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

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 35: Relationships

By Love Ink

As Kozik listened to Clay explain the way the Mayans' heroin got hijacked, he felt a growing unease in his stomach. The Santo Padre charter had been escorting a truck full of drugs over the border into the states when the Niners found a way to stop them and steal the drugs. While SAMCRO didn't deal in drugs, it was only a matter of time before the rival clubs tried to hijack one of their gun runs. They were trying to stir shit up and make noise.

"Where we at with the prospect?" Clay asked the table.

"Been doing well followin' Ang," Koz said, knowing the question was a subtle way of saying he wanted to pull Juice off of babysitting duty and get him back to the clubhouse...or following Gemma.

The President nodded, puffing on his cigar pensively. Jax cleared his throat, sitting up more in his chair. "Talked to TO. Grim Bastards have contacts inside the Niners. Said they're pretty pissed about losin' two of their guys."

"Embarrassed more like it," Tig said on a chuckle. "Little thing like Ang taken 'em down like that. Two of 'em against one a her. That's gotta hurt their pride."

Happy smirked, his fingers tapping on the Redwood table. "Taught her well."

"Still...if they're pissed, we shouldn't pull her shadow just yet," Kozik suggested, hoping they agreed.

Clay considered his statement for a minute, setting his cigar in his ashtray. "This girl that important?"

Happy tensed, his hand clenching into a fist. "She's family. Ain't leavin' her without protection. If it ain't the idiot, 's gonna be me."

Kozik fought the urge to smirk; no way would Clay go for that. Happy was his assassin, a cold-hearted killer. The club needed him to be available, not stuck babysitting. "Or me," he put in. "With all do respect, of course, Pres."

"Think we can manage keepin' the prospect on her then," Clay conceded, as Kozik knew he would. "Seems like she spends more time in Oaktown anyway. Prospect's been here a lot lately."

"Don't remind us," Kozik muttered with a scowl. He had been very aware of just how much time the kid had been spending in Oakland. With her bum arm, her hours at the funeral home were shorter, so she had more free time to spend with the Mayan. He still couldn't believe they hadn't done anything to stop that relationship from happening. True, Angela needed some kind of happiness in her life after losing Raj, but he still didn't think the Mayan was the best option.

Bobby leaned back in his chair a little bit. "Not bad for us, though. Mayans seem to be more cooperative than usual. Alvarez's kid must be real sweet on her."

"Can you blame him?" Jax drawled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Happy sent him a murderous glare, and the younger Son chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. "Don't worry, Hap. Ain't gonna touch her. I don't shit where I eat."

Happy smirked, the smallest grin turning up the corner of his mouth. "Kid turned you down, didn't she?"

"Yeah, blonde isn't her type. Just ask my brother," Kozik put in, chuckling to himself.

Jax hung his head as the rest of the table laughed at him. He was good-natured about it, waving away their laughter. "Shut up, shut up. Like you ugly asses haven't been turned down."

The rest of the brothers booed him, pounding on the table. Clay finally slammed the gavel down, calling for order. "All right, all right enough. Leave the playboy alone. Think he's got all the tail he can handle anyway," he teased with a wry grin. "We're done here. Get out and get to work."

Angela was elated when the doctor told her she was healed enough to ditch the brace. He'd given her new exercises and told her to take it easy, but otherwise, she was free to resume work as usual. She was so excited, she practically skipped out of his office. Juice was sitting in the waiting room, nose deep in a Highlights magazine. "Ready to go?" she asked him, catching his attention.

Juice closed the magazine, setting it aside and pushing himself to his feet. "Yeah, that puzzle was...hey! You're not wearing your brace!"

He'd noticed; of course, he'd noticed. Juice seemed to notice everything about her. She grinned at him and nodded. "Doc said I was healed enough that I don't have to wear the damn thing unless I'm in pain!"

He pumped a fist into the air, cheering so loudly, he earned some glares from other people at the office. "We gotta celebrate!"

"Milkshakes?" she asked, happy to continue their tradition of after appointment milkshakes.

