Gray Skies (WeHo Book 8)

by Sherryl Hancock

  “Was that for me, or for the car?” Jazmine asked, grinning.

  “It’s a toss-up,” Dakota said, winking at her. “You do look pretty damned good today…” she said, her voice trailing off as she grinned roguishly.

  “Well, thanks,” Jazmine said, smiling. Then she saw the scratches, split lip, and the bandage on Dakota’s arm. “Oh my god, what happened?” she asked her tone aghast.

  Dakota grinned. “Long story.”

  “It wasn’t Raine…” Jazmine asked.

  “No,” Dakota said, shaking her head and making a face.

  “Okay…” Jazmine said, hoping that Dakota was telling her the truth.

  “Uh, Cassandra’s not back yet,” Dakota said, rolling her eyes. “I never get why she does this shit…”

  “It’s okay,” Jazmine said. “I’ll just wait.”

  Dakota started rinsing the car, shaking her head.

  “What?” Jazmine asked, moving to sit on the raised curb of one of the planters.

  “It just pisses me off the way she treats people, like she’s too important to show up to her own shit.”

  “It’s no big deal, Dakota,” Jazmine said, shrugging.

  Dakota didn’t say anything else, just continuing to wash the car. They were both quiet for a while. Rock music played and the song “Believe” by Breaking Benjamin came on. Dakota turned it up, it was a hard driving song, and Dakota sang every word. The words were angry and harsh.

  Jazmine watched Dakota as she sang, and she started to really wonder what drove this young woman. She could see that there was some serious emotional damage going on there. It made Jazmine want to ask questions, but she guessed that Dakota wasn’t likely to answer any of them.

  “So how did you meet Cassandra?” Jazmine asked.

  Dakota glanced over at her, turning the music down a little bit. She grinned.

  “Why you looking for a sugar mama?” Dakota asked.

  “Uh,” Jazmine stammered, “no… Is that what she is?”

  A sardonic grin spread on Dakota’s face, her look telling Jazmine she was rather dumb to even ask that question.

  “Oh… I… oh…” Jazmine stammered.

  Dakota chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t think I’m completely insulted.”

  “So you don’t love her…” Jazmine said.

  “Oh God no,” Dakota said, her tone aghast

  “So why are you with her?”

  “Uh, she pays the bills,” Dakota said, gesturing to the car and the mansion behind her.

  “That’s all?” Jazmine asked.

  Dakota smiled sardonically as the door in the garage opened. “Nah, the bar service is really good too,” she said, holding out her hand.

  A dark-haired girl in a tight maid’s uniform with a really short skirt and high heels walked out and handed Dakota a beer.

  “Thanks,” she said, grinning at the girl.

  “Mmm hmmm…” the girl murmured, her look seductive.

  Dakota watched her walk back into the house, biting her lip lasciviously.

  “Seriously?” Jazmine asked.

  Dakota glanced over at her, seeing her shocked look and she laughed out loud.

  “Man you need to relax, Jaz… ya really do.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jazmine said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

  After a few minutes she looked over at Dakota. “So is that thing fast?”

  “Oh yeah… she’s really fast…” Dakota said, rubbing the towel over the car’s surface lovingly. “You should come for a ride sometime…” she said, winking.

  “I should huh?” Jazmine asked.

  “Yeah…” Dakota said, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “And I’ll give you a ride in the car too.”

  “Oh my God, you are so bad!” Jazmine said, shaking her head.

  “No, not really,” Dakota said, her tone insinuating. “I’m told I’m really good.”

  “I’ll just bet you are…” Jazmine said. Her eyes narrowed as she shook her head.

  The next day Dakota had called Cody asking if she could get together with her. Cody had agreed. Dakota had pulled up in the Bugatti outside the house and told her to get in.

  “Jesus, Dak, what happened?” Cody asked, seeing the scratches and cut lip first. “Did Raine catch up to you?”

  Dakota laughed. “Fuck, why does everyone think that? No, this wasn’t her.”

  “Who was it?” Cody asked.

  Dakota grinned. “You know how I am…” she said shrugging.

  “This was sex related?” Cody asked, her tone cynical.

