***Doll***
I have the serious feeling I was dumped here and yet I can’t blame them. Okay, I might be exaggerating a tiny bit. I wasn’t dumped exactly, more like placed with the others for safekeeping. Like I said...it’s more of a feeling of being dumped. I feel the need to look in that fucker’s eyes. Lo, or Arlo, because that’s his name.
I can’t help but wonder if it was all a scam, that he just played around with my sister. Or did my sister know he was working undercover and decided to call him Lo for our sake to keep us out of their lives? See? I have no clue about anything in this mess and it seems I’m in deeper now than I was before.
I should be pissed because my sister dragged me into this. Years of no contact, then suddenly one phone call and everything goes wrong. But if it didn’t happen, then I would have never met Ramrod. At this moment I can’t picture my life without him anymore. He’s the one solid thing in my life that makes any sense.
A sharp sting on my finger rips me from my thoughts. “Shoot.” I wink at the little girl who watches me like a hawk. “You should always be very careful when you’re holding a needle.” She nods and glances down for a breath or two but is focused on my face again.
Diamond taps Hadley on her shoulder and talks while she signs to her. “There’s no need to stare at her lips, worried that you’ll miss something, sweetheart. She’s here to stay and if she needs to tell you something she’ll let you know, or you can just ask her.”
Hadley starts to sign and it makes me sigh and mutter, “My to do list is getting longer, but one of those things on there will be to at least understand her.”
Diamond smiles and relays my words to Hadley who has a brighter smile than she was sporting a moment ago.
“I will gladly help you with that, and so will Roan, and all the others. Thank you, for everything.” Diamond gives me a smile, making me feel even more welcome in the midst of all these kind people.
“There, done,” I tell Hadley. “Did you have a name for her yet?” I ask while she takes the giraffe I made for her, thankful Lochlan bought the stuff we needed. It’s been the perfect thing to keep all of us occupied for a few hours.
Hadley is cupping the giraffe in her hands and her tiny face is filled with so many emotions. Normally I make these things to be ornaments on shelves, or for a movie set, some item they need. But it’s so much more in this moment, she’s holding the little stuffed animal like it’s something that’s alive and precious.
“Thank you,” Diamond tells me as her ol’man squats down next to his daughter.
Depay gives me a tight nod before he turns his attention to his daughter, also signing as he speaks the words. It’s now, at this point, that I realize how close these people are. Ramrod told me about how Depay didn’t even know his daughter existed. He only knew about her when he got a letter that Hadley’s mother died. He fought for her the second he knew he had a daughter, not even knowing she was deaf.
They’ve all learned the language for this little girl, even Ramrod and the others so she feels right at home. Normal. It’s not like they’re going out of their way to make her feel welcome…it’s something natural, perfectly normal in their eyes. My throat clogs up.
“Hey.” Depay’s voice comes up from my left before I feel his hand on my shoulder. “Hang in there. Your ol’man will be here soon. I just got a text letting me know they’re on their way back.”
“Any news on Broke yet?” I whisper but the curt shake of his head is enough for me not to ask anything else.
“Here.” Lips holds out a shot glass with transparent liquid in it. “Come with me and you’re gonna need this.”
I don’t even question her but stand up and take the glass from her hand.
When I bring it to my face slowly, Lips adds, “Slam it down, all in one go.”
Again, I don’t question but do as she says and instantly feel fire burning down my throat.
“Good girl,” Lips tells me. “Now follow me.”
She leads me to a small room that looks like a tiny office. There’s a desk in it and two chairs are placed in front of it across from each other.
There’s a kit with all kinds of, “You’re going to give me a tattoo?” I gasp.
“Hell, yes. I owe you one. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, and I can’t even think about what could have happened to my kid. So whatever fucking happens, I owe you big time and in my book, you’ll always be the cool girl who put your ass on the line for me and mine. I’ll never forget it. Now sit that ass of yours down and let me put some ink on your skin so you truly become one of us.”
