by Marie, Kay
“He shoved his fingers inside me as he unbuttoned his pants. I wanted to keep fighting him, but my head was so fuzzy from him hitting me. As he pulled his pants down, his phone started ringing. He hesitated before answering it. I’m not sure who it was, but I’m so thankful they called when they did.”
Her crying has eased up, but my anger hasn’t. My jaw aches from how tight I’ve been clenching it. Touching Wren, having that physical connection is keeping me grounded and focused on her.
“When he got off the phone, he said I was lucky he had business to take care of, but this wasn’t over. I stayed in the same spot for around thirty minutes, afraid to move in case he came back. When I was sure he was gone and wasn’t coming back right away, I ran. I ran home to get Sienna’s emergency stash and escape car, then drove until I got here.”
“Why here? Why not come to me? To the clubhouse,” I ask.
“Before that day, Zack never laid a hand on me. Sure he dished out some verbal abuse, but he would always use you and Shade against me,” she admits. “He would tell me how easy it would be for him to ruin the Savage Menaces. Or to put a hit out on you and Shade. I couldn’t let him do that.” She pauses, bringing her eyes back to mine. “I would rather take all his verbal abuse if it meant keeping y’all safe. But when he laid his hands on me, when he tried to take my innocence, I had to leave,” she explains to me.
Wait. Did I hear her correct? She said her innocence. She’s a fucking virgin? My Little Bird is so much more innocent than I originally thought she was. That only adds fuel to the fire. My hands begin to shake. There’s no way in hell I’ll be able to sit idly by and let that piece of shit get away with what he’s done.
“I knew if I ran to you or the club, Zack would know and come after y’all.”
“Wren.” It comes out as a whispered growl. Wren squeezes my hand this time. “I promised you I would think it through, and I will keep that promise,” I tell her. “But trust me when I tell you, I will go after him.”
“I only want you to be safe.” She scoots closer, so she’s right beside me and lays her head on my shoulder. I lean my head against hers, slowly calming down. The air in the room is heavy. I’m about to say something to her but she beats me to it.
“Can we do something to lighten the mood?” She glances up at me through her lashes. My heart skips a beat. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
“Anything you want, Little Bird,” I whisper. I’m fighting the urge to kiss her. Now is the worst time for that. She hops off the bed, and I instantly miss the contact. She stops in the doorway, turning to face me.
“Are you coming?”
“Oh, was I supposed to follow you?” I tease. She rolls her eyes, giving me a small smile. One step closer to getting her back to normal. I stand and follow her to the living room.
“Hey, Elena, Diesel,” Wren calls out. “Want to watch a movie with us?”
They both walk out of the kitchen. Elena looks Wren over, checking to make sure she’s okay.
“Sure.” Elena nods. “What are we watching?”
“A comedy of some sort. We need some laughter,” Wren tells her. She shoots me a smile over her shoulder. Elena’s expression shows she understands. Wren has more than likely already told her, Aria, and Harper about Zack.
“I’m in as long as we can order some food,” Diesel says. Wren giggles and the sound goes straight to my heart. This chick has had a hold of it since day one. I wish more than anything I could tell her how much I care about her. Now is certainly not the time.
“What are you wanting,” Wren asks Diesel.
“Anything off Food Dash. I’ll buy,” Diesel offers.
“I want chicken tenders, fries, and mozzarella sticks from somewhere,” Wren says.
“I second that.” Elena grins.
“With lots of ranch,” Wren adds. I chuckle. The girl has an obsession with ranch.
“Bacon cheeseburger and fries for me,” I tell Diesel.
“Got it. I’ll order it now. Y’all pick a movie,” Diesel says.
“Oh! What about a Marvel movie instead,” Wren asks.
“I’m good with whatever you want to watch, Little Bird,” I say to her. Elena watches me for a beat before settling in the recliner. I take a seat on the couch while Wren flips through the movies, trying to choose one.
“Let’s do an Iron Man marathon,” Elena suggests.
