Ink & Bone

  Frustration prickles in my chest, but I manage to hold it down. Where is he getting this information? And why does he think it’s important to me? It was, once upon a time, but now…now I have a new family. Anyway, if my birth parents wanted to see me, they would have tracked me down. The only person I want to see, the only person I want to hold, is Jai and only Jai.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  He lowers his newspaper. “I thought you wanted to know.”

  “I did. Not anymore.”

  He tips his head. “Why not?”

  “Because knowing doesn’t change anything. They’re not my family. They never have been, and they never will be.”

  “Funny you say that.” Skull plucks a manila folder from inside his newspaper and tosses the newspaper aside. “I found a whole bunch of letters from your mother that never went through to—”

  I shoot out of my chair and snatch the folder from his hands. Growling, I toss the folder into the pool, destroying everything in it. I won’t let him into my head. I won’t let him fill my head with lies.

  “I’m done with your games,” I snap at him, and he clenches his jaw. On and off the muscles go, faster and faster, until a growl rips from his chest and he dives at me. His large body crashes into mine, knocking me on my ass. I barely have time to recover before he scoops me up by the scruff of my white tank top and drags me to the edge of the pool.

  “You’re going to fish those out,” he snaps, grabbing me by the shoulders.

  I struggle against him, thrashing wildly. “No, I’m not!”

  We wrestle. Every time he gets a good grip on me, I shake out of it until my patience wears thin and I spit in his face. He freezes, and I use the minute to catch my breath. Skull reaches for his sunglasses and his shirt. Pulling his shades off of his face, he wipes his face with his shirt.

  “That’s not very ladylike now, is it?” he states, his voice as cold as ice.

  “I—” His wide palm connects with my face, and it tosses my head to the side. I swing my arms and scream as I lose my balance and fall into the freezing pool.

  The water is so cold it almost paralyzes me. I gasp for air, kicking my legs as quickly as I can. I swim for the edge of the pool and grab onto it. As I slap my palms against the stone, Skull stands on my fingers with his sneakers, and I hiss as he jars them against the hard rock.

  “You’re not getting out of this pool until every shred of paper is collected, do you understand?”

  I glare up at him, shivering. “I-it’s f-freezing.”

  He crouches low. “You should have thought it through.” He removes his foot from my fingers. “All of the paper. Now.”

  Despite the violent tremors in my body and the way my teeth chatter, I turn around and swim to the center of the pool. I grab the soaking manila folder and three small sheets that have fallen out of it. They disintegrate in my hand, but I do my best to keep them all together. Then, I force myself to the edge of the pool and hand them to him. I grab onto the ledge as he takes the sopping papers from me.

  “Did you learn your lesson?” Skull asks, glancing down at me, and I nod. “I’m not convinced.”

  He tosses the paper back into the pool, and I all but sob as tears fill my eyes. Turning, I swim back out for the paper…

  …praying that I drown somewhere in the middle.

  Eleven

  Jai

  Warped

  He fucking lied to us. He said he’d be here at nine a.m., and it just hit ten. I pull my hoodie off of my head and reach for the cellphone again. I hit the button, and the screen turns on.

  Beep. Beep. Warning! Your battery is critically low.

  Fuck. I hit the phone icon and call Joker’s cell. I bring the phone to my ear, and it rings out…and then it dies.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shout, opening my door. I jump out of the car, cock my arm back, and throw the phone deep into the forest. I knew it! I fucking knew he set us up.

  I rake my fingers over my face and push them through my hair. Now what? Now-fucking-what? My blood burns under my skin, the anger in my veins threatening to eat through my skin like acid.

  “What do we do, Jai?” I startle as Joel sneaks up behind me and rests against the car. “Whatever you want to do…I’ll do it.”

  I plant my hands on my hips and stare at my boots. “We’re here,” I tell him. “I can’t leave her there a second longer,”

  “And if we’re caught?”

  I look at Joel. I don’t need to say anything. He knows. If we’re caught…we can kiss our asses goodbye.