  “In a way, yeah,” Dakota said, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose.

  “In what way, Dak?” Cody asked, narrowing her eyes. “Did Cassandra do that?”

  Dakota looked considering for a long moment, then she nodded, her mouth twisted in a derisive grin.

  “Why?” Cody asked.

  “Well, she kinda caught me screwing one of the help…” Dakota said, not sounding the least bit ashamed of herself.

  “Okay, I can see that pissing her off, but that doesn’t give her the right to do that,” Cody said, gesturing to Dakota’s injuries. “That’s physical abuse, Dak, I could arrest her ass for that,” she said, sounding every bit the cop at that moment.

  “Technically, there was sex involved,” Dakota said.

  “Yeah?” Cody snapped. “Did you get off, or just her?”

  Dakota widened her eyes at that question, then a lopsided grin pulled at her lips.

  “That’s fucking crazy, Dak!” Cody exclaimed.

  “Holy hell, Cody, relax, I’m not filing any kind of charges officer, so friggin’ relax,” she said, reaching over to pat Cody on the leg.

  Unfortunately, that’s when Cody caught sight of the cut on Dakota’s arm. She grabbed Dakota’s arm before she could pull it back.

  “Son of a bitch… Dak!” Cody yelled. “What the fuck did she do to you? I’ll fucking arrest the bitch myself…”

  “No! Stop it, okay?” Dakota snapped. “This is my business and it’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, so just drop it.”

  Cody blew her breath out, still seething that Cassandra Billings had done that much damage to Dakota.

  “Fine, what did you want to talk to me about?” Cody asked.

  “I want to talk to Raine,” Dakota said.

  “No,” Cody said, shaking her head.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Cody, will you stop trying to fucking protect me, I can take care of myself. I just need you to tell me when she’s in your building, that’s all.”

  “No, Dakota, you don’t need to do that, okay? I think you have enough damage right now, you don’t need more.”

  Dakota blew her breath out, her lips twitching with the effort to control her temper. She flexed her hands on the steering wheel, moving her neck around to stretch it.

  “I don’t need you to mother me, Cody, I just need you to get me that info, okay?”

  Cody looked over at her recognizing Dakota’s fury. She also knew that she was pushing her luck with the woman’s volatile personality. She’d seen Dakota beat the living shit out of another girl for smacking Cody once, so she knew Dakota had a nasty violent streak when her temper was ignited. She was currently sitting in a fast car and Dakota was hitting 150 at that point.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll get you the information, Jesus! Slow the fuck down!” Cody yelled.

  “Good,” Dakota said, taking her foot off the gas.

  “But I want to be there,” Cody added.

  “Cody…” Dakota said. “No, this is my shit… I need to deal with it.”

  “And I’ll let you deal with it, but I’m going to be there,” Cody said.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Then I’m not going to help you.”

  “Fucking A Cody! You don’t get it, I feel like shit… I need to get this out of me…” Dakota said looking exasperated. “If she kicks the shit out of me so be it, but I can’t keep living with it…”
/>
  Cody looked back at Dakota. “What would you say to her?”

  “I’d fucking apologize first of all, and I’d tell her that Natalia didn’t start it, it was all me… I was the dumbass… I don’t know, I just know I need to talk to her and tell her how sorry I am and what happens, happens.”

  “I don’t like it, Dak… if she’s still pissed…”

  “She has every right to be, Cody. I fucked with her girlfriend, and I knew they were together and I did it anyway… so I need to take whatever she dishes out so I can fucking move on from here… Fuck!” she yelled. “I hate this feeling… I just want it out of me…”

  Cody grinned. “It’s called a conscience, Dak… It seems like yours is finally growing in…”

  “That’s not fucking funny Cody,” Dakota snapped. “Who the fuck wants one of those? Why the fuck would you want one?”

  Cody chuckled. “It’s the human condition, most people are born with one.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s a damned manufacturing flaw and someone outta fix it,” Dakota said, grinning.

  “I’ll let Mother Nature know,” Cody said, grinning. “And I’ll get you the info you want.”

  “And?” Dakota asked.

  “And I’ll stay out of it,” Cody said, not looking pleased with that last part. “Now give me your fucking arm, I want to see it.”

