"She what?" Jax's voice was loud in the small office. Happy's eyes were on him immediately. There was only one person he could be talking to. One 'she' he could be talking about. The other important Old Ladies were all safely at RedWoody...except for Angela. He sat up a little bit straighter, straining his ears to see if he could hear Montez on the other line. Jax paced the room looking pissed off beyond belief. "You serious? You just let her go like that?...And the baby?...She just left her?...And you're sure it was him? You get plates?...No. No...stay there. I'm sendin' Hap."

He snapped the phone closed, his blue eyes furious as he slammed the phone on the table. Happy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked at Jax. "What'd she do?"

"Montez let her get away!" Jax exclaimed, running his hands through her hair. "Said she jumped the backyard fence, got into some SUV."

The rest of the club made sounds of disbelief while Chibs kicked at the leg of a chair. "Had to be Juice," the Scot spat out angrily. "The boy's gone mad pullin' her into this shite!"

"No kiddin'," Jax muttered, shaking his head. The rest of them made sounds of agreement, cursing and shaking their heads as if they agreed with Jax and Chibs' outrage. All but two. While Bobby, Jax, and Chibs were cursing and pacing, Quinn and Tig both seemed to be trying to hide looks of pride. Clearly, Angela had wormed her way into their hearts, and they cared about her just as much he did.

"Evie okay?" Tig asked from his seat in the corner. If Happy wasn't mistaken, it seemed like the wild haired man was trying to hide a smile.

Jax nodded slowly, sighing. "Yeah. Left the baby with her Ma and Aunt," he muttered before looking to Happy. "You know anythin' about this?"

Happy shook his head. He honestly didn't know a damn thing about what had happened with his cousin. He'd been pissed when he'd heard they'd let her out of lock down to begin with. Gemma had said Evie had been running a fever, and that she'd made a deal with Angela about the Diosa girls' funeral in return for her being able to go take care of her kid. Had he been there, he wouldn't have let her go. His Aunt was a licensed nurse; if anyone could take care of Evie it'd be her. Angela wasn't needed there. He'd have smelled that plan cooking a mile away. "Was with you the whole time, brotha," he reminded his president.

"Well, get over there. See what you can find out," he stated, running a hand over his face and tugging on his beard. "Someone's gotta know where they're going."

He nodded, getting up from the chair with a grunt. On his way out the door, Chloe caught his arm. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"The kid split from Ma's house. Goin' over there to see what the hell happened," he stated, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear him. Chloe didn't seem that surprised. He smirked at her. "You knew?"

"Evie randomly gets sick and Lena calls for Ang to come over when Graciela can easily handle it? Didn't sound right. Little too convenient," she replied on a shrug. "If it helps, I don't think Ang knew what was going on before she went over there. She was flipping out."

Happy raised an eyebrow; so his Ma and Aunt were working together to help Angela. That didn't bode well for him. It meant he had one hell of a lecture coming his way as soon as he walked into that house. "We'll see," he said on a shrug. "I'm headin' out."

"I'm coming with," she stated, grabbing her purse off a nearby chair. When he went to protest, she held up a hand. "There is no way in hell I'm staying here without Ang and without you. Either you let me go home or you take me with you. You leave me here 'n' I'll go home. No one will stop be either."

He sighed, rubbing at his temples as he felt a headache coming on. "Braun..."

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not takin' 'no' for an answer, Hap," she hissed, keeping her voice just as low as his. He was appreciative for that. At least, she wasn't causing some big scene. "You've told me time and again how safe I am. There's no reason for me to be here. Now, I can keep fighting you and you can keep wasting time or you can just take me with you."

"C'mon, pain in the ass," he muttered, giving in because he was tired of hearing her. "We're takin' my bike."

She grinned at him in triumph, following him out the door with a slight skip in her step. "Thank you!"

