Broken Bells • Bishop Losa

Chapter 11: Gifts From A Ghost

Bishop couldn't remember the last time he had felt such strong emotions for someone, ever since his separation from Antonia he had stuck to the numbing sex that was offered to him at Vicki's and the clubhouse which was why he found himself quietly sneaking out of her bed in the early hours of the morning after their date. He had collected his clothing off the floor before retreating down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible, the idea that had woke him from his peaceful slumber helped absorb the guilt he felt for leaving without a trace.

Annabelle had no idea what she had been expecting but being completely thrown to the wind by Bishop was not on her shortlist. When she had woken the morning following her amazing date she found the bed beside her empty, she didn't expect Bishop to be the stay and cuddle type but she had hoped that maybe he had been called away to handle early morning club business. As the day slowly dragged on she had not received a single message or visit from anyone in the club- then one day turned into two, three and four. She had found herself walking home from her doctor's appointment a full week later without hearing a single word from any Mayan member. Her right arm was finally free from the itchy cast that had trapped it for weeks and she had been given medical permission to return to work as long as she was careful and eased back into using her arm at a moderate pace.

Annabelle stared at the Romero Bros. sign as she stood on the street, debating her next move- she could go home and simply move on with her life or she could march into the clubhouse and demand answers from Bishop. She sank her teeth into her cheek as she stepped forward, the gravel crunching underneath her sneakers as she entered the scrap yard. A few feet into the yard she stopped abruptly and turned around, stomping back out of the yard.

"No, I want answers and I am going to get them." She muttered to herself angrily before once again entering the yard. She hesitated a second time when she spotted the row of motorcycles parked in their designated spots... did she want to cause a scene?

"Anna!" Angel held amusement in his tone as he watched the woman pace back and forth. He had spotted her as soon as she had stepped through the gate the first time and continued to watch as she struggled with her inner turmoil. "Get your ass over here!"

She sighed, brushing her dark curls away from her face before she quickened her pace leaving no room for hesitation in her steps- after all, it was quite embarrassing that someone had witnessed her session of self-doubt.

"Hey, Angel, what's up?"

"What's up?" Angel was taken back by her feigned nonchalance, "I wasn't the one walking in circles."

"Bishop mentioned your brother might be getting out soon. That's exciting." Annabelle wanted to distract herself for as long as possible, maybe she would forget why she came and go home without further embarrassment.

"Kid should be a doctor by now, instead he's getting out of prison... if someone told me that when we were growing up I would have laughed in their face."

"What happened?" She asked, she had yet to hear the full story about what Angel's golden baby brother had done to receive such a steep sentence in Stockton.

"Our mom died," Angel ducked his head as he spoke, his voice coming out softer than she had ever heard it, "EZ wanted revenge, and couldn't accept that it was a robbery gone bad. One night he swore he saw the guy and went after him- he shot a fucking cop."

"You visit him?"

"No, I used to but it always felt like I should be the one in there not him- my Pops would agree."

Annabelle resisted the urge to hug the biker as he seemed to grow emotional during their short personal chat. She knew what it was like to feel second best. She rolled a larger piece of gravel under her beat-up yellow sneaker as she diverted the conversation for Angel's sake, "I think I might be stupid."

The Mayan stared at the woman for an extended second before he smirked, "Did you want me to deny that or...?"

Annabelle playfully shoved the Mayan, her low amount of strength only enough to cause his upper body to sway. "Bishop never called me after our date even though I thought it went pretty well. No offence to his mighty bachelor-president persona but I didn't exactly take him as a hit it and quit it after a date type of guy."

"I see the problem now," Angel nodded, the teasing wiggle of his eyebrows caused Annabelle to blush, "You like him."

,"This isn't grade school Angel, I don't have cooties but I could use some advice."

"He's been in a pretty decent mood lately but that could be just because he got laid... you that good, Princesa?"

Annabelle stood on the porch of the clubhouse once again doubting herself. Angel had proved to be a nice distraction but he was called away by Coco and Gilly and now she was left back to her own thoughts. She had no idea what her plan was- storm in there and confront him? Or should she play it off as just a quick drop-in, hoping that her visit would catch his attention and he would come to her? Nah, she had no time in her life for games like that. With her head held high, she pushed open the door, her fingertips brushing against the side of the Virgin Mary statue as she passed it. The place was nearly empty, only Bishop and Taza sitting at a table and one woman stocking the bar for their Friday night shenanigans. Taza was the first to notice her presence, quietly whispering to Bishop about her arrival. The President glanced up from the beer he had been nursing, giving her a small smile from across the room. Annabelle was caught off guard by the appearance of a smile from the man, she was expecting the exact opposite if she was being honest. She took a tentative step forward as he stood from his chair, his boots falling heavily against the wooden floor before he was close enough to wrap his arms around her frame.

"Hola, princesa."

"Bishop." The confidence she had drawn from within was now depleting at the bikers relaxed attitude. "You never called."

The man stepped back, one of his hands gently holding her now healed hand as his other hand moved to scratch the back of his head. "I guess I got a little caught up in some things around here, I am sorry."

"So, you weren't avoiding me?" She asked, taking a small step forward. He shook his head before dipping down to softly connect their lips.

"Annabelle, that night was perfect."

She smiled at the president, reaching her arms around his neck to pull his head down for another kiss. "It was pretty damn good, wasn't it?"

Bishop smirked, resting his hands on her hips before they slowly slid to rest on her bottom- in that moment he suddenly found himself thankful for the existence of yoga pants. "No more cast?"

"Got it removed today." Annabelle proudly showed off her right arm, shivering as Bishop ran a single finger down the jagged scar that cut straight through her tattoo. "I was horrified when I saw what it did to my flowers but I think it's growing on me, makes me look tough."

"A true badass." Bishop agreed before he pulled their bodies apart, though he kept her hand in gripped lightly in his own. "Now that you're here, I've got a surprise for you."

Annabelle had no idea what to expect when Bishop had instructed her to wait inside the clubhouse before he disappeared out the door, she found herself already on cloud nine. The single honk of a car horn pulled her from her thoughts as she stepped out onto the porch.

She found herself confused as she stared at the rough-looking car in front of her. Out of all the surprises she had in mind the presence of a car was not one of them. Her eyes scanned the 60's classic Pontiac as she circled it, taking in the chipped dark shade of aquamarine paint and the few spots of rust on the fender.

"It was dumped at the yard a few weeks ago, still running but in need of a few repairs. It's what I've been doing this week... so you don't have to walk home late from night anymore. I hope you know how to drive stick."

Annabelle felt her heart melt a little as she lifted her eyes to meet the soft, dark ones of the biker- he had done this to help her feel safe.

"1964 Pontiac GTO Coupe... I'm going to get so many speeding tickets." She joked, as she rounded the car. "Thank you." Although her words were simple compared to the gesture, they were the only words that felt right at that moment. She wrapped her arms tightly around Bishops body, the force in her action had nearly knocked Bishop off his feet.