Clean Slate: Diva's Ink

by Liberty Parker

  After I leave Emory, I head over to Jensen’s house so we can discuss the possibility that Krista is involved with Branson’s escape. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that she’s involved. I’m positive that there has to be a paper trail to lead us to her front door, and I won’t stop until I uncover the evidence I need to confront her and have her arrested. As we’re sitting here going over what we know is to be fact, and going over the files we have once again, my phone rings. I see that it’s Tic and I pick it up.

  “Hey, man,” I answer.

  “Levi was supposed to be here over an hour ago for his shift, have you seen him?” No pleasantries, and straight to the point. I sit up taller in my seat when it finally sinks in what he said.

  “No, he wasn’t at the shop either when I left a little while ago.”

  “I have a naggin’ feeling in my gut, he’s never late, and is always where he’s supposed to be or else he calls. He won’t answer his phone, I’m heading over to their house.”

  “I’m with Jensen, we’ll meet you there.” I say. Hanging up the phone I relay my conversation to him and we jog out of his house and jump into my truck.

  “What if he’s using him to lure us out?” Jensen asks me.

  “It’s a chance we have to take, this is our problem and he’s family. We take care of our own and never leave a man behind,” I say, releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding until I had to speak. I knew this could be a possibility, but I had hoped that no one else would become part of how this unfolds. I’d rather have a target on my back than have anyone I hold close to my heart be affected by Branson’s madness. We pull up to Rainey and the guys’ house the same time as Tic and Wasp. The house looks normal on the outside, I round the truck and meet Wasp and Tic where they’ve pulled up.

  “Didn’t bring anyone else with you?” I ask them.

  “Didn’t think there’d be a need yet,” Wasp answers. I know alone he and Tic are some badasses, but I would’ve thought they’d bring the entire brigade with them.

  “What if it’s something bad?” Jensen asks them.

  “We’ll handle it, but I’m not taking everyone out of their jobs if it turns out to be a bunch of bullshit,” Wasp states.

  I shrug my shoulders, because at this point what else can I do? It’s his club, his call, I just want to get to the bottom of whatever is going on.

  “I’ve got a key to the front door,” I tell them.

  “Why the fuck do you have a key to my brothers’ house?” Tic asks.

  “We all have a key to each other’s houses. It’s in case of emergencies or if one of us needs to drop something off to the others. It’s the way the girls set it up, you have a problem, take it up with them, because I have no other answer for you than the reason they gave us.”

  “I guess coming from a woman’s perspective that’s understandable,” Jensen says.

  “Channeling your inner woman, now are you?” I can’t help but be a smartass, what can I say, it comes natural to me.

  “Funny, you’ve got jokes today,” he replies.

  “Enough! Let’s see what’s going on with my wayward brother,” Tic all but growls out. Guess he’s not amused by our antics. He stops in the driveway and notices a puddle on the pavement. He leans down and sniffs and says one word, “gas,” he and Wasp share some sort of look that I’m not privy to.

  I hand him over my key, and he walks up to the front door as if he owns the place. I follow dutifully behind Tic and Wasp as they breach the doorway. We walk through the house and it’s quiet and dark. There are no lights turned on anywhere in the house, and it seems as if no one has been here in a while.

  I pick up my phone and call Levi. I can hear the phone ringing and follow the sound until I find it on the kitchen counter next to the back door. It’s sitting next to his wallet, but I don’t see his set of keys. “Guys,” I call them over and show them what I found.

  Then we hear yelling from the back and we all open the door to see Levi down on his haunches cursing out his bike. “Motherfucking piece of shit!”

  “The fuck is goin’ on?” Tic hollers out.

  Levi jumps and turns away from his bike to face us. “Son of a bitch, you scared the fuck outta me,” he says, holding his hand to his chest. “What the fuck are y’all doing here?” he asks, I can see anger written all over his face.

