Page 10 of Inked Daddies

I huff, disappointed. “That was selfish of you.”

“He wasn’t gonna say shit else.” He flicks his switchblade closed and tucks it in his pocket. “No point in dragging this out.”

“Perhaps no, but I could’ve had a little fun, and instead you and Trick take it all for yourselves.”

The sound of sirens cuts through the air as Officer Brinks and Sheriff Copeland pull up outside. Small-town cops—barely enough of them to cover the town—but they’re good people. They know us. They know the town.

“Evening, boys,” Officer Brinks says, stepping inside and glancing toward the chair. He’s a short man with a bald head and one too many donuts stretching his belt. He smiles at Crow. “You’ve been busy.”

“Just cleaning up the trash,” I say with a smirk.

“Yeah, Trick filled us in,” he says, peering around the corner at Marie. “You alright, darlin’?”

“Yeah,” she says, her voice weak. “I’m okay.”

Sheriff Copeland shakes her head, her lips twitching. She’s a gorgeous Latina, and she fills her uniform well. She looks even better out of it. Her smile has too much familiarity in it, and everyone in the room knows it. “We’ll take him from here. Marie, can you come by the station to make this formal in the morning?”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s all we ask.” She clips the zip ties, and as his body goes loose, Sam helps them carry him to the patrol car.

I catch Marie watching them, her expression unreadable. When the door swings shut behind the cops and Sam, I walk over to her, crouching in front of the couch. “Hey,” I say softly. “You good?”

She nods, her lips trembling slightly. “Yeah. I’m good.”

But I don’t believe her. Not entirely. “Come on,” I say, offering her my hand. “We’ll get you home.”

5

MARIE

The blue blanketHugo gave me is remarkably soft, and it smells faintly like the shop—leather, ink, and something masculine that I can’t place. I sink into the leather couch, pulling the fabric tighter around my shoulders, but I can’t stop the tremble in my hands.

I’m not cold. This goes deeper than cold ever could.

The adrenaline is wearing off now, leaving me raw and exposed. I should be calming down—I’m safe, Crow’s gone, and the guys are handling everything—but my mind won’t stop racing.

They’re still in the other room, talking in low, serious tones that I can only half hear. I catch bits and pieces—Sam growling something about “next time,” Trick laughing softly like this was all some kind of joke, and Hugo murmuring in that smooth, cocky voice that always seems to hold a secret.

I can’t stop flashing back to how it all happened, replaying every detail in my head. Crow, dark eyes piercing me in place. That man had a knife. He could have killed me. There was nothing I could do to stop him.

That was what he made me say to him. Tears streamed cold down my face, and he growled, “Say it, Marie. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

And I did. I knew what he was doing. Making me not only feel helpless, but acknowledge it out loud to make me feel utterly worn down. I had no choice. No options. We both knew it.

A swell of adrenaline spikes through me again, somehow numbing me and making me feel every sensation that much more. The softness of the blanket on my skin. The dizzy sense of trauma I haven’t processed. The ticking clock on the wall—I feel it in my bones. It’s been happening since I saw Crow in the parking lot.

When he leaned in close—too close—I screamed. I didn’t know what was coming, but I knew it’d be bad, and that scream erupted from me out of nowhere. And just like that, Trick appeared with Sam on his heels. Hugo swept me into his arms, but I nearly fought him off of me.

I didn’t mean to, but I had to see if Trick and Sam were alright, so Hugo let me twist around in his grasp and watch what happened. I remember thinking he should have been more rigid or ready to jump into the fight if needed. But he wasn’t tense at all—he knew they’d be okay to go up against Crow, and knowing he was fine with it meant I could relax a little.

Only a little.

If they had gotten hurt because they were protecting me, I don’t know what I would have done.

There was Trick, grinning even as he wiped blood off his knuckles. Sam, with his sharp, focused eyes and coiled strength,as he pounded Crow’s gut. Hugo, steady and unshakable, his arm around me like he’d never let go.

Even with the violence all around me, I was turned on.

---