I decided that getting drunk wasn't going to cut it, and neither was sleeping with some random person. I needed some serious me time as far away from Jax and the club as possible, and I was due for another appointment with my tattoo artist and best friend up in King's County. So I packed a bag, telling Val I was going to be away for the weekend and that I was taking his Jeep.
"Where exactly are you going?"
"King's County." He sighed, running a hand over his beard.
"Just be careful alright? You know I don't like that King guy." Ace King was my tattoo artist. He also claimed the title of my best friend, considering the only other friend I had was MIA. His brother, Domenico King, was the president of the Kings MC. There was no bad blood between the Kings and the Sons of Shadows, but we weren't allies either. Ace wasn't part of the club, much to his father's disappointment considering he had started it himself. The town was named after his great grandfather, who was rich enough to have built it up from nothing. We had been friends for months now, and he was the one who had taught me most of what I know about tattooing and had done a lot of mine.
"Is there anyone you do like?"
"Just you." I rolled my eyes with a smile.
"Cute. I'm leaving so tell Chuck I won't be able to work until I get back on Tuesday."
"Do you have to go for so long? With everything going on with the club right now, I'm worried."
"I'll be fine, Val. You know that the Kings run that town, I'll be protected."
"Alright. Be safe."
"Love you too Val." He just huffed and turned away, but I saw him smile before I headed to the doors. Me and Val weren't big on displays of affection, and I knew the closest I would get to an 'I love you' from him was along the lines of 'be safe' or 'don't do anything stupid'. Just I was getting to the car I was almost knocked over by, of course, Satan himself.
"Just where are you running off to, darlin'?" My heart hit my stomach at the sight of him. His white shirt was covered in oil and his arms were on full display, his hair messy under a baseball cap. He was wiping his hands on an oil rag, obviously just finishing working on his bike. I forced myself to keep moving away from him, throwing my stuff in the trunk before hopping in.
"As far away from you as possible, honey." I slammed the door before he could respond, pulling out of the lot and leaving him with a dumbfounded look on his perfect face. The drive into King's County was about an hour and a half, so I put my favorite playlist on shuffle and headed towards the highway. I put the windows down, letting the wind mess up my hair. I took a deep breath as I passed the town's welcome sign, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I wasn't going to think about that town and all the shit that came with it, at least for a couple days. No Val, no Nate and especially no Jax.
The drive to King's County always left me a little mesmerized. The desert feel faded away. There was more trees, more flowers, more life. I had thought about moving here too many times to count, but parts of me felt rooted to the town, to the club. I pulled up at King's Ink, Ace's shop, and saw him leaning against the wall outside, smoking a cigarette. He looked the same as always, his dark hair messy, his tanned skin covered in ink, his bright blue eyes sheilded by his sunglasses. I couldn't help the smile that covered my face as I ran up to him and jumped on him. He was surprised at first, but quickly wrapped his arms around me, lifting my feet off the ground and making me laugh. Ace always smelled like home. A mixture of his cologne, cigarettes, and clean laundry. For some reason it made my eyes burn with tears as I realized how much I missed him. I quickly blinked them back, pulling away and looking at his smile that mirrored my own. I felt like I had smiled more in a minute with him than I had in the last month. He put his hands around my face and pulled my forehead to his own. We stayed like that for a minute before he pulled back and I jumped off him.
"I missed you." We both said at the same time, making each other laugh.
"You look good Scar." His smile was filled with warmth. He put his arm around me, kissing my forehead as he pulled me into the shop. Everything about Ace felt like home, including his shop. I said my hellos to everyone before we went into his booth. If there was one place on earth that I felt truly comfortable, it was in this chair with Ace by my side. After Anastasia left, I had never felt more alone. That's when me and Ace found each other.
I didn't know where I was going, all I knew was that I needed to get away from the clubhouse. At least for a little while. It had only been almost three weeks since Nate's wake and it felt like everywhere I looked there was a reminder of him. If it wasn't a reminder of Nate, it was a reminder of Stas, my best friend, my fucking sister, who had run away not even a week after I buried my brother. I was angry, but I needed her. I dialed her number again. It went straight to voicemail.
"Where the fuck are you Stas? The guys keep talking about Nate and I can't fucking listen anymore. I need you. I'm sorry for being difficult. I just...I don't think I can do this without you. Please come back." I hung up the phone, slamming it down on the bar. I waited a couple minutes before calling again.
"The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
I threw my phone at the wall, watching the screen shatter as it hit the floor. Then I left, grabbing my bag and the keys to the Jeep before heading towards the highway. I didn't know where I was going, all I knew was that I needed to get the fuck out of there.
