Rivals 🌈 ✔

79 - Relief

Juice slammed the car door shut. They were at the edge of a scrapyard. Sandy hills surrounded the site and to the west shone the lights of the village of Santo Padre. Charming had already been a small town, but this was a hamlet at most. He kinda liked it; away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Just a quiet area where Raine, Sasha and he could live. He thought of the little girl, who was now staying with her grandfather. She would have to stay there for a while until their lives were somewhat stable. A nasty feeling gnawed at him. Would the Sons leave him alone now that he'd left Charming? Or would they keep looking for him—hunt him down? Do they still see me as a traitor? It hurt more than he wanted to admit to himself. If only he could shut himself off from it, convince himself it didn't hurt him. But sometimes even the thought plagued him that he had done something wrong, that he was not innocent. That somehow, it was his own fault that they distrusted him and that Raine had suffered because of it.

A hand on his shoulder distracted him. Raine had moved around the car with the crutches and was now leaning his hip against the vehicle to keep himself balanced.

"Are you okay? Do you dread entering another clubhouse full of Mayans?"

Juice shrugged. "To be honest, I'm done with all this biker shit but I'll do my best not to see them like that. Your uncle's there, right, and your best friend?"

Not that that gave any guarantees. As far as family was concerned, Juice hadn't been a lucky one and Raine's other friend had drugged him to make him believe he was a cheater. In Raine's eyes, he read the same doubt. He did not want to distrust all his friends, but after everything they'd been through, it just happened.

Before Raine could formulate an answer, Juice turned the corners of his mouth into a smile. "If we're not welcome here, we'll find another place. But at least it's a good starting point. And it can't be that we have such lousy people skills that we misjudge everyone we know, right?"

"Yeah. And Angel and I supported each other during difficult times."

Juice remembered the man from the benefit when he had sat down at their table and already made some teasing remarks. Perhaps he'd already sensed that there was tension between Raine and him. In any case, he had never ridiculed them, which gave him confidence.

Together they headed to the clubhouse. Before they reached the stairs leading to the porch, a couple of men came out. Juice was relieved when he recognized Angel. Raine had already called him from the hospital to give him an idea of their situation, admitting the possibility of the Sons coming after them. The man had asked if they needed assistance, but since none of Juice's former brothers had been in sight, they had declined help. 

"Raine, brother. Good to see you."

The man stepped down the stairs and hugged his friend, then curiously ran his gaze over Juice. "So you're the one around whom all this drama started, hm?" He lifted the corner of his mouth. "Nice. I always like a good love story. Come, tell me all about it. Do you have any stuff to bring in?"

"We didn't go to my house," Raine replied. "Afraid it was being watched."

"Assholes," Angel hummed. "Well, come in. I'll get you a cold beer."

Juice studied the man. He couldn't think of someone who could differ more from Esai... It made the tension slip away and he helped Raine up the porch stairs. The wooden floor creaked under their footsteps. The atmosphere was very different here, much more rural. More light fell through the windows and he received no hostile glances. Curious ones, though, and a few men made teasing comments before greeting Raine with a hug as well.

They sat down in a corner of the clubhouse, where Angel soon gave them a beer. More men joined them, all curious to hear Raine's story.

Juice let his friend do the talking. He told about their meeting in the elevator, about how they decided to quit the clubs because they could no longer reconcile it with their relationship, but that they'd wanted to end things nicely. Raine did it well, emphasizing Juice's role in finding his abducted father.

The look on their faces grew grimmer as Raine explained that the Sons had lured him to Juice's house, blaming him for their stolen goods, and then torturing him to find out where their artillery was. Juice stared at the tabletop with burning eyes when Raine told him about the drill and the pick that Happy had used to torture him. He heard the light tremor in Raine's voice, but otherwise, he held his ground and it was mostly anger that gave his words strength.

Juice could see why he was telling them these details; not only to prove his loyalty but also to ask for their protection. That worked flawlessly; he saw it on their faces.

"Two copper thieves found me half-dead in the dump and took me to the hospital," he concluded.

"And where were you all this time?" a man leaning against the wall asked Juice, one hand in his pocket. He had sleek black hair, dark eyes, and a nose that must have been broken.

Juice felt nerves coursing through him now that he was suddenly at the center of attention. The man's gaze was sharp, his tone cold. He tried not to be threatened by it; perhaps it was just a protectiveness coming to the surface.

"They locked me in the basement when they went after Raine. I stood there ranting for hours, but no one let me out." He could not bring himself to look at anyone; he felt the desperation tearing him apart again. He could still smell the beer from the smashed crates and hear the glass rain down. His throat squeezed tight.

Raine reached out for his hand under the table and gave a squeeze.

It's over. He's safe.

Juice took a deep breath. "Eventually, they let me out and said Raine was dead. I... I didn't believe it at first. Raine was my boyfriend, my fiancé. Why on earth would they hurt someone I love? They were my brothers... they... they were supposed to protect him." His voice trembled. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to hold back the tears. He didn't want to cry, not while all these strangers were watching. "Chibs... Chibs would take me to the body. So that I could... say goodbye." A few tears slid down. "But he wasn't there. I asked for Chibs' phone to call him and then he turned out to be in the hospital. I was about to collapse, Chibs hugged me and then I grabbed his gun, shot him, and took his car to the hospital." He looked up at his boyfriend, his brown eyes full of compassion and love. He gave a squeeze back. "And I didn't leave him since. My best friend told the Sons that Raine had died in the hospital, so they wouldn't come and finish the job."

He threw a glance at the man who'd so gruffly asked him the question, but he looked a lot less hostile now and gave him a respectful nod.

Someone came up behind them and put a hand on their shoulders. When Juice looked back, his patch told him it was the President.

"You're welcome here as long as you want and when the Sons show up, we will treat you as our own blood." The man squeezed their shoulders. "Because you are, Raine. And your... old man, therefore, is too."

Juice swallowed. Nobody had ever approved of their relationship in this way. He could hardly believe things could be like this too.

"Thanks," Raine replied. "That really means a lot to us, Bishop."

"I spoke to Alvarez earlier today. He's worried about you. Give him a call soon."

Raine nodded. He looked relieved, now that all his fears had been taken away.

"You can use my trailer," Angel said. He grinned. "I'll find a nice lady I can spend my time with." He nodded to the opposite side of the room, where a group of women stood. "I'm afraid there's a certain ex who needs comforting after this."

With a similar grin, Raine took a sip of his beer. "You have my blessing."

. . .

If you enjoyed this chapter and you want to support me as a writer, it would mean the world to me if you'd leave a comment, vote and follow my profile ♥