Dark Secret

by Avelyn Paige

  Lindsey is dealing with some smoke inhalation, but is otherwise in good shape. She’s getting fluids to force the drugs out of her system, and Karma hasn’t left her side. Kevin and the other girl, who we now know as his sister, Natalie, are being cared for by the doctor in one of the other rooms under Judge’s watchful eye.

  These are all reasons for celebration, but watching Hayden sleep in my bed for over twelve hours is breaking the slim hold I have on reality. The darkness swirling inside of me keeps rearing its ugly head, reminding me of what it had taken to bring her home safely.

  “Dad?” her soft voice beckons.

  Dad. A rush of happiness rockets through the darkest part of my heart. Hearing those three letters in that specific arrangement, and from this very special girl, melts away all the anger and guilt I’ve been fighting off all night.

  The second I laid my eyes on her, she became my everything. Now, hearing her say it, nothing else could compare to this feeling. She’s my daughter. My blood. My world. There’s only one thing missing, though, and that’s Shelby.

  This moment should be shared between the three of us. My family together at last. Shelby deserved to be here for our true reunion. She wouldn’t have wanted to miss this.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask, shifting from my chair to the edge of the bed. Her messy brown hair sticks out from all different angles, and she couldn’t be more beautiful.

  “Sore.” She tries to shift her body into a seated position, but struggles. I gently take her arm, helping her until she finally finds some comfort. Her eyes flit around the room, taking it all in. “Where am I?”

  “My room at the clubhouse.”

  Her face scrunches up in confusion. “This is where you live?”

  “I have a place of my own, but when I’m working on a project, it’s just easier to do it here.”

  “You mean the illegal stuff.”

  This time, it’s my turn to be a bit taken aback. I’d assumed Shelby told her nothing about me, but it seems my smart little girl knows more than she should.

  My brow arches. “How do you know about my club?”

  “Grandma Lorna,” she admits with a flush of embarrassment on her face. “Grandpa wouldn’t allow anyone to talk about you, but after he passed away, Grandma Lorna mentioned you once. She and Mom were arguing after the funeral at our house. They didn’t know that I’d snuck into the kitchen to get some ice cream. She said your club’s name, and I might have looked it up.”

  “Of course you did,” I tease, smiling.

  “It’s true, then?”

  “We protect people who can’t protect themselves, like you.”

  “And Mom?” The mention of her mother sinks like a lead pellet in my belly. Protecting Shelby was all that I was trying to do, and in the end, I’d failed.

  “Yes, like your mom.”

  She slumps back against the headboard in silent contemplation. Her brown eyes well up, but she swipes away the stray tear that dares to break through the dam she’s actively trying to build up against it.

  “Why didn’t Mom tell me about you?”

  “Your mom is a complicated woman, Hayden.” She almost cracks a smile. Complicated didn’t even begin to describe Shelby. She’s been like the earth to my moon, in constant orbit around each other with a magnetic pull radiating between us.

  “But you’re my dad,” she argues. “I needed a dad.”

  “She had her reasons, kiddo. But what matters is that I’m here now, and I always will be.” I give her hand a slight squeeze for reassurance. “There’s no going back now.”

  Her emotional dam breaks as she reaches out toward me, wrapping her thin arms around my neck, squeezing me tight. Her wet tears soak into my T-shirt, but I don’t care. She needs me. She sobs against me for several minutes before pulling back.

  “I never knew I needed a daughter until I met you. I know we’ve got a lot to learn about each other, but we’ve got plenty of time to do all that. What’s important is that you’re here, and you’re safe.”

  Her head hangs low. “I was so stupid. I should’ve never gone to meet him,” she laments. “We were friends. He was the first person I felt really understood me and my love for programming. None of my friends at school like computers the way I do, but on Blox World, I could be myself. I didn’t have to hide.”

