Grit (King's Harlots #1)

  “I’ve had a lot of requests to paint people.” She shrugged. “So I hope you don’t mind, but I chose you two to be my first models.”

  “I-I-” I stammered, unable to take my gaze away from the canvas.

  “I think she’s honored,” Angel laughed.

  “There’s a reason I chose you, Jay,” Max smiled. “You’re inspiring. Look at what you’ve done.”

  I shifted uncomfortably, my cheeks heating. Not a fan of praise, I didn’t do any of this to get recognition. I did it because I was sick of women being treated as the weaker sex.

  “I did it because I was told I couldn’t.” I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

  “Yes.” Max turned on her stool, facing me directly. “It’s a huge fucking deal. You started King’s Harlots. You are passionate about getting these girls home safely. Without you, who knows how long it would take for them to be found?”

  “But I haven’t found many.”

  “Yet.” Max pointed her paintbrush at me. “You will. We will. But it’s because of you.”

  “She’s right, princess,” Angel said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “We do what we can because it’s our job and we’re told to do it. But you do it because it’s your passion. You’re driven to save these girls.”

  “I’m only one person.” As much as I wanted to save them, even I knew it wasn’t possible to do it alone.

  “It is possible,” Angel insisted.

  My cheeks burned, not realizing I had spoken out loud.

  “Look at all the research you’ve done for your sister. Look at the shit you’ve been dealing with because of that fucker,” Angel pointed out, his eyes darkening.

  A tremor of fear rippled down my spine. Not that I forgot about the unknown guy or woman for that matter, but a part of me had hoped it was all a bad dream. A nightmare. The person hadn’t tried contacting me again but I made sure to keep checking the social media app on my phone. It burned in my hands as I gripped my cell tight.

  “Has he contacted you again?” Max asked, her voice shaking.

  “No.” I should have been thankful but not knowing anything increased the anxiety flowing through me.

  “Good. Now let me draw you.” She cleared her throat. “I need it.”

  Angel and I agreed even though we had no idea what we were doing. Max had insisted I take off my shirt, allowing Angel to cover me with his body.

  “Now press your chest against his. Hold each other tight. I want the love to ooze off of you.” Her barked commands would have made me laugh under normal circumstances but when I stared up into Angel’s eyes, I fell. Hard.

  He kissed my forehead before leaning his head into the crook of my neck. “I love you, princess. More than anything I’ve ever known. Love was taken away from me as a child but you’ve given it to me as an adult. Thank you for giving me your heart.”

  His sweet words and confession of love for me made my stomach flip. Max had insisted I not talk so she could get the curve of my mouth but I didn’t need to tell Angel how I felt. He knew. I poured everything I felt for him into that hug. Even though Max was there with us, I went to that place. That place in my mind where it was just me and now Angel. I closed my eyes, breathing in the spicy scent of the man in my arms. His heart beat hard against my chest. His arms wrapped around me in a vice-like grip, promising to never let me go.

  He consumed me. I was utterly and irrevocably his. Every breath, every inch of my skin, had belonged to the man holding me. Every waking thought. Every sleepless night. My mind. My flesh. My soul.

  I cupped his cheek, forgetting that I needed to stay still.

  Angel’s eyebrow rose in question. The dark pools of his gaze swallowed me whole. Specks of gold simmered in the chocolate hue.

  “I love you,” I whispered. “More than my next breath. I never thought I would need someone. My sister taught me to be my own person, not giving into the clutches of a man. But you…” My thumb brushed over his mouth. “You’re bossy. Militant. And you command every inch of my skin. I know I can be difficult but thank you, thank you for loving me.” My voice wavered. “For me.”

  “I…” Max stood up from her spot on the stool. “I’m going to give you guys a moment.” She rushed out of the room but not before I caught her wiping under her eyes.

  My stomach twisted and I looked down at my lap.

  “Hey.” Angel pinched my chin, meeting my gaze. “What was that?”

  “Max and Dale…they’re not doing well.”

  “And you feel guilty because you’re happy when your best friend got pregnant by an asshole.”

