Angela left Juice in the bedroom and headed out to the hallway. She knew he wouldn't start talking until Chibs left, and Chibs wasn't going to leave unless he got confirmation Juice was okay. The Scot was sitting on one of their kitchen chairs, staring off into space. He stood when he heard her approach. "So?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows in question.

"I told you he wasn't okay," she said softly. "This thing with Miles, it broke him, Chibbies. He's not okay."

Chibs nodded in agreement, running a hand over his face. "That all it is?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. He won't talk to me while you're here."

"You kickin' me out, love?" he asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

Angela sighed, playing nervously with her rings. "I'm more suggesting you leave..."

Chibs nodded in understanding before pulling her into a hug. "Take care of him, Angie," he said, squeezing her tightly. "Boy's lucky to have ya."

"Thanks," she said giving him a small smile.

"I'll be back early tomorrow mornin' to check in," he stated on his way out the door. "I'll see you then, yeah?"

Angela nodded slowly in agreement. She waited until he rode away before heading back into their bedroom. Juice was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He lifted his head when he heard her walk in, his eyes still glassy with tears. Slowly, she stepped between his legs, brushing the backs of her hands over his cheeks to wipe away his tears. "You need to tell me what's going on, Juice," she stated softly, her voice shaking just a little. "I don't need details or names, but please give me something. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

He nodded in agreement, standing slowly and taking her hand in his. He led her towards the couch and sat down on it with a sigh. She took a seat next to him, draping her legs over his and letting him pull her in closer. He'd heard once that for a woman to be a great Old Lady, she either had to know everything or nothing. For awhile, he and Angela had been fine with something in between, but he understood why it was beneficial for her to know everything now. For him to have someone to talk to. Maybe if he'd gone to her first, he wouldn't have decided to climb that tree. Swallowing hard, he tried to think of the best place to start. "Remember that day at the shop when Roosevelt's guys took me in?"

"Yeah, of course," she said on a nod. It was hard to forget the strange way he'd acted after she'd picked him up from the police department.

"Roosevelt found out that my dad is...black," Juice admitted, watching her face closely for her reaction.

Her brows furrowed in confusion as she shrugged a shoulder. "So?"

He sighed, his hand slowly rubbing up and down her leg as he thought of how to explain it to her. "You ever notice the club doesn't have any black members?" he asked, trying to think of the best words. At her nod, he frowned. "There's a rule against it. It's old and outdated, but...it's still a rule."

"What happens if they find out?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "If I'm lucky, they'll just vote me out," he replied knowing she would understand the implication.

She paled slightly. She wasn't an idiot, she knew what he was saying. If he was lucky, they'd vote him out. If he wasn't, they'd kill him. "Shit."

He nodded in agreement. "Roosevelt's been holdin' it over my head," he choked out, running a hand over his head. "I stole that key of coke, Angel. Miles caught me, came at me with a gun, and I...I killed him before he could kill me."

Angela tensed at the confirmation of what she already knew. Happy was right; it was Juice all along. "Jesus," she said under her breath, swallowing hard as her eyes met his. She could see the fear in them, the desperation. He needed her to understand, to help him.

"I gave Roosevelt the sample. I didn't have a choice," he admitted, shaking his head slowly. "But he...he said the deal-maker wouldn't meet with me. Not yet. That's when I decided it didn't matter. I was screwed either way. I can't lose the club, Angel. It's all I got. I lose the club, I lose my family...I lose you."

Angela shook her head, stopping his train of thought. "No, you're not going to lose me, Juice. Not over this."

He sighed and smiled faintly. It was naïve of her to think they'd make it past this. "I get kicked out, they'll make you choose. They'll shun you, Angel. You either stay with the club, with Hap and Koz and all the others, or you stay with me. Can't have both."

She knew Happy and Koz wouldn't shun her, not in a million years. The club meant a lot to them, but surely it wouldn't sway their opinion of her. Dating a Mayan hadn't, why would this be any different? "It's not going to happen, Juice," she assured him. "They're not going to kick you out, and I'm never going to leave you."

"Promise?"

Angela nodded, moving closer to him and pressing her forehead to his. Her eyes met his as she took his face in her hands. "I love you, Juice," she said, her words filled with heart. "Nothing is ever going to change that. Not the cut on your back, not your ink, nothing. I promise you that. I'm here. I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

That was all he needed to hear. If everything fell apart, at least he'd still have her to hold on to. "Love you, too," he murmured before capturing her lips with his own in a heartfelt kiss.

