Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

3

Standing in front of her mirror, Skylar tentatively touched the Burmese Ruby earrings she’d received for her birthday a few weeks prior. They were a gift from Russell, one that he seemed quite proud of. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was pleased because he had chosen something she liked, or if he simply liked how the earrings looked on her. Fear of getting too involved pushed her into a dark, spiraling abyss of emotional turmoil.

She wanted to believe that the man she adored loved her genuinely, without any strings attached. Yet, in the back of her mind, a small voice of doubt began to creep in. It whispered cruel thoughts, suggesting he only wanted her for her body, for the benefit of obtaining arm candy that would eventually have her covering bruises with foundation.

The mocking voice of doubt chuckled, finishing the thoughts harshly. "You think you’re good enough, but are you? No one wants a broken toy to play with. He’ll pull up his pants when it’s over, and it’ll be like you never mattered to him. Just a heartless ‘wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma’am!’ and done."

Her heart ached as these words replayed in her head, mingling with her mother’s nasally, drug-slurred voice that told her she was born of a w***e to be a w***e. Sobbing, she pulled her knees up while sitting in the bath of warm water. Reaching for her phone, she absently wondered if this was what anxiety was like for Jaxon. Did he live with this same hell in his head all the time? If he did, he was so, so much stronger than anyone ever gave him credit for.

The familiar blast of Allanis Morrisett’s song ‘b***h’ pulled her from her thoughts. Looking down at the device, she smiled at Kennedy’s name on the screen. Her friend was in the middle of her month-long hospital stay after passing out at Nix’s wedding, but no one bat a lash at the news. Sky felt like the world was systematically trying to burn the team to the ground, but she knew they were too strong to go down without the fight of a lifetime.

Answering the call, she tried to sound cheerful, “Hey.”

“So, I’m getting married apparently,” Kennedy replied. “Not quite sure if that’s good or bad news yet, but Memphis is going to murder Mark if that half-German ass doesn’t give it the hell up. I’m tempted to make him a half-n-half.”

“Half-n-half?” Skylar giggled despite her torrential emotional state.

“Yeah,” Kennedy deadpanned. “If I cut off his balls, he’ll be half a man and half German.”

Sky laughed despite the pain she was feeling. “That sounds extreme. What’s he done now?”

“Talking like I’m just a passing fancy. That prick forgets that I’m not the only girl in the crew with an axe to grind. Preferably into the heads of deserving males, and not necessarily the top head, if you know what I mean.” Kenni grunted.

A door closed in the background, and Sky could hear Thomas seethe. “What’s Thom’s issue?”

“Please hold,” Kenni said. Then, to Thomas, she snarled, “Get it together? Screw off. He was up basically all night out of sheer worry, and you’re telling him to get it together? Give the guy a break before I break you, Thomas.”

Unable to help it, Skylar laughed again. “Ken, that’s mean!”

“I’m mean,” the other girl shot back. “Get used to it. So, how’s everything at home?”

Pulling the plug, the brunette got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. Grabbing her hair tie, she bunched her hair into a messy bun and sighed. “Jax caught a little cold, so Daddy lost his mind, but he’s better now. Russell’s gone to pick up Robert Drake from the airport. Oh! And I landed that gig I was after.”

“Nice! I told you not to worry about botching it, Sky. You got that s**t in the bag. So, how’s things with Russ?” Her friend asked.

“It’s, um, things are good. He said he’s proud of me for getting the job and wants to take me out to dinner. Uh, Ken? Can… can I level with you?”

The line went silent. She knew that the red-head didn’t hang up, but she also knew Kenni’s mind automatically went into sister-from-another-mister mode. She smiled, hearing Kennedy quietly wake Memphis up to tell him to leave the room before coming back on the line. “We’re alone now. What’s up? Who do we need to kill?”

“I… am I good enough? For Russell?” Skylar asked softly.

