Clean Slate: Diva's Ink

by Liberty Parker

  “Listen here, you stupid bitch! My boy has cost me everything. So I’m going to take everything he holds dear away from him, are you one of those things?” l vehemently shake my head. I’m not sure if Dillon considers me dear to him or not, I just know I need to get this man away from him and my sister. His hold on my hair tightens as he pulls me to his face, we’re nose to nose, and I want to gag at the closeness. “You wouldn’t be lying to me now, would you?” Again, I shake my head. I can hear Carson stirring, which causes my shoulders to slump in relief. He spins me around to where my back is to his front. “We’re going to walk out front, all nice like, and you’re not going to give me any trouble, or I’m going to shoot this one,” he says, indicating Carson. “In the head, there’s no coming back from a shot like that.” He laughs, and I swear it sounds like an evil villain from a scary movie. As he shuffles me from the back to the front, I can hear Carson getting to his feet and can tell he’s suffering from the moans and groans coming from him. I let this asshole lead me from the back, as soon as we make it to the front, there are police cruisers pulling up and surrounding us.

  Me being me, I have to ask him, “What’s your plan now?”

  “Shut up, bitch. Let me think.” He still has a hold of me and I’m trying to not let my fear show. I don’t want him to hold or wield any power over me. I stand strong, proud and face my fears of his madness.

  “Let the woman go,” I hear one of the officers say. I turn my head and spot Carson easing up behind us. I see blood oozing from him, but I’m happy other than that to see him standing. I feel better knowing he is near.

  “Not until I get what I came for!”

  “What did you come for?” I feel like a ping-pong ball with the back and forth conversation…that I’m not even a part of!

  “My no-good son, and his woman! They need to learn the lessons I have planned for them.”

  “Let the girl go and we’ll talk about it,” the cop says to the madman. I feel like I’m part of a really bad soap opera.

  “Don’t pull your negotiation tactics with me, Andrews! I am the department’s negotiator, I know all of your tricks! Bring me my son! Now!” he says pulling me tighter against him. If it wasn’t for this gun pointed directly at my head, I’d elbow him and beat his ass myself. He’s a cop, he knows they’re not going to hand over Dillon and Ariel on a silver platter. He might as well end this now. I hear bikes pull up about this time, and once again relief washes over me. If these cops are too chickenshit to do anything about this asshole, then surely Wasp, Tic and the guys will. When I see Dillon come out the front door, my heart stops. Dear God, surely, he’s not planning on giving himself over to his father—is he? I’m relieved when I see him head in the other direction. I get lost in my thoughts and don’t pay attention to the conversation going on around me. I’m planning my own escape since it seems everyone is going to sit around and stick their thumbs up their asses. This is taking forever, and I have a sister in labor inside. I’m getting sick and tired of them trying to reason with him. About this time, I notice Levi has also joined the frey, his gun held out in his hand. I wonder how long he’s been out and witnessing all of this. I’m happy it’s me, and not Rainey, otherwise they would’ve taken action and gotten themselves hurt.

  I notice Levi sneaking up behind us, and I try to shake my head no…I don’t want him doing anything to cause this situation to become worse than it already is. I notice Carson take off reluctantly and am glad at least one of my sister’s men will be out of the line of fire. I take in my surroundings once more and notice that not only is Levi standing behind me, but so is Ghost. He’s a force to be reckoned with on his own from what I’ve heard. I close my eyes, not wanting to see what happens next. Luckily, Dillon’s dad’s focus is on the officers to his front and he isn’t paying attention to his back. Some damn cop he is, aren’t they supposed to be observant and know what’s going on around them at all times? Instead of dwelling on it, I thank my lucky stars for his obliviousness.

  I let myself go to a place, a happy place inside of my head. I hear multiple gunshots as soon as I’m ripped from his arms. Keeping my eyes closed, I pray that everyone is okay. I know I am, because I feel no pain and am not injured anywhere. I’m not sure how long it’s been since I escaped reality, but next thing I remember is being locked in Levi’s arms and hearing him say, “I’ve gotcha, Em. You’re okay.”

  Going to open my eyes, he tells me to keep them shut. I take it to mean that he doesn’t want me to see whatever has happened. I let him lead me blindly to the back of the shop.

  A knocking on my window brings me back to the here and now.

  “What’s wrong, Em?” Levi asks me, with a worried look on his face.

  “I was just thinking about that day.” He knows which day, so I don’t have to mention which one.

  “Yeah, that’s a day none of us will be forgettin’ anytime soon.” I nod my head in agreement, then ask the question that’s been bugging me.

  “How long had you been outside that day? I don’t remember seeing you until right before Carson went to Dillon for aid.”

  “I was out here when he took you around to the front. I shot off some warnin’ shots for the cops so they knew to be on guard and not be taken by surprise.”

  “You’re a smart man, Levi.” I realize how out of it I must’ve been that day because I don’t remember hearing any additional shots.

  “Thank you, darlin’. Let’s get you inside, you’ve been sitting out here for quite a while, I was getting worried about you.”

  “Sorry, Levi. I was lost in my head, kind of happy you brought me out of it, to be honest with you.”

