by K. D Clark
She let out a laugh. There was no way she was getting under a tattoo gun anytime soon.
“Just me,” Kit said.
Cam pulled the notebook from under her arm and set it down on the counter. Kit looked away as she showed Ace the drawing.
“Oh shit, this is good,” he said.
“Thanks. I’ve never really drawn a tattoo before, so if there’s anything you need to change--”
“Nope!” Kit interrupted. “I want exactly what she’s drawn.’
Ace rolled his eyes before focusing back on her. “How do you put up with him?”
She laughed. “One day at a time.”
“Alright, well, let me copy this and get the station ready.”
He took the notebook away to a back office area. Kit grabbed her hand, and they each sat in one of the green waiting chairs. They were the only people in the shop. One of the walls was filled with basic drawings--roses, butterflies, skulls, etc. The faint scent of cleaning supplies and rubbing alcohol hung in the air.
“Are you nervous?” she asked Kit.
“No, after so many tattoos, you almost become immune to it. Sometimes, it’s like I crave some new ink.”
“Does that mean you’re planning on covering the rest of your body?” She couldn’t imagine him covered head to toe with tattoos.
He shook his head. “No. I’m just filling in any empty spots where I already have something going on.”
“I’m ready for you,” Ace called from another area of the shop.
She followed Kit as he walked through an archway that opened up to a few different stalls. Ace must have a couple other people that work with him because she could see that the other stations held family pictures and other personal items.
Kit sat down in the black, leather chair at Ace’s station. He had the colors lined up and his tattoo gun sat beside them. She sat on a small chair in the corner of his station and watched him work. Ace shaved Kit’s arms and rubbed it down with an alcohol pad. She watched in amazement as he stuck the outline on Kit’s clean skin. Even though it was only a purple outline of the image, she could already tell it would come out great.
“Are you sure you don’t want to see the placement before we get started?” Ace asked Kit.
He nodded. “I’m good.”
Ace got to work, bringing her artwork to life on Kit’s arm. He used a perfect mix of reds and oranges to make the tiger and lioness look vibrant. Kit didn’t even flinch. He mostly kept his eyes closed and let his head hang over the back of the chair, as if the noise of the tattoo gun and the needle going through his skin didn’t bother him in the slightest. Two hours later and Ace gave a final wipe of Kit’s skin. The tiger looked better than it had on paper. The two scars down the length of the tiger’s body were red and fierce. The lioness had one an angry scar down her face. The part that drew her attention was the lioness whose head rested on top of the tiger’--two different animals. Different scars on their bodies, but they stood strong with each other.
“Alright, you’re all done. You want to see before I wrap it up?” Ace asked.
Kit stood from the chair and walked over to the mirror. She held her breath as he got a look. He didn’t say anything for a minute.
She opened her mouth to explain but lost her courage and closed it again. What if he hated it?
“It’s us?” he asked.
She nodded. His lips lifted into a smile.
“I’m the scarred tiger.”
She nodded again.
“I think this is the best tattoo I have.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cam
“You know we haven’t officially been on a date?” she asked him as he put the truck in park in front of her house.
“You want to go tomorrow?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean like we had to.” She was perfectly happy hanging out, like what they’d been doing. She didn’t need to be wined or dined like other girls might want.
“Why not? What time are you done at the bar tomorrow?”
“I open, so I’ll probably be done around seven.”
He smiled. “Alright, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
He grabbed the door handle, ready to get out, but she grabbed his arm.
“Wait, I’m going to be tired, so can we keep it low-key?”
The thought of sitting in an uncomfortable outfit while they ate dinner in the city didn’t really appeal to her. Especially after getting off work.
“I can do low-key.”
*****
Kit picked her up from the bar at 7 o’clock sharp. She’d been at the bar since 10 a.m., but she snuck away to use the bar bathroom to straighten her hair and apply makeup. She quickly realized she needed to buy new makeup since her eyeshadow was so old it was starting to smell like a crayon.
Kit eyes widened as she got into the pickup truck.
“Hey there,” he said.
She didn’t miss the way his eyes dipped to her low cut top before moving to her tanned thighs. The weather was finally starting to cool down but it was still too hot for pants.
“Hey yourself.”
“You dressed up for someone?” he asked, a playfulness to his tone.
She shrugged. “That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“How well this date goes.”
He smirked before pulling the truck away from the curb. “I have to run by my apartment really fast.”
“The one your sister is staying at?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. I have to pick up a few things for the clubhouse.”
She sat back in the seat as he drove. The scent of his woodsy cologne relaxed her, and they stayed in comfortable silence until he pulled up to the apartment complex.
“Come on,” he said as he turned off the truck.
She hesitated. “You want me to meet your sister?”
His sister was his only family member besides his dad, who was in prison. What if his sister didn’t like her?
“She’ll be ecstatic to see me with a girl.”
That put her a little bit more at ease. He got out of the truck and she followed behind him up the stairs until they came to a stop at a black apartment door. Kit unlocked the door and walked in first.
