Confessions (Tattoos & Tears Book 3)

by Amiee Louise

  “Doesn’t she look stunning, girls?”

  Blaze looks at me and beams.

  “You could totally be a model, you look gorgeous. I’m Blaze, by the way. My dad was a fireman, hence the name!”

  She chuckles and I instantly like her. Henley, the pink haired girl, on the other hand, seems a little hostile. She regards me with cautious, narrow eyes and Joel rolls his eyes.

  “FML, Hen, don’t be a bitch! Ignore her, I think she must be on her period!” Joel says sardonically, and Henley flushes a shade of pink to match her hair.

  She hits Joel on the arm a little harder than intended. Joel rubs his arm and pouts.

  “Fuckin’ asshole.”

  Joel blows her a kiss.

  “You love me really, Hen.”

  We make the rest of the journey to downtown Los Angeles in half an hour, and the car is filled with music and animated conversation. Soon we arrive at our destination; an exclusive hotel bar in Los Angeles called the SkyBar. It is situated on the roof of the Mondrian Hotel, overlooking the Sunset Strip. When we enter the bar via a lift, and I am instantly in awe of my surroundings. There are low-slated wooden tables and chairs with plump, white cushions situated around a large swimming pool. The lighting is low, and there are candles on all of the tables. Joel chuckles and wraps his arms around my waist.

  “Pick your chin up off the floor, mama!”

  I laugh, and he leads me to a table where a group of three muscular, tattooed men are sitting. They all look out of place in such a trendy place, and they stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the hip, beautiful people. The one man stands up. He has shoulder length brown hair, with streaks of grey, a short beard, and a bandana around his head. I can’t help but think that he looks vaguely familiar. He is at least six feet six inches tall; he is huge, has muscles the size of my head and is rather intimidating. He is wearing tight black jeans, a black vest that make his bulging muscles look even bigger than they actually are and black biker boots. If I were to guess his age, I would put him around mid-forties. His steel blue eyes rake over me, and he grins, causing laughter lines to crease around his eyes, which soften his harsh features.

  “Who’s this sweet thing, Hen? Are you not going to introduce us?” he says in a Boston accent, and Henley steps forward.

  “This is Joel’s friend, Louise. Louise, this is my pain in the ass best friend and business partner, Jared DeSilva,” she introduces him with a cheeky grin, as I nod and smile.

  He takes my hand and plants a kiss on the back. I find out that Jared has his own tattoo shop and has a tattoo show on one of the cable channels over here, which is how I recognised him.

  “That is some mighty fine ink you have there, sweet thing.”

  I smile proudly.

  “Thank you, you have some amazing ink too, Jared.”

  He smiles widely.

  “Thanks, darlin’, make room for the lady, boys.”

  The other two men who are with him stand up and move from their seats. One is lean and muscular; he is around five feet ten inches tall and has blue-grey eyes. His arms, neck, and the left side of his face are covered in tattoos. He has a white blonde Mohawk in the centre of his head and two old style pistols tattooed on either side of his head. He is wearing leather trousers, a black shirt and studded cowboy boots. If I were to guess his age, I would say he is around late thirties.

  “I’m Axl, pleased to meet you, beautiful.”

  His voice is deep and baritone. He takes my hand and kisses the back of it. Henley rolls her eyes and slaps his arm. I’m not sure whether she is being serious or if she is just being playful.

  “She’s off limits, asswipe.”

  Henley takes me by the hand and leads me to a chair while introducing me to the third man in their party.

  “And this handsome motherfucker here is, Clay.”

  He salutes coolly. He has dark coffee coloured skin, brown-green eyes, a small afro and black-rimmed glasses. He is wearing ripped faded jeans, a grey t-shirt and Reebok trainers. Henley passes me a tall glass of orange juice, and I smile as I take her in. She has short, cropped, bright pink hair, which suits her bronzed and heavily tattooed skin. She is around five feet seven inches tall, with unusual turquoise eyes that remind me of the colour of the ocean, and she has a prominent New York accent. She is wearing a pair of white hot pants, showing off her tattoos, a blue cropped Captain America t-shirt, and blue, knee-high, Converse with white stars all over.

  During the night, I find out that Henley Marshall is twenty-nine and she is the business partner of one of Los Angeles’ most famous and influential, tattoo artists, Jared DeSilva. Henley and Blaze both attended school and college together. They have known each other since they were nine years old.

  Blaze Spencer is also twenty-nine years old, and she is a lap dancer and part-time model. She has dark chocolate, flawless skin with long poker straight black hair tumbling down to her waist. She has green eyes and also has a prominent New York accent. They both moved to Los Angeles after they left high school and have been here ever since.

  “So, you know pretty much everything about us, Lou, now it’s your turn.”

  I bite my lip and wonder how much to tell them about my life before I came here.

  “Not much to tell really. I’m Louise Stonebridge, my friends call me Lou or Lulu. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I moved here from the U.K. I wanted a fresh start, after a messy break up with my fiancé; I’m pretty boring compared to you and Blaze,” I say cheerily, hoping they don’t spot the lie, and they both laugh.

