Lyla stepped into the lobby of Diosa Norte just as Gemma walked in. She smiled brightly and called out, "Oh hey, Darling. He's not back yet."

Gemma detoured from heading to Nero's room to walk to the bar where Lyla was standing and asked, "Still in Stockton?"

"Think so. Look… Sorry about Clay."

"Yeah," Gemma replied like that word left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Grab a drink. I'm getting Juice a date."

"Juice is here?"

"Yeah. He's a little… undone."

"I'm sure he is, but…" Gemma stepped closer to Lyla's side and quietly added, 'But if you don't want one of your girls to be hurt or worse, you should call Mia."

"Mia? But… I thought they broke up."

"They had…" Gemma smirked then said, "But from what I hear they found their way back to each other. So here… Let me get you her number or it WILL get ugly."

"Yeah, I've heard what her dad can do."

"That isn't even close to what Mia can and will do if she's pissed off. You heard about her last attack, right?"

"Yeah… Something about her face being cut up?"

"Right. It was so bad that a plastic surgeon had to repair the muscles in her cheek before he closed it up. While she was bleeding out, she managed to take out the man who did it to her. But she's healed now, so…"

"So, I'll call her and make sure that no one else goes near his room."

"Good to hear."

Lyla took the card Gemma was offering and dialed the number on it right away.

XXXXXXXX

I looked down at my phone and almost didn't answer it when I saw the call display reading "DIOSA NORTE". But curiosity got the best of me.

"Mia?"

"Yes?" I hated that I sounded so confused at hearing my own damn name.

"Hey, it's Lyla. I don't know if you remember me, but…"

"I remember you," I interrupted. "You helped Gemma put me to bed the night I was arrested. How can I help you? Because I don't know where Gemma or Nero are right now."

"That's okay, Gemma's here. I'm calling you because… well… so is Juice."

"JC's there?" I asked as I felt bile rising in the back of my throat.

"You know about what happened yesterday, right?"

"I know what was planned, but Dad and JC haven't made it home yet, so I heard any updates."

"Everything went according to plan."

"Shit. Wow… Okay… Shit…" I moved my phone away from my face so that she wouldn't hear the quiet sob that escaped. "And he went THERE instead of coming home. Great. Well… I guess he's made his choice."

"MIA! WAIT! Please don't hang up!"

"Why not? He'd rather be with a whore than his… whatever. Thanks for letting me know so I can sleep tonight."

"I… I don't think that's why he came here." This time I'm pretty sure she heard my quiet sob when I tried to take in a deep breath. "He was pretty fucked up when he got here. I… I don't know what he took, but he's pretty high."

"He's…? Shit. That's why he didn't come home. He's not allowed to do that around me right now."

"That makes sense. But I honestly think he could use you here."

"You do?"

"Yes. When someone's hurting this badly, it's better if they're with someone they love."

"Wow, that's… deep. I'll… I'll pack a bag and get up there as fast as I can. Lyla…? Can…? I mean… Will…?"

"I'll keep an eye on him until you get here."

XXXXXXX

When I walked through the doors at Diosa Norte, it was pretty much exactly what I had pictured it would be; a nightmare. The room was filled with older than middle-aged men hanging all over beautiful women who looked like they could be their daughters… or granddaughters in some cases. I almost turned around and left right then and there, but I quickly remember why I forced myself to come here.

"Can I help you, Sweetheart?"

I turned towards the fake melodic voice to my right and answered, "Only if you can tell me where I can find Lyla."

"Oh… She's… she's…" I don't know what I did, but she took a couple of steps back and away from me as she continued to stumble over her reply. "She's with a… a… client."

"Great. And where is that happening?"

"She… she's…"

"Hey Mia."

I turned towards the familiar voice and felt every muscle in my face soften. "Lyla. Where is he?"

"Follow me." When we got to the door to his room, she placed a hand on my forearm and said, "If you need anything, just call. Okay?"

I wasn't going to answer her, but she looked so sincere and caring that I couldn't find it in me to be mean to her. "Thanks, I will. And… Thank you for calling me."

"If you want, I can…"

"No… But thank you." I squeezed her hand that was still on my forearm. "I… I think I've got this. But really… thank you so much."