“Megan,” he called. She stepped in behind him and closed the door. “She’s probably out. Feel free to look around. I just have to grab a few things.”
He disappeared and she looked around the small, one-bedroom apartment. It was a pretty standard bachelor pad with minimum furniture but a massive TV. The place was clean--probably due to his sister.
“Fuck!” Kit’s voice echoed through the apartment.
Cam ran toward the sound, stopping in her tracks as she saw a dark-haired woman passed out on the bathroom floor. Kit crouched down next to her and shook her.
“Megan!” he yelled before checking her pulse.
Cam grabbed her phone from her back pocket and called 911.
“Nine-one-one. What’s your location?” the operator asked.
She looked over at Kit. “What’s the address?”
“Three forty-one Pick Street,” Kit said.
She repeated the address to the operator.
“What’s your emergency?”
“Um, my friend’s sister passed out and--”
“She overdosed,” Kit interrupted. He stood up and went to the sink and cupped his hands under the water. Once he had enough, he threw it on his sister’s face in an attempt to shock her back awake. When nothing happened, he slammed his fist into the wall.
Chapter Fifteen
Kit
They wheeled Megan down a long hallway and through a set of double doors. He was utterly useless as he stood there, staring at the closed doors. Cam tugged on his arm. In the chaos of finding Megan, he’d almost forgotten she was there.
Kit followed her to the waiting area where they sat in a couple of old, cushioned, red chairs. He’d believe
d Megan. She’d looked so much better than the last time he’d seen her. His hands formed fists as he thought about it. How long had she been shooting up? Had she been hooked on drugs this whole time? Was it their argument that sent her over the edge? Cam placed a hand on his knee that he hadn’t realized he’d been bouncing. He looked at her concerned face, and ran a hand over his face.
“I’m sorry...” he started.
“Don't be.” She scooted closer to him and rubbed a hand down his arm. “She’ll be okay.”
He wanted to believe that, but he didn’t know. Megan still had a heartbeat when the ambulance got to the apartment, but it was faint. Who knows how much shit she’d pushed into her veins. He should have told her ‘no’ when she wanted to come back. Coming back to the same places can be triggering for a drug addict. He’d known that, but he still allowed her to stay in his apartment. Like an enabler; he’d given her everything she’d needed to keep using drugs. Had she even really gone to rehab, or was everything she told him a lie?
“Has she done this before?” Cam asked quietly.
“One other time in Goldbeach. She said she overdosed in California too.” He shook his head. “You’d think coming that close to death so many times would make her stop.”
The whole situation was fucked up, and it only proved to him that he honestly had nothing to offer to Cam. He didn’t have money or the resources to give her a better life, so why was even trying? Cam would probably finish college and move to the city to work in her field anyways.
“You should probably go,” he told her. “It might be a while before I hear any news.”
“I want to stay.”
He sat back in the chair and waited as Cam laid her head on his shoulder.
The clock ticked by slowly, and there wasn’t any word from the doctor. No news was good news, right? If Megan was dead, they would have told him right away, wouldn’t they? Eventually, Cam fell asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. His phone vibrated, and he managed to maneuver it out of his pocket without waking her.
“Hello,” he answered, not bothering to look at the screen.
“You need to come to the clubhouse,” Zeke said, his voice full of panic.
“I can’t. I’m at the hospital.”
“At the hospital?” Zeke asked.
“Megan overdosed,” he explained.
“Oh, shit, is she okay?”
“I don’t know yet; we haven’t heard anything.”
“Cam’s with you?”
“Yeah.”
Zeke sighed. “Venom is here.”
His muscles tensed. Fuck, of course, Venom would show up at the clubhouse while Kit was stuck at the hospital. He needed to be at the clubhouse, but he also needed to be here in case Megan needed him.
“I’ll try my best,” he said before hanging up.
Cam woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “What was that about?” she asked.
He considered lying to her, but what did it matter anyway? Their lives were one big mess, and he couldn’t hide that. If this wasn’t an example of how fucked up their lives were, then what was? “Venom is at the clubhouse… I need to be there.”
She put a hand over her mouth. “Why is he there?”
“I don’t know.”
A dark-haired man in a lab coat walked out of the double doors that they’d rolled Megan through not too long ago. He approached them, and Kit stood up to shake the doctor’s hand.
“Are you Megan’s family?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m her brother.”
“We were able to pump her stomach and get her stabilized. She’s going to be okay.”
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding since he found Megan lying on that floor.
“Can I see her?” he asked.
“Right this way.”
The doctor started to lead him. “I’ll be back,” he told Cam before following the doctor.
They walked through the double doors and around a couple of corners before getting to Megan’s room. Machines were hooked up to her. She didn’t have one of those tubes down her throat like last time she’d overdosed. Her eyes were open, but they were heavy with exhaustion. Seeing his little sister like this was enough to make him shed a tear. The doctor left him alone with her, and he walked over to the bed.
“I’m sorry,’ she croaked out.
He pulled up the chair to her bedside.
