Boxed Set: The Ink Series Volume 1-5

by Holly Hood

  The lights dimmed and smoke filled the stage. Karsen clapped excitedly at the sound of the drums. I squealed with excitement and sung along to the lyrics, keeping my eyes on Slade and his every move.

  Kidd and Oz played along staring the crowd down with satisfaction all over their faces. They were doing what they loved, and that was all that mattered to them.

  Karsen could hardly contain her excitement when Kidd attacked his solo. She jumped from her seat and took off to get closer to the stage.

  I stayed put, I wasn’t about to compete with the dozens of girls pawing at my boyfriend.

  Someone took the seat next to me, tapping me on the arm. I turned and gasped. The crowd screamed louder when Slade pulled off his glasses and tossed them into the crowd.

  “They’re here,” Kenny said.

  He touched my chin closing my mouth. “I said they’re here.”

  Somehow I managed to get to my feet. I tipped my head to the side studying him. “Who?”

  “Who do you fucking think?”

  He swatted my hands from my lips. “Get it together. They’re going to want answers.”

  I dropped back down in my seat. I was the only one aware of our visitor.

  Slade was in his glory, the club alive, everyone was enjoying the music. And I was stuck looking at Kenny. The one person I never wanted to see again.

  And that said a lot because Hutch was still alive.

  Look at the options

  I paced the floor trying to sort through what Kenny said. Of course Slade was busy doing the same thing he always did when shit was close to hitting the fan.

  I looked at him, so cool calm and collected lying across his bed, remote in hand.

  “I can’t see this being just nothing like you’re saying it is,” I said. “Kenny came all the way back to Cherry to tell us they are going to want answers. What if they know?”

  “What if they do?” He raised an eyebrow raising the remote and pointing it at the television. “We knew this going in. It wasn’t like this was going to stay buried for all eternity.”

  I wanted to climb into his closet and hide. “I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”

  I pulled my bag out from under his bed and unzipped it.

  “What are you doing?” Slade asked, focusing on me.

  I lifted the huge packet from the college I was thinking about attending. The one I failed to mention to him. “I promised Karsen I would go with her to check out some schools.” I looked away. I hated dropping bombs on people. “I was thinking of switching schools and focusing on something else.”

  “Since when?” Slade turned the television off and waited on my answer.

  I licked my lips. “Since forever. I know it’s been awhile since I cared about dancing but I always have. And I think I should start again.”

  His eyes darkened and he didn’t say anything.

  I stood up sitting down on the bed. I touched his hand. “There are schools all over the place. A ton right here in California.”

  He scratched the back of his neck. “It seems like your need to spread your wings and fly might have something to do with everything happening lately.”

  I shook my head, pressing my lips together. Now I was the one not saying anything.

  “If you’re trying to get away, say so. Don’t make it about everything else.” He pulled away.

  “I’m not trying to get away. I just want to do something with my life.” I sighed. “You have the band, I have nothing but a screwed up family and a bunch of problems on my heels.”

  “She speaks the truth.” He stood up and moved to the window. He opened the curtain staring out so he didn’t have to look at me.

  “You know what it’s like to feel complete you have your music. You have Kidd and the rest of them.” I lifted my phone from the bed. It was Karsen probably wondering where I was.

  “Maybe you should get that,” Slade said.

  I hit ignore. “I’m not done talking to you.”

  I forced him to look at me. “We did a summer apart once before. Why is this any different?”

  “The entire situation feels different.” He brushed my hair away from my face and sighed. “Not to mention now that I feel the way I do about you I don’t want to say goodbye for a whole school year.”

  “You didn’t think I was going to go back to school?” I raised an eyebrow.

  He moved in, our lips inches apart. “I was hoping you couldn’t resist my charm and you would decide to stay, so much for hope.”

  I smiled pressing my lips into his. “You know how I feel about you.”

  He shook his head. “I want to hear you say it.”

  I touched his face releasing an amused sigh. “I love you, Slade Andrews.”

  He kissed me, moving toward the bed. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.” He tossed me my phone. “Now answer that before I toss it out the window.”

  ***

  I left Slade’s with the biggest smile on my face. It wasn’t the exact way I expected the conversation to go but I felt more loved than ever before.

  Karsen sipped her coffee, we were an hour away from home at a community college she was thinking about attending. “This place sucks balls.”

  I lifted my coffee cup and brought it to my lips. “You haven’t even met the faculty. It might be good for you.”

  Karsen sighed. “Maybe I should go to hair school.”

  I shook my head. “You don’t like hair. You like…well I don’t know what you like but it’s not hair.”

  She shook a packet of sugar. “I like my fiance. I like shopping. I don’t like learning.”

  “Well, unless Kidd is really rich and willing to pay you to sit at home and do nothing all day you might want to get a job or go to school.”

  Karsen wasn’t paying attention to me. She stared out the window busying herself with the random strangers wandering around on campus. “We could always attend school in Cherry.”

  I scoffed shaking my head at the thought of a college in Cherry. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the kids I once went to school with. “They all go to school there.”

