Page 62 of Ink

“Cheers to me learning how to live.”

Chapter

Twenty-Three

INK

As much as I didn’t want to leave her alone so soon, alone time with Evan will be good for her. From what I gathered, Sutton isn’t used to this and honestly fucking needs it. I can’t imagine not having a single person in my life I can talk to. Whether it’s deep or just bullshitting.

And Evan is the perfect person to break her in. She doesn’t talk so much to where you think it’s annoying and she’s antisocial as fuck, so you know she isn’t going to drag you off to some place you don’t wanna be.

“She get settled?” Cain asks as I approach our bikes.

“Showed her the room and she was gettin’ settled when I left.”

Her face after I dropped that bomb on her will be stuck in my fucking head all weekend. I just know it.

The look of hope and heat that flared in her eyes was almost enough to make me tell Cain to fuck off and have Cyrus go instead. If I didn’t know she needs the space to process and get her head on straight, it would have been a done deal.

“Evan will take care of her. Knowing her, she’ll make drinks because she’s feeling just as fucking awkward.” Cain snickers, making me snort.

He’s probably fucking right.

“Good. She needs to start learnin’ how to live.”

“No one better to learn from than our fucked-up family.”

“Who and what the fuck are we teaching?” Hash asks as he joins us.

“Sutton learnin’ how to live. You ready?”

“I was born ready for this shit.”

“Stay focused and clock everything. I don’t trust them. If anything seems off, call me.” Cain slaps me on the back before walking back into the clubhouse, leaving us to it.

“What’s the game plan once we get the money?”

“Come back and count that shit. I want to take a different way home, just in case they’re watching us.”

Hash eyes me. “You think we’re gonna have a problem?”

“Don’t know.” I shrug. “I really fuckin’ hope not. They’re really fucking stupid or they’re gettin’ way too cocky in thinkin’ they’re gettin’ away with this shit and we haven’t noticed.”

Hash grunts, “That’s for damn sure.”

“Let’s ride out. I want to get there before them again.”

We made it to the spot first, giving us the advantage of not coming into something blind. They could still ambush us, but if we see more than what we know is coming, we have a better chance of getting out.

I’m not one to back down from shit, but I’m old enough now to understand when I’m outnumbered. And now that I have someone else to think about there’s been this almost panic feeling that pounds lightly in my chest that something could keep me from making good on my promise.

I wasn’t fucking around when I told her everything is mine. I can only pussyfoot around this for a little bit longer and then I’m done with the space.

“They’re late,” Hash grumbles.

“Again,” I add.

I’m about done with these motherfuckers.