by Marie, Kay
“Wren is gone,” Shade says, answering his phone.
“What the fuck do you mean gone?”
“We came home to Sienna’s apartment after spending a few days at the house with Buster and Cali, and a safe Sienna and Wren shared was open with everything gone,” Shade tells me.
“Could they have been robbed,” I ask.
“No, it was hidden pretty well. Sienna said it had cash, keys to a car, and a disposable phone in it. She said it was in case either of them was ever in trouble and needed to run. Plus, some of Wren’s clothes are gone,” Shade explains. Why the fuck would she run. Unless . . .
“Do you think something happened between her and Zack?”
“I don’t know. She left her phone here and Sienna doesn’t have the number to the disposable phone. There’s no way to get a hold of her,” he says. “And I have no clue where she would go.”
As he’s talking, a woman with a similar figure as Wren walking across the street catches my eye. Her hair is a lighter blonde than Wren’s, but when she turns her head, I get a glimpse of the side of her face. It can’t be.
“Shade, I gotta go. I’ll call you back,” I tell him and hang up. She’s with a girl that has lavender-purple hair, and they’re walking toward Willie’s Chicken Shack. I check for cars and jog across the street. I watch through the window as they sit at a table with a couple more girls. She sits in a chair that’s facing me but doesn’t look my way. Now that I see her face, I know for sure it’s her. The question is, what the hell is she doing in New Orleans?
I send Diesel a text telling him to come over here and bring Clutch and Kicks. Wren has three gorgeous friends with her so they won’t be disappointed. Five minutes go by, and they’re finally walking out of Saints and Sinners. I watch as Diesel scans the buildings on my side of the street looking for me. I know he sees me when he smacks Clutch in the chest, and they walk across the street.
“What the hell is so important you made us leave a club full of sexy as sin women?” Clutch glares at me.
“Shade called me. Told me Wren had packed some shit and left, leaving her phone at her apartment,” I explain to them. “While I was on the phone with him, I saw a girl who looked like her, so I followed her.”
“Fucking stalker. I knew you had a hard-on for her,” Kicks laughs out.
“Fuck off. Anyway, turns out it’s Wren. She’s inside the Chicken Shack with three other chicks. None of you assholes can tell Shade about this until I find out why the hell she’s here and not back in Texas with her boyfriend,” I warn them. They all nod their heads. “Also, when we go in, I want all of you to play it cool. Act like we don’t even know she’s here.”
We walk into the restaurant and I have to force myself not to look Wren’s way. We walk by her table and there’s an audible gasp. I grin at the sound. There’s a table open that’s in view of her table. I sit so I’m facing her, but I avoid looking at her.
3
Wren
What the hell are they doing here? Better yet, what is he doing here? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. How did Sketch know I was here? That means Shade knows I’m here. And if he knows, it’s only a matter of time before Zack finds out. Shit. I’ve only been here for a few days. I don’t want to leave already.
“Holy shit! Did you see those guys that just walked in,” Aria asks. “Fucking sexy!”
I shrug. “They were alright.”
“Alright? Are you kidding me? They’re practically gods,” Harper says. She glances past me and lets out a heavy sigh.
“I’d let all four of them have their way with me,” Aria states.
I roll my eyes. “Tonight is supposed to be a girls' night. No boys allowed.”
“I’m with Wren on this one,” Elena says. “I’m so over guys at the moment.”
Elena recently found out her boyfriend cheated on her, so I don’t blame her for not wanting to be around guys. I throw my arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick hug.
“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” I tell them.
“I’ll come with you,” Elena says. I walk the long way to the bathroom, avoiding Sketch’s table. Elena doesn’t say anything until we’re in the bathroom.
“You know those guys.” It’s a statement, not a question. She has always had good intuition.
“Yeah, I do,” I admit.
“They aren’t the ones you’re running from, are they?” I lift my head, my eyes meeting hers in the mirror. Her expression worried.