"Fuck yeah," he said, leading her to her car and his bike. He grimaced when his phone rang, grabbing it quickly. She watched as his face fell, and he hung up the phone. "I um...they need me to look someone up. Chibs said to bring you back to the clubhouse so I can fix shit."

Angela frowned, feeling as though her bubble had burst. "Really?"

"It should be fast. I'll go, figure out what's wrong, and then we'll get milkshakes," he offered, looking just as annoyed as she felt. "It'll be fast. Promise."

She knew she didn't really have a choice, so she nodded. "Okay," she said on a breath, feeling like a petulant teenager. "Milkshakes after?"

"Promise," he replied, looking a little relieved she hadn't put up much of a fight. "Follow you there?"

Angela nodded, getting into her car and slamming the door shut. She let out a long breath, that familiar feeling of loneliness opening up inside her chest the same way it always had when Raj cancelled on her and after he had died. What the hell was wrong with her? This was nothing. It was a quick stop at the clubhouse, and she was going with him. It was stupid of her to feel like this. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone to call Esai as she started the car. At least he'd be excited she got her cast off. Excited and ready to give her all the attention she wanted and more. Make her feel loved. Make her feel whole.

Her hopes were dashed when she saw a missed call and a voicemail from Esai. She listened to the voicemail, holding her breath as Esai's voice came over the phone, "Hey chiqui. Know we were s'posed to get together tonight but me and the crew are headin' down to Santo Padre since some shit went down there. Should be back tonight. Love you, chiqui. Be safe. I'll call you later."

She exhaled softly, tilting her head back against the headrest as she sat at a stop light. "Well that fuckin' sucks," she muttered to herself. Juice pulled to a stop beside her, and she rolled her head to the side to look at him. She noted his muscular arms, a tattoo just barely peeking out from underneath his crisp white t-shirt. A familiar fire smoldered low in her belly; God he was handsome. She wished she was seated behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around him, the smell of his leather in her nose. He caught her looking and, goof that he was, gave her a thumbs up and a big smile, making her heart skip a beat. She chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at him. "Goof."

They pulled into the clubhouse, and she watched as he parked on the opposite side next to the long line of Harleys. Neither Happy nor Kozik's bike were there, she noticed. That sucked. It meant she was going to have to fend for herself since Juice was going to be neck deep in his computer shit. She grabbed the book she kept in her glove-box for emergencies, feeling a bit embarrassed when she remembered it was a Nicholas Sparks romance book. She had a feeling none of the Sons would know who he was, though. Sometimes she doubted they could read to begin with.

"Fifteen minutes. Tops. I promise," Juice assured her as he approached.

Angela sighed softly and nodded, digging her hands into her pockets. At least she didn't have the stupid brace on anymore. She could deal for fifteen minutes, she decided. It wouldn't be so terrible. She'd grab a beer and finish her cheesy romance novel. "Holdin' you to that, Ortiz."

She posted up at the bar, grateful when Juice handed her an ice cold beer before heading to the computer set up in the back corner. Sighing again, she found her bookmark and tried to remember where she was in the book. She hadn't been reading long when a Croweater appeared from down the hall, adjusting the front of her top as she went. Angela raised an eyebrow as Jax followed behind her, his hair wet from a shower. "Got yourself some afternoon delight?" she asked, putting her bookmark back in the book.

"You know it," he said with a large, cocky grin and wink. "What're you doin' here?"

Angela nodded towards where Juice was working in the corner. "Stuck here while my babysitter does his computer magic."

"Sucks," Jax said, opening his own beer and sitting at the bar next to her. "Heard you kicked some major ass couple weeks ago. Good job."

She frowned, picking at the edge of the label on her beer bottle. The proud look he gave her was the same look Happy had when they'd talked about it, and it frankly, made her sick; she'd killed a person. Killed two, actually. There was nothing to be proud of. Even though it was in self-defense, she still felt like a monster for doing it, whether they'd deserved it or not. "Sure."

His blue eyes seemed to look through her, and his attitude shifted a bit. " 'ey," he said, laying a hand on hers. "You don't gotta be all right with it. Can't be easy, killin' someone."

