Chapter 2 (Creeper's POV)
We were sitting in Templo, discussing the next run for Gallindo, when a loud alarm went off outside the door.
"What the fuck is that?" Angel asked and Bishop swore.
"I don't believe it," he said, shocking us when he almost ran to the door. He came back in a second later, his phone is his hand.
"What's up, pres?" I asked quietly. Phones weren't allowed in Templo, and even outside they were kept on silent, so we all knew something was wrong.
"Maya," Bishop breathed and now he had all of our attention. Maya was his younger sister, beautiful and brilliant. She used to hang around the club a lot and we were all close to her, until she found a shitty boyfriend and moved out of town. We never knew the details of what went down between Bishop and Maya when she left, but we all knew that, until today, they had no contact with each other.
"She ok?" Angel asked and Bishop looked at his phone again.
"I set this up for emergencies," Bishop explained, holding his phone up. "For her to use it… something's wrong."
"Then we roll," Hank spoke, standing up, and we all followed. "Where to?"
"San Diego," Was all Bishop replied and together we hit the road.
It was dark by the time we found her. Her car was parked in some dodgy-ass layby on the side of the highway and she was passed out in the back seat. Bishop threw his bike down, yanked the door of the car open and put his hands on her face gently.
"Maya?" He jostled her slightly. "You need to wake up, Hermana."
I was standing a few paces back to give them room, but I could see what a mess she was in. She had tear stains streaked down her cheeks, and her hair looked like someone had gone 12 rounds on her. I also spotted 2 empty bottles of whiskey on the floor of her car, but I said nothing.
"Obispo?" She whispered, her large brown eyes opening slowly. She looked confused for a minute before she registered where she was and who was in front of her.
"Bishop," she sobbed, and launched herself into his arms. My heart felt like it was breaking as the whole club stood there silently, watching our princess fall apart. She was far from the sarcastic, strong Latina we all knew and loved.
"What happened, Cariño?" He asked, holding her tightly. She shook her head, refusing to answer him. After a few minutes he looked up at me, and I could see the confusion and worry in his eyes. I nodded to him, letting him know we all had his back, and his sister's.
"Take me home, Bish," She whispered, once she let go of him. He looked down at her, worried, but nodded.
"Yeah, ok. The prospect can drive your car to your house and-," he started but she interrupted.
"No," she said, panicked. "Take me home." We all looked at each other in shock.
"Santo Padre?" Bishop whispered and she nodded.
"Please," she whispered, as if she had nothing left. My heart was aching at her pain and, without thinking about it, I stepped forward.
"I'll drive her," I told him and Bishop looked at me in surprise. "We can throw my bike in the van." After a moment, Bishop nodded. We both knew she was in no fit state to stay on the back of a bike for the ride home.
Just before the prospect loaded my bike into the van, I reached up and grabbed the blanket from my bed roll. I walked back over to her car, where Maya was now sitting in the front seat with Bishop kneeling at the side. I handed him the blanket, and he looked surprised, but quickly covered her with it. She looked up at me for a moment, smiling gently. Looking in her eyes only for a moment told me how much effort that smile had taken.
Bishop stood up, closing the door of the car.
"I'll take care of her," I told him, and he nodded, handing me the keys.
"We ride together," he called, letting the whole club know we would be sticking together.
She was silent for the whole drive back to Santo Padre. I knew better than to ask if she was ok; she wasn't. I knew she didn't want to talk, and I guessed the noise in her head was loud enough on its own, without me making it worse. I could see all the tell-tale signs of alcohol dependency a mile away, and my heart ached for her. I don't know who, or what, had drained the life from the woman the whole club loved as their own, but God have mercy on their souls when we found them.
Maya fell asleep about half-way through the trip, her head resting on the window. It was a temporary blessing of relief for her, but I was grateful she was no longer in pain. When we finally got back to the compound, I eased her car in carefully and killed the engine as quietly as I could. I stepped out of the car, Maya still fast asleep in the passenger side.