Before she could say anything else, I slipped into the room. At first, I couldn't see him, so I put my backpack down on the dresser beside the door and took a couple of steps deeper into the room. The bed looked empty and so did the massage table. I couldn't see him on the floor, so I did the only thing I could think of and called out, "JC?"

The door on the other side of the room opened and JC walked through wearing a robe and carrying something in his hands. When he saw me, he stumbled back a step saying, "No… no… you aren't supposed to see me like this."

"I know that was our deal," I replied as I walked towards him. "But that being said, I'm glad Lyla called me."

"You shouldn't see this," he commented frantically as he bent down to pick up his cut. He started hyperventilating and fumbling with something in his pockets as he continued saying to himself. "You… you can't…"

"What do you have there?" I knelt down beside him and moved his hands into my lap. "What do…? Shit… Where did you get all of these?"

He dropped the packaged and unpackaged pills into my lap and sat down hard on the floor beside the toilet. "B-Bobby. He… he told me to… to come here… get high and… and… get head."

"He did, did he?" JC started to hyperventilate even more as tears started to spill down his cheeks, so I abandoned my anger. Instead, I pulled him into my lap and cradled his head against my chest. "I guess we should have told everyone about us before now, huh?"

He sputtered out something that I think was supposed to be a laugh, but he didn't say anything else. He let me hold him as I tried to comfort him. I really didn't know what to say because saying that I was sorry that Clay was killed didn't work. That wasn't the truth. He was a manipulative bastard who had brought nothing but pain to myself and the people I love, so him being gone would give me one more reason to sleep well at night.

And that's when I heard JC's words of comfort echo in my mind. Then I heard myself saying, "I'm sorry you're hurting. Please let me help to ease some of the pain."

"Mia," he whispered as he took in a snotty breath.

"Shh… It's okay, Baby." I kissed his head then eased him up to a sitting position. I got up and ran cold water over a face cloth. Once I was satisfied it was cold enough, I knelt down in front of him and pressed the cool cloth against the skin on his face. "You don't have to say anything. I know your feelings are overwhelming right now. Let me just be here for you, okay?"

He nodded then tearfully answered, "Okay."

"Okay." I leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. "Don't move."

I got up and rewetted the face cloth and then draped it across the back of his neck. At first, he tried to be stubborn and remain sitting upright, but then very slowly he started to move. Inch by inch he allowed himself to succumb to his need to be comforted and consoled until he was finally curled up on the floor with his head in my lap.

"Shh… Baby, I'm here. You're safe with me…" I whispered as I stroked his head softly. "I'm here for you and this time I promise I WILL fight for you… tooth and nail."

XXXXXXX

I don't know how long we sat on the bathroom floor, but It was long enough that JC's tears went from being frantic and afraid to remorseful. My hand hadn't stopped moving until I heard him let out a loud sob.

"He's dead," he whispered out to the room.

I don't know if he was telling me or just saying it out loud to hear it and make it real to himself. I know sometimes when you're in shock you have to say something out loud to remind yourself that it's real. I know I did it after my first kill because I couldn't wrap my head around the origin of the blood that was on my hands and dripping off my clothing. But no one had been in the room with me while I processed it, so I wasn't sure what he needed from me right now.

So, I went with what I thought I would want to hear if roles reversed.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I know he meant a lot to you."

"No, he didn't… he couldn't… If he did, then how could I… I…?"

"Shh… Now isn't the time for those questions. Just let yourself grieve right now… We can get into all of that later."

He nodded against my thighs and then rolled onto his back. That forced me to shift my hold on him. My hand fell from his head to his chest where I moved the robe so that I could rub circles against one of his new tattoos.

He reached a hand up and brushed the back of his knuckles against my right cheek. "I'm sorry you had to come out here. I know you hate it here."

"It's not so bad."

"No lies, Mia. We promised each other, no lies."

"I swear I'm not." I let my hand fall further down his body so that my fingertips could trace the muscles on his torso. "I made it out to be much worser in my head than it is in reality. Lyla is very sweet and I think I've been a little too hard on her."

"She is sweet… But so are you."

