Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Lyric stared at the electronic calendar hanging on the wall at In the Shadows Ink. It helped her keep her appointments straight, as well as her employees’.
Her schedule had somehow been wiped clean for today. She swore she had some booked. Maybe they all canceled?
So strange.
“You should just go home, Lyric. We can handle any walk-ins today,” her best ink slinger said from behind her.
Lyric turned to regard Trish. The woman was not much older than her but she was a hell of an artist. “But you’re all booked up today. How are you three going handle walk-ins, too?”
She was surprised Trish would even suggest that. She knew Lyric would never just go home and leave the responsibilities of the shop in their hands.
Trish smiled. “If they don’t want to wait, we’ll have them make an appointment and collect a deposit.”
In theory, that sounded good, but in reality, they could lose that customer. Walk-ins were usually an impulse decision. And they could very well go to another shop, even one that wasn’t as good as Lyric’s.
Plus, her tattoo shop could use all the money it could earn. Mostly because she had salaries and normal overhead to pay, not to mention the big chunk the club took.
Recently she’d been working longer hours and taking extra appointments because she was saving up to move out. Living with her parents had helped her financially, but it was time for her to find her own place. Be more independent.
Have a place where she could bring a date over. She certainly couldn’t do it at her parents’ house. That would be awkward. Not only because of her father, the rest of the bikers living in the DAMC neighborhood were overly protective as well.
And nosier than an Italian nonna.
She had seen it plenty of times. If the date was brave enough to enter the compound, the OGs—whether DAMC or the Shadows—were suddenly outside tinkering with their sleds, watering their driveways, or having a dad meeting in someone’s yard, trying to intimidate the guy with stare-downs.
Of course they’d wear their cuts, too, despite normally not wearing them at home.
Her club sisters all quickly learned to meet their dates elsewhere if they ever wanted to date again.
She glanced back at the screen and muttered to herself, “Did all my appointments cancel?”
Trish shrugged. “Maybe the calendar app is glitching.”
Weird. It had never glitched before.
But also strange was the fact she usually booked her first appointment of the day fifteen minutes after unlocking the front door, and no one, not one person, had come in to see her yet, calendar glitch or not.
The bell over the front door rang, but before she could turn to see if it was one of her clients coming in for their now non-existent appointment, something was pulled over her head and someone else was pinning her arms to her side in a tight hug.
Holy shit! “Let me go!”
The same thing had happened to Kyra recently! Were the Russos taking her to give Zeke another message?
But why her? What the hell was going on?
“Let me go!” she shrieked again and tried to stomp on the foot of whoever was holding her. Unfortunately, she missed.
What sounded like a disguised voice ordered, “Let’s go!” and she was jerked toward the door.
No! Her mother had been kidnapped long before Lyric was born and had been tortured—and worse—by a rival MC. This couldn’t be history repeating itself!
“Call my dad!” she yelled, struggling against whoever held her.
But why weren’t her employees helping? Or at least reacting? Were they being kidnapped, too?
She couldn’t hear any of her employees or sounds of a struggle. Did they all run out the back door like cowards? She at least hoped they’d contact her father. Or hell, anyone in the DAMC.
Even better, the damn police.
Her wrists were quickly bound with some kind of soft cloth, possibly a scarf or bandana, and what she thought was a tan pillow case was tugged more securely over her head.
A pillow case didn’t seem to be very professional. And wouldn’t kidnappers use flex cuffs to bind her wrists instead of something like a bandana?
None of what was happening made sense. “Who are you? You’re making a bad mistake. One you’re going to regret if you don’t release me immediately. Trish!” The last she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her heart did a somersault when Trish answered, “Don’t fight them, Lyric! I’ll contact Crow!”
What? Don’t fight them?
“Grab the license plate info!” she yelled while being shoved out the door and into a vehicle parked directly in front of the shop. In a no parking zone at that!
Where the hell was Shadow Valley PD? They should be ticketing a vehicle illegally parked; especially one being used for a kidnapping.
Her father was the most Zen person she knew, but this would make him flip his lid. Whoever was taking her was making a huge mistake.
She was placed between two other people on a bench seat. After hearing the slam of a sliding van door, she heard nothing else except for the engine and road noise. Not one occupant said a word, so it was impossible to identify them.
She was so screwed right now.
She had no idea where they were going. No idea who they were. No idea the reasoning behind all of this.
“Where are we going? Who are you? Why are you doing this? Do you know who my father is?”
