Boxed Set: The Ink Series Volume 1-4

by Holly Hood

  “Maybe we should tell her,” I suggested. The thought of Hutch lurking, doing things to any of us didn’t sit well with me.

  “Are you nuts?” Slade pulled me down on the bed forcing me to relax even just a little. “He’s home. And I don’t think he is heading back to that church anytime soon.”

  I bit my lip. “That doesn’t mean anything. If Hutch has his claws in these people it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.”

  “What more could happen?” Slade smoothed my hair back. “Your dad was brought back from the dead. Now he’s being haunted by god knows what. I think if anything else happens he’d welcome it at this point.”

  I scoffed angrily. “He wants some normalcy in our lives. That’s all he has ever wanted.” I touched the tattoo on his stomach thinking about life before Cherry. I traced another tattoo with my fingers looking up at him. “What did Hutch say?”

  Slade shrugged half-heartedly. “The same thing he always says. He wanted to rattle my fucking cage.”

  “Did it work?”

  “Of course not.” He lifted my hand kissing my fingertips. “It never works.”

  I closed my eyes trying to shut the world out even for a moment. “I don’t understand why he won’t go away.”

  “Some people thrive on fear and control,” Slade offered. “They only feel normal when they’re fucking up someone else’s life.”

  “I wish someone would drop a house on him.”

  “This isn’t the wizard of oz,” Slade played with my hair. “Nothing is that easy.” He tugged me to him, we fit perfectly I thought to myself as I dropped my head to his chest.

  “So tonight, another gig.” I couldn’t help but think about the last attempt and how my brothers ruined it. I was happy to know they were going to try again but it still made me nervous.

  “Kidd will kill anyone if they get near our equipment this time.”

  I took a deep breath trying to let the anger and disappointment go but it hung around.

  “I still feel bad,” I admitted. “And things don’t feel any better because I haven’t talked to either of them.” They were doing their best to avoid me.

  “Forget it.” Slade sat up. I repositioned myself next to him. “They’re kids. I think we get that.”

  ***

  Several hours later we were in the exact place everything went to shit. The only difference this time was Erica’s boyfriend. Kidd offered him the job of watching over the room so nobody could get their hands on the new equipment. And he took over as drummer since Lucy’s breakup caused them to be short one.

  Equipment I overheard was ridiculously expensive and they only had it because of Lucy.

  “I love this one,” Karsen said as we went through selfies in the corner of the room while our men talked about what was going to happen during the show.

  “This one is better.” I moved to the next picture. “I can see your ring.”

  Karsen grinned, her gaze drifting to Kidd. “It’s so perfect. Did I tell you I think he’s perfect?”

  “Only every day.” I teased. “I’m happy for you two.”

  “Good. Because you know you’re going to be my maid of honor right?” She looked at me, raising her eyebrow. “And I think we are having a black wedding.”

  My eyes widened. Karsen had her entire wedding planned since we were kids. I was pretty sure she there was a scrapbook wedged under her mattress. A black wedding was so unlike her.

  “I know, I know,” she said. “You would have thought I would have went with pink.”

  I nodded.

  “But Kidd is a rockstar, and I found this really hot dress. So I don’t mind,” she insisted giving Kidd a little wave. “I’d marry him naked as long as I could marry him.”

  “So when do you think this will happen?”

  She shrugged. “We both agreed I should focus on my career. So in two years. Once the band gets where they need to be and I finish school, it will be the first thing on our list.”

  I was relieved to hear my best friend wasn’t in a rush to commit. It wasn’t that Kidd wasn’t the right person for Karsen. I just felt some things shouldn’t be rushed. Ever since my parent’s divorce I had this overwhelming fear of failing at just about anything in life.

  And the more I sat there thinking about it the more my anxiety took over. I twisted the ring on my own finger.

  “What are you stressing about?” Karsen asked zoning in on my nerves.

  “I-I guess it just hit me I’ve let a lot of things go lately. I used to have goals.” I was determined to become a professional ballet dancer. I loved to sing, at one time I bordered on a book worm and nerd when it came to my goals in life. That all seemed to wash away.

