Ariel

 

I’ve been sitting with Mom today, when she sleeps so do I. I wouldn’t change all the hours I spent in Dillon’s company last night. He’s an amazing man… and he wants me! I can’t believe it, you would think with him being a doctor he’d want someone cleaner cut, a trophy to put on his arm at functions. The fact that I have sleeves on my arms and tattoos covering eighty-percent of my body doesn’t bother him in the least. That there lets me know he’s a special type of man, one who doesn’t want a blank canvas, and isn’t deterred by one that expresses herself through art. I wonder if he has any tattoos? If not, I’d love to pop that cherry…ha, a woman popping a man’s cherry.

Sometimes I crack myself the fuck up with my witty sense of humor.

“Sweetheart, can you get me more water?” Mom asks me.

“Yeah, Mom,” I say getting up and grabbing her pitcher. I walk to the nurse’s station and just my luck, Dillon’s ex is working. “I need to get my mom some more water please,” I say as sweetly as I can muster.

She looks up at me from behind her computer and says, “Sure, you can get it yourself. Go down the hall to the left and there’s a room with ice chips and a water dispenser.” Then she dismisses me going back to her work.

Fucking bitch!

Once I’m done getting my mom some water and adding ice to it I go to make my way back to her room and deliver it to her.

“He’s going to use you and dump you. Trust me, he says all the right words, but at the end of the day he’s only looking to get into your pants.” She catches me off guard as I’m walking past her.

“Excuse me,” I say to her.

“Don’t be coy, you heard me. He’s a player, a manwhore who only cares about his dick and nothing at all about your feelings.”

“Look,” I say sitting the pitcher on the nurse’s desk. “I’m sorry that he hurt you, and I get it. I’ve been there and done that, but at the end of the day it only takes the right person to enter another’s life for them to realize they’re the one. He may just not have been the one for you and vice versa. Don’t sell yourself short, you’ll find the right man for you one day, and you’ll be saying, ‘Dillon who’?” There, I think that was diplomatic and not rude in the least.

“Just trying to warn you woman to woman. You’re warned, now you can go take care of your mom,” she says, dismissing me like I’m nothing but an annoying fly that’s been buzzing around in her face. I go to retort but think better of it when I notice the hospital director standing there. He looks none too happy and I don’t want any part of that. Lord knows I have enough drama in my life at the moment.

“Warning noted,” I say instead and walk away. Look, I can be a grown up when the situation requires it. I walk into Mom’s room and get her cup and give her some fresh water. I let the incident with the nurse go and shrug it off as a woman who didn’t get her way. I sit back down in the chair and pull out my phone, and I notice I have a couple of missed texts and start opening them up to answer them.

 

Emory: How’s Mom doing?

Me: She’s doing good, they lowered her oxygen and she’s holding her own

Emory: That’s great news, give her my love

Me: Will do sis

 

I scroll down to the next one:

 

Dillon: Can’t wait to see you again.

Me: Come over tonight when you get off and I’ll cook us dinner.

 

The next one causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end:

 

Unknown: Roses are red, violets are blue.

If you continue to be a slut I’ll end you.

Me: You’re one sick individual, move on already. NOT INTERESTED!

 

Just what I need to deal with, a sick individual. Like I don’t already have enough on my plate.

 

 

I leave the hospital once Rainey comes to relieve me. I never heard back from Dillon but decide to go ahead and stop by the store to get the ingredients I need to make him dinner…in case he does show up. Not knowing what I want to make, I stroll up and down the aisles. I hear a ping on my phone letting me know I have an incoming text.

 

Dillon: I wish I could, but I’m on a forty-eight-hour rotation and can’t leave the hospital…rain check?

Me: Just let me know when and I’ll make it happen

Dillon: Sounds like a plan

 

Deciding I’ll go ahead and purchase groceries and household items anyways, I put my basket away and grab a shopping cart instead. I’m low on everything so this will be a bigger trip than just tonight’s menu. I pull up my notes app on my phone where I keep my ever-growing shopping list and start grabbing items. Once I have everything in my basket that I need and want, I head to the check-out line. I don’t find any lanes that aren’t busy, so I just pick one and stand in line.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, ready to take a defensive stand I turn around ready to tell the fucker to keep their hands to themselves. That is until I notice who that someone is, he’s a good friend of my parents, and is now the president of a notorious well-known motorcycle club, the Rage Ryders…. well, notorious and known in our town anyways.

“Wasp! How are you?” I ask him excitedly.

“I’m good, how are you doing these days sweetheart?”

“Doing well, no complaints.”

“I heard about your mom, how’s she doing?”

“Better, thank you for asking.”

