Page 4 of Ink

Now after one night I am just supposed to believe everything he said? I didn’t know. So far though, he has kept his word and followed through with my car and texting so I was going to choose to believe that he is being genuine and see how far that gets me. Plus I have had so many shitty things going on lately, I want to hold onto the hope that something positive is happening in my life.

He clears his throat and I look up from my shoes that I have been admiring to avoid his eye line. “I spent the morning working on your car. It’s official, it’s the radiator and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s done some major damage to the engine. I also need to replace your thermostat and your water pump.”

Involuntarily, my eyes close and I groan so long and loud that I can hear the birds rustling in the nearby trees from it. Finally, I open my eyes and I take in Ink standing right in front of me, looking calm and patiently waiting on me to stop losing my shit. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out I brace myself for the worst. “Do I even want to know how much all of this is going to cost?”

“I’ll shoot it to you straight Carmen, even if I do the work for free—which I am willing to do, I can’t guarantee how much longer it’ll run. I’ll do my best work no matter what you decide to do, but I worry about you driving around in it with its history. I think you should think about calling it a loss with this one and we can find you a new ride.”

I scrub my hands down my face not caring one bit about my makeup. “Ok. How much are the parts going to cost me? Let’s fix it because there’s no way I can afford a new car right now. There’s just no way I can swing it. It would completely clean out my account by having to put a down payment, and then I would feel the stress of having to make the car payment each month.” I puff my cheeks and blow the air out. This is more stress that I don’t need right now; and before I even realize what is happening, Ink reaches forward with his thumb and catches the rogue tear that is falling down my cheek.

“Hey now. Don’t be crying. This ain’t nothing to worry about.”

I scoff at him. Easy for him to say. He has his motorcycle and a truck. And not just any truck either, but a totally wicked, tricked-out one that is all blacked out—not to mention new. Of course, he wouldn’t think that it wasn’t anything to worry about.

“Hey. Stop. I can see your face.” He pushes one of his hands deep into one of his front pockets and fishes out a set of keys. He thrusts them toward me. “Here.”

When I don’t immediately take them, he reaches down, opens my hand, and gently presses them into my palm. His eyes never leave mine. “Take my truck. It’s got enough room to hold Lucia’s car seat and it’s got a full tank of gas.”

I shake my head. I have no words. This is too much. That truck had to have cost him a small fortune and I wasn’t going to impose on him. Before I can put my argument into words, he is already reassuring me. “Baby, take my truck. It’s no big deal. I’ve got my motorcycle here tweaking the mufflers so I’ll ride it home tonight.”

All I can focus on is how he called me baby and in such a manner that it causes me to have goosebumps down my arms. I get my wits about me and give him a look. We aren’t in the dead of winter anymore, but it is still cold in the mornings and often raining. “I don’t like the idea of putting you out in the rain riding your motorcycle.”

He immediately lets out a scoff. “Babe. Seriously. I’m in the Mystic Venom MC. Do you know our motto? We ride rain or shine. Sleet or snow. If it rains in the morning or hell, even tonight, it won’t make a difference to me and it definitely wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten soaked riding my cycle.”

Slowly, very, very slowly, I start nodding my head in agreement. I don’t have much choice at this exact moment. My car isn’t roadworthy yet. I have about minus two minutes to get back to the salon and Lucia will need to be picked up in just a few hours. “Ok, but only for today. Tomorrow I can figure something else out.

“Nope. You can use it till I get your car situated. I’m not taking no for an answer Carmen. I won’t sleep at night worrying about you bumming rides and getting in cars with strangers. I can’t have that.”

That takes me aback. He won’t have that? “Ink. I’m a grown woman and while I appreciate that you want to help me out, I won’t put you out because I’m not your problem or charity case.”

He smashes his lips together in a firm line and his right eye might have started twitching. I can’t be certain if questioned later—but I can tell he is holding back his emotions.

“Didn’t say you were either of those. Get back to work before you miss an appointment. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Not wanting to overstep my good luck or piss him off further, I look down at the keys in my hand and then turn to walk towards the truck that I can see parked a few feet away from us in the parking lot of the garage. Before I can even make it two steps away from him, he’s firmly swatting at my ass which catches me off guard. “That’s for saying dumb shit about yourself babe.”

As I walk to the truck, I attempt to pull my chin up off the concrete.

Ink

I have beat grown-ass men in the face until they’ve lost consciousness. Seeing Carmen’s face when I had to tell her about the state of her car about nearly killed me. I hate seeing the disappointment and the hopelessness wash over her. The world has kicked her down a lot over the last few years and the last thing I want to ever do is add to that again. If it’s in my power, I’ll move heaven and hell for her so she doesn’t have to feel like a charity case again. Damn, that nearly breaks me when she thinks that’s how I saw her. She’s got it all wrong. I think she’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met.

“Yo. Loverboy. Quit daydreamin’ and let’s get the engine on this Chevelle finished.”

I Inwardly chuckle at Griz’s joke but I do start moving towards him and the car that we are both working on. It isn’t but just a second later, Grizz who typically only says about ten words during a workday that isn’t car related, speaks up again. “Saw her driving away in your truck.”

I give him a look because I don't know where he is going with this. “Perceptive of you. Her car is clearly a piece of shit.” Motioning towards it sitting in the bay farthest down from us. “And I’m gonna take care of her so what’s mine is hers.”

He gives me a long look that conveys he thought I had grown a third eye. “You do you brother but know that when she started hanging around, I background-checked her. She’s got a shit ton of debt and there’s no name for the dad on the kid’s birth certificate.”

I toss the wrench I’m holding down on the tool pad and give him my full attention. “Damn Griz, you couldn’t lead with something like ‘she’s never been to jail’ or some shit?” I clench my hands into fists at my sides and take a deep calming breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth while counting to three. My first and only probation officer when I had been a dumb shit at twenty and landed in county jail for a bar fight had monitored my anger management courses and one of them was mastering the art of zen through breathing techniques. I had thought that shit was dumb as fuck back then but now twelve years later, I am a believer.

I open my eyes and I look back to Griz who just stares right back at me and shrugs his shoulders. He did not give one single fuck. That is just Griz, he doesn’t beat around the bush and he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He is also brutally honest, loyal to a fault, and could be plain deadly. That is just a few of the many reasons why he’s been the club enforcer for the last five years and never faced any opposition when there has been movement in the club’s officers.

Before I can say anything else on the matter his cell phone beeps and when I use the term cell phone, I use it loosely when it comes to Griz’s, because he still uses what is commonly now referred to as a burner phone. It’s one of those old-school flip phones that doesn’t connect to the internet and I don’t think it even takes photos. He refuses to get a smartphone because he says he can’t trust who is listening in from the government. It wasn’t like he didn’t know how to use one. He is a whiz at computers too.

I pick up my wrench and keep working while Griz steps out of the garage bay. I can see him light up a smoke and pace back and forth as he talks. A few grunts and a couple of head nods later, he is back in the garage and pulling his coveralls off. “Where are you heading to? I thought you wanted to finish this together?” I gesture towards the car.

“Prez called. I have to get over to the clubhouse. Something’s up. I gotta find Rider and let him know I’m going to be gone the rest of the day.”

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