by Dee Garcia
I stood there motionless, completely taken aback by her question. It was the first time she’d really brought him up since coming to stay with us, and I didn’t know whether to roll with it or deviate to something else. I decided now was the best time to test the waters...
“Yeah, he did; at first, anyway. After two years or so, I think it started taking a toll on him.”
“You think that’s where his heart attack stemmed from?” She glanced up to where I stood, not so far away. “The constant travel?”
“I think it played a role in it, yes, but I don’t believe it was the primary reason.”
With a solemn nod, she laid her dress out on the bed and smoothed it out. “Thank you for loving him so much, Hazel. I’m not sure how you two found each other, but I’m thankful he had you when I failed him.”
“You didn’t fail him, Maya.” I sighed and dropped down at the opposite end of the bed. “You were young, in love, and Dimitri blinded you with promises of a beautiful happily ever after.”
“I was stupid, is what I was. Dad tried warning me more than once and I fought him every step of the way. I even called him crazy before Dimitri and I finally left to New York.”
“We all make mistakes,” I pointed out.
“Some more than others.”
“True… But for what it’s worth, he’d forgiven you.”
She scoffed and turned her head away. “You think so?”
“I know so. He was worried but work kept him busy.”
“He was still worried aft-”
Knock, knock.
Maya’s mouth was popped open we both turned our heads to the door.
Knox poked his head in, but kept his eyes trained on me. “Ready?” he asked.
Nodding, I rose to my feet and watched as he and Maya simply regarded one another with indiscernible expressions. No words were exchanged, not even a quirk of their lips, and although the vibe wasn’t hostile, it wasn’t pleasant either. I had it in my right mind to ask him what had him so wound up, once and for all.
But did I really want to know the answer?
The beach was as picturesque as the movies made it out to be. Dark pebbles laid in place of where you’d usually see sand, casting a dark ambiance over the ocean too. Distant mountains were the backdrop of this northern paradise, reminding you that Canada wasn’t so far away. There was also a nice breeze rolling by, one that didn’t quite reach the surprisingly dry city. With my hand entwined in Knox’s, we walked close to the shoreline in comfortable silence, breathing in the views.
“How you feelin’ about tomorrow night.” he asked suddenly.
I shrugged, and tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“I’m worried…” I admitted.
“About?”
“About you guys.”
“Who?” He sounded confused.
“You, Manny, and Maya.”
Jerking us to a stop, his eyes bore into mine under cinched brows. “Why on earth would you be worried about us? We’re not the ones fighting.”
“Yeah, but you’re the ones who don’t get along.”
“Not true at all, kitten.”
“Yes, it is, actually.” I crossed my arms. “Maya barely looks at Manny, he’s more than likely on the verge of saying to hell with her, and you’ve said a total of twenty words to her in the two weeks she’s been with us.”
Silence.
I could see the way his jaw ground together, his lips thinning into a grim line. Nevertheless, I held his stare, as determined as ever to bring the truth to light. The answer may not be what I wanted to hear, but I had to know. This constant guessing game of what had him so seemingly distant was eating me to my core, and I couldn’t take it anymore.
“With reason…” he gritted out after a beat.
“Then tell me the reason, because I’m not understanding.”
“I’m just concerned.”
“About?” I hedged, cocking my head to one side.
“About how Maya’s husband is clearly violent. Most of these wife beaters have a sick sense of possessiveness, and her leaving could spark something in him that puts us all in danger.”
What in the…
Not at all what I was expecting him to say. I’d been so worried Brie played a part in all this, I hadn’t even considered he was fretting over Dimitri.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I didn’t want to worry you, which obviously I failed at miserably because my actions have led you to worry anyway.”
“You should have told me,” I said, my voice hushed.
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not mad, babe. I get why you did it, and I’m thankful you always have my best interests in mind. However, we’re a team. If you’re seeing red flags, you need to tell me these things. I’m not a mind reader, and I can’t fight beside you if I don’t know what we’re up against.”
He clenched the fabric of my shirt and reeled me in, locking his arms around my neck. “We shouldn’t have to fight…”
“You’re right, we shouldn’t, but honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to fight. Dimitri might be a sick asshole, but I really don’t think he’s going to come after her. He doesn’t even know where she is.”
“For now. Based on who he is, I’d say he has the resources to pin her down in hours.”
I hugged him tightly, gripping the back of his tee in my fists. “Maybe, maybe not. No point in dwelling on it, though. His silence is a positive thing.”
“We can only hope.”
The breeze rolled by once more and I hugged him tighter, taking a deep breath. “Can you at least give the girl a break now? I know she senses your reservations, and I don’t want her to feel out of place or like she’s not welcome.”
Knox sighed and rested his chin atop my head. “I’ll try. I guess I just have to get out of my own head.”
“You really do,” I said, watching the waves crash ashore, feeling no less restless than I had when we first arrived.
“Roll and drop, roll and drop,” I yelled at Hazel like a madman from the sidelines.
