CHAPTER FOUR - HE SHOULDNT BE HERE
753 Words
The buzz of the tattoo machine was soothing—steady, controlled, like the pulse Dani wished she had right now.
She focused on each line she inked, black and clean against the curve of her client’s shoulder blade. No distractions. No thoughts.
At least, until the bell over the shop door chimed.
She didn’t look up. Didn’t need to.
The shift in the air said it all.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she muttered.
Jax strolled in like the place had his name on the deed, hands in his pockets, that same smug look painted across his face. Dani clenched her jaw. She wasn’t about to let him see how he affected her—not when she was wearing his old shirt. The faded black fabric, snug around her shoulders, smelled faintly like him—a mix of leather and something sharp, like the scent of memories she’d tried to forget.
She didn’t pause her work. Just narrowed her eyes and kept her tone even.
“You’re supposed to be upstairs.”
Jax leaned against the wall, watching her. “You got better coffee down here.”
“This isn’t a diner. And you’re not welcome in my workspace.”
He said nothing—just kept looking at her, like he was daring her to react.
“Pain okay?” Dani asked her client without looking at him.
“All good,” the girl said through a wince.
Then the door opened again.
Dani glanced up—and her chest tightened.
“Hey, Dani.”
Rico.
He walked in with purpose, club cut half-visible beneath his jacket. His eyes flicked over her, the girl in the chair, the flash of the needle.
Then he saw Jax.
“Didn’t realize you were down here,” he said, voice cool.
Jax just shrugged. “Didn’t like the view upstairs.”
Rico’s jaw flexed. “You weren’t supposed to leave the apartment.”
“Didn’t go far.”
“You sure that’s smart?”
“Nothing about this is smart,” Jax said, and then he looked at Dani again—like she was both the reason and the regret, all wrapped up into one.
She stood slowly, wiped her gloves clean, and turned to Rico. “Can we not do this here? I’ve got a client.”
Rico didn’t move for a second, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.
Dani could feel it—his suspicion. Like a fuse catching a spark.
But he let it go.
This time.
“Club meeting’s tonight,” he said. “You’ll both be there.”
Dani blinked. “I’m not—”
“You are now,” he cut in. “They want everyone close. Even you.”
Then he was gone—just like that.
The door shut behind him, and the air snapped tight.
Jax crossed his arms. “That was close.”
Dani didn’t answer.
He stepped closer.
“You were nervous.”
“I was annoyed.”
“You always lie when you’re cornered?”
She spun to face him. “You don’t get to talk to me like you know me.”
He didn’t flinch. “I do know you.”
“Not anymore.”
He stepped in again—too close, too familiar. And for one dangerous second, she didn’t move.
“Still wearing my shirt,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
Dani hadn’t thought about it until now, but the shirt had been his. And now, it was stretched tight across her chest, reminding her of things she wasn’t ready to face again.
“Shut up, Maddox,” she said, voice tight, fingers clenching into fists.
He smirked. “I’m just saying… you didn’t exactly throw it out, did you?”
Her stomach twisted.
She turned her back to him, trying to push down the wave of heat crawling up her neck. “This isn’t your place anymore. You’re not welcome here, and neither is your shirt.”
Jax’s grin didn’t fade, but he didn’t push further. Instead, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, the tension thick between them.
But Dani couldn’t shake the feeling that every word, every glance, was leading them somewhere neither of them was ready for.
Because if Rico had stayed just a few seconds longer, he might’ve seen it—the truth—written all over both of their faces.
And if he knew what really happened five years ago?
None of them would be walking away clean.
- Writer