  “We don’t mind boring, honey. In fact, boring is good. So is your ex the father of your baby?”

  Henley points to my prominent bump and Blaze elbows her in the ribs, throwing her a knowing look.

  “Hen!”

  Henley takes a sip of her drinks and shrugs. I brush Blaze’s arm reassuringly.

  “Blaze, its fine, honestly, I don’t mind.”

  I smile and nod, trying to swallow back the lump forming in my throat.

  “He hurt you pretty bad didn’t he, honey? I can tell by the look in your eyes,” Blaze says sympathetically, and before I get chance to answer, Joel plops himself down on the seat next to me.

  “Fuck that, baby girl. What I really want to know is what the deal is with you and Mr Tall, dark and Handsome? The long-haired God who picks you up from the coffee shop. All I know is that he’s a close friend of Dax, and he’s very mysterious, like one of those brooding heroes. Come on spill it, sister,” Joel says dramatically, and I chuckle, thankful for the subject change.

  “We’re just friends, that’s all, babe.”

  Joel cocks his eyebrow.

  “Really? That old chestnut? Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? Come on Lulu, give me something!”

  I throw my head back and laugh.

  “No! Me and Remy are just…good friends.”

  I bite my lip, and he gives me a knowing look.

  “Hmm, by the dramatic pause, Aunty Joel senses history between you two? Am I right?”

  He regards me intently, and I take a sip of my drink, suddenly feeling my face burning with embarrassment at discussing my sex life with a group of virtual strangers. Henley brushes my arm in a gesture of reassurance.

  “Ignore him, honey. You should know by now that he’s too god damn nosey for his own good sometimes. You don’t have to answer his lame ass questions.”

  I shake my head.

  “No, it’s fine, babe, honestly. I…lost my V-card to Remy, when I was seventeen.”

  They all laugh and whoop at my admission.

  “Wow! Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome looks like he has some stamina? Am I right? Marks out of ten? I want all the gory details, babe!”

  Joel sucks his drink through a straw and bats his eyelashes wickedly. I laugh and wink.

  “Definitely nine and a half!”

  Our group erupts with raucous laughter.

  “Ha! I knew it!” Joel shrieks. “So, why nine and a half and not th
e full ten?” Joel inquires, as I take a sip of my drink and smirk at the memory.

  “Because he kept his socks on!”

  Everyone bursts out laughing, and as the night progresses, I feel myself relax around these strangers. I start to think to myself that maybe life here in America won’t be so bad after all.

  30

  Peyton

  I am looking for an exit in the hospital when I hear the sound of heels clicking across the floor of the hospital corridor.

  “Peyton?”

  I instantly recognise Ruby’s familiar singsong voice, and I spin around. She walks towards me, and I take her in. She is still as beautiful as ever, her long dark hair is glossy and falling down her back. She has quite a prominent bump, and she is wearing a navy polka dot dress, with a pair of Gucci sunglasses perched on top of her head. She narrows her eyes at me, and the look in her eyes undoes me. I shake my head as we take each other in.

  “Please don’t hate me, Rubes, I couldn’t bear losing you as well.”

  A tear slips down her cheek, and she holds a manicured nail up at me.

  “I...Jesus! You could have fucking talked to me, Peyton! Me, your family, the boys, your brother is a policeman, and Seb is ex SAS, for fuck's sake! We would have protected you from that twisted piece of shit! You’re part of my family, you silly bitch! I don’t have a memory within the last twenty years that you aren’t part of, you could have fucking trusted me! I was just a phone call away. But instead, you made everyone think you were dead! How fucking sick and twisted are you?” she shrieks and moves closer to me with her hands on her hips.

  She narrows her eyes at me, and I shake my head. I’m seriously tired of people making assumptions about the reason why I stayed away.

  “You of all people, Ruby! You just don’t get it, do you? None of you do! J.D was fucking dangerous! He’s a complete psychopath, pure fucking evil. He wouldn’t have stopped until he had killed us, and I couldn’t risk that! You’re just looking at it through those perfect rose-coloured glasses of yours; life isn't all fucking unicorns shooting rainbows and glitter out of their arses. Get your god damn head out of the fucking clouds! No one so far has asked me why, apart from Brody! No one gives a fuck what he put me through! No one has even bothered asking how I feel, Ruby!”

  I try to stay calm, but I feel my resolve slipping, and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up the facade that everything is going to be fine.

  “I know it sounds like I’m a selfish bitch, but I had to keep us safe, me and my son, Ruby! I had a baby! Sam’s baby,” I shout, and her eyes widen as she moves closer to me.

  “O-M-F-G! A baby!” She shrieks and throws her arms around me, bouncing us both up and down.

  This is the first time in a long time I have felt like I’m truly home. She encases me in her arms and clings tightly to me.

  “Rubes...babe, I can’t breathe!”

  She pulls away from our embrace.

  “Fuck me running, babe, I’m an Aunty!” She whispers, and she takes me in.

