by Ruby Carter
“I know what you’re saying, babes, but I will talk to Jake in the morning about this all and get him to up the security around the shop, He has been meaning to do it so this gives him a push in the right direction to get off his ass and do it. Maybe temporarily move in with me until we sort this out, and up your security at home, huni.”
“Zar, I can’t let you do that, huni. You have done too much already because of that dick!”
“I insist, and if I have to pull the big guns out so you will think about your own safety, then so be it. I’m ringing your mom, see what she says about all this.”
“Don’t you fucking dare, Zara Louisa Hart! You know she will worry herself sick and then drive up here, pack me up, and take me back home.” I was pissed with my best friend for even suggesting ringing my mom. She knows she would overreact. Zara gives me a raised eyebrow as she nudges my now filled tumbler in my hand as queue to knock it back again. I half choke on the huge gulf I took. “Ok ok ok. I give in. If it will make you feel better, I will move in. For a while though, but just don’t talk to my mom, ok?”
We both finish our drinks and sleep can’t come quick enough after this strange day. With it going from bad to worse.
It can’t get any worse, dear god.
~ Chapter 9 Axe ~
A few days go by without me going into Empire Ink.
Without seeing Dani…
Fuckin’ hell. I need to concentrate on this arms deal that we are trying to finalize with the Missouri Chapter. We are meeting them halfway at a rundown warehouse on Route 55, between Jackson and St. Louis.
Me, Flex, Dagger, and Bear are pulling up to the dirt road that leads to the warehouse when Rebel and Red are waiting outside to greet us. Rebel the Missouri chapter President, he is 45 and in great shape for an oldie. Even if he is graying a little, I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side. He greets me by grabbing my arm to shake hands. “Yes, brother. How y’all doing, Axe?”
“Good, good, Rebel, my brother. The old lady good? Let’s go inside bud.”
“Right, so what’s the score with deal? It all going ok?” I ask Rebel. “Yeah, Axe. Everything is on time, ready for the first shipment next week. That ok with you?” “That sounds great to me, man. When does the next shipment come in so I can let my people on my end know?”
“Should be in a few weeks after so the feds don’t suspect. While you are here, my man, I need to let you know on some talk that has been going on in and around my chapter. I hear there is meth and smack started to be run through your town. Did you know?”
Fuuuuccckk. “Naahh man, naaah, I didn’t. Shit! Are these whispers from good informants? Fuck this shit. Who is it, do you know?” I am so pissed, I am pacing restlessly up and down the warehouse. I am clenching my jaw so hard, I feel it’s going to break. If it’s one thing I can’t stand its hard drugs.
“You ain’t gonna like this, my man. It’s The Scorpions. They started running the shit through your state a few weeks back. Do you need help to clear that shit up? Call on us, my man.”
“Fucking Scorpions man, I am going to have to meet them and get them to run their shit elsewhere. It ain’t happening in my chapter or my fuckin’ town!” I turn to Dagger and Bear, furious. I can feel the veins in my neck pulsating like crazy. “You two, set up a meeting with the Dog. I want this shit sorted out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!”
We get back to the clubhouse and I am still reeling. I am working my aggression out at the gym punching bag we have out on the far side of the compound. I don’t realize how long I have been at it until the gym door opens and Flex and Dagger come walking in with a cold beer and bottle of water. “Yo boss, we have been calling and looking for you. How long you been out here? We got news on the Scorpions meet,” Flex says to me and hands me the beer first. This brother knows me too well.
“Yeah, give me the details, brother.”
“Right, well Dog wasn’t down with meeting but I told him what you said about arranging a deal. He soon decided to change his mind. You were right, boss.
He took the bait. So I arranged the meeting for tomorrow night at Jack’s place, in the back room. That good with you, boss?” Flex asks me.
“Yeah, bro. That’s good. I want you, Dagger and Bear with me and the rest of the crew back at the clubhouse on look out. We go in armed. No messing with this motherfucker. I am not having this shit running through my town or chapter.” I slap him on the back as I grab a towel off the side and wipe myself down.
