Happy Holidays everyone! :D
Gah this chapter took a lot of changing! I had a little filler planned, but I figured I'd get down to it and bring on the action!
Thank you so much for all your reviews, favorites, and follows! I got back to most of you but thanks to:
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Lino, Chloe, Soli, and Evie. The rest is all from the mind of the brilliant Kurt Sutter. :)
Overexposed
Chapter 8: Captured
By Love Ink
Juice was happy to wake up the next morning with his wife snuggled against him. He studied Angela's hand where it lay on his chest, smiling to himself. He loved her hands. They were so graceful and pretty yet strong enough to massage even the biggest knots out of his back. A perfect representation of the woman they belonged to: strong and beautiful. He swore he knew her hands better than his own; which was why he picked up on how swollen her knuckles were, how they were purple as if she'd bruised them somehow. He lifted her hand off of his chest, brushing his thumb over one gently, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. She jerked her hand back in response, a low hiss of pain leaving her lips.
"You punch someone?" he asked, gently taking her hand in his again and noticing her slightly swollen wrist too. Her right wrist was the same one she routinely injured, the one that ached on cold days and throbbed if she'd been typing on the computer too much at work.
"Mmm, don't worry about it," she murmured, snuggling in closer to him and moving her leg across his, her foot pressed against his calf.
As distracting as it was to have her so close after not being together for so long, he was laser focused on whatever the hell had happened to her hand. "Angel, who'd you hit?"
She sighed softly, pressing a kiss to his throat. "No one important," she answered, her voice muffled by his skin. He tangled his fingers into her hair, gently tugging it back so she'd stop teasing him with her kisses. Her lip stuck out in a slight pout before she gave in. "Chibs."
He tensed at the name, his grip on her hand tightening a bit. The image of the Scot's cold dark eyes staring at him from across the diner table came to mind as the last words he said to him flashed through his head; Ain't no way you're ever getting back to those girls. Swallowing hard, he shook his head, holding Angela just a little tighter. Chibs had been wrong, of course. He'd gotten back to his girls, to his family, but it had almost cost him everything. "Jesus Christ, baby," he breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
Angela lifted her head up, her brows drawn together in worry. "Juice, relax. Its okay."
"No its not. He…you talked to him? He…did he come to you?" he asked, still reeling. She hesitated a bit before nodding. Juice felt like he couldn't breathe; why couldn't he just leave them alone? Quickly, he sat up against the headrest, bringing his knees up to his chest and setting his elbows a top them as he shoved his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself down.
He felt her fingernails rake over the back of his neck as she tried to soothe him. "Breathe, baby. I'm okay. Nothing happened," she assured him, kissing his temple. "I punched him, remember? If anyone should be fearing for his life, its that motherfucker."
Juice knew she was trying to get him to laugh, to calm him down somewhat, but he didn't find it funny. "What did he want?" he asked, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the soothing feel of Angela's fingers caressing his skin.
She hesitated again, and he loved her for that. Loved how she wanted to protect him, how she was trying to save him from spiraling deep into the dark place he'd been in when he'd left Charming. "Juice…"
"Please, baby. I need to know."
Angela nodded slowly. "He wanted to apologize. Make things right," she explained on a sigh.
"That it?" he asked, sensing there was something she was keeping from him. He looked up at her, into her worried dark eyes. "I can handle it, baby. Just tell me."
Slowly, she moved over him, straddling his lap before taking his face into her hands. "I love you," she told him, bumping her forehead against his. "That's all that matters. The rest is just…bullshit. All that matters is just you and me and our family."
"Our family that he wants to be a part of," Juice replied, pulling away from her a bit. She didn't' look at all surprised to hear he wanted to be a part of the family which meant she'd been trying to keep it from him. He wondered how long she'd known. "Ken said he met up with him last time he was here, that he asked about Monk."
This time the shock was evident on her face, she sat back on his thighs, a mixture of anger and hurt on her face. "What?"
"You didn't know?" he asked, a little surprised himself. Kenny said he hadn't told her, but Juice hadn't really believed them; their son didn't keep much from them, especially from her.
"No," she answered, raking her hand through her already messy hair. "That little fucker."
