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She Will Be Loved

Chapter 58: Protection

By Love Ink

Esai watched people move about Raffa's parent's house as they decorated for his father's birthday party. He was surrounded by his entire Mayan "family", yet he still felt incredibly alone. There were no extra girls to distract him or give him company since it was a family event; they'd come later when they took the after party to the clubhouse. For now, he was left to his own devices. He stared down at his phone, at the last text Angela had sent him. It was from before their break up, before she'd caught him cheating, and all it read was "Love you". That was the last thing she'd wrote him. The rest of the texts were all from him. Asking her to call him. Telling her he was sorry and wanted to talk, but she wouldn't text or call him back.

His thoughts went back to the last time he saw her. The look of pain in her eyes as she walked away. Idiot that he was, he hadn't gone after her. He'd let her go, figuring she'd come back to him. She always seemed to come back to him. Plus, she might be pregnant. The condom had broken the last time they'd had sex, and he hadn't told her, so it was a possibility. Would she be far enough along that she'd realize it now? He wasn't sure how that pregnancy shit worked. Would she even tell him? Was that why she wasn't calling him back? Was she afraid of what he'd do? To some guys a baby would be a bad thing, but Esai wanted it. Wanted to have something that would forever tie them together. She wouldn't leave him if she had his kid. A baby would be his way back in. They could be a family.

He glanced over to where Rosa, Vanessa, and Lino were all hanging out. Angela would've been there with them if they were still together. She'd be sitting there laughing and joking around with them. She had an obnoxious laugh. One he could identify anywhere. He didn't hear it much; he wasn't a funny guy, but her friends were always making her laugh. He wondered if she'd talked to them recently. If they knew anything about her. They had to. Angela wouldn't just cut them out. She hadn't when she'd moved away the last time. "Ro say anything new about Angelita?" he asked Rafael who was at his side as usual. Raffa was notorious for being a gossip. Aside from her friends, if anyone knew anything about Angela, it'd be him.

Raffa was quiet for a long moment before he shrugged. "Rosa talks to her every so often. Sounds like she might be movin' on. Goin' to counselin' and shit. Think she's in Oakland today. Sons are posted up at her Ma's place guarding our new shit, so she's probably there with 'em. She don't go anywhere alone anymore."

Her childhood house wasn't that far from Rosa and Raffa's. It wouldn't be that hard to just show up there. Try to talk to her in person. She might be more reasonable then. Might actually hear him out. "Huh. We got any guys over there?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Not right now. Think Lino's the only one allowed since he's somewhat trusted, but he's here so...probably got that prospect dude on her now."

Juice. Esai hated that guy. He'd known the first time he'd seen the two of them together how much Juice loved Angela. It was written all over his face, and Esai wasn't stupid, he knew Angela cared about him too. "Fuckin' asshole. They together now?"

"Fuck if I know," Raffa said on a scoff. "Fuckin' Rosa goes quiet every time I go anywhere near her when she's on the phone with Ang."

He bobbed his head in a nod. That made sense. Rosa was always too smart for her own good. It was why she and Angela were such good friends. He wished Rosa would throw him a bone though. She was like a sister to him, the least she could do was help him out. He knew she wouldn't though; she barely talked to him at all. In fact, when he tried, she just glared at him and walked away like she hadn't heart him. "Think I'm gonna go give Angelita a visit. See if she'll talk to me."

Raffa stepped in his way. "Don't. Your dad told you to stay away, man."

Ever since the little moment they had in the SAMCRO clubhouse, his old man had told him to stay away. Apparently, he'd embarrassed him that night, and he didn't want it to happen again. He told him to stop acting like a child, own up to his mistake, and get over it. Move on. But he couldn't. Angela was his, she always would be. "I don't give a fuck what he says. I'm not going to start shit. I just want to talk. She owes me that much. I mean, I fucked up one time, and she goes crazy. Nah, we're gonna talk it through. I'll win her back. Did it before, and I can do it again."

Raffa didn't look too thrilled with the idea. For the first time, it look like he might disagree with him. "I dunno, E. We're okay with the Sons. You don't want to start shit again. You're fuckin' lucky her cousin was outta town when all the shit went down. Goin' over there now could fuck everythin' up. Just leave her alone."

