Ink (The Skulls Book 17) Read online

  “No, I don’t. I think with Darcy mistakes were made and she’s lonely. I don’t know. You’re sticking around.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it’ll be nice to have you around, even without wearing the leather cut.”

  Angel walked into the office as Ink took his leave. The brothers didn’t seem to hold a grudge, and for that, he was thankful. They had a right to be angry at him, pissed off, but at least they weren’t openly hostile toward him.

  The day wore on, and as night fell, the food was packed away and the kids were either taken home or sent to bed.

  The boys and the old ladies hung out around a fire.

  Ink made his way outside, watching them. Angel sat on Lash’s lap. They weren’t kissing, but just the way they held each other, he saw the love between them, shining brighter than any light.

  Devil was the same, only Lexie straddled his waist and they were making out.

  Tate and Murphy were together, as were Whizz and Lacey.

  Seeing them all together, he felt this yearning deep inside him, and he took off out of the clubhouse.

  Fort Wills wasn’t an overly large town, but it had a lot of space.

  Up ahead, he caught sight of Darcy. She’d changed out of her dress and was wearing a pair of torn jeans and a large sweater.

  She’d lost a lot of weight, almost looking gaunt, and he didn’t like that. From what he’d seen her eat, she wasn’t eating enough.

  It’s not your business.

  He followed her, keeping a good few feet from her, but making sure she never left his sight.

  This was unusual, her being alone, and anyone could come and take her. He didn’t like it. The club should have known she snuck out.

  At one point, she stopped and turned, looking down toward him, but never seeing him. He stayed to the shadows, which was always easy for him.

  When she kept on walking, he followed her. She made her way into town, passing several of the shops, and even the graveyard. He made the sign of the cross over his chest, and sent a prayer up to all the lost and dead Skulls that had passed over the years. He had a habit of doing this, just so they knew someone was still thinking about them, still caring, and wanting them to be safe.

  She wasn’t immune to people wanting to hurt her, so the fact she was out on her own irritated him.

  He followed her out to an old park, and she took off through the woods. She pulled out a torch to help her find her way, and he couldn’t just leave her alone, and he wasn’t about to call for help either.

  If she wanted to be alone, she could be, but he’d also be here in case she needed him. When she came to a large tree—he didn’t know what kind—she stopped, and he watched her as she began to climb it. The flashlight hung from a clip on her jacket.

  In no time at all, she was sitting against the main trunk, and he heard her sigh out.

  “You didn’t have to follow me,” she said. “I’m perfectly safe.”

  “You knew I was following you.

  “I saw your shadow on the buildings.”

  “Why didn’t you make me stop?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It seemed like a waste for you to follow me over here and for me to just stop you from getting what you want? You were curious. Why?”

  “Does your family or any of the Skulls know you’re out?”

  “Technically, you’re a Skull, so I’m guessing yes.”

  “I’m not a Skull, Darcy.”

  “Then nope, no one knows, but don’t worry, I tend to be back before morning.”

  He rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of something logical to say to her, and he kept drawing a blank.

  “Darcy, this is not safe.”

  “I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks, even longer when I wasn’t stuck in the hospital or being watched twenty-four hours a day. I don’t mind. I like it here, and it’s not cold. I can’t come when winter hits. It’s nice in the fall though. The leaves are on the ground, rustling along, and I can hear anyone who wants to try and sneak up on me.” She pointed at the dry leaves on the ground close to him. “Why follow me?”

  “You know you shouldn’t be here on your own.”

  She sighed. “You’re going to be a drag on my buzz.”

  “You’re taking drugs.”

  “Hell, no. I’ve been on so many drugs, I don’t want to take anything else, and I don’t. Whenever I’m in pain, I’ll deal with it. I don’t want any more drugs in my system.”

  “Then what hell kind of buzz you’re talking about?” he asked.

  “Just listen and stop invading my damn space.”

  “I’m all the way down here.”

  “And yet, you’re still invading everything. Shut up and listen.”

  “Fine. Fine.” He stood silent, down on the ground, listening.

  At first, he heard absolutely nothing, and then a bird chirped faintly. The hoot of an owl, followed by the rustling of the trees, and it was actually incredible.

  “See, you can hear it now. It’s just nature. You know, no phones, no cars, just life, and it sounds amazing. It sounds like everything and nothing all at once.”

  He moved toward the tree and began to climb.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m going to come and see you.”

  “No, Ink, this is my time and my space.”

  “And this is my life as well, and seeing as I’m here and I’m admiring nature with you, I get to make a decision here.” He moved past her and sat on the really thick branch. It was an old tree, one that had clearly seen hundreds of years.

  “This is my time. My space.”

  “And now you get to have company in your time and in your space.”

  “Don’t do this.”

  “Don’t do what?” he asked. “Talk to you? See you? Have some fun? I’m not going to hurt you, and in case you didn’t notice at the party, I didn’t exactly belong.”