Juice chuckled softly, the sound of it building into a full on laugh as the absurdity of it all hit him. Chibs had told him to kill himself, had wanted him dead, and now all he wanted was to be a part of his family, a family he would have been a part of if he only helped him from the get go. "This shit is so fucking backwards," he said around a laugh. "What the fuck is wrong with him?"
Angela laughed lightly. "Where do you want me to start?"
He grabbed her right hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles before bringing them to his lips to dot kisses across them. "How's your wrist?"
"I'll live," she replied with a wicked grin. "Was totally worth it. I tried to be good. Kept my hands to myself for a good ten minutes, but then he tried to give me cash 'cause he thought I couldn't provide for my kids, and I lost it. Slugged him as hard as I could. No one questions my mothering skills without being smacked around."
He smiled proudly at her. One of the things he admired and loved most about her was how she always defended herself. No one messed with her family and got away unscathed. "My badass Mama bear. I love you. You know that?"
Angela rolled her eyes at him, sliding her fingers in her hair and tugging lovingly. "You've mentioned it before."
"Mmm," he hummed, closing his eyes at the feel of her fingers playing with his hair, a feeling he absolutely loved. He slipped his hand under her shirt, dragging his fingers over the barely there bump of her stomach. "I do. Love you and our Sasquatch and our Monkey and our future little bug."
She laughed, her head tipping back as she did so, her dark hair tumbling down her shoulders. They'd only just started calling Kenny 'Sasquatch' because Evie insisted her big brother get an animal nickname like hers. Giraffe hadn't stuck but Sasquatch sure had. "Our crazy zoo of a family," she mused, leaning forward to kiss him again. "Which reminds me, I have to call your sister. She was in charge of making sure you stayed put."
"She had no idea what was happenin'. Arranged all this shit on my own," he lied easily.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know I don't believe you, right?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm here now," he told her, squeezing her hips. "Made a deal with Alvarez. Played the 'family' card so soften him up, sealed the deal by offering up my hacking skills, told him I'd help update their shit. Help him get any info he needed whenever he needed it."
"Are you telling me you're the bew Mayan Intelligence Officer?" she asked in disbelief.
He chuckled at the idea of donning another cut, of getting back into the one percenter life that had almost killed him. "Nah, just a friend of the club. Lino gave me a code name 'n' everything."
"Lino?" she questioned in disbelief. "Juice, just how many people did you talk to?"
"Well, Lino 'n' I caught up on the way over. I landed in SF, so it was a longer drive than normal," he explained on a shrug. "You didn't ask my nickname."
Angela rolled her eyes at him. "What's your nickname?"
"Tonto. Like Lone Ranger status. Y'know, his side kick was Tonto, and he was super badass?" he asked, excited to have been somewhat accepted into the family. Her laughter filled the room, making him feel warm and fuzzy all over despite the fact he had no idea what she was laughing about. "What? What's so funny?"
"Tonto," she replied, giving the word a more Spanish-sounding tone, "means 'idiot in Spanish, goofy."
He scowled, slightly crestfallen. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, dude," she said around a chuckle. Her smile faded a bit as she studied his face, her fingers brushing across his cheek lovingly. "I don't know if I like you workin' for Marc. I mean, I love him. He's been a great father figure to me in the past and he's a great grandfather to our kids…"
"But…" he coaxed, trailing his fingers over her shoulder and down her arm. He was obsessed with how good her skin felt underneath his fingertips. He could touch her all day.
Angela shivered a bit under his caresses but continued on undeterred, "But he killed his own son to make a deal with SAMCRO. I trust him with my life and with our kids, but not with yours. I'm surprised you do."
"He's puttin' a lotta trust in me by lettin' me look in on all his shit," he pointed out. "Plus, Marcus loves Evie. He's not gonna do anythin' to hurt her. That I know for sure."
She still looked unsure. "I hope you're right."
"I am," he assured her, capturing her lips in a lazy kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth. He flipped her over onto her back, smiling when she squealed in response. He pulled away to look at her, holding himself above her despite the way she was trying to pull him back down by wrapping her legs around his waist. "We're gonna be okay, baby. Everything is going to work out. It always does for us."