Angela pulled her hand away but gave him a smile. "No, 's not," she said, taking a swig of her beer. She looked at the label again. "Got anything stronger?"

He smirked at her and nodded, going behind the bar. "Tequila, right?"

"Please," she said, watching as he grabbed an old, plastic bottle of tequila. "Oh. No. Not that."

"This or nothin', doll," he said, setting the dusty bottle on the counter. He poured her a shot and slid it over to her. "Piney hides all the good shit for himself. You should be used to it. Can't imagine the Mayans have anythin' better."

She scowled at him, flipping him off and taking the shot. She grimaced at the gross taste. "That's where you're wrong. Their shit is much better than anything you guys have here."

He chuckled and poured himself a shot of whiskey before refilling her shot glass, clinking his against hers, and taking the shot. "How'd the two of you meet anyway? You and the Mayan? Can't imagine Hap was be too happy about that shit."

Angela was aware Juice had stopped typing and had turned his chair just a little bit. Clearly, he was eavesdropping on their conversation, which honestly, didn't bother her very much. She had a feeling he'd always wanted to know and just never asked. She took the shot, pulling a face at the taste again. "Oh Hap wasn't happy at all, but he was in prison, so there wasn't much he could do about it," she explained, playing with the shot glass. "I was like seven or eight the first time we met. His best friend is my best friend's brother, so we kinda grew up seeing each other at their house 'n' sleepin' over at the same time. They usually ignored us, but every so often, we'd play video games together or go swimmin' or to the beach with her family all together. Stupid kid shit. And then I turned fourteen and Hap went to prison and..."

"The asshole started to pay attention," Jax said, shaking his head. "He took advantage of Hap being inside to slide in on his kid."

Angela knew that's how it sounded, but it had never felt like that. It was a coincidence. Hap had gone to prison, and she'd run into Esai, and he...he'd liked what he'd seen. Why he'd chosen her over any of the girls in their school, she still didn't know, but it had never felt like it had anything to do with the clubs. "Nah, it had nothing to do with any club shit. I mean, it went on for a lot longer 'cause Hap was inside, but that wasn't why we started. I honestly think he liked me because I didn't give a shit about the club or his ties to it. I didn't really want to be anywhere near it."

Jax's grin had faded, a more serious look taking over his features. "Why'd you end it? The first time."

"I um...Hap came home," she stated simply. It'd been painful when Happy had first come home. She'd felt torn between her love for her cousin and her love for Esai. Sure, Esai had been treating her like shit, but she'd always suspected it'd been his way of pushing her away because he knew when Hap got home, it'd be difficult to stay together. He'd been right. Happy had come home with Kozik in tow and the two of them had done everything they could to break them up. "He came home, and by then Esai was a full patch and treating me like dirt so Hap and Koz got me outta there. Hap made me apply to college in New York, and when I got in, those two knuckleheads practically forced me to go."

Jax's face grew serious, and she remembered the story about his high school sweetheart he'd told her about when they'd been in lock down. He hadn't known then how similar her story was to his, but he'd opened up to her about it all the same. "But you came back to him," he put in, an almost hopeful look in his eyes. "When you came back. After school."

Angela shrugged, a blush coloring her cheeks. She glanced over her shoulder at Juice, who looked frozen in place, his shoulders tense as if he was waiting for her answer. She hadn't gone straight back to Esai; she'd wanted someone else...he just didn't want her. "I um...I've known him for a long time, and I was going through some shit and lonely, a-and we...reconnected. It was kind of like sliding into an old pair of shoes. Comfortable and easy."

"Yeah," he murmured, refilling the shot glasses. "You expectin' that to happen when you moved back?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Never in a million years," she answered honestly. She could feel the tequila running through her veins, giving her a nice buzz. "But shit happens for a reason, y'know?"

"Guess so. You regret it?"