She pulled away from him, still holding his face in her hands. "Don't you ever try to leave me again, Juice," she said, her breath catching in her throat. "Please."

He pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "I won't, I promise."

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

After knocking on the door to Juice's place excessively, Chibs let himself in. He understood then why no one had answered. Juice was snoring like a lawnmower, Angela lying on top of him. One of his arms was slung casually over her lower back, his hand resting on her round ass while the other was draped over her shoulders . Her hand rested against the bruise on his neck as though she was trying to cover it up, protect it, protect him. Thankfully, both were fully clothed or else Chibs would've gotten quite an eyeful.

The Scot paused to just look them over remembering the times he'd caught Juice sleeping naked on the club's pool table with a Croweater. The idiot had come a long way since then. He'd found a girl and had somewhat settled down, found better places to sleep than the pool table. Juice had everything going for him which made Chibs wonder what could've possibly led him to attempt suicide.

He whistled, the sharp noise of it jerking Angela awake, though it did nothing to stir Juice. She groaned as she rubbed at her eyes. "Shit," she murmured sleepily, blinking up at Chibs. "Mornin'."

"Mornin', love," Chibs replied, nodding to her. "Care to wake up your Old Man?"

Angela rolled her eyes at the term but didn't say anything against it. With a sigh, she pushed herself up off of Juice before leaning over to shake him. When that didn't work, she smirked up at Chibs before placing a soft kiss on Juice's lips. Juice responded in kind, his hands reaching for her hips as tried to pull her in closer. "Juice, Chibs is here," she said, pulling away.

Juice opened his eyes and glanced up at the Scot. The safe feeling he'd had the night before with Angela disappeared and a sense of dread filled him. What was Chibs going to do? Who was he going to tell? "Shit," he muttered, sitting up slowly when Angela moved off of him.

"He's like Sleeping Beauty, I swear to God," she commented to Chibs as she headed to the kitchen.

"Not a bad way to wake up, I guess," Chibs replied, looking back at Juice who looked scared as hell. "Get changed. We gotta head to TM."

Juice nodded, slowly standing and heading back to the bedroom. Chibs wandered into the kitchen where Angela was busying herself with some machine Chibs had never seen before. "Coffee?" she offered, pointing to the small machine and holding up a little plastic cup with a Starbucks label.

"Tha' makes coffee?" he asked, slightly surprised.

She nodded in response, putting a mug under and putting in the plastic cup before starting it up. "Yep."

"Fancy shit. Juice get tha' for ye?" he asked, making polite conversation.

"Yeah," she answered, blushing as she thought of the day he'd surprised her with it. "Want some?"

"No thanks, love." As soon as he heard the shower running, his face grew serious. "Wha's going on with him, Angie?"

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair before leaning back against the counter. "I told you he wasn't okay. We both saw it. This thing with Miles...it really broke him, Chibs. The club is his family, and he killed one of his brothers. That's not something you just get over," she explained as she fixed her cup of coffee. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Chibs' face fell slightly as he sighed. "Gonna run it by the guys. See what they make of it."

"Chibs, you can't...they won't trust him. You can't just do that."

"Boy's got a bruise the size of a chain 'round his neck. Ye don't think others will notice? His story is he got clothes-lined out on the property but...ye really think they're all gonna believe that?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "He was at the table with you last night, wasn't he? No one said anything then."

"Aye. They'll believe whatever we tell 'em, but I can't help 'im in secret, Angie-girl. He needs the support of the club."

"What support? You know just as much as I do they'll vote him out. Hell, SAMTAC almost voted Koz out when his addiction got too out of hand. That can't happen, Chibs. You think this is bad? Think of how he'll be without the club!" she seethed, an angry fire in her eyes.

Chibs understood where the girl was coming from and was surprised by her understanding of the way the club worked. It was clear that she knew more than she let on about the MC life. For all the Happy had shielded her from it, some things still sunk in. "I'll run it by Jackie," he said, compromising even though he knew he didn't have to. The girl's argument made sense, though; the club would most likely vote Juice out, but he doubted Jax would jump on that right away. The VP usually thought things through before he acted. "He won't do anythin' right away. We'll figure this shit out."

Angela didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. She knew she'd stepped over the line when she told him he couldn't take it to the table. Chibs wasn't Kozik, she couldn't just talk to him like that, but if her little outburst bothered him, he didn't show it. He was as patient as always. The look in his eyes telling her that he was actually listening instead of just humoring her. "Take care of him, Chibbies," she said, her voice soft, almost pleading. "I can't be there at that table, but you can."