  “Never too late for you to back out, brother,” I say, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my black cargos. “Jessica is in Italy. She’d love to see you.”

  He pulls out his black cap from the pocket of his hoodie. “Bail and let you have all the fun?” He places it on his head. “Nah.”

  I guess stubbornness is a trait we both have. I nod toward the car. “What about Monique?”

  “She wants to help…” He smiles. “Telling her what to do is like catching rain in a bucket riddled with holes, so I’m gonna let her tag along.”

  I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up my throat. I know how that is. “It’s settled then. The three of us versus the army of them.”

  Joel smiles at me, but the corners of his mouth are sad. It’s a farewell smile. I’ve seen them a million times throughout my life. “Thank you.”

  Oh, no. Not the ‘thanks for everything’ speech. I push past him. “We’re not doing this right now.”

  “Yes, we are.” He snags my arm, holding me in place. “If we’re caught…if I die or if Monique dies, just know that we are incredibly grateful. Every extra second that I’ve spent with her is something that never would have happened without you so…thank you.”

  Nodding, I shrug my arm free and circle the car to the open bed. I stretch forward and snap the locks on the metal box to my left. I tug on the handle and drag the heavy tray closer to me. Clearing my suddenly thick throat, I pop the lid off and, behold, a box full of beautiful bitches. I grab an M-16 and pull it out.

  “I wonder if Joker filled these with real bullets or blanks.”

  I press the butt of the rifle against my shoulder and peer down the length of it. “Real bullets.”

  I don’t bother checking. As I hold the rifle in my hand, I just know she won’t let me down. Joel chooses his rifle and stuffs a handgun into the waistband of his jeans. “How far are we?”

  “A mile, maybe less.” I point east. “If we follow that track we should come out by the fence behind his pool house.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I studied every inch of Huss’s map of Skull’s compound.”

  Every.

  Damn.

  Inch.

  “The pool house isn’t a bad place to enter, actually,” Monique chimes in, sauntering around the back of the truck. “There’s a wine cellar underneath with a secret passage to the second kitchen in the main house.” Tucking a lock of long blonde hair out of her face, Monique peers at Joel. “Remember?”

  Realization spreads on Joel’s face. “Right.” He beams. “There is.”

  I don’t recall the passage being on Huss’s map, but then again, why would it be if it’s a secret? “Do I even want to know how you two discovered the secret passage?”

  Monique chuckles, blush rising to her cheeks. “Probably not.”

  I won’t ask then. Exhaling, I reach into the tray and whip out a handgun. “You know how to use one of these?”

  She nods. “I’m not completely useless.”

  “Prove it.” I hold it out, and she grabs the handle. “If you hit at least four people, I’ll stop harassing you about your age.”

  Monique purses her soft, glossy lips before tucking the handgun into the waistband of her own jeans. “There’s nothing wrong with my age, but I’m going to take you up on your bet anyway.”

  I close the tailgate and turn east toward the path.

&nb
sp; One mile.

  One mile from here my woman is waiting. One mile from here, a man and his army will do whatever it takes to keep her from me.

  I hope they prepared for my arrival, because I’m about to rip through there like a fucking tornado.

  ***

  “Shhh!” Joel shoves me against the pool house, his palm firm against my chest. “Shit!”

  Gasping, Monique grabs my wrist. What’s their problem?

  “What?” I demand, trying to peek around him. “What is it?”

  “Fucking Skull,” he hisses, clenching his teeth. “They’re by the pool.”

  I shoot forward, and Monique releases me, but Joel pushes me back.

  “What’s your problem?” I shove his hand away and inch out, peering around the corner. My heart stutters at the sight of Emily sitting on her knees, soaking wet and freezing to death while Skull crouches in front of her, clenching her hair in his fist. His mouth moves as he speaks, and all I can see is the tremors in her muscles as the cool breeze penetrates her body. Surrounding them are Skull’s goons with their rifles. They scan their proximities, their fingers resting on their triggers. Fuck. They’re expecting us. I just know they are.

