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

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 38: Upside Down

By Love Ink

Juice was busy rushing around the SAMCRO encampment that night, making sure all of his brothers had a beer in their hand and were happy. It was fine with him, he was doing his best to keep busy and to keep his mind off Angela and the Mayan who were sitting just across the way. He could hear the Latin music blasting from their boombox, smell the meat on the grill, and hear them calling to each other in Spanish. Every so often, he caught the sound of Angela's laughter and his heart sputtered in his chest. He wished she was on their side, hanging out with him and his brothers. Unfortunately, the choices in women were slim. Gemma and Luanne were a lot older than she was, and the rest of the girls were all Croweaters. He could see why she liked hanging out with the Mayans since her two childhood friends over there.

Sighing, he glanced over at the Mayans again, taking the opportunity to watch Angela with Esai, trying to pick them apart, find some kind of weakness in their relationship. From where he stood, it was hard to find.

Esai was sitting at a picnic table, playing cards with the rest of the boys while she stood behind him, her arms draped over his shoulders, her chin on his head. Juice thought he'd push her off, but the Mayan did the opposite, choosing to lean back into her instead, one of his hands rubbing up and down her arm like it was the most comfortable thing. Not one of his brothers seemed to think the way they were acting was odd or out of place. No one teased him for it. They all seemed to be interacting with him and Angela as if they'd known each other for years. He had a feeling most of them probably had.

The song changed, and a huge smile spread across Angela's face making butterflies stampede through Juice's stomach; he loved when she smiled. She tilted her head to the side, whispering something in Esai's ear that made him grin in response. Without hesitating, he threw down his cards and grabbed her hand. She took a step back waiting for him to stand, an excited look on her pretty face.

One of Esai's hands went to the small of her back while the other held tightly to hers. He pulled her in close as she set her hand on his shoulder, and they began to dance to the music. Juice watched entranced as she swayed her hips along with him, her feet moving quickly with his as they danced. He spun her away from him, her hair fanning around her as her laughter filled the air before Esai reeled her back in. She put her forehead to his, letting his leg slip between hers as they moved. Juice was so used to seeing couples grinding on each other, that watching them do some kind of salsa routine was captivating. Surprising still was that no Mayan was giving Esai shit for dancing. They were all clapping and cheering them on, some even daring to join in. No, dancing was not frowned upon in their culture, and Juice couldn't blame them. The way Esai was touching Angela was unlike anything he'd ever seen. His hands ached to touch her like that, to get her to move like that. Then Esai moved his legs between hers again, dipping her back as their hips moved together. Juice felt his pants tighten at the fantastic view of her cleavage.

"Look at those pussies. Fuckin' dancin' like monkeys," Tig scoffed on a frown. He kept watching for a beat before tilting his head to the side. "Girl can move though."

Juice nodded in agreement, though he didn't really feel like what they were doing made Esai a "pussy". He actually felt like going to the nearest dance studio and taking lessons. If Esai could learn how to do it, it couldn't be that hard. He was Puerto Rican, those Latin roots had to account for something, right? "She certainly can."

"Makes him look good," Jax commented on a chuckle.

"Hate that," Kozik muttered on a scowl. "Hate how happy she looks with that asshole."

Jax shrugged a shoulder. "Aww, let her be happy. She's been through enough," he said with a small smile. Juice and Kozik both looked back at him with wide, surprised eyes. Not because what he said was slightly true, but because it was Jax who said it. Jax shrugged again, taking a long pull of his beer. "I'm not fuckin' her. Don't worry. Just think she's a good person, who's been through some shit, and could probably use something good."

Kozik frowned, shaking his head. "Why's it gotta be with him though?"

Juice agreed a hundred percent, but he didn't say anything. He tried to take his eyes off of her and Esai dancing, but found he couldn't. He was mesmerized by it. All he could think about was touching her like that, holding her close, and moving with her, her hands all over his body.

"We really sittin' here pickin' apart the girl's relationship?" Tig asked, sounding disgusted. "I need to get laid."