"Is she ok?" Bishop asked, stepping off his bike. I exchanged a glance with him, not sure how to answer.
"She fell asleep about an hour ago," I told him, and he nodded. Gilly stepped to the car, opening the door and picking her up like she weighed nothing. She was still sound asleep, as he took her to the dorms, laying her down on one of the beds. I put a bottle of water next to her bed, with 2 painkillers for when she woke, before closing the door. As the door clicked closed, Bishop let out a deep sigh.
"Whoever did this to her, is dead," he spoke with conviction, and the entire club nodded.
*** Mayans Mc *** Mayans MC *** Mayans MC *** Mayans MC ***
The next day(Maya's POV)
I woke up with a splitting headache. I sat up slowly, looking around, wondering if I was hallucinating. After a second it all came back to me.
I was home.
Looking to the side, I noticed a bottle of water on the nightstand, with some tablets. Smiling at the first kind gesture I'd had in a long time, I knocked the aspirin back and took a large gulp of water. Easing out of bed, I spotted a pile of fresh clothes on top of the drawers, next to a towel. I took a shower, allowing the water to wash over me. When I got out, I slipped on the sweatpants and oversized Mayans T-shirt and walked into the clubhouse, in search of coffee. Or vodka.
The clubhouse was quiet, yet every patched member was sitting there, waiting for me. I blushed, embarrassed about what had happened the night before.
"I'm really sorry," I started, stopping in the door frame. They all turned to look at me and Bishop shook his head, walking over to me.
"You don't ever need to apologise for calling us, Hermana," he told me, scooping me into his arms for a hug. I squeezed him tight, remembering how his strength had always made me feel invincible when we were younger. How times have changed.
"Come and grab a plate," Creeper said, kicking the chair out next to him slightly. I smiled, vaguely remembering him being in the car with me last night. I wondered if he was the one who had left the water.
I sat down and Chucky came over, dropping a mountain of food in front of me.
"They haven't killed you yet, then?" I joked and he grinned.
"We are familia. It's nice to have that, family," he told me and I grimaced. If I had never left my family, I wouldn't be in the position I was in now. I didn't answer, deciding to pick at my bacon instead.
"What happened, Maya?" Bishop eventually asked and I sighed.
"Do we have to talk about it?" I asked, looking up at him. He frowned.
"We found you pretty much passed out in the back of your car on the fucking freeway," he growled, "yeah, we need to talk about it." I swallowed my mouthful of breakfast slowly.
"I'll tell you, if you promise me you won't react," I told him and he raised his eyebrows.
"React?" He echoed and I nodded.
"Yeah. No… Mayan family, let's-kill-someone bullshit," I glared at him and then it was his turn to sigh.
"We just want to help you. What happened?" He asked again and I looked down at my plate.
"Nathan and I haven't been working for a while…. Turns out he was cheating on me," I shrugged, like it was no big deal.
"Jesus, Maya. I'm sorry," Bishop said.
"With Bethany," I clarified. "They've been sleeping together for months."
"Your best friend Bethany?" He asked, his gaze as cold as ice. I nodded, feeling my eyes fill with tears. Suddenly, his arms went around me and I sobbed into his chest.
"I don't want you… doing anything, Bish. Promise me," I demanded through my tears. He looked at me, torn.
"I can't let him get away with this, Maya. He promised me he would take care of you. He's a lying piece of shit," he argued and I shook my head.
"I just want to forget," I explained. "I don't want to look at you and the guys and imagine him and what you're going to do. I don't want to think about him at all. Please… don't put yourselves at risk, it's not worth it." He shook his head.
"What risk is that fucker to us?" He scoffed and I sighed.
"You're not invincible, Bishop!" I shouted, making the guys jump. "You could all go to jail for hurting him, if you were caught. Don't put that pressure on me, please. Please! I can't lose anyone else." I was sobbing again, and Bishop could do nothing but hold me tight as I cried.
