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

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 36: Comfort Food

By Love Ink

Lino walked into his apartment, breathing in the smell of posole that filled the kitchen air. He smiled when he saw Vanessa standing at the stove, stirring something in a large pot. Slowly, he stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. She jumped a little before relaxing into him. "Hola, mi amor," she purred, turning her head to kiss his cheek.

"Hola," he replied, kissing her neck. "Missed you."

"Missed you too," she replied, giggling as the scruff on his face tickled her. "How was your first run?"

He sat down at the kitchen with a heavy sigh, physically and emotionally exhausted. Rubbing a hand over his head, he contemplated how much to tell her before deciding it was dumb to even think of keeping things from her. They weren't that kind of couple. "Was fine 'til I caught E cheating. Not even caught, he fuckin' did it in front of my face! This...pulga came on to him, and he just...went through with it. Like he didn't have a fuckin' injured girlfriend back home."

She stopped stirring what was in the pot, her dark eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, miserably. "I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. He said they hadn't had sex since she got her brace on since she said it could fuck up her arm, and he needed a release. Said since we were on a run, it didn't count anyway."

"Oh." Vanessa looked as though the idea of the "run rule" had never dawned on her.

"I would never, mi cielo. You know that. Wasn't even tempted. Not for a second. That rule is bullshit," he assured her quickly. "That rule is for weak men. Fuckin' stupid."

"Of course. I knew that," she muttered, though she still looked relieved.

"What am I supposed to do? How am I gonna see her and not tell her? I can't...she's my sister. She needs to know, but he's my..."

"Sponsor, and you can't rat him out," Nessa finished on a frown. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"And I can't tell her 'cause that makes you look like a pussy for goin' through your girl," she stated, almost as though she was reading his thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Damn."

"Uh-huh."

Vanessa moved towards him, sitting on his lap and she moving her arms around his neck. She caught his lips in a quick kiss. "This isn't your battle, mi amor. She'll find out. Ang isn't dumb, and Esai ain't that slick."

"Hope so," he murmured on a tired sigh. "Just don't like her bein' taken advantage of like that. She was just getting better after the whole Raj shit, and now this happens. 's gonna send her spinnin'. You remember how bad she was. Don't wanna see her like that again."

Worry creased her forehead. "Yeah, that was scary."

He nodded in agreement. He remembered when he walked into Angela's apartment with the spare key and the code Juice had given him. The apartment had been a mess, the smell of rotting food in the air, papers all over the floor. Angela had been curled up on the couch, clutching a bottle of booze, thinner than he'd ever seen her. When he first saw her, he hadn't been sure she was even breathing. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "She deserves better."

"Mm-hmm," she hummed in agreement. She kissed him again before standing up and heading back to the kitchen. "Did he at least feel bad about it?"

"Dunno. Didn't talk to him again. 'n' I'm supposed to be the one followin' her everywhere. Makin' sure she's safe. How am I even gonna look her in the eye?"

She set a bowl with a spoon in front of him, dropping a kiss to his head as she did. "I dunno, querido. But if Esai was smart, he'd keep her away from you," she said, going to grab her own plate.

"Don't want that either," he muttered on a frown. He took a spoonful and groaned at the taste of it. "Baby, this is amazing."

Vanessa gave him a pleased grin as she dug into her own food. "I know, but that'll benefit you too because you can't hurt her by lyin' if you don't see her."

"Still don't feel right."

"It's not. Of course its not," she agreed on a scowl. He loved that she agreed with him, that she wasn't pushing him one way or the other. She stirred the food in her bowl for a minute before leaning back in her chair. "You think she'll leave him when she finds out?"

"She should, but she won't. She didn't last time," he stated gloomily. "Took her cousin pryin' her away for her to leave him. Don't think it'll be any easier this time. He got to her when she was weak, 'n' I don't think she's just gonna leave him."

