However, Victoria didn't mind stopping by the butcher shop. Carniceria Reyes had always been like a second home to the nurse as a child since Felipe and Marisol Reyes had taken care of her and made sure that she was well fed while her father; John, was off dealing meth through the neighborhoods and her mother; Stacey, was off stripping at the local clubs or they were both in jail.
Finally, after about four more minutes of cool air streaming on her face, Victoria, sadly, turned off her red Hyundai Accent and exited out of the vehicle to face the sunny weather of California. The brunette nurse immediately released a heavy sigh at the hotness but knew it wasn't anything new before she locked her car and placed her keys into the front pocket of her light blue scrubs. Victoria then looked both way before she quickly crossed the street and entered the cool butcher shop.
"Pop!" Victoria shouted like she usually did when she would stop by while she gave the customers a small smile once she was in the presence of the smell of fresh meat. The Miller woman then headed towards the back when she didn't hear the gruff voice of the owner of the shop before she continued, "hey, where are you? I'm here so you can go take a break for a couple -" However, before Victoria could finish telling Felipe to go rest, she was surprised when she walked into the backroom and saw someone that she hasn't seen in eight years.
"EZ!" The brunette nurse shouted in shock before a small smile shined across her pale pink lips. "Look what the cat dragged in," Victoria joked before she held her arms out as she waited for her hug. Victoria was honestly surprised that Ezekiel was here. The last time that they had talked, which was a couple of weeks ago, EZ didn't say anything about getting released from prison.
Ezekiel let out a deep chuckle before he stood up from the metal chair and quickly walked over to his best friend. The younger Reyes then pulled Victoria into a tight hug before he twirled the brunette woman in the air for three long circles. Ezekiel listened to one of his favorite sounds as Victoria laughed once he placed her sneakers back onto the ground before he asked with a smile on his own face, "what are you doing here? I thought you would have left this town like you planned when we were younger."
Victoria gave her best friend a bright smile as she couldn't help but to be happy that Ezekiel was here in person. It had been forever since she had seen his face. Ezekiel had made it a rule that she wasn't allowed to visit him since he didn't want to upset her. But they did speak over the phone once a week, so they were still close. However, the one thing Victoria never did tell Ezekiel is where she was living. Victoria knew if she had told Ezekiel that she had decided to stay in Santo Padre then he would have worried about her, so she always kept that a secret during their talks.
"Pop needed the help with the shop," Victoria stated with a shrug of her shoulders before she explained, "besides, I still got to do what we talked about when we were in high school. I'm a nurse." The Miller woman then shot her best friend a small smirk as she added, "I just have some private clients during the night and the kiddies during the day."
Felipe loudly scoffed at Victoria's description of her job to his younger son before he told Ezekiel with resentment in his voice, "she's working with the MC." The older Reyes still hated, after two years, that Victoria was around the Mayans thanks to his older son. Felipe cared for the young woman like his own children, so he showed his disgust every chance he got for the fact that Victoria was running with the motorcycle club.
Ezekiel's brown eyes instantly widened in surprise at this new information. He had been back in Santo Padre for three weeks and he hadn't heard about any of this. Ezekiel had made sure his brother nor his father told Victoria that he was in town just yet as he was more focused on prospecting for the aforementioned motorcycle club. But now Ezekiel is pissed that Angel didn't tell him anything about his best friend hanging around the club and is also worried that Victoria could get mixed up with the wrong things. "What the hell, Victoria?" The prospect snapped as he couldn't hold in his emotions, "are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Victoria let out a heavy sigh as she knew that she would get this reaction if Ezekiel knew the truth. It was the same way Felipe reacted but with more yelling. Victoria understood why Ezekiel was worried but there really wasn't any reason to, so the brunette nurse opened her mouth to explain that she was being safe. However, before Victoria could even utter a single word, the older Reyes brother came strutting into the backroom with his loud boots and his MC colors on his back.
"Hey, Pop," Angel greeted his father with a single nod of his head along with his brother with a simple, "EZ," before he headed over to Victoria. The older Reyes then titled the brunette woman's pale chin towards the ceiling and looked into her hazel eyes with a lazy smile before he placed a soft kiss onto her smooth lips. "How was work?" Angel inquired once he took a small step back from Victoria.