She frowned when she heard a soft snort, and her fear immediately turned to anger.
Did they think her questions were funny?
She kept bombarding her kidnappers with an onslaught of them, even knowing she wouldn’t get any answers. Her main goal was to be a thorn in their sides.
She tried to work her hands free of the cloth binding her wrists, but no matter how much she twisted and pulled, she failed. Damn it!
The van made several turns before slowing down and stopping. All the doors opened and she was pulled out and onto her feet.
The bag was suddenly yanked off her head and she could finally see again.
Only, what she saw was a bunch of beaming faces surrounding her.
She blinked. What the hell? Was this a joke?
Her hands were freed next.
She turned in place to see all the DAMC women circled around her.
At least the ones who were single, except for Lily, Piper, and Scarlet, of course.
Even an off-duty Laney was there in civilian clothes.
That meant Shadow Valley PD had most likely been notified about the illegal parking and fake kidnapping ahead of time so they didn’t come flying in with their party lights on and guns drawn.
Even so…
They had lost their damn minds! Her eyes flicked to the sign above the business’s door.
Shadow Valley Spa and Wellness.
Wait.
Lyric’s gaze dropped to her closest friend and confidant.
“Happy birthday?” Avery sheepishly shrugged.
“Happy birthday!” all the women yelled before breaking out into the stupid birthday song.
Holy crap. It was her birthday! She was officially twenty-four-years old.
How could she have forgotten?
Apparently, it was easy when she’d been keeping her nose to the grindstone with a sole goal in mind.
She glared at them. “That wasn’t right! Especially after what happened with Kyra!”
Adrianna’s eyes went wide and she clapped a hand to her forehead. “Holy shit! We didn’t even think of that. We wanted to surprise you!”
“Well, you scared the shit out of me, instead. Oh crap! I told my employees to call my father!”
“Your parents are already aware of this surprise.” Sydney grinned.
“Scheme,” Lyric corrected.
“So were your employees,” Jordyn, Sydney’s twin, added.
She snapped her gaping mouth closed. “That was why my schedule was wiped clean?”
“Well, yeah, this was supposed to be a surprise!” Lexi exclaimed, throwing her arms up.
“Jeez, we thought you’d appreciate a day of pampering,” Indie huffed with her hands on her hips, looking annoyed. Was she annoyed because Lyric was pissed or because she wasn’t thrilled to do any girly “pampering?” She’d rather be G.I. Jane than Barbie.
Lyric glanced around the circle of women, taking in all their expectant faces.
Shit.
“You’ve been busting your ass and you could use a break,” Avery announced.
That she could. But she had also counted on putting today’s tattoo earnings into her savings.
Avery hooked her arm around Lyric’s neck and began to walk her to the spa’s entrance. “You deserve this, sis. Just be happy.”
Well, she was happy she wasn’t being abducted by the Mafia or a rival MC, that was for damn sure. “Was this your idea?”
“No. You know I would’ve taken you to a male strip show and had you shove dollar bills into their junk drawers.” She wiggled her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip in a very unsexy way.
Lord, Lyric hoped Avery didn’t do that awkward lip-bite thing when she flirted with men.
“Junk drawers,” Lyric repeated with a shake of her head. “I see what you did there, Ree.”
“Well, I wish I could’ve seen that, too, but unfortunately, I was outvoted. Anyway, we want you to enjoy your day.” She leaned in closer. “Especially since you don’t have someone special to enjoy it with.
She looked over her shoulder at the group of women trailing behind them, chatting up a storm. None of the women involved in the fake kidnapping had a special someone. “You didn’t invite Kyra?”
She might be back with Zeke, but she was in their age group and Vi’s closest friend. Or used to be, anyway. Lyric wasn’t sure if they still were.
Avery opened the door for her. “Of course we did. But, unfortunately, she already had a shift scheduled when we came up with this genius plan.”
“You rented a van, Ree. An eighteen-passenger van. This plan wasn’t an impulse.”
Avery pushed her inside the door. “Wrong. We walked up to the rental counter this morning and they handed over the keys.”
“You didn’t make appointments at the spa?”
“Of course we did.” She rolled her lips under.
“When?”
“Last night.”
Lyric sighed. “So, you really didn’t care it’s my birthday, you were all just looking for an excuse for a spa day.”
Avery gasped loudly and slapped a hand over her mouth. “What an ungrateful bitch!”