Vanessa frowned, shaking her head. "This is some bull shit. The fucked up thing is...if that stupid Son had just manned up and told her how he fuckin' felt instead of makin' out with some puta...she'd be with him!"

"Yeah. That was fucked up. Dunno what he was thinking. I mean, I liked you, and I just...told you. Yeah, it wasn't easy and it was a risk, but look what I got outta it. Totally worth it."

She stared at him, a look of wonder in her eyes as if she couldn't quite comprehend the words he was saying. She looked at him like that often when he talked about their relationship or mentioned how much he loved her. "You're somethin' else, Lee."

"Just being honest," he said on a shrug. "I lost everythin' when I got hurt. Soccer, my scholarship, 'n' you were right there...waitin' to put my loser-ass back together."

"Don't be stupid. You aren't a loser. You were playing a game that you were great at, and you got hurt. Not your fault. The school was dumb for forcin' you to play too early and damaging it permanently. Total bullshit," she said, rolling her eyes.

Lino smiled at her. "See, there you go. Liftin' me up. Te quiero mucho, mi cielito lindo." (I love you a lot, my beautiful little sky)

She leaned over and kissed him soundly on the mouth. "Enough of that. Eat your posole and then go shower, stinky."

"Ooh, I love when you call me pet names."

She laughed, throwing her napkin at his face. "Eat and shut up, loco." (Crazy)

Esai pulled in on his bike in the parking lot that was almost halfway between Oakland and Charming, his stomach churning. He told himself it was because he was still hungover, but a part of him knew it was because of what he'd done in Santo Padre. He didn't know what he was thinking cheating on her like that. It's been stupid of him to jeopardize their relationship. Even more stupid to do it in front of Lino. But he'd been desperate. Needed a release, and Beatrice was hot as hell. He was drunk and on a run, all excuses, he believed, justified what he'd done, but he knew Angela wouldn't agree with him. She'd knock him on his ass. He'd insisted on being the one to pick her up at the meet up spot, not wanting Lino anywhere near Angela. Lino may have been his prospect, but he didn't trust him not to dime him out to her. Not when Lino considered her a sister. He'd seen the look on the other man's face. Had seen how disappointed he was. If anyone was going to tell Angela what happened, it would be Lino, and Esai was going to work like hell to make sure that didn't happen.

Angela and that idiot Son were already in the parking lot. Both of them were leaning against her car, laughing about something or other. The Son was looking at her with that goofy grin on his face, love in his eyes. Esai wanted punch him. Knock all of the teeth out of that dumb smile. And what was Angela doing smiling back at him? Smacking his arm playfully like she was...flirting with him. What the hell was that?

He pulled to a stop in front of her car, only just noticing she wasn't wearing her brace. He should've been excited to see that, but it only made his stomach feel sicker. He'd cheated on her, and here she was waiting for him. No brace. He was probably going to get lucky that night, and he didn't deserve it. Not one bit. But that never bothered him before. All concern about her finding out he'd been cheating went out the window when he realized she wasn't wearing her brace. Things would go back to normal. He'd have his girl back, and he'd do his best to stay faithful now.

"Angelita," he greeted, smiling when she smiled at him in return. She pushed herself away from the car, moving towards him slowly. His hands went to her hips when she was close enough, pulling her in closer to him and letting his lips crash down on hers. He was aware of the Son watching him, so he moved his hands down to her ass, deepening the kiss by slipping his tongue into her mouth.

She pulled away, her cheeks were red, though he couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or just flushed from their heated kiss. "Hi," she greeted on a breath, her hands messing with the front of his cut. "Welcome back."

"Missed you, chiqui," he told her, catching her lips in another kiss. "And your brace is off!"

"Still not fully healed, but...yeah, its off," she replied with a little smirk.

Esai gave her a wolfish grin, looking her over hungrily. "Let's get you home then."

Angela almost hesitated, looking over her shoulder at the Son. She waved to him. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, trying to step away from Esai to go to him. Esai hooked a finger in her belt loop, tugging her in closer; he wasn't going to let her hug him. Not while he was there. He didn't want that idiot to have his arms around her. No way.