Angela frowned, her fingers lazily tracing over the tattoo inked on his chest. "Don't jinx it, goofy. All we need is for our luck to run out."
He shook his head slowly. "Nah," he replied, kissing her again. " 's long as I got you, I'm the luckiest man in the world."
She rolled her eyes, but he could see the smallest hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Mushhead."
He leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against hers before kissing her again. "What are your plans for today, Mama?" he asked, rolling off of her and lying on his side next to her.
"I was going to go to Charming for a baby appointment, remember?" she told him, smiling warmly as he brushed his fingers over her lower belly. "Was gonna do that then work a little, but now…I gotta cancel the appointment, but…"
"You still got work to do," he finished with a smile. "So go. I'll do my research, find Bug the best doctor in the Bay Area, 'n' we'll do the appointment shit tomorrow. Make Chlo go with us 'n' everythin'. It'll be just like doin' it in Charming just…not. You go to work and have fun. Keep those boys in line."
Angela's big smile gave him butterflies; he hadn't seen her so genuinely happy in a long time. "Sounds good. I'll try and be back early."
"Mm-kay. What's Monk up to?"
"Today is Abuela Dia's day," she explained on a smirk. "Dia's got a whole day planned for Eves and Tessa and Lino and the Evil Queen. Wants to get Soli used to having little kids around."
Juice was surprised Angela was okay with their daughter being around her old rival. "You okay with that?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't want to hang out with Soli, but as long as Dia and Lino are around, I don't mind it. I trust them," she explained simply. "And you? What are you gonna do?"
"Besides miss you?" he asked, grinning when she rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. "Research some doctors for Bug and start on all this Mayan shit. Show Marcus I wasn't kiddin' when I said I could help."
Angela smiled proudly, tracing her finger down his cheek. "My sexy, smart hacker man." She leaned in close so that her lips were just inches away from his. "Think you could hack your way into my panties?"
Juice chuckled at her lame line. "Seriously?" he asked. She nodded, straddling him again and grinding her hips against his to show him how serious she was. He bit his lip, enjoying the friction for a moment before quickly grabbing her around the waist and rolling her onto her back. Holding himself over her, he grinned as her laughter filled the small room. God, he was a lucky man. He leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. A long, lazy kiss that made him sigh in content. He may be risking a lot to be there, but he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
Lino held Soli's hand, swinging it in between them as they waited in line at the local carnival's ticket booth. It was a free entry day so the whole place was packed with people. Dia had sent them to get more ride tickets while she waited with Evie for Tessa to get off the Dragon roller coaster ride. Evie had ridden it once, hated it, and refused to go again. Meanwhile, Tessa stubbornly insisted on riding it again. Dia had asked them to get more tickets for the other rides, so she could sit with Evie while they watched Tessa ride it once more. "Still can't believe Eva freaked out on the coaster," Lino stated, shaking his head. "Ang 'n' I rode that thing once, decided it was boring, and went to the bigger shit. No baby dragon ride for us. Eva musta gotten the scaredy cat gene from her Pops."
Soli smiled nervously; she was still a little unsure about hanging out with Angela's daughter. "Yeah. Maybe," she mused, humoring him. "You asked Angela about me hangin' with her daughter, right?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand. "Por supuesto. She don't care, Mami. Relax," he assured her for the fiftieth time. "Why you so worried?"
She looked down at their hands, her thumb moving nervously over his knuckles. "I was awful to her when we were younger. I was so jealous of her bein' with E that I…I tormented her. Made her feel like shit whenever I could 'cause I wanted what she had. If I were her, I wouldn't want me anywhere near her kid."
Lino shrugged it off. He knew how bad Soli had been to her, had heard Angela complaining about it more than once when they were growing up. "Was a long time ago. You grew up a lot since then, baby," he told her, kissing her cheek. "She knows you're sorry. I told her. Plus, I'm like her brother. She trusts me."
"Surprised she didn't throw a fit when she found out about us," she murmured, rubbing a hand over her belly.
Lino scowled at her, pulling out his wallet as they neared the window. "Nah. Never seen Ang throw a fit in my life. Throw punches, yes, but never fits. She gets angry, she don't use her words. All fists with that girl."
