The Darkest Link (Second Circle Tattoos)

by Scarlett Cole

  Shit, even though Lia had ahold of his hand, the mist of anger had made him forget where they were. What he’d just done went against everything he tried to teach the kids at the boys’ club. He could have walked away. He could have ignored Winston. And he most definitely could’ve stopped talking. But he’d insisting on making his point. And for what? All he had done was make things worse for Lia.

  The look in her eyes told him she knew it.

  * * *

  “I’m sorry, babe. That didn’t help at all, did it?”

  Lia opened her mouth wide, stretching her jaw as far as it would go and then moving it from left to right before she closed her mouth again. She’d been clenching it all afternoon, trying to ignore the inane conversations going on around her. There had been no sense in asking for trouble by joining in, uninvited, to share her personal opinions on issues she cared deeply about, like a woman’s right to choose, with a whole bunch of men who didn’t know any better.

  She laughed sadly. “No, but I understand why you said what you said. I’d been biting my tongue for most of the afternoon.”

  Grinding her teeth had given her a headache. It was something she always used to do when she was younger, and for a period of time she’d needed to sleep in a plastic retainer. It had taken her over twelve months to quit the habit, but the fact that it had returned at her father’s very first fund-raiser was the only sign she needed that she’d have to find a different way of helping her mom.

  Neither she nor Reid had much more to say on the short car ride home, and once they were in the condo she made her excuses and went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and began to undress as the room started to fill with steam. Pretending she was somebody she wasn’t, even in an attempt to help her mother and Harper, was like wearing skin that was too tight. It pulled when she moved, constantly reminding her that this wasn’t who she was. Lia stripped out of the capris, removed the simple jewelry, and took down her hair.

  She stepped into the shower and let the water sluice over her, washing away the invisible layer of grime that stuck to her skin. There was no way she could support her father, even for her mother’s sake. Long before Reid had let the first verbal volley fly, she’d realized it was never going to work. Her mother looked exhausted, like a fragile vase covered in hairline fractures. One bump and she’d break into a million pieces. At the first opportunity, she was going to go talk to her mother, see if she couldn’t convince her to come live with her in her home. In the past, she’d attempted the conversation from the perspective of simply wanting to see her mom in a happy, thriving relationship she deserved, but now she was genuinely worried for her mother’s mental health. Lia had enough money coming to her on her birthday that she could buy her mom a condo in her building and look after her financially. Heck, she could just give her mom all the money. She had enough and would continue to work.

  For a moment she’d thought Reid might join her in the shower, but she was thankful that he hadn’t. She needed this time alone to decompress. To let go of the anger that crashed through her. It sickened her, the way her father had treated her mother behind the scenes, and it had taken every ounce of self-control to not drag her out of there when she’d caught him telling her to buck up in the hallway where her mom was catching her breath for a moment.

  Once she had dried off, she sat at her dressing table. Without caring too much about style, she blasted her hair with the dryer. Once it was totally dry, she created a side part and used a hot iron to curl the front of her hair. She pinned each curl. Then she systematically went through the length of her hair and did the same thing. With every curl, she began to feel more like herself. When her hair was completely pinned, she sprayed it again and left it to cool.

  The TV was playing in the background, some sports news channel. For a moment she thought about going out to Reid to explain why she needed this time to herself, but she felt safe in her closet going through a routine that felt so comforting.

  She applied moisturizer and then smoothed foundation over her face. Picking her favorite bronzer, she contoured her cheeks and then moved onto her eyes. She’d been winging her eyeliner for over a decade, so it took no time at all to apply eye shadow and the symmetrical eyeliner. The woman in the mirror started to look so much more recognizable. By the time her eyelashes were applied, along with some deep berry lip stain, her heart had stopped racing and her stomach had settled.