"I'll drive her back to Charming tomorrow," Esai said, moving his arms around her from behind. She tensed in his arms as though she was uncomfortable with the public display of affection in front of the Son. Esai didn't give a shit; that idiot needed to know who she belonged to.

Juice felt sick watching the way the Mayan asshole kissed her, the possessive way he palmed her ass. What made it worse was when she went to say goodbye, and the asshole wouldn't let her go. He'd pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her from behind, around her shoulders putting pressure on her clavicles...exactly where she'd been hurt. She'd tensed and winced a little as though she was in pain, and it took every ounce of Juice's self-control not to go over there and push him off. Call him out for hurting her. She didn't push the Mayan away, though, so Juice just clenched his jaw and watched it happen.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said, nodding to Angela.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. See you tomorrow. Ride safely."

"Will do," he replied, smiling at her despite the asshole's fiery glare. Esai seemed to be waiting for him to move away from her car before he let her go, so he did. He headed back to his motorcycle, putting his helmet on as if he was not at all bothered by Esai's antics, while inside, he was fuming.

He sped off without looking back, letting the loud engine of his Harley drown out his thoughts. Since he was in Oakland, he stopped at a local store and picked up a bottle of wine and a potted plant that was small enough to fit in his saddlebag before heading to Elena and Graciela's house. They'd invited him over for dinner, and he was honestly looking forward to it.

He was grateful to see Hap and Koz's bikes weren't in the driveway yet; he didn't want them giving him shit about bringing flowers for Elena. Grabbing the bottle and the little plant, he headed up the walk, wiping his shoes off on the front mat before using the key he had to let himself in. "Hello?" he called through the house, his stomach grumbling as the smell of food assaulted his nose.

"Juancito!" Elena called, her voice overjoyed. "Veni!" (Come)

The smile on his face was genuine as he entered the kitchen. He loved visiting with Angela's Aunt and Mom; it was like being with family. "Hey Lena," he greeted, setting the wine and the plant on the counter. "Can I help with anything?"

She stepped away from the oven going over to him with a big smile and taking his face into her hands. "Bless you, mijo. You are the only one who asks me that, you know?" she asked, kissing his cheek. "Are these for me?"

He nodded, scratching at the back of his neck. "Yeah. A bouquet doesn't do well on a bike, but this fit into my bag so..."

"I love it. I will plant it in the backyard tomorrow," she assured him with a smile. "Come set the table. Happy and Kozik will be here soon. I invited Angelita and that Mayan pero she didn't think it was a good idea. Can you imagine? She feels she can't bring her own boyfriend here!"

Juice chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Preachin' to the choir, Lena," he said, nodding his head. "He really treat her that badly before? She won't talk about it."

Elena stirred something in a pot on the stove, a frown on her face. "You know, I don't know. She kept everything very separate. She didn't come for days sometimes. Fifteen, sixteen years old, and she wouldn't come home. And when she did! Red hair, dark make up, red lips like some puta! I knew she was going to school porque they would've called me if she didn't pero I didn't know much more. She was unhappy most of the time. Rebelling because Happy was gone in jail. She was okay at the beginning, but it got worse and worse, and at the end, she wouldn't even go to see him."

He frowned in response, wondering how that girl had changed so much. When he'd met her, she'd barely been wearing makeup, and her hair was its natural color, no signs of any kind of dye. "What happened when Hap got home?"

"She was still sad but that's when she stopped pretending so much to be this little Mayan groupie. She came home more, and when Happy challenged her to apply to that school in New York, she did just to prove she could get in," Elena explained with a laugh. "And then she got in, and Happy and Kozik came in like two angels and took her out of here. Away from that loser and the gangsters. She got a life of her own. She was far away, yes, but she was happy. I could hear it in her voice when she called, you know? She found what she loved, who she loved, and she was finally back to the Angelita I knew and loved."

