Flawed (Caught By The Bad Boys Book 2)

by Raathi Chota

  “At the cottage with that drug dealer. I kissed her.”

  “Man, bad timing and place, dude,” Keene pointed out as I rolled my eyes.

  “Do you think she likes you?” Levi asked as the corner of his mouth lifted.

  “I don’t know. One time we’re talking like best friends, then the next we’re fighting.”

  “Look, I’ve known her for four years now, and I see that she’s a person who likes to crush all their feelings into this one big ball of emotions, then when the time is right, she reacts,” Keene began. “Whether it’s cheerful, depressed, wrecked, or terrified…it’s like sometimes she doesn’t even know what’s going on or what to do.”

  “Man, that pill really does have an effect on you,” Levi commented after a while.

  “He’s right, though. That’s what makes Lana so mysterious. She’ll be smiling, but you don’t even know if it’s real or not.” I sighed. “She’s magnificent at acting, but not as herself.”

  “Yeah, it’s kinda sad because you’ll think she’ll be happy, then something happens or comes up and then…” Levi trailed off, yet I could only imagine what he thought of. It could be when Levi and I raced or when we found out that Parker sexually harassed her. That ruined me. I couldn’t believe it. When I beat him, I was acting on the sudden urge to hurt him so badly.

  The conversation soon died down as we heard many footsteps approach us. I glanced up to see Officer Jackson walk toward us with two people behind her.

  “All right, you three, I don’t want to hear from you again. Just be glad I’m in a good mood and that it’s a new year,” she said as my eyes narrowed.

  “Who bailed us out?” Levi asked as we stood up and walked to the gate.

  “The one and only!” Lana’s voice echoed as she cheered. I took in her appearance and noticed that she had bare feet and wore Axel’s flannel.

  “Lana, does your father know that you’re out so late?” Officer Jackson asked as we walked out of the cell.

  “Not really, Miss Jackson, but I heard you’re in a good mood, so…” She winked.

  “Yes, but if I see or hear of the five of you, I won’t hesitate to lock you all up.”

  “Will do, Miss Ja—did you know that there’s a song with your name, Miss Jackson?” Lana asked as we walked down the hall.

  “I thought she was sober,” Levi grunted as he glared at Axel.

  “We made a few stops before we came to get you guys.” Axel shrugged as we watched Lana. She swung her arm around Officer Jackson’s shoulder and belted out the lyrics to Panic! At the Disco’s “Miss Jackson.”

  “Okay, I think we need to go.” I grabbed Lana and guided her out of the station.

  “What the hell?” Officer Jackson stated as she stared at us. We were finally out of the station, where I let go of Lana and watched as she skipped to the car and continued to sing.

  “Where are her shoes? And why is she wearing your flannel?” Keene asked as we walked to the car.

  “Her feet were getting sore, and do you really think I was going to let her enter the police station in a crop top and shorts?” Axel asked.

  “Where’s her jacket?”

  “It’s in the car, and plus, pumpkin looks cute in my clothing,” he said. I rolled my eyes as we got in the car. I sat in the middle while Lana sat on my right and Keene sat on my left. Axel drove this time while Levi turned on the radio.

  “Guess where we got the money?” Lana asked as she clapped her hands.

  “Is it from that guy you raced?” Levi asked as he turned to face us.

  “Yeah! Since I won fair and square, I took the money that fell to the ground and shoved it in my jacket pocket,” she said as her eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “Yeah, and the money from the fight I won, we used it to buy a bottle of whiskey and a bag of chips.” Axel motioned to the bag of chips, which Keene ate.

  “Where are we off to now, Captain?” Lana asked as she straightened her posture and saluted. I laughed at her childishness.

  “Tattoo parlor.” Levi grinned as he read through the list.

  “Aww, I don’t know what to get.” Lana frowned as she turned to me.

  “You can get a piercing,” I suggested, then remembered a few hours ago when she was drunk and hinted where she wanted a piercing.

  “I think I have something in mind for a tattoo,” Levi faintly said.

  “Hey, Keene, guess what, guess what?” Lana urged as I gave a look.

  “What?” he mumbled.