Happy parked his Dyna in front of his mother's house, waiting for Chloe to get off of it before dismounting. Montez met him on the porch. "I'm sorry, man! One second she was takin' care of the baby, the next she was gone! That girl is fuckin' fast, man," he exclaimed, waving his hands about as he went. "Shot at her to get her to slow down 'n'..."

Happy pinned him against the side of the house in one quick move. "You shot at my kid?" he growled, getting into his brother's face.

"No! No! I shot in the air! Thought she'd freak! She didn't even flinch!" he shouted, his dark eyes wide.

When Happy didn't let him go, he looked at Chloe for help, but she scoffed instead. "Ang isn't afraid of bullets."

If he wasn't so pissed at Montez, Happy would've laughed at her comment. "Who'd she leave with?" he asked, still holding him against the house.

"I dunno. Saw her jump into a big black SUV, but it was gone 'fore I could get the plates," he explained. Hap let him down, and he straightened his cut with a glare at the Tacoma Killer. "Had to have been Juice."

"No shit," Happy grumbled, knocking his shoulder against the shorter man's before walking into the house. He was surprised to find Graciela, and his mom seated at the kitchen table playing dominos. Evie was in her high chair next to them, messing around with what looked like a gigantic foam domino. Neither of them looked at all concerned that Angela had literally run away.

Graciela noticed them first. Her dark eyes lit up as a smile graced her face. "Chloe! Que sopresa! What are you doing here?" (What a surprise!)

Chloe walked over, kissing Graciela's cheek and then Elena's before going over to Evie. "I'm here to escape the hell that is SAMCRO lockdown," she replied, picking up the baby. "Just like this little one. Huh, Evie? You lucked out getting to stay here."

Happy glanced as Evie squirmed in Chloe's arms, her dark eyes looking around the room, searching for her parents, no doubt. When she didn't find them, she settled on smacking Chloe in the face with the foam domino. He smirked; the kid was growing to be more and more like her mother everyday. Sighing, he set his hand on his Ma's shoulder. "Need to talk to you."

Elena sighed, gesturing to Chloe for a moment. "Veni. You finish for me, mija," she said, nodding to her dominos. Happy was a little surprised by her invitation; his mom didn't trust anyone with her domino game. Once Chloe was settled in at her seat with Evie still perched on her lap, Elena grabbed his arm, using him as support as they made their way to the living room together. "Y? Que paso? Why are you here?" (Come...And? What happened?)

He gave her a doubtful look. There was no doubt in his mind his mother knew exactly why they were there. She was playing him just to piss him off. It was just the start of what he was sure would turn into one hell of a guilt trip. "Where'd she go?"

"Who?" she asked, clearly playing dumb.

"Angela," he answered, clenching his teeth together in annoyance. Getting information out of his mother was like pulling teeth. It was where he'd learned how to keep such a tight lip on things.

Elena blinked at him, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "No se. Don't know where she went. One minute here con la beba, y the next she was gone. Poof! Y ese chico, Montez, shot off a gun! In my backyard! Suerte que Vivica was here porque si no, the police would've come! Te imaginas?" (I don't know...with the baby and...and that boy, Montez...Lucky that Vivica was her otherwise...Can you imagine?)

Happy scowled at her, knowing she was trying to distract him from what had really happened. "C'mon, Ma. Know she didn't just up and leave the brat. Not without help. Where did she go? Was she with Juice?"

Disappointment seeped into his mother's features as she looked up at him. She shook her head slowly, clicking her tongue as she did so. "Where she went is none of my business. I just did what you should've done, mijo," she told him bluntly. "Sangre es todo. Her blood runs through my veins, through yours. If she needs my help, I help her. Nothing changes that. She is my blood. Mi familia." (Blood is everything...My family)

"Ma, my club..."

"No. I raised you better. I know she came to you for help y no hicistes nada. Vic y Chico would be so disappointed. Your family comes first!" Elena said calmly, her dark eyes blazing with fire. She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt. "Ves? You live, you die, you kill, for your family. Not your club. Your family. Blood first. Always. You promised to take care of her. What happened?" (...and you didn't do anything. See?)

