by Zara Teleg
“Ripper is dead. We lost him almost five years ago. He left behind a wife and a kid. The man was the best father ever, and now his son has to grow up without him.”
She swallowed hard and shrank back. “Kai, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean what I said. He did love you. He only wanted you to stay away from me because he was afraid of losing you.”
And there they were again—she was an expert at turning on the waterworks.
“You should leave,” she said. “I’m only making a bad night worse. I’m okay. Thank you for taking care of me. I didn’t deserve it. Paige is a lucky woman.” She flipped over and buried her face in the pillow. “Lock the door on your way out.” Her words were muffled by the pillow.
“Daisy, you have to stop.” I walked around to her side. “This was bad timing. We just aren’t meant to be. I can’t go there again. It’s over, babe. I hope you can be happy for me.”
“Of course I am. But, Kai, this has been the worst year of my life. I feel like I’ve lost everyone, including myself.” Daisy curled into a ball, hugging her pillow and pulling at my heart. No matter how many years it’s been, she still affected me. A piece of me will always be hers.
“Kai?” She sniffed.
“Yeah?” I stroked her hair back.
“Will you stay? Please? Just until I fall asleep? I don’t want to know when you walk away, ‘cause then it’s real.”
I puffed out air and looked at my watch. It was nearing 4 am. I walked to the other side of the bed, pulling off my boots again. I propped up a pillow and climbed on. I crossed my legs at my feet and pulled the emergency joint I kept in my cigarette pack. I lit it, pulling the smoke in hard. I leaned back and put a hand behind my head, just staring down at Daisy’s body half-wrapped in a blanket. I tipped the ash into a half-empty coffee cup and continued sucking smoke in, just waiting for the calm to take over.
The bright light of the morning penetrated my eyes.
“Morning, Tink.”
I squeezed her body, curled into mine, her hair tickling my face. I took a breath, and the strawberry scent awoke my brain. This wasn’t Paige. Fuck. I was holding Daisy in my arms. Her breaths were shallow, her head rising and falling with each breath I took. Her arms were clinging to my torso.
I flipped over my phone on the nightstand and saw the time. It was almost 11 am. Dammit, I was late again.
Hack was supposed to go over shit for tomorrow night with us. His name with six missed calls was a bubble on my screen.
I lifted Daisy’s arm off me and began to rise. The bed moved as I stood; Daisy just murmured and rolled over. I grabbed my jacket, boots, and smokes, attempting to quietly leave the room. As bad as I wanted to use the bathroom, I didn’t—I didn’t want to risk waking her.
I pulled the shades from my inside pocket, placing them on as sunlight blinded me. I lit a smoke as I shut the door and walked to my car.
My head was pounding with each step I took. I was looking at the ground when I rounded the corner.
“You are such an asshole. You will never change.”
My head snapped in the direction of the rude voice. Hack’s stare was cold as he leaned against the driver’s side door of my car with his arms crossed.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I said.
He kicked his body away from the vehicle and toward me.
“You.” He pointed hard at my chest. “You fucking have it all, all the pussy you could ever want, and that’s not good enough for you. You have to taint Paige with your empty promises. You warn us all off her, then I see you leaving that bitch’s hotel room.” He pushed at my chest. “You are something else. You don’t deserve Paige. She’s been blinded by your fucking charms.” His jaw tightened. Fire seemed to shoot from his eyes.
“I would take a step back if I were you.” I pushed back at Hack’s chest. “You don’t know what you are talking about. I wasn’t here fucking Daisy. She was drunk, and I gave her a ride and fell asleep, not that I need to answer to you.”
“Give me a break,” Hack said, mocking me. “You have no self-control, and yes, you do need to answer to me when we’re supposed to meet on club business. You don’t show up, and instead you smell of weed and perfume and look like you have been up all night.”
“You don’t know anything about me, man, so you better stop running your mouth before I stop it for you.”
“Is that a threat?”
We began pushing each other, and before I knew it, he swung, catching my mouth.
“I wonder what Rage will have to say about this. Or Juliet, who has been worried out of her mind about her baby sister.”
I charged him, and we began rolling on the ground. The scuffle was quickly broken up when the sound of sirens and tires screeched next to us.
“What the hell’s going on here, boys?” Doug shouted.
We both stood and brushed ourselves off. “Nothing,” we grumbled together.
“Kai, are you hurt?” A high-pitched squeal came from behind me.
Oh, fucking great.
I turned to see Daisy standing there, still in her robe. I looked at Hack, who was burning a hole through me.
“I knew it,” he said under his breath.
“Daisy?” Doug looked between us. “You gotta be kidding me.”
There was no way Paige wasn’t going to hear about this. I rubbed my hands over my eyes.
“Daisy, go back inside and put some fucking clothes on!” I yelled.
Doug was staring at her the same way he did when we were teenagers. He’d never forgiven me for taking her. We were best friends for a long time as kids. Even fourteen years later, he still couldn’t let it go.
“Everything is fine. We were just leaving.” I walked around Doug and past Hack. I pushed him aside and began walking to my car. Daisy was still there, watching. I just shook my head—the girl never listened.
