Page 34 of Sugar and Skulls

“We have things we need to talk about, Jess,” my dad pleads with me.

“Well, you have about five minutes while I clean up.” Swiftly I gather my things, hurrying to put everything in its proper place.

“Jesse, the living arrangements are non-negotiable. Also, you need to see a doctor.”

My heart stops then lurches forward. I need out of here and fast. As if he can sense my haste he hurries his speech, knowing that while I may not agree I’ at least hearing him.

“My final demand is for you to tell us who hurt you.”

“Your final demand,” I repeat deadly calm.

He nods his head in confirmation. His chest pauses as he holds his breath.

I let my fingers trail down the injury on the side of my face. Where was he when my face was rubbing over the musty, dirty carpet as Jimmy held my head against the floor while ramming into me from behind.

Gulping in a shudder of breath I steel myself. I’m not giving these fuckers my tears. “I’ll go to the doctor right now.”No fucking way in hell.Dirk stands as I pass him, assumingly to be the stink on my shit. “Alone.” I turn on him fast, shooting daggers between him and my dad.

Dirk throws his hands up in front of him in surrender.

Surrender.

Aiming my threat directly at my father I draw a line in the sand. “I mean it, keep your dog off me or you’ll see just how far I’ll run.”

Dirk growls and bares his teeth just like a canine would.

Fuck me if that wasn’t the sexiest snarl I’ve ever seen.

With one last glance at Raffe I push out the door, leaving the infuriating group of men behind. I wait perched behind the wheel of Sylvia waiting to see if Dirk emerges from the shop. No one followed me. I text my guys to head to our usual meeting spot, keeping my eyes trained on the mirror watching to see if the stench follows me. Fucking asshole.

I need to stay clear of him and Raffe. Whatever the fuck that was back there, it was scary. Being caught between the two of them felt like being trapped between hard edges and sharp points. One movement in the wrong direction and it could tear my heart clean open.

Alone they disengage my senses, together they rip those suckers out and fill me back up with a darkness that promises to steal my soul.

My pulse has always quickened around Raffe. I mean you would have to be dead not to be affected by his disarmingly good looks. And, Dirk? Well Dirk is a different story. I have to will my legs not to give out on me when he is around. I want to run to and from him at the same time. It’s confusing. My eyes don’t know where to land when I look at him. He is all the dark and dirty things you know you shouldn’t want but yet you do.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out keeping an eye on the review mirror.

“Trailer. Now.” Jimmy’s grimy voice invokes a fresh wave of nausea to rise in my throat.

I don’t give him the respect of an answer, I just hang up. I turn towards the trailer. May as well get this out of the way.

When I get there, he hands me a bag filled with dope. “I’ll give you something, girly, you are ballsey. Aren’t you worried about Bill finding out about this?”

“I’ll worry about Bill. You worry about keeping your guys away from me.”

He tips his head to the side to studying me. “You know it didn’t have to go down like that,” he says, pointing at my face.

“So, you’re telling me I had a choice?” I back up closer to the door.

“Yes. You could have chosen not to steal from me.”

Yeah. He has me on that one. “And, you could have asked me to pay it back…with cash, not my hide.”

He glances around the room as if searching for something. “I know that got a little out of hand. The president changed things up, it wasn’t supposed to go down like that. I know it probably wasn’t good for you….”

I cut him off with an incredulous snort.

He narrows his eyes but continues. “I can make it good. Let me show you how gentle I can be.” He reaches for me as I dash out the door.

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