Angela was woken up by the shrill ringing of her phone. She groaned as she opened her eyes, her neck stiff from sleeping on the couch all night. She'd been determined to stay up and wait for him but had clearly failed. Rubbing at her tired eyes, she reached out for the vibrating phone. "Hello?" she mumbled, holding back a yawn.
Juice relaxed at the sound of her voice. As soon as the DA decided to move him into ATF holding, he'd demanded his one phone call. He knew his rights, and he also knew he needed a story to tell his brothers, one that could be verified by his girl. "Hey baby," his voice sounded rough, even to his own ears. "I'm in ATF holdin'. Shit's a little bigger than I thought. I don't know how much longer they'll make me stay."
"Okay," she said nodding slowly. She heard the sound of Harley's pulling into the drive and grimaced, cursing under her breath.
"What? What's going on?" he asked, panicking slightly. A number of things could make her curse like that, and he was especially jumpy now he knew the DA knew about her.
"Chibs and Bobby are here."
"Tell 'em I got taken in by Roosevelt and then went out for a ride when I was released. Somewhere far but close."
Angela let out a light laugh at his twisted description. "Far but close? What the hell, Juice?" she hissed, watching as Bobby answered his phone and Chibs made his way to the door.
"Yosemite. Tell 'em I went up to Yosemite," he clarified knowing it wasn't that far of a stretch. He'd made the ride up there before when he'd needed an escape. Chibs knew how much he liked that ride. "That's all you know, okay?"
She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Yeah."
"Everything's going to be okay, Angel. I'm going to make it okay," he promised her, his voice shaking just a little with his nerves. He didn't know why they were holding him or what they wanted from him, but he had to find a way to make it okay. For her. For their kid.
"I know." The knock on the door told her their conversation had to be cut short. She hated to let him go like that. "I gotta go, Juice. Be careful. I love you."
"Stay safe, Angel. Love you too."
Reluctantly, Angela hung up the phone and made her way to the door. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and put on a brave face. Chibs would spot her lie from a mile away if she was just the slightest bit nervous. Forcing a smile on her face, she opened the door. "Hey Chibbies."
Chibs looked her over, a frown turning down the corners of his lips. The big circles under her eyes were a dead giveaway that she hadn't slept the night before, and he knew why. Roosevelt had picked Juice up...again. The stress of that topped with Juice's suicide attempt looked like it was wearing on her. "Mornin', love. Juicy-boy home?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
"Heard he got picked up by Roosevelt. Piss test," he stated, looking over her shoulder as if Juice was hiding behind her. "He come home at all?"
Angela nodded. "Earlier this morning," she answered casually. "Grabbed his bike and headed off to Yosemite to think."
Chibs raised his eyebrows, surprised she'd let him ride out by himself especially because of what happened just a few nights before. "Alone?"
"Yeah. I offered to go with him, but he told me to go back to sleep," she explained on a shrug. She knew she had to look like she hadn't slept in days, so she played it to her advantage; the state she was in, it was totally reasonable for Juice to tell her to go back to sleep. "He's okay, Chibs. It's not going to happen again. I promise you."
Whatever Chibs was going to say in response was cut off as Bobby lumbered over, moving faster than usual, a worried look on his face. "Hey Angie," he greeted distractedly before turning to his brother. "We got trouble. It's Tara. Got to head down to St. Thomas."
Chibs hesitated at the door looking as if he didn't want to leave Angela alone. After a moment, he sighed. "Call me if he comes home, all righ'?"
Angela nodded in reply. "Is Tara all right?"
"Got her hand slammed in a door. You should probably head down to St. Thomas when you get the chance," Bobby suggested, his eyes dragging over her messy attire that consisted of a pair of Juice's sweatpants and one of Kozik's SAMTAC t-shirts. Obviously, he was hinting that she should change first. "Just so we can keep an eye on ya."
"I got to head in to work for a bit first," she lied. She knew she had to be available to pick Juice up and would rather not have a prospect following her out of the hospital. "I'll head over as soon as I can."
"Stay safe, Angie-girl," Chibs said, clapping a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "See you soon."