" 'm not gonna do anythin'. Just want to see her. Talk to her. Shit, she might be havin' my kid! I should know that shit! She can't hide from me forever!"

"Dude, Ang ain't shady. If she was havin' your baby, she'da told you," he defended on a scowl.

Esai frowned, knowing Rafa was right but not really wanting to accept it. His mind was made up. He was going to see her whether his best friend backed him or not. "What if she don't know yet?"

"It's been over a month. She'd know. She ain't stupid."

"I need to see her, Raf. We're meant to be. You know that. Said it yourself. I gotta take my chance while Sons and Mayans are still good!" he insisted, grasping at straws now; he'd take his chance no matter what the situation between the clubs was. It'd never stopped him before. "You gonna cover for me or what?"

Rafa sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I got your back. Just don't do anythin' stupid."

Esai smirked, slapping him on the shoulder lightly. "Never do," he said before heading out the door towards his truck. He didn't want to take the bike, knowing the sound of it would alert the Sons that another biker had arrived. No, the truck was subtler, and she'd knew the sound of his truck well and would come out before the idiots even realized someone had come. He couldn't help but feel excited; he was finally going to get his chance to talk to her. Face to face. Alone. And he was going to use the opportunity to win her back. It was going to work. He could feel it.

The familiar sound of Esai's truck made the hair on the back of Angela's neck stand up a bit. Thankfully, she was alone in the house. Juice was in the basement with Happy and Koz doing something she wasn't privy too. Half-Sack had been sent on another errand, and her Ma and Aunt were still at work. She had strict orders to stay inside and had preoccupied herself with emptying the dishwasher. She glanced around the place creeping towards the front door, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards as she'd done many times in her youth when she'd snuck out to meet the very same person she knew was going to be on the other side of the door.

She was right. Esai was standing at the end of the walkway leading to the house looking just as handsome as he had when she was fourteen. The butterflies she'd felt back then didn't come, though. Her heart didn't skip a beat, palms didn't get sweaty. No, seeing Esai now just filled her with a sense of self-loathing. She'd let this man hurt her over and over again, and yet he still had the gall to show up with that stupid smirk on his face because he thought she was weak. That he could just win her back with a charming grin and some sweet words.

She approached him slowly, arms crossed over her chest. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her words tinged with anger.

"Angelita, mi vida," he greeted her with a smooth grin, his hands in his pockets. "You don't answer any of my calls, you won't talk to me, so I came to talk to you."

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "I don't have anything else to say to you. I don't know what you want from me."

"Another chance. Without the injury, without all the drama. Just me 'n' you."

Angela furrowed her brow in confusion. Was he serious? How many chances was she supposed to give him? "Esai, I did give you another chance! The whole time we were together was your second chance, and you fucked it up!"

He changed his stance, the smirk disappearing from his face. He still thought she was weak, and her angered response had clearly surprised him. "I didn't think..."

"No, you didn't!" she cut him off, taking a step closer to him. "You didn't think about me because all you ever think about is yourself and your needs. I couldn't fuck you, so you got it somewhere else, and I almost took you back because I thought it was just that once, but then I see those disgusting texts on your phone and I realize you were still fucking another girl! I was in the hospital, and you were banging some chick in a bathroom. And you want me to take you back?"

"Yes!" he shouted as though it was obvious. "Why not?"

"Esai, seriously?" she asked on a laugh. She couldn't believe his bravado. "Why? Why should I?"

"Because I love you and you love me, and we...we belong together!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the side. "And you're gonna have my baby, so we're gonna get back together anyway! Be a happy family!"

She stared at him, agape. When Lino and Rosa had told her Esai wanted to trick her into getting pregnant, she hadn't really believed them. The Esai she knew would never stoop so low as to trick her into something like that just to keep her. Clearly, she'd been very, very wrong. "Yourbaby," she repeated softly. "What are you talking about?"

He smirked at her again, and she hated him just a little more. "Condom broke last time we were together, 'n' I bet you're late. Aren't you?"