  Karsen shrugged. “So what. I doubt Tucker is majoring in dance. Who cares where he goes to school. We have bigger fish to fry than Tucker.

  “Jesse majors in dance.” I pointed out. “And I don’t want to see him on a regular basis.”

  Karsen pointed a finger at me. “But you do want to see Slade right?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it off. Of course I wanted to see Slade’s gorgeous ass every day of my life. I couldn’t think of many girls who wouldn’t.

  She lifted the application packets off the tablet and stood up. I was shocked when she tossed them in the garbage. “If I promise to major in the same thing will you join?”

  I bit my lip narrowing my eyes on her. “You hated ballet. Your parents forced you and I recall you trying to get out of practice for a leotard allergy.”

  Karsen rolled her eyes. “These things happen. I can take some antihistamines and suck it up, because in the long run one thing will always keep me doing what I need to do.”

  I pulled some cash out of my purse and set it on the table. Karsen held the door for me. “And let me guess, that thing is Kidd.”

  Karsen smirked. “That thing is mind numbing orgasms supplied by Kidd.”

  I shoved her.

  We headed to my car so we could go back to Cherry and let everyone in on our newest decision. I climbed into the driver side and buckled my seatbelt. “So ballet it is.”

  Karsen nodded in agreement. “I will have the six positions down in no time.”

  “There are five.”

  “Maybe I was talking about kama sutra,” Karsen said with a smile.

  I filled her in on the most important parts of ballet on the hour long ride home. I forgot how much I enjoyed talking about dance. It was a calm like no other and I missed it.

  “So we will pick up dinner and head to the boys’ house for the night,” Karsen said as
we pulled up to the taco shack. I swear we ate there twice a week anymore.

  I sifted through my bag for my wallet hoping there was enough money to cover the bill. I located a twenty gasping at the sight of them.

  “What’s the matter?” Karsen asked.

  I grabbed her arm and shoved her in between the two stores.

  “This can’t be happening right now.” I moved away from the two of them and pressed myself against the taco shack and hoped to god they didn’t see me.

  “What is happening?” Karsen tried getting a peek at my biggest fear. I yanked her back again. “The only thing I see happening is us contracting hepatitis from standing so near these trash cans.”

  “That’s them.” I said quietly. “Evan and Eve.”

  She slowly moved forward cautiously getting a good look. “The ones you and Slade totally fucked over.”

  I cringed at her wording. “Yes, Karsen. And now they are here. And they want answers.”

  “On why you fucked them over am I right?”

  I nodded. “And I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well you better think fast because I think they spotted us,” Karsen said.

  Before I could devise a plan to run I locked eyes with Evan. There was no getting away. It was time to face the music.

  I chewed at my lip a thousand pounds pressing down on my chest. But somehow I moved my feet. I rounded a trashcan on the boardwalk and did my best to keep calm.

  “You weren’t trying to avoid us were you?” she asked right away.

  “Of course not,” Karsen spoke up. “She thought you were someone else.”

  “Oh, so she ruins other people’s lives too? Not just ours?” Eve crossed her arms ready to scratch my eyes out.

  Karsen tilted her head to the side. “Actually she was only trying to keep hers from falling apart. I’m sure you would have done the same thing if you were in her shoes.”

  “So it’s true.” Evan asked. “You were behind this.”

  There was no way to fix it. I didn’t know what I could say to make things better. “Behind what?”

  Eve laughed dryly. “Figures she would deny everything. It’s like I said.”

  Evan shot her a warning glare. “Slade told me we had a deal.”

  I jumped at the sound of the kid behind us sweeping up garabge into his dustpan. “We did. I-I mean we do.”

  Evan stroked his chin, staring me down. He didn’t say anything for what seemed like an eternity. I swallowed.

  “I think that’s you.” He pointed to the taco shack window. Karsen and I both nodded taking off for our food. I couldn’t believe he let us leave.

  I didn’t look back, I walked as fast as I could to Slade’s afraid he would change his mind and come after us.

  Death comes knocking

  I made sure the door was locked behind me and handed the food to Kidd and Slade taking a seat. I let out a big sigh of relief that at least I was home in one piece—for the moment.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Slade asked as he pulled out the contents of the bag.

  “I guess,” I muttered, taking the taco he was offering. Karsen sat down next to me. Of course she had an appetite, she could eat through anything. I on the other hand did not have a stomach for stressful situations.

  “So how did the school thing go?” Kidd asked, dropping both elbows on the table as he dug into his giant taco salad.

  “We made a lot of progress,” Karsen insisted, sipping on her tea. “We’ve both decided to look into Sinclair Hall.”

  Kidd nearly choked on a mouthful of salad. “Bullshit.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck trying to relieve some of the anxiety gripping me. I didn’t care about colleges anymore. I was about to be murdered by Evan or Eve or maybe even both. Maybe they would take turns torturing me until my last breath.

  Slade poked me. “Your taco meat fell on the table five minutes ago,” he pointed out.