  “How did you know that?” I asked, taken aback.

  “I put two and two together,” Angel shrugged. “Dale can be hard to get along with. He’s young and wants to explore the world before settling down. But I think he’s actually in love with Max and is just scared.”

  “I hope so.” My heart panged. “I just hope they can find a way back to each other before it’s too late.”

  “I agree, princess.” He kissed my mouth. “Now, did you mean everything you said?”

  “Yes.” My cheeks heated. Again. I had never blushed so damn much before meeting Angel. I huffed. It was frustrating as hell.

  “What’s wrong?” He chuckled, grazing the back of his knuckle down the center of my body.

  My nipples peaked, tingling, hinting for his hand to move a little further to the left or right. But my arm moved of its own accord, attempting to shield my semi-nakedness from him.

  “Don’t.” He pulled my arm away from my body. “Don’t ever hide yourself from me. You’re beautiful. You’re soft where I am hard. You’re stubborn. And I will always love you for you.”

  “I don’t even know who I am anymore,” I whispered. I slipped my tank top over my head, needing some sort of control in the way he looked at me. But he made me feel beautiful. He made me feel like I was the only woman who mattered. The only person for him. The only person in this world. It was the just the two of us. Together we could take on anything and everyone.

  “You are Genevieve Gold,” his grin grew. “You are my Queen, and I am your motherfucking King.”

  “God, I love you.” I kissed him hard on the mouth.

  “I love you, baby,” he breathed against my lips.

  “Mind if I interrupt?” Max asked, opening the door slightly.

  “Not at all.” I smiled at her. “You good?” I asked, my stomach tightening.

  “Of course,” she said, waving her hand in front of her. “I am wonderful.” But those words never reached her eyes. They were red-rimmed. If she would just talk to Dale. But she was even more stubborn than I was. “Now let’s finish so I can open up the gallery.”

  “Don’t you have decorating to do?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s an art gallery,” she picked up her paintbrush, chewing her bottom lip. “People like messy. It shows character.”

  “I’ll never understand artists,” I mumbled.

  “You’re an artist,” Angel reminded me.

  “I draw and tattoo willing participants who like the feel of my needle,” I corrected.

  “Well, when you put it like that,” he teased, gently nudging me in the shoulder.

  I laughed, letting out a contented sigh. I caught Max staring at us. A glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes but she shook her head, the hint of something there quickly disappearing.

  Max shook herself before bringing the paintbrush up to the canvas before her.

  “Don’t feel guilty about what you have, Jay,” Angel whispered in my ear. “She’ll get through this. She wants you to be happy. Dale is a dick.”

  “But that’s no excuse for how he’s treating her,” I said a little too loud.

  Max cleared her throat.

  “Sorry,” I said, wringing my hands in my lap. “I just worry for you.”

  “I’m fine.” Max’s voice was firm and to the point. “You can tell your friend that I want nothing to do with him,” she told Ange
l. “Enough about him.” She turned the canvas toward us. “What do you think?”

  My eyes widened.

  Angel whistled. “You have some serious fucking talent, Max.”

  The painting of Angel and I popped off the canvas. Curves outlined our bodies. Every freckle. Every muscle. Every hint of passion we had for each other screamed in the painting Max had done.

  “I don’t generally paint people,” Max explained. “But I really like this one.”

  “Like?” I asked in awe. “This…wow.” I had no words for how beautiful the image was. Max was able to capture every emotion.

  “It’s not done but you at least get the idea.” She stroked a finger down the side, staring longingly at the painting.

  My heart jumped. I didn’t pray often but I prayed at that moment for my best friend. Not for myself. Not for Angel. For her. She had a good life. The only thing missing was the man she fell in love with. You couldn’t control what the heart wants. Even if it was an obnoxious player like Dale. I didn’t know him well but out of Vice-One, he was the one that went through women faster than half the men I knew. Bikers had a thing for women who were easy. But if you acted like a lady, they treated you like one. Act like a slut, and you would be bent over the nearest hard surface in a matter of minutes.

