Launching herself at me from across the room, Tilly hugged me tight for a long time, a very long time. It could have been hours, but I wasn’t keeping track. It was just nice to be held, even if it was by a fifteen-year-old girl that had known her fair share of suffering. Tilly took a step back eventually with her arms still around my waist and said, “He’s not gone, you know. He’s just a little lost, right now.”
That day my outlook changed, all over again. Until Tilly spoke those simple, but powerful, words I’d been emotionally and mentally struggling with the weight and damage of Arrow’s decision. It had damaged me in a way I don’t know how to put into words. Worst of all…
It set me floating again. I thought that I found my anchor with him. Even though we weren’t in a relationship at the time WW rolled into town, I thought we would get to that point. It wouldn’t have been much further away by my estimation, either. Granted, I’d never vocalised that to him, and maybe that’s where my share of the blame for our current situation lay. The fact is; that day Tilly opened my eyes to the realisation that Arrow wasn’t gone. He is still here. He is still alive. He is just lost. I need to give him the time to find himself and decide whether he wants to consider the possibility that we can make something work between us.
While that thought wasn’t the magic cure-all for me it did give me a feeling of peace that I haven’t had, until now. Sadness continued to linger, sleep still evaded me most nights, and the weight I have lost didn’t want to be found. Nonetheless, peeking through the darkness, once again, was hope. That is all I need for now.
****************************************************************
Present day…
Like I said, today is all kinds of fucked up.
It persists in its fucked-upedness when I order the wrong ink, double charge someone for a tattoo they already paid for, and knock Toby’s newly sterilised tray of equipment over, just before his client sat down.
Yep. Rewind and erase. That is the only cure for today, I think. What I learn next will make everything else that happened today a distant memory.
Reaper just left in the middle of a session with a client that is working on finishing his full sleeve, without a word to anyone, and giving us no idea when he will come back. Thank God, he recently hired another artist that will be covering for Kendall while she is on maternity leave, picking up the overflow business that seems to be a constant now.
Adelyn London is the epitome of perfection. Some might say she has an abstract version of beauty. Personally, Priss, Kendall, Lou and I, honestly believe Lou may be a little in lust with Adelyn, I agree she is nothing shy of stunning.
At twenty-nine with silver-blonde dreadlocks reaching down to her waist, Adelyn is the tattooed rocker chick equivalent of a biker in a wholly feminine way. That might sound like an oxymoron for her to be feminine and a rocker chick badass, but it’s true. Adelyn is only about five foot two, and a hundred pounds soaking wet, not far off Kendall’s size, actually. Her single sleeve of tattoos is done in bright colours, comprised of water lilies, vines, and lily pads. It’s striking just like her pale violet eyes and sense of style.
Most of all, Adelyn is fucking hilarious. She never fails to get a laugh out of everyone she comes into contact with. Yesterday, she came in wearing a t-shirt; her skin tight, and I mean skin tight because I have no clue if she had to Saran Wrap herself to get into them, ripped jeans, and heeled eyelet laced boots. It was her t-shirt that said, “You couldn’t handle me if I came with instructions” that I found hilariously funny, though; it suited her personality perfectly. Every day she comes in with a shirt similar to that one. It makes my day when I see her smiling face walk through the door. The suspense, waiting for her to see what she’s wearing that day, is almost unbearable.
I don’t need to tell you Toby, of course, fell in love with her on sight. It was inevitable Adelyn was exactly his type of woman. Kendall couldn’t have been happier having another girl around the shop, going as far as to promise she will make her Uncle Max keep Adelyn on when she comes back maternity leave. I am undoubtedly glad to have a break from the rampant testosterone fest of late. Adelyn is the perfect type of woman to break up the monotony of interesting stories about who scored what pussy the night before.
The only person’s opinion on Adelyn I questioned is Reaper’s. For being the one that hired her, he comes across as if he is less than happy with her presence at Skin Fusion. Reaper is watchful, and blunt, on a good day, with everyone else, but with Adelyn he’s curt to the point of rude, and critiques her work in an almost disdainful way. Nothing seems to faze Ade though; yes, she was now in the fray because we’ve given her a nickname. For all Reaper’s underhanded comments and baleful looks, Ade just shrugs them off, and gets on with whatever she was doing before he started running his mouth.
Her clients are happy; a few have even turned into repeat customers already. Some of them travel from as far away as Denver, where she worked at ‘Inkamy,’ to have her tattoo them. She’s also wildly popular with the Devil’s Spawn guys that come in to have work done, too. No guesses needed why that is. Better still, Ade is good friends with Boss and Diesel, the president, and vice president of Vengeance MC and comes highly recommended by both of them. Not that it seems to swat Reaper’s opinion of her any.
Apparently, Ade has been tattooing them since she was sixteen and not yet legally allowed to wield a tattoo gun. From what I could gather she was family not by blood, but by choice. Her story is one of the saddest I’ve ever heard. It is a wonder that Ade is as put together as she appears. Honestly, her story makes my problems look pathetically insignificant in comparison.
