Ailee walked out of her newly opened coffee shop at the heart of Santo Padre, right across from Felipe's butcher shop. She smiled at a customer as they walked pass her and entered the shop, where Arthur and a few of their trainees awaited them.
The coffee shop officially opened 2 weeks ago, but this was the first time she came to see the fruition of her plan. This was the first step, to make Angel know of her presence. She's heard from Jennifer that a few of the Mayans have stopped by. They recognized her and were looking for Ailee. Jennifer just gave them a small smile as an answer and for some reason they took that and left. But she knew it was only a matter of time till she ran into Angel again, this was her plan all along.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she heard EZ say from beside her.
Ailee looked over his way and smirked. "Well, well, if it isn't boy wonder," she turned towards him as EZ walked over to her.
"Boy wonder? I think I've graduated to Batman or some shit by now." EZ wrapped his arms around Ailee, slightly squeezing her as if to confirm she was real. He knew of her relationship with Angel and just how close there were. He was still surprised when Angel told him during a visit that he lost contact with her. EZ knew better than to believe in love at first sight, but he knew that Ailee has had his brother hooked ever since they were kids.
He recalled going over with his mother and Angel to welcome the new neighbors in the neighborhood. It was such an odd thing, but his mother insisted that they bring the family tamales as a welcome. He rarely tried to argue with his mother and he figured this would be a good venture. They walked across the street, rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door.
When the door opened, it was a young girl who opened it, maybe a year or so younger than him. Her dark brown hair was in pigtails and she looked up at them with her greenish-hazel eyes. He looked over at Angel and he had to refrain himself from smacking him so that he would stop staring at the young girl. Before his mother could even say anything, a woman of Asian descent opened the door wider. She greeted them with a warm smile and the young girl hid behind the woman's legs, peeking out every once in a while.
He remembered that day vividly, he's never seen his older brother play with a girl. But when Ailee placed her small hand in his, dragging him away from the conversation his mother and her mother were having, it was quite an amusing site.
"Nope, you'll always be boy wonder, you're too happy to be Batman," Ailee teased as she pulled away from him. "Angel could definitely go for Batman, he has the sarcasm and the angst to go with it."
EZ laughed at that. "You're just picking him as Batman cause that's your type."
"Fuck you," Ailee was genuinely enjoying herself. She forgot how much joy it brought her to be around one of the Reyes brothers. They always managed to get her out of her stupor.
"That's my brother's job," he winked at her.
Ailee playfully pushed him causing EZ to let out a laugh. It was like the good old days and Ailee didn't know how much she needed that, how much she missed that.
"I'm glad to see you out Ezekiel."
"Ouch, full name, are you going to start crying?"
Ailee shook her head, crossing her arms, a small smile gracing her face. "How's Tio Felipe?"
"He's good, have you not seen him?"
"Didn't want to bug him, feel like I'm intruding."
"Since when did you ever care about that? You're family, you know this," EZ grabbed her hand and led her across the street. He knew his first move should have been to call Angel, but he was almost certain his brother knew that Ailee was back in town. After all, idiotically placed a hit on himself and handed the contract to Ailee. From his interaction with Ailee, it didn't seem like she turned into a ruthless killer, but then again, what did he know? He of all people should know that things could change in an instant, what more 5 years?
"Pop, I have someone here to see you," EZ announced as he opened the door. Thankfully the shop was empty.
Felipe came from the back and a smile graced his face when he saw Ailee. "Ailee," he breathed out, stopping by the display. "You're back," he wiped his hands with the apron he wore before walking over to her and enveloping her in his embrace.
Ailee felt it. The warmth in her heart as Felipe whispered to her how glad he was to see her, that he missed her. She pulled away from him, kissing his cheek.
"How are you Tio Felipe?" Ailee questioned as they sat down. "You look well."
"As do you," Felipe leaned back, looking over at EZ. "Did you call Angel?"
Ailee had to smile at that. Whenever she was involved, Angel was the first thing on people's minds in Santo Padre. They were attached to the hip, regardless of the age difference.
"Not yet," EZ looked over at her. "You cool with that?"