Happy shook his head; she didn't get it. By keeping her close, he was taking care of her. If she was close, the club wouldn't touch her. Not on his watch. "I was takin' care of her. Keepin' her close. Makin' sure she didn't get in any more trouble."

"You were slowly killing her, y lo sabes!" Elena snapped with a scowl. "I don't know about you, pero I like to see my Angelita happy because I love her. He makes her happy, being with him makes her happy. So I help her get to him for that. For Eva." (And you know it!...but)

He sighed, hanging his head guiltily. His mother was right about that. He'd seen how much staying in Charming without Juice hurt his cousin. It was a look he remembered from her first couple of days in Tacoma when all she wanted to do was go back home to the people she'd left behind. He hated seeing her unhappy, but he also hated the idea of her getting hurt because of something the idiot did. He could protect her just fine when they were apart but putting her and Juice together added another element of danger. Juice was a dead man walking, and Angela was determined to walk at his side. He wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to lose his cousin because of the sins of her husband. "I love her too. 's why I'm protecting her! The club wants him dead, and she'll follow him right into that six foot hole!"

"Then keep your club away from them!" she stated as if it were the easiest thing in the entire world. "Make your uncles proud, mi amor. I know you can do it. Protect her by hiding them. Then help us get Eva to them once they're safe."

" 's not that easy, Ma. Can't just..."

"You can and you will. This is Angelita we're talking about. It is your job to keep her safe," Elena said, a hard look in her dark eyes. "She would do it for you."

With those words, she hobbled away before stopping at the door. "I'm going to bed. You make sure Chloe finishes my hand well. You two stay the night, and she in Angelita's room with Eva. Alone. She's not one of your little putas. She's a lady."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, already aware of the rules. His Ma and Aunt were old school when it came to their children's' relationships. The only people allowed to share a room were people that were married. It never bothered Hap, though. Growing up, he never brought girls home to begin with. He'd go to their place so he could leave whenever he wanted. Chloe was different, though. She was as close to a significant other as he'd had in a long, long time.

He sat down heavily on the couch, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. This whole situation was fucked up. How had it come down to this? He'd finally lost his cousin. Literally. She'd been slipping through his fingers for years now, and he hadn't been able to stop it. It wasn't Juice's fault either. He knew that. If anything, the idiot had brought her in closer. It was the club that had driven a wedge between them. Jax had been the driving force pushing her away.

Nails raked over the back of his head, and he looked up to find Chloe sitting beside him, a sad look in her hazel eyes. She didn't say a word, just sat next to him, her hand smoothing over his back in a soothing motion. "The brat okay?" he asked after a moment.

"She's fine. Her grandmas are spoiling her," she replied on a shrug.

"I fucked up," he stated, swiping a hand over his face. "Tried too hard to keep her close, keep her safe."

Chloe sighed softly. "She's like sand," she murmured, her nails scraping over the back of his neck again. He closed his eyes at the feel of it, trying to relax. "You hold onto it too tightly, and it'll slip right through your fingers."

Happy smirked; she'd hit the nail on the head with that one. Angela had always been that way. The moment she felt trapped, she'd find a way out. The only way he'd ever been able to deal with her had been with a logical "loose" hand. She understood logic; she didn't understand force. There was no logic behind keeping her in Charming, which was why she fought so hard to get out. Why she'd come to him and asked for his help to get out. And what had he done? Nothing. He'd followed Jax blindly because that's what made the most sense to him. Jax had told them all that Juice had betrayed them. Juice needed to be taken care of. That's it. Black and white. But Angela had always brought out those gray areas in his life. The worst part of it was, she'd wanted to explain it to him. Had practically begged him to listen, and he hadn't. He didn't want to blur those lines. Jax was his club's president. When it came to SAMCRO, he was right. That's what Happy always believed. Now, with Angela gone, he wasn't so sure.

"You think I pushed her away for good?" he asked, voicing his one big worry.

