Chapter Thirteen
Thirteen
Every day for an entire week Keys took Lyric to the new salon so she could begin setting it up the way she wanted it.
He’d drop her off and disappear, usually to go to Steele’s home to oversee his protection or to the clubhouse if Czar called everyone in.
Lyric didn’t ask questions about what he was doing.
She figured, right now, things were peaceful, and she needed peaceful.
The weekend was coming up fast, and she knew Keys expected her to go to the party with him.
She could put the party out of her mind because the week was the most amazing week of her life.
There was midnight coffee, which kept them awake.
Keys always had ways to make her fall asleep.
Holding hands in the garden. Doing dishes together.
Sitting in the kitchen while he fixed an amazing dinner.
Sharing laughter. She’d never laughed so much in her life.
She loved seeing Keys so relaxed. He spent a great deal of time in his workshop building their new picnic table.
He was also constructing a beautiful, unique bench seat for the garden.
He always came into the house smelling of fresh wood.
Lyric looked out the window, the way she had a hundred times, as she measured and moved furniture around in her new salon.
Torpedo Ink managed to get superfast deliveries she would have thought impossible.
Keys assured her Code could do anything on a computer, and she was beginning to think it was true.
The equipment was much better quality than anything she’d ever owned.
The furniture was solid and handmade or carved by one or all of the four men who owned the construction business.
Even the shelving was superior, mostly because Maestro and Player ensured it was.
She couldn’t believe how fast everything was coming together.
Absinthe was acquiring the permits for her business.
He’d filed the business name and taken care of everything for her.
She especially appreciated his help because she found paperwork tedious.
Absinthe seemed to expedite things just as Code did.
Torpedo Ink certainly got things done when they said they would.
A hesitant knock came from the outside door, and Lyric poked her head out of the facial room she was setting up.
The door, which she realized she hadn’t locked, against Keys’ specific instructions, opened to allow three women to come into her shop.
She wasn’t about to be rude to any potential clients, so she pulled off her gloves and stepped into the main room of the very spacious salon.
She’d never had a space as large or as nice.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” she greeted, giving them her brightest Lyric smile. “I’m not open yet, but…” She waved her hand to encompass the shop. “I love it so much, I’m happy someone came in so I can show it off.”
“I’m Blythe Prakenskii, Czar’s wife,” the tallest of the three women identified herself. She had thick, silky blond hair and dark chocolate eyes. “I’ve been trying to get here, but two of the children had a cold. I swear, school is a petri dish.”
“They’re homeschooled, Blythe,” said a woman who was short with great curves, very blue eyes surrounded by long eyelashes, a dimple, and thick honey-colored hair with platinum streaks that appeared to be natural.
“I’m Seychelle, Savage’s wife. It’s so nice to know a hair salon will be close.
I go to Santa Rosa to get my hair done.”
Lyric, adept at reading energy and body language, felt something was off with Seychelle.
She hunched just a little instead of standing straight.
When Lyric’s energy brushed hers, there was pain.
Physical pain as well as trepidation. That made no sense.
Seychelle couldn’t possibly be afraid of her. And why would she be in pain?
“Home school is still a school where the children are all in one room and passing germs back and forth,” Blythe explained. “It’s so exasperating.”
She didn’t sound in the least exasperated. She sounded amused.
“I’m Anya, Reaper’s wife, Seychelle’s sister-in-law.
We’ve come to welcome you to Torpedo Ink.
” Anya was the epitome of everything Lyric wasn’t, just as Blythe and Seychelle were.
Anya had full breasts and rounded hips, with a smaller, tucked-in waist. Her hair was amazing, dark and thick and glossy.
She wore a single braid that fell all the way to her bottom.
Lyric had to wonder if all the women had the curves she would never have.
“You don’t get to play the sister-in-law card,” Blythe said. “First, we’re sisters because of Torpedo Ink, but more importantly, you and Reaper ran off and got married without telling any of us, so it isn’t legal. You have to make that man marry you in a ceremony with all of us present.”
“Like that will happen,” Anya said. “You’re laboring under the false illusion that I can get Reaper to do something he doesn’t want to do.”