"Ok Hermana," he eventually said, and I knew he was looking over my head to his brothers, who were ready to carry out whatever decision he made. "We stay away from him. You're not going to lose us. But you've got to let us help you." I nodded, pulling away from his chest slightly.
"I want to stay. I'll book a couple of weeks leave from work, get my head together," I told him, not wanting him to find out what had happened at the hospital.
"Good idea," he smiled at me. "Your room is always yours, you know that."
"Thanks 'mano. And thanks guys," I said, looking around at everyone. "I'm sorry you had to come and get me."
"We'd drive to Alaska if you needed us to, Cariño," Angel spoke from the bar and I grinned at him.
"I don't suppose I could borrow one of you for a bit?" I asked. "I need to run to town and buy some clothes." They laughed, looking down at what I was wearing.
"What? You don't like Creeper's style?" Coco smirked and I blushed, looking over at Creeper.
"I prefer it on him," I said shyly. "But thanks for the loan." He nodded and winked at me.
"No probs," he said simply, drinking a bottle of water.
"Prospect will go with you," Bishop instructed. "We gotta head out for a bit." I nodded, kissing him on the cheek as the guys filed out of the clubhouse into the lot. I waited a minute, until I heard the familiar rumble of the Harleys, before I reached over the bar was a bottle of jack.
"It's a bit early for that, isn't it?" EZ, the prospect asked.
"Shut up prospect," I snapped at him, pouring a measure into my coffee cup and then downing it. Looking into my cup for a moment, I nodded to myself. "Ok, now I'm ready."
We drove to the nearest mall, where I spent all of 15 minutes grabbing a handful of jeans and a few t-shirts, with some sleep shorts and underwear. I wasn't into fashion, and I had no intention on looking good for anyone with the way I was feeling. When we got back to the club, I immediately hit the bar again, feeling much better after I was 3 drinks in. I had left the prospect carrying my bags in, but I couldn't bring myself to feel bad about it. Grunt work was basically in the job description anyway.
It was mid-afternoon when I heard the guys pulling in, and my happiness quickly turned to panic when I saw one of them was injured. Coco had taken a graze to the shoulder, but it was bleeding pretty badly. Thanks to the couple of drinks I had had earlier, I felt more in control, and ordered the guys to sit him near one of the tables. I immediately entered nurse mode, gently removing his kutte before cutting away his t-shirt. Creeper placed the in-house med kit on the table next to me and I got to work cleaning the wound and stitching it up.
"Gracias, Hermana," Coco thanked me when I was finished, and I smiled. It was good to feel needed.
"He going to be ok?" Bishop asked and I nodded.
"No riding for a couple of days until the wound closes, but he'll live," I told them and Coco frowned, opening his mouth.
"Don't argue with me, Johnny," I scolded him, "or I'll have the prospect take the tires off your bike." Coco grinned, surprisingly.
"I was wondering when the real princesa would show her face again. Welcome back, Nena," he smiled and I rolled my eyes, though I was secretly pleased.
I left the guys to go into Templo, heading back to my room for a nap. I must've slept for a while because, when I woke, it was dark outside and I could hear the familiar hum of a full and partying clubhouse. Walking into the main room, I smiled when I saw all the guys together, laughing and having a great time. I sure had missed them. Coco was sitting on the sofa, next to a young girl with heavy eyeliner on. They were chatting to Gilly and Angel, who had a pretty gringa sitting on his lap, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Just standing there, watching my family, slowly turned from a feeling of peace to a feeling of despair.
I had thrown this all away. I had ruined my chances of being a part of this and even the guy I had chosen over this thought I was worthless. Everything I touched got damaged somehow. Without even thinking about it, I made my way to the bar. I ignored EZ, who was serving, when he offered me a drink. Instead I leaned over and grabbed the nearest bottle to me. Whiskey. Perfect.