Chloe pondered his question for a moment, something that made him nervous as hell. "I don't know, Hap," she answered softly. "You hurt her. Badly. Gonna take something big for you to get back into her good graces."

Happy rubbed a hand over his head again. "I know."

"She loves you, Hap," she told him, setting her chin on his shoulder. "She's not going to cut you out forever. You're part of her family. Part of her blood."

He grimaced when he remembered everything his mother had just said about blood. "Dunno how to fix it."

"Yeah, you do," she stated, a knowing look in her eyes. "When the time comes again--and it will come--you gotta choose her. Stop followin' Jax just 'cause its easy. Take the road less travelled. Do what you feel is right."

Happy let her words sink in for a moment before smirking. "What hospital poster did you get that shit from?"

She smacked his arm, scowling at him. "I'm trying to help you sort through your bullshit and you just give me shit. You're the worst."

He leaned over and kissed her temple, breathing in the citrusy scent of her hair. "Thanks, babe," he murmured, standing slowly.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes and taking the hand he offered. "You're sleeping with Evie tonight though. No sneakin' into my room either. I do not want to be on Elena's shit list."

"This my punishment?" he asked, watching her ass as she walked out of the room.

Chloe shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Your Ma went way too easy on you."

-----------------

Juice almost felt guilty at how content he felt stretched out in the back of the SUV, Angela tucked into his side. They'd driven for most of the night, stopping only because they were too exhausted to drive any farther. He'd found a truck stop and pulled in, making sure to park in the darkest corner of the lot before they'd folded down all of the backseats and lay down in the empty space they left behind. They'd left the sunroof open so they could see the stars shining brightly in the sky. If they weren't running for their lives, it'd be very romantic. He trailed his fingers up and down her arm, deep in thought. "You think they're following us?" he asked softly.

"Not yet. We got a good head start, and they're missing their intelligence officer," she answered, tilting her head back to look at him. "You shoulda seen the look on Montez's face when he caught me jumpin' over that fence. He's going to be in some deep shit."

He chuckled in response, nodding his head. "You pulled a Gemma. Like a really, really good Gemma. When she wants to shake her shadow, she always manages a way to do it. It's like a rite of passage almost. Only one who hasn't been conned is Hap."

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked on a smirk. After a moment, her expression grew sad, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Its too quiet. I miss Evie. I feel horrible for just leaving her behind like that."

"We'll get back to her soon, Angel," he murmured, kissing her forehead as his fingers raked through her hair. "You did what you needed to go to keep her safe. Sleeping out here in a car is not ideal for a baby. She'd hate it. Then you'd be wishing for some quiet. She's fine being spoiled by her grandmas just like I'm sure Rigs is having a blast with Boner and Ken."

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Our kids are getting spoiled rotten," she mused, looking over at him. She reached a hand up to her neck, her fingers playing with the gold chain that hung there. It was the one he'd given her with the crow skull charm on it. He watched her tug it out of the collar of a shirt, grinning when he saw the two platinum bands hanging with the charm. Sitting up slightly, she unhooked the chain and held the rings in her palm. "So I got a package in the mail the other day..."

He picked them up from her hand, smiling while he inspected them. "Thought we needed real wedding bands, y'know?" he said, turning to his side to face her. "The tat's are nice and permanent, but I wanted something more normal."

"Juice, nothing we do is normal."

"I know," he replied a little sadly. "That's kinda why I wanted to get them."

She gave him a warm smile, brushing a hand across his cheek lovingly before taking the smaller of the rings and examining it. He knew she was trying to figure out the pattern etched into the silver metal. It took her a minute, but she got it. "Its a fingerprint."

"You got mine, 'n' I got yours," he explained on a nod. "Lifted your prints off a glass a while ago when I saw these online. Wanted to surprise you with them. Take you on a ride out to our spot. Get down on a knee..."

"You know we're already married, right?" she reminded him on a laugh.