The rest of them laughed as he walked away towards a group of sweetbutts. Kozik followed after him leaving Jax and Juice alone. Jax hit his arm with his before nodding to Angela. "You got a shot y'know. That guy ain't gonna keep her happy."

There were a lot of thing Juice wanted to say in response to that. He wanted to punch him, tell him it was his fault in the first place that she'd slipped away before he got a chance. He didn't know what he'd been thinking listening to Jax. He knew Angela better than that. He should've listened to his gut, then he would've been the one who got to touch her, hold her. He was such an idiot. He couldn't say anything though. He was still a prospect, so he had to bit his tongue. "You don't know her," Juice said instead, clenching his beer bottle in his hand. He didn't like whatever weird friendship Jax and Angela had and definitely didn't like him standing up for her. He walked away from Jax, hoping to get a second alone. A second to think without someone ordering him around. He found a secluded spot and grabbed a joint out of his cut pocket, hoping to numb his thoughts and get the image of Angela and the Mayan out of his head.

The sun had gone down and most of the civilians who'd gone to check out the extravagant bikes and cars at the show had gone home leaving behind the motorcycle clubs. Everyone had set up their own camps, partying and enjoying each other's company. Sons and Mayans alike mingled with smaller MCs, laughing and shooting the shit in the warm summer night. They'd stay there late into the night, either crashing inside trailers or tents or somehow finding their way back to the local motel.

It was late into the night when Angela went inside the large Mayan trailer to fix herself another drink. The Mayans playing cards at the table largely ignored her, continuing their game without even sparing her a glance. All but one who stood up slowly from the table and swaggered over to her. She raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back against the counter as he approached. "Well hello there, mi dulce," he greeted smoothly as he reached by her to grab the bottle of tequila.

She felt a blush rise up to her cheeks as she looked him over, taking in the neatly groomed goatee, his slicked back hair, and soulful brown eyes. He was one of the more handsome Mayans, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to him. "Hi," she replied awkwardly. Clearly, he was a new patch or from another charter since most Mayans knew to stay away from her. "You're new here."

"Just patched in. Santo Padre charter. Angel Reyes," he introduced, holding his hand out to her.

"Angela Ruiz," she replied, smirking at how similar their names were.

He smiled too, clearly amused by the same thing. "Matching names. I like that. You here with anyone?"

She laughed, nodding slowly. "Getting right to the point there, huh, Reyes?"

"Don't want to step on any toes," he replied on a shrug. He clinked his red cup against hers before taking a sip.

Angela did the same, relaxing a bit. "I'm with Esai," she explained, crossing her other arm across her stomach.

He raised his eyebrows in surprised, cursing under his breath. "Shit, el Padrino's son."

She had never, ever heard of Marcus referred to as El Padrino, and almost laughed at the silly nickname. She could just picture him dressed up like the Godfather, granting wishes to everyone. "Guess so."

"Wow," he said, drawing out the word sarcastically. "Met him last week down in Santo Padre. He didn't mention havin' a beautiful girlfriend though."

That wasn't surprising to her in the least. Esai loved showing her off when she was physically with him, but if she wasn't around, he acted like she didn't exist. It was fine with her, as long as he didn't touch any other girls. "I'm his best kept secret," she quipped, trying to make light of things.

"Clearly," he replied, his dark eyes looking her up and down in a way that made her blush just a bit. The men at the table called after him, and he nodded to her. "Good to meet you, Ruiz. Hope to see you around."

"You too, Reyes," she replied, taking a sip of her drink as she walked away.

She could hear the boys from outside talking about her when she left and smirked to herself as she headed towards where Lino was sitting in a camp chair looking very, very drunk. Unlike the Sons, the Mayans didn't have a problem with their Prospects drinking when they went out. Something she thought was pretty stupid considering if anything happened, they didn't have a single person who could legally ride or drive. Not that it ever mattered to them anyway. "Hey Lee," she greeted, sitting down beside him.

"Angie!" he exclaimed with a big grin. "My sister! What's up?"

Angela tapped her first against his outstretched one. "Nothin', drunkie. Where's your girl?"

"Ness went to get me water," he said, slurring a bit. "She's the best."

