Miss Crow -{Sons of Anarchy/Mayans}-

1. Early Arrival

My back was pushed against the tall banister of the gazebo, a pair of chapped lips feverishly pressing against mine. Momentarily distracted by the welcomed assault, I hummed. My brain soon caught up with me and I pressed my hands against the leather kutte, lightly pushing my boyfriend away.

"Esai," I breathed, "was it the Mayans that torched the gun warehouse?"

"What are you talking about..?" he mumbled, leaning down to press open-mouthed kisses along my jawline.

My breath got caught in my throat. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Theo," he sighed, raising his head to look down at me. "We don't talk about club business. It's the only way this shit works."

I chuckled softly. "Well, it can't work if you're blowing up our shit. Is that why you bailed on me last night?"

Scoffing, Esai took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's-"

"Club business." I finished automatically, rolling my eyes.

"Come on, baby. You know there's some shit I can't tell you. A lot of shit, actually. And that shit includes the club."

Shaking my head, I turned away from him, leaning my shoulder against the side of the gazebo. Tipping my head against the wooden frame, I scanned the scantily populated park. The playground was nearly empty, the only people present being a young mother with her twin girls. An odd jogger or two would run past the child-friendly structures, their music blasting through their earbuds.

On a nice sunny Sunday afternoon the park was always packed with people. Children playing, couples on picnic dates, families grilling out. On a Friday morning, however, the park resembled that of a ghost town.

Feeling a pair of arms wrap around my waist, I bit back a smile. Placing my hands over his, I gave them a squeeze. Esai tightened his grip on my waist in response.

"Have you given it more thought?" he asked.

Feeling my cheeks heat up, I feigned innocence: "Given what more thought?"

"You know..." he leaned down, kissing my neck. My eyes slipped closed as he kissed his way down my neck, his hands wandering to the hem of my shirt.

"Here? In the park?" I joked, expertly escaping his grasp.

"No, back at my place." he suggested. "Alvarez won't bother me, he has his own shit to worry about."

Rolling the though over in my head, I shifted my weight between my feet.

Sensing my indecisiveness, Esai leaned down and pulled me in for a passionate kiss. Not resisting this time, I deepened the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Feeling my cell phone buzz in the pocket of my jeans, I reluctantly pulled away from the Mayan. Taking out my phone and flipping it open, I pressed it to my ear

"Hey, mom. Listen I'm a little- Oh, God. When? Are they okay? No, I'll be right there." I snapped the phone closed and brushed past Esai, ignoring his questioning look.

"What was that?" he asked, watching me pick up my bag off of the wooden gazebo floor.

"It's a family thing, I gotta go." Draping the bag over my shoulder, I stepped out of the gazebo and snatched my skateboard off of the ground. Running through the playground, I tucked my skateboard under my arm. Upon exiting the park I set the board down and hopped on, riding onto the busy street.

__________

The local hospital remained virtually unchanged from my last admission, nearly three years ago. The sterile interior and monotone staff were enough to make my skin crawl, and the nine nights spent alone in the pediatric ward made the experience nearly unbearable.