  “You didn’t answer your damn phone and didn’t show up for your shift at the garage!” Wasp hollers back, but I have a feeling his is out of fear of what could’ve been.

  “I didn’t answer my phone because out of anger, I threw it on the kitchen counter along with my wallet. I went out front this morning and noticed my gas line had been tampered with. I should’ve called, but I was angry and frustrated that someone had the nerve to fuck with my bike!”

  “Someone purposefully messed with your gas line? It couldn’t have come loose or something?” I ask him, trying to put together what the fuck exactly is happening here.

  “No, man, it’s been sliced clean through. You can see where someone took a knife to it here,” he says pointing. Sure enough, someone sawed right through the line. Fuck!

  “This is a distraction,” Wasp whispers. And with that statement, chills run up my arms. My body is suddenly covered in goosebumps, and I have a feeling that someone wanted us otherwise occupied.

  Chapter 16

  Emory

  When you give someone your heart, give them one-hundred percent of it…

  I’m working on a client’s wrist piece. It’s a memorial to her grandmother. It’s a simple design of a heart with her grandmother’s name running through it with a banner and a dove sitting on top. Apparently, doves were her thing, it’s a beautiful commemoration piece and I’m listening to stories she’s sharing with me about their relationship. From what I gather, she was a bit of a pistol, even in death her legend lives on through her family and friends.

  I’m so enamored by her stories and working her piece that I don’t initially notice the figure standing in the doorway. I look up and there is a man I don’t recognize standing there. He lifts his arm and I see a gun pointed right at my chest, and the first thought that goes through my mind is, ‘oh hell no’ and ‘not again’! Without even thinking about it, I yell out Carson’s name. “He’s otherwise occupied, along with your sister.” I think he said sister, not sisters which means one of them either hasn’t been discovered yet or isn’t here. I’m hoping it’s the latter and not the former.

  “Wh…who are you and what do you want?” I ask, my client is silently crying next to me. I pat her hand reminding her she’s not alone, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Not sure that one pat on the hand will let her know all that I’m thinking, but her body stops shaking so hopefully she got the message.

  “Your man has been a thorn in my side for years, it’s time for a little payback,” he states, and now I know who he is for sure.

  “Branson,” I whisper.

  “I see my reputation is intact,” he says, with one of the evilest smiles I’ve ever seen mar someone’s face.

  “I know you’re an asshole who can’t take responsibility for his own actions, blaming everyone else for your wickedness.” His smile drops from his face and he marches up to me and slaps me across my face. My head turns with the force, but I won’t let this monster know he’s gotten to me. I turn my head around and smile at him, he won’t get the better of me, even if he kills me.

  “Watch your mouth, girlie,” he all but growls out at me. I’m not impressed by him and wonder what he means by my sister and Carson are otherwise occupied.

  “Where is my sister!” I yell out, earning myself another hit, but I was anticipating this one and didn’t let my head sway away from him and I maintained eye contact with him. He grunts out at my defiance and grabs me by my hair and yanks me up, my gun falls to the floor and all I can think about is how much it’s going to cost me to replace that when this nightmare is over with.

 
“You’re going to buy me another one!” I don’t know where this defiant nature is coming from, but I feel strong in this moment when I should be feeling fear and cower from him.

  He laughs at my statement and pulls me behind him out of the room. “You too, girl,” he says pointing the gun at my client. I bet she’ll never step foot back in our shop after this. I just lost a client which pisses me off more than the gun he’s been pointing at me and the slaps to my face.

  “Do as he says, Myra.” I tell her, not wanting her to defy him so that she doesn’t get any of what I’ve received for mine.

  She gets up from the chair and slowly makes her way towards us. My hair is still firmly held in his hand, so I reach up with one of mine trying to alleviate the pressure, but it causes him to pull tighter. Instead, I reach my hand out and Myra grabs it with her own. He pushes me forward causing me to nearly lose my footing, so I shoot a dirty look over my shoulder, causing him to laugh at my distress. He pushes us forward until we are walking into the breakroom, where I see Carson and Rainey sitting next to each other in chairs at the table with a woman standing over them with a gun of her own pointed their way. Great, the fucking maniac has help, how the fuck are we ever going to get out of this one?