“Hack, you can go over it with Ledger.” I started the car, revving the engine. “I’m going home to get some sleep. And Hack, keep your fucking nose out of my business.”
Paige
“Paige, it has been two days. Hunny, don’t you think it’s time to confront Kai?”
I had been holed up in Amber’s apartment for two days under the farse of a stomach bug. She has done everything to cheer me up on our time off, but tonight we both had a shift.
“No, I can’t.”
I sat on the stool while Amber was Dutch braiding my hair in long perfect blond ropes.
“Do you think I can avoid him until after Saturday?”
She shook her head, came around to face me, and began applying makeup to my eyes. “No. You are going to see Daisy today. There’s no avoiding that.” She held the mascara wand. “Look up. Blink. Look up again.”
“Why do you work at The Ridge when you could be a stylist or a makeup artist? You are so good at this.” I admired my reflection in the mirror.
“What, and give up late nights and amazing tips?” She leaned in the mirror, applying her own makeup. “You are trying to change the subject. Just pull the Band-Aid off and get it over with. Tomorrow, we’re shopping. And Saturday night, Cinderella is going to the ball.” She took my hand, spinning me.
As if on cue, my phone lit up. A cramp in my stomach immediately formed.
Kai: How are you feeling?
Me: Better, going to work.
Kai: We need to talk. Can you meet me before?
As my heart sped in my chest, I began to sweat. My chest and neck reddened as the fear of what he had to say paralyzed me.
“Amber, he wants to talk.”
I placed both my hands on the counter and began breathing in and out, trying to combat the dizzying feeling that had come over me. Amber stood behind me, rubbing at my back.
“I can’t talk to him now. I will fall apart and won’t be able to work.”
“Tell him I’m driving you in, and we have a meeting,” Amber suggested.
“Good idea.” I began to text back the message.
Kai: Fine, Tink. But we’re talking tonight.
Kai: COME HOME TONIGHT
It was a never-ending shift as I thought about what I would say to Kai or Daisy. How was I going to handle this? I was ecstatic that Daisy was not at The Ridge; she had taken Sully out for supplies hours ago and I had not seen them.
I wasn’t that lucky for long, though. As I was rolling the silverware at the end of my shift, Daisy and Sully returned. When she caught my eye, a smug smile crept across her face. We exchanged stares until my attention was interrupted.
“Hey, Paige, how are you doing?” Doug’s face was sympathetic.
“I’m fine. Why?”
He followed my eyes. “Well, you know, I just didn’t think I would see you here after the whole Kai and Daisy incident.”
My heart skipped as I turned to him. “What incident, exactly?”
“I…uh…I” His eyes shifted to Daisy, who seemed to watch in delight. “I thought you knew. I’m sorry.”
“What incident, Doug?”
How the hell did he know that something had occurred between Kai and Daisy?
“Well, I was passing by the Starlight on Thursday morning, and I saw Hack and Kai rolling on the ground. I stopped to check the situation, and Daisy came running out in a…you know.”
I fought the stinging in my eyes and swallowed. I grabbed the silverware tray.
“Thanks for your concern. I’m sure it came from the right place.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “But Kai and I have no commitment. He can do whatever he wants.” I fought my voice from cracking.
I walked by Doug and back to the serving area where Daisy watched. As I passed her, I couldn’t help myself.
“Whore,” I whispered. She was unaffected and just looked at her nails. Angelica was also enjoying the show. She came into the locker room, where I was packing up to go.
“I warned you. You didn’t listen.”
“Angelica, save it. Kai and I are just having a good time. I don’t want or need your opinion.” I flung my bag over my shoulder and walked into the bar, waving at Amber that I would meet her outside.
Kai texted me over and over. He even called a few times, which I sent straight to voicemail.
After today’s conversations, we didn’t need to talk. It was over. I needed to get back on track with the task that I came here for—finding my birth parents. Falling in love wasn’t a part of the plan.
Kai: If you don’t answer me, I’m coming to find you.
Instead of replying, I just sent him a picture of my middle finger.
Kai: What the hell?
Me: I’m done. We don’t need to talk. I have heard enough from everyone else.
Kai: I’m coming over.
Me: You do and I will call the cops. I do not want to see you.
Kai: You don’t understand. Nothing happened. I wanted to tell you myself.
Me: I don’t care. I’m done.
Kai: Don’t be like that.
Me: Take care of your club business and maybe next week we can talk. But right now, stay the fuck away from me.
Finally, he stopped texting.
Amber came outside and placed an arm around me, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “Paige, you need to put this behind you for today. Take a breath. We’re going to have a fun Saturday night.”
“I was right. Don’t you feel amazing?” Amber said. She had booked us both spa appointments in Black Rock. She paid for our massages, face masks, mani/pedi, and body wraps.
“I feel like I lost ten pounds with that wrap,” I said. I held the mini dress that looked more like a piece of glittery fabric in front of me.
Amber laid out our entire outfits on the bed. From the heeled thigh-high boots to the gorgeous masks she picked up for us, even the jewelry—everything was pure magical perfection.