Anger came on quickly, and it took all her self-control not to launch her fist into his face. Here he was confirming his disgusting plan as if he was some kind of genius. As if she'd jump back into his arms without a second thought because she might be pregnant. Bile rose up in her throat. "The condom broke and you didn't think you should tell me?" she demanded, taking a step closer to him so she wouldn't have to yell. She was almost in his face at this point. "Are you fuckin' crazy?"

"You drive me crazy, Angelita! Don't you see that? We're supposed to be together! You know that!"

"Fuck that! Fuck you, you crazy motherfucker! Trying to get me pregnant so I didn't leave you! Do you know how fucked up that is?" she shouted at him, forgetting that she was trying to keep her voice low to attract less attention.

Esai didn't like hearing that. "I'm not crazy! I did it 'cause I love you!"

"That's not love! You don't love me! You love the idea of me! Of having this little girl by your side that you can come home to every night who'll have dinner on the table and watch the kids and fuck you whenever you want but turn a blind eye to you fuckin' around on her with your little putas. Who'll let you take charge and boss her around, and I'm...I'm not that girl! Not anymore!"

"That's fuckin' bullshit, Angela!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the side. "You want that too! A family! That's all you want!"

He was right. Her family had always been small and kind of broken with her mother being so distant and Happy being away for long stretches of time. Her aunt was the closest semblance she had to a normal, loving family member, and she was gone at work most of the time when she was growing up. She'd spent a lot of her youth alone at the house or with Rosa and her family...until she started dating Esai, and the Alvarez family absorbed her into their circle. She'd always wanted a big, warm, welcoming family like theirs and for awhile, she'd had it. It was what made leaving Esai so difficult the first time around. This time, though, she was older, smarter. She knew she had her own makeshift family, and she felt supported and loved by them more than she ever had before. "I do!" she admitted. "But not with someone who's gonna cheat and expect me to be okay with it! That's not a family I want to be a part of! I want to be able to trust my partner!"

"You can trust me! I wouldn't have cheated, if you weren't such a frigid bitch!"

"I was injured, you stupid asshole! If you loved me like you say you do, you would have understood that and wanted to take care of me, not gone out to sleep with the next available girl! What kind of man does that?"

Esai took a step closer to her. They were almost toe to toe now. "You sayin' I'm not a man?"

She didn't back down like he clearly had expected her to. She squared her shoulders and looked up at him. "I'm sayin' you're a pathetic excuse for one. A real man is loyal to the people he loves."

"Fuck you, Angelita," he seethed, staring down his nose at her, his blue eyes alight with fury. "You think you're some hot shit, huh? Think you're some kind of badass? You ain't shit."

Angela knew he was trying to hurt her, but she honestly didn't give a shit what he thought. "Then why do you want me so badly?" she shot back. She took a few steps away from him, trying to put some distance between them now in case he decided to go hands on. She didn't want to hit him again, but she wanted him to hurt just like she had, and she knew exactly how to do it. It'd be a petty move, but she didn't really care at the moment. "You know why? Because your family, your father, thinks you're a weak, pathetic man-child without me."

Esai lunged at her. Out of nowhere, a hand on her arm pulled her away before Esai could grab her. Juice stepped in front of her and shoved Esai back. "Don't fuckin' touch her," Juice growled at him. Esai stumbled but found his footing and got in Juice's face.

"You with him now?" Esai asked, looking past Juice at her. He tried to step around Juice, but Juice blocked him. Esai continued his rant, unperturbed. "Huh? You moved on from me to this piece of shit pendejo? Fuckin' puta! You really are a cross-club cunt, huh?"

Just like she knew how to push his buttons, Esai knew hers too. She clenched her hand into a fist, but before she could launch it into his face, Juice beat her to it, sending him to the floor. Juice loomed over Esai, a menacing look on his face. "Doesn't matter who she's with now. She doesn't want you," he stated, his voice level and lethally calm. "Think she made that pretty clear. Now, get the fuck outta here and never come back, or you'll have more than me to deal with. Don't want to fuck things up between clubs, do you?"

Esai practically jumped to his feet. "You think she's gonna stay with you? Fuckin' prospect," he asked, getting into Juice's face, puffing out his chest. "She is mine. I was her first everything. Her first kiss, the first one to be inside a her..."

"And I was the last. What does that matter?" Juice interrupted, smirking at Esai. "She don't belong to anyone least of all you."