“Your dad was a good friend of mine for many years, and your mom is a wonderful woman. I’m sorry to hear she’s lost their house, they were so proud the day they bought it.”

“I know, I hate that my childhood home is gone, but I’m more thankful that Mom made it out okay.”

“Me too, while I have you standing in front of me I got a question for you. I’ve been meaning to stop by and talk, but things have been crazy with starting the new charter in Templeton.”

“That would be?” I would do anything for this man, he’d been someone I looked up to when I was younger—before he moved away due to his wife and daughter being kidnapped. I even went to school with Kid, Ryder, Travler, Tumbler and Skylar. They are great people and I’ve missed them since they’ve moved away from our small town.

“You’re running your dad’s old shop now, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Emory, Rainey and I took over after he passed. Why? You needing some ink done?”

“Not today, but maybe sometime soon. I’ve got a patched member wanting to apprentice somewhere. He’s a very good artist and wants to get into your trade. Do you have the time and availability to take him on?”

“I think we can manage, has he taken any art classes or is he coming to me raw?”

“He’s a natural but has been taking some continuing education classes in art and tattooing. Whatever those classes could be.”

“I know what classes you’re talking about. Who is it that is wanting to apprentice?”

“Clutch, but you’d know him as Carson.” I looked at him in shock.

“Tic’s brother Carson?”

“The one and the same darlin’.”

“He was always talented with a pencil and paper. I remember some of his drawings from when we were in school. We never hung out, but I remember him and his brothers well. How’s Levi doing these days?”

“He’s good, still stirring up trouble wherever he is.”

“He wouldn’t be the same person you love if he didn’t.”

“Says you.”

“Why don’t you have Carson come talk to me tomorrow, I’ll be opening the shop at two, but I can be there around one to talk with him, if he’s really interested, give him my number.” He pulls out his phone and I tell him my number which he programs.

“Thanks, darlin’, I’ll have him give you a call later to verify the time.”

“Good seeing you, Wasp.”

“You too, better let you get back to it, seems it’s your turn here.” I look over and sure enough I’ve moved up the line without even realizing it. I turn to tell Wasp goodbye, but it seems he’s already left. I get checked out and head to my car. Once I get there I see a rose under the wiper blade of my front windshield. Strange, I think to myself. There’s no note or anything with it, so I grab it and throw it into one of my bags then open the trunk and put my groceries inside. Rose forgotten… later I’d wish that I’d paid more attention to it and the weird texts I keep receiving, because things go from strange to downright frightening.

 

 

I walk into my house with groceries in hand and get an eerie feeling. Not knowing what it is and thinking it’s my overactive imagination, I keep moving and carry my groceries in to set down on the kitchen counter. “Something’s not right…” I say to myself. Before I can even finish that thought it hits me like a lightning bolt what’s wrong. Sassy girl didn’t come up to greet me like she always does. I start calling out her name and still nothing, I start searching the house and can’t find her, but once I enter my room my steps falter and I’m lost at what I’m seeing.

My bed is covered in rose petals and I see a lone note sitting in the middle of my bed. I know logically I shouldn’t touch it, but I can’t help the nosey part of my nature and wanting to know what the note itself says. I reach over and grab it quickly, so fast you’d think that a snake was waiting to bite me. Opening it up I read what it says and nearly pass out when it finally sinks in… I’ve got a stalker!

 

Roses are red, violets are blue, my life is lonely without you.

 

“Sassy!” I scream out.

Where the fuck is my dog? I run throughout the rest of the house until I hear barking coming from the backyard. Tiptoeing over to the backdoor, I slide the blinds back to look out into the yard and see it’s her scratching at the door ready to be let inside. I go to grab the handle, but just then my phone rings. Still freaking out, and not thinking clearly, I grab the phone and answer the call. Thinking it must be this sick fuck, since the number is unknown I answer wanting to find out once and for all what it is exactly he wants.

“What the fuck do you want from me?”

“Ariel, is that you?” a confused voice asks from the other end of the line.

“Depends, who the fuck is asking?”

“It’s Carson, is everythin’ okay?” He and his brothers always drop their g’s, and usually I give them a hard time about it, but today I could care less.

“Yes, it’s Ariel, and no, nothing is alright.”

“Talk to me, tell me what’s happenin’,” I open up and tell him about the text messages, the rose left for me at the store and the pedals sprawled out all over my bed, oh and the note. I can hear him talking in the background to someone, I think it’s Levi or Tic, they all sound the same over the phone.

“Lock all the doors, we’ll be there in ten.” Before I can ask him who all ‘we’ll is’ he disconnects. Knowing they’re on the way, I don’t let Sassy in, ignoring his lock all the doors, I need to be with my girl in the backyard. She’ll protect me from any possible threats, I open the door and step out on the back porch. I stuff the note in my back pocket and sit down and pull her into my arms.