  “I killed someone.” She giggled, then poked my cheek. Everyone in the car fell into a profound silence as we absorbed what she had said, then laughed at the ridiculous things Lana said when she’s drunk.

  “You’re funny, princess. How much alcohol have you consumed in the last twelve hours?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe four—teen beverages or something like that, but I’m still happy and alive!”

  “How is that possible?” Axel laughed.

  “I take my medication every day.” Lana pouted as she tugged on the sleeves of Axel’s flannel. Other than being intoxicated and childish, she looked cuddly. Her hair was curled up from the pool and the flannel ended by her thighs.

  “What medication?” Keene asked.

  “You know.” She wiggled her brows at me. “Vitamin A, B, C, and all I’m missing is D, am I right?”

  “Oh my God.” Levi facepalmed as we laughed.

  “I’m hungry!” Lana whined.

  “You just ate a bag of sweet chili chips,” Axel pointed out.

  “Oh yeah.” She chuckled, then turned to me. Our faces were inches apart as she stared at me with a sly grin and her eyelids drooped. “You know what I’d go for right now?”

  “What?” I asked as she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

  “A nice juicy piece of meat.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Blake

  We arrived at the parlor Keene suggested. It was open twenty-four hours, and Keene knew the people, so it was no problem. When we walked in, I took in the atmosphere. Multiple designs were advertised on the walls. Most of Axel’s and my tattoos were done in Minnesota, and I’ve been to one parlor in Illinois, but not this one. A guy walked in from the back and took off his gloves. Apart from the tattoos that covered his arms, he had clear amber skin and stubble that covered his square jaw.

  “Keene!” the guy exclaimed as he greeted him with a handshake.

  “’Sup, man,” Keene said, then turned to us. “You know Levi, of course. This is Axel, Blake, and Lana. Meet Isaac. He owns the place.”

  “So what can I do for you today?” Isaac asked as he put the gloves in the trash can and folded his arms.

  “Our lovely friend here would like…” Levi trailed off as we stared at Lana.

  “I-I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  “Don’t stress, kid. A tattoo takes a lot of thinking, especially your first one. Kendra might help.” Isaac looked over his shoulder. “Kendra!” he called as I stuffed my hands in my jeans pockets. The woman who entered the room, who I assumed was Kendra, wore black jeans and a maroon tank top that displayed the tattoos that surrounded her collarbone. She had short curly hair, which brought out her high cheekbones.

  “Hey, guys.”

  “Kendra, Lana here is getting her first tattoo.” Isaac gestured to Lana, who was now in her leather jacket and heels.

  “Cool, follow me.” Kendra motioned Lana to follow her into another room. I watched as Lana whispered something to Levi. He nodded, then followed them. I walked around the parlor and looked at the different designs. Isaac turned on music, and I smiled as Drake came on. Axel took off his shirt as I raised a brow and walked over to him.

  “You’re getting a tattoo?”

  “We’re getting a tattoo, brother.” He winked as I sat down on a chair. I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed. I knew what tattoo he wanted. Last year we got a tattoo of Mom’s name, Roxanne, on our left bicep. Now we’d get a tattoo of our dad’s name and
when he passed away.

  “All right, boys, what would you like?” Isaac asked as I took off my jacket and gray tee. Axel did a little sketch of the way we wanted it. It was like the way we got Mom’s name. After we argued on where we wanted it, we finally decided to put it on our left forearm. I went first as I sat on the chair and laid back. Isaac pulled his chair up and sat next to me as I held out my arm. He cleaned the area of my arm where I wanted it tattooed as I closed my eyes. As I felt the needle press against my skin, I thought of what Lana got.

  After being still for forty-five minutes, the light that was on us dimmed. I squinted my eyes, only to be met by those familiar blue eyes.

  “Hi.” She towered over me.

  “Hey, are you done?” I asked, and she nodded.

  “Levi and I got matching tattoos. He’s getting his done now.” She looked over her shoulder and into the room where he was.

  “All good, man. I’m assuming you know what to do since you got quite a few tattoos,” Isaac said as he put on the see-through covering.

  “Yeah, thanks.” I sat up and observed the tattoo of my dad’s name.

  “All right, Gunner number one, you’re next,” Isaac sang as I got off the seat and put on my tee. Unlike me, Axel talked to Isaac the whole time while he was busy. I followed Lana to the corner of the shop where a big mirror was displayed on the wall.

