by Zoey Parker
Frustrated, he dropped down onto the bed, his head in his hands. Everything in his life felt like it was part of a vicious, violent cycle. But he sensed that Brittany might offer him a way out of all that. When he thought of her, it was like the clouds parted and the sun finally shone. And she brought out the best in him, he felt it each time they were together. When he was with Brittany, he felt like he was becoming the kind of man he could be proud of being.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Okay, I think we’re all done here,” Brittany moved back from her client and grabbed a sterilized cloth to wipe down the work on his arm she’d done so far.
“Is that it?” he croaked with a chuckle. “But honey, I didn’t even finish.”
Brittany rolled her eyes and placed cellophane over the developing design on his arm.
“You need to keep this on for at least forty-eight hours,” she instructed sternly. “You can make your next appointment at the front desk.”
As the man got up, he reached for her and slapped her on the ass. It was a playful, flirtatious gesture, but Brittany saw red.
“I’ll ask you to keep your hands to yourself,” she spun around to face him, seething.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he raised his hands defensively, smiling. “I was just having a bit of fun.”
“I don’t find sexual harassment very funny.” Brittany frowned, wishing Max or Zack were there. She knew they’d quickly wipe the smug smile off the guy’s face.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he let his hands fall to his side and actually sounded genuinely apologetic. Brittany let some of her anger thaw.
“Let me make it up to you,” he suggested, tilting his head. “How about you let me take you out for a drink tonight?”
“No thanks.”
“Is it because of your girlfriend? Is she the possessive type?”
Brittany blinked at him, wondering what one Earth he was talking about. Did he think that she and Nancy were dating? She chewed her lip. If he did then, it was a good enough excuse to get out of going for a drink with him and might make him think twice about being inappropriate during his next session.
“Yeah, she’s real possessive,” Brittany widened her eyes and nodded at him.
“I got that vibe,” the blonde guy nodded also. “She the dominate one?”
Brittany groaned in annoyance.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I know I’m an acquired taste,” he stuck out his hand towards her. “Names Henry.”
“Brittany,” she politely accepted the handshake.
“Oh, I know your name,” he gave her a cheeky wink. It was as if he actually couldn’t turn off his desire to flirt.
“Buddy of mine was raving about your work. Said I had to come here and get inked by you.”
“They did?” Brittany had worked on quite a few people since she’d been working at the parlor. Any of them could have pointed the guy in her direction, but something stirred in her gut, telling her that it was Max. It made sense. Henry seemed like a roughened character, the sort of guy she’d expect her boyfriend to hang around with. But she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of the two of them going out drinking together in bars, since Henry seemed liable to chase after anything in a skirt like a dog with a bone.
“And I’m glad they did,” Henry was smiling as sincerity crept into his voice. “That’s some mighty fine work you’ve done there sweetheart. Same time next week?” he winked and Brittany inwardly cringed.
“You can make your next appointment out front,” she directed him again, eager to move on to her next client.
“Darling, you don’t need an excuse to see me again,” he chuckled as he sauntered out of the room. He carried himself with a cool confidence, like an old cowboy. That sort of silent self-assurance reminded Brittany of Max. When he walked into a room, he didn’t care if all eyes were on him or not at all. But of course, when he walked in everyone stared, because he was so devastatingly handsome. And while Henry was handsome in his own way, his features were weathered, his skin turning thick and leathery. In his heyday, he’d surely been a sight to behold but now he was like a Monet painting. From a distance, he looked good but up close you saw all the heavy brush strokes which didn’t look quite so nice.
Chapter Forty
Nancy smiled to herself as she cashed up that evening.
“Those guys were creepy, but they sure were generous tippers,” she mused as she shuffled the dollars between her hands.
“They were definitely creepy,” Brittany agreed as she folded her arms and leaned against the reception counter.
“Mmm,” Nancy pursed her lips and continued counting under her breath. Brittany glanced at the front door, the sign on which had been turned around to read ‘closed’. She’d concluded another day at her job. Her first month in Colridge was almost at an end and the weekend was approaching.
After saying goodbye to Nancy, Brittany stepped outside and began heading back the short route to her apartment. There was a chill in the air thanks to the dense cloud cover which hadn’t lifted all day. Brittany rubbed her upper arms, trying to get warm. She was tired from her long day and for the first time in ages she felt a stab of homesickness pierce her chest. She wondered what Zack was doing. She imagined him cooking himself some pizza for dinner before heading out on his motorcycle, thundering out into the night.
Brittany gave a forlorn sigh. She wished she’d spent more time with her brother when he’d been in Colridge. But he’d seemed keen to leave, disappearing the next day before the sun even had a chance to rise. She also didn’t like keeping secrets from Zack. Things were getting serious with Max, but her sole relative, her brother, still knew nothing about him and she knew she needed to rectify that.