“You do it all the time,” Seychelle said. “He’s a thousand times more accommodating than Savage. Savage has to control every aspect of his life, which means mine as well.”
Lyric knew she shouldn’t be delighted to hear that Seychelle’s man was controlling, but she felt Keys was very controlling and Seychelle seemed to be happy with Savage. That might mean Lyric and Keys had a chance together.
Seychelle appeared a little too pale to her, but since it was the first time she’d met the woman, she had no idea if that was her normal appearance.
“There’s the most wonderful tea shop in Sea Haven,” Blythe said.
“Hannah Drake Harrington owns it. It is both a tea shop and a bath and body store. She sells all kinds of bath and body products she makes from the things she grows, so it’s all natural.
We’ve come to kidnap you and take you with us to the Floating Hat. ”
Lyric froze, a little in shock. In her salon, she was Lyric the stylist. She knew she was really good at what she did. She believed in herself and had all the confidence in the world in that role. She’d also perfected Lyric the stylist’s friendly, outgoing appearance.
“I’d love to come,” she heard herself say before she could panic. “I’ll need to let Keys know where I’m going.” Because she had to breathe. Sometimes it felt like he could provide air, which was just plain silly. “Give me a minute.” She hurried into her back room.
Lyric had never called Keys, and certainly not when he was in an important meeting with the president of his club.
She paced back and forth in the smaller facial room.
She wanted to go with the women to the tea shop but knew Keys would lose his mind if she didn’t inform him she was leaving the salon.
She sighed. There was nothing else for it. She had to call.
Keys answered on the first ring. “Babe, you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting. It’s just that Blythe, Seychelle and Anya are here, and they want me to go with them to the tea shop in Sea Haven. A place called the Floating Hat.”
“Do you want to go?”
She loved that he asked her. Checking on her. Making sure she was okay. “Very much. It’s a chance to get to know people.” Meaning potential clients, but she wasn’t going to say that when they were wives of Torpedo Ink members welcoming her into the fold.
“You’ll have to give me a few minutes, and I’ll give you a ride.”
“They said they have room in the car. You won’t have to leave the meeting.”
There was a small silence. “Who’s driving?”
“Seychelle. She’s so sweet, Keys. She said there is plenty of room.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Put your phone on speaker. Is Seychelle in the room with you? Savage wants a word.”
Lyric went back to the main room and handed the phone to Seychelle. “Apparently, Savage wants a word with you.”
Blythe and Anya burst out laughing. Lyric didn’t understand what was so funny, so she gave the three women a tentative smile and waited.
“Seychelle, where did you get the car keys?”
“The car keys to my car? I’m always losing them, so I had a bunch made up. I keep them in safe places.”
There was a small silence. Savage blew out an exasperated breath. “You don’t lose the car keys, Seychelle. I take them so you won’t drive. You’re the worst driver on the planet. Even the man we hired to teach you ran for his life.”
Seychelle waved her hand dismissively. When she lifted her arm, Lyric noticed she winced and quickly put her arm down.
“I totally have my legal driver’s license. I don’t need lessons. He was ridiculous, and I told him so. I drove here, and there wasn’t a single incident. It isn’t like I drove off the road.”
Blythe and Anya exchanged a look that told Lyric maybe there had been an incident. Blythe coughed delicately behind her hand.
Seychelle sighed. “Well, maybe for one second, the car veered toward the side of the road, but Blythe and Anya were making me laugh. I very quickly corrected, and we were just fine.”
Savage groaned. “Seychelle, babe, you’re not supposed to be driving.”
“That is not in our agreement. I love my car and I need to feel independent. I’m a perfectly good driver.” Not only was there indignation on Seychelle’s face, but her determination was plain as well.
Blythe, however, exchanged a look of alarm with Anya. “There’s no need to get Savage riled up, Seychelle,” Blythe spoke in a soft voice, barely a thread of sound, clearly not intending to be overheard by the Torpedo Ink members. “I can drive the car to Sea Haven.”
Another male voice chimed on the phone. “I’ll give her lessons, Savage. Seychelle is used to me.”
“We can’t afford to lose you, Rock,” Czar said. “Blythe, what were you thinking?”