“No, definitely not,” I assure her. She lets out a soft sigh and her shoulders relax. I turn my gaze to my reflection. I’m wearing more makeup than I usually wear. Aria helped me hide the bruises because I had no idea where to even begin.
I went to high school with Aria, and while we went our separate ways after graduation, we always stayed in touch. I came to New Orleans to visit her the summer before I met Zack. That’s when I met Elena and Harper. I planned to stay a couple of weeks and ended up staying for a month. I contemplated moving out here, but my brother had just moved to Texas and I was already enrolled for classes that fall.
The first thing I did when I got here a few days ago was have Aria dye my already blonde hair to an ashy blonde. Starting a new chapter in my life deserves some changes to myself. Who knows, maybe I’ll stay in New Orleans this time.
“You ready to head back out there,” Elena asks after she washes her hands. I nod and follow her out, holding my head high. Our food is waiting for us when we get to the table. Aria and Harper are giggling about something.
“What’s so funny,” I ask.
“Nothing,” they sing-song. I glance over my shoulder. Sketch’s eyes are boring into mine. I quickly break our stare, turning back to my food.
“So, what are we doing after we eat?” Elena looks to each of us.
“Let’s go dancing,” Harper suggests.
“Hell yeah! Dancing is exactly what we need,” Aria agrees.
“That would be fun. I’m in,” I say.
“I guess we’re going dancing.” Elena laughs. While we eat, we discuss where we can go for good dancing music. I don’t look in Sketch’s direction again, but I can feel his eyes on me. I want to talk to him. More than anything, but I messed up. I did everything I could to shut him out after he kissed me. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t risk something else happening between the two of us. I was in a relationship with someone else.
Once we’re done eating, we head outside. There’s a club a couple of blocks from where we’re at, so we walk over to it. Walking down Bourbon Street is always fun. There are crowds of people everywhere. You see people from all walks of life.
“Girl, I can’t believe you didn’t want to talk to those guys back there,” Harpers say to me. “One of them could not keep his eyes off you!”
“Maybe if we see them again, I’ll talk to him,” I say. I doubt we’ll see them again, so it’s perfect. They were still eating when we left, and there’s no way they’ll even know where we’re going.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she replies. A sly smirk crosses her face and she picks up her pace, so she’s walking side by side with Aria.
“Do you think they’re plotting something?” I whisper to Elena.
“You never know with those two.” She giggles. “So which one of the guys back there do you have a thing for?”
“The one with long hair pulled back into a bun,” I tell her.
“The Viking looking one with all the tattoos,” she says. “He’s cute. What’s his name?”
“He goes by Sketch. He’s an amazing artist. On paper and tattoos,” I say. “He’s a good guy.”
“So what happened? Why didn’t you want to talk to him?”
“Honestly, I’m afraid to. I haven’t been the greatest friend to him the past few months,” I admit.
“How close were you two,” she asks.
“We talked almost every day. I was starting to consider him one of my best friends,” I tell her. We walk into the cl
ub and conversation about Sketch ends.
“First things first. Drinks!” Aria says to us. The bar is packed with people trying to get drinks. We somehow manage to get a spot close to the bartender. Aria flashes him her sexy pout, and he’s over to us next.
“What can I get you, ladies,” he asks us.
“Four scooby snack shots, and I’ll have a Hurricane,” Aria tells him. Harper and Elena both order drinks, then he looks to me.
“I’ll have a Bahama Mama, please,” I say to him. He nods and hurries off to make our drinks. I glance around the bar. My eyes fall to the front door where Sketch and the guys are walking in.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter.
4
Sketch
Wren was shocked to see us when we walked into the Chicken Shack. Her friend with the lavender hair, Aria, came over to introduce herself to Clutch when Wren went to the bathroom. They exchanged numbers and she told him where they were going next. So, here we are. I’m not one for clubs, but I’ll do anything to see Wren again.
