Sympathy filled me. “But she’s alive,” I tried to reassure my mom.
“Yeah, honey,” Mom agreed, giving me a tight smile that quickly turned into a frown. “The social worker explained that the only living relatives she could find at the time were Delaney’s father’s sister and her husband. They took her in, but the social worker didn’t feel right leaving Delaney there. So, she’s been searching for the past eight years in hopes of finding someone else who could take the girl. It was only recently that she found the connection to me and, in desperation, contacted me.”
I stood there listening as she told me how Delaney’s uncle by marriage was a drug dealer who was suspected to be part of a prostitution ring. The social worker had kept up with Delaney for the past eight years, but she recently had lost contact with her. She was eighteen now, had aged out of the system, but the social worker seemed truly caring and concerned for Delaney.
Mom had met up with the social worker, and the two of them had been trying to find out all they could about the man who was supposed to have been taking care of my cousin all these years.
“Why don’t you just tell Dad about all this?” I asked when she told me she’d found out plenty about the drug dealer who was now peddling pussy too, but nothing about her niece.
“Because Colt’s technique to get people to talk won’t get me the answers I need. He will go in, beat the shit out of a bunch of people, probably put a few bullets in someone, and possibly put Delaney in even more danger than she’s already in.” Mom shook her head. “I couldn’t risk that.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“After tonight, it’s obvious the motherfucker doesn’t know anything about Delaney. I think she may have run away.” Her face filled with sadness, but there was determination in her eyes when she lifted them to meet mine. “All I can do now is try to find her and pray she’s okay.”
One
River
Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I frowned down at the schedule in front of me. Uncle Spider had two appointments, but Maverick had four for the evening. Ever since he’d finished his apprenticeship under both his father and then his brother-in-law, Lyric, he’d gotten popular. I booked more appointments for him than I did his dad, but most of them were from college kids.
And eighty percent of those were female.
I knew Mav would never cheat on me, but that didn’t stop the whores from trying to tempt him. I hated when he had to ink a girl. They took one look at my man and decided the best place for their new tattoo was on their boobs, rib cage, or along the top of their bikini line.
Just the week before, he’d had to do one on the top of some chick’s inner thigh, and I’d had to sit out front and listen to her giggle, telling him he was tickling her.
Afterward, once the stupid skank had left, he’d taken one look at my face and pulled me into the storage room, where he fucked me hard against the wall to show me I was the only one he wanted. But that didn’t stop me from getting jealous.
I told myself that once we could be out in the open about our relationship, and I could tell any slutbunny who walked through the door that Maverick Masterson belonged to me, I would calm down. But I knew deep down that even when everyone was finally clued in to the fact that we were together, I was still going to be jealous of every girl who even looked in Mav’s direction.
“Hey, River,” Uncle Spider greeted as he walked through the front door. He rubbed a hand over his shaved head before combing his fingers through his graying beard. Simply put, the MC enforcer was a silver fox. The man was sexy as hell, and other than the fact that Maverick had his mother’s gray eyes, he looked just like his dad. When I saw Uncle Spider, I could picture his son looking just like him when he was the enforcer’s age. “Can you reschedule my second appointment, honey? I have to leave early this evening to take care of something.”
I gave him a smile, already picking up the phone to do as he requested. “No problem.”
I’d been working at the Ink Shoppe since I was fifteen, just answering the phone and booking appointments. It wasn’t much, and I hadn’t really considered it work since all I did was pick up the phone when it rang. I’d only wanted was to be close to Maverick when he was in the shop or hang out with Mila when she used to work there. But once Mila started running Lyric’s place, I’d gone from being given a few twenties every week directly from Uncle Spider’s wallet, to getting an actual paycheck. All for doing stuff I didn’t mind doing just so I could be close to the man I loved.
It was a sweet gig. The only downside being that I had to hear those stupid skanks giggle and try to flirt with Maverick during their appointments.
I wouldn’t give it up for anything, though. I enjoyed it more than I knew I would working at Hannigans’. Not that my dad would actually let me work at the bar until I was older, but I didn’t ever want to work there. It was family-owned, and Dad always said one day I would get his share in it, but I didn’t want it. Between Kingston and Jack and my other cousins, I figured the place would be just fine without me. I would give them my share in the place when it came to me, because I planned on helping Mav run the Ink Shoppe just like Mila did with Lyric.
Although, Mila and I had been talking lately about starting up our own business, too. The building right beside Lyric’s place was for rent with the option to buy, and Mila had put the idea in my head of the two of us turning it into our own store, exclusively for women. We would sell everything from maternity clothes to intimate items. It was something my friend had been thinking about since she was pregnant.
Creswell Springs was a small town. Everyone had to drive over an hour away just to do some real shopping, which was a pain in the ass. Especially when a woman was pregnant and with few options to stop for a bathroom break on the hour-long drive to the nearest mall. And when that pregnant woman had been pregnant with twins bouncing on her bladder every five seconds, making her have to pee, it made the drive excruciatingly longer.