It was the first time someone had ever asked her that. No one approved of their relationship, but she didn't regret it. Esai was on his best behavior and despite their little fights, he was treating her better than he had in the past. He made her feel less lonely. Loved, for the most part. She needed that. "Not yet. I still love him. Just as much as I did when I was a teenager. We…it just works. We know each other. He was my first…everything. It's kind of nice to be with someone I know so well."

"Huh," he grunted in response. He lifted his shot glass, waiting for her to do the same before clinking it against hers. He took the shot, rubbing at his chest as if he was feeling the burn down his throat. "I gotta go back to work. You good here?"

"I was fine here without you, Teller," she said, nodding towards her book.

He grabbed it from her, reading the cover. "The great Nicholas Sparks, huh? The Mayan as romantic as this shit?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Not even close," she scoffed. "Why? Are you?"

" 'm all about the romance, darlin'," he said with a wide grin and a wink. "That Mayan asshole hurts you 'n' I'm comin' after him."

Angela knew for sure Hap, Koz, and Juice would be out for blood if Esai ever hurt her, but she hadn't expected it from Jax. It felt weird to hear him say that. "Why? You don't know me."

He shrugged a shoulder. "You're honest with me. I like that."

"Thank you?" she replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "Still not gonna fuck you."

Juice snorted at that, and Jax chucked a bottle cap at the back of his head. "Heard you the first time, undertaker. Loud and clear," Jax said, shaking his head. He leaned in a little closer to her. "Contrary to popular belief, not everyone here wants to fuck you," he murmured, before nodding towards Juice, "just some of us."

She knew he was hinting at her friendship with Juice again. Something he seemed to like doing a lot. She punched his arm, scowling at him. "Shut up, asshole," she muttered, not at all offended by his statement. She wasn't vain enough to think everyone wanted to sleep with her. Hell, she was surprised she'd caught Jax's eye to begin with; although, she had a feeling he'd initially been interested because she was Happy's cousin, not because he was attracted to her as a person.

"See you around, Ang." He winked at her again, squeezing her shoulder before heading towards the front door. "You almost done?" he asked Juice.

Juice nodded quickly. "Yeah," he said, nodding quickly. "Couple more minutes, and I'll have all the intel you need."

"Thanks, man," he said, walking out of the clubhouse and letting the door close behind him.

Angela watched him walk out, shaking her head at his back. She honestly liked the guy. He wasn't so bad when he wasn't turning on the charm. Whatever girl had left him had seriously fucked with his head, and she felt a little sad for him. She sort of hoped the girl would come back, so she could meet her and see who had Jax so hooked. She had a feeling they had a lot in common.

Juice heard every word of the conversation Angela had with Jax. Had typed extra slowly so he wouldn't miss anything. He was waiting for the moment Jax made his move, but he hadn't. He'd even brushed her off with a comment designed to hurt her pride. Not everyone here wants to fuck you. That had to sting, but she'd like it slide like it was nothing. He smirked at that, at least it meant she didn't have feelings for Jax.

He heard the loud scrape of a chair and smiled when she sat down next to him. He could smell her perfume as she leaned towards him, her dark eyes on the screen. "What're you doin'?"

"Tryin' to hack into the DMV," he answered, glancing over at her. There was a slight flush to her cheeks, and when their eyes met, hers were sparkling. She was buzzing and beautiful. He wanted to lean over and kiss her. "Sounds like you have a new best friend."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Not even. Don't worry you're still my best friend."

Those words hurt; he didn't want to be her best friend. He wanted more. He wanted to be able to lean over to kiss her any time he wanted. To wrap her in his arms and hold her. "Good to know."

"You jealous, Ortiz?" she asked, poking his side to make him squirm.

He was. But not of Jax. He was jealous of that damn Mayan who'd slithered his way into her life when he wasn't looking. "No, 'course not," he said on a scowl. " 'm almost done here. You still down for milkshakes?"

Angela checked her phone, scrolling through her texts. "Yup," she replied, distractedly. He reached out and closed the little flip-phone over her fingers. She looked up at him with a little smile. "Sorry."

"Mayan?"

"Yeah. He's staying down south for a couple days, apparently," she replied on a sigh. "So that means you're stuck with me for a couple days since he took Lee with him."