  “A lot has happened.” Karsen pointed out. “It’s understandable things would change. You’re still in college. You have plenty of time to be what you want to be in life.”

  I shook my head. “You’re right. I think I am overthinking things.”

  Kidd stood up. “Alright it’s show time. Let’s blow the roof off of this shithole!”

  I laughed, taking Slade’s hand. We headed for the door. He pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it to me, planting a kiss on my lips. I wished him luck before I took my spot in the front of the club. We were vips and it was awesome. Maybe not as big as a Henry park turnout but a lot of people were waiting to hear the band.

  The lights dimmed and smoke filled the stage. Karsen clapped excitedly at the sound of the drums. I squealed with excitement and sung along to the lyrics, keeping my eyes on Slade and his every move.

  Kidd and Oz played along staring the crowd down with satisfaction all over their faces. They were doing what they loved, and that was all that mattered to them.

  Karsen could hardly contain her excitement when Kidd attacked his solo. She jumped from her seat and took off to get closer to the stage.

  I stayed put, I wasn’t about to compete with the dozens of girls pawing at my boyfriend.

  Someone took the seat next to me, tapping me on the arm. I turned and gasped. The crowd screamed louder when Slade pulled off his glasses and tossed them into the crowd.

  “They’re here,” Kenny said.

  He touched my chin closing my mouth. “I said they’re here.”

  Somehow I managed to get to my feet. I tipped my head to the side studying him. “Who?”

  “Who do you fucking think?”

  He swatted my hands from my lips. “Get it together. They’re going to want answers.”

  I dropped back down in my seat. I was the only one aware of our visitor.

  Slade was in his glory, the club alive, everyone was enjoying the music. And I was stuck looking at Kenny. The one person I never wanted to see again.

  And that said a lot because Hutch was still alive.

  Look at the options

  I paced the floor trying to sort through what Kenny said. Of course Slade was busy doing the same thing he always did when shit was close to hitting the fan.

  I looked at him, so cool calm and collected lying across his bed, remote in hand.

  “I can’t see this being just nothing like you’re saying it is,” I said. “Kenny came all the way back to Cherry to tell us they are going to want answers. What if they know?”

  “What if they do?” He raised an eyebrow raising the remote and pointing it at the television. “We knew this going in. It wasn’t like this was going to stay buried for all eternity.”

  I wanted to climb into his closet and hide. “I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”

  I pulled my bag out from under his bed and unzipped it.

  “What are you doing?” Slade asked, focusing on me.

  I lifted the huge packet from the college I was thinking about attending. The one I failed to mention to him. “I promised Karsen I would go with her to check out some schools.” I looked away. I hated dropping bombs on people. “I was thinking of switching schools and focusing on something else.”

  “Since when?
” Slade turned the television off and waited on my answer.

  I licked my lips. “Since forever. I know it’s been awhile since I cared about dancing but I always have. And I think I should start again.”

  His eyes darkened and he didn’t say anything.

  I stood up sitting down on the bed. I touched his hand. “There are schools all over the place. A ton right here in California.”

  He scratched the back of his neck. “It seems like your need to spread your wings and fly might have something to do with everything happening lately.”

  I shook my head, pressing my lips together. Now I was the one not saying anything.

  “If you’re trying to get away, say so. Don’t make it about everything else.” He pulled away.

  “I’m not trying to get away. I just want to do something with my life.” I sighed. “You have the band, I have nothing but a screwed up family and a bunch of problems on my heels.”

  “She speaks the truth.” He stood up and moved to the window. He opened the curtain staring out so he didn’t have to look at me.

  “You know what it’s like to feel complete you have your music. You have Kidd and the rest of them.” I lifted my phone from the bed. It was Karsen probably wondering where I was.

  “Maybe you should get that,” Slade said.

  I hit ignore. “I’m not done talking to you.”

  I forced him to look at me. “We did a summer apart once before. Why is this any different?”

  “The entire situation feels different.” He brushed my hair away from my face and sighed. “Not to mention now that I feel the way I do about you I don’t want to say goodbye for a whole school year.”

  “You didn’t think I was going to go back to school?” I raised an eyebrow.

  He moved in, our lips inches apart. “I was hoping you couldn’t resist my charm and you would decide to stay, so much for hope.”