Boss came in the day before Adelyn started at Skin Fusion taking Reaper aside for a “chat.” I didn’t mean to overhear. Truthfully, I wished in some respects I hadn’t. Unfortunately, I did, and what I heard couldn’t be unheard.
I was in the storage room doing inventory and Reaper’s office is right next-door, it was impossible not to hear everything through the paper thin walls. I heard the twin creaks of leather chairs and Boss’ booming voice echo around the room. “So, I hear little Kenny had a mini Cage, then, huh?”
“Yeah. Cute fuckin kid, too. You going to see her while you’re down.” I can hear the shuffling of paper and the thud of bottles hitting the desk. Reaper must be getting the beers out of his mini-fridge he ‘thinks’ he has hidden underneath his desk.
I assume the pause in between question and reply means, insert drinking here.
“Sure the fuck am. Not why I’m here though, Brother.”
There is a hint of interest in Reaper’s voice when he asks, “What’s up, Boss? You don’t make social calls for no fuckin reason. Must be important if you came to see me.”
Boss chuckles at him and agrees, “Not often no, this time’s different, Brother. Adelyn starts here tomorrow accordin to her. I’ve got her set up in a little place not far from here, about ten minutes or so. Need your assurances Reaper, that she’s gonna have people watchin out for her.”
This time when he responds there is no interest, just unrestrained anger in Reaper’s voice. “What the fuck does she need people watching out for her for? She got some kind of trouble, because I don’t need that shit here? We’ve got enough of it to go round, don’t you think?”
Boss’s next words are spoken with an ominous growl, and if it were me in that room sitting in front of him, I would probably shit my pants. “No disrespect on your turf, Reaper, but shut your fuckin mouth. Vengeance has done Devil’s Spawn some mighty big favours of late, and this is a small ask between friends, no markers. I don’t need men on her, I just need to make sure that if anyone sees, hears, senses trouble, that someone puts a call in to let me know, yeah?”
I hear Reaper clear his throat loudly and unnecessarily before asking, “I fuckin hear you. What’s the story, because if I’m going to be keeping an eye out, I kinda need some background?”
A deep breath is taken, but I don’t know by who.
Another creak of leather and more bottles thud; my heart is racing and I know I should try and sneak out of here quietly, but I can’t. I’m paralysed needing to know the end of the story. “CPS took her when she was safe to leave the hospital. Emily cried for fuckin months over that girl, it was like losin one of her own. Found out later they placed her in more foster homes than we could count. Ade kept runnin away, they kept draggin her back. Fourteen years ago, was comin back from a run, Dad was still prez back then and found a skinny, tiny as fuck girl on the clubhouse doorstep. Didn’t know if she was dead or alive, girl was that much a fuckin mess, Brother.”
I swear I can hear Boss sniff a few times, while slumping back heavily into his chair. “She was black and blue, coupla broken ribs, four broken fingers, nails were missin like she tried fightin back. Doc came in, took a look, assessed the damage and told us she’d been raped repeatedly, front and back, Brother.”
Reaper draws in a huge lungful of air and lets out a menacing growl. “Fuckin hell, Boss.”
Sighing, Boss goes on, “Yeah, fuckin hell, is right. That’s definitely where that poor slip of girl had been, in fuckin hell. Girl woke up and freaked the fuck out. Rightly so, group of big ass men around and all, we should have thought about that beforehand, but we didn’t. Brought Emily in to settle her and found out less than a minute later she was our Adelyn.”
Boss chuckles again at his questioning, lightening the mood slightly. “How’d she know where to come? Who you guys were?”
Reaper sounds genuinely impressed when he admits, “Apparently the resourceful little shit spent a fuck load of time in libraries, tryin to escape goin home, I spose. Wanted to know where she came from, looked that shit up. Found out from one of the foster homes she was a dumped, addict baby and started from there. No question we took her in; wouldn’t have turned her away if we didn’t know her. She lived with Emily for a spell, then moved into the clubhouse six years back when Dad kicked it.”
I can tell Reaper is getting irritated by the information Boss is giving him. He confirms my suspicions when he asks, “Jesus, fuck. What were you thinking having a woman that looks like that in a clubhouse full of horny fuckers?”
Boss laughs. No longer a chuckle, it’s deep, and rumbles loudly through his chest. “As I said, Brother, not one fuckin Vengeance brother would even consider layin hands on that woman. They’d be dead before they hit the floor. Felt better havin Ade in sight anyway, not only that, but she wanted to be there. She attracts a lotta notice if you get my drift.” Another growl slips free from Reaper, at least I think it was him. “Anyway, she wasn’t there long, worked with Bubba for a while, then headed off to Denver to work with a chick, Amy, from high school, been there at Inkamy ever since. Ade showed a liking to tatts at about sixteen. Would do anything to make that girl smile, so I got her, her own set up and let her re-ink some of mine, Diesel too, shit, most of the brothers let her practice on them. Fuckin talented right off the bat she was, I mean fuckin gifted with that shit. Bubba taught her everything else on trips stateside, the technical side of tattooing and all. We were gutted when she moved away. Know it’s only two and a bit hours, still, felt that shit like it was fifty times further. Did regular rides out to see her, all the boys did. We love the shit outta that girl, wanted to make sure she was happy. Every time we saw her she said she was, but we could see our girl was missin us. Missed the brothers, the safety, knowin she didn’t have to look over her shoulder all the time.”