There were a few small boutiques in town, but none of them that catered to a woman’s every need.
But Mila didn’t want to explore the venture on her own. Between the two of us, we already had good experience running a business. Once I turned eighteen, I would have my trust fund that I could do anything I wanted with. Investing some of it in a place that was partially my own seemed like a hell of an idea to me.
And then I could focus on it instead of hearing some bitch in heat panting over my man who wouldn’t give her the time of day.
I quickly rescheduled Uncle Spider’s appointment for early the following week and then took care of the short list of things needing my attention before the shop officially opened for the day. Unless Mav or his dad had an early morning appointment, the Ink Shoppe didn’t open until five Tuesday through Friday. On Saturdays, we opened at noon and closed at eleven.
There were only a few more weeks left of school, but once it was out, things would slow down a little around the shop. The two men would still have appointments most days, but they wouldn’t be booked back-to-back like they were when the local college was in session.
Most days, I was the first one in the shop, unless one of the Masterson men had an earlier appointment. Which meant I had control over the music that was played. Luckily for them, I had good taste in music. But when I was mad at Maverick, I tended to torture him with the easy listening channel.
Grinning to myself, I switched the music over before starting on my homework. Ten minutes later, Maverick walked through the door. I didn’t need to look up to know he’d arrived. Some sixth sense always told me when he was in the same room. When his eyes landed on me, my body reacted instantly, and I immediately started craving him.
“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted, but I still didn’t look up from my work. “Fuck…” he muttered when he heard what was playing through the speaker system. “What did I do?”
I kept my face lowered, pretending to read so he wouldn’t see the amusement in my eyes. “What d
o you mean?”
“You’re pissed,” he grumbled, his shadow falling over the counter I was sitting at.
“Am I?” I turned the page, finding an answer to the study guide I didn’t have time to finish in class earlier. “Did you do something you shouldn’t?”
He was quiet for a long moment, and I knew he was trying to remember if he’d done something that could have caused me to be mad at him. “Help me out here, River. I’m coming up with nothing. I haven’t done shit since I saw you last night.”
“Ah babe, it’s cute that you think I don’t know exactly what you do every moment you’re not with me.” I finally lifted my head and winked at him. His eyes brightened at the sight of my smile, and his shoulders relaxed. “I’m just fucking with you, Mav.” Picking up the remote, I turned the music back to the usual rock station I kept it on.
He blew out a loud sigh. “Thank fuck,” he muttered. “So, we’re good?”
“Better than good.” I wanted to lean across the counter to kiss him, but Uncle Spider was in his office not thirty feet away, with the door open.
As if he were craving a kiss just as much as I was, Mav shot his gaze over my shoulder. His jaw flexed, but then he gave me that sweet smile of his that only I ever got to be the recipient of. “Just a few more days and then I can kiss you anytime I want,” he promised.
A mixture of excitement and trepidation clenched low in my gut. Once my dad knew about Maverick and me, everything would be okay. But him knowing about and actually accepting my relationship were two entirely different things. I wasn’t confident that Dad would be very understanding. I was his little princess, and he’d always said no man would ever be good enough for me in his eyes.
But in my eyes, there was no one better than Maverick.
“Love you,” I whispered.
His gray eyes filled with heat. “Love you, baby,” he whispered back before forcing himself to step away from the counter. “I have a little work still to do on the first client’s art. Let me know when they get here.”
“Sure thing, boss,” I said with a sassy little smirk that had his nostrils flaring. “Get to work, lazy.”
He turned his back on me, but I watched as he pulled his phone from his jeans pocket. As he walked away, a text popped up on my phone.
Mav: I’ll work you later, baby.
I pressed my legs together, fighting the throb that pulsed at just reading his words.
Me: Promises. Promises.
Dropping my phone back on the counter, I forced myself to focus on my schoolwork. Happiness bubbled through my entire body.
Until the door opened and in walked Maverick’s first appointment.
Was it wrong to want to scratch up a person’s pretty face as soon as you set eyes on them? That was exactly what I wanted to do when the blonde walked through the door in a pair of cutoff shorts that left her ass cheeks hanging out and a top that was little more than a bralette. Her hair was styled in a sexy, disheveled kind of way that made people think she’d just had wild sex. She was wearing designer heels, which told me she was one of the rich college girls from Trinity.
Her skin was ink-free, so I knew this was her first tattoo, but she didn’t look nervous like some first-time clients were. No, there was heat in her eyes instead of anxiety and fear of the unknown.
Jealousy began to burn through me, and my stomach started to churn. Gritting my teeth, I closed my book and stood. “Welcome to the Ink Shoppe. Can I help you?”
Her light-brown eyes slid over me, taking in my loose jeans and the black tank top I was wearing. Between my ponytail and makeup-free face, I probably looked younger than I really was, which, of course, made this girl consider me a non-threat to her.
“I have a date with Maverick,” she said as she walked toward the counter, her glossy lips lifting in a snide little smile.