  “Fuck!” I curse, wiping spit off my lip. “They know we’re coming.”

  Joel drops his head. “Fucking Joker. I knew it!”

  It makes sense. Skull has it in for the Twisted Sons ever since one of his men murdered his wife. He would’ve offered them a deal. Shit. Dropping back, I rest against the pool house. What the fuck am I supposed to do? There’s no way we’re going to make it through that. I glance at Monique, who watches Joel and me with wide eyes, her hands trembling around her gun. We’re going to fight this war with her as our support? Her tiny legs can barely hold her body upright.

  “It’s all right,” I tell her. “We’re good, all right?”

  Letting his gun hang from his body, Joel steps around me and pulls Monique into his arms. She holds him tightly, so tight her knuckles turn white.

  “Go back to the car and leave, Nique,” he says. “You know where I’ve stashed the money. Take it and go.”

  Sobbing, she shakes her head. “Not without you.”

  “I can’t go with you.”

  I look away as their conversation falls to whispers. I inch forward and watch Skull talk to Emily with a condescending smirk on his lips. Then, without warning, he claims her mouth with his, and my vision turns red.

  Twelve

  Emily

  The Kiss

  Bang!

  Something zips by my ear, and I gasp as Skull crashes to the floor with a violent roar. In the distance, Laura screams Skull’s name, and I fall onto my ass, no longer feeling the cold that previously chilled me to my core. What the fuck is happening?

  I look around at Skull’s men and watch as they advance on the pool house, shooting at the beautifully sculpted columns that surround us.

  Hope ignites in my chest, and I force myself to my feet. Could it be? He’s finally here?

  “The delivery is here,” Skull barks, groaning as he climbs to his feet and sprints toward the marble stairs, pulling Laura along with him. “Get Emily inside!”

  Oh, hell no! I run in the opposite direction. I run in the direction of the bullets. I sprint harder than I’ve ever sprinted, panting like I’ve already run a million miles. Someone grabs at me from behind, but I slip away with ease, stumbling only slightly.

  “Jai?” I call his name as I pass another sculpture and reach the soft grass. “Jai?”

  Tears well in my eyes, desperate tears. I squeal as a bullet zips by and buries itself in the soil at my feet. The ground shakes, I swear it does.

  “Don’t fucking shoot at her! Shoot at them!” Skull shouts, and as I pass the final sculpture, a hand shoots out and snatches my elbow. Without warning, I’m tugged sideways, and I squeak as I slam into a hard body. I blink rapidly as hands grab at my face and force their way through my hair. When the blurry lines of the world sharpen, I see his face.

  Jai.

  He’s as beautiful as I remember, even with his cuts and bruises. Deep, ocean-like eyes, pink full lips and spiky, jet black hair. I press my hands to his face and devour him with my stare. He’s here. He’s actually here. For me.

  “Are you all right?” he asks, touching his thumb to the bruise on my lip.

  My heart pounds in my ears. “I am now.”

  Bullets chip away at the sculpture we hide behind, but they don’t faze me. Holding me close, Jai swallows the distance and kisses me—hard—and it’s everything I need. Sighing, I rake my fingers through his hair and melt into him. His kiss breathes life into me, into my soul, and all the aches and pains I’ve accumulated over the past week are sucked from my body and replaced with love and warmth. In one heartbeat, he reminds me why I held on for so long, waiting for him.

  *Jai*

  I have her here, finally, in my arms. She’s smaller than I remember, more fragile. How she’s even managing to carry herself around on her delicate frame is beyond me. I pull her harder against me, so hard I’m afraid I’m going to snap her in half, but I can’t loosen my grip. I don’t want to. God, I’ve missed her. I’ve been through so much shit this past week that it feels like months since I saw her last. I pull away from her and lift my rifle.

  “Take your time,” Joel shouts, popping out from behind the pool house, shooting his gun. “We’re not in a hurry or anything.”

  From my waistband, I pull out my handgun.