“Yes! That’s perfect,” Wren agrees. She puts the first movie in and sits criss-cross on the couch next to me, her knee touching my thigh.
“Food’s ordered.” Diesel walks back into the living room. “What are we watching?”
“Iron Man, now shhh,” Wren shushes him. I chuckle and Diesel stares at her in shock before sitting on the second recliner.
12
Wren
I’ve been in New Orleans for a week now. I’m considering staying here for a while. I’m pretty sure I could finish my college classes online if I do choose to stay. I’ve taken some summer courses every year and only have one semester left before graduation. I could graduate in December, or take a semester off then finish in the spring. I’m leaning toward the latter.
Sketch and I have spent more time together since I told him about Zack. He hasn’t let on anything about seeking revenge on Zack. I hope he doesn’t do anything. I would never forgive myself if something happened to Sketch because of me. It’s good to talk to him again. I’ve missed him more than I realized.
Elena pops her head into my room. “Did you decide if you’re going today?”
There’s a tattoo convention here this weekend. Sketch was talking to us about it last night. He and the guys are going and invited us.
“Yeah, I think I am. Did you want to come,” I ask her.
She shrugs. “Sure, I don’t have anything else going on.”
“I'll be looking for an artist to get my first tattoo with,” I tell her.
“Isn’t Sketch a tattoo artist?”
Heat rises in my cheeks. I’ve thought about having him do it, but then I thought about how I feel when he touches me. I can’t bring myself to ask him.
“He is,” I tell her. Before I can say more, my phone buzzes with an incoming text.
From Sketch: We’re about to head to the convention. Want us to pick you up?
To Sketch: Elena is coming, too. We’ll meet you there.
From Sketch: See you there, Little Bird ;)
I smile at his last text. Him and that stupid nickname. I got so mad at him when he first started calling me that. It’s grown on me, but he’s the only one allowed to use that.
“They’re leaving now. Are you ready,” I ask Elena.
“Ready for what? Where are we going?” Aria barges into my room.
“The tattoo convention,” I tell her.
“Oh, hell yeah! Let’s go,” she says.
“I’m ready,” Elena adds.
“Harper is working today, but can meet up with us later,” Aria tells us.
“Sounds good. Who’s driving,” Elena asks.
“I will,” Aria offers.
“Shotgun!” I giggle. We grab our purses and head out the door.
“What do you want a tattoo of,” Elena asks as we all climb into Aria’s car.
“You’re getting a tattoo?” Aria shouts.
“I might. I want to get a lotus flower. I want the outline black with pink watercolor added throughout it. But I need to decide where I want it.” Lotus flowers are such beautiful and inspiring flowers. Before they can bloom, they have to make their way through the dark mud. In time, the lotus rises above the water and emerges beautiful and whole. I want it as a reminder of the mud I had to go through to get back to myself. I may still be a work in progress, still cleaning the mud off, but I could use that visual reminder. I will always rise above the mud, no matter how thick it is. I will always emerge whole.
“That would be really pretty,” Elena raves.
“A lotus flower would be perfect for you,” Aria tells me. Ten minutes
later we pull up to the New Orleans Tattoo Convention. While Aria looks for a parking spot, I shoot Sketch a text.
To Sketch: We’re looking for a parking spot now. Aria came with us.
From Sketch: We’ll be right inside the front door.
Aria finds a spot quicker than expected. We climb out and head inside.
“So now that you’ve told Sketch about what happened, do you think the two of you will hook up,” Aria asks.
“Aria!” Elena gapes at her.
“What?” Aria says innocently. “You can’t tell me you haven’t given it any thought.”
I give her a small smile. “I have thought about it briefly, but I still have some healing to do.”
We walk through the doors, and she doesn’t say anything more about it. Her eyes light up when she sees Clutch.
“Hey, Little Bird.” Sketch gives me a half-smile, making my tummy do flips.
“Hey.” I return the smile.
“We already bought y’all tickets.” He hands me one before handing one to Elena. Clutch hands one to Aria and throws his arm over her shoulders, pulling her into his side. The two of them would make a cute couple. They lead the way to the booths where all the artists and vendors are.
