Page 18 of Daddy Vibes (The Anti-Bachelorette 2)

Evening finally rolled around, and I still hadn’t called her yet. I glance down at my phone. Now or never.

Me: Can we talk? Where are you now?

???

Angela

I decided to pick up a shift at the tattoo shop so I could keep my mind off of Eric. I probably acted a little dramatic when I left this morning, but at the same time, I couldn’t just keep going on like that. I can already tell my heart is too attached to the man after just one night with the way I can’t stop thinking about him or how much it hurt that he just let me go. I had to make a clean break, or I know I’ll give in to him again.

There was some all-day festival going on downtown today, so the shop has been pretty slow for a Saturday. All the bars are having coordinated specials so you can bar hop the whole night. I told my cousin he could go and enjoy himself tonight. I would call him if things picked up to the point I couldn’t handle being by myself. Most people who actually want complicated tattoos make appointments. Saturday nights are usually just people who want a simple spur of the moment tattoo.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Emory’s Hot Dad: Can we talk? Where are you now?

I look down at the phone almost angrily. He really waited the whole day and now he wants to talk. I want to say yes, of course I want you to come talk to me, but I’m angry at him.

Me: Can’t. Working.

Yeah, so maybe I’m being a bitch, but I just don’t care right now. My phone buzzes again right away, and I look down at it.

Emory’s Hot Dad: Angela. Please.

I just picture his caring voice saying that to me. Ugh. Why does the man have to be so sweet one moment and then a complete dick the next? I guess he isn’t really being a dick. He told me from the start how he felt. I just let my emotions get the best of me. I wanted him to change his mind about us even though I told myself I didn’t care.

Deep down I knew he wouldn’t. I put out an attitude that said I didn’t care, but really I was hoping he’d choose to risk everything to be with me. I know, stupid.

Me: Like I said. I’m working right now.

I look up from my phone when I hear the door ding as two guys walk in. I leave my phone on the counter so it is close by. I don’t know why, but I just got a bad feeling when they walked in. They both have a lot of tattoos, so it’s not unusual that they are in here, but the way they are looking at me just gives me a bad feeling. We get all kinds of tough looking guys coming around here, so I am probably just being paranoid.

“Hi guys, how can I help you?”

The guy on the right leans against the counter and grins at me as he rakes his eyes down my body. It distracts me for a moment as I try to curl into myself, and the guy on the left comes around the counter before I notice.

I try to grab my phone, but the guy grabs my wrist and yanks me back by my hair up against his body. “Oh yes. This is definitely the bitch Killian was with. I’d recognize these sexy tattoos anywhere.” He runs his hand down my arm, and I try to pull away. “Let me go!”

He chuckles in my ear. “I can’t do that sweetheart. Not after what Killian did to our boy James.”

I try to scream, but he covers my mouth with his hand. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “Someone has to pay for that. Might as well be Kililan’s girl.” I kick back at him and try to fight away, but he’s too strong so all of my fighting is useless.

I am able to wiggle my mouth away from his hand. “I’m not his girl. We only went out one time! I never even fucked the psycho!” I try to make it sound like I hate Killian as well so they will believe I don’t mean anything to him.

The one holding me just chuckles again. “Well, we’re already here.” Then he whispers in my ear. “Might as well have some fun.”

Before I know what is happening, my head is slammed onto the counter, and I momentarily lose consciousness as the pain shoots through my head. I fall onto the ground and then the air is knocked out of my lungs as I feel his boot kick into my stomach. Followed by another one to my side.

Luckily the other one pipes up then. “C’mon let’s go. She’s right. He probably won’t even care if it was just some girl he was trying to fuck. We’re just wasting our time here. Let’s go. We need to figure out a way to get even.”

The other one looks back down at me. “Fine. Too bad. This one would have been fun to deal with.”

I feel relief come over me that they are leaving, but then his foot comes slamming back to my face again, and then all I see is black.

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