  “Not a great memory to be stuck in. Changing the subject, how are things going with Shy-shy.” I roll my eyes at the nickname he’s given her.

  “Things are great, she’s an easy baby. Barely ever cries and loves openly.”

  “I bet she already has Marcus wrapped around her little finger,” he jokingly says.

  “Don’t you know it,” I reply.

  “I can’t wait for the day that Rainey gives me and Carson one of our own.” That stops me in my tracks. I look at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Are y’all trying for one? Does my sister have baby-fever, Levi?”

  “No, but I can’t help but think of the future, and any children she’ll be giving us.”

  “How’s that going to work exactly?”

  “Well, you see when a woman and a man love each other…” I smack him on his arm before he even finishes the sentence.

  “I know how babies are made, moron. I’m asking with y’alls particular type of relationship, how it works?”

  “Same concept I suppose,” he says laughing at me.

  “You know what I mean!” I holler out in frustration.

  “One of us will marry her, and the other will have the first baby.”

  “How will you decide?”

  “I thought we had it figured out, but Rainey is having a hard time picking and choosing which will be which.”

  “I can understand her dilemma—how do you pick one of your men over the other to marry.”

  “The thing is, neither of us care. We just want to be with her, Em.”

  “Then why do you need that piece of paper?”

  “Because, we want her to share our last name, and the same last name of any future children we have with her.” I nod my head in understanding.

  “Want me to talk to her?”

  “Nah, we don’t want to pressure her, when she’s ready, we’ll know.”

  “You’re a great guy, Levi. I’m so happy my sister has you and Carson.”

  “Not as glad as we are sweetheart,” he replies. We begin walking again, and as soon as we enter the back doors I can tell we already are going to have a busy day. The hustle and bustle sounds I’m hearing let me know that today will keep me otherwise occupied. Tomorrow, I have to go in for more lab work, so I won’t be dwelling on thoughts of whether or not the meds have done
their job or if I need to keep going with the treatment. I go to my station and get things ready for the day. I turn on my radio and get lost in the music. Once I have everything ready, I walk into the lobby and call back my first client.

  As I’m laying the outline out on the design I hear, “I’m not piercing that guy’s junk! I told you I’m not into piercing, but I’m definitely not putting my hands on another guy’s dick!” I hear Carson yell out.

  “Carson, we’re backed up and need you to pitch in, I don’t have time to fit in the piercing,” I hear Ariel tell him.

  “I’ll do it,” I hear Rainey say…uh-oh. That may just push Carson over the edge. Levi left earlier to head to work, so at least she only has one macho-man to deal with.

  “The fuck you will,” he says to her. The last time she did a Prince Albert piercing you would’ve thought she was cheating on him. He paced outside the door the entire time. This is why I’m happy I don’t share a workspace with my man.

  “It’s a client, Carson, not my sugar daddy,” she replies. I close my eyes, knowing that this is going to lead to an issue, now, and in the future.

  “Excuse me,” I say to my client as I get up and walk out the door.

  I walk out into a stare-off between Carson and Rainey. Ariel looks like she’s fixing to blow her lid. “Guys!” I holler out.

  “What?” Carson asks, never removing his eyes from Rainey’s.

  “Let’s take this into the breakroom.” I tell them all. They’re acting like a bunch of children, business is business, this isn’t meant to be anything personal. Which is exactly what I tell Carson once we enter the breakroom.

  “I know it’s business, but why do we have to offer piercings?” he asks.

  “Because there isn’t another shop around here, and we don’t want to lose our clientele, you moron!” Rainey hollers out.

  “No need for name calling,” Ariel tells her.

  “I agree, maybe you two working together isn’t such a great idea,” I tell them.

  “I’m beginning to agree with you, Em,” Ariel tells us.

  “What? No,” Rainey says.

  “Well work it out,” Carson says.

  “Y’all do that, I left a client sitting in my chair because of y’alls childish antics,” I say, turning on my heels and heading back to my station. “Sorry,” I tell the client who has laughter dancing behind his eyes.

  “Can’t say that I blame him, I wouldn’t want to touch another guy’s junk either, now give me a nice set of tits and I’d be on top of that.”

  “I bet you would,” I say to him with a chuckle. Typical male response.

  “Now, let’s get this done so you can go about your day.” I finish his work, his family crest from Ireland. I really enjoy doing these eccentric pieces, you can only do so many butterflies and hearts before you run out of ideas to make them original.

  Chapter 9

  Emory

  I love who I am, when I’m with you…

  Marcus and I are laying on the couch, late that night, and I’m telling him about Carson’s response to being asked to do the man’s piercing. Ariel ended up doing it while they ‘talked’ about how to handle their working relationship. They are working on separating their personal relationship from their working one. He’s laughing so hard he’s bent over, his hand on his stomach and eyes glistening with humor.

  “Oh God, baby. That shit’s hilarious right there.”

  “While the elephant is in the room, how do you feel about me piercing guys?”

  “Not thrilled about it to be honest with you, but I know it’s part of the business…I just choose not to think about it.”