  Dakota blew her breath out, she’d won at least one round. She put her arm out, underside up. “Jesus, Dak, this is deep…” she said.

  “I know, it bled like a motherfucker too,” Dakota said, grinning.

  “You could have bled out, this is the way people commit suicide you know…” Cody said, then gave Dakota a sidelong look. “You didn’t…”

  “Fuck no!” Dakota said. “I don’t do that, you know me, I always land on my feet.”

  Cody blew her breath out, nodding. “Yeah, I know.”

  As Dakota drove them back to Cody’s moms’ house she let the 1200 horses under the hood of the Bugatti run free a bit. The Queensrÿche song “Spreading the Disease” came on the stereo and Dakota cranked the sound. She and Cody both sang the words to it. It seemed to fit their lives pretty well. The lyrics talked about using drugs to motivate a person to do anything. It also talked about using sex for power. They both knew a lot about that.

  “You like Queensrÿche?” Dakota asked Cody.

  “Yeah,” Cody said, grinning. “Lyric, one of my moms, introduced me to them, in fact Operation Mindcrime was the first album she gave me.”

  “Cool, need to meet this woman,” Dakota said grinning.

  “Come into the house,” Cody said, as they pulled up outside.

  Dakota considered for a moment, then she nodded.

  They both got out of the car, and Cody walked up to the front door, opened it, and led Dakota inside. Dakota admired the nice house; Cody really had done well for herself. She followed Cody through the house and then out to the back patio.

  A blond sat out on the patio, smoking a cigarette and reading a sheaf of papers in her hand. As Cody walked out, the woman looked up, her blue eyes narrowing slightly when she looked at Dakota. She dropped a booted foot from the chair it had been resting on and stood up.

  “Mom, this is Dakota Blair. Dak, this is one of my moms, Lyric,” Cody said, smiling proudly.

  Lyric looked at Dakota, extending her hand.

  Dakota grinned, and took Lyric’s extended hand. She shook it, looking directly back into the older woman’s eyes.

  “Cody tells me you got her into Queensrÿche,” Dakota said.

  “Among other bands,” Lyric said, grinning and glancing at Cody.

  “Well, good call on Mindcrime,” Dakota said.

  Lyric nodded. “Yeah, seemed to fit… ya know?”

  “Oh, I know,” Dakota said, nodding.

  Lyric nodded, her look searching.

  “Babe, I don’t know where… Oh, hi?” said a redhead from the door.

  Cody turned. “That’s my other mom, Savanna. Mom this is Dakota.”

  “Dakota,” Savanna said, stepping toward her. Her eyes connected with Lyric’s for a moment and then looking back at Dakota. “It’s good to meet you. Cody’s told us… well, limited stuff about you. Oh my God what happened to your arm?” she asked, her tone horrified.

  Dakota chuckled. “That’s where Cody got that mother tone from…” she said, grinning.

  “This needs stitches, Dakota…” Savanna said, gently touching her arm.

  “Its fine,” Dakota said, feeling herself emotionally weaken a bit.

  “I’ve got a medical degree, babe. I assure you it’s not fine,” Savanna said, her tone as gentle as her touch.

  Dakota was at a loss for words. She glanced helplessly at Cody and saw that her friend was suppressing a grin, her eyes shining in amusement. Dakota shook her head, as if trying to shake away the warm fuzzy feelings that were threatening to invade her heart. It was no wonder Cody had grown a big fat conscience!

  “Mom, can you fix it?” Cody asked, knowing that Dakota wouldn’t go to a hospital.

  “Well, this really should be looked at by a doctor,” Savanna said.

  “You said you have a medical degree…” Dakota said her tone suspicious.

  “I do,” Savanna said.

  “She does,” Lyric said at the same time.

  “I have it because I’m a psychologist, I don’t practice medicine,” Savanna said, her tone still soft.

  “But you could do it, right Mom? You’ve fixed me up before,” Cody said, her look at Savanna pointed.

  Savanna received the message, almost telepathically.

  “Sure, of course I can,” Savanna said, smiling at Dakota.

  “It’s really okay,” Dakota said suddenly anxious to get out of there.