He nodded slowly, clapping a hand on her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll do my best, love."

Juice heard the last part of the exchange and smiled softly to himself. He still couldn't believe how much Angela cared about him, how much shit she was able to put up with. He thought for sure, she would leave him after seeing the bruise on his neck and hearing all the shit he'd done, but she hadn't even considered it. Now, he had to be strong for her. He had to stop whatever this thing with Roosevelt was before it could go any farther, before it got her in trouble. The next time he saw the Sheriff, he was going to tell him he was done; that it was over. Black daddy or not, he wasn't going to give him any more information.

He walked into the kitchen, slipping an arm around Angela's waist and taking the coffee cup from her hands before taking a long sip. It was sickly sweet, as it always was; she had a habit of putting way too much sugar in it. "This is gross, baby," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Then give it back," she shot back, leaning into his side. Juice shook his head, putting the mug to his lips again. He needed the caffeine to be able to get through the day. "Don't you finish that!" she threatened a little too late.

He handed her the empty mug. "Sorry, Angel," he said, squeezing her side and kissing her temple.

"You ready to go?" Chibs asked, fighting the urge to chuckle at the scowl on Angela's face as she stared down into the mug.

Juice sighed before nodding. "Yeah," he answered, pushing away from the counter. He took a step in front of Angela, taking her chin in one of his hands. "I'll see you later."

"Mm-hmm," she said on a nod. She didn't dare ask if he was going to be okay. Not in front of Chibs. It would show that she doubted his strength, that she needed to be assured he was okay instead of just believing it. Chibs was his last chance, if the Scot didn't believe he was going to be okay, Juice was screwed. "I'll be here."

He smiled slightly, the smile going nowhere near his eyes like it used to. Catching her lips in a quick kiss, he headed towards the door. Chibs gave her a wink and followed after him. She waited until she heard both of the bikes leave before exhaling. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she turned to grasp the kitchen counter.

She'd done her best to be strong the night before. Keeping from crying as Juice told her everything. But now that she was alone, the tears slipped down her face, the crushing weight of her own helplessness making it hard for her to breathe. Nothing she could say or do could help him now. His fate was in the hands of the club.

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

It was weird that as many times as she'd been to the clubhouse, it still was awkward for Angela to enter it alone. Juice had asked her to come over since the rest of the club was holding chapel at Gemma's house and he wanted some company while he swept the place for bugs. She stared at the huge reaper that hung next to the door before sucking in a huge breath and letting herself in. "Juice?" she called out, taking in the mess on the floor. She'd forgotten the clubhouse had been shot up a few days before.

"Over here, Angel," he replied from around the corner. His voice was rougher than usual because of his injury. Just the sound of it made Angela's heart squeeze painfully in her chest; it was a reminder she'd almost lost him.

"Hey you," she greeted, going over to stand by him. He pulled her into his lap, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he moved his arms around her to type something on the computer. The screen was filled with lines and lines of code. "You messing with the Matrix?"

Juice chuckled, kissing her shoulder. "Nah. Checking for bugs."

"Cool."

"Mm-hmm," he murmured, slightly distracted for a brief moment. "Shit, I forgot somethin' in the garage. I'll be back in a minute. Here's solitaire. Knock yourself out."

Angela rolled her eyes as he pulled up the card game. She got off his lap, letting him slip out before she sank down heavily into his comfy chair. Well, it was usually comfy. Shifting slightly, she grabbed at the hard object she'd accidentally sat on. She sighed when she saw it was one of his burners. It buzzed in her hand, making her jump. "Shit," she said, getting up from the chair and heading to the front door. She spotted him standing in one of the repair bays with a box in his hand as he stared at something in front of him. "Juice!" she shouted across the lot to him. He started heading towards her, trying to ignore the Bronco that had just pulled in and the man getting out of it, a hard look on his face.

She swallowed hard as she saw the Lieutenant
step in front of him, a plastic bag in his hands. From her distance, she couldn't hear the exchange, but their body language hinted it wasn't a pleasant one. Roosevelt dumped the plastic bag onto Juice's box before getting in his face. Juice just picked it up and let it fall to the floor. A few more words were exchanged before Juice walked away, heading straight for her.