I still don’t know what happened for her to ice me out. Things were fine before Buster and Cali’s wedding. Something happened that night, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. I got pretty shit-faced that night and have regretted it ever since. Because whatever it was, cost me Wren. Not that I had her, but I at least had her friendship. I valued her friendship so fucking much. Now, I need to figure out why she left Texas without telling anyone and what I did to screw up our friendship. This should be interesting, to say the least.
We walk into the club, and the bar is packed with people waiting to get drinks. I scan the room for Wren. Before I find her, Clutch is dragging us through the crowd and to a table.
“I’m gonna go grab some drinks. What do y’all want,” Kicks asks.
“I’ll take a beer,” I tell him. Clutch goes with Kicks to the bar to help with the drinks. The music they’re playing isn’t what I normally listen to. This is some pop, top forties shit. Most of it has a good beat to dance to, but other than that, it’s annoying. I’m more into classic rock.
“Wren hasn’t spoken to you in months. You really think she’s gonna talk to you now,” Diesel asks.
“Honestly, brother, I have no fucking idea if she will, but I gotta try,” I admit. “I gotta at least try to find out why she left without so much as a word to anyone.”
He nods his head. A few minutes go by and Kicks and Clutch come back with our drinks and the girls.
“Look who we found at the bar,” Clutch says with a smirk. Aria is standing next to him and behind them is Wren and another girl. “Have a seat, ladies.”
As two of the girls sit down, the group next to us gets up to leave. Kicks grabs their table, pulling it closer to ours, while Clutch grabs the chairs. Wren sits at the opposite end of where I am. It stings a little, having her so close yet so far away.
“So, are you guys from around here,” Aria asks.
“No, we’re from Texas,” Clutch tells her.
“Oh! Wren’s from Texas, too,” she replies.
“We know,” I say to Aria, but my eyes are on Wren.
“Huh? How do you . . .” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Aria’s eyes are as wide as saucers. The girl next to Wren shakes her head, then whispers something to Wren. She rolls her eyes.
“Aria, these guys are in the same motorcycle club as my brother, Shade,” Wren says. She scoots her chair back and stands. “I’m gonna go dance.”
Wren takes a sip of her drink as her friend next to her stands, too. They head to the dance floor, dancing together, but not too close.
“What’s the story with y’all?” The girl with Aria, I think she said her name is Harper, gestures between Wren and me.
“What makes you think there’s a story to tell?”
“Oh, I don’t know. The way you watch her says a lot,” she says. Diesel chuckles next to me and I shoot him a glare.
“She’s my best friend’s little sister. That’s it,” I tell her.
“Uh-huh. Keep tellin’ yourself that.” She doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame her. I’ve tried to tell myself that since I met her, but it didn’t stop me from having feelings for her. “Something scarred her, so tread lightly.”
My eyes shoot to hers. “What do you mean, something scarred her? What happened?”
“Not our story to tell,” Aria states. She sends Harper a look to shut her up as if she’s already said too much.
Diesel leans closer to me. “Do you think it has to do with Zack?”
“If it does, I’ll fucking kill him,” I growl out.
“What brought you guys to New Orleans,” Aria asks Clutch.
“Some boring club business,” he tells her. They fall into an easy conversation, and I tune them out. My eyes find Wren again, dancing with a smile on her face. I’ve never seen her this carefree. A guy walks up to her and says something in her ear. She gives him a small smile. The interaction makes me clench my teeth. I finish off my beer and stand from the table.
“Where are you going,” Diesel asks.
“Going to get another beer.” I stand at the bar, waiting for my turn. My body tenses when a small hand touches my lower back. Wren. I turn to face her.
“Hi.” I barely hear her over the music. I almost forgot how small she is when next to me.
“Hey, Little Bird,” I reply. Her cheeks flush at my nickname for her. “Do you need another drink?”
“Please,” she says, “a Bahama Mama.”
