“What’s going on, angel?” I asked Belle.
I touched her waist and made her sit down on a chair.
I looked down at her.
“She… my mother.”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She’s dating someone already.”
“That’s bad?”
“Ash, she just went through all that shit with Chester,” Belle said.
“Right. I know. You said she does this though.”
“That’s what I’m worried about here,” Belle said. “I thought she was getting better with things. But this… it’s not good.”
I crouched down and touched her cheek. “You know there’s nothing you can do, right?”
“I know. But I’m still talking to you about it. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all,” I said. “So she found a new guy. What happens now?”
“She falls madly in love and then gets hurt,” Belle said.
I touched her cheek. “See? You already know the ending. So nothing should surprise you. You’re already ahead of the game.”
“What if that’s not what I wanted to hear?”
“Well, that’s the truth,” I said. “So deal with it. I’m not going to lie to you.”
“Oh, sure,” Belle said.
She tried to turn in the chair but I stopped her.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Come on, Ash. The other night? Those guys from Brooks Crest…”
I gritted my teeth.
She had me there.
I guess - in a sense - I had lied to her.
“I didn’t want to get Mara and Vera scared,” I said.
“Yeah, right,” Belle said.
She slapped my hand away and spun around.
She used her feet to pull herself toward the desk.
“I have no idea why they were around, angel,” I said. “That’s the truth. We were going to leave, remember? Leave everyone there but us. And when I saw who it was, I just wanted to protect you. And Mara and Vera.”
“So what happened then?” Belle asked.
“Honestly… nothing. Uly and Hil waved their guitars around like they were going to use them like baseball bats. Mac got out of the SUV just for show. That was about it. He’s got personal ties to Barr. The Rulz.”
Belle looked back at me. “Do you?”
“No. None of us do. He was probably just snooping around to get us pissed off. Which worked.”
“And what are you going to do about it now?”
“Don’t know yet,” I said. “I haven’t thought much about it. I’m actually enjoying the moment here, angel. Just you and me. This place. Them…”
Belle turned around in the chair. “You like it. All of it.”
“Like what?”
“Everything, Ash. You like Uly. You love Hil. He’s your stepbrother but he’s closer than that. You love me. And you love that Mara and Vera are around too. Just admit it.”
“I’m admitting nothing,” I said.
Belle rolled her eyes and reached behind her. “Did you draw this?”
“Yeah,” I said.
It was a very detailed feather.
“What’s the story behind this?” Belle asked.
“Who said there’s a story?”
“I did,” she said. “Every tattoo has a story.”
“Tell that to the banana chick,” I said.
“Ash… that’s a story. She got that tattoo for a reason. Drunk? Regret? But then she got it covered up. By you.”
“I didn’t tattoo her.”
“But you drew it. That makes it a story.”
“It’s a feather, Belle,” I said.
“Why did you draw it? Why did it come to you?”
I stepped toward her. I shook my head. “You’re really interested in this, huh?”
She put the drawing down and grabbed my shirt.
She slowly stood up, her eyes hitting mine hard.
“Of course I am. You’re a bad boy asshole. And seeing this side of you… it’s just so… different.”
“Which is why nobody ever sees it.”
“It’s like I’m with a different person, Ash.”
My hands touched her hips. “Is that what you want?”
“No. I want you. But all of you.”
I laughed. “You know, hearing that said to me sounds really cheap.”
“Now you know what it’s like to be a girl,” she said.
“Oh, if I was a girl…”
I smiled.
“What?” Belle asked.
I looked down at my chest.
She slapped my chest. “You’re stupid, Ash. Seriously? That’s what every guy thinks about.”
“So?” I asked. “You want what you don’t have.”
“Uh, hello?” Belle asked, pointing to her chest.
“Oh, right,” I said.
I opened my hands and wiggled my fingers and reached for her.
She spun around and kicked her foot behind her.
“Creep,” she said.
I wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her close to me. “You like it. You crazy thing.”
“I’m a thing now?”
“My thing,” I said.
“No… your thing…”
Belle wiggled her hips.
I growled in my throat.
She laughed at me.
I gently slid my hands up her body and to her left shoulder. My fingertips flirted with the neck of her shirt and I gently pulled, exposing her shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Belle asked.
“That feather would look good right here,” I whispered.
I kissed the spot on her shoulder.
Belle gasped.
She spun back around to face me.
“Do it.”
“What?”
“Do it,” she said. “Tattoo that feather on me.”
“Angel…”
“Why not? Do it. It means nothing, right? So I can have it mean something to me.”
“You’d let me tattoo you?”
“Sure,” she said. “Unless you think Kyan is better. I mean, his hands look really nice…”
I curled my lip. “You go near him and I’ll put his head through a window.”
Belle smiled and gently slapped my face. “There’s the Ash that stole my heart.”
She walked toward the door and I went after her.
My right hand touched her side.
“My mother.”
“Your mother?” Belle asked as she looked back and up at me.
