by Sam Crescent
“I’m not smitten. I’m just, you know, I’m fine.”
“So the party tomorrow? You going?”
Darcy wrinkled her nose. “No.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun for you to meet a guy. Please, I’ll help you pick out an outfit. When are you going to start putting on weight?”
Darcy looked down at her still slender frame. During her treatment she’d lost a lot of weight, and her experience with food had been a traumatizing one. After eating she would often vomit it all back out, leaving her even more tired than when she started.
“I’m getting there.” Another reason to love Tabitha, she really just spoke it like she saw it. “Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m going to pick you out a cute little outfit,” Tabitha yelled from the bedroom.
Rolling her eyes, Darcy lifted herself up, putting the book on the small coffee table she’d picked up from the second hand store. It was a damn good table, and sturdy.
She found Tabitha laying out her clothing, which wasn’t a lot.
Tabitha tutted. “Dresses are out the window. Skirts as well. I’m thinking some really good jeans, and this shirt.” She pulled out a gypsy style white shirt with a blue print. Darcy had never worn it. “Try it on.”
“Why don’t I stay in? We could order takeout, watch a movie.”
“No. I’m going to have to catch up with my homework and Daisy’s coming for a sleepover tomorrow, so we’re studying. Besides, you need a boyfriend, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Darcy took the clothes from her friend and couldn’t believe she was getting bossed around by a kid younger than she was.
****
Ink folded his arms as he leaned against the car. Lash was dealing with the latest woman who’d needed shelter and safety while the cops dealt with her abusive ex. That sucker was now behind bars, and Lidia could have a whole new life with her young child. When The Skulls had decided to help the law with an agreement that all of their past was laid to rest, Ink had been pessimistic. He didn’t for a second think it would be this rewarding.
They had saved many men, women, and children, and each time he got to witness them finding a new life, it filled Ink with hope.
Lidia took her daughter’s hand and led her into the house. She had a new identity, job, house, and a new life. The cops would keep an eye on her, and she also had a special contact number for The Skulls in case she ever needed it.
Lash slapped the hood of the car, and Ink climbed inside as his Prez got behind the wheel.
Seeing the car seat in the back, Ink grabbed it and quickly rushed it back to the woman before jogging back to the car to get gone.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Lash said.
“Job well done.”
“Her ex won’t see the light of day. Not only did he beat the shit out of her, he also hurt the kid and has a history of violence. His chance of parole is not going to come soon, especially as he shot at a cop,” Lash said. “Time to head home and party.”
“You’re going to the party?”
“Why not? My wife did help to organize it,” Lash said. “Eva’s taking care of the kids with Tiny. We want some us time. You’re not coming?”
“Nah, I don’t think I will.”
“There’s going to be some chicks available. Angel invited some people from the town.”
“I think I’m going to stay home, you know. Just relax.” He also intended to go see Darcy. She had been catching up on a lot of movies, and he loved sitting with her as they did. She wasn’t a fan of horror, but much to his shame, he liked it when she snuggled up against him, trying to hide from the big bad wolf.
“Shame. I heard Tabitha had told Darcy about it.”
Ink frowned. “Wait? What?”
“You know … Darcy. She’s going to be at the party.”
“She’s eighteen.”
“And legal. If she wants to hang out at the clubhouse she can. We can all keep an eye on her.”
“This is not right,” Ink said.
“Why is it not right? She’s an adult now. She’s got her own place, and if she wants to hang out with us, she can. Besides, any guy who hits on her will be surrounded by all of us. She’s better protected at the clubhouse than she is online.”
Ink ran a hand down his face, and he really couldn’t believe Lash didn’t have a problem with this.
“You’re not serious,” he said.
“Ink, I know it is hard for you to move on and all, but Darcy is growing up. She can stay and party if she wants.” Lash turned on the radio. “Stop being a spoilsport. Don’t you recall what it was like to be that age?”
“Yeah, and I wanted as much pussy as I could get. Darcy is not me though. She will never be me.”
“I still don’t see what the big deal is,” Lash said.
“What if it was your daughter?” Ink asked.
“Oh, that shit isn’t happening. My little girl is going to be a nun. I already see it. She won’t want anything to do with boys.”
“Okay, but on the off chance that she does, what then, huh? What do you suggest?” Ink asked.
“Dude, my daughter’s not going down that road, okay. What is the big deal? Are you, like, jealous of her? Do you have a thing for Darcy?”
“I don’t have a thing. I just care about her, and I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
Ink fell silent, and the only noise was coming from the radio. He didn’t know why he was overreacting over this. Darcy had a right to her own life, and he couldn’t recall her ever being this happy in all the time he’d known her.
The Skulls kids had been to hell and back through the club, but Darcy had to fight for something more. She’d had to fight for her life because there was nothing they could to protect her.
Running fingers through his hair, he blew out a breath, and felt … odd.
“I’m going to the party.”