Angela's jaw fell open in surprise at Juice's line. His response was crass, but it didn't feel degrading. It wasn't a lie, either. It was, however, the worst way possible for Esai to find out they were together. Esai blinked at him as his words sunk in before his blue eyes moved behind both of them. He faltered a bit, something she only noticed because she'd known him for so long. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Happy had stepped out onto the porch and was standing tall, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched. Kozik was leaning against the railing next to him.

Esai changed his stance, taking a step back with a cocky chuckle. "You know what? I got her back once already, I can do it again. You're nothing, prospect. She'll be done with you and back to me in a week," he said, spitting on Juice's boot. He nodded to Angela with an arrogant smirk. "See you around, Angelita."

To Juice's credit, he didn't take the bait. He stood there in a quiet, confident pose, staring Esai down, his shoulders squared. Angela watched Esai drive away, a sick feeling in her stomach. This was handled for now because Happy and Kozik had shown up, but it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Juice watched the lights on the truck until it disappeared. His whole body was tensed, his stomach in knots, and his knuckles throbbed from where they made contact with Esai's hard ass head. His mind was spinning with what he'd heard. It was a small peek into Angela and Esai's relationship when they were together. Esai was smooth, manipulative, and he could see where a younger Angela would've gone along with it, but Angela wasn't a little girl anymore. She was older, stronger, and it was clear Esai couldn't handle the change. Juice couldn't believe he'd gone so far as to try to knock her up just to keep her. What kind of asshole would do that? Still, his final words...I got her back once already, I can do it again...kept running through Juice's head. Was he right? Was the bond between Angela and Esai that strong that she'd go back to him? Juice's stomach twisted at the thought; he didn't want to lose Angela. Not to that asshole.

"Juice?" Angela's voice was soft, worried as she said his name. She lay her hand on his back, between his shoulder blades, where his Reaper would be one day.

The feel of it pulled it from his thoughts. He turned to face her, noting the little wrinkle between her brows, the nervous look in her dark eyes. What was she nervous about? "You okay?" he asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

She nodded quickly, a look of relief in her eyes as she gave him the smallest of smiles. "Yeah, fine. He didn't touch me. You beat him to it."

"Good," he said, relaxing a little. He couldn't believe Esai had even thought about laying hands on her, that he would've if someone hadn't stopped him. Juice glanced back at the porch to see both Happy and Kozik had already gone inside. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Glad you're okay."

She nodded slowly, reaching out to take his right hand. A frown turned down the corners of her lips at the sight of his red knuckles. "Let's go get you some ice," she said, tugging on them and leading him towards the door. He silently followed her inside, sitting down on the living room couch while she dug through the freezer for something. She came back with a frozen bag of peas and sat down beside him, putting the bag on his hand and angling herself so she was facing him better. There was an awkward silence between them that he wasn't sure how to break. She cleared her throat, an amused smirk on her face as she said, "Last one inside me, huh?"

Juice grimaced. "Yeah...sorry about that. I just...he was using being your first as some kind of claim on you, and that's bullshit. He doesn't own you 'cause he was your...whatever...just like I don't..." he faltered, not really knowing where he was going with it but hoping his point came across. "Its just stupid."

"Goof," she said, smiling as she shook her head at him. "I get it, though. It's kinda sweet. In a really weird way. Just glad the knuckleheads didn't hear it."

He relaxed a bit, thankful she understood where he was coming from. "Yeah," he agreed on a chuckle. He stared down at the frozen packet of peas on his hand, still thinking about the confidence in Esai's tone when he said he'd win her back.

"Juice," she said, catching his attention. "What's going on between those two tats?"

He smiled a little and shrugged. "Nothin'. I just...don't like to see you bein' treated like that," he explained; it wasn't a lie, but it hadn't been what he was thinking about.

She narrowed her eyes at him before she moved over him, straddling his lap. His eyes instinctively went to her cleavage, which was right in front of him. Forgetting about the bag of peas, he moved his hand to her hips. "Juice," she repeated, sitting back so their eyes could meet. She leaned forward, tapping her forehead against his. "Let me in."

"He said he'll get you back," he blurted out, feeling like an idiot the moment he said it.