Victoria gave Angel a small smile as she stared into his brown eyes before she murmured, "it was good." The Miller woman then moved her eyes over to her best friend, where she noticed the wide-eyed Ezekiel. The brunette nurse couldn't help but let out a heavy chuckle at the clueless Reyes. "I think we need to have a talk," Victoria told her best friend as she knew she needed to explain a lot of things to Ezekiel. The Miller woman then turned her attention onto Pop once Ezekiel nodded his head in agreement before she asked, "will you be okay while I take EZ out to talk?"
The elder Reyes silently walked over to Victoria instead of answering her question and placed a kiss onto the top of her head like he always does when he knows that she's about to leave before he grumbled under his breath as he stomped his way back to the front of the butcher shop, "I've been running this place for thirty plus years and never needed any damn help. Chica Loca."
The two Reyes brothers and the Miller woman all let out soft chuckles at the older man as it wasn't anything new that they weren't used to while growing up. They were all used to his small English to Spanish rants and his storming outs. The backroom of the butcher shop then grew silent after a moment or so before Angel turned his attention onto Victoria with a deep pout. "I thought you were gonna join me tonight for drinks at the clubhouse," Angel mumbled as he lazily wrapped his arms around the brunette's small waist.
Victoria shook her head in amusement at Angel's clingy attitude before she promised, "I'll stop by later." The Miller woman gave the older Reyes a small smile as she stated, "I just need to talk to EZ for a bit." She then stood onto her tippy toes and placed a quick kiss onto Angel's lips before she looked over at EZ and nodded her head towards the door. Victoria knew that there was going to be some tension between the brothers since they never really gotten along, so she wanted to hurry EZ out of the door before they started a fight.
Thankfully, Ezekiel understood Victoria's memo as he was only a couple of steps behind her. "Hey, uh, do you mind if I ride with you?" The younger Reyes questioned as he scratched the back of his head once they were standing outside of the butcher shop. Ezekiel didn't want to ride his new motorcycle just yet as he wanted to tell Victoria first that he was prospecting with the Mayans. He felt it would be easier than if his best friend saw him on the back of a new Harley with his kutte on his back.
Victoria glanced over to her best friend for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and mumbled, "sure." The Miller woman felt like it was obvious that Ezekiel would be riding with her as she didn't see Pop's truck anywhere on the street, but she didn't push her confusion any further. Victoria figured Ezekiel was just still trying to get used to the outside world after being inside prison for eight years.
Once the childhood best friends were settled into the Miller woman's red Hyundai Accent with the soft sound of rock music coming from the radio, they drove the short drive to Mama's Tacos, where Victoria and Ezekiel would come to eat everyday after school. They ordered their signature order of al pastor and barbacoa tacos before they settled into the back corner of the small restaurant, where they instantly began to eat before Victoria decided it was time to explain somethings to Ezekiel.
"After all that shit that went down after high school," Victoria began as she decided not to actually speak the day that they lost the lovely Marisol Reyes as she knew Ezekiel already has that day branded into his brain, "I decided to help out Pop with the shop while I went to college. So I went to Sonoma State University about an hour away for six years and got my Master's degree." Victoria took another bite out of her taco before she continued, "I got a job at SPMC about two years ago which was around the time I got my second job."
Ezekiel took a sip of his cold Dr. Pepper and shook his head in confusion at his best friend's story before he voiced his puzzlement, "where does Angel come into all this?" The younger Reyes just couldn't put everything together from what he saw earlier at the butcher shop. "I mean, you guys act like you are a couple or some shit," Ezekiel mumbled as he took a large bite of his taco.
Victoria shrugged her shoulders as she wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. "Ange was dealing with the stress of losing mama M and stuff with the club and I was trying to help out the family while juggling college and losing you and mama M. So, we got closer by consoling one another and the next thing I know I'm best friends with the guy that used to make fun of my hair and glasses as a kid," Victoria explained, "and then one thing led to another, we ended up sleeping together." The Miller woman then let out a sigh when she saw Ezekiel's same confused expression before she tried once more, "I don't know what to tell you, EZ, we're friends but we are there for each other. If we need to relieve some stress, we call each other up and we greet and care for one another like you saw. We just don't put any labels on it."