  She took the curls down and ran a brush through them, quickly followed by some shine spray to take the frizz away. She took the larger section on the front-left and teased it back before running a brush over it to smooth the hair. Born of years of practice, without a single misstep she rolled the hair around two fingers like a donut and secured it with two crisscrossed bobby pins. Then she repeated the steps on the other side.

  Tears sprung to her eyes. “I’m never letting this go again,” she whispered to the mirror.

  Lia grabbed her favorite dress from the closet. It was black, with deep pink roses on it. It had layers of pink-and-black tulle as an underskirt, totally overkill for a night in with Reid, but she needed the reminder of who she was. She grabbed a pair of deep pink Mary Janes and slipped them on. Stopping in front of the full-length mirror, she checked out the finished product. For the first time in her life, she couldn’t see any imperfections.

  Happy inside herself, she went to find Reid. He was sitting on the sofa, feet up on the glass coffee table, something she never usually allowed. His mouth was wide open as he checked her out.

  “Holy shit, babe. It’s like someone just turned the light on.” He stood and walked over to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, putting a finger in the waistband of his jeans. “For giving me some space.”

  “It felt like you needed it. And in truth, I did, too. Although, I gotta say, if you disappear for an hour and come out looking like this, I’ve got no problem with it.” He wrapped an arm around her, but instead of kissing her, he grabbed her hand in his and danced with her. “I owe you an apology. A huge one. I totally fucked up this afternoon, and I’m really sorry.”

  Lia rested her forehead on his chest, which was solid and warm. “I think we both did.”

  “Yeah, well, I dove in first, you just followed me overboard.” Reid placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry my being there made things worse for you.”

  She looked up at him, saw nothing but sincerity in those dark eyes of his. “I think it’s inevitable that Dad and I end up estranged. And I realized in the shower that I need a different way to help my mom, because I can’t do what we did this afternoon ever again.”

  “I gotta be honest, you were kinda freaky in your Stepford Wife getup. I think I might lose my shit if I ever see you in pearls again. I mean wear what you want, babe, but just, please, spare me that.”

  Lia laughed for a moment, enjoying being in his arms as he danced her around the condo to the sound of a cat-food jingle coming from the television. “We should explain to Harper and Trent that you spoke to Winston. And then I need to tell my dad what he can do with his request for help. He was right, my mom does need me, but not to put on a bright smile and pretend things are fine. I can’t let him emotionally blackmail me into helping him. Unfortunately, I have a feeling my definition of family is about to get a whole lot smaller.”

  “I know how that goes,” Reid replied. “I know Harper wants to tell our parents that I’m here, but I guess I’m just not ready to deal with Dad yet.”

  It was an odd juxtaposition, dancing while discussing issues so incredibly serious.

  “Do you really think your dad will turn you away?”

  “I don’t know. Seems like he threw me out, but then he lost Harper anyway. I mean, from the sound of it, he hasn’t seen much of her since she left home.”

  They danced some more, lost in their own thoughts but offering each other comfort. Lia realized this was what her friends had. It wasn’t the fast fall, the hot sex, the burn for each other. It was that
soul-comforting knowledge that the other person wanted to be there for you. To help you through the ugly parts, not just the times when things are perfect. Everything else was just sprinkles on a sundae, because at her very core, she knew she wanted to be there for him.

  She grinned and stopped dancing.

  “So, I was thinking . . .” Reid started, but then he caught the obvious grin she was sporting. “What?”

  “Nothing. Go ahead.”

  “No, I really want to know what you thought about.”

  “Just that we danced halfway around the condo. It’s cute. Go ahead. You were thinking . . .”

  He eyed her suspiciously but continued anyway. “You. Me. Tonight. You said Saturday was Harper and Trent’s date night, right?”

  “I did.”

  “So what if we crash it?”

  “I don’t know. Trent protects it pretty damn fiercely. Says Harper has years of dates to make up for.”

  He tugged her hand and pulled her from the condo.

