Ink (13 page)

It was better than the opposite, I thought, sighing. I could be worrying about how to lose weight and complaining how bad my back was killing me. Maybe I needed to be happy with what I had and forget about what I didn’t.

I slipped my bra on, fidgeting with the straps in the mirror. Suddenly there was a rattling at my window. I dropped to my knees, letting out a scream, then decided most killers didn’t knock, and stood back up. It was Slade. And I was blushing in embarrassment.

I ran for my robe, tying it securely around my waist before I opened up my window. “I thought I said I would call you,” I whispered.

He climbed through the window and then rested against it.

“
Nice panties.” He didn’t smile, just looked me up and down as if the memory of my bra and underwear was enough for him.

“
I told you I would call you. There were some things we needed to talk about first,” I explained.

Slade walked around my room, fingering my jewelry, touching my books and pictures on the wall. He ignored me, putting me on edge.

“
Slade, I told you I would call you,” I said again, a little louder in case he wasn’t hearing me.

He lifted a picture of me and my mom up, turning it to me. “Is this your mom?” I nodded, taking the picture from him. “You look a lot like her, what is she?”

I sighed. “She’s French, Korean and Irish.”

“
It makes you very unique. My dad’s father was French.” He moved back across the room.

I crossed my arms. Was there a point to his story? I sat down on my bed, it let out a squeak.

“
Ooh, probably hard to get away with much in that bed, huh?” He was so cool when he joked with me, I almost wasn’t sure he was joking.

“
Can we talk?” I patted the bed. Slade eyed it carefully, opting for my computer chair. He slid it over to my bed, sitting in front of me, his black shirt falling away from his body as he rested his arms against his legs. I looked away from his chest muscles.

“
I was really hoping you would want to go sing with us.” He rubbed his hands together, looking at me for an answer.

“
I have been saying for five minutes now that I want to talk to you first, but for some reason you don’t want to hear anything I have to say. It’s rather annoying.” I huffed.

Slade sat up, caressing his lip ring with his tongue as he watched me sitting helplessly on the bed. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I had to say something.

“
I’ve been informed of some, uh… things. And I just want to get your side of things before I jump to conclusions. Because I’m a young girl and it’s the smart thing to do.” It sounded ridiculous and something my parent’s would say, but it was all I had.

“
You’re talking about Tucker. And you’re referring to Anaya. You think I murdered her.”

I fidgeted in my skin. I wasn’t expecting him to just come right out and say it. I forced a nod, staying completely still. If he was a killer it was his perfect opportunity to slash me to pieces or even rape me, and this made me even more nervous. My nerves slowly turned to fear and then my fear turned to tears. I burst into a soft sob, covering my face as I cried.

Slade stood up, backing away from me. “If this is a bad time I’ll just leave. I wasn’t trying to make you cry.”

I wiped at my eyes, calming a little now that he was backing off rather than attacking. “I don’t know what to think. I met you before I met anybody here and I know what I think about you. But now my head is filled with doubts and I am a blithering idiot. What is wrong with me?” I threw a hand through my hair feeling like a nut job.

Slade finally sat back down. “I didn’t murder anybody. Tucker needs to keep his mouth shut before he ends up regretting it. He thinks being the Mayor’s son gives him special privileges to be a fucking asshole,” Slade remarked, his agitation showing. But it didn’t scare me. It just emphasized how upset the allegations made him.

“
Swear it,” I said, looking at him.

He scoffed, nearly laughing at me. “Do you really think I would be free to go where I wanted if the cops knew I killed a girl?”

I tilted my head, thinking about it. Of course he wouldn’t, unless they just didn’t have proof. “But Tucker also said she was raped.” I swallowed, the darkness creeping back into the room.

“
I never was romantically involved with Anaya. And I never forced myself on her. Once again Tucker needs to keep his theories to himself.” He lightened up a little, standing again and looking at my pictures some more. “You really look happy in these,” he commented.

I stood, coming to stand next to him. We both stared at the photos of me and Karsen. He was right, I was a big ray of sunshine in the photographs. I touched Karsen’s face, a little sad.

“
Do you believe me or not?” Slade asked suddenly.

I stared down at my wrist, giving a nod. “Yeah, I do. You were never scary or out of line with me. You saved me that night from the crowd, I couldn’t think bad of you if I wanted.” Then I suddenly remembered the ink and I shoved my wrist in his face. “But this!” I exclaimed.

Slade grinned. “You wanted to say thank you, right?”

I smacked my lips together to be more dramatic. “Please tell me it will come off.”

“
Nope, you’ll forever know how to get a hold of me. Now I’m only a phone call away,” he joked. I rubbed at the number trying yet again to make it fade even the slightest.

Slade grabbed my hand, stopping me. He pressed his fingers against the number, our eyes met up. “Come out with me tonight and I will take it off, I swear.”

I blinked nervously, debating the idea in my mind. “I don’t know. I think you should prove it to me first,” I said with a smile. Slade’s thumbs rubbed heavily against my skin. The number vanished. I smiled as he stroked my skin a little quicker, and suddenly, as quick as it was gone, it was back. I shook my head in shock, “What did you just do?”

Slade’s face grew very serious, his eyes clouding over. I searched his eyes for the explanation. Maybe I had seen wrong, but I was almost positive my skin was number free for a couple seconds before it had returned.

Slade jerked his head up, his chin jutting up a little bit. “Come here,” he whispered suddenly. “I have to say it in your ear, it’s a secret.”

I obliged, moving closer to his face to hear his explanation. His lips met mine and he dropped my wrist. I gasped, going in for more. It was a shock, but a good one.

