Ink & Bone

by Skyla Madi

  Outside of Skull’s windows is an empty, extravagant pool surrounded by expertly carved stones that are now riddled with bullet holes. His lounge chairs are destroyed, his perfect lawn ripped up. My lips twitch.

  “A resort? No. Not by any means.” Locking the door, he saunters closer, his curious eyes scanning over the stool on the floor to my right. “But it was pristine…before your psychotic boyfriend and his merry band of bikers tore the place up.”

  I turn away and peer out the window. A handful of men are replacing all of the broken pieces around the pool. “You know, you really shouldn’t bother with the renovations.” I smile at Skull. “Jai’s going to turn this place to rubble. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Skull simpers. I can see it in the tightening of his jaw that he’s trying to brush my comment off, but he can’t. He won’t.

  “Speaking of rubble…” He reaches into the back pocket of his dark jeans and pulls out his phone. “I’ve got something to show you.”

  Skull swallows the distance between us and holds out his cell. I glance at the black screen. A video plays, but it’s pointed up at the night sky. Conversation filters through, but nothing loud enough for me to decipher. “What am I watching?”

  Whoever holds the camera shifts it from the sky to a house—and not just any house. The lake house. My stomach launches into my throat, and I can’t swallow the unreasonable lump that has formed. My lips fall apart, and a tight noise squeezes out. I reach out and take the phone from his hand. “What did you do?”

  He moves behind me, brushing his chest against my shoulder. “Watch.”

  I stare at the lake house, desperate to see a glimpse of Jai or Joel, desperate to see anything.

  “How did you—”

  “Jordan has been more than accommodating.”

  He chuckles under his breath. “Ooh, this is my favorite part.”

  I frown as the front door of the lake house opens, and out steps a man in a black hoodie, his hands stuffed into the front pocket. It’s quiet. All I can hear from the video is the gentle whip of the wind and the occasional shift of the camera man.

  “You filming?” The man in the hood shouts, and I immediately recognize the voice. Skull.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.”

  As he comes in close, he pushes the hood off of his head and stares directly at the camera, directly at me.

  Into my soul.

  Skull tightens his jaw on and off, and the sight of him is almost paralyzing. I hear the smoke alarm before I see the smoke. It starts out minimal, seeping out of the cracks, and as the beautiful house begins to burn, the smoke billows out and the flames become ravenous, devouring the old wood like piranhas to flesh.

  “I burned it down last night. While you were sleeping,” Skull whispers against the back of my neck. My breath hitches, and goosebumps prickle along my spine as dread burrows in painful tendrils through my chest.

  “And Jai…is he…?”

  “Dead?” He clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Unfortunately, the house was empty.”

  I sigh in relief and close my eyes. Thank God.

  Skull presses his hands to my forearms and drags them over my elbows and up to my biceps. I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to see his inked hands on my skin.

  “Where are they?” he whispers, pressing his mouth against the nape of my neck. Shivering, I grip his phone in my hand. I could hit him with it, but it’s not hard enough to knock him out. “Hm?”

  I swallow hard. “I don’t know.”

  Exhaling, he buries his face in my hair and breathes me in longingly. “Don’t lie to me, Emily. Tell me where they are.”

  He moves his hands carefully, trying to coax me into giving up Jai and Joel, but I don’t work like that. Jai is the only man who has succeeded at seducing me, and I mean truly seducing me. That makes him special—my special. Skull could look like those finely carved gods in those men’s magazines and I still wouldn’t betray my new family. My mind is clear, no longer tainted by that horrible drug he force fed me yesterday and, if he doesn’t take his hands off of me, there’ll be hell to pay.

  I open my eyes and turn my head to the side, pressing my chin against my shoulder. “I told you, I don’t know. Now take your hands off of me before—”

  He snatches my shoulders and spins me around. In the affray, I drop his phone and bite the side of my tongue as he crushes me against his chest. I struggle, but he’s much too strong for my little frame.

  “Before what?” He presses his forehead to mine and suffocates me with his oily, black stare. “What could you possibly do to me?”