She nodded in agreement; after spending time with Vanessa, she found she really liked the girl. They'd come to be friends. "She is." She shifted towards him, remembering how chummy he'd been with Juice and knowing if she was going to ask, now would be a good time. "How did you 'n' Juice get so close?"

"Aww man, Juice? He's the best. Dude cares about you...like a lot, y'know that?"

"He's a good friend. Just like you."

Lino shook his head slowly. "No, no, he should be more. Shoulda been him 'stead of Esai with you. Always him. Not some cheatin' asshole."

"Okay, drunkie," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "He's your sponsor, and he doesn't cheat anymore, remember? New Esai. New relationship."

He was quiet for a moment, staring at the fire in front of him. "That's bullshit."

"What is?"

"Ang...he...I saw him...on our run, he..." he struggled for words for a minute before he let out a long breath. "He cheated. I saw him 'n' I tried to stop it pero I couldn't. No one listens to me."

Angela felt sick to her stomach as she listened to him ramble on about Esai cheating on her. A part of her didn't want to believe him, but she knew Lino would never lie to her about this. "What?" she breathed, eyes wide.

He nodded slowly. "'n' I couldn't tell you. You're my sister 'n' my best friend 'n' I couldn't say shit to you 'cause I want this patch to protect my girl...and you too a little. Not that you need it pero...just want you girls safe. But 's not worth it to watch him treat you like shit. You deserve better. 'n' Juice? He's better. Much better," he slurred before grimacing, wiping a hand over his face, "Shit. Don't tell E I said that."

She glanced over to where Esai was leaning against his bike, his arm around one of their hang-arounds as she leaned into him, her hand on his chest. Raffa was standing beside him, his arm around another girl, hand on her ass. Two best friends talking while the girls vied for their attention. It was disgusting. Downing the rest of her drink, she placed the cup in the cup holder before leaning over and kissing Lino's temple. "Love you, Lee," she said, squeezing his shoulder before getting out of the chair. She headed towards Esai as calmly as she could, determined not alert anyone else to how pissed off she was; she didn't want to make a scene unless she had to.

The second he laid eyes on her, his arm dropped from around the girl, and he straightened up a bit as though he'd been caught doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to. "Hey chiqui," he said giving her one of his smooth grins. He was drunk, she could tell by glazed over look in his eyes.

She made sure to stay out of arm's reach. "We need to talk."

" 'bout what? Que paso?" he asked, ignoring the girl at his side who kept trying to get in closer to him. (What happened?)

"Can we go somewhere else? Alone?" she asked, staring pointedly at Raffa.

Esai shrugged a shoulder. "Whatever you got to say to me, you can say in front of Raf. I don't give a shit."

Angela clenched her jaw. She didn't want to start shit in front of Raffa, but if Esai was going to be stubborn about it, she wasn't going to fight him on it. "Did you fuck another girl in Santo Padre?"

Raffa didn't hide his grimace fast enough, and Esai's drunken brain was working too slow to deny it. He just stared at her for a minute before scowling. "Fuck that. Who told you that? Was it Lino? 'cause he's gonna get his ass handed to him."

"No! I overhead some other fuckin' Mayan talkin' about it!" she lied, doing her best to protect Lino. Esai was too drunk to realize how flimsy the lie was. "Is it true?"

"Angelita, you were hurt 'n' we weren't fuckin', a-and...we were on a run, right? That shit don't count!"

"That stupid rule never stood with us, and you know it," she ground out, turning to leave. She didn't want to deal with that at the moment. Her stomach churned, and she couldn't even look at him anymore. The stupid asshole. She'd been dumb enough to give him a second chance, and he'd blown it.

Esai managed to grab her wrist, hauling her back. "Stop, chiqui! Stop! I'm sorry, okay? Was an accident! It'd been so long since we did it 'n' I didn't know you got you brace off! I needed a release!"

Her eyebrows shot up to her hair line. "A release! Fuck you! It was just a couple of weeks! And you were the reason I got hurt in the first place, you stupid asshole!" she tried to wrench her arm from his grip, but he held firm. "Get the fuck off me!"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?" he asked, his grip tightening on her arm.