“What are we gonna do about this creep, Sassy girl?” Feeling dread wash over me I grab my phone and call Dillon, needing to hear his voice. It goes to voicemail, so I leave a message to tell him what’s happening. When it beeps indicating I have reached the end of my allotted time, I put my phone next to me, hoping he’ll call me back soon. Not much later, I hear the rumbling of bikes pulling up on my street. I run in quickly and grab Sassy some treats to tide her over while I speak with the guys.

I get her situated and by the time I make it to the front door there’s a knock. I open it up and the first person I see is Wasp, I fall into his arms and let the tears flow. I’m not a crier, but this situation calls for a few tears.

“It’s gonna be alright darlin’, let’s go into the living room and sit down, you can tell us what’s been happening from the very beginning. I lead them down the hall and everyone takes a seat. I start from the first text message and go from there. “Show us your room, girly,” he says to me, so once again I lead them down the hallway and into my bedroom. “Where’s this note he left you?” I pull it out of my back pocket and hand it over to him. He doesn’t take it from me, instead he looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You touch that?”

“I did,” I answer, confused. I watch as he grabs his riding gloves from his back pocket and takes the note from me.

“Do you have a baggie I can use to put this in?” he asks as he opens the note and begins to read it. I see anger cross his face and I take that as my cue to leave the room. I head into the kitchen to get the item he asked for. Good thing I bought some today I think, as I rummage through the bags and find what I’m looking for. Instead of opening the box and grabbing one, I take the entire thing to him. It finally registered that he doesn’t want his fingerprints involved in this, so I’ll let him grab what he needs.

I walk into the room and all conversation comes to a halt, making me feel like the third wheel in my own home. “What?”

“Did you save the text messages?”

“I haven’t deleted them if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Can we see them.”

“Sure,” I say handing them the box of bags before opening up the text messages and giving him my phone.

“Can you forward those to me?” Wasp asks.

“I can do that, what’s your number?” He rattles it off and I forward him the messages.

“I’m going to have our IT guy take a look at these and see if he can track down a name or number…” he doesn’t finish what he’s saying because there is a commotion at the front door.

“Let me in this goddamned house now! My woman is in there, Levi.” Shit, it’s Dillon. I run out of the room and head to the front of the house.

“Let him in, Levi,” I tell him. Forgetting that I’d had guards out front, I should’ve messaged Dillon back and told him the guys were here.

“Sorry, man,” Levi tells him, “just following the orders I was given from my Prez.”

“No hard feelings,” Dillon says rushing to me and pulling me into his arms. “But this is my woman, and no one including you or your brothers are going to keep me from getting to her when she needs me.”

“Dillon, good to see you back in town,” Wasp says extending his hand for a shake. “It’s been a long time, we’re all happy you’ve moved back to town. We need a good doctor around these parts.”

“Thanks, Wasp, someone wanna clue me into what’s going on?”

“I thought you were at work,” I say to him.

“I was until I heard your message, I probably don’t have a job anymore, but that’s not as important as you are. I can get a job anywhere.”

“You need a job let us know, we could always put you on payroll as our personal club doctor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for the offer, man. If they let me go, I may take you up on that.”

“As far as what’s going on, I think I’ll let your woman explain that to you. Will you be staying here with her, or do I need to put a man on her house?”

“I’ll be staying, is it that serious?” Dillon ask while looking down at me.

“Let’s just say that I wouldn’t trust her safety to just anyone at this point in time.”

“That’s serious,” Dillon mutters under his breath. “How long has this been going on, Ariel?”

“Since the day Mom went into the hospital,” I answer him honestly.

“Wish you would’ve told me.”

“I thought it was bullshit, until today I hadn’t felt threatened, just creeped out.”

“You ever have any feelings like that again please tell me, baby.”

“I will,” I promise him.

“Ariel,” Wasp interrupts us, “If you ever feel like you’re being watched, if you get a sense of danger, get yourself to safety and call us or Dillon. Never underestimate your sense of danger. If something is nagging at you, pay attention. Your instincts are almost always dead on. Yeah?”

“I promise to listen to my instincts and ask for help if I feel like I’m in any danger.” And I mean every word of it, this has gone beyond feeling just creeped out now and has entered freaked-out-ville.

“Carson still good to start workin’ with ya tomorra?”

“Yes, Carson, be at the shop at one and I’ll go over procedures with you and give you a tour.”

“Sounds good to me, thank you for givin’ me this chance, Ariel.”

“We all have to start off somewhere right? What better place than with people you know and trust.”

“True that,” he says causing me to giggle internally. These guys and their slang, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it even knowing them as long as I have.