Chapter 21
Flynn
I stepped into Ink Anarchy just after five. We’d had a rare day at the auto shop where we’d wrapped up all our repair jobs early. Tomorrow was likely to be a beast, though. Holden had already told me to plan on working late.
“Hey, man,” Knight called from where he wiped down a tattooing station close to the front of the shop. “What are you doing here?”
“Been meaning to set up a session with Cyrus.”
He was the best at doing cover-up work, and I had a gnarly prison tattoo that was just embarrassing. Now that someone was regularly seeing my chest, I wanted it fixed.
Bailey hadn’t yet asked about the crudely done dozer on my pec—and if he did, I’d tell him the truth—it was a necessary evil to live up to a certain reputation I had in prison. But it was a reminder of that time that I could do without.
“All right. Cyrus is gone, but Emory should be able to get you scheduled. Hold on.”
Knight headed for the back of the parlor. It was a wide-open space, so I tracked him all the way to a door labeled Staff Only. Most of the artists had gone home, except for Axel’s regular tattoo artist, Fox. His tattoo gun whirred steadily at the back of the shop.
Tattoo art covered the walls, some of it bold and colorful and some classic black-and-white detailing. From cartoony to scarily realistic, Anarchy Ink covered it all.
Emory followed Knight to the front of the shop. “Hey, Flynn! They let you out of the garage, huh?”
“Light day,” I said.
“Well, you’ve earned that.” Emory stepped behind the counter and tapped at the keys on the computer set up there. “Okay, it looks like Cyrus has a cancelation the day after Thanksgiving. Does that work?”
“I think so.”
“You going to see your brother for the holiday?” Emory asked.
“Oh, uh, I guess so. We haven’t discussed our plans yet, but we usually keep it simple.”
“You should both just come to our Thanksgiving,” Emory said, then flicked a glance at Knight. “You too.”
Knight chuckled. “Thanks, but you don’t have to let me gate-crash.”
“It’ll be fun,” Emory said. “We’ll make tons of food, so why not, right?”
Emory was sweet. It would be nice to spend the holiday with them. I didn’t really want to be in Thurston if Bailey was here, but I couldn’t leave Aiden on his own.
“Thanks, Em. I’ll talk to my brother.”
He beamed. “Perfect. I’ve got you all set up that Friday, then.”
“Appreciate it.”
“I’m almost done here,” Knight said. “Want to grab dinner at the pool hall?”
“Sure.”
I didn’t have better plans, other than scarfing down a plate and then calling Bailey.
I could do that after eating with Knight.
I’d been meaning to ask him about his roommate situation.
I’d missed the last Redemption Road program—and I’d been skipping the more informal meetups since Snake showed up at Forrester’s.
Judging by the many nasty texts on my phone, he was pissed I’d blocked his attempt to get hired on by the brothers. The less I saw of him, the better.
Ball Breakers was next door in the same strip mall, so Knight and I walked over. We took a seat at the bar, and I picked up a laminated menu. It was all the usual bar fare: wings, burgers, chicken-fried steak. They had surprisingly good pulled pork sandwiches.
Leo came over. “What’ll it be?”
“I’ll take that Witch Hunt you’ve got on seasonal special,” Knight said. “Plus, a loaded jalapeno burger.”
I grimaced. I didn’t know how he ate that garbage. “Pulled pork,” I said. “Whatever’s on tap.”
Leo nodded and moved away. I swiveled toward Knight. “So, how’s it going over at Anarchy Ink?”
“Really good,” he said. “Cyrus is a chill dude. Everyone is friendly. I couldn’t have landed a better gig, you know, because they’re much more relaxed about the con thing. Other than your job, I mean. You still get the gold star.”
I laughed. “That was just lucky timing. When they brought me on at the junkyard, it was a favor to Matteo. Once he pulled back, it was easy to slot me into his old job.”
Knight nodded. “Still, you’re set now, man. A certified mechanic. That’s something no one can take away from you.”
“Yeah,” I murmured.
I could use my skills to find a job in another shop. That was no small thing. But I really wanted to stay where I was, and not only because of Bailey.
I liked the guys a lot. Axel was laid-back as hell when I worked with him, and Holden was a little uptight, but he always had the best of intentions. Gray was like this force that kept them all in balance.
Bailey, of course, was the heart of the place. It hadn’t been the same without him. But going somewhere he’d never been would be even worse.
Knight and I shot the shit until Leo served our meals. Then we dug in.
“Missed you at the last Redemption meet,” Knight said. “Was that about Snake?”
“Not entirely. I went up to Thurston University. My brother goes there.”
Knight nodded, licking grease from a finger. “Your boy’s up there too, right?”
“Uh, right, but that’s not public knowledge yet.”
Knight raised an eyebrow. “Right. How are you handling that?”
I shrugged. “We’re going to tell his brothers this weekend when Bailey comes down.”
“Think they’ll take it okay?”
“I don’t know. Bailey thinks so. I…hope so, but he’s their baby brother, and I’m sure they want a lot better for him than the likes of me.”
Knight winced in sympathy. “Don’t talk like you’re damaged goods, man.”
I shrugged. “Not exactly untrue, though, is it? After what we’ve seen in prison? What we’ve had to do just to survive it?”
Knight leaned in close, holding eye contact.
It was intense, but not in a sexual way.
“Listen to me, brother. All those experiences didn’t damage you.