“Why?” he asked. A simple word, but it held so many more questions.
“A man…” she took a deep breath. “I was coming out of work at the gas station--that’s where I got my job. A man was standing there, like he was waiting for me. He talked to me for a little bit, and he seemed like a nice guy, but then he offered me Smack.” Tears rolled down her face as she tried to finish the story. “I told him that I was clean, and I didn’t have any money. He basically forced the bag into my hand. Didn’t charge me for it or anything. Gave me a syringe too and then took off. It was the first time I’d seen Smack in months. I was going to go straight home and flush it…but I couldn’t do it.” Her hand shook as she covered her face. “I’m so sorry, Kit. I tried so hard this time.”
Her words were like a punch to his gut. She didn’t blame anyone for her mistake except for herself. That meant a lot coming from her.
“What did he look like?” he asked her. The club would help Kit take care of this guy. Who the fuck would give out free heroin? Especially in a place like Goldbeach, where everyone was struggling as much as the next person. The man was dead.
“I barely remember--”
“Bullshit.”
She looked down at her lap. “Dark hair, skinny, and tall with a crooked nose. That’s all I remember.”
He got up from the chair.
“Kit, please.”
He walked out of the room, unable to hear her beg him to let this go. Whoever this guy was, he’d fed drugs to his little sister. Kit wasn’t just going to brush that off.
Cam stood up when he reached the waiting room.
“Is she okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “Do you think you can ask Jen to give you a ride back?”
“Yeah. I figured you’d want to stay here overnight anyways.” She tilted her head. “You’re staying tonight, aren’t you?”
“Maybe, but I have to take care of something first.”
“What do you mean by ‘something’?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“I got to go.”
He turned around and walked away from her before she could ask any questions. On his drive to the clubhouse, he racked his brain, trying to think of anyone that fit Megan’s description. Goldbeach wasn’t a huge town, so there was a chance he’d run into this guy at some point. When he pulled up to the clubhouse, he knew something was wrong because everyone was there--even the guys who never took advantage of the rooms at the clubhouse.
He maneuvered his truck into an empty spot and walked inside. The bar was empty, which meant they were in the meeting room. He followed the sound of voices to the back of the clubhouse. He opened the meeting room door to reveal a pissed-off looking Gunner seated at the head of the table. The conversation stopped once Kit walked in.
Gunner’s eyes flickered to him, and Gunner tilted his head towards an empty seat. Too hyped up to sit down, he leaned against the wood-paneled wall. That’s when he noticed the man who looked completely out of place. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to what he was seeing. Skinny, tall, black hair, and a crooked nose.
“What the fuck is he doing here?!” Kit roared before lunging across the table.
Hugo grabbed him first, holding him back so the man was just out of Kit’s grasp.
“He gave Megan the drugs tonight!” he yelled, thrashing against Hugo. “Might as well have put it in her arm!”
All he could see was red as the man’s lips twisted into a faint smile. Gunner’s gaze switched from Kit to the man.
“Venom?” Gunner asked through clenched teeth.
&
nbsp; Venom. That’s who pushed those drugs into his sister’s hands. The man that’s been threatening Cam for money. Venom was the center of all the fucked up shit happening in his life.
Venom’s mouth twitched. “I might have been busy tonight.”
“What the fuck is he doing here, and why is he alive?” Kit asked, no longer trying to escape out of Hugo’s arms. Venom was in their territory after all.
“I came to make a deal,” Venom said.
“And why the fuck would we make a deal with you?” Zeke growled.
“Why shouldn’t we kill you right now?” Gunner asked.
“Because I have a man in my organization who is far too eager to take over, and if I die, he will. That man is too ambitious for his own good. If you think I’m bad, he’s a monster. He’s been trying to convince me to get into sex trafficking for years. Girls like your sister”--his eyes flickered to Kit--“would all be too easy to sell on the black market.”
Kit fought against Hugo’s hold again, but Hugo was too strong.
“What do you want?” Gunner asked.
Was Gunner really about to make a deal with this son of a bitch? His sister was in the hospital right now because of this piece of shit.
“I want my money,” Venom said, his eyes turning dark. “Sell the bar and give me what I’m owed, and I’ll make sure this area stays free of any sex trafficking.”
“That’s not up to us,” Otis said.
“No? You can offer protection to a bar but not sell it and give me the money I’m owed? I thought you could figure it out.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
“We’ll need to vote,” Gunner said.
Venom stood up from the chair. “I’ll be around in a few days for your answer.”
He walked past Kit to get to the door. It wasn’t until they heard his car start-up that Hugo let him go.
“What the fuck was that?!” he yelled.
“Kit, I know you’re mad, but we have to make this decision just like every other decision: we vote. If we kill him, we’re putting everyone at risk.”
Zeke snorted. “Yeah, if what he’s saying is true…”
“Do you wanna take that risk?” Gunner snapped. He took a deep breath. “We have a simple solution here. We need to convince Cam to sell the bar and it solves all our problems. If we don’t, we might have a bigger problem on our hands.”