Ezekiel slowly nodded his head as he began to piece everything together. The younger Reyes understood since he was locked up and his family was falling apart behind him while his best friend and brother slowly migrated towards one another. Ezekiel was just more pissed at Angel for never mentioning it during the last twenty-one days that he has spent at the clubhouse. "So, is that how you got messed in with the Mayans?" Ezekiel couldn't help but ask with anger in his voice for the fact that Angel not only stole his best friend but has also endangered her life by bringing her around the clubhouse - the sole reason why he hadn't reached out to Victoria since he's been back in Santo Padre.
Victoria waved her hand carelessly as she tried to push away Ezekiel's blame on Angel. "It just sort of happened," the brunette woman uttered before she explained how she got involved with the motorcycle club, "Ange came by one night with a bleeding Coco and I fixed him up. Bish then had Angel bring me down to the templo the next day." Victoria shrugged her shoulders as she commented, "I guess Bishop wanted to know if he could trust me after patching up one of his men." The Miller woman took another bite out of her taco before she continued, "anyway, Angel explained to Bish that I've been his close friend for years and explained how I've been helping out with Pop, so he accepted me. Now, whenever the club needs anything medical, they just call me to the house so they don't have to go through the hospital system or the tunnels."
The younger Reyes let out a heavy sigh as he stared into his best friend's hazel eyes. "Are you at least being safe and careful, Vic?" Ezekiel questioned as he still didn't like that Victoria was getting involved with the club that he's prospecting for. He knew how dangerous things can get by only being around them for a short while but he didn't want his childhood best friend to get involved in all the guns and drugs. Victoria is the only sane thing in his life and he didn't want to ruin that.
Victoria rolled her hazel eyes at her worried best friend before she exclaimed, "yes, EZ." She shrugged her shoulders and explained, "whenever I show up, it's just the club so I'm never around any of the Mayans' connections or enemies." Victoria then gave Ezekiel a small smile as she knew what was running through her best friend's mind before she stated, "you should give Angel some credit. He makes sure I'm never in the middle of the club's problems or in any danger."
"Oh, I'll give him something," Ezekiel mumbled under his breath as he shoved the rest of his taco into his mouth. The younger Reyes was still pissed that his brother was involving Victoria into the club and it wasn't because of their relationship either. Yeah, Ezekiel didn't like the relationship Victoria and Angel had but he thought his brother would be smart enough to not involve Victoria with the motorcycle club. It's dangerous as it is for them but now his best friend goes to the clubhouse on a basis which puts a big red target on her back.
"What's your problem with the club, EZ?" The Miller woman couldn't help but ask once she tossed her napkin into the plastic red basket. She had noticed the hostility towards the Mayans ever since she had ran into her best friend at the butcher shop. Victoria knew it was different from Pop's usual disgust with the club, but she just couldn't put her finger on why Ezekiel is so pissed off with her helping out the club. Victoria knew it could be dangerous for her but she and Angel make sure that she's safe, so she didn't see what Ezekiel's issue was.
The younger Reyes pressed his knuckles into his forehead with a heavy sigh at Victoria's question as he knew that he needed to tell her the truth. Victoria was the only one in town that didn't know about his involvement with the club and now that she knows that he's back, Ezekiel can't keep hiding it any longer. "Listen," the younger Reyes began as he messed with short nails, "the reason why I don't like you going around the club is because I'm prospecting and I know how dangerous it is, Vic."
The Miller woman's hazel eyes instantly widened in surprise at her best friend's confession before her brows furrowed a second later. "How are you already prospecting when you barely just got back to S'Padre?" Victoria inquired in confusion. She didn't know much about the process of becoming a club member for the Mayans but Victoria figured it would take more than just a couple of hours to be an official prospect.
"Uh," Ezekiel mumbled as he nervously scratched the back of his head before he confessed his other secret, "I've actually been home for three weeks and I've been prospecting for the last two weeks and a half." The younger Reyes knew he was going to be hit with a mouth loud of yelling from his best friend but he would do again and again. Ezekiel knew it was keeping Victoria safe by not telling her but, of course, Angel forgot to mention that Victoria already comes to the clubhouse and is also involved with a member of the Mayans. No wonder Angel makes me leave when someone's injured, Ezekiel realized as he waited for the blow from his best friend.