Once they were gone, she took a quick shower and changed into something more appropriate to wear to a hospital. Her stomach was in knots as she wondered how Tara could've possibly slammed her hand in a door, and why that was such a big deal. She said a quick prayer, hoping that it wasn't too serious as she pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and a simple navy blue v-neck. The phone rang again as she was about to do her hair. "Angela Ruiz," she answered, running a brush through the wet strands.
"Hey baby," Juice's voice replied. "Can you come pick me up? I'm kinda...stuck, and I'd rather not ride up in a police car."
"I'll be right there."
She drove quickly, weaving through the back roads. After driving around lost for a few minutes, she finally made it to the large unmarked office building. The only reason she knew it was the right building was because she saw Juice standing outside of it. She smacked the little GPS on her dash. "Good for nothing piece of shit," she muttered, glaring as it still told her she had three left turns to make.
"You talkin' to me?" Juice asked as he got into the passenger's seat.
Angela shook her head at him, smiling slightly. "Nah, 'course not. The GPS."
He leaned forward, grabbing the piece of technology off the dash and pushing a few buttons. This he was comfortable with, this he could fix. The rest of the mess that was his life was a little more complicated.
She watched him mess with it in pure fascination. Anyone who thought he was an idiot had clearly never seen him with a piece of technology in his hand. "Everything all right?" she asked.
"Needs to be updated," he muttered on a frustrated frown.
"Not what I meant, Juice," she said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "You have blood on your shirt. What happened?"
He sighed, turning off the GPS and tucking it gently into her glove compartment before shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
She pulled out of the parking lot, her car going much faster than it should be in a residential area. "Try me," she said, looking over at him.
Juice let out a long breath before explaining everything about the DA, the IRA, and the whole RICO case to her. All the while, she sat quietly with her elbow hanging out of the open window, her dark eyes on the road. "Pull over," he ordered as they neared the familiar exit. At her curious look, he shrugged again. "Need a little more time."
They both stood at the edge of their mountain, his hand in hers as they looked out over the small town of Charming. "I don't know what to do, Angel," he admitted, his thumb ghosting over one of her rings. "I'm screwed either way."
She turned to him, a hard look in her dark eyes. "You do what that asshole told you to do. You check in, you act like everything is okay, and you give them what they want. There are so many players in this whole game, there's no way they can pin it on you," she answered, her voice strong and confident, almost reminiscent of Gemma's when she was plotting. He was silent for a moment, watching as she deflated slightly, worry bleeding into her eyes because as much as she sounded like Gemma for that brief moment, she wasn't Gemma; she wasn't used to this kind of stuff like she was. She didn't fully understand how the club and the feds worked, and as much as she wanted to believe her own words, she found she had no real basis for that belief. "Right?"
He nodded, smiling sadly at her loss of confidence. "I hope so," he said pulling her in front of him. He moved his arms around her waist, his hands folded over her stomach. Her hands settled on his, the tips of her fingers trailing over his swollen, red knuckles. "Roosevelt," he said by way of explanation.
Angela knew it was the reason for why his hands look like he'd beat the shit out of someone. "Why?"
"There was a surveillance pic of us on the table. I lost it," he answered, his voice soft, worried. "I can handle them going after me and even after the club, but if this blows back on you, I'll never forgive myself."
She felt a lump form in her throat. She never doubted he loved her, but, sometimes, she felt it more than others. This was one of those times when it surrounded her like a warm blanket making her feel safe and protected. Slowly, she turned in his arms, lifting a hand and setting it on his cheek. "Nothing's going to happen. We're going to be okay, Juice. We'll get through this."
"Okay, baby." Juice turned his head to press a kiss to her wrist before pulling her in closer. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her warm scent. He believed her. He had to.
----------------
Angela dropped Juice off at the house before heading to the hospital. After Juice had checked in with his brothers, he'd told her a little more about what had happened to Tara, and it frankly scared the shit out of her. Someone had tried to make good on the threat and had almost succeeded. She'd gotten one of those notes too. Had she been wrong in assuming the threat was because of the letters? Or had Clay become so desperate he'd put a hit on Tara? If they went after the VP's Old Lady, was she next? No, she couldn't be. Clay wouldn't have the balls to threaten her family and then off her like that, especially since his threat was working. There was no way in hell she'd say anything about those letters; not with her family in danger. Still the fear lingered in her stomach, she had more to protect than just Juice and Happy now.