  “Yeah. But I bet I know Harper better than Trent does. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Reid knocked on the door to Trent and Harper’s condo and waited.

  “Maybe we missed them. Maybe they went out before we got here,” Lia offered.

  With a quick wink at Lia, he hammered again, louder this time, while Lia tried to stifle her laughter.

  Mumbled curses came from the other side of the door, and from the tone Reid could tell that Trent was going to be pissed when he saw them standing in the hallway. Their plan had developed as they’d driven over in Reid’s car. Lia had texted Harper with some innocuous message to determine whether they were at home or not, which they were. Part two of their Mission: Impossible–style ambush involved sneaking into the building by pretending to be part of a larger group.

  And now, having taken the elevator up to the couple’s condo, they were about to face Trent. From the F-bombs being dropped on the opposite side of the door, Reid knew there was a high possibility he’d just cock-blocked his sister and future brother-in-law.

  Just for pure comedic value he knocked again, and the door swung open.

  “Worst fucking timing ever,” Trent said, fastening the button on a dark pair of jeans. “Any chance I can get you guys to call next time?” While his words were gruff, the smile on his face suggested he wasn’t as mad as Reid had expected.

  He held the door open for them and they stepped inside. Harper hurried from one of the rooms down the hallway, running her fingers through her hair. Reid looked away for a moment. There was no way on God’s green earth he wanted to know what could have put that pink flush on her cheeks. He may not have been around her for several years, but the need to play big brother to his little sister hadn’t gone anywhere, and part of him wanted to kick Trent’s ass for laying a hand on her. Which was all kinds of hypocritical, he knew, seeing as he wanted to do the exact same thing to Lia.

  “Hey, guys,” Harper said with the kind of grin that said she knew she’d been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. “Please, come in.”

  “I suppose you’ll be wanting a drink or some shit?” Trent said with a grimace.

  “Actually, a beer would be good,” Reid answered with a teasing smile.

  Lia joined in. “I’d love some red wine if you have some,” she said sweetly.

  Trent rolled his eyes. “Can’t persuade you to take that to-go, can I?”

  “Trent,” Harper warned good-naturedly.

  “What? It’s worth asking, isn’t it, darlin’?”

  Reid watched Trent’s heavily tattooed frame walk toward the large kitchen of their amazingly decorated condo. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were completely open, with sliding balcony doors leading to a large patio. Black-and-white photographs of rock stars past and present lined the walls, interspersed with what looked like original artwork.

  Harper ushered them into the living room area and Trent returned, thankfully wearing a T-shirt and handing out drinks.

  “So what brings you over here this late on a Saturday night when people might be busy doing other things?” Trent asked pointedly, earning an elbow in the ribs from Harper. “What? It’s clear from the look on their faces that they know what we’re up to. I’m just putting the elephant on the table.”

  Lia began to giggle, and Harper quickly followed suit. Before long, all four of them were laughing.

  “We’ve come to crash your date,” Reid answered. “I hear you’ve been hogging my sister’s time and attention, and you and I need to get to know one another in a way that doesn’t involve fists.” He rubbed his chin, remembering the blow that had sent him flying into the window at Second Circle.

  “Believe me, that hurt me more than it hurt you. New glass for the storefront doesn’t come cheap, and I didn’t think it was fair for the studio to suffer because you’re an asshole. Actually, I think you should pay half, seeing it was your head that did the most of the damage.”

  “Sounds fair,” Reid said. He could just add it to the list of things he could possibly do to make things right. “I’ll pay it if I could have a quick word with Harper.”

  “You cool with that, babe?” Trent asked Harper.

  Harper nodded. “Sure, why don’t you and Lia go sit outside, and perhaps call the restaurant and see if they can seat all four of us?”

  Lia squeezed his shoulder as she walked by. It was such a small gesture, but it meant the world to him. The last six years had been lonely. Not only had he lost his sister and his parents, but he’d also lost his best friend, his job, and the friends he’d grown up with. By no definition had he been a saint during that time, but he’d most definitely not had anything remotely resembling a relationship.