"I don't think I should be the one you ask. I'm the one who left," Ailee smiled bitterly. She wasn't proud of her actions, but she had to make a sacrifice to keep him and his family safe. Leaving Angel was the hardest thing she had to do, knowing the consequences of her action. Things became even much more complicated when Angel realized she wasn't coming back.
Angel Reyes was a fighter and he definitely tried his best to contact her. But the beauty of being in Maquina was how well your tracks could be covered.
So she ran, she disappeared to Europe and eventually the calls, the letters, everything stopped.
She was an asshole. There was a better way to handle the situation, but a younger Ailee did what she knew best at that time, run away and cover her tracks.
"He misses you, you know," Felipe informed the young woman in front of him. He didn't agree with her reasoning to leave, but he knew why. He was quite close to Ailee's uncle, Jin, who confided in him why his niece decided to suddenly disappear from his son's life.
'You should know the game Felipe, Ailee had to walk away to assure you, EZ, Angel and his club stays alive. Theo is a psychopath, once he pinpoints her weakness, it's a done deal.'
He knew of Theo Kane, he just never saw Ailee as someone who would associate herself with such a man.
"You two should stop by the shop some time," Ailee stood up. "Would love to catch up some more since I've missed a lot."
"You should come by for dinner tomorrow night," EZ suggested. "We try to have dinner once a week and tomorrow's the night."
"I'll let you know," Ailee knew she wouldn't be able to go, she was living Santo Padre later tonight to fly out to Morocco and handle a mission for Maquina. "Tio Felipe," she held out her hand, which Felipe took. She gave him a soft squeeze and smiled. "I'm sorry for what I did, I didn't mean to hurt Angel."
Felipe merely nodded, squeezing her hand right back. He never thought that Ailee could be a killer, it wasn't in her nature. But then again, what determined such a thing?
"Bye EZ," she let go of Felipe's hand, walking out of the shop and back across the street.
"You can do this, just stay away from his family." She murmured to herself. "Angel is a mission, he no longer means anything to you." She knew it was a lie, but maybe if she said it to herself enough, she'll start believing it.
"What the fuck you mean you saw her?" Angel was slightly ticked off at his younger brother. He specifically instructed the boy scout to steer clear from Ailee, to let her come to them. Yet his brother conveniently ran into her outside of her coffee shop.
"I ran into her," EZ shrugged as they made their way across the tunnel to pick up Creeper from the doctor's place. They were instructed by Bishop to pick him up and drop him off at Vicky's. It was an easy task and the only reason Angel was with him was due to the phone call his father had placed after Ailee left the shop.
"Bullshit," Angel spat out. "I told you to stay away Ezekiel."
They reached the ladder that led to the clinic. The two brothers looked at one another, a smirk appearing on EZ's place as the irritation on Angel's face grew.
"I did, who am I to tempt the fate's that obviously wanted our paths to cross." EZ shrugged. Even though he was technically Angel's prospect, he couldn't help but pull his brother's leg. He was still a younger brother after all.
"You're such a little shit," Angel grabbed EZ and placed him in a headlock, making EZ laugh. EZ tapped on Angel's forearm. He let him go, smacking him across the back of his head. "How does she look?"
EZ's playful demeanor changed then. He knew why Angel handed the contract to Ailee, but it just didn't make sense to him. "She looked like Ailee, like your Ailee."
Angel wasn't going to lie, that made him feel at ease. But at the same time he knew better. Her siblings would not have reached out to her if she was till his Ailee. The one who used to use him to hide from scary movies. The one who used to cry when she saw blood on him that may or may not be his. It was such a drastic change from what he gathered that he couldn't wrap his mind around it.
"Looks can be deceiving."
"You've always known her better than me," EZ shrugged. "But she looks good, she grew up well."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
EZ didn't answer and just gestured for Angel to climb up the ladder. He wanted to grill EZ, but he knew he couldn't. They had business to attend to after dropping Creeper off at Vicky's.
He just hated that it was EZ who saw her first. But Angel wasn't even certain if he was ready to see Ailee. She was the one that got away and in some ways, he was bitter about the whole situation. Ailee knew how much he counted on her, how much he cherished her, how much he trusted her.
Yet, she walked away with such ease, it still gave him whiplash when he thought about it. Evangelina and John had told him multiple of times that she had her reason, that she was doing everything for him.