  “Krista, get the rope out of the bag and tie them to their chairs,” Branson tells her. So, this is the Krista Black that Marcus had suspected, seems my man has good instincts. Now, if I only had a way to let him know that we’re in trouble, so he can come in and save us from these morons. I find myself wishing we had an ESP type of link to communicate with each other. I close my eyes and send out a silent prayer that no more clients walk through the front door and that my man and sister don’t come to the shop and walk into this madhouse. I have a deep seeded fear that I’m the bait to trap Marcus. I hope with everything within me that he doesn’t fall for it and come in to attempt to save the day. But if my man knows I’m in any sort of danger, he’ll put himself last, regardless of the consequences.

  “Now,” the fucker says as he crouches down next to me, “let’s see how much your man loves you, let’s see if he takes the bait and comes to rescue you,” he says, tracing the side of my face and pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. It causes me to shiver in disgust and he once again laughs at my expense.

  “Fuck you,” I spit out at him.

  “You just don’t seem to learn when to keep your mouth shut!” he hollers out while once again slapping my cheek, in the same damn spot, damn that’s going to fucking hurt in the morning.

  Marcus

  As soon as I put two and two together I begin to run back to my truck, only to find myself held back by the collar of my shirt. I turn around to let whoever has stopped me have it, but I hear these words which stop me dead in my tracks.

  “We have to play this smart, if he does have your girl, we need to go in with a plan,” Tic says.

  “Rainey and Carson are working today,” Levi whispers, and I can see the anguish written all over his face. “Fuck!” he yells out. “This cannot be fuckin’ happenin’!”

  “Get yourself together, both of you!” Wasp hollers out.

  “What are we going to do?” I ask.

  “We’re goin’ to get them out of this, but we’re gonna play it smart. Fools who rush in are the ones who get themselves killed,” Tic says.

  “And those who are depending you to get them out,” Wasp adds to Tic’s statement.

  “We need eyes inside,” Jensen says.

  “How?” I ask.

  “They do,” I reply.

  “Camera kind?” Wasp asks.

  “Yes,” I respond.

  “Then I’ve got a man,” Tic says walking inside with his phone glued to his ear.

  “Do you have a guy for everything?” Jensen asks Wasp.

  “With what we do, you have to,” Wasp says, walking away to follow Tic inside.

  “What kind of plan do you think they’re going to come up with?” Jensen asks.

  “One that gets everyone out alive,” Levi says, throwing his rag down on the ground and walking inside. I shrug my shoulders at Jensen and walk inside, whatever they come up with, I want to make sure I’m in on the plans. No man left behind has different meanings. And there’s no way in hell I’m standing on the sidelines while they go in and rescue my woman, they’ll need a distraction, and who better than myself. I am who he wants after all, no reason for anyone else to put themselves in the line of danger.

  “We need to head to the clubhouse, so we can get eyes on the situation,” Tic says.

  This worries me, every minute counts and I’m not comfortable leaving her and the others to deal with him for that length of time.

  “As much as I want to march in there and get Rainey out, this really is the best way,” Levi tells me.

  “Levi, ride with Marcus,” Wasp orders. Guess he’s read my mind and knows that I’m ready to go in now. I’m assuming that won’t be happening if I have a goddamned babysitter!

  Emory

  “He won’t fall for it you know?” I ask Branson.

  “Better hope for your sake that he does,” he replies. Carson is giving me a look that tells me I need to shut my mouth, but I can’t seem to help myself.

