Chapter 10
Skyla
M y mind is swirling with thoughts that wrap around what happened last night after I left the gym.
Taking Aston home with me was the best thing to do at the time but when I woke up this morning, I was flooded with guilt and trepidation that I should have contacted the police last night.
What did shock me was that no one came looking for him. Aston woke this morning and showed no concern that his parents had not come to find him; he shrugged when I asked him about it.
He ate the breakfast that I made him, then went and grabbed a shower and dressed in clean clothes that he had in his backpack. Clearly, he had no intention of going home last night, and planned on going to school this morning like nothing had happened.
That in itself shows how this child is not living a life a child should.
What also weighed heavy on me was that I could feel Camo in my house last night. He never touched me, or spoke up, letting me know he was there, but I could feel him. My skin tingled with the static of his closeness.
“You sure you are okay to go to school?” I ask Aston, who is sitting in the back seat.
“Yeah. I have done this before.”
His words hurt my soul.
While he showered, I sent another text to a friend of mine, who happens to be a cop. Tate David is an old friend of mine who I dated once, but realized we were better off as friends, and to this day, we are still close.
“You have my number if you need to contact me. For anything, honey.” Aston nods again.
We arrive at the school, and I pull into the carpool lane. There are kids running around, cars moving slowly, and the sight hits me in the heart. Having kids of my own so that I can do the school run in the mornings, having a man who will pick them up from school if I have a class at the gym.
An image of Camo flashes through my head, making my heart hurt.
He will never give me what I want.
“Have a good day. Promise to call me, if you need me.”
“I promise. Thanks, Sky.” I smile as he jumps out of my car.
Every time he calls me ‘Sky’ it makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy. I am going crazy , I think to myself.
Leaving the school, I arrive at the gym, then go to my office where I find Tate already waiting for me. He looks over his shoulder when he hears my door open, a wide smile slipping across his handsome face.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite officer of the law.” I step into his arms.
“I had better be your only favorite officer.” He kisses the side of my head, then we take our seats. “I can assume that you did not invite me here for some pleasure; we have been there and done that, babe,” he says, winking.
I sigh, offering him a small smile.
“No. How bad does it need to be for CPS to step in and remove a child from an abusive home?”
His back straightens, and any humor falls from his face.
“What have you got?”
I tell him all about Aston, and with each word, his body coils tighter and tighter. Tate is one of the good guys, and I know that he does not tolerate bad cops in his precinct.
“We can look into the parents. Set it up for someone to visit the home. Where is the boy now?”
“School. I know that I should have called you last night, but I was wrecked after work and he was emotionally and physically spent.” I sigh, rubbing my temples.
“If the parents find out where he was, they could have reported you for kidnapping, babe. Next time call me, okay?” I nod at him.
His voice is tight but I know it is with concern for me.
“That bad?” I look at him and he nods.
“That bad. They sound like cunts, Sky, so I would not put it past them to do it. Make them out to be the victims and concerned parents. Seen it before.”
“I would hate to do your job, Tate. I would lose my badge on my first day on the job,” I admit, making him laugh.
“You have to learn restraint.” He winks.
“That is why you beat the fuck out of the bag downstairs, when you get off a bad shift?”
“Exactly.” We laugh. “I will put a call in to someone I know who works over at CPS, and see what she says.”
“She?” I wiggle my eyebrows, and he shakes his head, smiling.
“It is not like that,” he says, grinning.
“If you say so,” I say in a singsong voice.
“She is married and has a kid. What about you? Still fucking that emotionless supernatural biker?” He smirks as I wince, causing his smirk to drop from his face when he sees the pain flash across mine.
“What did he do?” His voice is deep, showing his anger.
Tate obviously knows about the supernaturals here in Salem, but he runs a tight ship with them and will not allow them to run around doing what they want. He has worked with the Kings of Anarchy before, on both sides of the law.
“Nothing, that is just it. I told him I deserve more; he got angry and told me that I knew what we were doing from the start. Then he left.” I shrug, ignoring the twinge in my chest.
I shift in my seat while Tate stares at me, like he is trying to figure out exactly what I am thinking.
“You deserve so fucking much, Sky. You know I love you, and you deserve more than that fucker can give you.” I nod, acknowledging his words.
“I know.”
I have to believe that I can move on from Camo, and be strong when I see him with someone else, because I know deep down that it will happen eventually. He is not a man who can go without sex.
I am strong and have a great support system, so I will get through it.
