Angela was sitting in front of her computer filing death certificates since Skeeter had no idea how to use the latest update to the system. She was deep into it when there was a light tap at the door. She looked up to see Skeeter leaning in the doorway looking a little worried. "Angie, there's some fed here lookin' for you," he stated, wringing his hands together nervously. "Lady named Agent Stahl. You know anythin' about her?"
"Nothin'," she answered, a little curious. A fed? For her? What the hell could they possibly want with her? "She say what she wanted?"
"Nah, just asked for you. I put her in the showroom. Figured the caskets might freak her out a little. Make her uneasy."
Angela smirked; she loved her boss sometimes. "Thanks, Skeet," she said pushing away from the desk. She made her way over to the showroom to find a woman in an impeccable suit, running a hand over a light pink casket. "That one's called the Mother's Casket."
"It is quite a sight to behold," the fed said, tapping her hand against it before turning towards her. She held out her little folded badge. "Agent Stahl, ATF."
"Angela Ruiz," she replied, tilting her head to the side. ATF. Esai had mentioned something about the ATF the night before he died. Was this somehow tied to that? Were they coming to question her about his death? "How can I help you?"
"Just a few questions for you," she stated, taking a seat at the table there. Angela took the seat across from her, waiting for her to proceed. Stahl cleared her throat as she leaned forward a bit. "I understand you have a connection with the Sons of Anarchy. Juan Carlos Ortiz. Their intelligence officer. Hospital records show you signed in as Mr. Ortiz's wife. Were in charge of his medical decisions. Is that the case?"
Angela kept her face calm as she shrugged. "Yes. He is my husband," she lied easily. She didn't know what Stahl wanted, but it seemed like she was leading into dangerous territory. It was best to play it as safe as possible. "I use my maiden name at work."
"Right, right, but you're not legally married, are you? There's no filed marriage certificate or paperwork."
"No, ma'am, it's a spiritual marriage," she clarified, knowing better than to tell her they weren't married at all. People got spiritually married all the time, and there was no proof to say otherwise. "The hospital didn't ask me to provide a certificate. Wasn't insurance fraud because none of his treatment was on my insurance, so I'm not quite sure why you're here."
Stahl looked impressed by her logic for a second. She shifted in her seat slightly as if she was preparing herself for another tactic. "I also understand you were once affiliated with the Mayans. You have two minor-in-possession charges. Both while in the company of Esai Alvarez."
"Yeah, and..." she drew out, pretending she didn't understand where she was going with that line of questioning. She knew, though. Stahl was going to tell her he was dead in hopes to shock her, make her upset, poke at what she thought was going to be a weak spot. It wasn't going to work, though. She was already one step ahead.
"And do the Sons know of your affiliation with the Mayans?"
That wasn't the move she'd thought Stahl was going to make. She wondered if the ATF hadn't gotten wind of Esai's death yet. It'd make sense. Esai never had any warrants against him. Nothing that would make the agent check to see if he was still alive before questioning. He was so young, Stahl probably assumed he was still alive. Angela played her surprise off easily with a little shrug. "They're aware. I have nothing to hide. I haven't spoken to Esai in quite some time."
"Can't be easy for them to accept. Had to be some pushback against their intelligence officer marrying someone with such close ties to another club."
So Stahl didn't know about her connection to Happy either. That was good too. They'd worked hard to legally bury anything and everything that would indicate they were family members. It was one of the reasons she was glad they didn't have the same last name. "I haven't had any issues," she stated, shrugging again. "Can I ask what all this is about? Am I under investigation?"
She looked a little disappointed by her answer. "No," she said on an inhale. "Are you aware of any illegal activities the Sons may be involved in?"
"Illegal activities?" she repeated, playing dumb. "None at all. All Juan does is go to work, ride around on his bike with his buddies, then comes home. Nothing illegal about any of that."