  “What tattoo did you guys get?” I looked through the room where Levi was. His stomach was on the seat with his shirt off while Kendra tattooed on the side of his hip. I turned to Lana, who raised her jacket. Through the see-through cover, I saw a small tattooed crown in black, and underneath it said “princess” in cursive.

  “Levi suggested it. Since he’s been calling me that for fourteen years.” She smiled, then lowered her jacket.

  “Cute, but as Sam said, you deserve to be a queen,” I quoted as my mouth curved into a smile.

  “You’re funny, Blake.” She shook her head. “What did you get?”

  I held out my arm as she observed the black ink. She glanced up at me and smiled.

  “Your dad?” she asked. I nodded.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered as her fingers grazed over it. A flush crept up my face as I stood in front of the mirror and read it.

  Damian Gunner

  05-14-14

  After we finished our tattoos and paid, Levi needed gas, so we stopped at a gas station. I sat in the car with Keene while Levi and Lana filled the tank and Axel paid.

  “You know I’m gonna confess something…” Keene said as his whole face went blank. I sat up and looked in front to where he sat. “I once had a crush on Lana.”

  “No way.” I laughed.

  “True shit. She was sixteen and goddamn, bro. That’s when puberty hit her.” He cupped his hands and motioned to her breasts.

  “What happened?” I laughed.

  “Well, Levi was always with her, and plus I’m two years older than her. It was just a little crush,” he said in a flat tone as I raised a brow.

  “Wait…if you’re twenty, then she’s eighteen, and I’m seventeen,” I sighed.

  “No freaking way, you can do the math,” Keene sarcastically gasped as I rolled my eyes.

  “Well, yeah. When’s your birthday?” he asked as we watched Lana and Levi.

  “August fifth,” I replied.

  “You know it’s weird. Levi’s birthday is the nineteenth of June, and Lana’s birthday is the si—”

  “Sixteenth of June.” I lowered my head.

  “Yeah.”

  “So she lost her virginity to him at seventeen?” I randomly asked.

  “Yep, at Jaden’s party. Summer 2015,” Keene mumbled. “In this very car.”

  A sudden chill crept up my spine as the thought of Levi and Lana having sex in here.

  “Then the next day he left,” I muttered.

  “That’s what she thinks,” he said as I looked at him.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. He shook his head.

  “It’s not my place to tell. A lot happened after that party; he has a lot of fucking explaining to do.” He glared at Levi.

  “Does it have to do with the hole in his arm?” I asked.

  “Nope, but it does have to do with your brother. The longer he waits to tell her everything, the more damage it’s going to create,” Keene stated as I gazed at him. I opened my mouth to ask him more but cut off when Levi got into the car. He started the car, then drove further away and into a parking spot. Levi got out and pulled his seat forward. Lana stood next to the car and looked at me.

  “Come on.” She held her hand out. I gave her a weird look as I accepted her hand. She pulled me out of the car and toward the gas station. We entered the store, and I glanced around. Besides the cashier that gave us strange looks, there was no one else here.

  “What are we looking for?”

  “A razor.”

  “What’s the razor for?” I asked as we continued to walk.

  “You’ll see,” she said, then stopped in front of the aisle and took a razor. After Lana got a few other things, we walked to the front cashier. He gave us creepy looks the whole time he served us. Lana gave him a crumpled-up bill, which must’ve been from the pool, and he glared at her. We walked back to the car. Lana stood in front of Levi and Axel. They stared at her while I joined Keene, who sat on the hood. I watched as she tossed the bag with the rest of the stuff she bought to Levi. He looked inside with a mischievous grin on and took out the box with the razor.

  “The one with the batteries?” Levi asked as he smoked a cigarette.

  “Yep.” Lana smirked.

  “Cool. Keene, you’re getting a haircut,” Levi said as he tossed the box to Keene.

  “What? No, no, no. I’m not getting my head shaved by an eighteen-year-old girl.” Keene scoffed as he threw the box back at Levi.

  “Oh, come on, please? You do need a haircut,” Lana whined as she looked at him.