"Are you kidding me, Ezekiel?" Victoria snapped as she reached across the small table and slapped her best friend's black and red plaid shirt covered arm. "Do you not fucking realize how worried I've been for your ass?" The angry Miller woman ranted, "I got so worried when I didn't talk to you for the past two Thursdays for our weekly phone call. I thought something happened to your ass on the inside!" Victoria couldn't believe that her best friend not only didn't tell her that he was out of prison but he is also involved with the club. "Wait," Victoria paused with anger still steaming from her ears before she interrogated, "did Angel know all this time?"
Ezekiel nodded his head before he quickly explained before Victoria could go on a hunting party for his brother, "I told him and Pop to keep quiet until I was ready to tell you." The younger Reyes ran his hand through his short hair with a loud huff before he tried to convince his best friend that he needs to do this as he questioned, "who's going to hire an ex-con, Vic?" He shook his head and mumbled, "no one, that's who. At least with the club, I know that my skills will be put to use."
Victoria grumbled under her breath as she knew Ezekiel is right. No one in their right mind would hire a cop killer/ ex-con no matter the fact that he has a degree from Stanford. The Miller woman knew this is Ezekiel's best option at a normal life. At least he'll have Angel, the brunette thought as she knew the older Reyes wouldn't let Ezekiel do anything too stupid. "Fine," Victoria finally mumbled as she rolled her hazel eyes before she exclaimed once she stole a jalapeno from Ezekiel's basket, "I'm still gonna give Angel hell for this, though."
Ezekiel let out a thankful chuckle at the fact that Victoria wasn't too mad at him and the fact that his brother was going to get part of the blame as well. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Vic," the younger Reyes told his best friend with his signature, toothy grin. The best friend duo then grew silent for a few minutes as they both enjoyed the familiar atmosphere of Mama's Tacos and the soft music playing in the background before Ezekiel opened his mouth and curiously wondered and bit down on his bottom lip, "do you still talk with Emily?"
Victoria gave her best friend a sad smile at the question about his high school sweetheart before she shook her head and uttered, "we stopped talking about a couple of weeks into your sentence." The Miller woman shrugged her shoulders as she recalled what happened back then, "she showed up at the butcher shop one day in tears and said that she was going off to some Ivy League school and said that she was never coming back." Victoria took a sip of her cold water before she continued, "Em sends birthday and Christmas cards every year, though, so there's that. I also heard that she comes into town a couple days a month but I've never ran into her with how busy everything is around here these days."
Ezekiel's brows furrowed at the new information before he apologized, "I'm sorry that the shit that happened back then caused you to lose one of your closest friends, Vic." The younger Reyes instantly knew what day Victoria was talking about as it was the day that he told Emily that they were done - which obviously caused a strain in Emily and Victoria's friendship. That was the last thing Ezekiel wanted as he knew Emily and Victoria were always close during high school as it was Victoria who had introduced him to his high school sweetheart.
Victoria shook her head as she lightly waved her right hand in the air. "Don't worry about it," the Miller nurse assured her best friend, "it's just life. Some people come and go, no matter how close you were, and some people are stuck in your life." Victoria threw Ezekiel a smirk as she joked, "and I'm one of those stuck people in your live." The brunette nurse didn't blame Ezekiel at all like he was obviously doing. Emily Thomas was just someone she would say 'hey' to if they were walking down the street and saw each other instead of someone that Victoria would call to hang out and catch up on gossip. They just lost touch like many high school friends do.
The Miller woman let out a silent sigh as she watched as Ezekiel avoided looking into her hazel eyes and didn't laugh at her teasing. She knew he was lost in their past life, so she decided to get his mind off of his old high school sweetheart. "So Angel and Pop have been trying to teach this white girl Spanish while you've been gone," Victoria uttered with an easy smile shining on her pink lips. The brunette shook her head with a chuckle and muttered, "growing up in S'Padre for twenty-seven years and six years of private lessons from them and I still suck at it."