Soli nodded in agreement. "She does have a mean right hook," she answered, rubbing at her cheek as if she still felt the sting of the blow. "She hit me once, 'n' I learned my lesson. Started seeing how far I could push her 'til she got to that point. The second I saw her hands makin' fists, I backed off. Wasn't about to go through that again."
"I know what you mean, Mami. Been on the receiving end of that fist more than once," he said on a chuckle. "Know she hit Esai a few times too… 'course he would hit her back."
She shifted uneasily, tucking her hair behind her ear as she cleared her throat. "You know, I found a way to sleep with Esai the week after she skipped down."
He stared at her, dumbfounded. Why the hell was she telling him this? He was her boyfriend; he didn't want to hear about her sleeping with another guy! "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. It was awful. Kept calling me her name 'cause he was drunk. When I corrected him, he told me to 'shut up'. Guess he wasn't the guy I thought he was," she mused, letting go of his hand so he could pay. "He was kind of a dick actually."
Lino chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Think Ang would agree with you there."
That's when they heard the screaming. "Evie," Soli breathed, leaving his side and pushing through the crowd.
He looked over in time to see Dia being pulled away by a man with a hat pulled low over his face, his hand at her back, no doubt with a gun. Meanwhile, Evie stood alone crying out for Dia while she started to chase after them. There was another man hot on her heels, but Soli was faster and smarter. She weaved through the crowd, easily parting them in her attempt to get to the little girl.
He was closing in on Dia when he heard her shout, "Tessa! Get Tessa!"
Looking over, he saw Tessa just hopping off the dragon ride, another man in black waiting for her at the exit. Hesitating, he turned and ran towards Tessa, jumping over the gate and grabbing her before the other man could. He ignored the carnival worker's shouts as he plowed through the flimsy gate, knocking it over in his attempt to get away from the asshole trying to get to Tessa. "Hold tight to me, Tessa, all right? Don't let go," he told her, holding tightly to her as he raced through the crowd after Dia.
The people who had her were fast, but Dia was dragging her feet, slowing them down and Lino was an avid runner, even with Tessa in his arms, he caught up to them in the parking lot. "Stop!" he shouted, going for his gun as they loaded Dia into the black van. "Let her go!"
They didn't listen to them, slamming the door and driving away with a peel of their tires. He put Tessa down, aiming his gun and squeezing off a few shots, hoping to hit the tires, but failing miserably. "Fuck!" he shouted as it drove away. He felt Tessa's face press into his pant leg, and ran a hand over her curls. "Sorry, Princesa. You okay?"
Tessa was staring wide eyed at the street where the van had disappeared, whispering a set of numbers over and over again to herself. Lino pushed her hair away from her face. "You hear me, baby girl?" he repeated. She blinked at him, repeating the numbers once more. Lino kneeled so his face was even with hers. "Tessa…"
She repeated the number sequence louder. "That's the plate, Tio! Write it down! That's the plate! We need to tell Papi so he can find her! He knows how to, I know it! Write it down before I forget! Please!"
Lino quickly grabbed his phone, writing down the number as she recited it again. He closed the phone, putting it in his pocket. "Got it. Now, you tell me, are you okay?"
She nodded, sniffling a bit as she breathed in deeply. "Papi's gonna get those bad guys, right Tio Lino?"
"Yeah. We're gonna get 'em," he assured her, picking her up again and kissing her cheek. "We're gonna get 'em good."
"He was tall, Lino. With a black hat and dark skin. I saw him take her! I was on the ride, and I saw it. Papi always says to pay attention and not to scream unless they have me. I would've fought him, Tio. I know how."
"Good job, Tessa," he said, kissing her again. "Let's go make sure Evie's okay. She wasn't trained like you, princesa."
Soli was holding Evie tightly on a park bench just outside of the women's bathroom. Clearly, they'd run in there as a way to escape, a smart move on her part. Evie was sobbing, her face pressed into the older woman's neck. Soli rubbed a hand over her back, rocking her slowly. "Ssssh. It's okay, Eva. I got you, tesoro. You're safe now."