He shrugged a shoulder, grabbing her left hand. Sliding off her engagement ring, he slid the band on before putting the other ring on top of it. They stacked perfectly, the dark whorl and surrounding lines of his thumbprint looking beautiful next to the sparkling black diamond. "I know," he replied, a little bummed he hadn't been able to go through with his plan. "Just wanted it to be something special."

Angela grabbed his hand and his ring, sliding it onto his ring finger and smiling when it fit perfectly under his tattoo. "This is special," she murmured, kissing the band on his hand.

Juice moved onto his back with a groan, looking up at the ceiling. "We're running away from the club and the cops, at a truck station, in a car that isn't ours, laid out on these uncomfortable seats. Nothin' special here."

She rolled her eyes, sliding her leg over his hips and straddling him. "We're together," she replied, leaning over to press her lips to his. "That's special."

He set his hands on her thighs, rubbing over her jeans as he looked up at her. "Guess so," he muttered. He looked up at her smiling face and felt a little better about the whole situation. As long as she kept smiling at him like that, he had faith they'd get through it. That they'd find their own happily ever after together. It was still shocking to him that after all those years of being together, she was still with him. That she hadn't left his side once since the very beginning. A memory hit him, making him smile up at her. "You remember that time like a year into us being...together when I got super drunk and told you we should get married some time because we'd make pretty babies together?"

Angela nodded, a surprised smile on her face. "I'm shocked you do, drunkie. If I remember correctly, you wanted to name them Anarchy and Mayhem," she said on a laugh. "Seems your plan didn't work out quite as well as you thought it would."

"Oh shit! I forgot about that," he said, chuckling. "We'll save those for the next ones."

She shook her head at him. "You were right, though. We did make a pretty baby."

"I know," he said, swallowing hard as he reached up to brush a stray hair from her face. "You didn't freak back then. Didn't run. Never mentioned it again. I was talking about the future, and you didn't even flinch. Why?"

"Because you were drunk and cute as hell, and I...I really liked the sound of it. I could see it. If I had brought it up again and you shot it down with some bullshit excuse, it would've really hurt," she admitted with a shy smile.

Juice sighed softly. He could see where she'd think that in the beginning. He'd never given any reason for her to think he'd been faithful to her. He had been, of course. Once they'd gotten together, he hadn't had another girl. The only person he'd touched since Angela was Carla, and he wasn't about to bring that up. "I meant it, y'know. Even then," he replied honestly. He sighed again, hating that he hadn't given her everything she deserved. "I'm sorry about all of this, Angel. It's not what I wanted for us."

"Wasn't really expecting a white picket fence," she told him on a shrug.

"But that's what I want to give you."

Angela smirked, shaking her head at him. "I've been riding Harleys since I was old enough to hold on, Juice. My dad wasn't an outlaw, but the two men that raised me were. When they were gone, I fell in with Esai and the Mayans, after that back to the Sons," she explained. "I don't think there's been a time in my entire life that I haven't been surrounded by outlaws. That white picket fence was never something I wanted."

Juice put his hands on her hips and wrinkled his nose. "Why you always got to bring up that douche?"

"Esai?" she asked on a laugh. "Really? That bugs you?"

"Kinda," he admitted, feeling a little ridiculous about it. He still was uneasy when it came to talking about her past. Sure, he'd had dozens of girls, but none had ever meant anything. Not like Esai did to Angela. There was a history there that ran deep. Sometimes when she talked about him, he could feel how much she'd cared about him, and he hated it. Hated to think he wasn't the first person to touch her, to love her. He was thankful the guy was six feet under, or there'd be some serious issues.

"Are you jealous?" she questioned, her eyes glistening with curiosity. He shrugged a shoulder in response, and she laughed again. "Baby, E's dead. Has been for a long time."

He shrugged again, playing with the waistband of her jeans. "But I'm not the first person you've ever been in love with. You loved him, right?"

"Not like I love you, Juice," she told him sincerely. She ground her hips against his, giving him a sexy smile when he groaned at the friction. Leaning over, she caught his lips in a hot kiss. "I haven't loved anyone like I love you."