A toothy grin finally lifted onto Ezekiel's lips at his best friend's confession before he commanded in his native tongue, "escuchémoslo entonces." [Let's hear it then.] Ezekiel remembered all through junior high and high school that he used to try to help Victoria with her Spanish since she was always around his Spanish-speaking family but it would always end up with them just messing around like teenagers would. However, there was a few lessons when Victoria would come by and his mother, Marisol, would make the young girl speak short sentences while she helped make dinner as the older woman was always willing to help make Victoria feel more at home in their house when she would stay over while her own parents were gone.
"Deja de ser un gilipollas," [Stop being an asshole.] Victoria roughly uttered in Spanish with a wide smirk plastered across her face before she and Ezekiel busted out into a heavy laughter in the middle of Mama's Tacos at what she had said. "Pop taught me that one, so I could tell Angel off when he'd annoy me," the Miller woman explained the first sentence that she proudly showed her best friend - which happened to be quite vulgar.
Ezekiel rolled his brown eyes with a chuckle before he murmured, "of course Pop did." The younger Reyes knew he shouldn't be surprised that his father taught Victoria that statement. He and Angel never really had a close relationship to begin with along with the fact while they were growing up, Pop would always tell Victoria all these Spanish phrases to keep teenage boys away - sometimes phrases he wouldn't explain to the young girl to scare away the hormonal teenagers like Ezekiel would do for his best friend during high school as no one was good enough for her.
The Reyes man and the Miller woman both laughed together as they enjoyed each other's company for the first time in over eight years for a couple of minutes before Ezekiel opened his mouth to see what else his father and brother has been teaching his best friend. However, before the younger Reyes could ask, they were soon interrupted when his cell phone began to ring in the front right pocket of his jeans. Ezekiel gave his best friend a quick, apologetic smile as he pulled out his device before he looked down and noticed a text message. "It's Angel," the younger Reyes mumbled before he told Victoria, "they need me on a run."
Victoria instantly nodded her head in understanding as she was used to these random calls from the club whenever she would be around Angel. She has been dealing with it for the last six years while having fun with the older Reyes so Victoria is quite familiar with what needs to be done. "Where do you need me to drop you off at?" Victoria asked her best friend like she usually would with Angel if he rode with her as she stood up from the table and laid the payment for their meal plus an extra fifteen dollars for Mama Silvia - the owner of her childhood restaurant.
Ezekiel tiredly and slowly stood up from the red cushioned seat of Mama's Tacos before he lifted his arms in the air and stretched out his long body. The younger Reyes was feeling a mixture of sleepiness and fullness from one of his favorite 'meals-away-from-home' for the first time in eight years. Once Ezekiel had shook the tiredness from his mind and body, he turned towards his awaiting best friend with his signature toothy grin and finally answered her question in a fake, stern voice, "the prospect is needed at the butcher shop."
Victoria rolled her hazel eyes at her best friend's voice that sounded like a drunk Angel before she waved goodbye to Mama Silvia and followed Ezekiel out of the small restaurant while they playfully shoved each other around with the familiar sounds of their laughter echoing out of Mama's Tacos like they used to when they were still in school. The two best friends then headed towards Victoria's red Hyundai Accent before they took the short drive back to Carniceria Reyes.
Once they were back in the same parking spot from an hour or so ago, the younger Reyes instantly jumped out of the car and jogged towards the back of the butcher shop. Ezekiel knew he needed to hurry since Angel wasn't here yet, so he quickly slipped on his Prospect kutte from the compartment on the right side of his motorcycle before he started up his aforementioned ride and slowly drove it back to the front street.
"Looking good, Reyes," the Miller woman exclaimed with a smirk as she watched her best friend drive his brand new ride by the door of Carniceria Reyes. Victoria then walked across the street once she locked her car to get a closer look at the motorcycle before she released a low whistle. "Softtail Deluxe with 22-inch ape hangers," the brunette nurse listed off as she gently ran her finger across the shiny black paint job before she looked up at Ezekiel with a nod of her head and exclaimed, "she's a beauty."
Ezekiel lifted up his right eyebrow in surprise at Victoria's description of his motorcycle that he barely knew anything about. There had never been a time when Ezekiel knew his best friend liked motorcycles, so this was definitely a shock to him. "You know your bikes?" The younger Reyes questioned as he held his Harley up with the left leg while he placed his leather gloves onto his hands at the exact same time as the older Reyes parked his motorcycle next to the other bike.