  A sentiment I too had felt around her age. None of my foster families saw me for my potential. I was just the son of a druggie who didn’t fit into the cookie cutter mold of what a kid should be like. I was friendless, but when I was on a computer, an entire world of possibilities came to life for me. I bet Hayden felt the same way too. Yes, she’d made a huge mistake, one that nearly cost her her life, but I’m not going to keep her away from programming. It changed my life once, and it might just do the same for her. In a more stringent and controlled setting, of course.

  “You didn’t know what was on the other side of that screen. What happened isn’t your fault, Hayden.”

  “I wish I’d never started playing that stupid game,” she berates herself. “None of this would have happened if I hadn't bought it.”

  “Things like this happen more than you know. There are evil people in this world, pretending to be someone else online. No one your age could have realized what Kevin’s uncle was making him do.”

  “I know.”

  “It might take a while, but when you’re ready, and only if you’re ready, maybe the two of us can play Blox World together.”

  She beams, looking back up to me. “Really?”

  “I’d love to play it with you. You’ve got some tricks I’d like to learn.”

  Hayden reaches out for me again. She’d made a mistake, and I’d made dozens of them at her age. But, once this was all behind us, we could heal together in the safety of my oversight, and the trackers I’ll be putting in every single electronic she owns until the day I die. Maybe even her car.

  “Is Kevin okay?”

  “He’s a little beaten up, but he’ll be okay.” She sighs in relief. This kid may have started it all, but we both owe him a life debt. Without his help, none of this would’ve been possible.

  “What will happen to him now?”

  “Once he’s back on his feet, we’ll make sure he and his sister are well looked after. Both of them.”

  “Do you think I could see him?”

  “Not yet. Kevin needs some time to process everything, and he needs to be there for his sister right now. But I promise you, when the time is right, you’ll be able to see him again—under supervision.” They both needed time to come to terms with their experiences. She may not realize it yet, but it will come. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but it will. Tossing the two of them back into the mix together too soon could be a fuse to a match. She has to be ready to face what emotional dam it could break open. Thank God we have Red for when—and if—that happens.

  She falls quiet, lost in her own mind.

  “Do you think…”

  “What is it, Hayden?”

  “Do you think Mom saw me before, you know…?”

  “She did, honey. She was so happy to see you safe.”

  A knock sounds at the door. I turn, and Judge’s face peeks in through the crack.

  “Who’s that?” she questions nervously.

  “That’s Judge. He’s the president of the club.”

  “He’s scary.” She eyes him up and down, moving closer to me. At her age, a guy as big as Judge would scare me too. I can’t wait for her to meet Stone. He’ll blow her mind.

  I don’t know if Judge heard her, or if he’s just ignoring it, but he doesn’t say anything other than, “I think you should both come next door.”

  Hayden looks to him, and then back to me in confusion. “What’s next door?”

  Grasping her arm, easing her to the edge of the bed, I help her onto her feet. “Hang on to me if you need it.” She takes a few steps before she finds her footing. Judge opens the door for us as we approach. Leading us into the hallway
and down to the room adjacent to my own, he inches open the door, and Hayden gasps.

  “Mom!” Without hesitation, she slips away from me and rushes to her mother’s bedside, albeit slowly. Shelby reaches out for her, embracing her daughter tightly against her chest, both of them sobbing loudly together at their reunion. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Shelby caresses her face. “You know I’d never leave you, baby.”

  “You’d better not,” Hayden declares, snuggling into her even more.

  “One of your dad’s friends got me out of that van just in time. He saved my life,” Shelby says softly. “I owe him everything.”

  Hayden finally releases her mother and notices Lorna sitting on the other side of the bed, Kasey flanking her. “Grandma? Aunt Kasey? What are you doing here?”

  “Your dad called me.” Hearing Lorna refer to me as Hayden’s father seems almost foreign. Her husband had made no bones about where I stood in his eyes, but I knew I would need help, with Hayden and Shelby both unconscious. As much as I wanted to be with them both, I couldn’t. I had to call in reinforcements, and Lorna graciously accepted when I sent the prospect to her house to get her. Kasey had been there as well, waiting on news. I wish I could say I was happy to see her here, but that would be a lie.