Juice smiled up at her, tugging open the button of her jeans. "Good," he murmured against her lips as he kissed her again. She sat up, pulling her shirt over her head. He bit his lip as he looked her over. She wasn't wearing the sexiest lingerie he'd ever seen on her, but she still looked hot as hell. "You're beautiful."

She threw the shirt at his head. "Goof," she said on a laugh. She slid off of him, trying her best to work off her jeans. "You. Pants off," she ordered.

He watched her struggle to get out of her jeans while he did the same with his pants. Her head smacked against the roof in the attempt, and he laughed. She sent him a heated glare before laughing when he did the exact same thing, smacking the top of his head against the roof. "That hurt," he said on a scowl.

"What that hair didn't cushion it at all?" she asked, reaching out to run a hand over the short hair on the top of his head. He hadn't shaved it in a while, and it was really coming in thick.

He threw his jeans at her face on a laugh. "Shut up."

She threw her top back at him. "Goof," she said, squealing when he leaned up to grab her around the waist and pull her on top of him. Laughing, she pressed a kiss to his lips, her hands rubbing over the short hair on his head. "I love you, Juice."

Lifting his head, he placed a sweet kiss to the tip of her nose. "Love you too, baby. We're going to figure this out, Angel. I know it."

"Of course we are," she said confidently, a shining smile on her face. "The two of us together are unstoppable."

Juice chuckled, smacking her ass. "Damn straight."

-----------------

Despite the ache in her back, Angela couldn't help but smile when she woke up with her head pillowed against Juice's bare chest. She kissed his pec, right over the tattoo of her name before sitting up and grabbing her backpack to get changed into clean clothes. Juice was still out like a light, snoring loudly and drooling just a bit. In his sleep, he looked so young. Gone were the worry lines on his face, the tension in his shoulders. He was totally at peace. She wondered how long it'd been since he'd slept so peacefully. Leaning against the front seat, she pulled her knees up into her chest and let out a long sigh. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Like she could finally breathe. They weren't safe by any means, but at least they were together.

Raking a hand through her hair, she pulled it up into a messy bun and grabbed her sunglasses and Juice's wallet. She got out of the car with a grunt, stretching her arms up over her head and groaning in satisfaction as her back cracked. Car keys in hand, she headed over to the small diner. It was pretty much empty save for a few truckers and a brunette waitress with a name tag that read 'Gertie'. Leaning against the bar, she caught the girl's attention. "Can I help you?" the waitress asked, a friendly smile on her face.

"Sure. Two coffees, a breakfast burrito, and two chicken club sandwiches. To go, please," Angela replied, opening Juice's wallet and smirking at the neatly ordered cash in the billfold.

Gertie nodded, writing out the order before putting it on the counter for the chef. She turned back with a tired sigh. "There's fresh pie if you're interested," she said, nodding to the glass display case. "Cherry."

Angela wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. "Not a big fan of cherry pie. Thanks though," she said, reaching for the coffee cups she'd set in front of her. She fixed Juice's just the way he liked it before doing the same to hers.

"Safe travels," Gertie told her as she handed her the bag of food.

"Thanks," she replied, shelling out a few extra bucks for tip. She grabbed the bag, grinning when she saw the back of the SUV open, Juice's boots dangling over the bumper. "Hey you," she greeted with a big smile.

He gave her a sad smile in return, reaching out his hands to grab her hips and pull her towards him. "Scared me for a second there. Thought it was all a dream," he admitted, catching her lips in a quick kiss.

Angela set a hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing over the scruff on his face. "I'm here, baby. Just needed some grub," she said, taking a seat next to him. "A breakfast burrito to share, coffee, and sandwiches for later."

Juice laughed, grabbing for the burrito. He bit into ferociously as if it were the best thing he'd ever tasted. At her laugh, he shrugged a shoulder. "You wore me out last night, baby. Need to replenish my fuel," he told her around a mouthful.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time," she mused, sipping at her coffee. Juice offered her the burrito, and she took a big bite.