The newly arrived Angel Reyes took off his helmet and laid it onto his right handlebar and took off his sunglasses before stuck them into the pocket of his Mayans kutte. The older man shot the brunette woman a large smirk once he was comfortably sitting on his motorcycle before Angel answered his brother's question for Victoria, "of course she does." Angel then nodded his head towards the right before he murmured, "come here, princesa."
Victoria rolled her hazel eyes at the older Reyes brother with a soft chuckle before she turned her attention back onto Ezekiel and explained about her interest in motorcycles, "when Ange and I were first becoming closer, he would take me on rides so I learned quite a lot over the last six years and I just got into all the details after that." The Miller woman then walked over to the impatient Angel after she saw Ezekiel nod his head in understanding before she was instantly wrapped in Angel's arms once she was close enough to reach.
Angel smiled slightly when he heard the giggling come out of Victoria's mouth before he uttered as he rubbed his fingers along the brunette's back side that was covered by her light blue scrubs, "we gotta make a run over in Nevada but I'll call you when we get back." The older Reyes then pulled Victoria closer so she was pressed up against his chest and motorcycle before he uttered softly with a smirk shining across his lips, "maybe instead of drinks at the clubhouse, we can do something fun... alone."
Victoria instantly threw her head back and let out a heavy chuckle at the older Reyes brother's obvious command that usually met sex for them. The Miller woman then patted Angel's cheek with her own smirk on her face before she whispered as she teased Angel, "in your dreams, mi querido."
This was usually how their routine went. She or Angel, usually the later, would start the teasing about wanting to spend time with the other before they would end up in bed together. But every time wasn't the same as sometimes they would be out at a party and they would both want each other or sometimes it would just happen naturally like a normal couples relationship would. That is what usually confused people since they would have these moments of being a couple but the friends-turned-bed-buddies would just push that away. They love each other like best friends but they never went further than that. They just never needed to push it any further as they were happy just by being there for one another since neither of them were interested in other people and there was no competition of other people in the way.
Angel let out a deep, throaty laugh at the brunette woman's statement as he slowly ran his right hand up and down her back. "Tu español esta mejorando," [Your Spanish is getting better.] the older Reyes complimented with a cheeky grin before he lifted his hand up to Victoria's right cheek and pulled her into a needy kiss. Angel then pulled away from their embrace after a minute or two before he whispered against the nurse's soft lips, "we all know I'm already in your dreams, princesa."
Victoria instantly ducked her head into the chuckling Angel's chest as she felt the redness reach her cheeks from his teasing like she usually did. It didn't matter that they had been fooling around with each other for the past six years, Victoria always felt this thrill in her chest when she would hear Angel's deep, bed voice. Finally, after about two minutes of standing there, Victoria felt the redness go away from her face so she lifted up her head and looked at the older Reyes with a small smirk. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ange," the Miller woman exclaimed as she shot back her own teasing.
"Oh, Dios mío," [Oh, my God.] Ezekiel groaned as he threw his head back in annoyance at watching his best friend and brother flirt with each other. "Can we go already?" The younger Reyes grumbled under his breath as he couldn't stand to watch this any longer. Ezekiel didn't even like this relationship or friends-with-benefit thing that they have going on, so seeing it play out in front of him was the last thing in the world Ezekiel wanted to do right now.
"Paciencia, hermanito," [Patience, little brother.] Angel told the younger Reyes with a deep chuckle before he placed his matte black helmet back onto his head and buckled it tightly against his chin. He then turned his attention back onto the woman in front of him and lightly placed his gloved hand on her right cheek. "If you get into any trouble while we are gone, call Pop or call the clubhouse, alright?" Angel ordered as he stared into Victoria's hazel eyes with seriousness in his brown ones. He may not be in a real relationship with Victoria, but Angel had promised himself a long time ago that he was going to make sure that Victoria would always be protected and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
Victoria held in her eye roll that she wanted to do at the worried Reyes as she knew that this is Angel's usual routine when he goes off on a run for the club. Instead, she nodded her head and murmured, "I'll be fine." Victoria then slowly and silently raised her hand to the back of Angel's kutte, where she knew his gun was resting, before she assured him, "I have mine if I need the protection."