"She okay?" Lino asked, looking around them for any sign of the men dressed in black.
"No, she's not okay," Soli replied, kissing the little girl's temple. "She's scared to death, pobrecita."
He nodded in understanding, reaching out to stroke a hand over her soft hair. "Did you get a good look at him, Eves?"
"N-no," Evie whined in response, burying her face into Soli's neck even more, fat tears falling down her cheeks. "Want my Daddy!"
Soli glared at her boyfriend for being so insensitive, holding Evie even closer. "We'll get you to your Daddy, linda, okay? Right now."
Lino nodded, already dreading telling Marcus about what had just happened. This had to be the Niners. They'd finally strengthened their numbers enough to feel comfortable getting retribution for what the Mayans and Sons had done to August and their crew. The fact that they'd gone after Marcus' wife and his kid was not a good sign; they were trying to make this personal and it was not going to end well.
Juice hated sitting in the cold Mayan warehouse that served as a Mayan clubhouse. The place was filled with awful memories of his last moments in California. When he'd last been there, locked in that stupid storage closet, he'd thought it was going to be his last night on earth. He remembered studying Angela's face, drinking in every detail because he thought it would be the last time he'd ever see her. He'd been wrong, of course. Happy and Tig let him go. He was no idiot, he knew they'd done it because of Angela and Evie. Without his girls, he'd literally be six feet under. On days when Angela drove him crazy and when Evie was being a pain, he went back to that thought, and it made him appreciate his family so much more...which was why he took all the shit the Mayans were giving him, all the rude comments and teasing. He didn't give a shit. He was still alive and with his girls, that was all that mattered.
"How's it goin'?" Marcus asked, looking over his shoulder at the ancient laptop in front of him.
He rubbed at his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Workin' on gettin' rid of the viruses, then I'll put up a firewall 'n' install some software for background checks and shit. Train one of your boys on how to use it."
He nodded in approval. "Viruses? Anything bad?"
"Nah. Lots of stupid shit from porn sites. One tracking one, but it was weak. Got rid of it easily, someone over at the Alameda Sheriff's department was a little lazy with it. Plus, 's not like you were doing any illegal shit on here and there's no camera," he explained, gesturing to the screen.
Marcus rubbed at his chin. "Should we have a camera?"
"Absolutely not," he stated definitively. "Too easy to hack into and turn on. Both the mic and camera. Now that shit can get you in trouble."
"That Alameda virus…"
"Gone. With the firewall I'm about to put up, ain't no one gettin' into your shit," Juice assured him with confidence.
Marcus nodded in approval, patting his shoulder. "Good work, Tonto."
He cringed at the nickname, but bit his tongue; it was the first nice thing Marcus had said to him. "Gracias," he said, smirking at Marcus' eyebrow raise. "Been tryin' to learn some Spanish. Ang is teachin' Eves, which is gonna be trouble for me when Eves is older."
He chuckled, shaking his head at him. "Don't matter what language, those girls are gonna gang up on you eventually. Trust me. I got two of 'em too."
It was then that Rafael came running in looking a little pale. "Marcus, we problems," he said, out of breath and looking a little worried. "Niners…"
"Espera," he interjected, holding up a hand and nodding towards Juice. (Wait.)
Juice quickly scooped the laptop off the table. "I'll go over to the office. Let you guys sort it out."
"Nah, man. It involves you too. Niners took Dia. Went after Tessa and Eves too pero Lino and Soli got 'em before they could reach," Raffa got out quickly.
"What?" Juice breathed, his heart pounding in his chest. They went after his daughter. He'd been out of Charming, out of the outlaw lifestyle for three years, and yet, Evie was still in danger.
Marcus hid his panic easily, a calm look on his face. "Que paso?" (What happened?)
"I dunno pero they're on their way here. Got the rest of 'em callin' all the Viejas and family to get here. Need to lock 'em down for the night," Raffa explained, running his hands through his hair. He nodded to Juice. "Lino's callin' Angela right now. Gettin' her ass over here too."
Juice nodded, still trying to process everything. "Yeah, good."
As if on cue, Lino came in, Tessa in his arms, Soli and Evie trailing behind them. Evie reached for him the minute she saw him. "Daddy!"
