Bishop walked inside the clubhouse still surrounded by the aftermath of their intense and quick fuck. Even if it had been exciting, he knew he preferred taking his time when it came to her, which was somewhat new to him.
He locked eyes with Taza and nodded as he went inside the meeting room as the others followed. When Angel and EZ closed the door behind them and settled in their chairs, he looked around the room.
"The missing packs are back in place," stated Taza.
"Good," replied Bishop, "even if it doesn't solve the initial problem that someone stole from us and was ready to cash in the money for their sole benefit."
"How are we even going to find out who it was?" asked Angel.
"We won't. But from now on, only the people in this room go anywhere near the drugs and accompany the drop offs."
"How do you know it's no one in this room?" asked EZ as they all exchanged glances.
"I don't, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. My take on it is that if it was either one of you, you're smart enough to not do it again. I won't have any mercy, and I don't think Galindo will either, if it happens again. I'm also going to make sure that we set up cameras near the stash. Anyone gets sticky fingers, and we'll know."
"We could also move the stash," said Riz, "that way only the people in this room know of its new location."
"It is something to think about," replied Bishop as he lit a cigarette and exhaled the smoke. "Tranq, make a list of potential new locations and give it to me when it's ready."
"You got it jefe," replied Tranq.
"Good. Riz, how are things going with the new prospect?"
"Can't complain. He takes any shit I send him without complaining."
"You think he has it in him to be a real biker?"
"Possibly, I was going to put him to the test by making him join the next drop off, but I doubt you'll agree after what you said."
Bishop passed a hand over his beard as he put out his cigarette. "No, take him with you, I want to see how he reacts when he knows we're in bed with the Galindo cartel."
Riz nodded.
"OK. We're done here. I need to go see Marcus and give him the good news."
Angel pulled up in front of Maggie's house just as Bella was helping her out of the car. He walked over to them and noticed how ashen and weak was Maggie.
"Hey Maggie, how are you feeling?" he asked as he kindly took her other arm and helped Bella bring her inside.
"Ready to bake some chili con carne," she replied.
"Yeah," replied Isabella as she helped her sit down, "over my dead body. You're going to rest."
"Would you stop hovering."
"It's my job to hover. I'll go get the ground meat at Felipe's and make the chili for you."
"My recipe is in the box," said Maggie pointing toward the kitchen.
"OK. Now," said Isabella as she looked at the time, "I think it's time for La Casa De las Flores," she said turning the tv on and putting it on the right channel for her mom.
When she headed for the kitchen, Angel followed her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."
"It's OK. I figured you got caught up in stuff when you got back from Arizona."
"I'm here now," he said nearing her and placing his hand on her waist.
She passed by him and went for her mom's box in search of the recipe as Angel sighed.
"Did I do or say something wrong?" he asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Angel, I have other things to do than worry about how you're interpreting things."
"How I'm interpreting things?" he repeated narrowing his eyes. "You just walked away from me."
She took the recipe out of the box and turned to look at him. "Look Angel, I know you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She shot a glance toward the living room. The last thing she wanted for her mother to hear them argue, because based on how he was reacting it was going to get to that.
She walked outside and closed the door once he had joined her.
"I get that me coming back means that you're asking yourself questions, that various scenarios are playing in your head."
He took a step closing the gap between them. "Yeah, it does."
"But not me. As I was driving here from Texas, I didn't think about running into you and what it could lead to if I did."
"What we had was good, Bella and you know that."
"Until it wasn't."
"Because you left me."
She felt the anger rise within her. It always led back to that. "You talked about the kind of future you wanted for us and yet the minute we could have taken a step toward it you preferred staying here."
"I stayed for my family."
"And what about the family we could have had? Wasn't that enough to push you to come with me?!"
"Our life was here, Bella. We could have had anything we wanted, right here."
"That's bullshit and you know it. There was nothing for me here."
"There was me."
"You wanted me to wait tables at the diner for the rest of my life?"
"Yes! Except you thought you were better than any of us, better than me and you denied your family. I guess none of us were good enough for you, Miss Ivy League."
She slapped him across the face. "Fuck you!"
He took a step back realizing he had gone too far. "Bella…"
"Don't. See, this is exactly why there will never be anything between us. There is too much anger and the feeling of betrayal. You blame me for having had dreams and goals when you should have felt pride. That's exactly the same reason why you and EZ have issues. You hate us because we had the courage to pursue our dreams, to see the worth we had. You tied yourself to a ball and chain. You did that on your own, don't blame me or EZ for your inability to see past your fears."
"That's low."
"The truth hurts, Angel, it usually does. You are the only one who convinced himself he was worthless, it wasn't your father, nor EZ, nor me. Own up to your choices."
"You're right, I was crazy to think that we could build something."
She softened her facial expression. "Angel, I loved you and I still do but not in a way you want me to. We'd just hurt each other and end up hating one another and I don't want that."
He pressed his lips together and nodded.
"There was a time when we belonged together, but that time has come and gone," she added. "The one for you is somewhere out there, but it's not me."
He passed a hand over his mouth and chin. "I should go."
"Angel don't be that way. I'm not shutting you out of my life. I still need you, as my friend, as the one who knows me by heart, the one who knows what's going on in my head and what I'm feeling just by looking at my face."
"Yeah, friends" he replied before walking back inside the house.
Isabella looked at the recipe in her hand. "Shit."