  My lower lip trembles, and I hate that it betrays me. Skull chuckles. Squeezing me tighter, he wraps one arm around my waist and cups my ass with his free hand. “Tell me where they are.”

  My heart crashes into my ribs relentlessly. Can he feel it? “I don’t know where Jai and Joel are, but if I did, you’d be the last person I’d tell.”

  He simpers, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and our stares remain locked for…I don’t know how long. Seconds, maybe minutes. All I know is, once his eyelids close for a single blink, he snaps. Growling, he shoves me backwards, and I fall, crashing against the ground like a weak child. Pain shoots throughout my coccyx, and I just know it’s going to bruise.

  Panic bubbles deep in my chest, and I scramble backwards, desperate to get away.

  “I’ve been real nice to you, Kitten. Keep talking smack and I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

  “Go fu—” He dives forward, catching me by the jaw, and I hiss as my cheeks are squeezed between my teeth. He pulls on me, tugging me to my feet, and I go with him, desperate for him not to squeeze any harder.

  “I want to hit you.” He spits in my face, growling between clenched teeth. “I want to sink my fists into your soft flesh and shatter your tiny bones.”

  Skull has beaten women before—or so Ted once said. There’s only one reason why Skull hasn’t hit me, one reason why he hasn’t caved my face in. His dead wife, of course.

  I mutter unintelligibly, unable to eloquently move my tongue. You can’t bring yourself to do it because I look like your dead wife.

  He releases me, tilting his head on an angle. “What?”

  “You can’t bring yourself to do it,” I say, almost smugly, “because I look like your dead wife.”

  He stills, and I regret the words the second they leave my mouth. I know better than to antagonize him. I know better than to torment him, to provoke him, but I couldn’t help myself. I swallow and open my mouth. “I shouldn’t have—”

  Skull slaps me hard across the face, tossing me sideways. I stumble and fall, only to be caught in his arms. “You think because you look like her that you’re untouchable?”

  He scoops me up, and I thrash in his grip as tears well in my eyes. Grunting, he tosses me onto his bed and grabs at my hips. Crying, I roll onto my side, only to be pulled back.

  “Now you’re scared? Now you want to run?” he growls, climbing onto the bed. “You should have kept your mouth shut, dumb bitch.”

  “Get off me!” I cry, swatting at him as he cocks a leg over my hips and straddles me, pinning me against the mattress.

  Skull grips the hem of his shirt in his tattooed hands and pulls it off over his head, exposing the ink on his torso. I keep swatting at him, but it doesn’t faze him, not in the slightest.

  “You look like her, but you’re not her,” he tells me, all anger gone from his voice. “You’re an imposter.”

  Wiggling his hips, he tugs on my nightgown and frees it from underneath his thighs. He pushes it up my body and rips it off over my head, catching some of my hairs too. I hiss as he snatches my wrists in one hand and pins them above my head.

  “Please…” I beg as his greedy hand cups my left breast. “Don’t do this! You’ll ruin—”

  “You. I’ll ruin you.” He leans in and kisses my lower lip. “Don’t worry, Kitty-Cat. I’ll tell Stone you put up a fight.”


  Skull crushes his mouth to mine and pries my lips open with his tongue. He kisses me deeply until I can no longer breathe efficiently. His mouth is fresh and minty, but it feels black, like death. Does that make sense? Probably not.

  I try to turn my head to get away, but he pushes against me too hard. In the span of one second, he goes from straddling my hips to settling himself between my thighs. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting the mental image of having this murderous beast above me.

  As he leaves my breast and, singlehandedly, reaches for the button on his jeans, there’s a knock at the door. It’s gentle, surprisingly. Gasping in relief, I open my eyes.

  Skull rips his mouth from mine and glances over his shoulder. “This better be good!”

  His lips are swollen and red from a kiss that almost sucked the life out of me.

  “A few problems have arisen with the investors.”

  He rolls his eyes. “So take care of it.”

  “I’m afraid this requires your immediate attention. Giles tried to flee the country, sir. Raymond caught him outside the airport. He took the product and now claims he has no money to pay you.”