“Let me go clean up and I will meet you in the main room for a few drinks…” I don’t get to finish what I was saying as I hear bikes pulling up and gunshots going off outside in the yard.
“Shhhhit!” Bear growls to us. All three of us start to run out into the yard and see a couple of The Scorpions shooting up the clubhouse and shoot at a few of my men. I am unarmed, shirtless, but that doesn’t stop me. I grab Flex’s gun from his back holster before he gets to grab it and I shoot one of them right in their shoulder. I hear the scum swear.
I roar in anger “YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! YOU TELL DOG THE DEAL IS OFF! THIS IS FUCKING WAR!” I shoot another one their men. They ride out of the compound before I even get to grab one of them.
“Call Dog, NOW! And if he isn’t answering, we go up to their compound. No one. MOTHER FUCKING, NO ONE! COMES INTO OUR COMPOUND AND DISRESPECTS MY CLUB LIKE THAT!” I don’t care who I am shouting at but someone best do it or I am gonna kill something, the way my rage is boiling. My fists are clenched, breathing labored, and veins popping. I pivot on my feet and take a few swings at the tree in the yard.
I shout to the rest of the club “THIS IS MOTHER FUCKING WAR!”
WAR!
~ Chapter 10 Dani ~
“You going to answer that, babes? Or you gonna just stare at it…
No, wait. Is that him, Dickhead? Fuckin’ hell! Dan, I have told you to ring the police and sort this! Next time he rings, you give it to me!” Zara shouts from over the front desk of the studio. We are having a quiet period in the studio, I have been sketching on the eagle again, and I still don’t know what is bugging me. I am still not 100% with it. I am sure it will come to me eventually.
At the moment, I am trying not to think about Paul ringing me every 15 minutes. But every time I hear my phone ringing I feel sick to my stomach.
It has me in knots and my anxiety comes right back.
“I know, Zara, but the thought of going into the police station and telling someone all the details doesn't fill me with confidence. I am sure it will all go round our small town. Come on, Zar. He will soon get bored if I don’t answer the phone. Just leave it please, huni.” I look at her, pleading with her not to carry on this conversation. I know she means well. That’s why I haven’t told her about the threatening texts and voicemails he’s left. It started the night after he vandalized my car. At first it was breathing heavily down the phone when leaving a voicemail. Then it escalated to him saying my name over and over on the messages.
Zara snaps me out of it ...”Hey are you even listening to me Dan? I said you up to practicing on me again? You did awesome yesterday do you want to finish off the skull?” She asks me, cocking her head to the side and looking at me with her eyebrows knitted together. “Ahhhh yeah, sure thing, babes. Let me just finish this booking on the system. Then you, my best friend, are all mine to make you bleed!” I say, wiggling my eyebrows and snorting a laugh back.
“Dan, for fuck’s sake, babes. Do you have to make it sound so… so freakin’ weird? Seriously though, I do wonder sometimes.”
“Oh Zar, you know I love yanking your chain. You do it to me enough! So.” I say to her, sticking my tongue out with a twinkle in my eye and a big cheesy grin.
“Come on, you. Let’s do this, huni bun,” I say to her by pulling her hand toward her station. I get her to lie down on the table and take her top off, undoing her bra.
I get the all the ink equipment ready, needles, gun, ink caps, gloves, etc. “Right Zara. You ready? You still wanting shading and n
o color, or do you trust me to wing it?”
“Girl, you know I trust you and you know what I like. And well, if I don’t like it, I will just get Jake to cover it up. Love ya, really, Dani.” She says face down on the table with her head to the side and a cheeky grin on her face, her shoulders moving up and down trying to bite her laugh back.
I just smirk at her and shake my head. I start on the shading, then I am going to wing it on the wicked skull I have done on her right shoulder blade.