We were halfway through round two and so far, it was a tie. My girl had demolished Janice Patino in the first round, but Janice had made a swift comeback for round two. She was fast, her fists were brutal, and she was a beast on the mat. That didn’t mean I wasn’t confident Hazel could win overall, but with Maya and Manny sitting front row – neither one looking pleased to be seated beside the other – I was afraid she’d be too distracted, kind of like she was right now.
Janice flung her into the cage, and rather than put her full focus into turning this thing around, she kept glancing toward Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb, her brow furrowed.
God damn it.
I was starting to get really pissed, and I knew that if I didn’t do something, the outcome would not be good. Pivoting away from the cage, I stalked toward Manny and dropped down beside him on my haunches.
“She’s distracted. I need you to get Maya out of here, or at least to the back where Hazel can’t see her.”
Manny didn’t quite seem to understand what I was getting at, but nonetheless, he nodded dutifully and turned to Maya, who sat with her arms crossed, eyes staring blankly ahead.
“We need to move back,” he said to her, but she didn’t acknowledge him, boiling my blood all the more.
This is exactly what my girl had been referring to and since coming to Seattle, it had only gotten worse. I couldn’t understand why Maya was acting like this. Yes, she’d been in an abusive relationship, but Manny wasn’t her husband, and he certainly wasn’t abusive. She’d asked for protection and that protection was sitting right beside her, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day, regardless of all the effort he put in. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that, though. I had a girl who needed to get through a fight, and t
o do that, she needed me present as her coach.
“Maya, we need to move back,” Manny said again, and with a roll of her eyes, she shot out of her seat and started up the aisle to the back...without him.
“Handle it, please,” I pleaded, snapping my head toward the octagon when the crowd around us groaned pitifully. Hazel was down on the mat underneath Janice, again. “I’ll buy you however many beers you want once we get out of here.”
I didn’t stand around to wait for his response. My girl was struggling and I needed to be as close to her as possible if I was going to help her through this. Grabbing onto the cage, I watched the madness unfold before my very eyes. Janice loomed over her, tossing her fists in Hazel’s face like lightning speed. Despite the fact she was covering, Janice was still getting them in, each one packing more of a punch than the last.
“Fling her off, baby! She’s upright, fling her off,” I roared, my heart pounding a little faster with each hit she took.
Swinging her legs to one side, Hazel followed my command and flung Janice off of her. She mounted her with a quickness and returned the same brutal favor, smashing her face once, twice, three times, before Janice bucked her off, her nose bleeding once again from the force of Hazel’s fists. My girl rolled some ways, stumbling onto her feet. She was panting heavily and her stubborn brow had split anew, brown trained firmly on her opponent.
“Li-on-ess, Li-on-ess,” the arena chanted as she and Janice prowled around each other.
“Give it up,” I saw Janice mouth, which only kicked my girl into high gear. She came out with a feral growl, jabbing in a one-two combo that would’ve caught Janice had she not dodged. The problem with her dodge was that she threw an arm out, grabbing Hazel around the waist, and with quick footing, they were back on the mat with a loud thud.
Jesus Christ.
I gripped the chain links tighter, my knuckles white from the strain, as they went back and forth with a dominating position. Janice was up, then Hazel, then Janice again, and then Hazel once more. All she had to do was take a hold of that arm and drape herself across her opponent's body, but then she looked over to where I stood.
No.
Her eyes flared and I knew what she’d seen. The two seats up front were empty now and although I was right beside the cage, panic flooded her. Before the warning could even leave my mouth, Janice slammed Hazel onto her back, wove her arm between her legs, and pulled. My girl howled in pain, the sound almost bursting me through the cage walls. Her eyes bulged and I knew it was over before it even happened. Janice pulled, and pulled and, with a quick hand, Hazel tapped the mat.
Fuck.
Janice shot up to her feet, throwing her arms in the air gleefully while my girl laid there, out of breath, staring at the ceiling. I ran like a bullet to the door and threw open the lock, bounding my way inside as the announcer and the ref worked together to deem Janice the victor.
Dropping beside Hazel in a flash, I took one look at the defeated expression on her face, and hoped with every fiber of my being that the aftermath of this loss wouldn’t send her into downward spiral.
Just two days after returning home from Seattle, Amari’s PA reached out again to inform me Mr. Dorsette wanted to proceed with a putting together a contract. When she'd called, I was on the way to Steel Ink for an appointment I'd made with my tattoo artist over a month ago. Quite the way to celebrate, huh? New ink to kick off this new chapter of my career. If all worked out well with him, who knew what this meant for the future. I’d already had an influx in clients when the media named me as Hazel’s coach, but none of those clients were on this level. Being exposed as Amari’s trainer could be absolutely huge.
I was a ball of energy as I pulled open the familiar glass door and bounded inside the shop, the telltale door chime sounding off loud enough to be heard in the tattoo rooms at the very back. I hadn't even called Hazel yet because one, I didn’t want to rub the news in her face after her loss in Seattle and two, I didn't want her knowing I was here. All I'd told her this morning before I left was that Luis and I were going out for a couple beers, and that was that. She never asked questions, which in this case was obviously a good thing. This tat would be a complete surprise to her and I wanted it to stay that way until I got home. I could hardly wait to hear what she’d have to say about the new addition and of course, with the right words, the news of my new client. Hopefully both would pick up her spirits a bit.