I sat in the chair for what felt like hours with her working on my face. She would not let me see the mirror and had it covered with a towel. I could feel the strokes of the makeup brushes tickling across my cheeks. She swirled face-painting pens around my eyes. Three colors of glitter were applied from my face to my cleavage.
“Stay still. Don’t blink yet.” She began gluing the decorative lashes to my eyelids. She blew on the glue. “Now, blink. Gorgeous.”
After she painted my lips in the deep purple that she said matched my eyes, she placed some adornments that were like temporary tattoos that glow in the dark.
“Okay. Almost done,” she said. She placed the final curls in the purple extensions that she had woven throughout my hair.
“You ready to see?” she asked.
“Duh, for like three hours now.”
She spun the chair around to where the towel still covered the mirror. “Okay. Here goes.” She yanked the towel off and revealed her masterpiece. “Ta-da!”
My jaw literally fell open. I looked like a beautiful character from a fairytale. I almost didn’t recognize myself. We then placed the fancy masks over our eyes, completing the look.
“Wow, Amber, this is…”
“I know. I’m good.” She smiled, admiring her work. “Now get out of the chair and let me do mine.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kai
It had been two days and two sleepless nights since I’d seen Paige. I had a bad feeling in my gut. When she kept avoiding me, I did the only stalker thing a man in love could think of—I broke into her place.
I slid the metal card down the jamb and turned the hook inside, popping the bottom lock. It felt strangely cold inside the apartment. I looked around; her clothes were in piles like they had been gone through. One thing I immediately noticed was that her creepy old bunny was missing, which struck me as odd if she had only intended on spending the night at Amber’s. The gnawing feeling grew as I noticed her laptop and bathroom items were missing. Everything was left in disarray. She never left things a mess. I picked up her pillow, inhaling her jasmine scent.
There were no other clues as to why she would just pick up and leave. I plopped on the sofa, still grasping the pillow. I closed my eyes, wishing it were her. I re-read her texts again for the twentieth time. My gut was telling me I was going to lose her. I just knew it.
My phone woke me an hour later. I opened my eyes, still clutching Paige’s pillow, and remembered where I was.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“Why do you not answer your texts?” Ledger asked, exasperated.
“Sorry, man, I fell asleep.”
“Well, you better get your shit together. We ride out in two hours. You good with everything we talked about? You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“Don’t worry about me.” My words were sharp.
“Okay, no need to bite my head off! I just want to make sure your head’s in the game. We don’t know what we could be walking into.”
“I know, and I’m ready.” I clutched the knife sheath on my leg.
“Alright. Ivy dropped off the masks. I cannot believe we gotta do this shit.”
“Fuck, I know.” I looked around the empty apartment as Ledger continued to chat like a teenage girl.
“Kai? Did you get that?”
“Yeah.” I had no idea what he said.
“So, you got the tickets, right?”
“Yes. I got it. I will meet you at Hack’s in two hours.”
“Alright, alright. See ya then.”
He was right. I was off my game. All I could think about was Paige, how if she were here right now, I would strip her, scoop her into my arms, and never let go. But that was a fantasy that wasn’t going to happen, at least not this weekend. Once I put this run in Torrentsville behind me, I would get Paige back. We’re going to talk whether she wanted to or not.
Ledger’s and Jonah’s bikes were already in Hack’s driveway. I could never understand why he lived in the residential yuppie neighborhood in Black Rock when he could have a place private and close to the club in Sugar Maple. I entered the side door. I could hear their voices echoing from the kitchen.
The three stood around the counter drinking coffee, all geared up and ready to go.
“Boots,” Hack lifted his chin at me as I was about to step on his gleaming white marble floors. He pointed to the mat were three sets of boots were placed.
“I’ll just stay here.” I shook my head, standing in the entrance between his small mudroom and kitchen.
“Suit yourself. Don’t you want coffee?” He held up his cup.
“I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here and go to the hotel. I’ll get something when we get there.”
All three nodded, putting their empty cups into the sink.
“I’ll be right there.” Hack rinsed the cups and placed them in the dishwasher. I would bet that those cups in the sink would bother him the whole time we’re gone. He’s a little OCD with that stuff.
“Hack, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked.
He looked up from the sink as Jonah and Ledger closed the garage door and made their way out.
“What’s up?”
“I hope you know I meant every word about Daisy. I did nothing but take her home and keep an eye on her ‘cause she had her head in the toilet and I felt bad leaving her that way. I wouldn’t step out on Paige.” I looked into his eyes, making sure he knew I was telling him the truth.
“Whether I believe you or not, it’s your business. I just don’t want to see Paige get hurt. She’s a sweet girl, but I suppose she knew what she was getting into.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Did you happen to let on to anyone that you saw me there that night?”
“What? No. It’s not my place to do that. But I do know that if Rage somehow finds out, I don’t know how he’d handle it.” Hack moved to the door and put on his boots. “We done with this conversation?”
“Yeah. Fine, whatever.” I waved him off and felt like he was telling the truth.
The four of us rode up the stretch of highway in perfect sync, leaving everything behind. At our hotel room, we got ourselves ready for the masquerade. It felt like we were going to our senior prom or some shit.
