SAMCRO," Esai stated, his voice rougher. "Tried to get her here, but her cousin got her first. So she's safe. Just not with us if that's what you were gonna ask..."

Lino honestly hadn't thought of Angela. His whole mind was still reeling at the thought he'd almost lost his own girl. "I wasn't actually, but that's good."

"She's got this...she doesn't want to tell anyone over there about us. She's hidin' it," he said on a sneer. "Fuckin' pissin' me off. Just want everyone to know already. 'specially that little prick she's livin' with."

"He's a good guy," Lino defended, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground. "If it wasn't for him, she'd still be alone in New York. Heartbroken."

Esai scowled, shaking his head. "Whatever." He kicked at a rock on the ground. "Still hate him. Wish she was here."

"Yeah. Be nice to have her here," he agreed absentmindedly. In reality, he was glad she was with SAMCRO. That her crazy cousin didn't know they were together yet. It could cause tensions to rise between the Sons and the Mayans and with the Niners making moves against them, the last thing they needed was beef with the Sons. "I um...I wanted to ask you...about prospectin'."

Esai raised an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. "Yeah?"

He nodded slowly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Nessa coulda been killed today, and I can do fuck all about it," he explained, shaking his head. "But if I were part of the club..."

"You could make that motherfucker pay," he finished, smirking. He took a long toke of his blunt. "Why come to me, then? Know you're not my biggest fan 'n' Nessa's dad could easily take you on. He's got a full patch 'n' he's an officer."

Lino understood that, knew it would be a hell of a lot easier to ask Vanessa's dad, Raymundo, the club's secretary, for a chance, but he also knew the lack of respect that would come with his girlfriend's dad making the connections. He needed to take this on by himself, and Esai was the only one who had offered. "I know. I just...want to get in the right way. No special favors."

Esai looked impressed for a moment. He himself had gotten in on special favors since he was one of the founders' kid. There'd been no 'hang-around' period for him. He'd been given a blank prospect's cut the second he turned eighteen, and his top rocker definitely hadn't taken him a full year to "earn". "You sure this is somethin' you want?"

"Yeah," he replied on a nod. "Been thinkin' about it for awhile now. This driveby is the last straw. Wanna be able to protect my girl, my family. 'm sick of standing on the sidelines. I want in."

He considered Lino for a moment before sighing. "All right, 'mano. I'll get you in. 's up to you to earn the top rocker. Not gonna help you just 'cause you're my girl's best friend," he stated, before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Maybe you can help me with her. Shit's been different this time around. Used to be I could make her happy with flowers 'n' shit. Now...she don't even listen to me anymore."

Lino hated that Esai brought Angela into it. As much as he wanted to be a Mayan and for Esai to help him get that top rocker, he in no way wanted him anywhere near Angela. They weren't good for each other. Angela was vulnerable now, seeking someone to show her some kind of affection and fill the void Raj had left behind. Esai was not that person. Sure, they were doing well now while it was still new and exciting. While he was still feeling triumphant he'd gotten her back, but Lino had a feeling once the novelty of having her back wore off, he'd go back to his cheating ways. "She's not a teenager anymore," he offered, dodging giving Esai an answer as to whether he'd help or not.

"That's for damn sure," he said on a chuckle.

Lino wrinkled his nose; he'd heard the innuendo in Esai's voice. "Want to know how to keep her? Don't cheat on her. That's it. Treat her like a queen," he stated simply. At Esai's annoyed groan, he felt his stomach clench in frustration. "It's not hard, E."

"She's just never around, man. She's always in fuckin' Charming workin'!"

"Yeah. At her job that she worked hard to get. Then she comes here. I know she does 'cause I see her car in the parking lot all the fuckin' time. Stop making excuses and just...be loyal to her. If you love her like you say you do, it shouldn't be hard. Just treat her right."

Esai nodded, crushing the end of the joint with his boot. "Yeah. I'm gonna. She's not gonna leave me so easily this time."

For some reason, his words seemed a little ominous, as if Esai had some dirty plan up his sleeve for making her stay. Lino hoped he was reading too much into it, and he was actually being sincere. Either way, maybe being Esai's prospect wasn't such a bad idea. At least he'd be able to keep an eye on him. Make sure he treated Angela right while also working to earn his place in the club. "What does that mean?"

"Relax, man," he chuckled, slapping him on the back. "Just means I'm gonna work harder than last time. That's it. C'mon, if you're gonna be my prospect, you gotta get use to my sense of humor."

Lino laughed nervously, bobbing his head for a moment. "Ha. Yeah. Sure," he managed to get out. There was an uneasiness in his gut about Esai and Angela's relationship he just couldn't shake. He just hoped getting closer to Esai would mean he could help protect her, make sure he took care of her, while also helping him take care of Vanessa. He was killing two birds with one stone...at least, that's what he hoped.

And the dancing around each other and awkward conversations continue...

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