It’s Reapers turn to interrupt, but it doesn’t last for long. “What, you never took care of the fucker that hurt her? You’re fuckin…”
A loud bang reverberates around the room shaking the walls. I assume its Boss’s fist hitting Reapers huge mahogany desk. “Of course we fuckin did, asshole. Soon as we knew Ade was okay, or as okay as she could be, me and three brothers took a ride and took care of that shit. Thing is, Ade’s still jumpy as shit even though she’s knows he won’t hurt her, ever again. Know there’s stuff buried deep, details and shit, that’s not it though. Willin to bet my fuckin balls there was more than one motherfucker that violated her that day. She won’t confirm or deny it, shrugs it off, non-answers, shit like that.”
A string of curses burst from Reaper at Boss’s statement. “I don’t get it. Make her fuckin tell you. Isn’t hard, Boss, sit her down and get a name.”
More chuckling, Jesus, is that all this guy does? Boss sounds thoroughly amused, and just a little smug at his comment. “You fuckin wait till you meet her. You’ll be singin a different tune when your balls are in your gut and your dick’s shoved down your throat. Ade’s a fuckin spitfire man, she’ll have you on your ass beggin for mercy in a fuckin minute, all the while givin you a sweet as pie smile. Doesn’t hurt she got taught by every last one of the Vengeance boys that can fight worth a damn, and Diesel who’s been doin that shit underground for years, either. Knows how to protect herself, shoot every fuckin gun we could get our hands on, and can take a fucker three times her size down, in less than half a second. Worst part is; you’ll never see it comin. She’s fuckin tiny and that is her biggest advantage.”
“So what is it you want me to do, Brother? Till this shit’s sorted with the Sons don’t have a hell of a lot of spare men to put on something like this.” Reaper replies.
“Know that Reaper and I ain’t askin you to put a man on her. Ade’s smart and she’s been told I’m talkin to you. No way, I want her to find out you know fuck all without puttin her on notice. She aint happy about it but she knows it’s for her safety. All I’m askin, is for an extra set of eyes. You see somethin’s not right with our girl, she looks jumpier, starts shuttin down, you, call me. Girl’s feisty, opens right up with anyone. Jesus, Reaper, she’d talk to a fuckin homeless dude, givin him the shirt off her back if he needed it. That’s my fault, Diesel’s too, shit, damn near about every brother’s fault. She’s always had us at her back, got comfortable with that shit, no one back home would’ve looked at her sideways, let alone hurt her. She starts actin anythin less than her usual bright and happy self, you call. I’ll be back down here in a minute and sort that shit myself, yeah?”
Reaper sighs and I can hear him rise from his seat. Hiding behind a stack of boxes containing gloves and paper towels, I shuffle further into the dark for fear of being caught.
“I hear you. You know I’ve gotta take this to Priest and Pipe though, yeah? Can’t have any risk in town, known or unknown at the moment without their knowledge. Club’s about to go on lockdown if any more shit crops up.”
Palms meet and boots head towards the door.
“Not a question, Brother. Take it to your prez; give him the heads up. Priest’s a good man; no doubt he’ll be cool with it. Adelyn’s a good girl, Reaper, deserves a hell of a lot better than the cards she’s been dealt. Long as she’s happy and whole, don’t care about a lot else. Means the world to me and Diesel, not many people I can say that about, but she’s one of em.”
Needless to say, I was grateful I made it out of the storeroom, sight unseen. I absolutely kept what I heard to myself.
Poor Adelyn, but none of that
explained the lingering looks as if he’s silently dissecting her, or the assholish behaviour Reaper is displaying toward her. If anything, I would have thought Reaper might have been a bit gentler with her, but no, he’s more of an asshole than his usual charming self.
The phone rings pulling me from my memories, and I snatch up the handset fumbling it like it’s on fire. No surprise there; just another thing to add to my list of crap-tastic escapades for today.
“Skin Fusion, Veronica speaking.”
“V, need you to come down the hospital. Quick yeah?” It’s Tank and my brow furrows.
“Ah, Tank? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” His breathing is heavy, ragged even, like he’s been running a marathon.
“Just come fast, V. It’s important. I’ll explain everything when you get here.” Tank doesn’t say anymore before he hangs up, leaving me with about a million questions, and no answers.
Thankfully, while I’ve been daydreaming, Ade showed up to take over Reaper’s client, and Toby’s in today, as well. They can handle the shop while I go find out what the hell’s going on. Snatching my purse from under the display counter that acts as a desk, I call out to Ade. “Ade, Tank just called and I have to go down to the hospital. Can you watch the place while I’m gone?”
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