There’s a huge smile on my face as I sit down. I grab the hem of my shirt and take it off. Holding it in front of me, I say, “Oh, and I’ve been hearing I have you to thank for these amazing shirts. You’ve got to tell me where you shop because I’m loving these statements.”
“No probs, I’ll show you because we will be shopping as soon as it’s safe for us to roam around town alone again.” Her whole face lights up and it’s funny because she looks so fierce with all those facial piercings and yet she’s warm and sweet.
“My friend, Xena has a septum and a tongue piercing.” I smile, remembering how she complained with the tongue piercing about how much it hurt. I was there with her when she had it done. “She’s been telling me to man up and get a tongue piercing for over five years now.”
Lips is placing some of her stuff from her ink kit on the table and looks up. “Oh, I could totally do that for you right now.”
“Hmmm, I did mention she said I needed to man up, right?” I question.
Lips raises one of her well-groomed eyebrows.
“Because Xena might have screamed like the little girl she used to be.” I chuckle.
Lips tips her head back and barks out laughter. She shakes her head. “Ramrod will be thanking you…well, in a few weeks because you need to let it heal before you can start swirling it around his,”
“Okay then, let’s do it,” I cut her off. “And quit smiling like that, it’s creepy, like you enjoy giving pain.”
“Yeah, I totally do. And I’ve cut back on everything. I used to do this over eight hours a day, but somehow it’s more fun when I get to do it on friends. Oh and the patch ink is something that’s very rare and special…so yes, I’m enjoying this way too much and I’m not ashamed to admit it.” Her smile is so bright at this point that I’m tempted to cover my eyes.
“Do you want to pierce or ink first?” I ask.
“Pierce!” she squeaks and to my surprise she’s already put everything on the table. That little devil.
She covers up my chest and then dries my tongue. Lips grabs my tongue with her black gloved fingers and put the clamp in the right spot.
She flips my tongue up and down to check. “Can you stick your tongue out as far as you can?” Lips nods and I can’t help but stare at her as she does her job. “Okay, can you take a deep breath and relax for me? I’m going to count to three, okay?”
I nod slightly but my mind jumps to when Ramrod made me count the orgasms he gave me. I take a deep breath and hold it and feel how a sharp pain flows into a heatwave, letting my body know something invaded my tongue. Holy shit, that hurt.
Before I know it, Lips tells me, “All done. Now you have to rinse for me but it will sting, okay?”
I take the cup and do as she tells me. I spit back in the cup and she hands me a paper towel to wipe off my drool.
“Okay, let me clean up here and then we’ll get the ink done.” I watch how Lips puts away her piercing stuff and gets everything ready for the next part. Looking over her shoulder she asks, “You removed your shirt, so you know where you want it already?”
Eyeing her neck, I see she’s got the red patch in a place for all to see and I kinda like it, and yet it suits her but not me. “Can I get it…I don’t know, on my collarbone? Halfway on my shoulder? I like your spot but for me it’s…I dunno. I think I’d like to have a part of it show when I wear a shirt that’s a bit too big. Would that be possible?”
“I’ll make it happen. You described the perfect spot. I’ve already sketched it because Ramrod had the appointment for you guys set before things went to shit. What do you think, perfect size? Here, hold the mirror and I’ll put it in place.” She hands me a mirror and I watch how she places it in the perfect spot.
It’s a dragging hour before she’s spraying and wiping to admire her work. And it’s then I realize it would be a pain to wear a bra strap at that place. Dammit. Why didn’t I think about these things sooner? Or the fact that my tongue feels like it tripled in size?
I’m groaning and Lips is laughing at me. “Shut it,” I mutter and she laughs even harder. We hear some commotion coming from the other room.
“Sounds like the boys are back,” Lips tells me with a serious look as she closes her kit. “Come on, let’s see if there’s any news.”
My heart beats faster in my chest, more nervous than ever. Deep down I wish it’s as easy as locking up Rembrandt and Arlo…but knowing very well things in life never go as planned or get what you wish for. So, I just hold onto the thought of seeing Ramrod, needing to hold him close.