“I have to get back to the station and make that call.” Tate sighs. “Walk me down.”
I get to my feet, meeting him by the door, and we walk down the stairs to where my three friends are waiting for us by the reception desk. They all look at me with concern in their eyes, and as I get closer to them, my stomach knots up.
“Officer Sexy,” Clark purrs, making Tate chuckle.
“Hey, Clark.” Tate smirks at my bestie.
“Tate,” my other bestie Eva chimes in, her cheeks carrying a tint of pink from her workout.
Tate looks at Eva and I swear I see his eyes flare as he drags his gaze over her body, taking in her workout gear.
“Did you come to your senses and decide that you want me and not some two-bit whore?” Clark jokes, smiling wide, pulling Tate’s gaze from Eva.
“You dreaming again there, Clark?” He winks, then looks at me. “I will reach out and see what information I can find out. Do me a favor, honey? No more taking stragglers home with you without contacting me first.”
I feel my best friends all look at me, but I keep my gaze locked on my ex-lover. The concern shining in his eyes has me nodding, pushing down my stubborn tendencies. He has a point, but there was no way I was going to leave Aston out in the cold last night.
I do a dramatic eye roll and sigh, leaning against the desk behind me.
“Fine. No more taking in strays.”
“Thank you. I know that this boy needs some help and I will do what I can, Skyla, but please do not get yourself in any trouble for him, when there is a possibility that I can do something, okay?”
“Yeah, I hear you.”
“How was he this morning?” Eva asks, before taking a drink of her morning smoothie.
She is dressed in some very short workout shorts and matching sports bra.
Eva is stunning with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.
My bestie is a fucking knockout, and I know that she has the attention of a certain ex-lover of mine but will not go there, no matter how many times I have told her it is okay.
I would love to see them together.
“Quiet, but putting on a brave face. Dropped him at school; he had everything in his backpack, like he knew when he ran last night that he was not going to go home, but straight to school this morning.”
“That poor boy. Children are brought into the world to be cherished, not treated like dogs.” The tone of her voice lowers, tears filling her eyes.
To my surprise, Tate steps to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his solid chest. Rocky and Clark look at me with wide shocked eyes, but I just smirk.
Tate pulls her close, her body going willingly.
“I will do what I can, like I told Skyla. There is someone I know who works in the child services department, and I will see if she can help us find something for Aston, okay?” he informs her, kissing the top of her head.
My heart swoons at seeing them.
“Is this ‘she’ someone you have slept with?” comes a shaky voice from Eva.
Tate chuckles. “No, honey. She is a high school friend of mine and is happily married with a son.”
My friend just nods her head, then pulls from Tate’s embrace.
“I am going to get ready for my next class.” She nods at me then looks to Tate. “Please do what you can.” With that, she leaves.
Tate watches her walk away, before he turns to look back at me.
“Will she be, okay?”
“She will. Eva had a bad childhood. She will tell you when she is ready.”
“Didn’t we all,” Rocky adds.
Tate sighs. “Okay, I had better get going. I will make some calls and get back to you. Please, tell Eva to reach out. This thing between us has gone on long enough now.”
I smirk up at him, stepping closer and hugging him to me. He clings to me also.
“She will need a little nudge, dude. Do not let her push you away anymore; you both deserve this.”
“I will do my best.” He leans down, kissing my cheek.
A growl fills the air, making me pull back from Tate’s arms, and I gasp.
Standing just inside of the door are Winger, Thorin, and a pissed-off looking Camo.
“Oh shit, he looks pissed but hot,” Clark mutters.
All three of them look sexy as hell, dressed in grey sweatpants and T-shirts.
“Well, he has no fucking right to look pissed,” I snap.
I watch as the three men walk closer, Camo’s glaring gaze locked on Tate, which only pisses me off more. What right does he get to be angry at seeing me with another man when he has been fucking the club girls?
Moving to step in front of my friend, he grips my bicep, my gaze snapping to his. He shakes his head, moving me to the side.
“What can we do for you?” Rocky asks when the three men stop next to the reception desk.
“Just here for a workout. This is a gym, I believe,” Winger speaks up.
The man is fucking hot, his darker-than-night hair that sits above his shoulders with a natural wave to it, his beard dark, framing his jaw. Then there is Thorin, who is beyond fucking beautiful with his pale flawless skin, dark hair and angular jaw, and golden eyes.
“It is,” Rocky replies, but I tune out the rest of what he says when my gaze connects with Camo and I am pissed at what I see.