Runaway ✔

124 • Juice

Juice just draped the beach towels over the edge of the balcony as his burner buzzed. He let go of the damp towels immediately and opened the phone. His heart beating in his throat, Juice tried to swallow the nerves as he took the call. "Yeah?"

"Hey, it's me. How you two doin'?"

Juice relaxed a bit as he recognized Kozik's voice. The burner was meant for emergencies only, but if something bad had really happened, the man would have skipped the small talk. It made more sense that the silence was getting on Kozik's nerves; Juice imagined he had a hard time letting go of Dana. And he had to admit he felt relieved to hear a voice from Charming.

"Yeah, we're pretty good." He leaned over the railing. Below him Dana was sunbathing in a hammock. Her hair was still damp because they'd taken a swim fifteen minutes ago; the beach was not far from here.

"And Dane is doing fine as well?"

 "I've never seen her so relaxed," Juice admitted. 

"And how do you feel?"

Juice pulled up the corner of his mouth. It was a rarity someone genuinely asked how he was feeling. "I still have to get used to the peace," he said. "But I'm fine." He hesitated, still afraid this wasn't just a friendly call. "How are things over there?"

A silence fell, as if Kozik was considering if he wanted to give an honest answer or not. "Hey listen. I can give you a weekly update, even though we decided otherwise. So you're not... I dunno, so isolated? But whatever happens in Charming, you better not tell Dana. You eh... you're good in keeping things from her?"

Juice hesitated. He glanced down again, to her relaxed face. He suspected her eyes to be closed behind her sunglasses, but to be safe he stepped back so she couldn't see he was calling. Maybe it was better if she didn't know he'd had contact with his brothers. 

"I can handle it," Juice said. Since he was a Son, he had been hiding things from the rest of the world all the time. Of course Dana knew him well, but he knew how to keep up appearances. 

"I don't know if it will do you any good," Kozik admitted. "But it might be better if you're a bit up to date. Then you no longer have to scour the internet to see if people have died."

He could clearly imagine the smirk on Kozik's face, even though there was a bitter truth in his words. He knew he could never fully let his brothers go and he could see himself looking into the local news in Charming after some time . 

"Yeah. Somethin' happened?"

"Barely. Few days ago the club got an email with the picture Dana sent to Maddox. Of Opie. As proof she killed him."

The memory sent a shiver down his spine. Away from the others it was easier to forget about what she had done, what she had been forced to do. 

"It looks like he's getting desperate. He was probably hoping the club would turn its back on her, but I dismissed it as some good photoshop skills."

Juice ran a hand over his head and cursed under his breath. What would have happened if Kozik hadn't done that? It was hard to tell, but he was glad there was still someone back in Charming who supported them because of more than loyalty to the club alone. 

"Thanks man."

"I'll keep the peace here, brother. But it's good news for you: he completely lost track. And as long as you tell no one where you are and calling with these burners is as safe as you promised me, you don't have to worry about that asshole."

Even though the urge to look over his shoulder all the time had slumbered a bit, it still felt good to hear these words from his older brother. 

"Thanks for the heads-up."

"You're welcome. Take care. And spoil her a bit, she deserves that."

"Don't worry about that," he said with a smirk, ending the call. He put away the burner, leaned over the railing and kept watching her for a while. He still had a hard time believing she loved him just as much as he loved her and he was still looking for new ways to show her how he felt about her. But that was okay. Because of all the shit they'd gone though, every attempt was worth the effort and surprising her with as many things as he could think of, kept the boredom away.