He didn't mind that one bit. "Give me ten more minutes," he said, going back to the computer. "Start thinking of a good movie."

She didn't move though. In fact, she pulled her chair in closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'ma watch you work. Try and figure out what those magic fingers of yours are doing."

Juice felt his heart flip flop in his chest; he'd love to show her exactly what his fingers could do to her, but he kept that to himself. "All right. I'll walk you through it."

He spent about half an hour going through it, finishing the work as he did it. Once he was done, he printed out the information, and she grabbed it with a big, proud smile that did funny things to his stomach. "You're brilliant, Juice," she said, looking over what he did. "It is insane how much information you can get on a person from the internet."

He felt a blush creep up the back of his neck as he took the paper from her. "I know, right?" he said, pushing away from the desk. "I'm gonna give this to Jax and then..."

"Movies and milkshake time?" she asked, stretching her arms up over her head. Her back cracked, and she groaned. At his eyebrow raise, she shrugged. "My arms and back have been so fuckin' tight. Stupid brace."

"Sounds like you need a massage."

Angela tilted her head to the side, a smirk on her face. "Are you offering?"

Juice's mouth went dry at the idea of giving her a massage, his hands on her smooth skin, caressing every inch of her. Clearing his throat, he looked away; he had to think of something, anything else. "Uh...n-no. Not...I wasn't...I mean, if you want...I can but…"

"I'm good, goofy," she said, though she didn't sound opposed to it. "Think Esai would murder you if I let you give me a massage."

He chuckled nervously, scratching at the back of his neck. "Y-yeah," he said, feeling a little flushed. "I could take him, though."

Her dark eyes looked over him in a way that was not helping how aroused he was feeling. He looked away from her again, wishing she'd stop looking at him like that. "Think it'd be a fair fight," she agreed. She moved into his sight-line, a serious look on her face. "But I don't want to see it. Ever. Okay?"

"No promises," Juice said, holding up his hands. "You good to drive?"

Angela rolled her eyes at him and nodded. "I'll be waiting in the car for my escort."

Juice shook his head at her and headed towards the garage with a slight skip in his step. Jax wasn't working all that hard in the garage. He was leaning against one of the bikes, talking to Chibs. "Hey," he greeted the two of them. "Here's the intel you wanted."

Jax grabbed it from him and flipped through it, an impressed look on his face. "Good shit. Thanks."

"Nice one, Juicy," Chibs praised, slapping him on the back. He nodded towards the parking lot where Angela was leaning against her car. "Big plans for tonight?"

"Nah, just babysittin'," he said, trying to play it off as nothing. "You guys need anything else?"

Jax smirked and shook his head. "Nah. Go have fun. Give her a good night. Think she could use one."

"Aye, poor girl's been through a lot," Chibs agreed with a frown. "Deserves some fun."

Juice nodded in agreement, though it still was surprising to him that his two brothers even cared about her. "Yeah, she does," he agreed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cut. He caught one of the mechanics staring in Angela's direction and looked over his shoulder to see that she was lying back over the hood of her car, one leg propped up on it as she stretched her arms over her head, angling her back. She was stretching her back and her arms again, but the position showed off her cleavage in the best way. He enjoyed the view for a moment before clearing his throat. "Right. I'm gonna...get her the hell outta here."

Jax laughed, nodding emphatically. "That'd be wise."

"See you guys later," Juice said, heading towards her.

"Go have fun, Juicy boy! Keep your hands to yourself!" Chibs called after him.

He flipped his sponsor off over his shoulder, aware of the rest of them laughing behind him. Angela sat up as he neared, looking a little confused. "Everything good?"

Juice nodded quickly. "Yeah. We're all good! Let's go get some milkshakes!"

Lino watched Esai take another shot as he sat beside him at the Santo Padre charter's clubhouse. As a prospect, Lino was sober and not taking part in the partying activities, which was fine with him; he wasn't much of a partier anyway and new situations stressed him out. He didn't like being altered around people he didn't know well. The Santo Padre crew really knew how to party, though, and there were a ton of scantily clad women milling about. Probably because they were associated with a whorehouse not too far away from the clubhouse. They didn't interest him, though; he missed his own girl. A lot. He took out his phone to text her, smiling when he saw she'd already texted him. She was worried about him. He texted her back, telling her he was okay and that he missed her.