  “Angel, can you give us a moment?” I asked, not taking my gaze away from my best friend.

  “Of course,” he kissed my head. “I have some calls to make anyway. Thank you, Max.” He gave her a quick hug, whispering something in her ear.

  She nodded, hugging him back, a shaky breath leaving her.

  “I’ll be outside,” he told me, shutting the door quietly behind him.

  “I want you to take some time off. I’ll have Brogan in your place while you get some rest.”

  “No,” Max shook her head. “I need to be out and about. I can’t sit at home, thinking over this shit and how much I hate Dale right now. It’ll drive me crazy.”

  “Are you sure? Because I understand—”

  “No,” she snapped. “I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, running her hand through her shoulder length hair. “I don’t want any time off. Not right now.”

  “Okay,” I nodded. “Is there anything I can do?” Besides ripping the balls off of the man who hurt you.

  “No…well…” She thought a moment. “I want to tell the girls but not for a couple of days. I don’t want any of you going after Dale. I need to deal with it on my own.”

  “Angel knows. He figured it out on his own,” I added before she could accuse me of blabbing her business.

  “What did he say?” Max asked, continuing with the painting.

  “That he’s young, he’s an asshole. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

  “You added that last part in yourself didn’t you?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I’m not going to force him to be with me or to want this baby. He can go fuck himself.” Her voice wavered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “God, I’m sick of crying over him.”

  “He doesn’t deserve you.” I stood from my spot and closed the distance between us. “You deserve someone who loves you back, who feels for you what you feel for them. Who would move the world to make sure you’re happy.”

  “Does Angel do that? Do you feel he loves you that way?” she asked, hopeful.

  “Yeah. I think he does.” What we had was so new that I didn’t know how long we would be together but who went into a relationship thinking that? I loved him. He loved me. We were stuck with each other, and it worked for us.

  UNKNOWN: I know you wait for my messages. You wait to see what I’ll say. If I’ll talk about your sister. If I’ll tell you where she is. If she’s happy. Alive. Trust me. She is indeed all of those things. She loves being with me. You’ll never get her back.

  Me: I just want to see her.

  When there was no reply, I fought back the urge to throw my phone against the wall. But having broken my laptop already, I decided against it.

  “We’ll find her.” Angel rubbed my back.

  “We’ll do more than that,” Greyson boomed, his deep voice coming through loud and clear on speakerphone. “I told you we should have stayed.”

  “And do what, Grey? Drive me fucking crazy with the back and forth pacing you like to do?” I huffed, leaning my head in my hands.

  “We could protect you,” Grey argued.

  “I like you, man,” Angel said. “But I got that covered.”

  “Of course you do.” Grey huffed. “Listen, you call us if anything changes. No matter the fucking time. You got me?”

  “Yes, boss.” I nodded toward Brogan.

  She picked up the cell, turning off the speakerphone, and continued talking to her stepbrother. She headed out into the hall but not before I caught a look between her and Coby. His gaze followed her. Her cheeks reddened. Huh. Interesting.

  “What are we doing?” Dale glanced around the table. “We need to stop this. We need to put an end to this shit that keeps piling up on our table. We need to find these girls.”

  “How, Dale?” Angel sat forward. “We had clearance to go in once. We couldn’t find Vega’s niece. Someone knew we were there, remember?”

  “But something needs to be done,” Dale shouted, slamming a fist on the table in front of him.

  “Remember who you are talking to,” Angel bit out through clenched teeth. “You don’t think I want these girls found? You don’t think I want to get Violet home to Jay and her dad? To her fucking family? You don’t think I want to find out who attacked my woman and who keeps harassing her every damn day? You don’t think I want any of that?” Angel yelled, shoving abruptly to his feet.

  “Then why are we just sitting here? We should be out there searching or, fuck, I don’t know, but I’m getting antsy.” Dale rose from his chair. “I need to hit something.”

  “Oh!” Meeka exclaimed. “Follow me. I know exactly who can help with that.” She walked past Max, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

  Dale glanced down at her, a shadow passing over his face before he was led out of the room.

