Following Poppy's directions, Angel drove her back to her place. Pulling up a few spots away from the building, Angel turned his body toward hers expectantly.
"So?"
"So?" She said, slightly confused. "Oh, uh, you want," she trailed off and slowly nodded. Poppy leaned over and reached for his belt only to be greeted by staunch refusal. "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"I was going to, uh, thank you," she shrugged. "I'm not usually this awkward."
"I don't want that kind of thank you," Angel said, uncomfortable with the way she was acting. "He's really that much of an asshole, huh?"
Poppy nodded and spoke ruefully, "Yeah, he kinda sucks."
"Then why are you with him?" Angel asked gently.
"Jimmie, my dad, kind of set us up, like an arrangement," she explained. "I know, it's fucked, but," Poppy shrugged.
Drawing his head back, Angel kept prodding. "Like an arranged marriage?"
"Essentially," Poppy said. "There were years I thought it was normal then I saw some things between the cracks, so to speak, and uh," Poppy hung her head. "Thank you for the ride, Angel."
"Do you need help?" Angel asked her, pinching her chin and tilting her head up.
Poppy shook her head.
"Are you sure?"
Poppy shrugged.
"Okay," he huffed. "If you decide you want help, Poppy, I'm here."
"Can you not call me Poppy?" She asked in a whisper.
"What do you want me to call you?" He asked, lowering his voice and looking at her with eyes full of concern.
"Alice," she said. "That's my real name, Jimmie doesn't like it, it was my mother's, so I've been Poppy since I was 10."
"Alice," he smiled as he said it. "Alright, Alice. Any tips you can give me on Luca? Ways to get him without catching worse?"
"He loves his car more than anything, like anything anything," she told Angel. "Go for his car, he'll be crushed."
Smirking, Angel nodded. "That can be done. Think you can let me know when I have a window?"
"As a thank you for the ride," she nodded. "I have your number, I'll text you when I figure something out."
"Thanks," he reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.
"I'm sorry about your girlfriend. Were you together long?"
"Two years," he grumbled.
Poppy hissed. "Shit."
"Yeah," he nodded. "You should go before that asshole comes around and sees you in my car."
"That would be bad," she chuckled ruefully. "I'll be in touch."
Angel nodded. "If you need anything, Alice just text me."
"Thank you." Poppy leaned over, completely expecting his hesitation, but still continued to kiss him on the cheek.
Angel watched as she walked quickly from his car and through the front door without any glances back. Pulling out of the spot, he called a close friend, Nestor Oceteva, for a favor.
"Hey man," Angel sounded much more upbeat than he felt. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Nestor replied, "Same old fucking bullshit. I haven't seen you in a minute, man. Where you been? You still doing that chop shop shit?"