Angela's brows furrowed together. "So? He can say whatever he wants. It's not like its gonna happen," she said on a shrug. She put her hands on either side of his face preventing him from looking away. "There is absolutely nothing E can do to make me go back to him. I'm with you, Juice. I want to be with you."

Juice's heart sputtered at her words. "Yeah?" he asked, hating the insecurity he heard in his own voice. At her nod, he smiled. "Want to be with you too, Angel. Have for a really long time."

Surprise flit across her face as it had in the past when he'd talked about wanting her. It was like she didn't really believe him. Honestly, he couldn't blame her; he still didn't quite believe she wanted him. "Still can't believe you never said anything."

He shrugged a shoulder. He didn't necessarily regret keeping his feelings to himself, though he knew they could've been together sooner if he hadn't. He was glad they'd taken their time to find each other. Grown up a little more. Now, it all felt right. "Neither did you. All worked out in the end, though. We're here now, together. All good," he said, leaning in to kiss her neck. Her hand stroked over his mohawk, seemingly encouraging him. He kissed down her chest, enjoying the smell of her perfume that lingered on her skin. He buried his nose in her cleavage, pressing a kiss to her sternum as he moved his arms up her back to bring her in closer to him. She laughed in response, a sound that he absolutely loved. Encouraged by her laughter, he started making obnoxious motor-boat sounds, which only made her laugh more.

"What the hell?" Happy's drawled as he walked in from the backyard. "The fuck you doin'?"

Juice jerked his head back so fast, he smacked it against the back of the couch. "Nothin'," he said, quickly dropping his arms from around her. Even though Angela didn't seem to mind public displays of affection in front of Hap; he still felt a little uneasy about it. Especially with the murderous glare Happy had in his eyes at that moment.

With a roll of her eyes, Angela moved to sit beside him with an annoyed sigh. "Kill-joy," she muttered to Hap. "What's goin' on?"

"Ma's on her way home. Said somethin' about startin' dinner?" Happy told his cousin as he sat down in the armchair while Kozik came in and sat down on the couch beside Angela.

Juice raised an eyebrow; he knew Angela could bake, but he couldn't remember ever seeing her cook. Not anything Cuban, at least. In New York, she'd cook a lot of basic dishes. Nothing as complicated as Elena's homemade cuisine. Raj used to order out a lot or cook himself to "de-stress". Juice was always under the impression Angela didn't like to cook or couldn't. "Can you cook?"

"You've met my aunt," she said on a smirk as she got up from the couch. "Do you think that woman would send me off in the world without knowing how to cook the meals of our ancestors?"

The last few words were said in Elena's accent which made Happy smirk in response. "Make sure you cook the chicken all the way through this time," he teased her as she walked by.

"It was medium rare!" she shouted back around a laugh. "And I was twelve, asshole!"

Happy chuckled to himself, shaking his head a little. Once he heard Angela start banging around in the kitchen, though, he leaned forward, his face growing serious. "What'd the Mayan want?"

Juice ran a hand over his face, remembering Esai's words. "Her."

Kozik cursed under his breath, exchanging a glance with Happy. "We can't kill him," he said as if that was a serious option. "Maybe we send her back to New York. Just for awhile. Let the asshole cool off. Find someone new and move on."

Juice's stomach churned at the idea of Angela going back to New York. No way. He wasn't going to lose her again. "Send her back? Are you serious? You think she's just gonna go along with that? Because of him?" he asked, already knowing there was no way. Angela wasn't a kid any more. "He doesn't have that kind of power over her. She's done with him."

Happy nodded slowly. "Not like she'd ever go along with it anyway," he muttered, turning one of his rings around his finger.

They were all quiet for a moment before Kozik asked, "We worried she'll go back to him?"

Juice clenched his jaw at the idea of Angela going back to that asshole. If it was something she wanted, that would make her happy, he'd let her go, but he'd have to leave California; he wouldn't be able to tolerate seeing her with someone else. Not now that they'd been together.

Happy's dark eyes landed on him, considering him for a moment before he shrugged a shoulder. To Juice's surprise, he shook his head. "No. Not now," he said, sitting back in his chair. Juice had a feeling he was inferring she wouldn't got back to Esai now that she was with him. He appreciated the thought. It made him feel like Happy somewhat approved of their relationship. Happy shrugged again. "And if she does, I'll kill him. Ain't no one gonna stop me."