  “Krista, make sure the front door is locked, we don’t want any uninvited visitors,” he tells her. I let out a breath of relief, luckily it wasn’t loud enough for anyone else to notice. I look over and Myra is still silently crying, Carson looks deadly and Rainey looks pissed the hell off. I’m surprised she’s been able to control her mouth, she’s usually the one to shoot bullshit out and not sit back and take anyone’s shit. Other than Ariel, because let’s face it, my big sister is scary as shit. She’s definitely not the type you want to cross in a dark alley, or a lighted one for that matter. She kicks ass and takes names later, she’s never had control of her temper.

  Not that I have much room to talk, I come across as meek and weak, but I’m anything but. I just have a really great poker face. I happen to look up when I think I see movement, it was small and I’m not sure if my imagination is playing tricks on me or not. I look up and see our security camera moving, my eyes widen, and I look over at Carson who once again shakes his head no at me, he doesn’t want me to draw attention to it, so he must know something I don’t. I nod my head letting him know I get the message and turn to smile an encouraging smile at Myra. She gives me a shaky smile in return, I’m relieved that she’s at least holding her shit together, because who knows what this guy’s next move will be.

  I’ve never wanted to be on the receiving end of madness again, it looks like I seem to be the favorite target of psychopaths however.

  I start to open my mouth to tell this guy what it is exactly I think of him, when I hear a single motorcycle pass by. My ears perk up, but it’s only a single bike and it keeps going down the road, not stopping to come to our rescue. I notice the smile on Carson’s face, I want to ask him about it, but I refrain. I’m not wanting to give anything away if it does happen to be the beginning of our rescue party.

  “Seems like her man doesn’t care for her as much as we thought he did, maybe we should’ve gone after the kid,” Krista says to Branson. I want to claw her eyes out! I know she means Shyann, and I’ll personally gouge her eyes out, and feed her carcass to the birds, before I’ll allow her to lay a hand on my daughter! That bitch has to know those are fighting words right there.

  “Let me out of my bindings, you bitch, and I’ll show you just what a mother is capable of when it comes to defending her kid!”

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll jump right on that, you crazy bitch!” she yells back at me.

  “Don’t go near my kid,” I growl out at her.

  “She’s not your kid, are you crazy? We killed her parents, so I know for a fact that she doesn’t belong to you,” she laughs out.

  “Keep your dirty, nasty hands off my niece, you whore!” Rainey calls out, earning her a kick from Carson who gives her a dirty look between the slits of his eyes.

 
“I’m no whore! At least I don’t have to have two men to fill my needs, I have the best one of them all,” she lovingly says, as she runs her hands through Branson’s hair.

  I make a gagging sound, and tell the room, “I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

  “Shut it, or I’ll fill your mouth with something and it won’t be bile!” Branson shouts out at me, and I know I definitely just felt the burn in my esophagus from the bile that crawled up that way. I snap my mouth shut, because there’s no way I want what he’s insinuated in my mouth, I’d have to bite it off and I doubt I’d make it away from the scenario still breathing. The lights go off, and I hear the beep, beep indicating the security system has shut down. I see Carson go stiff and think to myself that this must be what he’s been waiting for.

  Marcus

  Not only can we get a visual feed from the security cameras, we’re able to get audio too, and my girl is getting herself in some deep water with the way she’s running her mouth. I see a bruise on the side of her right cheek, and it pisses me off that he laid hands on my woman. I also notice that she has a line of blood leaving her mouth, and I know he hit her hard. She doesn’t seem to notice it, or has just decided to ignore it, but I know she must be in pain.

  Wasp and Tic are pointing to different things on the screen, but my eyes are staying glued to Emory. I’m silently commanding her not to say anything else and reign in her temper. When they mention Shyann’s name, I know without a shadow of a doubt that she’s going to lose her composure, and I can’t blame her for that one, because there’s no way I’d be able to hold my tongue either. These two are playing a dangerous game involving our daughter, one that they won’t see come to fruition. That, I can guaran-damn-tee. No one will ever hurt that little girl again, as long as I’m alive, and drawing breath.

  “Do they have a ventilation shaft that we can get to from the outside?” Tic asks.