“Do you want to get a tattoo,” Sketch asks me.
My cheeks heat. If I tell him yes, he’s going to insist on doing it. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well, there’s a lot of great artists here. Some have shops here. Others are only here for the convention,” he explains to me. “They should all have some kind of portfolio of their past work on their tables so you can check out their specific style.”
“You’re a bit of a pro at this, huh?” I playfully nudge his side with my elbow.
He shrugs. “Something like that.”
We stop every so often to check out an artist’s portfolio. It’s when we’re about halfway through that I come to the portfolio I fall in love with. The shop is called The Mad Tatter and it’s here in New Orleans.
One of the artists stands and walks closer to me. “What do you think?”
“I love it! This work is phenomenal,” I praise. “Is it yours?”
He chuckles. “No, it’s an artist who works for us part-time. He doesn’t actually live in New Orleans.”
My eyes lift to his. He’s grinning at Sketch, and I turn to him. “This is your work?”
He smirks and nods.
“Sketch, these are amazing,” I tell him.
“He’s alright,” the guy in front of me teases. I shift back around. “Name’s Luke.” He holds his hand out for me to shake, which I do.
“I’m Wren.”
His eyes shoot to Sketch. “The Wren?”
I glance at Sketch over my shoulder. “What does he mean, the Wren?”
“Nothing.” He glares at Luke. “He’s being an asshole.”
“Mhmm” I mumble.
“What do you want to get?” His warm breath caresses my ear, sending chills down my spine. His front is mere inches from my back.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath before responding. “Uh.” The words catch in my throat. “I’m thinking a lotus flower with watercolor.”
“Where at?” He moves away, and I miss his closeness immediately.
“I haven’t decided.” It’s then I realize Elena, Aria, and the guys have moved on without us. I glance around and find them a few tables ahead of us. With one last glance at Sketch, I make my way to Elena.
13
Sketch
I stand there, watching as Wren walks toward Elena and Diesel. I don’t know what possessed me to get so close to Wren. I felt a pull toward her and had to be right there by her. When I breathed in her intoxicating scent, jasmine mixed with orange, I about lost it. I wanted to spin her around and kiss her. I had to tear myself away from her before I did. I’m still beating myself up for kissing her before and not remembering it. That’ll fucking teach me not to get shit faced anymore. I’m about to follow Wren when Luke stops me.
“It is her, isn’t it?” He’s watching me carefully.
“Yeah, it is. She’s been through hell and back though,” I tell him.
“I don’t have to tell you, but I’m going to anyway. Don’t push anything, let it be on her terms. Watching the way she looks at you, it’ll happen in due time,” he says. Luke is like some kind of love guru when it comes to the people around him. When it comes to himself, he’s shit at relationships.
Luke and I had the same foster mom, Mama Maggie. She took us in within months of each other when we were thirteen. No one wanted us. We were rotten. Hell, we both had horrible childhoods. Bounced around from foster home to foster home, until we somehow landed in hers. She’s an older woman, more like a grandma than a mom. She loved us as if we were her own blood, still does. She lives in Baton Rouge and I visit her as much as I can.
“You’re right, you don’t need to tell me.” My eyes move back to Wren. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Name it, bro,” he replies.
“Watch out for her while I’m in Texas? I leave to go back tomorrow,” I tell him.
“Of course. Does she need a job while she’s here,” he asks. “We need a new front desk person.”
“I’ll talk to her about it and let you know. Thanks, man.” I give him a quick half-hug and walk over to Wren.
After we finished at the convention, we all went to grab some food. Now, we’re hanging out at the girls’ house for the night. Most everyone is drinking, and the girls have a wide variety of music playing. It seems like Aria and Harper are trying to hint at some shit with the songs they’re playing. Wren isn’t picking up on any of it, yet. If she has, she hasn’t let on. Right now, The Way I Are by Bebe Rexha and Lil Wayne is playing.