  Hayden gingerly crawls up onto the bed with her mother and I watch, my heart swelling, as they alternate between chatting and crying.

  “Thanks for saving my girls.” I turn my attention to Kasey, who stands beside me, her hand outstretched. I blink hard. Was that gratitude coming from Kasey’s mouth?

  “You mean, my girls,” I correct her.

  “Take good care of them.” Smiling, she heads out of the room.

  Judge smirks. “Look at you, mending bridges and shit.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. That woman is still a giant pain in my ass.”

  Judge throws his head back and laughs. Clapping his hand down on my shoulder, he nods toward the bed. “What are you doing standing here, dickhead? Go be with your family.”

  My family. The one thing I had been searching for my entire life.

  Shelby

  “We sure are going to miss you around here,” Serge says, helping me stuff the last of my tattoo supplies into the back of my car. “You’re gonna kick ass in Austin, though. You’re too talented for a shit hole place like this, anyway.”

  “So are you,” I tell him, turning to make sure he’s actually listening. “Buying this shop helped me out in a big way, Serge, but don’t get stuck here. Use the business, hone your skill, broaden your horizons. But don’t fucking stay here forever. You’re too good for a small town like this.”

  Serge grins and slams the trunk closed. “Maybe someday, I’ll be working for you again.”

  “You’d better,” I tease, popping up on the tips of my toes to give him a hug.

  “Now go.” Turning me by the shoulders, he pushes me toward the driver’s door of my car. “I hate goodbyes.”

  I chuckle as I climb inside. Giving him a final wave, I pull out onto the road, taking one last look at my former tattoo shop in the rearview mirror, and smile. I’d loved working for myself. I was the only tattoo shop in town, and I’d been lucky to have people here who allowed me to hone my skills.

  Moving to Austin, and working at a high-end shop there, will be so much better. Less responsibility, more money, and I get to live in the house Wyatt and I had bought just two weeks ago.

  After we rescued Hayden, it took some time for him to let either one of us out of his sight. I understood, so I never mentioned it. Hayden loved her father instantly. I’ve never seen two people connect on such a deep level as my man and our daughter.

  It hadn’t taken much convincing for me, or Hayden, to sell our home in Beckettville and move to Austin to live with Wyatt. We’d spent enough time apart. None of us wanted to miss any more time.

  My phone rings just as I get to the outskirts of town. It’s Hayden.

  “Hi, honey.”

  “Mom, I’m going to Kevin’s house to watch a movie. Dad’s taking me, but I wanted to let you know too.”

  That’s my good girl. She has taken on such shame for her own kidnapping, and the things she did to make herself more accessible to her abductors. Now she tells me where she is and who she’s with at all times. And lately, that who she’s with always seems to be Kevin.

  They’ve connected somehow. I can’t tell quite yet if it’s a crush or a connection through shared trauma, but they lean heavily on each other, and Kevin’s a good kid. Despite the way they’d met and what had happened, I trust him.

  “Okay, kiddo. Have fun.”

  “I will.”

  “And be safe!” I shout.

  “Yes, Mom.”

  I chuckle to myself as she disconnects. I drive the remainder of the way to my hometown, lost in my own thoughts. I pull into the clubhouse and head inside, in search of Wyatt.

  “Hey, Shelby,” Judge calls from the table at the back of the room.

  My eyes widen. “Hey. I thought you were at home.”

  He frowns. “No, I’m right here. Why would you think that?”

  “Because my daughter and your…” I pause, unsure of what to call him.

  “Kevin?” he offers with a knowing smirk.

  “Yes! Your Kevin and Hayden are supposed to be at your house watching a movie, but if you’re here, that means they’re there without any supervision.”

  Judge throws his head back and laughs, his hard belly rising and falling at my expense. “Oh, honey,” he hoots. “Little Natalie is there too. They’re being supervised extra hard today.”

  I grin back and roll my eyes. Judge had taken in Kevin and Natalie that same night. He shocked everyone, including me, on how parental he can be. He’s proving himself to be one hell of a dad.