Once at St. Thomas, she didn't bother going to the nurse's station to ask where Tara was, just walked right by and towards the ICU. It wasn't hard to find out which room she was in since Phil was standing outside of it like a big ogre guarding a bridge. "Hey Phil," she greeted with a small smile. "How's it going?"
He nodded to her in greeting. "Good, thanks," he replied looking her over. She looked tired and a little scared. Hell, most of the Old Ladies were looking that way lately. It was clear the cartel shit was wearing on more than just the MC members. "You?"
"Good, tired," she admitted on a sigh. "How's Tara doing?"
Phil shrugged a shoulder. "She just got out of surgery. Only Jax is allowed in there right now. There's a waiting room right over there though."
She bobbed her head up and down as she listened, hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Maybe I'll head home or something. I don't really need to be here."
"Umm...the guys said to make you stay here since Rat's with Gemma and V-Lin's at the clubhouse. They don't want you to be alone...if that's okay."
Angela let out a long breath as she ran a hand through her hair. If she didn't like Phil so much, she might've just said no and walked out, but she had a soft spot for the big guy and didn't want to make his life any harder than it already was. "All right. Waiting room okay then?"
He nodded, an appreciative look on his face; he'd seen her little protest when Tig had asked V-Lin to tail her and had been expecting something similar. "It's right across the hall."
"Thanks, Phil," she said patting his arm before heading into the room he'd pointed out.
It was a plain waiting room with lots of chairs and even more outdated magazines. Taking a seat in one of the plastic-cushioned chairs, she grabbed an old issue of Parenting magazine and flipped through it idly looking more at the baby pictures than reading the articles. She'd have one of those monsters of her own soon but hers would be much cuter because it'd have Juice's smile, she decided. If her kid inherited only one thing from their father, she'd want it to be that smile. After awhile, she grew bored with the magazine and tossed it onto the table next to her before tilting her head back against the wall. Her eyes closed before she could stop them.
She was awoken a few minutes later, her chair shaking as Jax threw himself into the seat on the other side of the corner table. "Hey Ang," he greeted on a tired sigh.
"Hey," Angela replied on a nod. "Everything all right?"
He ran a hand over his face, tugging at his beard as he shook his head. "Meds got Tara's head all fucked up. She's saying all kinds of shit. I just don't know if it's the meds talkin' or..."
"If she means them," she finished on a frown. "That sucks, I'm sorry."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said on a long sigh. He liked that Angela didn't ask what Tara had said like his mother would've. It was nice to be able to talk to someone without having them try to pry more information out of him. "You know what happened to Juice?"
"Got picked up by Roosevelt, came home, went to Yosemite to clear his head," she replied easily.
"Nah, I heard about that. I meant...do you know what he tried to do?"
Angela played nervously with her rings as she nodded. "Yeah," she said softly.
"You think he'll get over it?"
"I think the guilt of killing his own brother is going to stay with him a long time," she replied honestly, "but he's okay for now. He just needs...he needs the club. His brothers. You guys are his family, all he has."
"You in that picture too?"
Angela smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, of course. But what we have is different than his relationship to the club. He needs his brothers, Jax," she repeated, hoping that if she stressed just how much Juice needed the club, Jax might cut him some slack.
Jax nodded slowly, taking in her words. "You ever want him to get out of this whole thing? This life?"
She shrugged a shoulder. With everything that was going on, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. "Sometimes, but I'd never ask that of him. This club is a big part of who he is. Asking him to give it up is like asking him to stop breathing."
The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. It was clear Angela knew her man well, and truth be told, he wished Tara understood the club life as well as the undertaker seemed to. As if sensing his thoughts, she continued, "But what Juice and I have is not the same as what you and Tara have. Your situation is a bit more...complicated with the boys and your mom and all. There's more factors mixed in there."
Jax sighed as he nodded. She had a point there. "Yeah."
They were silent for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts before she asked, "Any news on her hand?"
"Severe nerve damage," he explained, rubbing at his eyes. "Could be permanent."