Roosevelt's eyes followed the young man's back as he headed towards the clubhouse, stopping on the woman standing in the doorway. Angela. Despite the fact he knew they were together, it still surprised him to see her standing there, that worried look in her eyes as Juice walked to her. The outlaw leaned over to press a quick kiss to her temple before disappearing inside. Angela shook her head at Roosevelt in disappointment before following after him.

That's when Roosevelt realized she knew. She knew all about the way he was black mailing Juice into helping him. The disappointed look on her face made him feel like scum. As much as he hated the Sons and everything they stood for, he knew what he was doing wasn't right and it wasn't until he saw the bruise on Juice's neck and the look on Angela's face that he realized how wrong it was; he was single-handedly destroying a young man's life.

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

Angela headed back inside to where Juice was standing behind the bar, the box of electronic stuff sitting on top of it. He was taking a long pull on his beer when she walked inside. His eyes followed her as she stood on the other side of the bar, leaning against it, her forearms on the clean wooden surface. He saw that little worried wrinkle appear between her eyebrows and scowled. "Stop that," he said, setting down the beer bottle.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Worrying about me," he said, leaning against the bar. After telling Roosevelt he was done with everything, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm all right, Angel. I'm done with it. All of it. That's what I told him. Everything is going to be okay."

She smiled, leaning farther over the bar so her face was just inches from his. "Promise?"

He brushed a stray hair from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek. "Promise," he confirmed before connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. He walked around the bar languidly, stopping when he was standing behind her. His arms slid around her hips, hand dipping under the waistband of her jeans and skimming over the lacy fabric of her panties. Of course she was wearing something lacy, it was all she owned now. He'd made sure to get rid of the other ones. "So...I forgot to check for bugs in my room."

"Really?" she asked flatly, leaning into his embrace. She knew he just wanted an excuse to get her in his bedroom. She turned around to face him, a sexy smirk turning up the corners of her lips. "Are we going to check for bed bugs?"

"You know, I think we should," he said, grabbing her thighs just below her ass and easily lifting her up. She laughed, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing a sound kiss to his lips. It was nice to see hear him teasing again; see that naughty smile on his face as he carried her to his room. He laid her down on the bed, holding himself on his arms above her.

She stared up at him, knowing there was something on his mind. "What?"

"Bed bugs are actually pretty gross," he stated as if the thought had just occurred to him. "They bite and then it itches and did you know the male bedbug literally stabs the female bedbug in the stomach to inseminate her? How messed up is that?"

Angela laughed, she couldn't help it. He'd taken her to the bed room, presumably to have sex with her and instead was giving her a lesson on bed bugs. This was the "old" Juice she loved and missed, the one who would bring up the most random things at the most random times. "About as messed up as talking about bedbugs when you have a female waiting to have sex with you."

"That's pretty messed up," he said, teasing her. "You think it hurts when he stabs her?"

"I'm gonna stab you soon if you don't stop talking about bugs."

Juice chuckled at that one. "Oh really?" he asked, a rare smile breaking across his face.

"Mm-hmm." Angela felt those familiar butterflies stir in her stomach at his smile. It'd been so long since she'd seen it in its full capacity. It was like a ray of hope in the darkness that had been their lives for the past week. Reaching up, she traced a finger over his cheek. "There's that smile that I love," she said, smiling back at him.

Dipping his head down, he pressed his lips to hers. He had to admit, it felt good to smile again, to feel as though everything would be okay, and at that moment, as her hands warm hands slid under his shirt and up his back, he knew everything would be okay. He was done dealing with the feds. It was time to focus on better things like the girl underneath him.

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

Angela walked out of the clubhouse, a slight skip in her step. She was happy for the first time in weeks. The plan was for Juice to finish up his work and then meet her back at their place for dinner; a perfect plan in her opinion. She thought it'd be a good time to tell him about the baby growing in her belly. She was halfway across the lot when she saw Tara's car pull in. "Hey T," Angela greeted as the doctor got out of the car.

"Hey Ang," Tara replied on a sigh. She looked frazzled as though something was bothering her.

Angela was willing to bet something more had happened with those damn letters. "What's up, doc?"

Tara looked Angela over curiously, noting her mussed hair and swollen lips, a few patches of reddened skin around the area of her chest exposed by her low cut tank. Her dark eyes were bright and happy. "Did you...did you just have a quickie in the clubhouse?"

"No, of course not," she said, a mischievous smirk turning up the corners of her lips. "Wasn't quick at all."

