After her unsettling meeting with Lincoln Potter, Carrie put on a straight face and went to meet EZ at the butcher shop. She was happy to go, she'd been planning on texting him after she heard the news from Potter but EZ reached out to her first. Stopping at Angel's she picked up Joey, knowing Angel had to get back, and promised him she'd tell him everything that evening.
"I am so sorry," Felipe said to her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the baby. "I heard what happened."
"I'd be surprised if you didn't," she said sadly, "But thank you."
"EZ is on his way," Felipe told her. "Said he has news."
She nodded. "I'm sure he does."
"I know things weren't perfect between you and Kevin but the loss of a spo-"
"Please don't," she whimpered. "I don't think you can help me deal with this, you and I are suffering in vastly different ways."
"A loss is a loss," he said.
"True but I lost Kevin years ago, if I ever really had him at all," she shrugged. "There wasn't a time that I ever loved Kevin without doubts or longing for Angel." Carrie hated herself but it felt good to be able to be so blunt and honest with someone. Why she chose Felipe she didn't know but she couldn't stop it now.
"I'm here if you ever want to talk," he offered. "That's all."
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for welcoming me and Joey, as well. Whether or not you feel the same as you're acting it's nice not to be shunned."
"La familia," he said with a smile. "Speaking of," Felipe added.
Carrie turned to see EZ pulling off his gloves a she strolled up to the door. He smiled at them, cheerful yet reserved, and gave them both a hug.
"You're in a good mood," his father remarked.
"I'm off the hook, Pop," he beamed.
"How?" Felipe looked just as shocked as Carrie should have been.
"I helped Carrie," he said simply, "And this was the government's thank you."
"You helped her how?" His joyful expression turned dark and stormy. "What is this?"
"When Kevin was killed I had to be a bit creative with some details," Carrie admitted. "I put EZ there, one because it was easy to have a reason he'd be there and two because I needed a reason to still be alive."
"The home invasion?" Felipe looked at EZ then Carrie.
"It happened but I wasn't there," she sighed. "Angel should have explained this."
"This is more dangerous," he chided them.
Carrie shook her head. "It's not. If they knew the real story they would have investigated, they would have found out about me and Angel and that puts the murder on him. I had to put distance there and I could only do that by throwing myself and EZ into it. Why would Angel or the club kill Kevin knowing I was there with our son? Why would Angel go up there when EZ was there? They would have seen him and left before even busting in."
"I still don't like it," Felipe huffed.
"Pop, it's fine," EZ explained. "It's done. It's been wiped, there isn't even any evidence left, it's all smoke."
Felipe listened to EZ, his expression slowly changing, and eventually gave into his excitement. Their happiness scared Carrie though. She thought the moment she relaxed and began to welcome and accept the reality of her new life something would come along to disrupt them all.
EZ and Felipe chatted happily, Carrie simply listening and making faces at Joey but it wasn't long before she made her exit.
"E, the house is supposed to be released soon and other than a few things I'm just junking it all and selling as is. Think I could borrow those arms of yours in the next couple days?"
"Sure," he said. EZ wore a sunny smile as he looked at Joey. "Pop know?" He asked quietly. "About the new baby?"
"I don't know," she huffed. "Your brother and I have to talk. He's keeping things and I don't know why. I thought he would have explained everything since he knew I was using it to get you off. He should of laid it out, come on, was he thinking your dad wouldn't want every detail," she chuckled.
EZ laughed and nodded. "Angel's got a lot going on," he said. "He may have forgotten."
"Big thing to forget," she said sadly. "Anyway. I gotta go. I'll be in touch."
—
Carrie had Angel meet her at the house after dropping Joey off at daycare for a few hours. When he arrive she found her in the office, sitting at Kevin's desk.
Angel knocked on the doorframe. "Hey," he said quietly.
"Hi."
"What's up?"
"You still have that Coco problem, right?"
He nodded. "I do."
Leaning over she opened the desk drawer and pulled out a laptop, placing it on the desk gently. She opened the lid and sighed, typing in her birthday as the password, and waved for Angel to come closer.
"Kevin saved some stuff, work related, on his personal computer. He wasn't supposed to, part of me thinks he knew something would happen," she said sadly.
"He knew the risk of his job," Angel said. "Just like I know the risks of mine."
Carrie nodded despite knowing the risks they accepted were much different than the risk Kevin faced from Lincoln Potter.
"Anyway, uh, there's gotta be some shit on like, official letterhead, we can use to prove to Coco that EZ is in the clear."
"Fucking smart," he said. Kissing her cheek he sat on the edge of the antique wooden desk.
"I asked EZ to help get some stuff before I just toss it all, maybe he could accidentally find some files or something?"
Angel nodded. "Yeah, that works." He looked at her and shook his head. "You good, querida?"
Carrie shook her head. "No."
"What is it?"
"This," she said.
Her palms were flat on the desk, her eyes skimming the office and landing on the wedding photo he had beside the lamp. Angel didn't know what that meant exactly so he just shrugged a little.
"You didn't tell your dad about the baby?"
"Uh no," he said.
"Or that EZ was tangled into this shit with the story about Kevin?"
"No."
"Why not?" Carrie tore her eyes away from the photo. "EZ is clear and I had to explain how."
"I got a lot going on," he sighed.
"Do you?" Carrie laughed angrily.
He made a face, regret and anger at himself, and shook his head. "I know you do, Car."
"My husband, whose baby I'm most likely pregnant with right now, is dead because I've been fucking his cousin for heads. I'm faking DEA documents to prove an informant in the club isn't actually an informant. I have the life I wanted, with you, but I can't live it, I can't enjoy it, because I," she stopped.
"You what?"
"I feel guilty. I feel...relieved, in some ways, that I don't have to tell Kevin about Joey. I'm angry at myself, at you and EZ, the fucking cartel."
"Yeah, cause this has been so great for me?" He asked indignantly. "My brother used me. My brother begged to be apart of my life, apart of my club, my family, just to save his own ass, to be better than me, than you, than all of us. Pop supported it, he helped him, he chose him over me. Again. They knew that deal could get me killed." Angel got off the desk and pointed his finger in her face. "And you did too," he said accusingly.
"No," she shot up out of the chair. "I didn't think they would ever suspect you, I thought they'd know you were just,"
"Just fucking stupid enough to be played by my baby brother," he sneered. "So I'm sorry you're dealing with a lot," he said mockingly, "But on top of club shit, the cartel and the rebels, I gotta make sense of all this shit too."
Angel stormed out of the office, straight out of the house, and sped away with tears in his eyes. He didn't notice the other bike a few spots down and the man sitting casually with a file folder in his hands.
Potter's eyes rolled over the forensic blood reports as he watched Carrie angrily lock up and get back in her car.
"Looks like trouble in paradise," Potter mused quietly.
—
Vote and comment pretty please! I also don't know if you've seen but I started a solo Coco story called Mea Culpa, so go give that a read! Xoxo