“My mother,” I said. “She told me a story once about finding feathers. That they meant something. I don’t know. I was little. But it stuck with me. When she was killed, I used to look for feathers. That was my grieving process, angel. Okay? Looking for feathers.”
“Did you find any?”
“Never,” I said. “But after my father started messing around with Hil’s mother, there was one time… she knew everything was a mess. It was a little fucked up for all of us.”
“I could imagine,” Belle said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Hil and I didn’t exactly get along. But his mother brought me a feather one time. I’ll never forget that. I guess my father told her about what I used to do. I don’t know, it just… it clicked in me then. If they were happy, then fine. Let them fuck, get married and have kids.”
“Have kids?” Belle asked.
“Yeah. They were going to have more kids. Imagine that. A mix of Hil and I.”
“I don’t want to,” she said.
“You never have to worry about it,” I said. “Vanessa can’t get pregnant. And it crushed her. Hurt my father too. So I gave her the feather back.”
“Ash…”
I moved my pointer finger to her lips.
I shook my head.
“That’s all I’m going to say about it,” I said. “Now I need to get back to BFH and fight someone.”
“Well, you’re in luck,” Be
lle said. “Raza is having a party.”
“Seriously? And you want to go?”
Belle pushed away from me. “Wow. I thought my bad ass boyfriend would be first in line to show up and pick a few fights and mess shit up. Are you getting weak, Ash? I’ll go find Hae. She knows what I like.”
As Belle strutted away, I stared at the back of her.
My lip curled high into the air.
They were going to ruin everything.
Belle. Mara. Vera.
They…
Belle looked back and kissed the air.
I nodded.
I heard Hae’s weird music start to play through the tattoo shop.
Her seduction music, probably because Belle was there.
Yeah, it was time to leave for sure.
Chapter 6
“We’re having a chat right now.”
Raza blocked the door to his house.
On each side he had a guy standing. Big guys. Wrestler types. Just like Mookey.”
Hil and Uly picked their guy to stand up to.
I looked at Raza. “What’s wrong?”
“I said we’re having a fucking meeting,” Raza said.
“You believe this guy?” Uly asked.
“He’s swinging some big balls here,” Hil said.
I stepped up to Raza and picked him up.
I walked him into his own house as Uly and Hil followed me.
They were laughing their asses off, but I wasn’t.
I put Raza against a wall, holding him up, his eyes wide.
“Got something to say?” I asked Raza.
Everyone in his house slowly started to look.
“Ash, put him down,” Belle said.
“Listen to her,” Raza said.
“Or what?”
Raza just stared, swallowing over and over.
I finally did put him down.
I made a fist. “I’ve been in a bad mood all day, Raza. Belle wanted to come here. Is that a problem?”
“No,” he said. “But the fighting bullshit…”
“That’s what this is about?” Uly asked.
“Let’s go talk then,” Hil said. “Top of the world. Deal?”
“Yeah,” Raza said.
I turned and faced Belle.
“We’re fine,” she said. “We’ll get a drink and relax.”
“Don’t go too far,” Vera said. “There’s a lot of guys here.”
“See what she does to me?” Hil asked Raza. “She tortures me into fighting people.”
“That’s right,” Vera called out.
I eyed Belle and then Mara.
Mara’s first experience at Raza’s wasn’t exactly a good one.
I trusted Belle though.
And I knew Mara was tough.
Especially with Vera in the mix of things.
They were damn tough.
Raza led the way through the house to the deck so he could take us up to the top of his perch or whatever the fuck you wanted to call it.
We climbed the steps and at the top, Raza stopped us.
“Oh, shit,” Hil said.
Someone was already there.
* * *
“Jasmine?” I called out.
She turned her head and pushed the hair out of her face.
She let out a gasp when she saw us standing there.
“What the fuck?” Ryan said.
He sat on one of the built-in wooden benches.
And it looked like Jasmine was sitting on his built-in wooden bench too.
Her hands on his shoulders.
Her guilty lips pouty from kissing Ryan so much.
“Is this for real?” Uly asked.
Ryan put his hands behind his head. “Hey, she’s got a new addiction now. Me.”
Jasmine jumped up.
She turned and messed around with her shirt.
Ryan winked at us.
“Get the hell out of here,” Raza said. “And you…” He pointed to Jasmine. “You brought a drug dealer here. You bitch.”
“Hey!” Ryan yelled. He jumped up. “Don’t call her that.”
“Raza is with us tonight,” I said. “Stand the fuck down, Ryan.”
“What does Aaron think of this?” Hil asked. “His girlfriend screwing one of his best friends…”
“Not screwing,” Jasmine said.
“Well, we were gonna,” Ryan said.
Jasmine looked around.
She quickly slapped Ryan across the face.
Then she pushed by me and hurried away.
“Damn,” Ryan said. He rubbed his cheek. “I was hoping she was going to do something else with that hand of hers.”
“Fuck, man,” Uly said.