"Textin' your girl?" Esai asked as he leaned against the counter next to him.

Lino nodded; he wasn't ashamed to admit he missed her. There was no amount of teasing that could ever make him feel that way. He was unashamedly proud to be locked down. "Yeah. How's Ang doin'? She had an appointment today, huh?"

"Yeah. She won't have sex with me," Esai slurred, shaking his head. His blue eyes looked over the crowd, settling on one of the women. "It's been like four weeks y nada."

"Dude, her arm's in a brace," Lino pointed out with a scowl.

He scowled back at him. "So? I'd be careful. She can be on top. Told her tha,t but she said the doctor said no. She's done the hand stuff and blowies pero that shit ain't the same, y'know. One handed isn't as good as two."

"That is entirely too much information," Lino commented, feeling slightly disgusted with his sponsor. "You got a couple more weeks before the brace comes off. That's nothin'."

"Tha's like a month, 'mano! I can't wait that long!" he insisted, gesturing to the people around them. "Look at all these fine ladies! And they want me! And mine won't even try! 'cause she's tired and her arm hurts and...whatever. Rather be with that stupid Son than me."

Lino grimaced, running a hand over his face; he'd been worried Esai would come to that conclusion. He wasn't wrong, either. "That's not true. It's not her fault she's injured. That was on the club to begin with."

Esai didn't look too understanding of it. He shook his head, sneering a bit. "Whatever," he said, slamming down another shot. "I love her so much, y'know. But she ain't bein' flexible for me!"

"Angela's been through a lot. You know that. You gotta be more patient with her. I mean, shit, her boyfriend was run down in front of her, and then she gets attacked? That's gotta fuck with her head a bit. I'd be worried if it didn't."

"Whatever," Esai muttered, kicking at the ground. "She wasn't in love with that tool anyway. He shoulda looked both ways 'fore crossing. Too busy on his fuckin' phone to pay attention."

The way Esai talked about Raj made it seem like he knew more than he was letting on. How had he known Raj had been on his phone? Had Angela told him? There was no way. Angela didn't talk about that day to anyone. "He wasn't a tool. He was a good guy. Treated her right. I liked him."

"Whatever. She's mine now," he repeated dismissively. His eye fell on one of the club's girls, a pulga as they called them. She approached him slowly, her hips swinging as she walked, her red painted lips moving into a big smile. Esai smiled back at her hungrily, draping an arm over her shoulders. "What's up, linda?" (flea, beautiful)

"Nada. Just wanted to see if you needed something, papi," she purred, leaning into his chest and laying a kiss on his neck. "You been lookin' awfully lonely lately."

Esai chuckled and nodded, letting her take his hand. Instinctively, Lino reached out to grab his arm. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Relax, 'mano. Just gonna talk to her a bit," he replied, a smile on his face but a threatening look in his eyes. "Don't worry so much. Be a good prospect and keep your damn mouth shut."

Lino felt useless as he watched Esai walk away with the girl, knowing what the other guy was going to do and knowing he couldn't tell Angela about it. He sank down into one of the barstools next to one of the Santo Padre prospects. "Girl problems?" Angel asked, raking a hand through his slicked back hair.

"Kinda? E's datin' my...sister, and I...am seein' things I don't wanna see," he explained on a grimace as he looked over his shoulder to see Esai intensely making out with the girl. Her hands were tugging at his belt, and he wasn't stopping her. "Again."

"Shit, man. That fuckin' sucks. 'n' you can't do shit about it, huh?" he asked, leaning over the bar and grabbing two bottles of beer from under the counter and popping the tops off.

"Not a goddamn thing."

Looks like someone's back to their old ways! 😬
As always let me know what you guys think! I seriously take your suggestions and ideas to heart when I'm writing!
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