"It won't be," she said confidently. "Tara's a strong woman. If anyone can get through this, it's her."
Jax appreciated the sentiment, but she hadn't heard the way Tara had yelled at him, the awful things she said about having to stay at home with her dead hand. That woman that had yelled those terrible thing at him hadn't seemed strong, she'd seemed weak, like she'd given up all hope. It was hard to believe Tara would get better when she didn't even think so. "I don't know, Ang."
She patted his arm comfortingly. "Have faith," she said before standing up. She'd gotten the feeling he wanted to be alone and was more than happy to oblige him. "I'm going to grab some coffee. You want anything?"
"I'm good, thanks," he said softly. His blue eyes lifted from where he'd been staring at the floor and looked her over quickly, a worried look in them. "Don't go too far. We don't know what we're dealin' with yet."
Angela smiled at his concern and nodded. "I won't," she said stepping into the hallway. About halfway down, she heard footsteps along with voices she'd recognize anywhere.
Sure enough, Tig and some of the other brothers were heading up the hall. The SAA nodded at her, clapping her on the shoulder to stop her. "You all right, doll?"
"Yep," she said on a soft sigh. "Totally fine. Going to get some coffee."
He patted her shoulder gently. "Good. Stay close."
She fought against a grimace. His words were just another reminder she wasn't safe. "Got it," she said, nodding her hello to Bobby and Opie who nodded back. Chibs gave her a wink as he walked by, his head jerking back over his shoulder as if to signal something. Angela gave him a curious look but continued making her way down the hall. As she rounded the corner, she stopped when she saw Juice talking to Roosevelt just a few feet away. Juice was the first one to notice her, his eyes briefly flitting over her before going back to Roosevelt. She moved to lean against the wall behind a set of shelves, trying to stay out of view.
After a moment, she heard Juice's loud footsteps clunk down the hallway. Instead of his usual greeting, however, he surprised her by taking her face in his hands and crushing his lips against hers. She kissed him back just as hard, her hands fisted in the fabric of his navy t-shirt. "Stay here," he whispered as he pulled away. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before disappearing down the hall, leaving her standing there totally confused, her fingers brushing over her swollen lips while she watched him walk away. Where had that come from?
"Ms. Ruiz," Roosevelt's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Angela snapped her head towards him. "What?" she asked, all politeness gone from her tone. This was the man that had led Juice to climb that damn tree. If it wasn't for him, everything would be fine, Juice would be his normal, happy self not the sad, scared man she'd grown accustomed to lately. The wrath she felt towards the Sheriff was unprecedented and undoubtedly doubled by the crazy pregnancy hormones.
"I just wanted to apologize," he said, an honest look in his brown eyes. "I never meant for things to get this far."
"Of course you didn't. You feds never do," she spat, remembering Agent Stahl and all the destruction she'd caused. "You push and you push and somehow, someone always gets hurt, but at least you're following the law, right? At least the 'good' people are protected from 'evil' outlaws like them."
Roosevelt didn't miss the sarcasm in her words or the hatred in her dark eyes. It made him feel like shit. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd never meant for all the stuff that was going on to happen, and he hated that it was blowing back on Angela. She didn't deserve it. Hell, he was beginning to think Juice didn't deserve it either. "I'm sorry, Angela."
"Fat lot of good that does any of us," she muttered, shaking her head at him. "I liked you, Eli. I thought you were a good man with strong morals. Clearly, I was wrong. You're just another crooked pig. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some coffee," she said, brushing passed him and heading towards the cafeteria.
She'd just made it to the coffee station, Styrofoam cup at the ready when a hand stopped her. Looking over, she saw Chloe smiling back at her. "How many cups have you had today, Ang?" the nurse asked, a knowing look on her face.
"None," Angela lied easily.
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Sheba," she scoffed, rolling her hazel eyes at her friend. "Too much caffeine is bad for the baby. One cup a day, two tops. How many have you had today?"
She groaned in response, knowing the answer was going to keep her from enjoying the much needed cup in her hands. "Two."
"Thought so," Chloe stated, pouring out the coffee and pouring hot water into the cup instead. "Tea's a good alternative, has less caffeine. It's going to be hard at first, you'll probably have some withdrawal symptoms, but you'll get the hang of it."
