While Angel didn't make a move to touch Poppy on the way to his truck, halfway to the kennel he reached over and gave her knee a supportive squeeze.
"You good?"
Poppy gasped a little, turning her eyes away from the dusty scenery and smiled politely. "Yeah. Just...I'm just taking it all in I guess."
"This?" Angel laughed, gesturing to the side of the road. "Not exactly California's most beautiful landscape."
"I know," she giggled. "I meant the past week. I'm replaying it, breaking it down, wondering how my life turned into what it is now."
Nodding, Angel stopped looking between Poppy and the road, focused out ahead of them. "You sound sad."
"No," she sighed. "Overwhelmed."
"Shit," Angel made a sharp right, "Sorry, almost missed it."
Poppy laughed to herself and remained quiet for the rest of the ride. She felt fine about meeting the woman until they parked and she saw the gorgeous, clearly angry, woman waiting for them.
"I'm Natasha. You're Angel?" She said, offering Angel her hand.
"Oh yeah," Angel politely shook the intimidatingly assertive woman's hand. "This is Poppy."
Natasha's eyes fell on Poppy. "You're his new project," she said with a grin.
"Wh-what?"
Towering over her, Natasha reached down to hug Poppy. "Not meant as an insult. Bishop has a white knight complex. It pains him to see," she struggled to find a word that wouldn't seem insulting. "He just likes to help people who need it and I end up covering his ass when he needs it."
Poppy beamed. "Well he's lucky to have you and I am lucky to have him and Angel."
"Sounds like he's putting together quite the crew of Knights in Shining Armour, huh? Love to see those two on a couple of horses," Natasha laughed, leading them in.
"That would be hilarious," Poppy laughed, her eyes flicking toward Angel. "Don't you think?"
"Fuckin' hysterical," he teased. "We're trying to get him out by tonight so if you got the cash we can head back that way."
"I'm still surprised he didn't call me himself," Natasha mused. "He usually doesn't give me details if he thinks he may be in over his head."
"Or he wants to protect you," Angel added. "I think we underestimated this guy at first but we're not in over our heads."
Natasha glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. "He got locked up. That's more than an underestimation." She unlocked the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbed the cash. "Just tell him to call me," she said, placing it in Angel's hand, "It's all I'm asking of you two."
"I will make sure he does," Poppy volunteered. "Hand to God."
"Thank you," Natasha said sweetly. "If he doesn't I'll kick his ass."
—
"Let me guess, Tash said if I didn't call her she'd kick my ass?" Bishop asked, chuckling, as he sighed his release paperwork.
Angel and Poppy laughed, sharing a shocked look before the former spoke up. "She definitely did."
"And she wasn't fuckin' lyin'," he chuckled. "Come on," Bishop nodded toward the door, "Let's get out of here."
As soon as the trio stepped out of the station, Poppy threw her arms around Bishop. "Thank you," she whispered. "No one has done anything like this for me. I don't know what else to say."
"You don't have to say anything else," he assured her, hugging her back. "You're welcome."
"We gotta take care of this," Angel said, interrupting the hug. "Jimmie's dead, the shop is burnt to the ground. She was right, he wasn't just letting her go."
"He's got plans," Bishop agreed, stepping back from Poppy, "And I don't think we have much time to get in front of it."
Poppy nodded, "I told you guys."
Nodding, Angel took her hand and the three of them headed back to his truck. At first, no one spoke but halfway to Bishop's, Poppy opened her mouth.
"I'm going to go home," she said timidly to Angel. "If you're okay with it?
"Sure," he said with a puzzled expression. "I don't have to be okay with what you do, Alice."
She smiled shyly. "I just think you and your brother need time and I...I feel like I have to make him dinner or something at least."
"You don't have to do that for me," Bishop interrupted.
"I want to," she glanced back and smiled at him. "Plus I have to make sure you call Natasha."
Angel laughed. "I don't want to see her pissed."
"Me neither," Bishop agreed with a chuckle. "Tomorrow I'll come by the shop and we can talk about wrapping this shit up?"
Angel looked at Bishop and nodded. "Sounds good. One less scumbag around."
"Natasha was right about you two," Poppy teased.
"Do I want to know?" Bishop groaned, unbuckling his seatbelt as they pulled up to his house.
"No fucking way," Poppy gasped, seeing a tall, skinny shadow waiting by the front door. She swung the truck door open and charged toward the house. "Go away, Pete," she shooed the man.
"Whoa," Pete caught her in his arms as she attempted to push him away. "I heard about Jimmie."
"You heard about Jimmie?" She scoffed. "What are you in the will? Do you get it all?"
"Luca Russo," he announced, surprising no one, "First thing I checked though."
"You come back to check the will but not to check on me?"
Bishop and Angel were right behind her. "Who the fuck is this?" The former asked forcefully.
"No one," Poppy snarled.
"Peter," he corrected her, "Peter Cahill. I'm Alice's brother."
"Half brother," she snapped. "Bolted when our dad died, left me alone with Jimmie."
"Get the fuck out," Angel said, having heard enough. "Go back to wherever the fuck you came from and leave Alice alone."
"Who are you?" Peter asked, giving Angel a shove.
"The guy who helped me," Poppy interrupted. "Go home, Pete. I don't need you."
Peter looked at Bishop and Angel, seeing easily he was outmatched and decided to take the easy way out.
"I'm doing his funeral," Peter told her as he walked toward his rental car. "If you're interested."
"Fuck him. I hope he rots," Poppy spat.
"That's the sweet girl I remember," Peter laughed darkly. "Nice to meet you, boys." He added, slipping into his car.
"A death in the family always brings out everyone's shit relative," Bishop grumbled. "Come on, get inside," he told Poppy. She didn't need to hear it twice and was gone in seconds.
"Think we need to look at him?" Angel asked Bishop.
"I do," Bishop nodded sagely. "I can make sure she's good tonight if you wanna start on him."
"I know exactly who I can call," Angel said. "See you in the morning?"
"We'll be there," Bishop assured Angel. "Good luck."
Angel nodded, already calling Nestor as he jumped back into his truck. "Hey man, got another name for you."
