Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TYLER
“Hold it,” Josie said sharply as I practically ran into the house after school, Jensen and Lukas behind me. “Rory’s probably asleep, so be quiet when you go up there.”
“Diesel’s truck’s out front and so is Mark’s bike, so I doubt she’s sleeping,” Jensen grumbled, not happy about the bike.
“Diesel’s been napping with her too, but Marco’s not here. He lent it to Rory for today,” she replied, giving me a firm look. “Ease her into it. I know you’re excited, but she’s spent two months in a cell on her own. It can take some adjusting when someone’s released.”
I knew she hadn’t been locked in a cell on her own, Lexi was always glued to her, but I didn’t say that.
“I’ll be quiet,” I promised, forcing myself to walk up the stairs and not throw myself into her bedroom like a psychopath.
She was curled up with Diesel like Josie had said, both of them looking peaceful as they slept.
I almost didn’t want to wake them, but I was going to literally die if I didn’t get to hold her.
I scanned her, pausing when I realized both of her arms were covered in tattoos. The bright red roses with vibrant green leaves were insanely detailed. That couldn’t have been done in prison, they looked professional. And seriously fucking hot.
She stirred, her eyes opening to find me standing beside the bed like a creep.
“Hey,” she said sleepily, and I rounded the bed to shuffle against her back. Diesel might not like sharing her, but he’d have to get over it.
“You been sleeping all afternoon?” I asked, and she chuckled.
“Yeah. I missed a soft bed,” she answered, her eyes flicking to the doorway as Jensen and Lukas appeared. “You guys are here too?”
“You really thought we wouldn’t be? Damn, baby. Nice ink,” Jensen grinned, tucking Lukas under his arm as they inspected it.
“Lexi did it. I’m surprised she had time to do both, but I’m pretty sure she paid off the guard at lights out to keep their mouths shut about the buzzing. They probably thought it was a vibrator,” she joked.
“How the fuck did she hide a whole tattoo kit?” I asked, not understanding how they’d gotten away with it.
“There’s a guard all the inmates call the creep. He’ll do anything for pussy, and Lexi manipulates him all the time. Pretty sure he keeps it in his locker half the time when it’s not stashed in Lexi’s room.”
Diesel woke up and jerked slightly at seeing we’d snuck in without him knowing, and he released Rory like he’d been doing the wrong thing.
“You’re fine, man,” Jensen assured him, even though I knew they were dying to cuddle her too. Diesel wasn’t like us, he didn’t like the whole group thing very much, so I knew it would take some adjusting. Hopefully, with all of us being chill around him, he’d relax more.
That was really hard to do when all I wanted to do was bury my cock in her pussy, but I had a feeling he’d flee the room if I even hinted that I was thinking about it.
“You staying tonight?” I asked Diesel, getting a knowing look in return from him.
“No. Just dinner.”
“No offense, but thank fuck,” I muttered, and Rory elbowed me lightly. “What? I’d hate to traumatize him. I really want to get you naked and check out your new tattoos.”
“She probably spent the weekend getting fisted, or whatever girls do to each other,” Jensen joked, and Rory flipped him off.
“Lexi did not fist me.”
“Is she joining the group?” Lukas asked casually, but I knew it was something that was bothering him.
The thought of group activities with another girl in the bed was stressing him out.
Not only was he uncomfortable about the thought of Lexi being naked in bed with us, he was panicking about messing around with Jensen in front of her.
“No, Lexi didn’t get an invitation to the Rory Donovan Fan Club,” she scoffed, sitting up to stretch. “She’ll be out next month and back with Hendricks.”
Lukas looked like he was ready to collapse with relief, and Diesel got to his feet.
“I’m going to go for a cigarette. I’ll be back soon,” he stated, Rory’s eyes following him as he vanished into the hallway.
Jensen dragged Lukas towards the vacated spot on the bed, Rory letting out a light laugh as she was pulled back down for a group snuggle.
“I missed this. You guys made me a touchy feely person,” she said with fake annoyance.
“I really want to know about the shit that went down with that girl in the bathroom. Was it you and Lexi?” I asked, getting comfortable as she started telling us everything while showing us her tattoos.
Diesel returned and sat on the edge of the bed looking uncomfortable as he listened, but Rory seemed to be enjoying her little walk down memory lane.
Had she actually liked it in there?
“Did you tell them about the tracker?” Diesel asked dryly, all of us glancing between them with confusion.
“What tracker?” Lukas bit out, glaring at Rory. “Someone was tracking you?”
“When I first met Marco, it was because he broke in here. He drugged me,” she admitted.