"I think I got a plan," he stated, taking a swig of his coffee. "You still talk to Diana Alvarez and your friend Rosa?"

Angela almost choked on her food at that. She couldn't believe he knew about those visits! It wasn't that she was hiding them from Juice, per se, but she liked having her freedom. It irked her a bit to think he was constantly keeping tabs on her. "Just how much of my shit do you monitor?" she asked, trying her best not to get mad.

"Just GPS locations. You've been taken from me twice. 's not happening again," he assured her on a shrug. "Don't give a shit who you text or call. I trust you. Just want to know where you're at."

Leaning over, she pecked his cheek, all her anger forgotten. She didn't mind that he knew where she was as long as he didn't come barging into her meets or get angry with her because of it. "Yeah, I still talk to them. Tessa's getting really big now. Dia gave me some of her old clothes for Evie 'n' Ro's pregnant now too, so I promised to give them back for her. Dia called it the circle of life," she explained, smiling a bit. For a long time it'd been just her and Dia getting together in San Jose every month. Then Dia started bringing her daughter and when Evie was born, Angela brought her along. Then Rosa started showing up out of nowhere. It was nice to get back to the little circle of trusted women she'd always had while growing up.

Juice looked a little relieved that she wasn't angry. "That mean they still see you as part of the family?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, I guess."

"What if...what if we asked Alvarez for help?" he asked, his brown eyes hopeful as they studied her face. "He's got connections in Mexico, right? He's gotta be able to help us get over the border."

The idea made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, a chill roll down her spine. Something about it didn't feel right. "Juice, I don't know..."

"C'mon, Angel," he coaxed, handing her the burrito. "You say they're like family to you all the time. Why wouldn't they help us?"

"My connections with them aren't as strong as they used to be. It's been more than ten years since I was with Esai. Yeah, Dia and I get together every so often, but not nearly enough for me to feel comfortable asking for their help. Last time I talked to Alvarez was..." she trailed off, remembering the day she'd found him visiting his son in the same cemetery her father was buried in. He'd helped her then without an ounce of hesitation, but this somehow felt different.

Juice set his hand on hers. "I know, baby. But he helped you then, didn't he?"

"That's different. This...this could jeopardize whatever peace he has with the Sons. Jax isn't going to--"

"You think Alvarez is afraid of Jax?" he asked in disbelief.

There wasn't a single part of her that thought Marc was afraid of Jax. It was almost laughable to even think that. Jax was intimidating, sure, but Marcus had age and wisdom on his side. Jax was derailed, fueled only by his need to avenge Tara's death. Marcus was different. He always put his club first. Even before his family. Esai's fate was evidence of that. "No, but he...he killed his own son, his blood, to keep the peace with SAMCRO. What makes you think he'd go out on a limb for us?" she asked softly. " 's not like we have a lot to offer him. An old Escalade and a couple bucks. Not really a tempting offer."

"Doesn't hurt to try. Alvarez is our only hope. Call up his Old Lady. See if you can get her to put in a good word," he suggested, an earnest look in his eyes. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "It'll work, baby. They love you. You're familia, right? They're gonna help us, I can feel it."

Angela shifted uncomfortably before reaching behind her for her cell phone. She opened her contacts and stared at the names, her thumb hovering over Dia's. Hesitating, she looked over at him wishing he didn't look so damn hopeful. It wasn't a bad idea, in theory, it just had a huge potential to blow up in their faces. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she admitted softly.

"Don't, Angel. It's gonna work," he assured her, kissing her temple. "It's gotta work."

"Yeah. Okay," Angela breathed, nodding to herself. She swallowed hard and pressed the call button, putting the phone to hear ear and praying like hell he was right. Alvarez had the power and knew the right people to help him. It was just a matter of whether he would do it or not. She glanced up at the crystal blue sky, praying like hell that someone up there was watching over them and somehow it would all work out.