By the time Brittany was climbing the steps up to her apartment, she’d made a decision. Reaching for her phone, she hastily typed the message before she had a chance to change her mind.
Missed you today. I won’t be around this weekend, I’m going to visit my brother back home, but I’ll be back early Sunday. xxx
She thoughtfully bit her lip as she pushed open her front door. She’d barely seen Max in the last few days, but he surely wouldn’t begrudge her a trip home to reconnect with her brother. Brittany hoped that with Nancy not around, Zack might pay her a bit more attention and give them a chance to actually catch up. She was desperate to tell him all about her new job, about the repeat work she was getting, and how much people loved her art.
After turning on the kettle, Brittany quickly sent a second message, this time to Zack –
I’m coming home this weekend for a visit. It’s not up for discussion I’m owed some quality time with my brother x
Brittany stared at the phone after she’d pressed send. It was strange to want to go back to visit Zack after she’d been so desperate to leave. Aside from his overbearing nature, she missed his sense of humor and the way he was always so fiercely protective of her. Being out in the world could be scary, even with Max to have her back.
Comforted by the impending trip back home, Brittany made herself a chamomile tea and settled down on her sofa to enjoy a quiet evening of girly movies and snacks.
Chapter Fourty-One
Max read his message from Brittany in secret while he was in the bathroom and groaned. She’d be away all weekend. That meant he was stuck with only Aaron and Henry for company and no way to get away from them.
A selfish part of him wanted to ask her to stay in Colridge, to not go. But the more reasonable part of him, which knew it was safer for her to keep her distance while his pack friends were in town, made him keep his silence. A trip home would be good for her.
Staring at his weary expression, Max wondered how long he could cope being cooped up with Aaron and Henry. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned his mission in Colridge going down. For too long he had sat idle awaiting orders. He felt restless. And he knew if he felt this restless, then the other two guys felt far worse. They paced around the small room like caged tigers, bouncing off
the walls. They needed some sort of release and quick. What was it people said? ‘The devil makes work for idle hands.’ That was certainly going to be the case with Will and Henry and Max knew it wasn’t worth letting them get in trouble. If their cover was blown in Colridge, they risked an uprising from the Kings, which would get extremely messy. No, it was up to him to keep them happy and occupied.
He splashed his face with cold water before stepping back into the room.
“Boys, grab your coats,” he ordered with a devilish grin. “We’re going out.”
“About time!” Henry clapped his hands together with glee and was already approaching the door. Aaron stood up slower, not quite as enthusiastic as his friend.
“Out?” Aaron shot Max a dubious glance.
“Just to a bar down the street,” Max shrugged. A bar he’d already checked out. It seemed safe enough there. He couldn’t see a sign of any Kings presence. “I figured we need to get out and let off some steam.”
“Damn straight,” Henry was opening the door and storming towards his motorcycle.
“Keep an eye on him,” Aaron urged as he followed after him. “You don’t want him letting off too much steam.”
Chapter Fourty-Two
Brittany released her bag from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor of the den. Outside, the cab she’d arrived in was pulling away, disappearing down the street. Zack hadn’t even responded to her message. Brittany tried to ignore his rudeness, but it did sting. She knew he was home, his bike was outside, but the house was silent. No welcome wagon had been rolled out for her.
“Zack!” she called his name so loudly that it bounced off the thin walls of the house. After a few seconds a distant door opened and her brother appeared. He was naked except for a towel which he’d hastily wrapped around himself. His hair was damp and dripped down his back.
Brittany raised a hand to protect her eyes but then lowered it. She gaped at the criss-cross of scars which were etched over her brother’s lean torso. Circular scars that looked like cigar burns patterned his chest. Though all the wounds looked old, they were still painful to look at.
“Jesus!” Brittany exclaimed, gesturing towards him. “Where the hell did you get all those scars, Zack?”
He scowled at her before storming back towards the bathroom. “Just let me dry off,” he shouted, not bothering to look back.
Troubled, Brittany wandered through the family open plan living area. The house smelled mustier than usual in her absence. Old pizza boxes were piled up on the kitchen counter and the sink was overflowing with dirty plates. Brittany made a mental note to thoroughly clean the pigsty that her brother developed before she left.
“It wouldn’t kill you to vacuum once in a while,” Brittany informed her brother tersely as he re-emerged from the bathroom in loose fitting sweat pants, pulling on a white T-shirt.
“I’ve been busy,” he told her gruffly.
“Busy like you were when you came to visit me?” Brittany raised her eyebrows at him. Try as she might she knew she’d never be able to erase the sound of her brother having sex from her mind.