Pixie, a long-time friend and ex-coworker, came barreling out from the piercing room with a clamp lodged in her gloved hand. Her short yet messy lavender hair spilled over her eyes as she smiled brightly. Blowing the wayward strands away, she inched toward the counter in her knee-high combat boots.
“Well, if it isn't Knox-motherfucking-Carr.”
“Sup, Pix. Busy?” I asked, motioning toward the clamp with my chin.
“Three tongues. Youngins with no other piercings. I don't know why I'm wasting my time. They're gonna rip them out the second their tongues swell.”
“Fuck it, they're paying you. Let ’em blow the money.”
She giggled and shrugged. “So, what are you doing on this side of town?”
“I've got an appointment with Pun. Didn't you see the schedule?”
“I literally just got here maybe thirty minutes ago. I had fucking jury duty today.”
Sucking in a heap of air through my teeth, I cringed a little. “That sucks balls.”
“Sure does,” she agreed with a whine. “Alright, let me finish up with these chicks real quick. Make yourself at home. I'll let Big Pun know you're here.”
I flashed her a wink and went to sit on one of the black leather-studded couches laid around the front of the shop. Nothing had changed since the last time I'd been here. Literally nothing. The walls, although slightly faded, were the same deep red. The checkerboard floors were still intact, more scuffed in some places, but still intact. The display cases were the same, the art catalogues; everything was the fucking same. I chuckled to myself as memories of when I used to work here came rushing back.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Yo, Biggie,” Pixie belted out as she knocked her fist against Pun’s door. “Your next one is here.”
“Send him to the other room. I'm almost done.”
Pixie whistled and I knew that meant something along the lines of get your ass over here, so I shot up to my feet and made my way around the counter to the back. When Pun had said the other room, I'd figured he meant the room I’d mentored in, but instead, Pixie led me to the room I never wanted to step foot in again.
“Sit wherever you'd like. You know how this shit goes. I'll be right back,” she said, stepping aside to let me in.
The hairs at the nape of my neck rose to attention when I caught sight of the chair, a chair I was unfortunately very familiar with. I didn't say a word to Pixie as I begrudgingly fell into the seat and waited for Pun to pull me the fuck out of here. I could've cussed him out for throwing me in here in the first place, considering he knew damn well what went down in here, but I chose to keep my mouth shut. No point in arguing over something temporary. Sighing deeply, I let my eyes drift around the room, the distant buzz of Pun’s machine mellowing me out just a bit. The only thing that had changed in this godforsaken room was the black walls, now barely visible beneath the sea of sketches adorning them.
“Well shit, I would never have thought you were my last client for the night, especially since you’ve been ignoring my texts.”
Oh, hell no.
Inwardly cringing at the sound of her voice, I turned my head slowly as she sashayed toward me with a satisfied smirk playing on her lips and a file in her hands.
“I'm not. I booked with Pun over a month ago.”
“Don't sound so happy to see me, baby. You know Pixie lurks. She might get the wrong idea.”
“Pixie knows damn well I'm here to see Pun,” I gritted out.
“Geez, what crawled up your ass?” she cooed, leaning back against the counter, which i
n turn inched up her tank top, exposing miles of ink-adorned curves.
A purposeful move, obviously.
“You, that's what,” I deadpanned in response.
Brie scoffed a laugh and rolled her eyes behind her edgy glasses. “Um, I don't think so. If anything, it'd be you crawling up my ass with that big ass di-”
“Can you shut up and just get the hell out?”
“Actually, no, I can't. Pun sent me in here to prep you while he finishes up with his client.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“Cross my heart, Big Daddy. He didn’t expect the session to run over, but it turns out” – she held a hand to her mouth and whispered – “guy in the chair is a total pussy.”
“Do not. Go there, Brie,” I snapped. “In fact, why don’t you show yourself out and have Pixie come in.”
“I would, but, she’s kinda sorta piercing a clit right now, so you’re stuck with me. And don’t even ask about Troy because he’s gone for the night. Besides, you can’t tell me this doesn’t bring back good memories.”
“It doesn’t, actually. Just do what you gotta do and run along your merry little way.”
“Yes, Daddy, whatever you say. The piece is going on your chest, correct?”
“Yeah, left chest. And please, fucking stop with that shit, seriously.”
“Shirt off,” she said dismissively, skimming through my thick ass file.
Begrudgingly, I whipped my shirt off over my head and laid it across the armrest just as she muttered a “Fuck,” and stretched a colorful arm out to press a button on the intercom not too far away. She called for Pixie three times until, finally, the lavender-haired fairy answered back.
“What’s up, B?”
“I need Knox’s design. It’s not in the file.”
“It’s probably still in Pun’s room. I’ll bring it right in. Give me a sec.”
“Thanks, sugar tits.”
Turning back to where I sat, Brie’s mischievous eyes darted to mine. Then they roamed over me in an appreciative fashion that made my skin crawl. She licked her lips on her ascent and trapped the ball of her piercing between her teeth, a habit she’d developed since the damn thing healed.