  Skull’s ears perk up. “No money? He’s a fucking billionaire! Where is he?”

  “In the cell downstairs.”

  He rakes his fingers over his face. “I’ll be right out.”

  He pushes off of me, dropping onto his back beside me. I remain still, my face feeling like a balloon from the force of his slap. I keep my attention on the ceiling while his is on my face. With the back of his index finger, he strokes my swollen cheek, and I bite my tongue against flinching.

  “Lucky for you, Daddy has some business to take care of.”

  I grimace as he turns his back and swings his legs off the edge of the bed. Sighing, he puts his polo back on and grabs his phone. He doesn’t look at me, not until the cool, metal door handle is in his hand. “This isn’t over,” he warns, opening the door. “While I’m gone, you might wanna pray this fuckhead doesn’t ruin my mood.” He slams the door behind him, and I roll onto my side, bringing my knees to my chest.

  I have to get out of here.

  Five

  Jai

  Twisted

  We pull up in front of the Twisted Sons’ clubhouse, and I peer out the window at the large stone manor. It sure is a far cry away from The Cavern, the tin shed bar we met them at a night or two ago. I glance up and down its well-maintained exterior. Windows and doors are opened, the drive is lined with a hundred motorcycles, and the music is loud. Whether or not these people ever sleep is beyond me.

  I exit the car before Joel and Monique and stroll up the rocky drive. I make it a quarter of the way before I feel the cold hard barrel of a shotgun press against the back of my head. I freeze and lift my hands. Fuck.

  “You’ve got some mighty big balls, showing your face around here, Stone.”

  I recognize Joker’s voice immediately. Up ahead, bikers emerge from the dense shrubbery and from the house, all of them pointing their guns in my direction. I can’t say I’m surprised. This is the kind of shit I was expecting on the drive over here. Why they want to kill me though, I have no idea. I’m not the one who promised him New York fucking City and failed to deliver.

  “Not in the mood for your biker bullshit, Joker,” I tell him, turning my head to peer over my shoulder.

  Behind me, I hear two car doors close and an order being grumbled as Joel and Monique are forced from the car. I listen to the sounds of their hesitant steps as they close the distance. Soon enough, they both stand beside me, looking just as concerned as I feel. I glance at Monique, who’s lost all the color in her face. Her eyes are thinned by exhaustion, and her slender shoulders are slumped. Poor girl. She needs to rest.

  “We’re not looking for trouble,” Joel says, swallowing hard.

  “Oh, you’re not looking for trouble? You’ve come to the wrong place, pretty boy.”

  Scowling, Joel lowers his hands and turns around. “Who the fuck are you calling pretty boy?”

  Somewhere, a hammer is pulled, and it clicks into place, sending my heart rate skyrocketing. “Joel, relax.” He looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed, before placing his hands at the back of his head again. “We’re just here for answers.”

  “Answers? You want fucking answers? You’re crazier than I thought, Stone.”

  I shrug. “Maybe. I just wanna know who burned down our hideout. You’re the only one that knew where we were staying.”

  The pressure of the barrel disappears from the back of my skull, and rocks crunch under the sole of Joker’s heavy, black boots as he circles me, stopping when we come face to face. His brow is curved in a curious way. “The lake house was burned down?”

  I nod.

  “So was my bar.”

  “Well, it wasn’t us,” Monique blurts out, inching forward. “We didn’t burn anything down.”

  Joker looks Monique up and down, judging her before smirking at me. “Traded the brunette in for a blonde, eh?”

  “No.” I flick my head in her direction. “She’s with him.”

  “Where’s the other girl?”

  His question punches me in the gut. “Skull has her.”

  “Is that so?” Joker simpers, shifting his weight onto his left leg as he rests the shotgun against his shoulder. “What happened at the compound?”

  “We got what we went there for and we left.” I swipe at my lip. “He knew where we were situated and took Emily before I got back. How was it on your end?”