Stahl's eyes narrowed again. "C'mon, Angela, you've been involved with two of the most notorious one-percenter motorcycle clubs in Northern California. You don't strike me as some naïve little girl. You must know they're dangerous. That the things they do are illegal."
She widened her eyes in mock innocence. She could play idiot, doe-eyed girl all day if it behooved her. "Dangerous? I have no idea what you're talking about, ma'am. Juan is a mechanic. That's about it."
"You can play dumb all you want, sweetheart, but we both know how dangerous your husband's little biker buddies are. You're a smart girl, went to college," she started, tilting her head to the side. "Tell me this, how is it two bodies go missing from your funeral home, wind up in Lodi with an SUV stolen from a well known Aryan drug dealer, in a very staged crime scene?"
She fought against a grimace; she knew that favor was going to come back to haunt her. "Is that where the bodies were found? We were never given specifics."
"I don't buy this whole naïve act, not one bit. No way two bodies just go missing from a funeral home without any help. Those bodies are heavy. Can't imagine a bunch of dumb teenagers would be able to do it."
"We don't know who did it," she reminded her. "Lodi CSI was all up in here. Dusted everything and got nothing."
"Right, right. I find it convenient the security cameras also were down just for that night."
Angela furrowed her brow, shaking her head. "Wasn't just that night. Those video cameras were ancient. They were just for show long before I got here. Had Juan upgrade them right after the break in. Ask Deputy Chief Hale. He knows."
"It was all very clean, wasn't it?"
She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. "Oh, I doubt that very much. Those bodies had to have stunk."
Agent Stahl was not at all amused by her snark. She tried to mask her frustration with a forced chuckle. Slowly, she got to her feet, throwing her business card onto the table. "We all know eventually they'll tie the whole thing to you and your spiritual husband's club. You want to cut a deal before that, you let me know."
Angela saw through her threat; she knew there was no way to connect the two crimes not with Juice and Jax orchestrating it. They wouldn't leave her vulnerable like that. "I have no idea what you're talking about, ma'am. My husband's club is just a bunch of Harley enthusiasts. Not some weird body snatching cult."
She snorted derisively. "Whatever you say. Thank you for your time, Ms. Ruiz."
Angela gave her the fakest, sweetest smile she could muster as she showed her to the door. "Any time. You have a great rest of your day."
"You as well," she replied, though her tone held a certain acidity to it.
She watched her walk through the front door, flipping her the bird behind her back. Once she was gone, Angela let out a long sigh, walking back to the office. She sat down in her desk chair, raking a hand through her hair as she shook her head. There was a sick feeling in her stomach that Agent Stahl's presence didn't bode well for the club. She'd tell Juice all about it when she got home. For now, there were other things on her mind.
Checking her watch, she frowned at the time. Esai's funeral started in an hour. She knew she couldn't be there, but a part of her wanted to be. Not for Esai but to show support for his family. For Dia more than Marcus. Dia had always been there for her in her time of need, and it felt weird not to be there for her now. "Skeet?" she called out to her boss. He popped his head into the office. "Mind if I take off early? Want to go visit my aunt in Oakland."
Skeeter shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, sweetheart. Bring me back some a her cookies if she has 'em."
Angela laughed, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Will do. Thanks, Skeet."
She drove her Mazda to the big cemetery in Oakland, familiar with it only because her father was buried there. She could hear the roar of Harleys as she drove up one of the hills, looking for a spot she could park and watch without being seen. Thankfully, she found a good spot with a clear view of it all. Mayans filled the cemetery around Esai's plot. Their glittering bikes and lowriders filling the roadways. A sign of respect for Marcus, to be sure. Did they know it was him who ordered the hit? Probably not. They probably blamed the Sons, blamed her cousin. It was the reason she didn't dare show her face. She'd sent a bouquet of dark red roses--Esai's favorite--to Dia, though. Dia, who'd just had her baby not two weeks prior to this whole mess. Rosa had told her all about it. They'd named the baby Theresa, 'Tessa', for short. Angela sent her flowers then too. Calla lilies, Dia's favorite, with pink rosettes. There were dozens of flower arrangements around Esai's grave now. She was willing to bet every charter had sent one. Every ally and sister club. All to kiss Marcus' ass. How could Marcus have put a hit out on his own son? Esai loved his father, so much. Respected him. Wanted to be him. How could he give him up like that? She shook her head, letting out a long breath. It was in the past now. Time to move on.