I drove for an hour and a bit before hitting a town. The sign read KING'S COUNTY, HOME OF THE KINGS. I started looking for a bar, not really caring that I hadn't eaten all day or had no place to sleep. I passed a couple places before stopping. The sign was small, but it caught my eye.
KING'S INK.
"So what's new with you? How's Dom?"
"You haven't seen me in almost a month and the first thing you do is ask about my brother?" he smirked. Ace always believed that I had a little crush on his brother. If wanting to fuck him and never speak to him again was a crush, then I guess he was right.
"Is that jealousy I hear?"
"Maybe a little." I smiled.
"Tell me what's going on with you then."
"Same as usual. Dad still hates me. Dom is still a dick. I'm still waiting for you to agree to a Euro trip so we can finally get the fuck out of here." He pressed the needle into my skin. Â I ignored my skin heating up where his hands worked on my thigh, remembering the promise I made to myself not to get involved with Ace. Â After all the tattoos I had gotten, I barely registered it as pain. The feeling was almost comforting, especially since it was Ace behind the gun.
"I wish I could." He sighed.
"You can Scarlett. There's nothing for either of us in these shitty towns anymore."
"What about the shop?"
"Business is shit. The same people come in and they're running out of skin to cover. I want to open up in the city."
The city. Just far enough away that it seemed like a whole other world. I guess it was in a way. Me and Anastasia were supposed to go to university there after we finished high school. I was supposed to take get an art degree, she was going into creative writing and journalism. It felt like that was forever ago, but it hadn't even been a year. Now I couldn't imagine leaving.
"You should do it Ace." I put my hand over his and gave him a sad smile. We barely saw each other now, I couldn't imagine how it would be if he was 3 hours away.
"Come with me. I know you hate these shitty little towns as much as I do. We could open up a shop together, or you could go back to school. We could get an apartment and you could fill it with those stupid crystal things you love so much. We could get a cat, I know you've always wanted them. Just us and the city. It would be epic." After countless sessions of tattoos that took over 3 hours, me and Ace had gotten to know each other. He knew all the bands I listened to, my favourite foods and my love for furry creatures, just like I knew his favourite books and his plans to backpack through Europe. I wanted to tell him yes. I wanted to leave this place and never look back, but I never would. I couldn't. He saw my answer in my eyes and sighed.
"You're so goddamn stubborn. You can't stay stuck here forever, Scar."
"I know." I knew that he wanted to say more, but he didn't. By the time he finished the piece on my thigh it was dark outside, so we grabbed some food and headed back to his apartment. On our way inside his phone started ringing, so I went inside. It was the exact same as I remembered it. Everything smelled like him. His apartment was cozy and lived in. There was still coffee in the pot from the morning, blankets and pillows thrown on the couch, a pack of cigarettes and a mug on the coffee table. Walking through his doors always felt like coming home.
"So, how do you feel about a party?" He called as he came in. I stuck my head out from the doorway and gave him a smirk.
"I had a feeling that would be your answer. Get ready."
Half an hour later I had changed from my leggings into high waisted jeans and a cropped tube top, leaving my tattoos on display. My hair was in its usual state of messy waves. I had put a little mascara on and some dark lipstick. I grabbed my leather jacket and cigarettes, slipping on my white sneakers and heading out the door. Ace was dressed in his usual ripped black jeans, black henley shirt, and a backwards baseball cap on his head, and yet he always managed to look like a model. It was kind of annoying. He hadn't told me where we were going, but I assumed we were going to the King's clubhouse. Although he and his family weren't on the best terms, they always included him. When we pulled up to the clubhouse, Ace took out his flask and took a long sip, then passed it to me so I could do the same.
"You ready?" Ace looked nervous. His usual calm exterior was cracked. I knew that seeing his family always did this to him. I took his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. He squeezed my hand back and he gave me a nod, heading towards the door. As we walked in I was greeted with a familiar sight. Bikers and club girls, booze, the smell of smoke. Everything I had wanted to escape. Ace went to go greet his family and I went to the bar. The prospect gave me a look as I reached behind the bar and grabbed one of the many untouched bottles of Jack. I gave him a nod and a wink as I cracked it open and took a large sip. He just shook his head at me with a smile. I was making my way to the back door for a cigarette when I caught a familiar pair of bright green eyes. I felt the heat rush to my face as his eyes took me in from across the room, travelling down my body and leaving me breathless. I could feel my body heating up despite the crowd of people that separated us.
Jax.