Angel had given her the weapon the same day that Bishop had called her into the clubhouse after she patched up Coco and Angel had also taught her how to keep herself safe since she was going to be involved with the club. Victoria understood why Angel wanted her to have the gun since being around the club is dangerous, so she didn't really have a problem with having the weapon on her. It was just added protection for her when Angel wasn't around.
However, there was someone that didn't agree with Angel's form of protection for the Miller woman as the younger Reyes brother growled as he glared over at the person that caused his anger, "what the hell, Angel? You gave my best friend a gun!" Ezekiel couldn't believe that his brother actually gave Victoria a weapon. She couldn't possibly know what to do with it, Ezekiel thought as his best friend was never involved in that shit while growing up. She always stayed focused on school and volunteering instead getting messed up with all the gangs, drugs, and guns when they were teenagers.
Angel rolled his brown eyes at his brother before he easily told him, "relájate, hermanito." [Relax, little brother.] The older Reyes threw his arm protectively around Victoria's waist before he explained to Ezekiel, "you've been gone a long time, EZ. She's not the same little girl that you grew up with anymore. Besides, I needed to keep her safe from all of our enemies and this is how I decided to get shit done during the off chances that I'm not around to keep her safe." The older Reyes then pulled the aforementioned woman into a passionate goodbye kiss before he told his brother in an emotionless voice, "now let's go, prospect."
Victoria couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh at the obvious tension between the two brothers. She knew it would be coming with the different ways that Ezekiel and Angel both chose to protect her and the two different relationships that she has with them. However, Victoria knew it wasn't the time for this talk when they were about to go on a run with each other and they definitely didn't need anymore issues, so the brunette woman rubbed her hand across Angel's leather kutte covered heart and ordered softly, "be careful and take care of EZ."
Angel gave Victoria a cheeky grin as he focused his dark eyes solely onto her hazel ones before he murmured in his deep, sensual voice, "sí, señora." The Reyes brothers both then started up their motorcycles and gave one of the most important woman in their lives a small nod before they took off down the street of Santo Padre to meet the rest of the MC at their check-in spot so they could head to Nevada for their run.
The Miller woman silently watched as her best friend and her Angel drove off until she couldn't see them anymore before Victoria released another heavy sigh at the long day that had all transpired in the last couple of hours. Victoria knew now that Ezekiel is back in Santo Padre that everything is going to get more difficult - especially her relationship with the older Reyes. She knew Ezekiel was going to have something to say about it unlike everyone else, who had just grown to understand the relationship between the two adults. Victoria and Angel just had that easy going friendship that sprung to life after all of the shit hit the fan in their lives. Sure, them sleeping with each other was from a night of sadness but they still loved and cared for one another like two close friends and sometimes even lovers should. It was just how it went after sleeping with each other for seven years. There had to be feelings but Victoria and Angel just never brought them up. There was no need to when there was no man or woman in each other's lives that would cause things to get complicated and that's the way that Victoria and Angel liked it.
The other issue that Victoria is concerned about is the fact that her best friend is prospecting with the Mayans. Victoria trusts the motorcycle club with her life but it just made her worry about Ezekiel since he never wanted anything apart of that life like Angel always did while they were growing up. Ezekiel always wanted a future away from Santo Padre, so it was still a little hard for Victoria to wrap her mind around the fact that her best friend wants to join the Mayans. It is just so unlike Ezekiel to want to stay here and join the MC, but Victoria knew she had to remember that it's been eight years and people change. She surely did from the young girl who always dreamed of living in New York with a loving husband and a couple of kids of her own. She instead lives in the same town that ruined her parents with drugs and stripping and is in a sort-of-relationship with a guy that she used to couldn't stand as a teenager while helping out the local motorcycle club.
"Ugh, I need a drink," Victoria grumbled to herself once she jumped out her thoughts when she heard the sound of someone honking their horn as she still stood in front of the same spot that the Reyes brothers left her in. The Miller woman ran her fingers through her messy bun with a heavy sigh before she finally turned around to head into Carniceria Reyes, so she could help Pop close up shop for the day. Hopefully Pop has some beer, Victoria thought as she was definitely going to need something to help calm her nerves from Ezekiel's first run and this splitting headache that she had recently been sporting from the long day in Santo Padre, California where nothing is ever as normal as it seems.