My hands fisted, but she couldn’t see them with me standing behind the counter. I wanted nothing more than to shred her pretty face, but I knew that would cause problems all around. “Sure,” I muttered. “Give me a moment.”
She nodded, and I walked into the back toward Maverick’s room. He was sitting at his art station, drawing. His back was to me, and I took a moment to cool my jealousy by watching him. He’d pulled off his cut, and it was hanging on the wall, leaving him in a band T-shirt that stretched tightly across his muscled back. His short dark hair was standing up slightly on top as if he’d carelessly run his fingers through it a few times. What little I could see of his face told me he was deep in thought as he sketched the addition to the tattoo he was creating.
Glancing over my shoulder to make sure Uncle Spider was still in his office, I walked into Maverick’s room. Just as I reached him, his arm shot out and snaked around me, pulling me down onto his lap, and he buried his face in my neck. “Fuck, baby, you smell so good.”
Shivering as he kissed just under my ear, I arched into his caressing lips. “Your appointment is here,” I informed him in a tight voice.
“Yeah? Good for her.” He bit down on my shoulder before lifting his head. “Uh oh.” He tightened his arms around me. “You really are pissed now.”
“She said she has a date with you,” I hissed.
His index finger curved under my chin, lifting my head so our gazes locked. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whispered.
“I’m yours, River.”
Hearing that helped ease some of my anger and jealousy. “And I’m yours.”
He gave me that sweet smile that was mine alone. “Go get your books, and come in here while I’m doing her piece. You’ll hear the door if anyone else comes in.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, shaking my head as I stood. “I trust you.”
“I know you do,” he assured me. “But I want you in here with me.”
I gave him a quick hug. “Okay. Should I tell the skank princess to come back, or do you need more time?”
He grinned. “I’m nearly finished, but I need her approval before I print it.”
I sighed, exhaustion suddenly pushing down on me. “Okay, I’ll send her back.”
“River.” I paused at the door when he called my name. “You are my everything.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “And you’re mine.”
Two
Maverick
One of the first things I’d learned while apprenticing under my brother-in-law was not to roll my eyes at the client. My dad hadn’t taught me that during the months I’d watched and worked under him. He had no patience for people who didn’t take getting ink seriously.
Lyric had been different, though, teaching me things I probably never would have learned without his help. Like how to help some of the more nervous ones keep calm during their first time. And the not-rolling-your-eyes thing was definitely something that had come in handy.
His teachings helped me get the client list I now had, but sometimes it was hard to keep my face from showing how annoyed I was. Especially when my girl was sitting only a few feet away and some chick was trying to flash me her pussy every two minutes.
“Sit the fuck still,” I barked, fed up. I doubted even Lyric could have kept his cool long enough to deal with this chick, but then again, my sister probably would have already had a handful of this bitch’s hair in one hand as she dragged her out of her husband’s shop.
The girl jumped, startled by the sudden menace in my voice. “Okay,” she said after a moment of stunned silence before rolling her eyes. “Jeesh, calm down. I’m just trying to get comfortable.”
“You have needles digging into your bikini line,” River muttered behind me, keeping her gaze focused on her schoolwork. “I doubt there is a comfortable position right now.”
The blonde on my table huffed. “Shouldn’t you be watching the front or something?”
“She’s here because I want her here,” I snapped, adding more ink before touching the needle to her skin again. The piece she wanted was small and didn’t require a lot of shading
, so I was almost done. Thank fuck, because this chick was giving me a raging headache.
As soon as the needle touched her skin, she whined at the discomfort and began to squirm again, causing the protective padding I’d had River place in the top of the chick’s shorts to shift, showing me yet another half inch of her skin. Soon, her pussy lips would be exposed, and the thought turned my stomach.
It wasn’t the first time a client thought she could try to tempt me by picking a suggestive place for their tattoo and then try to seduce me by showing me her tits or pussy. Even if I didn’t have River, I would have been turned off by their efforts. I’d never been tempted by an easy lay, and the clients who tried to get me to fuck them reeked of desperation.
I was nearly finished when the buzzer alerting us to the front door opening grabbed River’s attention. She stood to see who had arrived then returned a minute later. “That must be the box that arrived yesterday,” she said as she walked past my room.
I glanced up just as Lyric followed her toward the storage room. He had a car seat in one hand, and I saw the top of my nephew’s head. At a guess, I figured it was Ian because he was the troublemaker of the twins, and only Lyric and my dad could make him behave. Isaac, on the other hand, was the more even-tempered of the two, always wanting to cuddle with anyone, and basically a momma’s boy.
Lyric said Ian was more like his own twin, Luca, while Isaac was one hundred percent his father. Even at just four months old, Ian was already a pain in the ass, but I loved that rotten little beast.
Finally finished with the tattoo, I pushed back from the table the chick was lying on. “Take a look in the mirror before I bandage you up.”
While she stood, I turned my back, getting her aftercare instructions and samples of the ointment we suggested all our clients use. Lyric had connections, and he’d worked out a deal with the company that made the ointment that was formulated specifically for tattoo aftercare.
Sacred Vow Page 2