But he just couldn't see that.
The day went along with more shit piled up on his already complicated life. Adelita took Galindo's son and now, the MC was basically playing detective trying to look for this kid. This whole ordeal with Adelita, how much he was hiding from the club, it was dangerous. But he was doing what the MC couldn't do for themselves. This was for the good of the MC.
And he wasn't going to lie, he had an admiration of some sorts towards Adelita, but like she said earlier, shit was too complicated to even entertain the idea.
Watching Miguel Galindo interrogate that innocent man was quite jarring for Angel. He's seen some shit in his lifetime, but the cartel always up the ante. His conscience was slowly appearing, seeing all the people that were being affected by Adelita, it was beginning to get to him.
But sacrifices had to be made.
He just had to go for a ride, to clear his head from all this ridiculousness.
Getting on his bike, he put his helmet on, taking one last puff of the cigarette that hung in between his lips.
Before he can take off, a car passed him in the underground garage his apartment building had. It was a nice car, definitely not one that belonged to his ratty ass apartment. The car parked a few spaces down. When the door opened to the driver's side, he didn't recognize the driver. It was an Asian man, he was well built and almost as tall as him. When the passenger's side opened, that's when he almost fell off his bike.
Ailee stepped out, her hair no longer dark brown, but was now a shade of red. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, a few loose strands gracing her face.
"Fuck, Boy Scout was right." He threw his cigarette butt.
A phone ringing disturbed the silence in the garage. Ailee's male companion looked at her as she took her phone out.
"Ailee," he heard her answer. "Arthur, we're literally just grabbing my stuff."
There was a pause.
"Arthur, I don't give a shit. John can wait. I have to handle this assignment for the American Ambassador in Argentina then I can meet with him."
Again another pause.
"What behavioral issues, that's rich coming from a government who has issues with insubordination if it doesn't fit their cause." She heard the irritation in her voice and he could just shed her nose scrunch up the way it does whenever she was irritated.
Another voice filled the garage, obviously it was the person she was speaking to who was now in speaker phone. "Baby Lee, I get it, you're pissed, but they want you to come for a briefing prior to going to Argentina. It's bullshit, I get it, but the council isn't that comfortable with your outside mission so close to the border."
"When do I have to be there?"
"Well, you were supposed to be here already."
"Did they want me to teleport there? Beam myself out of here?"
"Ailee, just get your ass to LA and get on the damn plane. You have clothes there."
Angel peered out and saw Ailee holding the phone in one hand, the other on her hip. Her male companion watched on amused.
"I'll be there," he saw her touch her screen before shoving her phone back to her pocket.
"You know, that should be a private conversation, need I remind you we're in a public place." Angel studied the guy with her, not remembering if he's ever seen him before. He was curious. Who was this man? As far as he knew, Ailee was the only one who was supposed to be here for this mission. Was this her boyfriend? Evangelina never mentioned a boyfriend.
"I don't care, if someone did overhear, I can just easily kill them."
He heard them go inside the car once again. Angel got off his bike, hiding behind a car that was parked beside him. They left as quickly as they arrived. Angel stood up, taking out his phone from his pocket. He clicked on Evangelina's name.
"What's going on?" Evangelina immediately asked when she answered the phone.
"Should there be something going on for me to call you?"
"Not exactly but I heard that Ailee wanted to expedite your assassination due to her reunion with your family. Thought you were calling cause of that."
"No, but I overheard your sister. She's headed to LA."
"Oh that's right, she has to do some rescue mission in Argentina, she's getting the plane in LA."
"No, they want her for a briefing or some shit," Angel pinched the bridge of his nose. "She got a boyfriend?"
Evangelina laughed at Angel's question. "Thought you had a thing for the rebel leader?"
"Just answer my question Evangelina."
"My sister doesn't have a boyfriend, she has fuck buddies. And I quote, 'Relationships are not my forte, they require actually putting in an effort'. So no Ignacio, mi hermanita doesn't have a boyfriend."
"Whatever, just let me know when she's back in town."
Angel hung up, feeling relieved that Ailee doesn't have a boyfriend. After seeing her today, he knew he had to speak to her again. He had to know what was going on in her pretty little head.