His mouth kissed the corner of my mine, and then he worked slowly to my bottom lip. He undid my robe, slipping his hands inside, his fingers cool against the warmth of my skin. I let out a pleasurable moan at his strong touch. His fingers slinking along my skin, he brushed against my collar bone, his lip ring scraping lightly over my lips. I grabbed at the back of his neck in a euphoric blunder. Slade grabbed the back of my damp hair. Yanking my head back, he bit my neck gently, his breath against my skin.

We broke apart. “That wasn’t an explanation,” I breathed heavily.

Slade agreed, leading me over to the bed. I stopped him.

“
Tell me how you did that.”

He lifted my hands to his shirt, guiding them under. I gently felt his body, the firm, soft skin of his muscular frame called out to me and I worried I wasn’t going to ever get an answer, or care if I never got one.

Slade bit at my lip, his tongue running along the bottom of my lip, he held tight to my jaw guiding my mouth against his. We dropped on to my bed, it let out a loud screech sending Crawford barking at the door. Slade shot up like a bolt of lightning. I hurriedly tied my robe back.

“
The door is locked,” I whispered. I checked just to make sure, pressing my face against it to listen for any footsteps. Crawford quieted down, letting
out a whine before finally going silent,
and then I heard his body settle at the door.

Dad hadn’t woken up, and I was grateful.

“
You go wait outside for me,” I said, pointing to my window. Slade gave a nod and jumped out the window. I poked my head out.

“
Please tell me you’re coming,” he said, looking up at me with the hottest expression ever.

“
Of course I’m coming.” I wasn’t going to stay home and pine over what had just happened. It was on a whole other level.

I hurried to get some clothes on, wiggling into my khaki shorts and pink tank top. I grabbed a rubber band in case I needed it for later and threw a leg over the window sill. Slade clapped his hands from below as if I was dropping thousands of feet to the ground. I let him help me out the window, holding his shoulders for support.

He grabbed my hand and we both ran across the beach as if we were escaping prison—or
Dad
.

T
he park was empty, ticket stubs and empty paper cups were all that was left of many nights of music and partying. I had to admit, it was a change from the loud, energy filled stomping grounds most nights. I didn’t have to try to squeeze my way through a bunch of men or anything.

I followed alongside Slade, past the stage like the last time I had been with him. Only this time things were different, we were different. We had shared a kiss, one that still haunted my memory. It was hard to shake from my mind.

“
They’re a little rough around the edges, but you’ll get used to it,” he warned, walking up the two small steps of the tour bus. He gave a fast knock before barging in.

I heard many voices shout out, some cuss words and laughter. Slade gave me his hand. I took it and climbed the steps.

Inside the tour bus it was rather lavish. I half expected to be sitting in a cluttered camper, but it was nothing like my vision. Black and red were the main colors, and a large table with booth style seating made up the kitchen. A dark haired woman stood at a black marble counter fixing sandwiches.

She turned as soon as the door shut behind us, her eyes immediately bypassing Slade and taking me in deeply. I nervously brushed my hair away from my face and gave her a small smile. She was a bit intimidating. Her hair was as dark as a raven.

“
Nice to see you home for the night,” she said to Slade, holding a plate in each hand. I shifted my gaze to the table. Oz and Kidd sat in the booth along with a man I had never seen before.

Slade took me by the elbow as he made the introduction. “This is Hope. The girl I was telling you all about.”

Eyes gravitated to me now.

“
This is Lucy. Lucy is the momma bear of the bunch. She also has a mean set of lungs on her,” Slade informed me. I wasn’t sure if I should smile. I wasn’t sure what I should do at all.

Lucy brought a hand to her hip, her nails painted black, her fingers long and skinny. She had an elegant frame, a full bosom and prominent cheekbones that made her look as if she tasted something sour and was puckering at all times. Her pouty lips drew up into a somewhat forced smile. I could tell she was unsure of me just by looking in her eyes.

“
Nice to meet you, Hope,” her smoky voice insisted.

“
Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”

She straightened out her tightly fitted shirt, studying herself. Her head finally shot back up. “Do I look like a ma’am?” She stared at the guys. They all shook their heads no quickly.

“
Lucy is just fine by me.” She snagged some bread out of the loaf, getting back to sandwiches.

I let out a quick breath. That had been an intense moment.

Slade cleared his throat. He squeezed my elbow, aiming me toward the table again. “This is Wayne.”

Wayne stood, his tall willowy frame almost grazing the ceiling. He had pale skin and blond hair, dark roots popping up underneath to reveal his naturally
brown hair.

“
You’re the girl with the voice I take it.” He looked down on me as he talked, his eyes penetrating and hard to look away from. I nodded. Slade pushed at Oz to slide over and took a seat, leaving me to do the same. Wayne sat back down.

All grew quiet as Lucy finished up the sandwiches. She stacked the rest on one plate, bringing them over. She turned back, taking a pack of cigarettes off of the counter and then sat down in the booth with us all.

“
Well, dig in, because that’s all you’re getting tonight,” she said, lighting up a cigarette. She watched me carefully.

Slade set a sandwich in front of me. I smiled, picking it up and taking a small bite out of it nervously. If this wasn’t awkward, I didn’t know what was.

As everyone busily chewed, I kept my eyes on my food, too afraid to speak. Finally Wayne broke the silence that only I seemed to be uncomfortable in.

“
So, I hear you liked the band,” he said, popping the last of his ham sandwich into his mouth. He quickly swiped his hands together getting rid of any crumbs.

“
Yeah, Slade was nice enough to bring me back, and what I heard I enjoyed. And Slade has a great voice himself. I was quite impressed.”

All fell silent. Kidd grinned, chewing his food. Oz cleared his throat.

“
Slade’s been singing for some time now, right, Slade?” Wayne said, giving Slade a look. “He likes to play modest about his talents.”