“An enemy of the Psychos broke in and drugged you and you didn’t call them?” Jensen asked like she was insane, making her sigh.
“I didn’t know it was the Devils. He didn’t have his jacket on. I woke up and figured he hadn’t assaulted or poisoned me, so what was the point? He showed up at the Shed with Hunter and I recognized him then, but I wasn’t going to bring it up. I thought that was the end of it.”
“Told you they had shitty intentions,” Jensen grunted at me, and I huffed.
“At the start, maybe, but they’re cool now.”
“Not cool,” Rory scoffed. “I’m going to kill them. It’s why Marco gave me his bike to get home.”
“Aw, man. I can’t play with him anymore?” I pouted, earning an amused glance.
“You can do what you want, but both of them are on my shit list.”
“No, you can’t,” Jensen said sharply. “Why would you even want to? He drugged your fucking girlfriend, dude.”
“That was before we were buddies. Water under the bridge,” I shrugged, all three of the guys giving me a dirty look. “What? People change. Rory forgave us for our bullshit, so why can’t we forgive Mark for a little drugging?”
“Is he serious?” Diesel asked under his breath, and Lukas sighed.
“Unfortunately.”
“Is Caden coming home?” Rory asked randomly, making me wince.
“Uh, no. It’s probably a good thing too. He’s been such a fucking asshole.”
Her shoulders deflated slightly, and I wanted to punch him in the face for it. She hadn’t done a damn thing wrong, and he should have believed her.
“He’ll come around. Just settle back in and fight with him later,” Lukas sighed, kissing her cheek.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, her phone buzzing on the bedside table.
Diesel handed it to her, and she rolled her eyes when she read whatever it was.
“Who is it?” I asked when she didn’t say anything, and she turned the phone for me to see.
Rory: Your bike survived.
Marco: Bet it soaked your panties too. You’re not really mad, right? Just playing hard to get? If you are mad, ride it a little more. You’ll feel better.
“He thinks letting you ride his bike fixes it?” I asked with a chuckle, clearing my throat when I realized no one else found it funny. “Sorry.”
“He’s simple-minded,” Jensen muttered as Rory locked the screen to ignore him.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about it all. Marco and Hunter were becoming good friends, and the thought of cutting them off made me feel sick. I’d basically lived at Marco’s the past two months while Rory was gone, so how could I just pretend like that hadn’t happened?
What they’d done was wrong, I wasn’t going to argue that, but it still fucking sucked.
We hung out in Rory’s room until dinner time, and I forced myself to let Diesel sit beside her since he was leaving soon. I’d have her all night.
“When the hell did you get those? In prison? You know how unsafe that is, right?” Josie asked as she sat at the table and eyed Rory’s tattoos.
“It was all done with clean needles,” Rory replied, making Josie frown.
“The needle isn’t the only concern.”
“I’m keeping it clean and using ointment. Do you like them?”
“I think they look hot,” I grinned, giving Josie a wink. “Tell her. She’s a baddie.”
A small smile tugged at Josie’s mouth as she tried to look disappointed but failed.
“The design is pretty and suits her, yes. I don’t approve of the way she got them though.”
“Yeah, it was a bit dramatic to go to prison just for a free tattoo,” Jensen smirked, and Rory rolled her eyes as we dug into our food.
Josie talked her ear off for most of the meal after that, so I listened to them talk while I ate, just enjoying the normality. I’d really missed things like this.
“How was your day at school, boys?” Josie finally asked when she was done talking to Rory, and I scrunched my nose.
“Shit. Calculus can go and fuck itself.”
“You need to study together. You dropped basic math last semester when you struggled, which I was fine with as long as you did some type of mathematics this semester. Now you all share classes, it’s easier to study together.
Tell me what you’re struggling with,” Josie said calmly, embarrassment filling me.
“All of it.”
“Ask for help, Ty. You know I’ll help you, but I won’t know you need help unless you say something. You did better when you switched classes and studied with Rory, so maybe the two of you can sit down and work together like last time.”
Rory cringed, giving Josie the side-eye. “I’m struggling with Calculus too.”
“That’s why you worked well together. You’re good at understanding the question, but you struggle to solve the problem. Ty doesn’t understand the question, but when it’s explained to him, he’s really good at knowing how to solve it. You’re a good team,” Josie promised, patting her arm.
“I can help,” Lukas offered, pushing his plate aside. “I’m good with numbers.”
“You’re an asshole when trying to help me,” I grumbled, and he rolled his eyes.
“Because you don’t listen. I only get mad at you when you start dicking around and wasting my time.”
“Excellent,” Josie grinned, giving Lukas a grateful look. “You can work together then.”