  “You skinny bitch, you’re looking good, babe. I love the hair, it suits you.”

  She grins widely, and her infectious grin makes me smile too. She makes it impossible to stay mad at her. It feels like I haven’t smiled properly in such a long time.

  “Thanks, and you look like you’ve swallowed a melon!”

  She narrows her eyes and strokes her stomach.

  “Bitch!” she quips, and we both laugh.

  “God, I’ve missed you so bloody much, babe.”

  She crushes me to her, and the familiar scent of her perfume instantly soothes me.

  “I’ve missed you too, like you wouldn't believe.”

  I hug her tightly, and someone clears their throat behind us.

  “Ahem...”

  We pull away from each other, and I turn around to see Remy clutching two cups of coffee.

  “Sis?”

  His voice is rich and deep. Ruby turns to look at Remy, and her mouth hangs open, as if she can’t believe he is here.

  “Remy?”

  He looks her up and down, regarding her intently.

  “Fuck me, it really is you. My baby sister.”

  He moves closer to us and hands me a cup of coffee, giving Ruby a one arm squeeze.

  “Thanks, babe.”

  I smile, and Ruby looks from Remy to me.

  “Please tell me you two...haven’t?”

  She gestures between us and Remy chuckles.

  “I haven’t seen you in over a year! The only contact we’ve had is phone calls and Skype, and all you’re worried about is whether I’ve been slipping Peyton a length? Fuck me, Rubes!”

  She places her hands on her hips, narrowing her hazel eyes on both of us.

  “So, have you two...?”

  She gestures her perfectly manicured finger between Remy and me.

  “In answer to your question, no, we haven’t,” I reply, and a look of relief passes over Ruby’s face.

  “So, what if we had? Hypothetically speaking?”

  Remy smirks while stroking his chin mischievously and I roll my eyes, hitting him playfully. Remy is such a wind-up merchant!

  “Rem!”

  He laughs, and Ruby observes the exchange between us.

  “You’ve been staying with Remy all this time?”

  I nod, and I can’t help but feel a slight shame. Over this past year, Remy and Ruby have kept in contact via telephone and Skype, all the while keeping me hidden.

  “Yeah, Rem was there...when I...I needed him the most,” I stutter, and she brushes my arm reassuringly.

  “You can tell me all about it later, babe.”

  She winks, and I nod. I am glad of the reprieve and the incessant questions.

  “I’ve just had the pleasure of meeting the delightful, Mr Newbolt.”

  I look up at him, and he smirks at the worried look that crosses my face. He just met Sam?

  “Don’t look so worried, beaut, we’re both still in one piece. Not a drop of blood was spilt, cross my cold dead heart.”

  He winks and makes a cross over his heart.

  “He was being accosted by a bunch of pre-pubescent teens outside the canteen, it really was quite amusing!”

  He laughs, as he takes a sip of his coffee and makes a face.

  “Christ, this coffee...sorry sludge, leaves a lot to be bloody desired, beaut.”

  I chuckle.

  “You are such a coffee whore!”

  He laughs looking between Ruby and me.

  “On that delightful note, I’m going to leave you two to catch up.”

  He winks and leans in to kiss me on the cheek.

  “I’ll meet you back at the hotel, beaut; I’ll pick Freddie up, and I’m on my mobile if you need anything.”

  He hugs Ruby tightly.

  “It’s so good to see you, sis. We’ll catch up later, I promise.”

  He turns around and leaves. Ruby looks at me and narrows her eyes.

  “Beaut? Seriously? What the fuck is that all about?”

  We both laugh, and I can’t help blushing.

  “I can’t believe you’ve been with my big brother this entire time, babe. Fucking hell, that boy has still got it so bad for you.”

  She fans herself with her hand dramatically, and I roll my eyes. I can’t understand why people keep saying that.

  “Sooo, before I got here you looked like you were deep in thought back there, something you want to get off your chest?”

  I smile. God, I’ve missed my best friend so much.

  “Jax and I had a bit of a run in, that’s all, no big deal. Nothing I can't handle.”

  She frowns and gestures nonchalantly.

  “Don’t you worry about him, you just leave Jax to me, babe.”

  She winks conspiratorially. We are interrupted by the roar of Jax’s voice and the sound of his motorcycle boots stomping across the floor.

  “I THOUGHT I FUCKING TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!” he yells, and Ruby spins around to rep
rimand him, shoving him backwards with her hands.

  "Jax, don’t you dare speak to her like that, what the fuck?" she shouts, and it is at that exact moment when something inside me snaps.

  I am not that weak, pathetic, timid girl, who is scared-of-her-own-shadow, cries all the time and jumps every time someone comes near her. I am Peyton Leigh Harper, balls of steel, one of the lads, tells it like it is, doesn’t take any bullshit from anyone and definitely doesn’t cry all the time. It’s time to pull up those big girl pants, Harper. I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR! I spin around and stride with purpose towards Jax until I am toe to toe with him. I glare at him and, I jab my finger into his chest.