~'~'~'~
Rosa barely listened to what the priest was saying as she watched Esai's black wooden casket lower into the ground. Lino was holding her hand beside her, his other arm wrapped around Vanessa who was crying into his chest. Dia and Marcus were standing at the head of the grave looking solemn, strong. Raffa and the rest of the Mayans were all together on the other side, heads bowed. Rosa saw a tear streak down Raffa's cheek and fought the urge to run to her brother and wrap him in a tight hug. Esai and Raffa had been a pair since before she was born. Best friends, practically brothers. Born just a few months apart. Shit, when she was a growing up, she thought Esai was her brother. They were both idiots most of the time, but they always had her back. Dumb and Dumber, she'd called them affectionately. Neither of them ever corrected her. Most of the time it'd start a discussion of which one was which.
They'd let her tag along with them for most things when she was a kid. Outings to the park, video game sessions, baseball games, everything. Anywhere they went, she went too. That was until she met Angela and Lino and had best friends of her own. They'd all hang out together at her place most of the time. She and Raffa had a pool so most of the summer they all spent together lounging around in the sun. Then Angela and Esai had fallen in love, and things were great for a while before Esai and Raf started prospecting. That was when everything had turned to shit. Esai had turned from the best boyfriend ever to the absolute worse. The lies, the cheating, shit, he'd even hit Angela a time or two. Watching him treat Angela like that had soured Rosa towards him. She'd watched him destroy Angela, and by the end of it all, Rosa couldn't stand to be near him. Hadn't spoken to him in months. Not that he really tried to talk to her anyway. Not after Lino and Vanessa's wedding. Apparently, Angela had made it really clear they were over...until he decided to visit her the night he died. Rosa still couldn't wrap her head around what would've possessed him to do that. Raffa was convinced it was what had sealed his fate, but Rosa wasn't so sure. According to Angela, Marcus had set up his son to be killed. Both scenarios seemed insane.
Lino squeezed her hand, and she looked up to see his eyes were focused on one of the hills in the cemetery. She squinted and could barely make out the little Mazda parked there. She squeezed his hand back before letting go, taking a step back into the crowd and sneaking towards the car. The hatchback of the Mazda was open, and Angela was sitting on the edge of the bumper. She was wearing black slacks, and a dark blue silky top with a pair of black and white Adidas All Stars. Her dark hair was braided back in a simple French braid, though wisps of it were blowing around her face in the breeze. Her eyes were unfocused, staring out at the funeral. There were no tears on her cheeks, no hint of sadness. She looked stoic but strong. Rosa was proud of her not only for showing up but for staying strong. It meant a lot to her to have her there even if it was from a distance. "Nice dress," Angela stated without looking at her.
Rosa looked down at the simple, modest black dress she'd pulled from out of the depths of her closet. It was a little too long on her, though she knew it fit Angela the way it was supposed to. "Pretty sure its yours," she said, sitting down beside her. She glanced down at the ballet flats she was wearing; while she and Angela usually wore different sized clothing, they had always had the same shoe size. "Shoes too, to be honest."
"Thought those looked familiar," she said with a small smirk. She turned her head, a strange look in her dark eyes. "This is crazy, right?"
That was an understatement. Out of all the young Mayans she thought would die early, Rosa had never thought it'd be Esai. He was so used to people doing things for him, he usually was the one to sit back, let the others do the dangerous shit. He didn't jump into things head first; he valued his life. "Yeah," she breathed, nodding emphatically. "Happy finally did it, huh?"