  “That was your choice. Not mine. I didn’t mean to make you leave by what I did. I had no intention to let it play out the way it did.”

  “You did though, and I don’t want to keep going over this. Why can’t you let it go?”

  “Because I messed up. I did something wrong and selfish. I had just been told I had cancer. My hair was falling out. I felt horrible. I don’t know why I asked you, you oaf. You don’t have to keep looking for me. Get off my tree, dammit. This is my time. I won’t have you invading it. You don’t have to stick around. You can leave.”

  He glared at her, seeing the anger in her eyes, but he wasn’t going to run.

  “No, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “So, do you think I’m pretty, Ink?” she asked. She batted her eyes at him.

  “Yes.”

  “Whatever. Will you be my first kiss? Will you love me?” She kept firing questions at him, and he took the flashlight from her hands.

  “You still got a crush on me, Darcy? Do you still want to be my girlfriend?” he asked, taunting her back.

  “So, going to Piston County grew you some balls.”

  “You’ve been hanging around Tate too much,” he said.

  “Ha, I don’t hang out with Tate. That’s all Tabitha.”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised.” He wasn’t. Tabitha was a damn strong woman, even as a teenager. There was no one tougher than she was. She was a Skull through and through, even more so than Tate.

  She didn’t take shit from anyone, and through getting to know Simon, she was more than happy to fight for the club. Anyone saying bad shit always answered to her.

  “If you hadn’t run away, you’d know all of this and wouldn’t need me to keep on telling you. Give me back my flashlight and leave.”

  He held the flashlight out of her grip. “I told you, I’m not leaving.”

  “I didn’t come here to be harassed by you.” She looked like she wanted to shove him, but he held his ground, refusing to budge, and she didn’t touch him. “Please, leave.”

>   “Not going to happen.”

  “Why do you have to be a pain in the ass?”

  “Why do you have to be alone?”

  “I like being alone. Didn’t you hear? I spend a great deal of my time alone. This is who I am now. This is what I do.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts, but he saw the pain inside her.

  Alone she may be, but she didn’t want it to be so.

  ****

  Spending time with Ink wasn’t what Darcy wanted to do. He’d left three years ago, and other than a rare visit when she was nowhere around, he’d stayed gone.

  “Why can’t you just go? You see I’m not hurting anyone.”

  “I know, but I don’t want you to be alone. I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

  “So I’m pity company?”

  He chuckled. “That’s a good one.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be a joke.”

  “I know. It’s still funny.” He winked at her.

  She didn’t like that her attraction was still there. Staring past his shoulder out into the night, she knew he was watching her. There was a little thrill to finally have his attention, but even so, he’d ruined it by leaving.

  “What are you plans now? You graduated high school even after all you’d done.”

  “Look, I know you’re trying to play the nice guy and all that, but I’m really not interested, not even a little bit.”

  “I’m not playing any role here. I’m being the good guy because that is what I am.”

  She looked at him. “Seriously? You’re going to say you’re a nice guy.”

  “I’m one hell of a guy.”

  She laughed. “Oh, please, I asked you a simple question, and maybe touched you a little, and you left. What did you think I was going to do? Jump your bones?”

  “Nah, not that.” The smile on his face disappeared.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Besides the usual problems a fifteen-year-old coming onto a much older guy would have, you reminded me of someone I used to know. Well, I can’t exactly say reminded me of, but the circumstance did.”

  “What were they?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now, and you’re officially cancer-free.”

  “I’ve got to keep getting tests. It’s only after a period of time that they give you a cancer free. Every time I yawn, Mom looks like she wants to phone the doctor or something.” She smiled, but even she knew it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “That bothers you, doesn’t it?”

  “A little bit. A lot, actually. I’m not sick and I won’t always be sick, but they seem to think that’s all I am. I’m not, I’m so much more.” She sighed.

  Silence fell between them, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. With her attraction still there, she didn’t want to make a fool of herself.

  “Are you going away to college?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  “No. I don’t know if I want to waste time on college.”

  “How could that be a waste?”

  “There is a chance this could come back, you know. I don’t want to risk feeling like I’ve wasted even a single moment.” She rested her head back against the tree. “It’s why I come here. There’s no one around to wait for me, to ask me questions. I can just think.”

  “Only now I’m here. So tell me, Darcy, what is really bugging you?”

  “That you’re here invading my thinking time.”

  “Besides that?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. A lot of things, I guess. I’ve been given this chance, and I feel like I’m expected to do other things, and I want to live a little. I want to go out all night partying, just to have the memory. Not to get sick, but not go in by curfew. Maybe get a job and live my own life. I don’t think I want to live with my parents anymore.” She pressed a hand to her mouth as she blurted those words out. “Please, don’t say anything.”

  “Why would I have to say anything?”

  “They’re my parents and I love them so much, but I need space. I haven’t had any space in so long, and I don’t want them to be hurt.”

  “Sometimes you’ve got to hurt others to get what you want,” he said.