“Jeez, Brittany, did you just come here to fight?” Zack seemed deflated by her presence. He pushed past her to drop on the sofa and reach for the TV remote.
“No,” Brittany softened her tone and went to sit beside him. “I came here because…because I miss you. And I feel like when you were in Colridge we didn’t exactly take the time to catch up with each other.”
She watched Zack’s jaw tighten a degree. He clearly agreed with her though she knew his pride would never let him say it.
“So how have you been?” Brittany asked brightly, trying to force him to open up. “How’s work?”
“How’s work?” Zack repeated with a sneer. “Come on, Brittany. If you want to catch up, that’s fine but at least be real with me. You know I never talk about work.”
Brittany looked sadly at her hands.
“My job is going really well,” she informed him. “People love my work, and I’ve been getting repeat business and really generous tips.”
“That’s good,” Zack turned off the TV and shifted his weight so that he was facing her. “I’m sorry for being a dick, Brittany. I’m really glad that you’re enjoying your job.” He patted her knee before getting up and making his way over towards the kitchen.
“Want a beer?” he slung the question over his shoulder.
“Sure,” Brittany gave a non-committal shrug. Zack returned with two cooled bottles and handed one to her after he’d uncapped it.
“Colridge seems a nice enough place,” he offered before taking a deep, long drink from his bottle.
“It is nice,” Brittany agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “I like it there.”
“Was Nancy okay after I…left?” he queried carefully.
“Yeah,” Brittany sipped at her beer. “I mean, she was probably a bit pissed, I don’t know. She called you dangerous.”
This made Zack straighten. He stared at Brittany, his eyes wide.
“She did? Why?”
Brittany shrugged. “I don’t know, bitter about you leaving maybe.”
“Was that all she said, that she thinks I’m dangerous?”
“Yep, that’s it.”
Zack leaned back against the sofa, looking troubled.
Chapter Forty-Three
Max wasn’t drinking. He dutifully bought each round at the bar and watched his friends down countless shots and bottles of beer, but he ensured that he remained stone cold sober. A part of him was ready to spring into action if anything kicked off.
But to his surprise the night was going by without any real hitch. Henry and Aaron were getting merry and trying to chat up any girls who were within their radius. The music from the jukebox was set to some pretty decent rock, and Max actually started to relax. But then he stiffened, remembering that Brittany was out of town. He missed her more than he cared to admit.
Henry was getting cozy with a hard-faced brunette who wore too much makeup. She was perched up on his knee, letting him grope up and down her legs. No doubt Henry would be fixing to take her back to the motel with them. A busty blonde was sitting next to Aaron, hanging on his every word. It never failed to surprise Max how women would flock to gang members. They were drawn to the danger he supposed. Stupid, he thought.
As he lingered by the bar, he worked tirelessly to discourage a drunken woman’s advances. He didn’t have eyes for any of them, not matter how much they purred in his ear or gazed at him with their “fuck-me” eyes.
They’d been out for almost three hours when Henry staggered over, one arm draped around his soon to be conquest.
“We’re heading back to the motel,” he informed Max, slurring his words.
“Okay, sure,” Max nodded in approval.
“You coming?” a mischievous light shone out from Henry’s gaze.
“No, I’ll hang back here a while longer,” Max leaned against the bar, emphasizing how he had no intention of going back just yet.
“You sure?” the brunette batted her eyelashes at him. “Could be fun to add one more.”
Henry laughed and slapped her on the ass. “Me and Max ain’t becoming tunnel buddies yet, honey. Unless you wanna ride her both ways with me?”
Max’s younger self would have accepted such an offer. He’d have gone back to the motel with Henry and placed the brunette on all fours between them. They’d toss a coin to see who got heads and who got tails.
“I’ll pass,” Max gave them a tight smile. “But thanks.”
“Your loss, buddy,” Henry slapped him on the shoulder before walking out with his prize under his arm. Will followed shortly after, stumbling out the door towards the parking lot. Max decided to take his time before heading back to the motel himself, afraid of what sight might await him if he headed back too soon.
# # #
“So I’ve got a boyfriend,” Brittany blurted out after her second bottle of beer. Zack had actually laughed a couple of
times while she’d been there. The atmosphere between them felt relaxed and comfortable, or maybe that was just the beer she’d been drinking. But suddenly, it felt extremely important to be honest with Zack about Max.
“A boyfriend?” Zack lowered his bottle of beer which had been half-way to his lips.
“Uh huh,” Brittany nodded a little too quickly, making herself feel dizzy. “His name is Max.”
“Max,” Zack mouthed the name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth. “What does this Max do?”