Angela grimaced, messing with her ring for a minute, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of her cousin killing her ex. "Yeah. Wish it was literally anyone else who did it, but of course, he volunteered," she stated, shaking her head. "Does Raffa hate me?"
Raffa had some choice words about Angela, but they were all said in anger. Rosa didn't truly believe he meant any of them. They all knew it was Marcus who ordered the hit on Esai. It had been whispered throughout the club and its families. Only Raffa knew about the little visit Esai had paid Angela before his death. No one else had even mentioned Angela's name. "Nah. He's angry at everyone right now, but he'll get over it."
"Do you?"
Rosa looked up to meet her best friend's gaze, surprised by the slight fear in Angela's eyes. How could she think she hated her? After all they'd been through? There was nothing that could ever make her hate her, but Angela was always a little insecure when it came to relationships. Always afraid she was going to lose someone. Rosa knew it was because the people she loved so often left her. Her father died, Happy went to prison, and her Mom and Aunt were rarely home, leaving her alone most days. "Not even a little," she answered honestly as she moved an arm around her best friend's waist. "Love you, lady."
Angela sighed in relief before she wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "Love you too, Ro."
"You guys all right?" Lino asked as he ambled up the hill, hands in his pockets. He looked good in his black button down shirt, green tie, and black slacks. A small, gold Mayan insignia was pinned to his shirt collar; an insignia that signified he was a friend of the Mayan MC. Rosa was willing to bet Vanessa's dad had given it to him.
Angela sighed and nodded. "All good. You good?"
"Been waitin' for this day for a long ass time to be honest," Lino said with a little shrug as he squeezed himself between them. Rosa scowled at him while Angela raised an eyebrow in question. He shrugged again. "Esai put you through a lotta shit. I mean, I saw him tear you down, smack you around, and shit. He's insulted Nessa more than once too. I ain't ever liked that fool. Even when I was his prospect. He's done some sketchy-ass shit in the club. If anyone deserved to die, was him."
Rosa stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Out of the three of them, Lino was always the most kindhearted and patient. She'd never seen him angry or ready to throw hands. He was always the one separating people from fighting, trying to solve shit with his words. "Wow. Look at Lee gettin' all gangster. Was in the Mayans for five seconds 'n' he's ready to commit murder."
"Shut up, Ro. You know I'm right," Lino said on a smirk. "Wasn't like I killed him."
"True. That was all Hap," Rosa agreed, bobbing her head in a nod. "Bet he enjoyed that shit too. You know how he did it?"
"Juice said somethin' about an ice pick," Angela answered on a frown.
"Yeah. Mid-churro, I heard," Lino put in.
"Fuuuuuck," Rosa said, shaking her head. They were all silent for a long time before she shrugged, "Guess that churro was to die for."
"Rosa!" Angela exclaimed, smacking her arm as Lino started snickering. She smacked him too. "You guys are terrible!"
"Oh c'mon! That shit was funny!" Lino stated, still laughing.
Rosa saw the corners of Angela's mouth lift in the smallest hint of a smile, though she could tell she was trying to be respectful. "C'mon, Ruiz. That shit is funny. The only thing funnier would be if he got ice picked in the back of the head while eating a fuckin' ice cream or snow cone!"
Angela let herself laugh this time, shaking her head. "Damn, we're all going to hell."
Lino nodded, moving his arm around their shoulders and pulling them into slight headlocks. "Least we'll have each other."
Rosa grinned, looking over at Angela who was smiling too. She loved her two best friends. They'd all grown up together, changed together, but at the end of the day, Angela and Lino were her ride or dies. She couldn't imagine life without either of them. "Thank God for that!"
~'~'~'~
I've said it many times before, but I thoroughly enjoy writing Angela with her childhood friends this time around. Was fun to get into Rosa's head a bit!!
Hope you guys like reading it!!
Let me know what you think!
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