"I thought we said no more lies."

"What?" He questioned earnestly. "I think you're sweet."

"Oh… well… That I believe. So? Is your butt asleep too?"

He smiled wide enough to show dimples. "No, but I am ready to get up off this cold, hard floor."

"Good because you might need to help me up."

He rolled over onto all fours and pushed up to his feet. When he stood over me with a foot on either side of my hips, I reached up and undid the belt on his robe. He didn't move as the silk fluttered away from his body, so I sat up and kissed his left hip bone. He had a new tattoo of a bee there, which is why I kissed it again.

I had a new teddy bear inked on my right hip. The first night I spent at his house after I apologized to him, he had seen it while I was changed and laughed. I almost walked out of his house and never looked back, but then he showed me his bumble bee. We both had a bit of a laugh then. Neither of us knew what the other had done and the fact that we got them done in similar places felt like a sign. That night we decided to follow those signs and pledge ourselves to each other. We seemed to be at our best as a couple when we were being truthful with each other. Our promise to each other was to be honest. If one of us asked a question, the other HAD to answer truthfully, no matter how painful the honest truth might be.

His hands fell to my head and he stared bundling up my loose hair into a ponytail while I continued to lavish his hip bone with kisses and soft bites.

"What…? What…? Are you…? Doing?"

My hands slid from his hips to cup his firm glutes as I moved my head back just far enough that I could talk. "Bobby sent you to get some head."

"Jesus… Mia… I already told you why you don't have to do that."

"I know. But… I want to… especially if it's the key to helping you to relax."

I tried to move forward to take him into my mouth, but he used his hold on my hair to keep me from reaching him. I took the hint and sat back. I swear I didn't me to, but I know I gave him painfilled, devastated eyes at his apparent rejection.

"I still don't want you to feel like you need to do that but… Baby, even if I did, I can't… I PHYSICALLY can't… not after everything I took."

I let out a low growl then said, "Fine. Help me up."

He placed a hand under each of my elbows to get me on my feet. I tried to stand on my own, but I hadn't been joking when I said my ass was asleep. But I didn't get a chance to fall because JC caught me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck then said, "This is why I never want you around me when you're high. Especially if you can't get it up."

"And that's why I told you that you'd never see me like this."

"Good. Now let me help you to bed. After you've rested for a bit, I'll take you home."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

XXXXXXXX

After I helped him to the bed, JC fell onto it and crashed. I remained on the bed beside him long enough to make sure that he was actually asleep. When I thought he was sleeping soundly, I waited another five minutes before I moved off the bed.

I quickly picked up all of the pills I had removed from JC's grasp. When I stared at all of the pills and packages in my hands a cold shudder ran through my body. A friend of mine back in Tacoma had OD'd one night on less pills than I was holding right now. Even though his death had been ruled a suicide, I know it was an accident. He was just chasing a high and it took more than his body could hand to reach it.

That's why I made JC promise that booze and weed would be his only vices. Once Oxy was involved he wasn't allowed near me. Now that I was looking at everything he intended to use, I decided that was a stupid rule and I was going to throw it out… or at least tell him the truth about why it bothered me so much. Well… as soon as he woke up.

But first…

"I have to get rid of you."

I quickly left the room and moved towards the front of the house. If I couldn't find Nero or Gemma, I was hoping to stumble into Lyla. She would be sure to know where to find one, if not both of them.

"Mia?"

I turned around and let out a loud sigh of relief. "Momma Bear. Thank God. I need your help."

"Sure, Baby Girl. What is it?"

"I… I need help…" I stepped in closer to her and added quietly, "With these."

"Holy shit. Where did you get all of those?"

"JC. I… I think…" I paused to swallow a lump forming in my throat. "I'm pretty sure he meant to take all of them. This…? This would be a lethal dose, isn't it?"

She took them from me and shook her head. "Probably. How is he now?"

"Sleeping. He was a bit more sober when I put him to bed, but he's still pretty high. When he wakes up, I'll take him home."

"That's good. And Baby Girl? You know these…" She raised the pills to show them to me. "These have nothing to do with you."