The bartender makes his way over to us. I give him our order and he hurries off to get them.
“Does Shade know you’re here,” I ask her. Her expression changes in half a second.
“I’m an adult. I don’t need to tell my brother what or when I do something.” She storms away from me, back toward the group. I shake my head, kicking myself on the inside for fucking up again. The bartender brings me our drinks. I leave him a twenty and head back to our tables.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper in Wren’s ear as I set her drink in front of her. I move to my spot at the other end of the tables.
“What was that about,” Diesel asks.
“I fucked up, yet again.” I take a sip of my beer.
“We’re all gonna go over to Aria and Harper’s house,” Clutch tells me. “You down?”
“I don’t think so. I’ll probably head back to the hotel,” I say.
“Don’t fucking leave me alone with these assholes,” Diesel begs.
“Come with us for an hour. Then, if you want to leave, you can,” Clutch suggests.
“This isn’t a good idea, but fine. I’ll go,” I reply.
“It’ll be fine,” Diesel tells me. “We’ll figure out a way for you to fix things with Wren.”
5
Wren
“Remind me why you thought it was a good idea to invite them over?” I whisper-shout at Aria.
She shrugs. “Why not? They’re hot, and the club was too loud. I figured it’d be easier for us all to talk at the house.”
“What’s going on between you and the tattooed Viking,” Harper asks. “He told us nothing, that you’re his best friend’s sister, but the way he looks at you says something completely different.”
I sigh. “He was really drunk one night and kissed me. I was still with Zack at the time, so I kind of put an end to our friendship. I couldn’t risk it happening again.”
Aria squeals. If we weren’t in a separate Uber than the guys, I wouldn’t have said anything.
“Sketch has acted clueless about it. He must not remember it happening,” I add.
“Does he get drunk like that often,” Harper asks.
“No, it was the night of Cali and Buster’s wedding. He got a little carried away while celebrating,” I tell them. “I haven’t been able to bring myself to talk to him about it.”
“You had feelings for him while you were with Zack,” Elena states.
I nod my head and tears fill my eyes.
�
�Oh, honey.” Aria wraps her arm around my shoulders. “Zack was and is a piece of shit. He never deserved you.”
“I let Zack take so much away from me.” A couple of tears fall down my cheek.
“He won’t ever take anything from you again,” Harper says. “You should think about telling Sketch what happened.”
“If I tell Sketch, he’ll tell Shade. They’ll want to murder him,” I tell them.
“Let them. That piece of shit deserves it for what he did,” Aria says. We pull up to the house, Harper pays the Uber driver, and we climb out. I walk into the house and straight to my room to change into some leggings and a tank top. I leave my make-up on, even though I want nothing more than to wash it off. I never wear so much, but it’s been needed.
I walk out of my room to go find Elena. She’s talking with Diesel, so I head to the kitchen to get a drink. I walk in to Sketch getting a beer out of the fridge.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were in here,” I mutter.
“Aria said there was beer in here and to help myself,” he says. I look at my feet, avoiding his eyes. “Wren, can we talk? Please?”
My heart skips a beat, and I hesitate. This is what I was afraid of. “Uh, sure.”
I lead him out to the back deck, only stopping to plug in the bistro lights that are strung up between the posts.
“It’s cozy out here,” Sketch says, breaking the silence. He sits on the couch. I turn the fire pit on low and sit adjacent to him. Keeping some distance between us. “I’m sorry for what I said back at the club. Shade called me earlier, freaking out.” He pauses.
Of course Shade would be freaking out. Sienna probably is, too. I just up and left— I had to. It was the only way to ensure Zack wouldn’t follow me. I study him as he takes a drink of his beer. His hair is pulled back into a low bun, but he has a strand of hair that fell in his face. Never in my life did I imagine a guy could ever pull off having hair longer than mine, but Sketch does. He has this bad boy appeal, but when you get to know him, he’s this big, soft teddy bear.