  “Hey, baby,” Wyatt says, coming at me from behind and swooping me up into his arms.

  I smile and rest my head back on his shoulder. “Did you get the last of your stuff?”

  I nod. “Yep. I have all my tattoo equipment in the car.”

  “Oooh,” GP drawls, strolling into the room. “You gonna put some ink on your man’s virgin skin?”

  Wyatt glowers at him while I laugh. “He couldn’t handle it,” I tease, patting Wyatt on the ass.

  “Fuck both of you.” He narrows his eyes at GP. “Go get your shit, Shel. You get one tat. Make it a good one.”

  “Yeah, right,” I scoff, landing a gentle slap on his chest.

  “No,” he says, his face serious. “Come on. I’ll help you bring it in.”

  “Wyatt—”

  “Hurry up, woman, before I change my mind.”

  Not about to argue with that, I hurry along behind him, following him to my car and watching as he opens the trunk. GP grabs a case, Wyatt grabs a case, and Judge comes out of nowhere and grabs my tools.

  “What?” he asks when we all stare at him. “I want to watch.”

  It takes me about forty-five minutes to set up. I sanitize everything and scrub down an area in the center of the clubhouse common room. While I work, more of the guys show up, making me feel like I’m in some sort of a fishbowl being watched from leather wearing men on all sides.

  “Whatcha gonna get, asshole?” Twat Knot chuckles. “A butterfly on your ankle?”

  “No, a flower on his foot,” someone else calls out.

  I ignore them all, and motion for Wyatt to take a seat. “Okay, handsome. What are we doing?”

  Wyatt whips his shirt over his head and tosses it onto the table. “I told you, you get one tat. Your choice of what and where. Make it count.”

  Suddenly, I don’t feel so confident. I’m an artist, and a fucking good one at that. But right now, I have an audience, and all of them are rooting for me to tat something stupid on the man I love. The man I love has never wanted a tattoo on his skin before, and now, he’s letting me put my mark on him.

  “She won’t do it,” Karma scoffs.

  I chew on my lip, t
hinking about our story. About our daughter. About the struggles we’ve survived and the ones we still have yet to face. And then, I get an idea.

  I pull on my gloves and get the ink ready. Slowly, I approach Wyatt and stand directly in front of him. Our eyes meet as I lower myself and place one leg on the right side of him, the other on the left.

  “Jesus,” somebody mutters, but I tune them out.

  My eyes are locked on Wyatt’s as I sit on his lap, his hands cupping my ass, holding me steady. “You ready?”

  His nostrils flare, and butterflies erupt in my belly. Focus, Shelby.

  I can feel his cock growing hard beneath me, and it takes a great amount of restraint not to roll my hips and grind myself against him. The audience around us forces me to pay attention to the task at hand.

  I grab up the paper towel from the table and place the tattoo gun to Wyatt’s muscular chest. I work quickly and efficiently, dipping the gun with ink and swiping away the excess. Wyatt’s eyes never leave my face, and I’ve never felt more beautiful, or more desirable, than I do right now.

  I switch colors three times, and when I’m finished, I use a cool cloth to wipe his skin. Finally, I grin and press my lips to his. “You’re finished.”

  “Not quite.” Placing his hands on my thighs, he grinds his cock against me.

  I laugh, handing him the small mirror. “I meant your tattoo.”

  He grabs it out of my hand and I stand up, taking a few steps back to admire my work. Wyatt stares at the design, frozen.

  “Do you like it?”

  He finally looks up at me, his eyes filled with so much love. “You’re amazing.”

  I grin, proud of the work I’d done. It’s a small tattoo, but I’d put a lot of detail and precision into making it just right.

  There, over his very real, beating heart, is a red, tattered, perfectly drawn heart, filled with rips and jagged lines. Along every one of those lines is a thread—a stitch. And above that is the needle with a piece of thread that curls along, forming the words, End Game.

  He stands and pulls me into a hug. “I love you, baby,” he whispers in my ear. “You are my fucking end game.”