  “It’s only got three bullets,” I tell Emily as she takes it from my hand. “Make them count.”

  I peer around the stone and lift my rifle, lining up a dickhead a few inches to my right. Without thought, I squeeze the trigger, and blood explodes from his head right before he crashes to the ground. Beside me, Emily squashes her trigger and gasps as it kicks back into her hand. She hits her target in the shin, and he goes down, clenching and screaming. I line him up and finish it off, leaving him lifeless in the grass.

  And then comes the man of the hour, storming toward me without a care in the world, his handgun lifted and pointed at me. He’s going all in. Whether he lives or dies, he doesn’t give a shit. To him, revenge is everything. People like Skull live in the negative. Without negativity, without drama and revenge, they have nothing. If I were him, I’d let it go because there’s no way he’s going to win this fight. Whether it’s today or six months down the track, I will destroy everything he’s built, and not out of revenge, but out of moral obligation.

  He fires his gun, and I tuck back behind the sculpture. Emily does too.

  “He’s coming,” Emily pants, her eyes wide and fearful. “What do we do?”

  “You’ve got two bullets left,” I say, smiling to ease her tension. “Hit him between the eyes and you win a trip to Italy.”

  Whipping around the stone again, I line Skull up in my sights. He lines me up too. I squeeze my trigger…

  …and my rifle malfunctions. Shit. My heart slows, and I see the quirk in Skull’s lips.

  Bang.

  It happens slowly. The fired round from Skull’s handgun seems to float through the fragile air. Not surprisingly, it pierces my body at an excruciating pace, and I’m thrown back. My heart, no longer pounding relentlessly in my chest, moves to my shoulder and tries to escape out the wound.

  “Jai!” Joel and Emily’s voices tangle together.

  I roll onto my side and drag myself onto my knees. In front of me, Emily is apprehended by one of Skull’s henchmen. She struggles against him, watching me in panic as blood runs down my arm.

  “Joel!” Monique screams, and the sound chills my blood.

  I turn my head as Monique and Joel are dragged out from behind the pool house, separately, guns pointed against their heads.

  “You’re late!” Skull snarls, kicking me hard in the ribs. I grunt and fall, clenching my midsection. Groaning, I roll onto my back, and he stands over me, peering down with his evil grin. Blood drips onto my cheek from his s
houlder, and I grimace.

  I missed his head. Damn. I was aiming for his head. Skull stomps on my shoulder, pressing the tip of his shoe into my wound, and I hiss.

  “Skull,” I mutter, “good to see you.”

  Chuckling under his breath, he cocks his leg up and slams it down. Emily’s shrill scream pierces my ears as Skull’s boot crashes with my skull…

  …and darkness swallows me.

  Thirteen

  Jai

  Skull and Crossbones

  I blink, opening my eyes slowly. A relentless headache throbs over my skull and buries itself in my eyes. I shift, and the sound of metal rubbing against metal sends chills down my spine. Well, shit. This is what I was hoping to avoid.

  “Jai?” I lift my head, and there she is, seven feet in front of me, chained to the roof by her arms, just like me. “You’re awake,” she sighs, her eyes wide. “Thank God.”

  I blink a few more times, and the sharp lines of my reality return. Beside her, Monique sleeps, her knees bent, her head hanging. Next to me, Joel groans and stretches his legs.

  “I’m getting real tired of being chained up,” he mutters. “Would it kill him to chain me to a chair? My legs are fucking killing me.”

  I look at him. “I was shot in the shoulder,” I point out. “Quit your bitching.”

  Speaking of which, I glance at my shoulder. Hm. It hurts like a motherfucker, but at least he went out of his way to patch it up. He must want to keep me alive. I shudder at the thought.

  “How long have we been hanging here?” I ask, flexing my stiff fingers.

  Emily tugs on her chains. “A few hours.”

  She shivers, and I notice her clothes are still wet. It’s freezing in here. The least Skull could do is give her something warm to wear so she doesn’t catch a cold.