I had drunk half of the bottle when I heard a voice behind me.
"Whatever answers you're searching for, you won't find them in the bottom of that bottle," Cheaper said quietly, coming up and sitting on the stool next to me. I looked down at the bar, my eyes filling with tears. I knew he was right, but my heart was in so much, I couldn't see any other way out. I felt like I was drowning and the drink… made me numb. It made the day bearable. And it scared the shit out of me.
"Help me Creep," I whimpered, "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Look at me, Maya," he told me, but I shook my head, too embarrassed to look at him.
"If you don't trust me, I can't help you sweetheart," he said quietly, which made me look up.
"I do trust you Creep," I answered, my green eyes meeting his brown ones. His gaze was deep and kind.
"Then you need to trust what I'm telling you," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "I will never take that bottle from you. It has to be your choice. I will help you, but you have to choose to save yourself." I looked back at the bottle.
"I'm just terrified of being alone," I finally admitted.
"You're not alone, Maya. Not ever," he said, drinking from a bottle of water. We sat there in silence, my mind racing. I knew he was right. And I knew the pain would be agonising when I had sobered up. But I didn't want to waste my life any more. I took a deep breath, catching the familiar scent of his cologne, and it gave me the moment of clarity I needed. Carefully, I pushed the bottle over to him, where he immediately picked it up and passed it straight to EZ. I suddenly felt exposed, panicked and my breathing picked up.
"Hey, hey, I got you," he told me, wrapping his arms around me as my eyes filled with tears again. He held me tight, allowing me to hide my head in his chest. "I've got you."
"Don't let go," I begged, feeling like if he let me go, I would physically fall apart. "Please."
"Never," he vowed, pulling me away from the crowd and towards the dorms. He gently guided me to my room, closing and locking the door behind us. He held me tightly to his chest, holding me together, as I sobbed until I had nothing left to give. Eventually, I ran out of energy to even stand, and I would've fallen if his strength hadn't held me up. Carefully, he pulled back the covers on the bed with one hand and sat me down, taking my shoes and socks off. I watched him bewildered.
"What are you doing?" I asked him. Normally the girls that hung around the club, and me before I left, would take care of the guys when they'd had too much to drink. Now it was the other way around and I didn't understand.
"I'm putting you to bed," he responded, pulling the covers over me as I lay down. He went to move away from the bed and I grabbed the bottom of his kutte.
"Wait, aren't you staying?" I asked. I was terrified he would leave me alone.
"Do you want me to?" He asked. I responded by pulling him back to me, crashing my lips against his. He responded for a moment before pulling away gently, resting his forehead against mine, shaking his head.
"No princess," he told me, and I pulled back.
"You don't wanna fuck me?" I asked bluntly and he sighed.
"I didn't say that," he admitted and I grinned, trying to pull him back to me, but he resisted. "Not today, not like this." I frowned, pulling the covers around me, embarrassed. Of course he didn't want me.
"Because I'm drunk," I finished out loud and he smiled at me sadly.
"No," he countered. "Because you're hurting and you're looking for a way to forget the pain," he explained, cupping my face in his hand. "I don't ever want anything between us to be something you regret." He kissed my temple gently and I reached for his hand as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"Why are you being so good to me?" I whispered and he looked into my eyes.
"Because you may not see it right now, but you deserve to know how special you are. I know… you don't believe it. But I would never lie to you. You'll see it when you're ready," he whispered.
"You're just saying that because I'm Bishop's sister," I mumbled, feeling exhausted again. "You have to treat me like family. You're all forced to be my brothers. No one would stay if they had a choice." He sighed, pulling his own boots off and climbing into the best next me, tucking me into his side before I could protest.
"Not one of us came because we were forced to," he whispered, stroking my hair gently. "Yes, you're seen as family here… but I've never seen you as a sister."
"Stay," I whispered, feeling the darkness beginning to take hold.
"Always," he replied, pulling me closer as I finally drifted away.