“Don’t be a drag at the party, Ink. Let Darcy learn from her mistakes and have some fun. I’m insulted you think the club wouldn’t look out for her. She’s the club. Of course, we’d look out for her. She’s one of us and always will be.”
“I’m sorry, man. I think the time away has fucked with my head. I’m not in the right zone right now.”
Lash pulled up outside Ink’s building. “You’re coming to the clubhouse tonight?”
“Yeah, I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“You know that leather cut is waiting for you.”
“I haven’t earned it.”
“If you’d turned your back on the club, run away and not had anything to do with us, I wouldn’t give it you back. You didn’t do that. Whenever I needed you over the past three years, you came running. You were still part of the club, but I get it. You think none of us has needed a break, some down time? You’re wrong. We’ve all needed it, some more than others. I’m not going to hold that against you. Besides, you also helped Devil, and anything that can bring our clubs together, I’m all about.”
Ink nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.”
Lash had to have the last word.
Climbing out of the car, Ink didn’t linger to chat. He merely made his way up to his place, only to stop with the key in the lock.
Glancing to the elevator, he instead took off, heading to Darcy’s place. Knocking on her door, he waited for a response, only for nothing to come. He knocked again, and of course, there was no answer because she wasn’t there, she was at the damn party.
He shouldn’t care.
Darcy was her own person, and she knew how to take care of herself. But he couldn’t let it go.
Rushing back to his own apartment, he took a quick shower to wash off the day, and got ready as fast as he could. He wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Darcy, and he would always be there for her.
Chapter Nine
Sitting at the corner of the bar, Darcy nursed her soda and watched everyone. She’d spent a great deal of time at the club, and fo
r the most part, it had all been rather tame. Some of what she was seeing was not tame.
There were no kids around, and it would seem the parents liked to play. When she saw Lacey and Whizz making out in a booth, she had no choice but to avert her gaze. Maybe mixing kids and parents wasn’t such a good idea. Her own parents weren’t here. Michael was though, and seeing him walk around as if he owned the place pissed her off.
She knew from Tabitha that the younger girl had in fact cut Michael for some kind of infraction. Being in the hospital she’d not gotten the full story, and Tabitha had been vague about it.
“The point of going to a party is to actually enjoy it,” Drew said, taking a seat beside her.
“Are you kidding? I’m having so much fun. I’m drinking and staring at the bar because it is the only safe place to look. I think they’re trying to melt my eyeballs forever,” she said.
Drew laughed. “It takes some getting used to. It has been a long time since a party like this was thrown. What made you come in the first place?”
“Tabitha. She thinks I need to start meeting people. Guys to be more specific.”
“The girl that’s taken is offering you out to the world.”
“It’s not like that.” She felt a need to defend her friend.
“I know it’s not. It’s good to see you out. How is work and life and stuff?”
“Oh, it’s all good. You know. Busy. I like to keep busy though. It takes my mind off everything else.” She shrugged. “How about you? Have you met any hot girl yet? You got any girl hot and bothered?” She cringed. “I have no idea what I’m talking about or even why I’m talking like this.” Drew was laughing, so she considered that a plus.
“I get it, and no. No one for me.”
“Have you dated a lot?”
“Not really. Dating is not on my list of things to do right now.” Drew looked across the room, and Darcy followed his gaze seeing Steven and Sally together.
“You got a thing for her still?”
“No. I just like to see her happy, you know.”
“I doubt she wanted to hurt you.”
“Sally doesn’t have a nasty bone in her body. She never told me there was a single chance with me. I know that.”
“Then why are you still looking at her like you got a chance?” Darcy asked.
Drew sighed. “I’m not. I’m trying not to.”
“You do want her though,” Darcy said.
“I’m fine.”
“It has been years.” She lifted up in her chair. “And you’re not going to be miserable anymore.”
“Darcy?”
“Nope, don’t even start with me. We’re going to find you a date, and you’re going to go on it.”
“I’m older than you. I can find someone to date,” he said.
“I know you can, but the point is, you haven’t. You’re living in the idea that Sally is going to come to you. She’s not, and I’m not trying to be cruel.” She’d read enough books to know that the Sally and Stevens of the world stayed together.
She had been rooting for the couple for as long as she could remember. With her stupid crush on Ink, it had given her hope that one day he’d look at her like she was more than just a kid, or Emily and Blaine’s kid.
She needed to learn to move on as well, and to stop dwelling in the past. Ink would never see her as something more, and she really wanted to find that special someone. Even though, deep in her heart, she had a feeling Ink was her special someone, Ink didn’t feel the same way about her.
“What about her, the blonde?” she asked.
The moment she pointed the other woman out, there was a huge high-pitched laugh that made her wince it was so loud.
“Yep, scrap that.” She looked around the room, and when she saw her target, a brunette with a sweet smile who also looked a little out of place, she didn’t give Drew a chance to tell her no.
Rushing over to the woman just as Adam approached, she looked at the British Skull and shook her head.