“What?” Ryan asked. “She’s a fucking hot mess that I’ve wanted for a long time. Fucking Aaron doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
“I thought she moved away,” Hil said.
“She did,” Ryan said. “She sneaks away to see me.”
“To see you?” I asked.
“Oh yeah,” Ryan said. “I’ve been in that for a while, man.”
“And what happens when Aaron finds out?” Raza asked.
“Who fucking cares?” Ryan asked.
He walked away next.
We all turned and watched him go down the steps.
“Is it me or is Ryan almost okay enough to just be a little bit cool?” Hil asked.
“It’s not just you,” Uly said. “Props for what he’s doing.”
“Fucking his best friend’s girl?” I asked.
“Been there,” Hil said.
I looked at Hil and he smiled.
He and Belle never…
Even still…
“What the fuck did you want us up here for?” Uly ask Raza, getting the night back on track.
“I have to be careful here,” Raza said. “With the cops and shit. So nothing funny.”
“We don’t tell jokes,” Uly said.
“I do,” Hil said. “What do you call a virgin on a waterbed?”
“I’m being serious,” Raza said. “I can’t have anything crazy happen. And now with Jasmine here…”
“She’s not messing around with those pills anymore,” Uly said. “Let that go, Raza.”
“Look, man, we’re here because the girls wanted to be here,” I said. “So just kick back and enjoy. I’m not planning on fighting anyone.”
“You always say that,” Raza said.
“Hey,” Uly said. “We’re Them. We control the fights. So if something breaks out, we can stop it for you.”
“That’s a win in your book, Raza,” I said. “You have protection from Them.”
“Can I tell people that?” Raza asked.
“You want to fool around with Jasmine, don’t you?” Hil asked. “You like the girls that you know will fool around with anyone.”
“Just no bullshit,” Raza said. “Please. I’m in hot water already. But I hate not using this place to my advantage. My last few parties have been quite fun. You weren’t here. Now you are.”
“And it’s even better,” Uly said. “Come on, Raza. Get a drink. Find a pretty girl.”
“Stay away from Jasmine,” I said. “She’s in a world of trouble as it is. You don’t want that.”
“Maybe I do,” Raza said. “She goes home the next morning. Or even the same night.”
“Perfect,” Hil said. “Marry her!”
“Why would I…” Raza shook his head. “Promise me no fighting.”
“Promise you?” I asked. “You can eat your own fist for saying that. Promise? I don’t promise anyone anything.”
“You promise Belle a lot,” Hil said.
“That’s different,” I said.
“How?” Raza asked.
“Belle shows him her goods,” Uly said with a laugh.
“Shit, Ash, do you want Raza to drop his pants for you?” Hil asked.
“I’ll throw all of you from up here,” I said. “I’m not lying either.” I stepped toward Raz
a. “And you were worried about a little fight here and there, right?”
Raza showed his hands. “Nobody needs to fight tonight, guys. Let’s just all have some fun.”
“Stay away from Jasmine,” I said. “Got it?”
“Sure.”
“Promise?” I asked with a grin.
“I promise, Ash,” Raza said.
Raza moved away from me and went down a few steps and paused.
“What now?” Uly asked.
“I have to know…”
“What?” I asked.
“Hil’s joke. What do you call a virgin on a waterbed?”
Hil stepped forward, grinning ear to ear.
He put his arms around me and Uly.
“Can’t figure it out, Raza?” Hil asked.
“I don’t know… a good time?”
Hil snorted. “Hey, Ash, what do you call a virgin on a waterbed?”
“What, Hil?” I asked with a sigh.
“A cherry float.”
* * *
We walked up to one of the fires.
Hil was feeling jumpy, obviously wanting to impress Vera more than he already did just by being him.
He snapped his fingers and pointed to someone playing guitar.
“You know what I’m going to say, right?” Hil asked.
“Yeah,” the guy said as he stood up.
He reached his arm out and Hil grabbed the guitar.
He then told his girlfriend to make room for Hil.
“She can sit next to me,” Hil said.
“She does and I’ll put her face into the fire,” Vera warned.
The girl gasped and reached for her boyfriend.
Another guy with a guitar had already given his up to Uly.
“So now let’s play some real fucking music,” Hil said. “Any requests?”
Everyone was silent.
Hil sat down.
Uly sat a little bit away from him.
I looked at two guys that were sitting.
I pointed to Belle.
“Are you seriously going to make Belle stand?” I asked.
“No,” they both said.
They got out of the way so Belle and I could sit together.
“Hey, does it bother you when they do this?” Belle whispered to me.
“What?”
“They play and you just kind of watch,” she said. “You sit and watch. Doesn’t that drive you crazy?”
“Why would it?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Look at it this way, angel,” I said with a grin. “They’re the court jesters. Right? They entertain. Now maybe they’re a little tougher than your normal clowns… but if they’re the jesters, what does that make me?”
ASH: a bay falls high novel Page 6