  “Ugh! Why do you have to sound so right all the time?” She laughed, leaning back against the tree. “Is that what you did with me?”

  “I had to leave in order to save myself, yes. With you I was incredibly selfish,” he said. “I’m so pleased you were able to fight this … disease.”

  She reached out, taking his hand, trying to offer him support. It was hard to stay mad at Ink. Deep down, she knew he was a good guy, even if he did run from her.

  “I’m sorry for all that you’ve suffered before this. I didn’t mean to make you run away from your home.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “Don’t worry about it. You were young, and I was the grownup. You’ve got nothing to apologize for. I should have been stronger.”

  She sighed.

  “You really didn’t want to do this tonight,” he said.

  “I’m pleased you’re back, Ink. Will you be sticking around?” she asked.

  “I will be. I stopped renting my place out, so I’m going to be sticking around. I haven’t taken my leather cut back. In all honesty, I don’t feel I deserve it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I left, Darcy.”

  “Don’t. That was my fault, okay? I never got the chance to apologize for what I did. I … I’m sorry. Please. Don’t do this. You have a right to be a Skull.”

  “I know what you’re saying, but for me, I still left. No matter my reasons, for me, I need to earn it back. It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but it does to me. I’ll take my cut when I earn it back.” He gave her hand a little squeeze. “I’m just not wired that way.”

  “But you earned it before. I don’t see why you can’t just, you know, have it again.” She shrugged. “It was my fault you left last time. Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything stupid or selfish like that again.”

  “You have a boyfriend yet?”

  “Nope. I’m still single. I don’t know, I think it’s the whole cancer thing. It makes men run in the opposite direction.”

  He chuckled as she looked at him with a scared face and showed men running away with her fingers as an example.

  “At least I can get you to smile. That’s a plus. Maybe you can hook me up with a friend or something.” She winked at him.

  “That is not happening.”

  She sighed. “I’ll die a spinster.”

  “You’ll find the right guy for you, Darcy. You’ve just got to be patient.”

  “I hate that word. Patient. I’ve been a patient, and now I’ve got to actually be it. It sucks.”

  “You can’t spend the rest of your life in a tree,” he said.

  “True, but then, I have no intention of spending the rest of my life in a tree. Just a couple of hours.”

  He watched her as she looked out across the distance, clearly lost in her own thoughts. The night wore on, and Ink didn’t rush Darcy. They both stayed silent, and he gave her the peace and quiet she deserved. No one stopped by or asked them to leave.

  The tree was rather private, and as he watched Darcy, he noticed she didn’t look tired. Glancing down at his watch, he saw they’d been sitting in the tree for nearly two hours.

  “It’s time for me to head back. If I stay too long, I’ll fall asleep and that wouldn’t be good,” she said.

  Ink climbed down first, waiting for Darcy. When she got to the last part, he gripped her waist, noting how slender she’d gotten in the past three years.

  She thanked him, stepping away from him the moment her feet touched the ground, and brushed the bark from her hands.

  “You want to walk me home? I can text my parents that I didn’t want to stick around. They’ll understand,” she said.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “Don’t worry. I have no intention of hitting on you or
flirting.”

  “I’ll walk you back to your place.” Guilt was a horrible thing, and he was feeling it right now with Darcy.

  “You know, I remember when you would blush and pretend not to be able to talk to me,” he said.

  “Please, don’t bring that up. It was a stupid crush. One I really shouldn’t have had.” She shrugged. “Can we call truce on the whole thing? Just be friends?”

  “You have room in your life for one more friend?”

  “I have a room for a lot of things. In case you didn’t notice, my best friend happens to be Tabitha, and she’s still in school. I didn’t exactly blend well with my peers, and seeing as I spent the last couple of years in and out of the hospital, I didn’t exactly make any real connections. Besides, Michael is an asshole, and he probably screwed his way through most of my friends.”

  “So friends it is?”

  “Certainly.”

  He held his out to her, and she took it.

  “Friends,” she said.

  Ink gripped her hand a little too tightly, but when she pulled away, he let her go. Being her friend, it was the least he could do.

  Chapter Six

  One week later

  Darcy sipped at her sweet tea and crossed out another job application. She’d just called them to find the waitressing job had been filled at a restaurant just outside of Fort Wills. She’d also struck a cross through jobs available at the church, the gym, and also the café in town, which was where she now sat, drinking really good coffee.

  Her parents were busy working at their prospective jobs with The Skulls. What she wanted to do was a job away from the club. She didn’t have a problem with The Skulls. They were her family, and she loved them.

  What she really wanted to do was to spread her wings and to find something outside of the protective bubble they’d set up. Maybe even find a guy who would be willing to date her. She had a plan.

  Find a job, get an apartment, and then go on random dates with guys she didn’t know, without her parents or the club finding out. It sounded perfect to her. All she had to do was find a job and hope not to have every single Skull turn up to warn everyone away from her.

  She found one for the dentist, but that would be a big no-no because of Kelsey, who was a dental nurse and also happened to be married to Killer.