He ran to her, taking her from Soli and holding her close. She was still shaking a little, tears falling down her cheeks. He kissed her temple, rocking her gently. "You're safe, baby. Daddy's here. You okay?"
"S-Soli saved me. The bad man came and Soli grabbed me," she cried, her face buried in his neck.
Juice looked up to meet Soli's gaze. She was a pretty woman. Dark hair, dark eyes not unlike Angela. She was a little shorter, though, and wore a lot more makeup. There was a nervous look on her face as she took a step away from him, as if she were afraid she'd over stepped her boundaries. He nodded to her in greeting. "Thank you. I'm…"
"Juan. I know," she replied with a little smirk. She looked him over for a moment. "Ang always got the best lookin' guys. Bet you know who I am too."
"You're the person who saved my daughter," he told her, running his hand over Evie's hair. "That's all that matters."
Soli sighed softly, looking a little more relaxed. "Thanks."
Lino walked over, Tessa's hand in his. "Tessa's got a plate number 'n' I'm about to call your girl. Get her over here."
"I can…"
"Nah. You'll freak her out. Let me do it. You take Tessa, see if you can track the plate."
"Yeah." Juice shifted Evie to balance her on his hip before holding his hand out to Tessa. He knew Lino had other shit to take care of, and he wasn't going to be much help with Tessa clinging to him. "C'mere Tess, we'll go find that plate."
Tessa looked unsure; she hadn't known him long enough to trust him. Lino squatted down in front of her. "Juan's a good guy, T. He knows how to do this computer magic that will help us find your Mama, right?"
He nodded, getting down to Tessa's level too, despite Evie weighing heavily on his shoulder. "That's right. You can watch me do it too."
She looked over at Marcus, watching him pace the floor while talking in furious Spanish on the phone. "Okay," she replied, putting her hand in Juice's. "I remembered the plate."
"That's great, Tess," Juice exclaimed, standing up. "C'mon, let's see what we can find."
Angela's blood ran cold as she listened to Lino describe what happened. Her daughter had been in danger, and she hadn't been there to help her. She looked over at Chloe, her heart beating fast in her chest. They'd gone out for lunch, but after hearing her daughter had almost been kidnapped, she wasn't hungry. "Chlo, I gotta get to Oakland," she said, already pushing away from the table. "Something happened and I…I…gotta go."
"Woah. Calm down. What happened?" Chloe asked, eyes wide.
"I can't…can't tell you here. I need to get to Evie. Now," she replied, her hands shaking as she dug through her purse for her keys.
Chloe stood too, walking around the table to get to her. She set her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax. Breathe. You shouldn't be driving like this. You're gonna hurt yourself and the baby."
Angela raked her hands through her hair, willing to do anything as long as Chloe let her leave. She needed to get to her daughter. Evie wasn't used to this kind of danger; she'd never had to experience it. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Let's go."
"Breathe, Ang. You need to calm down," she tried, practically running to keep up with Angela.
She pulled at the passenger's door of Chloe's car, desperate to get inside it and just leave. "C'mon, Chlo! Now!"
Chloe started up the car, pulling out of the little diner parking lot. "Where am I going?"
"Mayan clubhouse," she said, twisting at her ring nervously. At the nurse's questioning look, she explained, "Dia and Lino and his girl took Tess and Eves to some carnival today. Apparently, someone took Dia at gunpoint there. Was gonna take Evie and Tess too, but Soli and Lee got 'em first. Juice is already there, but I…"
"You need to be there too. Got it. Just put it in here, so you don't gotta worry about directing me," Chloe stated, handing her the phone so she could type in the address for the GPS.
Angela nodded, thankful for the idea. Her mind was a total wreck; there was no way she was goi ng to be able to focus on giving her directions and try to keep calm. She typed the address in and cursed. "Its fuckin' backed up. There's an accident or some shit. We're takin' the long way. Said it'll be shorter time wise."
"Yeah, good call," she agreed, pressing on the accelerator and heading in the direction the phone told her to go. She reached out a hand, patting hers lovingly. "Evie's okay, Ang. She's with her Daddy. No safer place for her."