"And then Raj died..."

"And she lost her way again," Elena said on a tired sigh. "Pero she needs something different for now. She's still grieving. This thing is temporary. She doesn't like to be alone when she's hurting. This won't last. I promise you."

Juice felt a small sense of hope in Elena's words. If anyone knew Angela, it was her. "Hope you're right. That guy seems like an asshole."

Elena nodded in agreement. The sound of Harley engines filled the air, and she grinned again. "I am you'll see. And if I'm wrong, those two will make sure of it. They did it before, they'll do it again!"

He laughed at that, silently hoping it was true. He had a feeling there wasn't much Happy and Kozik could do short of killing Esai that would make her break up with him. She wasn't a teenager anymore. She was older, more mature, and stubborn as hell. No way would she just break up with Esai because Happy told her to. She'd fight him tooth and nail just to spite him. "We'll see about that."

Happy walked in first, giving his mom a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey Ma."

"Hola, mijo. Cold beer is in the fridge," she told him, kissing him back.

He grunted a thanks before going straight to the fridge to pick out two beers. "You got one, idiot?" he asked. Elena seemed pleased with his offer and did not chastise him for the rude name.

Juice put the last place setting on the table. "Nope. I'll take one, please."

Kozik came in and pulled Elena into a bone crushing hug, smacking a loud kiss on her cheek. "How you doin', Ma?"

Juice wondered idly how long it took for Koz to start calling Elena 'Ma'. He'd almost done it several times but stopped himself; he hadn't been a part of this strange family for all that long. But he did feel like he was a part of it, and he was grateful to be.

"What's up, Juicer?" Koz asked, punching his arm before taking a seat at the table. "Where's the kid at?"

His little punch hurt like hell, but Juice did his best to mask the pain. "With the asshole. He just came back from his run, and she just got her brace off so..."

"Shoulda killed him when we had the chance," Happy muttered, scowling to himself.

Juice was surprised when Elena bobbed her head I agreement. Elena quickly caught herself, though, and shrugged. "He's no good. He and Angela are together for almost four years, and did he ever come by? No! He comes and honks the horn for her. Bruto estupido." (Stupid brute)

"Aw, he's just afraid a you, Lena," Kozik said on a chuckle. "Sucker. He's missin' out on some good food!"

Happy nodded in agreement, digging into the food. "Good stuff, Ma."

"Thank you, mijo," she said with a proud grin as she sat down herself. "Juancito, I'll give you some to take back to Angelita. I doubt ese estupido is giving her anything good to eat."

"Thanks, Lena. She'll like that," Juice answered, around the food in his mouth.

Elena patted his hand lovingly. "Gracias, mijo. At least someone takes care of her!"

"Hey! We take care of her!" Kozik exclaimed on a scowl. "We're the ones who got him to follow her."

"Yeah," Happy agreed with a nod. "Been takin' care a her since she was in diapers."

"Must've dealt with a lot of shit," Kozik commented with a smirk. Juice laughed, loving the back and forth between the family members. "Anyways, we got that big rally comin' up over in Fresno. Think Ang'll come to that?"

"Got no choice," Happy said on a shrug. "She either comes with us or with the assholes, but we ain't leavin' her unprotected and Clay wants the idiot to come."

Kozik grimaced, raking a hand through his hair. "She's gonna fuckin' hate that."

Happy didn't seem to give a shit. " 's for her own protection. Ain't like she's got anywhere else to go."

"What's the rally about?" Juice asked, excited at the idea that Clay wanted him to go with them.

"It's a motorcycle show. Clubs go to...socialize. They got like antique cars, booths for parts, all that shit. It's just Saturday and Sunday, but its fun shit," Kozik explained on a shrug. "You'll love it, Juicer."

Juice smiled, happy just to be included. "Can't wait."

Hope everyone's staying healthy!
Let me know what you think!
Next chapter will be a biker rally and may have special guest appearance by some of the Santo Padre boys...
😉