The family dinner went by without a hitch. Elena was so pleased to have her boys and her niece in one spot, laughing and joking around together. She wished she could have them all there every night. It meant they were safe, that she could take care of them. The food had been cleared, dishes done, and Happy had gone up to his room to sleep while Kozik went back to Charming. The house was peaceful, calm just like Elena liked it.

She packed little Tupperware containers of leftovers for the boys and Angela to take to work the next day before heading to the living room. Her heart warmed at the sight before her. Juice was stretched out on the couch with Angela laying on top of him, her head on his chest. He had one hand rubbing up and down her arm, the other tangled in her hair, his fingers moving across her scalp in a way that must have been soothing because she was sound asleep. Juice was falling asleep himself, even though he was technically supposed to stay awake to guard whatever Happy and Kozik had hidden in the garage. It was unnecessary for him to stay awake, though; they were safe in this neighborhood. The whole block was under Vivica and her boys' protection, which was why Happy's club decided to store whatever they had there to protect it. Not a single gang would dare impinge on the neutral territory. Elena had a feeling the only reason the other boys had tasked him with staying awake was more of a test than anything.

She grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over the two of them. Juice gave her a sleepy smile in response. "Thanks, Ma," he said before his eyes widened. "Sorry, Elena, 'm just tired and..."

"Don't be sorry, mijito. You're family," she told him as she sat in the arm chair with a content sigh. He'd almost called her 'Ma' several times when he was living with them, but he usually caught himself before the word came out. She didn't mind. Not one bit. She loved the young man like he was her son had since he offered to clean up after dinner the very first night he'd shown up on her doorstep. "Speaking of family, you never told me about yours."

Juice was quiet for a moment, twirling a piece of Angela's hair around his finger. "Not much to tell. My dad split when I was still in diapers. Don't remember him at all. My mom's in jail on drug charges last I checked. She always liked the needle and pills more than being a mom. My sister, Jo, practically raised me, but we don't...we don't talk a lot. She's got a family of her own, and I...don't want to mess with it."

"A sister?" she asked in surprise. Angela had never mentioned a sister. Had never mentioned the boy had anyone else that cared for him. "Does Angela know her?"

"No, they never met. Jo...she's got her own life. A husband and kids. Little house. I don't fit in that space. I got into some bad stuff, and I...I didn't want her involved in it," he explained, his dark eyes sad. "She doesn't need me."

Elena frowned, feeling her heart break for the poor boy. No wonder he sought out love so much. His parents were gone and he'd pushed his sister away. He felt alone, abandoned. All he wanted was love, a family. She was happy to provide him with that love now, happy to have him as part of her family. Still, she had a feeling his sister would want to know he was alive and well taken care of. "She does," she told him softly. "You should call her, mijo. I think you'd be surprised at how happy she'll be to hear from you. Family is everything, you know. You have us now, pero you shouldn't forget your blood."

"Maybe," he said around a yawn. The movement caused Angela to stir, but she didn't wake up, just nuzzled her face against his chest. He smiled down at her, brushing his fingers across her cheek to move away a stray hair. "Surprised she hasn't woken up yet. Always thought she was a light sleeper."

"Not here," Elena said on a chuckle. "Here she is safe. Safer still in your arms. She'll sleep through anything if she feels safe."

Juice grinned so brightly she was surprised the whole room didn't light up. " 'm always gonna keep her safe."

"I know," she told him, standing up from the chair. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before passing a hand over Angela's hair. "You should wake her up and go to bed."

"I can't. I gotta..."

She cut him off with a chuckle. "Juancito, they're playing with you. You go to bed. If Happy says one word about it, I'll tell him I made you go to sleep," she said, winking at him. "You sleep on the floor, though. No monkey business."

Juice smirked and nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Setting some things up and adding a little fluff here and there. :)

Getting closer and closer to season 1 too, which I'm kinda excited about. Not sure if I'll start a whole new "sequel" story with it or just make this story super long...

Let me know what y'all think!

~Love Ink