“Are you calling dibs on the brown head?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re a lesbian.”
“Adam, there are lot of other women in this club tonight. You can have your pick of any number of them.”
“I want this one.”
“Tough. This one is mine.” She nudged Adam back. “Hey, my name’s Darcy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at the club before.” She held her hand out.
“Hi, no, this is my first time.”
“I didn’t catch your name,” Darcy said.
“It’s Jade.”
“Hey, Jade. It’s good to see you.”
“Do you come here often?” Jade asked.
“Well, erm, my parents are actually members of the club, so I’m here a lot.”
“Oh, they don’t mind you hanging out, partying?”
“They don’t seem to, no.” This couldn’t get any more awkward. “How about we go and have a drink? How about that?”
She grabbed Jade’s hand and led her back to her part of the bar.
Drew was glaring at her, and she forced a smile to her lips.
“Hey, Drew, this is Jade. Jade, this is my good friend, Drew. He’s an actual member of the club, unlike me.” Darcy grabbed a stool, drawing it closer so Jade could sit between them.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jade,” Drew said.
“And you. My friend said this was the best place to come on a Saturday night,” Jade said.
“Where’s your friend?” Drew asked.
“She left with someone.”
Darcy pressed her lips together, to keep her opinion on friends who abandoned others to a minimum. She ordered them a round of drinks, staying completely soda for herself, while buying shots for her friends.
The music began to get loud, and she encouraged both Jade and Drew to head out onto the dance floor to enjoy a dance.
She was watching them, admiring all the couples that chose to dance. Angel and Lash were wrapped around each other. Killer and Kelsey. Zero and Prudence.
Taking a deep breath, she felt tears fill her eyes. There was a chance she wouldn’t have gotten to see this, to watch her family together.
She had tried to keep a distance from all of them. Each day she had, she had cherished more than the last. Being on the children’s ward, she had made so many friends, and with them, she had seen life and death. Wiping a tear, she turned to face the bar, drinking her soda.
She shouldn’t have come to the bar. This place wasn’t for her. Just as she was about to leave, someone sat down beside her.
“I didn’t think I’d see you at a Skulls party.”
Ink was dressed in jeans and a shirt. His heavily inked arms were on full display in a white shirt that didn’t hide his very sexy and handsome body.
“Ink,” she said.
“Are you enjoying the party?” he asked.
“Yeah, I am.” She nodded toward the dance floor. “Look what I just made happen.”
“Drew with a chick?”
“Yep.”
“About time.”
“I totally agree.”
“You’re not here to find someone for yourself?”
Her cheeks heated, and she thought about Tabitha. “Yes, but that’s not going to happen. I’m going to head home, actually. I’m tired. It has been a long day.” She didn’t think it was a total waste coming here because one look at Drew, and she knew she’d made the right decision.
“Before you go, dance with me.”
“Why?”
“Every woman should have a dance before leaving a party. Come on.” He took hold of her hand, and she didn’t fight him.
The crush she had on Ink wasn’t gone.
Each time he was with her, every single touch and caress, it seemed to blister her body with a need. The heat from his hands in her body made her ache in ways she had never known before.
What had started out as a crush certainly hadn’t ended like one.
She followed him onto the dance floor, and as he pulled her in close with his hands on the base of her back, she kept trying to focus on anything that wasn’t his face or his mouth. His lips looked so tempting, and she wondered what they would be like to kiss, to press her lips against his.
“You look really pretty tonight.”
“Thank you. Tabitha dressed me.” She closed her eyes. “She picked out my clothes.”
He laughed. “I know what you mean. Do you like the party?” he asked.
“It’s good. Tabitha wants me to start dating, and the only way to do that is to go out in the world and meet people.”
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
She thought about it while staring at his neck. Why did it look so good that she wanted to kiss it? Get your head out of the clouds, Darcy. “I want to date. I do want to meet someone. I feel I’ve missed so much of my life already, and I don’t want to miss anymore. What about you? Are you going to date?”
“No, I don’t date. You’re not going to meet the person for you here, Darcy.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know enough to know you’re better than this.”
She sighed. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”
She pulled away from him, and fortunately he didn’t put up a fight.
****
Ink nearly hit his head on the underside of a car when someone slammed something hard down on the hood.
“What the fuck?” He pulled himself out from under the car, and sure enough, there was Tabitha, glaring at him, looking pissy. Her long, blonde hair looked like a wild mess. “What do you want, Tabitha?”
“Not only will you not date Darcy but you then get in the way of her finding someone.”
He should have known Tabitha would find out. After walking Darcy home from the party, she hadn’t talked to him. That had been a week and a half ago, and he didn’t like the silence that was happening between them. He liked listening to her talk.
“You should be in school.”
“I got half a day, and I figured I’d come and deal with you.”
“You’re a kid.”
“Can’t you deal with the fact Darcy wants someone else that is not you?” Tabitha had her hands on her hips and was glaring at him.