"I know and now they never will." I smiled then gave her a hug. "Thank you for telling Lyla to call me. I really appreciate it."

Gemma looked shocked for a second, but she quickly recovered to reply, 'You're welcome, Sweetheart."

XXXXXXX

Once JC was alert enough to get dressed, I helped him to get dressed. He knew that he owed me, so he picked up as much as he could until he couldn't coordinate his limbs anymore. That's when I walked him out to my truck and left him there until I was done.

Neither of us had much to pack up, but I still double checked the room to make sure we left nothing behind. I didn't see Gemma or Lyla on my way out and Nero looked like he was busy on the phone. No one seemed to care about us leaving, so I just left. I had never been anywhere like Diosa, so I wasn't sure what the proper protocol was in this situation. Then again neither JC no I worked here so no one was looking to us for answers and I decided I wouldn't waste time asking stupid questions.

When I got home, Dad's bike was parked in the driveway, but the house looked like it was pitch black. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or not to think that he was already asleep.

JC slept most of the way home, so it wasn't too hard to get him to our room. I stripped him down to his boxers and then tucked him into bed. He didn't say much, but he did look more relaxed after I kissed his head and told him to have a good sleep.

"We'll talk more tomorrow."

He caught my hand before I could move away from the bed and whispered, "Promise?"

"Promise."

I kissed his head one more time and then moved off the bed. I watched him from the door for a couple of minutes to make sure he was sleeping soundly.

"Where are you going?"

I smiled softly because I should have known better. He wasn't high enough anymore to just pass out like he had at Diosa. Plus, after I told him I had a hard time sleeping when I wasn't safe in his arms, he admitted that he felt the same way.

"Nero said I should make sure you stay hydrated. I'm just going to get a glass of water for you. Try to go back to sleep. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

I moved through the house silently because I didn't want to disturb my dad. I had a thousand question for him, but I didn't think grilling him in the middle of the night would be a good idea. There was little doubt that he would need some rest after being held prisoner. That and he probably use a good meal too.

Huh… I wonder what he's be in the mood for dinner tomorrow.

"You're up late."

I jumped and nearly dropped the glass I was holding as I gasped out, "Jesus…" After taking in a couple of deep breaths, I turned around to face him. "You know, it isn't nice to sneak up on people."

"Sorry. I didn't know greeting my daughter in my kitchen was considered sneaking around. I guess I just thought you might have missed me."

I put the glass on the counter and walked over to him. I pulled him into a tight hug saying, "I'm glad you're home safe, Daddy."

"That's more like it," he answered before he kissed my head. "So, what's keeping you up, Baby Girl? From what I hear, no one but Bobby got hurt."

"You mean no one got hurt physically."

He pushed me to arm's length then said, "That need to be explained."

"It's JC, he's… he's having a hard time…"

"Why? Bobby's going to be fine."

"That's not it, Daddy." I took him by the hand and lead him over to the table. We sat down beside each other and I gripped one of his hands tightly on the table top. "I think he's feeling guilty."

"Guilty? About what?" His eyes went wide for a second before his expression hardened once again. "He was a traitor, so he earned that."

"I know, Daddy, I do. Trust me, I'll be sleeping better tonight knowing he can't hurt anyone again. But it's more… complicated for JC."

"It shouldn't be. It doesn't get much more black and white than this."

I let out a heavy sigh and released my hold on his hand. That caused Dad to lean over and grip my chin to force me to look at him. "What's that about?" I just shook my head causing him to growl out, "Maria."

"Sorry Daddy, it's just… I don't know if I can explain it to you. Not everyone can be as casual about killing someone as you can. He was like a father to JC, so it's going to take him some time to process it."

"It shouldn't. And if it takes too long, that could turn out badly for him. We can't have a weak link in the club."

"I know." I buried my face in my hands while I fought to keep my tears at bay. I was having a hard time keeping my emotions in check because it was late and I was exhausted.

But I knew I had to be stronger than that right now. This wasn't the kind of conversation where Dad would hear what I was saying over my tears. "And with that being said…" I lowered my hands to make eye contact with him. "I know it's late, but I need to talk to you about something."

"Something important?"

"Something so that I can keep my promise to you."