"Withdrawal symptoms," Angela repeated flatly. That was just what she needed. "Seriously, Chlo?"
"Yeah. Shaking, headaches, all that fun stuff." Chloe laughed at the miserable look on Angela's face. "I know, it's going to suck, but hey, you skipped out on the morning sickness, right? Not many women can say that."
"I'd rather puke," she muttered, rubbing at her forehead; she could already feel a headache starting up.
She smiled, linking her arm through the undertaker's and pulling her over to a table. "C'mon, I'm on a break, entertain me with your fascinating life while I drink my coffee."
"Ugh. I hate you," Angela whined, sitting down in one of the cafeteria chairs and sipping at her tea. She pulled a face at the bland flavor. "Can I at least put sugar in it? It doesn't taste like anything."
"No," Chloe said simply, sipping at her own coffee. "Let it steep. You'll like it."
"We're not friends anymore," she stated, the look on her face telling the nurse she didn't mean it.
"Bullshit. So how was your day?" she questioned sarcastically. It was written all over the other girl's face how her day was. With a groan, Angela let her head fall to the table. Chloe patted her back as she bit back a laugh. "That good, huh? Hey! I know something that will cheer you up."
----------------
Juice panicked when he walked back out in the hall and Angela was nowhere to be found. He hadn't been talking to the guys for that long. How could she just disappear? "Angie leave?" Chibs asked from behind him.
"I don't...I told her to stay here," Juice said, digging in his pockets for his phone. She'd promised she'd stay there, and Angela wasn't one to break her promises. Scenarios of masked men taking his girl raced through his head as panic set in. "She has to be here. She wouldn't have just left. Right?"
"Dunno. She's your Old Lady," Chibs replied on a shrug. He watched Juice's hands shake as he dialed in her phone number. "Relax. Girl's probably fine. Knowin' Angie, she went to get some coffee."
Juice nodded, phone at his ear, praying she'd pick up. It took a few rings, but she finally did. "Hey you!" she greeted, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Where are you? I thought I told you to stay here," he said, still tensed up.
"I am here. Up three floors, room 424. Come meet me."
He relaxed slightly as he started moving towards the elevator, aware Chibs was following after him. "What are you doing up there?"
"Hanging out with Chlo," she explained simply. "You comin'?"
"Yeah. Be right there," he said hanging up the phone and looking at Chibs. "She's with her nurse friend. Fourth floor."
Chibs looked at the hospital key and raised an eyebrow when he read what was on the fourth floor; the maternity wing. He kept his mouth shut though, no use to freak Juice out. "All righ'. See ye at the clubhouse, yeah?"
Juice nodded as the elevator doors opened and he stepped in. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he watched the numbers go up, tapping his foot anxiously. The elevator doors opened to reveal a simple waiting room with more children's toys than normal. He shrugged and started down the hallway, looking at the numbers on the door. Once he found the right one, he could hear Angela laughing while a weird thumping noise sounded in the background.
Hesitantly, he opened the door. Chloe grinned up at him from her spot next to the exam table Angela was lying on with her shirt pulled up exposing her torso. Blue goo covered the span of her stomach, making the colors of her koi fish tattoo stand out more than usual. Angela hadn't noticed him; her dark eyes were watching a computer screen with an image on it that Juice couldn't make sense of. He moved to stand next to the table, squinting his eyes to see if it would help him distinguish the image. There was a fluttering image on it that accompanied the strange, thumping sound. "What is that?" he asked, his head turning this way and that as he tried to figure it out.
Chloe pointed to the little flickering thing on the screen, moving the sensor over Angela's stomach to get a better few. "That's a heartbeat."
"Oh," he said pretending he understood.
Angela knew better; she could still see the confusion written all over his face. "That's the kid's heartbeat."
"Oh. Oh. That's my...that's our...woah," he stammered out, still trying to make sense of it. "That's in there?" he asked, pointing a finger at her stomach and making a face as he got the gel all over it.
"Toldja it was tiny," Angela said, giggling as he wiped the gel off on the side of the exam table.
"That's my kid. My little kid. Is its heart okay? It sounds like it's underwater. Is it supposed to sound like that?"