At the moment, it’s just the outline of the smiling skull design with flowers on the right hand side of the skull’s face. It’s covering over the eye I sketched for her, as she said she wanted some of my work on her before anyone else. I, of course, said yes, as she’s my best friend and also she did my first ever tattoo.
“You ready, babe?” I ask Zara. “Yup. Ready and waiting, newbie.” She replies to me with a smile and a wink.
About 40-50 minutes of shading the skull in and around the eye sockets, then around the nose and teeth. “Right, huni. How you doing? Want to take a pee break, drink? Maybe something’ to eat?” I ask Zara.
“Yeah, I am gonna do all of the above, hun. Can you help me up? I need some sugar, hun. Would you mind go grabbing me a muffin and an iced coffee from Jenna’s?” She says, trying to hop off the damn table on her own.
“No problem, babes. Won’t be long, ok? Take it easy. Jake’s out the back doing paperwork if you need anyone.” I shout to Zara as I go to Jenna’s for her pick me up and sugar.
I walk back through the shop door and find Zara talking to Bear as she is sitting on the table waiting for me. “Hiya Bear. How you doing?” I am getting better at talking to him. He’s not that bad. He just makes me a little nervous now. I have decided his name suits him. He definitely looks like a big mean ol’ grizzly, but I reckon he’s a big teddy bear on the inside.
“Yo Dani. I’m good ta’ you doing good? Zara here was just telling me how you are doing the shading for her skull. It looks pretty impressive. Might have to get you to do one on me next, darlin’, but without the flower shit over it. Wouldn’t do too good for my rep.” He says with a deep chuckle and a slight flicker of something in his eye, like a mischievous little boy.
I hand Zara’s fresh and yummy smelling blueberry muffin and her iced cold coffee caramel latte to her.
I turn to Bear and say, “Why, what’s wrong with flowers? At least no other member can say they have the same old cliché tattoo you and your gang have. Plus, the ladies will love it Bear. Just something to think about,” I say to him with a slight smirk on my face. I still can’t meet his eyes for too long, plus he is tall but not quite as tall as Axe…
I can’t quite believe all that came out of my mouth. It’s silly, really. Men have skull, lion, tiger, wolf tattoos, and so do women.
I don’t have a very ‘girly’ tattoo. Not many girls have a tribal eagle tattoo on their body.
“Right, well lady, one, I don’t do flowers, two, very true. I do like different tattoos, as ya know from my dragon, and three, we are not a gang. We are a club. I will catch you ladies around next week. Thanks for sorting my next appointment, Zara. Catch ya later,” he says with a gruff voice and walks out the door before we know it.
Zara turns to me and says, “Right, let’s get this baby on the road, because if a customer walks in off the street, they take priority, babe.”
“I know, I know, Zar. So quit your belly achin’ and lie back on this table.”
I roll my eyes at her.
As I carry on the shading, the doorbell chimes to the studio and I don’t look up straight away. I just shout out, “I will be with you in a moment. Please take a seat.” I then hear the clunking of heavy boots coming closer.
Then my skin prickles and I inhale the scent that makes me weak at my knees.
It’s his scent. Axe. Mmmmm. I stifle a moan but quickly bite my bottom lip so he doesn’t hear. I don’t think he can over the buzzing of the tattoo gun.
“Hey, Pixie… Whoooa, sweetcheeks. You do this? Jesus, I thought you said you were still in training? I didn’t realize you were this good. Damn, I am definitely getting you to tat me up.”
I stop the gun and look up at him. He fills the station’s makeshift doorframe with his long, muscular body. Fuck me! He’s leaning against the frame with his legs crossed at the ankles. He has this look of need and lust in his eyes. He stalks over to me with his long lean legs where I am leaning over Zara. I feel so small in comparison to him, as I have my comfy converse trainers on, not my heels this time. I look up to him in surprise where I am standing and he is here again in front of me. I just nod at him like one of those bobble head toys you see in the back of cars. Fuck’s sake, what must I look like. Then I decide I best find my voice so I don’t look completely stupid.