Kennedy scoffed, and Skylar could almost picture the other woman flipping off the phone. “Imma beat yo ass, b***h. Listen to me, Sky. You. Are. Enough. Don’t let the fact that I’m not there to take the heat off you get to you. I know, I’m scared too, but we got this babes. You and me? We’re sisters to the bitter end, so don’t let that demon of yours get to you.”

“But-”

“Russ is seven years older, yes, but he’s an okay guy. He makes you happy, but you doubt his intentions? God, Sky, don’t do what I did. Don’t wait until it’s almost too late to confess what’s on your mind. Trust me, he loves you,” Kenni said.

Walking to her room, she locked the door and turned on her music as she got ready for the dinner with the Director, his wife, and the investor. “How do you know? I mean, when does a guy stop being nice to their partners and end up cheating, abusing, or leaving them for what they deem is something better?”

“You’re pushing my buttons, Sky. I know because I challenged him one night. Told him that I would kill you, and he threw me his gun with tears in his eyes. Skylar, he was ready to die for you to live. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is,” her friend said.

Sitting at her vanity, she blew out her cheeks. Since she opted not to wash her hair today, she would only do a half-up style, letting the brown tresses flow over her shoulder in a tangle of waves. “That wasn’t your call to make, Ken.”

“No, it wasn’t. We’re over it now, and on better terms. So, what are you doing tonight?”

Applying a light baby pink lipstick, Sky giggled. She was giddy, and with good reason. “I have a dinner meet and greet with the owners of the agency I’ll be working for as well as an investor. They want me to bring Dad, too.”

“Remember to read everything including the fine print and the extra-fine print. There’s so much s**t going on in the world today that I’m convinced it’s against us being happy.” Kennedy’s words made Sky stop as she snapped up her heels.

“Scary.”

“What?”

“Well, we had the exact same thought,” Skylar explained. “So, when is the wedding?”

Kennedy groaned, “You’re deflecting. Again. Anyway, details need to be ironed out, I gotta inform my MC, and then there’s the whole “meet-the-in-laws” bit. Personally, I don’t give a damn, but Memphis told me yesterday that his dream wedding would be under the arbour in his great-grandmother’s gardens. I think I’ll let him have that. Just family, though. After, when Nix and Romie get back, I want one that involves my mafia and MC family. I can count on you to help me, right?”

“Duh,” Sky answered sarcastically.

Half an hour later, she was seated across from the agency owners and another man. Beside her, she could feel her father tensing every time the man looked at her. Wondering why, she began to pay closer attention to the investor. Watching how, when he thought no one was looking, he would leer lecherously at Skylar.

“I’m sure that you understand that going over the terms of the contract is commonplace, but we are glad to know that you are detailed-oriented.” Anne said as she sipped her wine.

Grinning, the investor nodded. He grabbed his beer, taking a swallow before setting it back down. “So, Ms. Marks, do I ever get the honour of talking to you alone?”

Her eyes narrowed on the man, her back stiffening slightly. Her internal radar went off, letting her know that there was something very wrong with the situation. “Daddy, I think it’s time to leave.”

“Is something wrong?” Mr. Samms asked with genuine concern.

David grinned, “Yes. Mr. Greyson’s nothing but a lecherous bastard that wants to sample my daughter’s assets. She’s not the kind of girl to use her body to rise up in the world. She has skill, talent. Sky, honey, I’ll understand if you don’t want to work for them after tonight. In fact, I’m not even sure why you would, Cupcake.”

Paling, Mr. Greyson started sweating as the couple turned their eyes to him. “It’s not a crime if she’s legal, now, is it?”

Getting to her feet, Anne threw the rest of her wine in Greyson’s face. “You bastard! God, why didn’t I see it before? Sky, sweetie, I am so sorry about this. Please, we’ll look for another investor, but please don’t quit working with us.”

Pulling out his wallet, David silently pressed a card to the table. He slid it over to Mr. Samms, “If you’re serious about the safety of your people, call this man to back your agency. Otherwise, never contact my daughter again.”