"I know," she breathed, sniffling a bit. "Dia…she's strong and I know she can handle…anything, but…this is big. They kidnapped her. Who knows what they're doing to her and why or even who did it!"
Chloe nodded in response, squeezing her hand. "But you guys have the best hacker on your side, don't you?"
"Yeah," she answered distractedly. She raked her hands through her hair, fighting back tears. "Chlo, this is why we left Charming to begin with. To keep my kids safe."
"They are safe. This wasn't about you or Juice, this was about Alvarez and the Mayans."
Angela wasn't convinced though. She sat back, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. "Doesn't matter. It still happened. Shit like this always happens," she muttered, shaking her head. "Should've never come back."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "But you did. No changing that now. And at least now Juice is here to help. Without him, those Mayans wouldn't have a prayer in finding Dia. You know that."
"Hmm," she hummed, not willing to agree with her. She stared at the scenery around them, focusing on the trees as they flew by. Chloe's phone started ringing, an unknown number flashing across the screen. "Hap?"
"Probably. You can answer it."
Angela slid her finger across the screen and greeted the person on the other end. Hap's gruff voice came in reply. "The fuck are you guys?" he demanded.
"On our way to Oakland because some assholes tried to take my kid," Angela replied smoothly. "What's going on?"
"Turn around. Get to the clubhouse. If these assholes are after women, you two ain't safe."
"No way. I'm not goin' anywhere near your damn clubhouse. I'm goin' to my kid. She needs me," she stated stubbornly. Her eyes flitted to the rearview mirror as the sound of a motorcycle filled the air. It whipped past them, and she rolled her eyes at the crotch rocket. She wasn't a fan of the sportier looking motorcycles; it'd always been about Harleys for her.
"That a bike?"
"Yeah. There's another one comin' up next to us," she said, suddenly on high alert. She looked over her shoulder, panicking when she saw the a black van pulling up behind them. "Shit."
"What?"
"We got two slant bikes surroundin' us and a black van tailing us. Last mile marker I saw was twenty-six. The plate is 6U-"
A gunshot sounded and the car jerked sideways as the tire blew. Chloe overcorrected, sending the car straight into a telephone pole. Angela felt the force of the impact go through her body, felt the airbags go off around her. "Fuck," she groaned, grabbing for the door handle. "Chlo? We gotta get outta here. Gotta run."
She groaned in response, starting to move when they heard the footsteps. " 'm tryin'. Seatbelt's stuck."
"Shit," Angela muttered, struggling with her seatbelt as her world started to blur. It was getting harder for her to breathe, hard for her to think. She saw the gloved hands reach into the car, grabbing Chloe cutting her seatbelt and hauling her out.
"Hey! Let go of me! Stop! Angela!" Chloe screamed, kicking out her legs and doing her best to get away from whoever grabbed her. "Stop! You gotta get her help! She's pregnant! She's-"
The man jerked her around. "Who is she?"
"A-a nurse from St. Thomas, but you gotta help her. Please," she begged, trying to buy herself some time.
Angela closed her eyes, doing her best to breathe, but it was becoming harder with each attempt. Something was wrong. "Chlo…" she rasped.
"Leave her! We only want this one!" a man shouted. "She either dies here or at our place. Leave her here. Give the Sons somethin' to find."
"No! Ang!" Chloe shouted, struggling against her captors. "Angela!"
That's when she heard the car doors slam shut, the engines start up again as they drove away. "Hap?" she rasped into the phone, hoping he was still on the line.
"It's Tig, doll. Hap and the boys are on their way. You okay?"
"Can't…breathe," she told him, tears stinging her eyes with every breath. This was not how she wanted to go out; her kids needed her, Juice needed her. "Tell…Juice…love him."
"You tell him yourself, baby girl. You're gonna be fine, okay? The boys'll be right there. Stay on the line and keep breathin' for me. You got this. Just hold on."
Dun Dun duuuuuuun. The plot thickens... ;)
Tried my hand at some action. We'll see where it leads. (I mean, I know, but...it'll be a fun ride.)
As always, please let me know what you think! I promise I won't take so long to update the next one!
Happy Holidays everyone!
~Love Ink