“Ermmm, yeah. I did the whole thing.” He keeps staring into my eyes like he’s looking for something and then reaches out his hand, softly running his thumb against my cheekbone, back and forth. He must have done that for at least a minute or so. “It’s awesome, sweetness. Honestly. Has Zara seen it yet?” he says gently to me as he holds my eyes to his with a look of sincerity.
“Hellloooo guys. I am right frickin’ here! And no, Zara hasn’t seen it. But would you take a pic for me, Dan?” She is waving her hand around in our faces like I don’t see her. To be honest, for a minute there when Axe is close to me, everyone else seems to just melt away and it feels like it’s just us.
I grab her phone, take a few pics, and hand it back while I help her get up so she can look at it in the mirror.
“Dani! This is frickin’ amazing, girl! I love how you incorporated my fave colors into the lilies. And with the flecks of white on the lilies and the skull, like it’s a cartoon skull. It makes it really pop. Girl, we need you to hurry up and get your own station.” I feel all warm and fuzzy inside at all the things she said. It’s exactly what I was going for. I am so happy my best friend loves it.
I start doing a little happy dance, as I am so happy Zar loves it. I almost forget where I am and who’s in the same room. I look up at Axe with my face red as tomato, I am sure. He has a big cheeky smile on his face and there it is his dimple again. His eyes are dancing with amusement while his arms are crossed over that wide, muscular chest. And dear god, his arms from his biceps to his forearms. They are so thick, big, and corded, you can see every muscle. It’s like a high definition man.
I stop ogling him for a minute and look back up to his beautiful face with a few days worth of stubble. Mmmm…"Proud of yourself, sweetness? Well, you should be, babes. You aced it." I can feel my face flush even deeper. He still has that look on his gorgeous face.
"Yeah, something like that. Anyway, what can we do for you, Axe?"
"Well, it’s more of what can YOU do for me. I came to speak to Jake about business but mainly I came to talk to you about something."
"Ohh… yeah, and what’s that? Is everything ok?" I say in surprise. He wants to talk to me again, when I am still getting there with talking to him. But he makes it worse, looking the way he does. He jumbles my head up.
"Would you go out with me, Friday night? Dinner, movie, whatever you fancy doing first… but I have another idea for the rest of the night."
~ Chapter 11 Axe ~
"Well, what do you say, sweetness? Will you let me take you on a date?"
She’s just staring at me in shock, wide eyed and her full glossy lips parted. "Errrmmm errrmm, Axe. Axe, I don’t know you, you don’t know me, and I don’t know if I can do anything more than talk to you…" she sounds like I’m asking her for a one night stand. Jesus, her ex must have been a real dickhead. I have to shut those thoughts down; otherwise I will get seriously pissed.
"Hey, Pixie. Listen, I asked you for a date, not a night between my sheets, ok? I want to take you out so we can get to know each other better."
I go over to her as she’s looking at me through her thick eyelashes. I just gotta touch her again. I need to touch her when she’
s in the room. It’s like my body can’t resist it, not that I would stop it as it feels so good feeling her soft, creamy, silky skin under my rough fingers. I run my hand up and down her upper arm and then cup her chin whilst tipping it with my forefinger, and run my thumb over her full, juicy bottom lip. She has to look at me now.
Fuckin' hell, her eyes are just … just stunning.
"What d’ya say, Dani? Are you willing to give this handsome man a chance for one night, one date?" I am pleading with her with my best smile. I just want one night to get to know her better.
I can see slight panic in her eyes, with her mouth fixed into a straight line and biting her lip, gulping hard. "Thank you, Axe, but I don’t think it’s the best time. Plus, I don’t want to make your life complicated."
As she’s glancing at Zara behind me to see what she says, she obviously doesn’t agree and shakes her head. Then she starts looking down at the floor.