Wren has a Seagrams Bahama Mama in her hand, a smile on her face and is singing along while moving her body with the beat. I’ve never seen her tipsy before. I also have never seen her dance like this before. She makes it look so simple and sexy. I need to talk to her before she gets too drunk.
“Little Bird.” I call out to her. “Come here, please.”
She struts over to me, eyes locked on mine the entire time. She sits on the couch next to me, swinging her legs over mine. Her touch sends a zap through my body.
“What’s up?”
“I’m going back to Texas tomorrow,” I tell her.
Her face falls and she avoids making eye contact with me. “Already?”
“Yeah, this wasn’t meant to be a long trip.”
“You can’t stay a couple more days,” she asks.
“I would if I could, Little Bird, but we’re taking some guys back to meet with Bull,” I explain. She takes a sip of her drink. “You know, you could come back with us.”
“I’m not ready to go back,” she tells me.
I gently nudge her chin so her eyes are on me. “It’s okay. None of the guys will say anything to Shade.”
“Will you be coming back?” Her voice is soft, sad even.
“As far as I know, yes,” I say. “Until I do, do you remember me telling you about Luke?”
She nods.
“He owns the Mad Tatter tattoo shop. They’re looking for someone to work the front desk and take care of the paperwork,” I inform her.
Her eyes light up. “They would consider me?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
She mulls over her next words carefully. “When would I be able to start?”
“Whenever you wanted. I can give you his number and you can call him tomorrow,” I tell her.
“That would be awesome, Sketch. Thank you.” She leans forward an inch, then stops as if she’s reevaluating her next move. She finishes off her drink. Sliding her legs off me, she stands on wobbly feet, nearly falling. I grab her hips to help steady her, and she freezes.
“You okay,” I ask.
“Mhmm, I stood too fast.” She walks away to get another drink before Aria pulls her into dancing again. Something Just Like This by
the Chainsmokers is playing now. I watch, hypnotized by her movements.
The next morning, we head back to the soon-to-be Savage Menaces clubhouse. Gator and the guys are already awake and ready to leave. Clutch and Diesel get their bags and toss them in the trunk. Kicks takes longer because of Raven. I’ve never seen him whipped like he is. I didn’t expect him to ever want to settle down with one chick.
When we leave, Clutch, Diesel, and Kicks are in Clutch’s car. Me and Gator are in his car and Chaos, Vegas, Kamikaze and Mac are riding their bikes. Something I wish I was fucking doing. We should get back to the clubhouse close to ten tonight. We’ve barely been on the road for an hour, and all I want to do is turn around and go back to Wren.
14
Wren
Sketch and the guys left yesterday to go back to Texas. I was half tempted to go with them, but thought better of it. It’s too soon to go back. I reached out to Luke about working at the Mad Tatter. I’m supposed to meet with him this afternoon. They open at noon, and he told me to come anytime after that. I’ve been awake since eight this morning, but I have yet to drag myself out of bed. It’s eleven-thirty now. Time to get up.
I take a quick shower and throw some clothes on. I choose an army green cropped t-shirt with high waisted shorts, pairing the outfit with a pair of white Adidas with black stripes. I stick with a light smokey eye and my favorite Kylie Cosmetics creme lipstick, Crush. Once I’m finished getting ready, I leave. I text Aria to let her know where I’m going in case anything happens.
Twenty minutes later, my GPS brings me to where the Mad Tatter is supposed to be. The street level of the building is occupied by a metaphysical supply store, Spiritual Academy. There’s a stairway off to the left with a sign that says Down the Rabbit Hole with The Mad Tatter in a smaller font underneath. I walk down the stairs while making a mental note to check out Spiritual Academy sometime.
When I walk into the Mad Tatter, it’s as if I’m walking into a real-life Wonderland, straight out of Tim Burton’s mind. The front desk is the first thing I see. It’s tall with metal wall art that reads We’re all mad here. The floors are black and white checkered. Framed playing card suits and chess pieces decorate the walls. Faux white roses with red splatters are placed throughout the shop, too.