Chloe smiled at Juice's questions. "The fetus is totally fine. It sounds like it's underwater because it is, kind of. There's a bunch of fluid in there."
"How does that machine even work? Can we get it in color?"
Angela laughed at the surprised look on Chloe's face. She was willing to bet she'd never heard those questions before. Juice with his techie brain seemed to be more interested in the sonogram machine than the little fluttering on the screen. "It's sonar. Like bats use. Right Chlo?"
Chloe looked between them, completely confused. She'd never heard it compared to animals before, and she'd had to explain it to children. "Uh...sure."
"Cool," he said, still looking fascinated at the screen. "Can you tell if it's a girl or boy or do we have to keep calling it 'it'?"
"Not yet," Chloe replied, grinning at Juice's eagerness. She wondered how people were ever intimidated by him, though Angela assured her plenty of people were. Juice just seemed like a big kid. "Most people think of cute nicknames. Bean, blip, lump, gremlin, Cletus the Fetus. The list goes on. You just got to pick one."
"Cletus the Fetus," Angela repeated, wrinkling her nose. She caught Juice smirking and pointed a finger in his face. "No, absolutely not, Juice. Don't even think about it."
Juice's smirk widened into a smile, squeezing her hand in his. "You gotta admit, it's fuckin' hilarious, Ang," he let go of her hand and poked gently at her stomach, his head dipping just a little closer to her abdomen. "Sup Cletus?"
She slapped the side of his head. "Stop it!"
Chloe smiled at their back and forth as she checked her watch. "Oh shit. Break's over. I gotta go, guys," she said shutting off the machine and throwing a clean towel at Angela.
Angela grabbed it and started wiping off the goo. "Thanks for this, Chlo."
"Mm-hmm, anytime. You need an officially appointment though, Ang. I'm a general nurse, not an OB. I can handle the equipment and the fun stuff, but you need a legit doctor. Dr. Namid's a good one. I'd suggest Tara but..."
"Yeah, I know. Shit timing. I'll figure it out," she said on a sigh, tugging her shirt back down. "Thanks."
Chloe nodded again before turning to Juice. "And you need to make sure she lays off the coffee. She can have one cup a day. That's it," she instructed him, ignoring the glare Angela was throwing her way.
Juice grimaced, scratching at the back of his neck. He already could tell Angela was going to hate that. Caffeine was her vice of choice. He'd dared her once to go a day without it, and they'd barely survived. "What about decaf coffee? Sometimes I think she just likes the taste and like the warmness of it, y'know? Like comfort food, but a drink. Right, Angel?"
"Yeah," Angela replied, a little shock by his accurate statement. She didn't know where the tears came from, but she felt them pricking at her eyes at his observation. God, she loved this man. Only he would think of another way for her to get her fix. She swallowed hard, happy Juice's back was to her as she wiped at her eyes. Damn pregnancy hormones, she thought to herself.
Chloe smiled warmly at her friend before nodding. "You have to make sure there's no toxins in it. Some coffees remove the caffeine with chemicals which also aren't good."
Juice nodded, draping his arm over Angela's shoulders as she moved to stand next to him. "Of course. Only the best for the little sea monkey. Thanks Chlo."
"Decaffeinated coffee, huh?" Angela questioned, looking up at him while they headed out of the room together.
He smiled down at her, his hand slipping from her shoulders and into the back pocket of her jeans. "Got to take care of my babies," he replied, pushing the button for the elevator.
Angela grinned when she saw the elevator was empty, turning and grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him in with her. She pressed her lips to his as he pushed her up against the wall, his hands sliding to her ass, squeezing it lovingly before giving it a light slap. She giggled, her hands slipping under his shirt.
Opie was just about to head home when the elevator doors opened revealing Juice and Angela making out like teenagers in the small space. Juice with his hand, all the way up Angela's shirt, one of her legs wrapped around one of his. He cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Really?" Opie asked flatly, watching as Angela pushed Juice off of her, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Hey Ope," Juice greeted on a breath, a shit eating grin on his face. "What's up?"
"Head to the clubhouse. They need you there. Good to see you, Ang," he grumbled, nodding a greeting to Angela before glaring back at Juice. "Next time hit the emergency stop, idiot."