"Means I'm riskin' a hell of a lot for you, and you still go back to your old shit! Let me the fuck go!" she asked, grabbing at his wrist with her free hand and digging her nails into his skin. He let her go with a hiss of pain.

"You can't just leave, Angela!" he shouted after her.

"Watch me!" she shouted back, flipping him off as she strode towards the parking lot.

"Crazy bitch!" she heard him shout after her.

She knew he wouldn't follow her; his pride was too big for him to do that especially in front of Raffa and the rest of the Mayans. No, he'd drink himself into a stupor and maybe fuck another girl. He'd call her when he sobered up and beg her to take him back. But she wasn't sure she would. Not this time. She found her car and was silently thankful she'd thought to drive there herself instead of riding in with Esai like he'd wanted her to. She knew she shouldn't be driving. She'd had a few drinks and was buzzing, but she had to get the hell out of there.

Starting the car, she rolled down the windows and headed towards the main road. She decided on taking backroads in hopes there'd be less cops to pull her over. The last thing she needed was a DUI. She'd just gotten to the twisting two-laned portion of the road when she realized there were headlights behind her, which was odd considering it was so late at night in the relatively remote area. Sure, she'd seen the occasional truck, but not many other cars. Normally, she wouldn't think twice about it; people were allowed to drive the same road late at night. Still, knowing the Niners wanted revenge after she killed two of their men, she felt nervous as hell. "Shit," she muttered, her hands shaking as she grabbed her phone. What had she been thinking leaving on her own so late at night?

Juice answered on the first ring. All she could hear was wind for a moment before it stopped. "I'm on the backroads tryin' to get to you. Where are you?"

A sense of relief filled her; so someone had decided to chase after her after all. She had a feeling Lino was the one who sent him after her especially since Lino himself was in no state to ride. She looked through her window. All around her were large expanses of open fields and hills, barely visible in the glow of her headlights. "I um...wait...here's a mile marker," she said, reading it off to him quickly. "There's a car behind me. I dunno if it's following me but..."

She heard his motorcycle start up again. " 'm almost there. Hold tight, Angel."

Angela hung up the phone and pressed a little harder on the gas. She heard the engine behind her rev up, the headlights coming closer. She gripped the steering wheel harder, doing her best to stay focused on the road as her speedometer's needle inched higher and higher while the headlights got closer and closer.

The car caught up to her, clipping her bumper, knocking the tail of her car. She over-corrected, her foot still pressed firmly on the gas. She held tightly to her car as it skidded up the embankment, rolling over, and landing on its hood. She saw stars as the airbag went off in her face. The sound of a familiar Harley filled her ears just before everything went black.

Juice saw it. Saw it all. Saw her car go up the embankment, saw it roll over onto its hood, heard the crunch. "No," he breathed, stopping his bike. He saw the van had also crashed, run straight into a telephone pole right behind her. The guys inside of it didn't seem to be moving, which didn't really matter to him; he was thinking solely about Angela. He ran to her car, his heart beating fast in his chest. "Please, please, please," he murmured under his breath over and over again, praying for her to be okay. "Angel?"

She was hanging upside down, her seatbelt keeping her in place. There was a wicked gash on her forehead, the blood slowly dripping from it to the roof of the car below her. "Angel!" he screamed, louder. He reached a hand inside, pressing it to her neck to feel for a pulse. Relief spread over him when he felt one, a strong one. She was out cold, but her heart was still beating. Grabbing the knife from his belt, he climbed in through the window, aware of the way the broken glass bit into his arm. He gently cut off her seatbelt, pulling her out of the car as best he could.

He could hear the motorcycles in the distance behind him, reinforcements he'd called just after he'd talked to Angela. Pulling her head into his lap, he brushed her hair away from her face. "Angel? C'mon, baby, please open your eyes, you're okay," he coaxed, gently smacking her cheek. "Please be okay."

A crunch of pavement alerted him they were not alone. He looked up in time to see a man in an oversized purple shirt stagger towards them. His head was bleeding profusely, and he lifted his hand to touch the open wound. Juice spotted the Niner ink on his hand and without hesitation, pulled his gun out of his cut and shot him. One shot, straight to the chest, and then another to the head. The asshole went down like a sack of potatoes.