  “Yeah, and I’ll get one at a barber. Not in front of some sketchy gas station,” Keene said as he jammed his hands in his pockets. They argued as I got off the hood and into the car. I looked at my phone and noticed that it was four-thirty in the morning. Axel got into the car and sat in the passenger seat while I looked at Keene. It seemed like he agreed to shave his hair off as Lana held the razor in her hand. Levi stood behind her and told her where to cut. I watched as his hand cupped over hers, and I instantly rolled my eyes.

  “What’s on your mind, brother?” Axel asked as he lit a cigarette, then opened the window.

  “Nothing,” I replied as I stared at them. Keene’s brown locks fell to the ground as he swore at them.

  “Hey, don’t worry. She won’t see him and you’ll get her soon,” Axel assured me as I scoffed.

  “You forget one thing: she has a boyfriend.”

  “Stop worrying about that and just live in the moment. You’re a Gunner, and we always get what we want. I know you will; you’ll even get that kiss she still owes you,” he stated as we laughed. Once they were done, they got into the car with Lana and Levi in the back while Keene decided to drive. He had a freshly shaved head. Axel laughed as he poked it.

  “Shut up,” Keene said as he shook his head and started the car.

  “Where are we going now?” Lana yawned as she leaned back in her seat.

  “Wherever the road takes us,” Axel answered as he turned on the radio. I watched Levi swing his arm around her. He brought her to his chest, then turned to me. I watched as he put two fingers to his lips for a cigarette. I sighed as I took out two and lit mine, then gave him the other. He lit it with his Zippo, then took a drag. As the song played, he put the cigarette against Lana’s lips. They continued to share the cigarette until Lana fell asleep on his lap.

  “Dude, when are you gonna tell her?” Keene asked after a while.

  “I don’t know. She’ll freak, though,” Levi said.

  “You do realize if we’re not careful, she might find out, and that’
s worse than telling her,” I muttered, then looked down at Lana, who moved.

  “I’ll tell her, don’t worry. She’s asleep now, though,” Levi notified us, then caressed her hair. She continued to move, and I let out a grunt as I threw my cigarette out the window, then picked up her legs and put them on top of mine. I took her shoes off and threw the blanket over her.

  “You had the whole winter break,” Keene said through gritted teeth.

  “Okay, I get it,” Levi snapped as he glared at Keene. Everyone went silent after that except for Lana. Levi and I watched as she continued to twist and turn. She panted as she turned the other way so that her butt was right on my thighs. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as Levi tried to wake her.

  “Lana, wake up!” I yelled as she took sharp breaths. When I was about to pull the blanket off, she shot up and took deep breaths as her eyes widened. I watched in horror as she turned to me and mumbled something, yet I couldn’t figure it out. It lasted for fifteen seconds, then she collapsed into Levi’s arms and fell asleep as if nothing happened.

  ***

  After we drove for half an hour, we decided to rest. Keene stopped at a motel that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Axel and Levi got a room with two beds and said they’d drive for food while Lana rested. I carried Lana with the blanket wrapped around her. Keene had the key while he took her shoes.

  “Here it is. Room 127.” Keene sighed as he unlocked the door, then walked in. I went into the motel room and took in my surroundings. It had maroon walls and a turquoise ceiling, two beds against the wall with a table in the middle. It had pineapple covers with five pillows on each of them. There was a TV stand opposite and a desk next to it. I put Lana on the left bed and took off her jacket. I wrapped her in the blanket and placed a pillow under her head. “Hey, I’m gonna check the rest of the place out. You okay here with…” Keene trailed off as he looked at Lana.

  “Yeah, I’ll probably take a nap, too.” I shrugged, then took off my jacket.

  “Cool, see you soon,” Keene said, then walked out the door. I let out a sigh as I sat on the edge of the other bed and stared at the TV. I noticed the bags formed under my eyes. I turned on the TV and flicked through the channels. It stopped by the music channel where random music videos played. I walked around and laid on the bed as “West Coast” by Lana Del Rey played. I placed my hands behind my back as I turned to look at my Lana. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. I turned back and stared at the ceiling. My eyelids got heavier and heavier as the song played. As I closed my eyes, I felt a weight on my body. When I opened my eyes, I looked to see Lana wide awake as she straddled me.