  Max’s body stiffened, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Was she jealous? Did she wish she could help him relieve the tension he no doubt felt? I would put everything I owned on it.

  “Go talk to him,” I suggested.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’ve tried already. He wants nothing to do with me. No matter what, don’t lose what you have. You’re both strong apart, but together you can take on the world. Between the two of you, these girls will be saved. I have no doubt about that. I…I need some time.”

  I nodded. “Take all the time you want.”

  Her lips tightened into a thin line. “Thank you.”

  “I worry about her,” I muttered when she left the room.

  “I worry about Dale,” Angel confessed. “He’s going to rebel like he always does.”

  “Everyone is stressed.” I stretched my arms over my head, the tendons in my back cracking and popping. A slight sting erupted through my bones.

  “I’ll make you feel better,” Angel whispered in my ear, his hot breath scorching my skin.

  A warm shiver slid up my spine. “We’ll help each other.”

  ***

  “Girl, you got some kickass talent,” Creena Chan whistled, walking around the tattoo shop and glanced up at the drawings I had hung on the dark red walls. “I wish I was half as good as you.”

  “Please.” I laughed. Creena had come into the shop a couple days before, looking for a job. I didn’t know much about her but I knew she was a nurse. There was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes when she had told me her dad would be so proud. Apparently she was rebelling. “All of my clients keep telling me they’ll trade me in for you.”

  “Yeah, right,” she scoffed, her light-blue eyes twinkling. Her olive skin tone glowed in the bright lighting of the shop. She was beautiful. Freckles adorned her nose and cheeks, kissing her face in a subtle way.
r />   The doorbell chimed, interrupting my perusal of my new friend.

  “Jay, darlin’,” Stone stepped into the shop, holding a package. “This was on the doorstep for you.”

  “Thanks.” I ran to him. “It’s my new ink.”

  “Let’s hope. Angel asked me to open it for you though…” His voice trailed off, his gaze landing on Creena, who was now standing beside me. “Hi.”

  “Hello,” she said, her cheeks reddening.

  “Uh…Creena, this is Vince Stone. Vince, Creena Chan,” I introduced them, fighting back a giggle over them staring at each other.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Stone held out his hand. “Very nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” Creena answered, returning his handshake.

  “Well, I’m just going to open my mail,” I told them, backing away slowly. “You guys have fun.”

  “Wait,” Stone called out. “Angel said—”

  “It’s fine. You guys have fun.” I laughed to myself, heading to the back of the shop before making my way into my apartment. Opening the package, I kicked the door closed, humming to myself. It had been a long time since I was in this good of a mood. Angel had helped with that over the past couple of nights. My skin hummed with memories of his touch.

  I rummaged through the papers in the small box, placing it on the coffee table in the middle of my living room. I frowned when my fingers grazed a small velvet box. My heart jumped. Something told me to go back to Stone. To show him that this wasn’t what I had ordered. That something was wrong. I snapped open the box and stifled a cry. Throwing the box to the ground, I shoved to my feet, getting away from the package as if it were on fire. I was naïve to think this was over. To think that the unknown person had stopped contacting me. God, I was so fucking stupid. I got wrapped up in my happiness, not considering that this wasn’t over.

  Images played over and over in my mind. An orange and white cat lay on the carpet, staring up at me with lifeless eyes. The collar around its neck read, ‘Piggy’. How…I couldn’t process what I was looking at. Violet and I kept the cat a secret. We had hidden it as little girls from our father for fear he would be mad and get rid of it. But he wouldn’t hurt it. No. He would send it somewhere safe as we couldn’t afford to feed another mouth. As I got older, I realized that if I had just told him about the cat, he probably would have been fine with it. Especially after Violet left. This cat, though, staring up at me, was dirty, its hair matted like it had been raised from the dead. A corpse. I prayed that it wasn’t harmed in the process of trying to scare me. Who the hell knew about Piggy? We had tried so hard to tell my father about the cat and then one day, we found our animal lying on the side of the road after getting hit by a vehicle.