Tara rolled her eyes as she shook her head at her friend. She noticed how relaxed Angela seemed compared to the bundle of nerves she was the last time she'd seen her at the hospital. "That is entirely too much information," she commented with a shake of her head.

Angela just grinned back at her. "You asked," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So what's up? Don't you have work? Did they pull you another day?"

She shook her head in response. "No, no, nothing like that actually. I just...need to talk to Gemma about...something. Want to join me?"

"If it's about those damn letters then no," she answered honestly. "I've had a great day so far. I'd hate to spoil it."

"Fair enough," the doctor said on a chuckle. "Hey, what were you doing in the hospital yesterday? I saw you with the nurse. Something wrong?"

Angela shifted from foot to foot as she shrugged. "Nah. Just needed a flu shot," she lied, shrugging a shoulder.

Tara narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her friend. "Ang, didn't I just give you one of those?"

Shit, she thought with a frown. "Oh yeah. Different strain or something..." she tried but could see Tara was not buying it. "Hey, you've got your big trip tomorrow, don't you? Are you excited?"

The doctor didn't look too pleased at Angela's change of subject, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah. Taking the boys and Elyda. Should be fun."

"Awesome. Have a great time if I don't see you before then."

"Thanks, we will," Tara said on a nod. She watched Angela get in her Mazda and drive off, letting a sigh escape her lips as she did so. There was no doubt in her mind the girl was lying about why she'd been at the hospital, why she'd been talking to the nurse. Tara hoped whatever reason it was, it wasn't too serious. Angela had become one of her closest friends, and she didn't want to lose that bond.

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

The smell of baking cookies hit Juice's nose as he stepped into the house, instantly relaxing him. He headed straight for the kitchen to find Angela putting icing on the top of them. His jaw dropped when he realized what kind of cookies they were. "Holy shit! Black and white cookies!" he exclaimed, looking at the perfectly iced cookies that were a staple of New York City. They'd been his favorite when he lived there, but he'd had a hard time finding anything similar in Charming. He grabbed one off the plate and took a big bite, making sure to get both the black and the white side. "I love you, you know that?" he asked, around the mouthful.

Angela nodded, smiling at his eagerness. "How are they?" she asked, her hip cocked to the side as she watched him devour the cookie.

Juice grinned at her, swallowing the bite in his mouth. It was impossible to get the exact taste of the ones in New York, but she had come damn close. "Delicious," he said around another bite. "Haven't had a good one of these in years. Not since New York. They were my favorite."

"I know," she said, a light blush coloring her cheeks. At his surprised look, she rolled her eyes. "You told me on one of my visits to Stockton. I played with the recipe with Koz as my guinea pig just for something to do. Haven't had the chance to make 'em since you got out. Figured I'd give it a shot."

"You did an amazing job." He could feel his heart swell with love for the girl in front of him. That day, the day after he'd tried to kill himself, she'd done everything possible to make him feel better. From listening to his story, to a quickie in the clubhouse, to baking his favorite cookies for him. She was proof that his life was still worth living if only just so he could spend more time with her. "Thank you."

Angela smiled, leaning in to catch his lips with hers. "You're very welcome," she replied, grabbing a cookie for herself. They both enjoyed the cookies in silence for a few minutes before she spoke, "Hey Juice?"

"Mmm?" he asked around a bite of cookie. He looked at her, noticing her shifting from foot to foot and playing with her rings nervously. His brows furrowed in confusion; she was nervous...why was she nervous? "What's wrong? What happened?"

She wanted to tell him in a romantic way. To surprise him with a baby toy or show up with diapers or something, but she wasn't a planner...or really a romantic. True to form, she just blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

Juice blinked at her, swallowing hard as his mouth suddenly went dry. "What?"

Angela nodded slowly. "I'm pregnant," she repeated, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Like six weeks or eight...I don't know the week thing is weird...but, yeah, I'm...pregnant. Surprise."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "My kid...is inside of you. A piece of me is inside of you," he said, trying to work things out in his head. He reached out a hand, his fingertips slipping under the hem of her shirt and over her lower stomach, eyes glued to the smooth expanse of skin that was there.

"Wouldn't be the first time," she muttered on a smirk.

Juice lifted his eyes to meet hers, a naughty smirk of his own pulling up the corner of his lips. "I believe that's what got you in this situation to begin with."

Angela laughed lightly before her features took on that worried look again. It was hard to read what he was thinking since it seemed he hadn't fully accepted what it meant yet. "What do you want to do about it? Do you want to keep it? I mean, it's still early so..."