  I looked down at the table and dropped my shell. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”

  Slade leaned back in his chair. I slammed my fist down on the table. “I have a feeling college won’t be an option after tonight so we can stop talking about it.” If he didn’t get the clue I was sending I wasn’t sure what would make him figure it out.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Could you elaborate a little more on what you’re talking about?”

  “Oh right, because that’s all I do is talk about my death.” I sighed. “They are here and they are going to kill us. This could very well be your last meal.”

  Kidd looked at me with an equally puzzled expression.

  “Who is here?” Slade asked again. His expression changed as soon as he realized the answer before I gave it.

  “They wanted to know why we went back on what we said,” I said. “And I didn’t have an answer for them. I didn’t know what to say. Is there anything I can say to fix this?”

  I gave a bitter smile. “Aren’t you going to say something?” I didn’t want to argue with him but sometimes it was the only choice.

  Kidd stood up. “Clearly you guys need some privacy.”

  “Do we?” I looked at Slade. “It doesn’t seem like he is willing to say anything.”

  Kidd helped Karsen up and they both left the room, leaving me feeling even more uncomfortable and irritated than I already was.

  “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

  He avoided my glare. “I told you this was going to happen. What do you want me to say, Hope?” His face reddened. “I hate to say I told you so, but shit, I told you so.”

  I closed my eyes pushing away from the table. It wasn’t what he was supposed to say. I wanted him to stand up for me, for us. For this giant mess we were in together. “That wasn’t what I expected you to say.”

  Slade threw up his hands. “I don’t know what to say. Do you want me to tell you everything is going to be alright?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Because that’s what boyfriends do. They tell you things aren’t about to fall apart.” I sighed. “I just want to hear everything is going to be okay.”

  Slade pulled me to his chest. He kissed the top of my head. “Those guys are assholes.”

  I let out a faint laugh. “It doesn’t matter. That’s what I need to hear right now.”

  “Everything is going to be alright.” He touched my chin and kissed my lips walking out of the house leaving me to my food I no longer wanted to eat.

  I cleaned up the kitchen and decided to try to go to bed.

  I brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my hair and when I was done I found one of Slade’s t-shirts to wear and changed. He still wasn’t back and I didn’t want to wait anywhere but under the covers.

  I crawled under the comforter and turned on some silly infomercial to keep my mind off of real life. I listened to every stupid detail about the magical blender that was supposed to transform my life and contemplated buying ten.

  And when I grew bored with television I rolled over and levitated one of Slade’s hats around the room over and over again. Even magic wasn’t appealing.

  I hoped he could fix things.

  The more I thought about the mess we were in the more I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be a young girl in college. A girl with normal problems, not the ones I currently had.

  ***

  I wasn’t sure what time he crawled into bed and pressed himself against the back of me but I was grateful he made it back. I squeezed his arm thanking god he was there.

  “I talked to Kenny,” he whispered.

  “What did Kenny say?” I yawned, rolling over to face him. The familiar glint of his lip ring made me feel better.

  “Kenny said he would take care of it.” Slade stroked my face. “He said it’s all under control.”

  I swallowed. “If that’s true why did he come here? Why would he tell me they wanted answers?” Why did they want answers?

  “Because he’s an idiot, he acts first thinks second. He knows what we’re capable of and when he thought th
ings were about to blow up on his end we were the first people he ran to.”

  It was the one thing I didn’t want happening. I never wanted to see Kenny again.

  Slade stopped me before I could chew my nails off. “I promise you everything is going to be alright.”

  I bit my lip. Slade stopped me, pressing his into mine. He kissed me reassuringly, using his tongue, his lips, and his hands to make me believe everything was going to be okay.

  I welcomed the distraction, letting him climb on top of me. I helped him out of his shirt and let him take mine off. We stared into each other’s eyes. And I kissed him again, this time he caught my lip between his teeth setting a million butterflies loose in my stomach. My hands slid down the front of his pants and he groaned pressing himself against me.

  “This is so much more fun than worrying about Kenny Carlo,” he said teasingly as he pulled my underwear down and off. I worked him out of his jeans, rubbing the length of him against my palm.

  “This is more fun than everything.” I smiled.

  We crashed into the blankets and pillows, I touched his arms my fingers closing around his biceps. I loved the feel of him.

  He smiled, while I admired his skin, gliding down his stomach.

  “You know that makes me crazy.” He dropped his forehead to mine.

  “What? When I do this?” My hand went lower and came back up close to his abs. He dropped down, moving between my legs. The intense need to have him in every way possible overrode the fear I was feeling.

  Heat coursed my veins traveling to every part of me, my heart was alive in my chest. I moved underneath him, pulling him closer to me.

  He bit my lip a sexy growl escaping from his lips. I giggled, letting him attack my neck. He made it hard to hold out.

  He moved with me, kissing me so slowly and sensually my heart was close to imploding in my chest. I was certain kissing Slade would never grow old. Because every time we did it was better and more intimate.