  “I’m sorry if it’s hard on you, to know I do that, but like you just said, it’s a part of our industry, and I can’t deny doing it.”

  “I know, baby, and I promise to not give you a hard time for doing your job, just as you’ve promised me you won’t give me a hard time when it comes to mine,” he tells me with a raised eyebrow.

  “I’m over my snit, Marcus, where it comes to your safety and your job. I know what I’ve gotten myself into, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “That’s good to know, baby, because I’m not letting you go.”

  “You have me until death, Marcus,” I say, then the sobering thought comes to me, that he may have to deal with me leaving him before he’s ready.

  “No, baby, get that thought out of your head. Dr. Tremaine says you’re responding to the treatment, we’re not thinking worst case scenarios here. We’re planning for our future, so you need to get on the same page as I am.”

  “Until I hear the words cancer-free, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the thoughts out of my head,” I say to him, being as honest as I can.

  “Those words are coming, baby.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I believe in us, in our future and I know that you are going to grow old and gray with me. We’ll be sitting on a front porch watching our grandchildren play.”

  “That’s a wonderful dream, Marcus.”

  “Not a dream, baby, it will be a reality for us. I can feel it here,” he says placing my hand on his heart, “I trust my gut instincts on this one, Emory. You’ll be so sick and tired of seeing my face that you’ll be begging for a timeout.”

  “Never, that will never happen,” I tell him. Not only is he the love of my life, but he’s also my best friend. There is no me without him. Period. End of story.

  “Let’s get off the subject, all it does is upset us both. How about we watch a movie since Shyann is asleep and just sit here and cuddle in each other’s arms?”

  “Sounds good to me, Marcus. But let’s find a comedy or something action-filled.”

  “No romance or cheesy chick flicks?”

  “Not tonight babe, tonight we need to have a good laugh or get lost in some type of action/adventure.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll watch. How about the Avengers, it’s funny and full of action?”

  “Yes.” My man knows I love Thor.

  Two nights later, Marcus is on shift and I’m ready to pull my hair out. Shyann is teething, and nothing is making her happy. It’s two am, and I’m walking the floor with her. Bouncing her, cooing to her, giving her pain relievers and I’ve also given her something to chew on to help with the pain. Still, nothing is working, and I think she about hates me right now.

  “Let me try,” Mom says coming into the living room. She’s stayed with us instead of finding a new place. I know my health concerns and Shyann are keeping her from moving forward, I should feel guilty for holding her back, but at times like this, I’m happy to have her with us.

  “I’ve done everything I can think of, Mom. She’s so miserable and I feel utterly lost in how to help her.”

  “Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do but hold her and love her through it.”

  “I’m just so tired these days, Mom.”

  “I know you are, baby girl, your body is fighting itself and the medication’s side effect is drowsiness. Why don’t you go grab some shut-eye and I’ll take this little one, so you can get some rest. We’ll take turns keeping her company.”

  “If you’re sure, I feel guilty leaving her when she needs me.”

  “She has all of us, so do you.”

  “Okay, Mom. Wake me in a couple of hours.”

  “We’ll be okay, don’t worry about us. Won’t we, Shy?” she asks, walking away from me. I take that as my cue to leave and head to my room. I barely lay down before my body gives in and I’m sound asleep.

  I wake up to silence. Freaking out, I jump out of bed and run straight into the living room. When I make it into the room, I laugh at the scene in front of me. Mom is laying on the couch on her back, with Shyann laying on top of her, drool dripping from her mouth. I wonder how long it took her to finally fall asleep. Not wanting to wake them, I go back to my room and grab my phone. I take a picture of them and add it to my photo album for all things Shyann. I bet I have at
least a hundred pictures of her since the day we met her in the hospital. There are several I want to have blown up so I can put them on my wall, this being one of them. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, I run to my bathroom and hop into the shower. Once I’m clean and dressed I go into the kitchen and make a cup of coffee.

  “Make me a cup, would you, baby girl?” Mom whispers just loud enough for me to hear.

  “Yeah, Mom. When did she finally crash?”

  “About three hours ago, her body just finally gave out. Poor thing,” she says kissing Shyann on her head. I love how my mom loves her even though she isn’t biologically her granddaughter. You’d never know with the way she treats her the same as she does Devon. Mom loves with her whole heart, unconditionally. I hope and pray that I have picked up that same quality from her.

  “Here’s your coffee, Mom,” I say sitting it on the coffee table in front of her. Not wanting to wake Shyann, but knowing Mom must need her java, I pick her up and immediately place her head on my shoulder. I go back into the kitchen and grab my cup, I walk back in the room sit my coffee down then sit in the recliner. I’ve gotten pretty good about maneuvering her around without waking her.

  “Do you work today?” Mom asks me.

  “Yes, I work the mid-shift today.”

  “Do you need to get more rest?”

  “No, ma’am, I actually feel pretty good right now. Plus, I want to spend time with her before I drop her off.”

  “Let me keep her today, she had a rough night and needs to be here. Plus, she’ll probably be cranky, and the nurse maid Dillon hired will have a hard time keeping both babies happy and occupied.”

  “Are you looking for an excuse to keep her all to yourself, Mom?”