  I smiled pressing my lips into his. “You know how I feel about you.”

  He shook his head. “I want to hear you say it.”

  I touched his face releasing an amused sigh. “I love you, Slade Andrews.”

  He kissed me, moving toward the bed. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.” He tossed me my phone. “Now answer that before I toss it out the window.”

  ***

  I left Slade’s with the biggest smile on my face. It wasn’t the exact way I expected the conversation to go but I felt more loved than ever before.

  Karsen sipped her coffee, we were an hour away from home at a community college she was thinking about attending. “This place sucks balls.”

  I lifted my coffee cup and brought it to my lips. “You haven’t even met the faculty. It might be good for you.”

  Karsen sighed. “Maybe I should go to hair school.”

  I shook my head. “You don’t like hair. You like…well I don’t know what you like but it’s not hair.”

  She shook a packet of sugar. “I like my fiance. I like shopping. I don’t like learning.”

  “Well, unless Kidd is really rich and willing to pay you to sit at home and do nothing all day you might want to get a job or go to school.”

  Karsen wasn’t paying attention to me. She stared out the window busying herself with the random strangers wandering around on campus. “We could always attend school in Cherry.”

  I scoffed shaking my head at the thought of a college in Cherry. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the kids I once went to school with. “They all go to school there.”

  Karsen shrugged. “So what. I doubt Tucker is majoring in dance. Who cares where he goes to school. We have bigger fish to fry than Tucker.

  “Jesse majors in dance.” I pointed out. “And I don’t want to see him on a regular basis.”

  Karsen pointed a finger at me. “But you do want to see Slade right?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it off. Of course I wanted to see Slade’s gorgeous ass every day of my life. I couldn’t think of many girls who wouldn’t.

  She lifted the application packets off the tablet and stood up. I was shocked when she tossed them in the garbage. “If I promise to major in the same thing will you join?”

  I bit my lip narrowing my eyes on her. “You hated ballet. Your parents forced you and I recall you trying to get out of practice for a leotard allergy.”

  Karsen rolled her eyes. “These things happen. I can take some antihistamines and suck it up, because in the long run one thing will always keep me doing what I need to do.”

  I pulled some cash out of my purse and set it on the table. Karsen held the door for me. “And let me guess, that thing is Kidd.”

  Karsen smirked. “That thing is mind numbing orgasms supplied by Kidd.”

  I shoved her.

  We headed to my car so we could go back to Cherry and let everyone in on our newest decision. I climbed into the driver side and buckled my seatbelt. “So ballet it is.”

  Karsen nodded in agreement. “I will have the six positions down in no time.”

  “There are five.”

  “Maybe I was talking about kama sutra,” Karsen said with a smile.

  I filled her in on the most important parts of ballet on the hour long ride home. I forgot how much I enjoyed talking about dance. It was a calm like no other and I missed it.

  “So we will pick up dinner and head to the boys’ house for the night,” Karsen said as we pulled up to the taco shack. I swear we ate there twice a week anymore.

  I sifted through my bag for my wallet hoping there was enough money to cover the bill. I located a twenty gasping at the sight of them.

  “What’s the matter?” Karsen asked.

  I grabbed her arm and shoved her in between the two stores.

  “This can’t be happening right now.” I moved away from the two of them and pressed myself against the taco shack and hoped to god they didn’t see me.

  “What is happening?” Karsen tried getting a peek at my biggest fear. I yanked her back again. “The only thing I see happening is us contracting hepatitis from standing so near these trash cans.”

  “That’s them.” I said quietly. “Evan and Eve.”

  She slowly moved forward cautiously getting a good look. “The ones you and Slade totally fucked over.”

  I cringed at her wording. “Yes, Karsen. And now they are here. And they want answers.”

  “On why you fucked them over am I right?”

  I nodded. “And I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well you better think fast because I think they spotted us,” Karsen said.

  Before I could devise a plan to run I locked eyes with Evan. There was no getting away. It was time to face the music.

  I chewed at my lip a thousand pounds pressing down on my chest. But somehow I moved my feet. I rounded a trashcan on the boardwalk and did my best to keep calm.