  “I like you and her,” Harper said before taking a swig of her beer.

  He watched Lia walk out onto the balcony. “It’s still very new, but I kinda like me and her, too.”

  “I’m glad you’re here because I wanted to talk to you,” Harper began. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you told me. About Dad, and Winston, and Nathan. Well, I kind of wondered how you’d feel about taking a trip back to Chicago with me? We need . . . I need our family back together.” Harper reached forward and grabbed hold of his hand. “I’m supposed to be getting married at Thanksgiving, and I can’t tell you how badly it has hurt me to think of my wedding without you in it. But now that I know where you are, the idea of you not attending just because Dad is going to be there breaks my heart. And given everything you told me, I don’t want the first time you see him or he sees you to be the moment he walks me down the aisle.”

  Reid turned her hand over in his and rubbed his thumb over her engagement ring. The idea of causing her even an ounce more pain hurt him so profoundly that he found himself agreeing. “For you . . . I’ll do it. You realize he said he never wanted to see me again, right?”

  “I think you’ll find that once all this is out in the open, he’ll regret saying that to you. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get an apology because Dad has never been one to say the words. But hopefully his actions will speak for themselves.”

  Picking at the label on his beer bottle, Reid thought through what she’d said. Could it be that simple to bring closure to the things that had haunted him for the last six years? His dad had been so furious, but so much time had passed.

  “We have a couple of months until your wedding then? I feel like I need to get to . . . I don’t know, to a better place with you, I guess, before I have to deal with him.”

  “Mom has no idea, Reid. Every time I speak to her she asks if I’ve heard anything from you. I think we should at least let her know that I’ve heard from you, that you’re fine, and that you’ll be coming home to speak to them soon.”

  “Yeah, but I think I’d rather just catch Dad off guard. I need to see his genuine reaction, not one he’s had time to think about and plan for.”

  Harper pulled her hand away and leaned back in the chair. She folded her hands in
front of her chest and pursed her lips. “Well, like you said, there’s still some time. Although hear this: I’m no bridezilla, but if you fuck up my wedding, I will tell Mom that you took Jennifer Curtis’s virginity in their bed.”

  Reid felt embarrassment color his cheeks. “Oh my God. You were home? Weren’t you supposed to be over at your friend’s house that night?”

  “I forgot my backpack, and Kara’s mom drove me back home to get it.”

  “How come you never mentioned it before now?”

  “Was saving it for a day when I might need to blackmail you.”

  A lump stuck in his throat, and he swallowed hard. Things almost seemed normal between them, and he felt like it had been too easy, like she had let him off too lightly.

  “I’m sorry. Every day for the last six years I wished I could go back and change those decisions. I wish I’d invited Nathan in, or had given him the money so you would have had time to get away. I’ve hated you for not telling me how bad it got with him, and I’ve hated me for choosing not to see it. I’ve hated Dad for not understanding. I’ve hated Winston for abusing his position and the situation. And the whole time I’ve just felt like a fucking coward for running, for leaving you alone, Taylor. And shit . . . now I’m forgetting about the Harper thing.”

  “You have until my wedding to get used to it,” she said, running her fingers under her eyes to catch the tears he could see there. “Up until then, for you only, I’ll answer to both.”

  “Deal,” he said before taking a large swig of his beer, building up courage to tell her the last thing he needed to. “I wanted to let you know that we saw Winston Bell today. Lia’s father was having some political thing that he insisted she attend.”

  “He must be down for the trial preparation. It starts the end of October,” Harper said calmly, as if he hadn’t just mentioned the name of the man who’d tried to have her imprisoned.

  “I wanted to punch the guy’s fucking lights out when I saw him. You seem to be handling news of his arrival much more smoothly than I did.” Just saying his name had Reid all kinds of agitated.