  He glances over his shoulder at the group of bikers that have guns pointed in this direction. “It’s all right,” he booms. “You can go now.”

  Without hesitation, the men and women in leather tuck away their guns and disperse, retreating into the large house. Joker looks over Monique’s head. “Take the girl inside while the grown-ups talk.”

  “Excuse me?” Monique snaps, folding her arms over her chest.

  Joel steps forward. “She’s fine where she is.”

  “Jesus,” I bite out impatiently. “Let the girl go.”

  Joel glares at me, his dark eyes thinning, before taking Monique’s hand and pulling her in close. Placing my hands on my hips, I shift my weight and look away while he kisses her on the lips and tells her he’ll be right in. I never used to be the jealous type, but right now, watching him kiss the girl he loves…it’s torture.

  When they leave, Joker fills us in on what happened on his side of the compound. “Honestly, we weren’t expecting Skull to have so many men. We swept through the front as fast as we could, destroying everything as we went, and that’s when Grova, our lookout, told us there were cars zooming down the road. We couldn’t afford to be hit from the back and boxed into his compound, so we left.”

  I nod slowly. Makes sense. “How many men did you lose?”

  “Eleven. We’ll bury them at sunset today.”

  “We need a place to stay,” Joel cuts in, stepping closer. “We have nowhere else to go.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure something out because only Twisted Sons stay here.” Joker pins me with his stare. “House rules.”

  “You’d turn us away? We can help—”

  “You can’t help shit. You can’t even help yourselves,” he clears his throat, “and I was an idiot for thinking you could get me New York.”

  He’s right. We’re running around chasing girls, trying to save them from Skull’s evil clutches, and we can’t even do that. How the fuck are we supposed to free New York from his reign of terror? We can’t do it alone, that’s for sure. Joker has the men, the means, and the firepower. We’re going to need his help, and I’ll get it, at any cost.

  “Only Twisted Sons can stay here?” I ask, scratching the back of my head. My hair is dry, covered in powder, dirt, and blood. I need a damn shower.

  Joker nods.

  “How does one become a Twisted Son?”

  His eyes glisten with excitement as the corner of his lips pull up. “W
hy? You interested?”

  I shrug. “Maybe.”

  “Jai, are you insane?” Joel grabs my shoulder and nudges me. “You’re not joining a fucking biker gang.”

  I look at him and see the concern in his eyes. It’s the same kind of concern I’d see when we were younger, right before I’d do something he really didn’t want me to do. “I think you should go wait inside with your girlfriend.”

  Joel clenches his jaw and straightens his spine. “You’re not serious?”

  I turn towards him. Do I look like I’m playing around? If joining Joker’s gang keeps us going for another day, then I’m doing it. Can he not see that we don’t have any other options? Skull has us backed into a corner, and we need to get out of it.

  “Whatever.” He shrugs. “It’s your life.”

  Joel storms off without a glance over his shoulder, clenching his fists at his sides. Does it look like I want to join a gang? I’m just trying to keep him alive and get Emily back. I’ll do whatever it takes. Whatever. It. Takes.

  Joker pulls me from my thoughts by spitting against the rocks. “I’m gonna try real hard not to be offended by that.”

  “Don’t worry about him. He’s only looking out for me.” I glance at Joker. “That’s what family does, right?” Above us, storm clouds move in, blocking the warm morning sun. “So, to join your crew, what do I have to do?”

  He smirks. “Follow me.”

  ***

  A fist connects with my cheek bone, tossing me to the side. How many more do I have to fight? I’ve already smashed my way through four of them. I can’t take anymore. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten. I’m on the verge of collapsing, and my insides feel like they’re rotting away.

  There’s a ringing in my ear, and the cheers of the crowd are muffled. I drop to my knees, my chin touching my chest, and desperately drag air into my lungs. How. Much. More? I’d have given up three guys ago, but Joker told me that only one of us has to join the gang in order for all of us to stay. I have to do it for Joel and Monique, to give them somewhere safe to sleep.

  “Jai!” I lift my head, pointing my chin in the direction of Joel’s voice.