The sound of the gunshots was loud, and Angela groaned in his lap. "Juice?" she groaned, her face contorted in pain.

"I'm here, baby," he murmured, looking down at her. It was the second time he'd called her 'baby', something he'd almost done so many times, but had never said out loud. Now, when she was in pain, he didn't have enough wherewithal to stop himself. He just wanted to keep her alive. "Stay with me, okay? You're gonna be okay."

"Head hurts," she muttered, closing her eyes again.

"I know, but you gotta stay with me, Angel. Please," he urged, his hand shaking as he stroked her cheek. "What else hurts? Can you move your legs?"

Her brow furrowed in pain, but he saw her feet move. "Hurts."

"That's okay. You're moving them," he said, looking over his shoulder as more headlights flooded the area. He heard someone call his name. "Over here!" he shouted back, regretting it when she winced at the loud sound.

He was surprised to see a good amount of SAMCRO run around the car and encircle him. "She okay?" Happy asked, squatting down beside him.

"Yeah. In and out of consciousness, but she's breathin'," he said, noting she had gone out again. He wished she'd open her eyes, stay with him, assure him she was okay. "Niners. One died in the crash, shot the other one."

Happy looked impressed, smacking his shoulder in appreciation. "Good job, idiot. Take care a her. We'll take care a the rest."

He nodded quickly, pressing his fingers to her neck again to feel her pulse. It was there, beating strongly against his fingertips. He kept the them there, comforted by the steady pulse. She was alive, she wasn't conscious but her heart was still beating. "Stay with me, Angel. You're okay," he murmured, hating the way his voice shook.

"Ambulance's is on their way. Told 'em it was a normal crash. That way she'll get insurance money," Jax said, flashlight in his hand as he picked up the shell casings Juice's gun had ejected. "You kill the guy or was that her again?"

"Me," he answered, his eyes focused on the rise and fall of Angela's chest.

"Good," he replied with a proud nod. "Gonna put him in the van. Get him outta here 'fore the medics show up. We'll have Skeeter burn him later."

Juice didn't give a shit what happened to that asshole. He'd gladly go to jail for killing him if it was for Angela. " 'kay," he rasped, swallowing hard.

"It's gonna be okay, man," the blonde assured him with a small smile. "She's tough as hell. Somethin' like this ain't gonna take her out."

"I know," he said, his hands shaking as he moved a hair away from her face. The cut on her forehead was bad and bleeding. There were several deep scratches on her arms from when he pulled her out of the car. He could see glass still embedded in some of them and felt like shit.

"She drinkin' before this?" Jax asked, looking from her to the car.

Juice wasn't totally sure, but he had a feeling she probably was to have left the show like that without thinking about being followed. "Think so," he said, wiping at his nose with his arm.

"Give me your cut," Jax stated, looking around. He found a discarded A's hat on the ground that Juice recognized as hers and handed it to him so he could cover his tattoos. "Cops aren't here yet. We'll say you were drivin'. She don't need a DUI on her record."

He nodded, shucking off his cut and handing it to Jax without another thought as he put on the hat. He hadn't gotten into any trouble yet as a prospect meaning there was nothing on his record tying him to the club. If the cops questioned him, all he had to say is that they were driving home late when someone clipped their bumper. "Hit me. I gotta have some sort of injury or..."

"Right. Brace yourself." Jax didn't give him any warning before he punched him, one had knock to the center of his face.

Juice cursed as he heard his nose crack, felt the blood gush out of it and knew he had broken it. Which was fitting if he made the excuse that the airbag went of in his face. "Thanks," he said, grimacing as he touched his nose gingerly.

"Any time," he answered before getting to his feet. Sirens were heard in the background and the rest of the Sons started heading for the bikes. Jax stood, squeezing his shoulder in a show of support. "Take care a her."

He nodded, stroking his thumb over the side of her cheek as he heard the sound of the bikes fade and the ambulance come closer. He'd never been so thankful to hear sirens in his life. "Please be okay, Angel. Please."

As always, let me know what you think!

~LoveInk