They changed you, sure. But you came out the other side.
You will appreciate Bailey more than any other man.
You’ll work harder than any other employee.
Because you’ve seen the darkness, and you’ve chosen not to give in to it. You feel me?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s lucky to have you.”
I shook my head.
“Say it,” Knight insisted.
“He’s lucky to have me,” I mumbled.
“Good. Now, repeat it every day until you believe it. I don’t believe that nonsense about how no one can love you unless you love yourself, but I do believe you’ve got to stop seeing yourself in the worst light, or you’re likely to ruin a good thing.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah. You’re right. Things have been going great. I need to have some faith.”
He smiled. “Yeah, you fucking do.”
He picked up his beer and drained it. “Shit, now I’ve got to hit the head. Be back in a second. Order me another beer if Leo heads back this way.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
Knight had inhaled his food, but I had a few fries to work my way through.
“Well, hell, I didn’t know Knight was your boyfriend,” Snake said, slithering up to the bar on my other side. “No wonder he wouldn’t let me move in with him. That was your doing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said shortly.
Snake grabbed my pint glass and drained the last of my beer, then pulled a face. “Cheap shit, but then you never did have any taste.”
I barked a short laugh. “And you’re supposed to be classy?”
He wore a paint-streaked T-shirt with a large hole under the armpit. He couldn’t grow a proper beard, so his face sported a half-formed scruff that made him look mangy.
He gestured to the paint. “This is the fucking job that your pal Matteo gave me. Painting fucking houses.”
“Sounds like good work.”
“It’s bullshit,” he said. “I’m not busting my ass like slave labor.”
“Way to trivialize slavery. You’re getting paid.”
“Barely,” he muttered. “I want in at the junkyard. You need to make it happen.”
I gave him a hard look. “We’ve been over this. It’s not happening.”
“Then you’re leaving me no choice,” he said. “You’re going to have to get me the parts I need.”
I laughed. “You’re out of your goddamned mind.”
He grabbed hold of my black jacket, clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. “The guys I’m working for don’t fuck around,” he said in a low voice. “They want access to that junkyard for their chop shop. If it’s not through me, it has to be through you.”
It figured that Snake would immediately get himself tangled up in some shady operation to make a quick buck.
I shoved his hand off me. “I’m not helping you rob my bosses, so just give it up.”
Snake was a manipulative fuck, but I’d never seen the gleam of real fear in his eyes before.
“I can’t,” he said. “Don’t you get it? I’m on the hook here. That means you’re on the hook too.”
“I don’t think so.”
“If I go down, you go down,” he said. “You can bet on that. Do us both a favor, and get on board. Otherwise, I’ll have to make you—”
Knight’s arms landed on each of our shoulders. “What’s this? You had a reunion without me. I’m hurt.”
Snake shrugged out from under his arm. “I know your boy here has been telling you some stories about me. But do him a solid and talk some sense into him. Otherwise, we’re all going down.”
He stalked off.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Snake played people well, but I didn’t think he was bluffing this time. He really would try to drag me down with him. But I couldn’t agree to his terms. Even if I didn’t like the guys way too much to steal from them, I’d never jeopardize my freedom like that.
But what if Snake tried to rob the place and pin it on me? I’d have to tell the brothers to step up the surveillance on the junkyard. What a fucking mess.
“You okay?” Knight asked. “That was some intense chat I interrupted.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Snake’s in trouble, and he’s bringing it to my door. Wants me to save his ass or go down with him.”
“Shit, you can’t let yourself get dragged into that bullshit.”
“I know.”
Knight waved Leo over. “Two more beers.”
Leo grunted in acknowledgment and reached for fresh pint glasses. I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry enough to finish my fries.
My greasy dinner sat like a rock in my gut.
“What do you want to do?” Knight said. “Talk to Matteo?”
“He knows, more or less,” I said. “I told him Snake was up to no good. He agreed not to place him with the Forresters, but he’s getting desperate now.”
Knight nodded. “He got kind of pushy about the roommate thing. I had to tell him someone else already moved in. I don’t think he bought it.”
“Nah, he didn’t,” I said. “Did Ren work out?”
The brothers had asked around, but it was Shiloh who’d come up with the best lead. Ren was a student teacher doing his classroom training at Riverton Elementary.
“Yeah, but he’s only here through the end of the school year. I’ll have to find someone else this summer.”
“Shit, that’s too bad.”
“It gives me time to figure out a better option, though,” Knight said. “Thanks for sending him my way.”
“No prob. If Shiloh likes him, he’ll be a good guy.”
“He keeps to himself, but that’s fine by me. I wouldn’t want to get mixed up with someone so young. Er, no offense.”
I laughed, unbothered. “I got over the age thing. Bailey gets me, and I get him. I think that is what’s important, you know?
He’s still young, but he’s not na?ve. He grew up in foster care, and his brothers have been through some shit.
Bailey has lived in that shadow, but it’s like he shines right through it. Does that make any sense?”
“That you’re stupid in love with this guy? Hell yeah, it makes a lot of sense. But then, I already knew that.”
“Oh, shut it,” I complained as Leo delivered our beers. “I don’t know why I talk to you.”
He chuckled. “I’m happy for you, man. You deserve to be happy.”
I smiled uncertainly. “I’m trying to accept that.”
He clapped my back. “That’s a good first step.”