He looked confused and slightly hurt by her words. "What do you mean "keep it"?"

She shrugged a shoulder, watching his face carefully. "With everything that's going on..." she explained looking pointedly at the bruise on his neck before meeting his eyes. "I just don't want you to have one more thing to worry about."

Juice shook his head, taking her face in his hands and softly pressing a kiss to her lips. Of course, she put him first. He knew she wanted kids, could tell by the way she took care of the club's kids, but she was willing to sacrifice her wants for him. But he wanted this. He never thought he would, but he did. "Angel, I want this. I want us, the baby...a family. It's all I ever wanted."

"Yeah?" she asked, her dark eyes hopeful as she looked up at him.

He nodded, kissing her lips once again, then her cheek and forehead before pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. She nuzzled her nose into the uninjured side of his neck as her hands rubbed up and down his back.

It wasn't the first time he noticed how well she fit against his body. The way the curves of her body seemed to melt perfectly into him as he held her. He understood those cheesy "puzzle piece" lines. She was his missing puzzle piece. Without her, he wouldn't be whole. "You're my missing puzzle piece, Angel. Well now, pieces, I guess...'cause you got someone inside ya...who's also part of the puzzle...but like a mini part. How big is it now?"

He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was rolling her eyes. She'd never admit that she loved his corny lines; mostly because she knew he meant them, that they weren't some goofy line he was using to get in her pants. "Goof," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his neck before tilting her head back to look at him. "The kid's tiny. Just a heartbeat."

"Cool," he commented, his hands slipping down her arms before his fingers traced over her still flat stomach again. "My kid...our kid."

Angela laughed, catching his lips with hers again in a long, heartfelt kiss. His hands slid down her figure, stopping to grab at her ass before moving beneath it so he could lift her up off her feet. She giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding on tightly to him while he started to walk towards the bedroom.

He stopped in front of the couch, though, deciding the bedroom was way too far away. Laying her down on it gently, he climbed over her, his hands sliding up her sides to move up her shirt as his lips met hers again.

A sudden pounding on the door made his head snap up. "Shit," he breathed, eyes wide. He knew who it was without checking; only cops knocked on the door like that. He slowly got up off of her, sitting on the edge of the couch next to her as he let out a breath. "Angel..."

She sighed, standing up slowly. "I got it."

"No, stop," he said grabbing her wrist. He placed kiss to the inside of her wrist just over her pulse before standing up. "Head to the kitchen. Out of sight. Let me handle this."

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips before doing what he said. Once he was sure she was out of view, he opened the door. From her place in the kitchen, Angela could hear Roosevelt's voice as he told Juice about the meet he had set up with the playmaker. That he would have to take him into the station again. She moved a little so he could see her but Roosevelt could not. Juice's eyes met hers, that sad, defeated look in them again. She felt sick to her stomach as his shoulders fell and with one last sigh, he stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

She felt like crying. They'd come so close to being normal again, to being done with this whole mess. Juice had started to smile again, had started to live again. He was on the mend, physically and mentally. All that work had come to a screeching halt with just one simple knock on the door.

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

Juice stood at the threshold of the small conference room staring at the pictures on the wall while the DA, Lincoln Potter, went on about a RICO case. A fucking RICO case, that's what he'd been playing into. The sheer amount of information on the club and its associates on the walls was overwhelming. His heart was pounding in his chest as he scanned the wall for her picture. It would all be okay as long as she was safe. He spotted it next to Skeeter's under "known associates" but with no title underneath it save for "undertaker".

Relieved, he let his eyes fall on the large table in the middle. His heart rate increased as he spotted surveillance pictures littering the wooden surface. Most of them were of the clubhouse and his brother, but one in particular caught his eye. "Oh shit," he breathed, zeroing on the picture of him and Angela sharing a goodbye kiss in front of the clubhouse where her Mazda was parked.

Anger surged through his veins. They knew about her, knew her car, knew they were together. If they knew, that meant any hacker who was any good at what they did would know, like the kind of hacker that would work with a cartel. She was in danger. They'd put her in danger. With a feral growl, he launched himself at the root of all this evil, the man who'd put the person he loved most in danger, Sheriff Roosevelt. Tackling him to the ground, he managed to get some good hits in before the other cops pulled him off. He struggled against their hold, fighting to get at the picture and destroy any trace of it to protect her, to protect his family.