Angela laughed lightly, slipping her hand into Juice's while he scowled at the bearded man's retreating back. "See the trouble you get me into, Angel?" he teased, shaking his head at her.
She caught his lips in a quick kiss. "You love it."
"I love you," he shot back quickly, grinning at her as if he knew what her reaction would be.
She rolled her eyes at him, squeezing his hand. "Goof."
----------------
Juice sat at the computer, trying to figure out whatever he could about the Lobos-Sonora and see if he could find who'd tried to take Tara. Behind him, he could hear Angela playing a pool game with Tig while Chibs and Bobby each chatted up a Croweater. He could hear Tig coaching Angela through a shot, his voice low as he pointed out different techniques. Juice looked over his shoulder and found Tig to be leaning next to her, arm stretched out as he gestured to the balls. To his surprise, the SAA was not touching her like he did when he tried to teach the Croweaters how to play. Juice wondered if he was keeping his space out of respect to him or to Happy. Either way, he appreciated it. It was nice to not have to worry about his brothers pushing up on what was his.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, an alarm telling him it was time to check in. Sighing, he cancelled the alarm and stood. "I'm gonna grab a smoke," he said to no one in particular. The guys largely ignored him, but Angela looked up from the table, a worried look crossing her face. He nodded to her once, discreetly showing her his phone as if to explain. She didn't say anything about it, instead asking Tig a question to distract him.
Angela lined up the stick and hit the mark Tig had instructed her to, breaking the rack and sending the eight ball rolling into the pocket he'd pointed out. "Woah," she said, grinning triumphantly.
Tig set a hand on her shoulder. "Toldja you could do it, kid," he said an almost proud look on his face. "Now do it again. Practice makes perfect."
Chibs chuckled from where he was perched on the back of the couch, a raven-haired Croweater standing between his legs. "She's Juicy's girl, I'm sure she understands the concept."
"Oh Juice doesn't need any practice. Trust me," Angela shot back on a smirk.
Tig elbowed her side playfully. "I taught him everything he knows."
"Now that is a scary thought," Bobby teased, winking at Angela who just rolled her eyes in response.
The front door flung open and Clay strode in, a pack tossed over his shoulder. Small scratches and bruises covered his cheeks. Tig immediately stood at attention. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, concern written all over his face. But Clay ignored his brother's question and continued on walking down the hall towards the dorm rooms. "We'll finish this later, yeah?"
Angela nodded, knowing it was a not so subtle way of telling her to leave. Knowing the drill, the Croweaters had already disappeared to wherever it was they went during the night. It was Angela who hadn't gotten the hint. "Yeah, 'course," she said, heading for the front door.
She found Juice sitting atop a picnic table, staring at his phone as if he couldn't believe what he'd just done. She took the phone from him with one hand, tucking it into her back pocket as she put her other hand in his to replace it. His fingers, cold from the outside temperature, curled around her warm hand bringing it to the side of his face. Smiling, she trailed her thumb over his cheek. Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, his other hand reaching out to pull her in closer. He'd had a good idea where the bruises and scratches on Clay's face had come from, and he was willing to bet Gemma looked even worse. He couldn't imagine ever raising a hand to Angela, not even when he was at his angriest.
She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "What's going on between those tats?"
He smiled softly, remembering the times in the past she'd asked him that question. It was rare she asked him what he was thinking, usually she just waited for him to say it. Sometimes, however, her curiosity got the better of her. "I'm never going to hurt you, Angel. You know that right?" he asked, his eyes locking on hers. "You'll always be safe with me. I'm going to protect you and care for you...well, you and the kid now."
She leaned in and caught his lips with a gentle kiss. "I know. Never doubted that," she stated simply, moving to let him stand. As soon as he was on his feet, her wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him in a tight hug. She nuzzled her nose into his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne and his leather.
"We'll get through all this," he promised her, his voice barely above a whisper as he ran a hand down her back. The shit storm that was his involvement with the feds loomed over his head like a big, heavy rain cloud. The only thing keeping him from drowning was his silver lining, his angel, and the promise of their future together. He was determined to see it through. To see his girl smiling and happy again, see his kid. He would make it, he had to.