  “Sit, relax, it won’t take a minute,” Savanna said, glancing at Cody, and canting her head toward the house.

  “Got it,” Cody said, and she headed inside.

  She came back a couple of minutes later with a rather imposing looking first aid kit. By this time, Lyric and Savanna had cajoled and harassed Dakota into a chair.

  “Holy hell…” Dakota said, when she saw the first aid kit.

  “My girls get into a lot of scrapes,” Savanna said, grinning.

  “I guess…” Dakota said, rolling her eyes.

  Savanna started cleaning the cut, and her touch was extremely gentle, so much so that Dakota started thinking that Lyric was one lucky woman. She shook her head, doing her best to focus on the task at hand.

  “How did this happen?” Savanna asked conversationally.

  “She got attacked by a rampaging—” Cody started to say.

  “Piece of glass,” Dakota snapped, interrupting Cody.

  “Jesus, where do you live that glass attacks?” Lyric asked mockingly, raising an eyebrow.

  “The Valley… So…” Dakota said, grinning.

  “Aw,” Lyric said, grinning too.

  “Are those scratch marks?” Savanna asked, then peered at Dakota’s lip. “Were you in a fight?”

  Dakota opened and closed her mouth considering the question. “Sort of?” she finally said.

  Once again, Lyric and Savanna exchanged a look, and then Savanna looked over at Cody who was looking pointedly heavenward.

  “Well, all of those need to be tended to…” Savanna said.

  “Mom,” Cody said, chuckling, “don’t give her too much grief, she’ll never come back.”

  Savanna looked back at Dakota. “You don’t like people taking care of you either, huh?”

  Dakota looked back at Savanna, not sure what to say. Finally, she just shook her head. “Been doing it for myself for too long now.”

  Savanna grimaced, but nodded. “Cody was the same way when she first came to my house.”

  “Then I met Lyric,” Cody said, smiling.

  Lyric smiled fondly. “Yeah, that’s when I met both you and your mom. I’d consider that a fairly lucky day.”

  Savanna smiled, chuckling. />
  Dakota looked at the three of them, and felt an ache in her heart. The part of her that she rarely recognized wished she’d had a family. One like this one would have been nice. She looked away for a few minutes, forcing her emotions back.

  Cody caught the movement and knew that Dakota was feeling affected by Savanna and Lyric. She was happy to see that Dakota still recognized good people when she met them. A little while later Savanna had Dakota’s wound properly closed with butterfly closures.

  “This way, maybe you won’t scar,” Savanna said, smiling.

  She’d seen other scars on Dakota’s arms, one fresh wound from what looked like a cigarette. It broke her heart a little bit for the girl. She truly hoped that Cody could influence Dakota. It seemed like Dakota needed a friend, and people who loved her.

  ***

  That night Rayden asked Jazmine about the meeting she’d had with Cassandra that afternoon.

  “How’d it go?” Rayden asked, laying down on the bed, and leaning her head on her fist.

  “Cassandra never showed up,” Jazmine said, sitting down on the bed facing Rayden. “I ended up talking to Dakota for an hour and then finally gave up.”

  “How’s Dakota doing?” Rayden asked.

  “Oh, she seems fine, except it looked like she’d been in a fight. She had scratches, a split lip, and a bandage on her arm.”

  “Did you ask her about it?” Rayden asked, rolling to her back and putting her head on the pillows.

  “Of course I did,” Jazmine said, moving to lie next to Rayden, and putting her hand on Rayden’s stomach.

  “And?”

  “And she said it was a long story and that no it wasn’t Raine,” Jazmine said, shaking her head. “I don’t know, but she was definitely acting like herself.”

  “What does that mean?” Rayden asked, her tone surprised.

  “I mean she was flirting with the maid, she even made a pass at me,” Jazmine said, rolling eyes.

  “She did, huh?” Rayden said, grinning.

  “Yeah, I think that girl would flirt with a tree stump if she thought it was female…” Jazmine said, grinning.

  “Oh, you’re far from that, babe,” Rayden said, smiling. “Maybe you should take her up on it.”

  “What?” Jazmine asked her look surprised.