Once she was safely at Bishop's, Poppy watched as he and Angel left again to share the news with Luca. He'd already called Poppy three times, just in the short time she'd been at Bishop's so they knew he'd be searching. Standing outside the apartment, each with a should on an opposite side of the doorframe, Bishop and Angel waited.
"I know enough people if she has a hard time finding a job," Bishop explained. "I can get her hooked up with one, probably best for her actually try though. I don't think she has a lot of that kind of shit under her belt."
"I don't think so," Angel agreed. "Coco asked me why I was doing this and I realized I was wondering why you are."
Bishop nodded. "Cause I can," he smirked. "Seen girls like her, my cousin never stood for that shit, watched him when I was a kid, just values."
"Never really knew any girls like Poppy," Angel shrugged.
"Values," Bishop shrugged. "Neither of us is an upstanding citizen but there's a line between an asshole and a scumbag, we're both on the same side."
Nodding, thinking deeply over what Bishop had said, Angel focused his eyes on the elevator door. The ding brought him as of his thoughts seconds before the doors opened.
"What the fuck?" Luca groaned, more annoyed than anything. "What do you want?"
Angel and Bishop looked at each other before the latter stepped forward. "Luca Russo," he smirked. "Not what I expected."
"I had an exquisitely shitty 36 hours, do what you're going to do or let me into my apartment."
"We're just sharing some news," Angel shrugged, speaking with more of a street attitude than Bishop. "Poppy's gone. Packed her shit and left."
"And you're going to stay right here," Bishop added, pointing to the apartment door. "You're not going to look for her, call her, send your crew after her or threaten Jimmie."
"Jimmie helped?" Luca seethed.
Bishop shook his head. "Wouldn't help, he chose you over her."
"Shitty consolation prize," Angel laughed.
"If that whore wants to leave," he snarled, "She can leave. Good luck, boys, you're gonna need it."
--
Angel was more anxious about seeing his younger brother than he was about confronting Luca. Before heading to San Diego International Airport he stopped at Bishop's to see Poppy. When he got there Bishop was gone but Poppy seemed more comfortable at the house than she ever did in her own home.
"Hey," she smiled brightly. "Bishop went out for cigarettes."
"Probably cause he knew I was coming," Angel laughed.
"So?"
"What?"
"Bishop said Luca was fine. Mad but totally calm," she said dubiously. "Was he really?"
Angel nodded, his bottom lip jutting out a bit. "Yeah, fucking coward. A real big man with you but when he found up at his door he didn't do shit."
"It doesn't sound right," she admitted. "That's not him, he's not a coward," she explained.
"Yes, he is," Angel assured her.
To keep her hands from shaking, Poppy curled them into fists and focused on her breathing.
"What?"
"Something isn't right," she told him.
"He doesn't know you're here," Angel assured her. "And we're not gonna let shit happen. You tell Bishop?"
