Page 47 of Brand
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Brand
I headed over to the shop to meet Blade and deal with the big headache that had fucked up my week.
I kept busy cleaning the place up and calling around to find someone that could fix the front glass as soon as possible. Lucky for me, I found a company that could come the next day. So, if we could get the holes patched up in the walls, the shop might only be closed down for two days. Not totally awesome, but not as bad as it could have been. We’d be opened by the weekend and maybe, just maybe, not that many people would know about what had happened.
“You’re quiet today,” Blade said from the other side of the room. “Cami’s really okay?”
There was no mistaking the genuine concern in his voice. That wasn’t something I’d heard from him before and it threw me a little. But then again, it was adorable, sweet Cami he was worried about.
I imagined that any person that was lucky enough to so much as have her breeze through their life would be affected by her, would hold the same tenderness and concern for her. She was special, and I wasn’t just saying that because of how I felt about her. It was clear that she drilled a little spot into Blade’s hardened heart. And then there was Sketch. Sure he kept his same level of crass and…well, “Sketchiness,” but it was clear that he really cared for Cami. It was almost like she was the sister he never had, or something.
And of course, Chris liked her. I mean, first off, the guy got along with pretty much anyone, he was just really fucking cool that way. I suspected that he liked Cami more because of me, if that made any sense. Chris was forever looking out for me. No, that wasn’t something that was missed by me, and I sure as shit didn’t take it for granted. There had been no hiding how I felt about Cami and in fact, I think he saw it long before I had figured it out.
“Yeah,” I said answering Blade after a pause that had lingered on for too long. “I mean, she wasn’t hurt. She seemed a little shaken when I got back last night, but this morning…she was good.” Or so I had thought.
“This place is a disaster,” Chris said after he walked in through the back and took in the mess that hadn’t been fixed yet. “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I waved him off just as Lake walked in right behind Chris holding two pizza boxes in his hands. “What’s up, brother?”
“I called him,” Lake said talking about Chris.
I cringed then shot Chris a sympathetic look. I wouldn’t have said I forgot about him, but I maybe hadn’t had a chance to call him and explain to him about everything that had gone down. In all fairness, I’d been locked up and then, well, I had been really distracted.
A smile pulled at my lips at the thought of my time with Cami. That was something I never wanted to forget. And I wasn’t talking about the moment we were ducking bullets.
“Cami?” Chris asked not even attempting to make me feel bad at all.
“I think she’s good.” I blew out a harsh breath and lifted my ball cap to run my fingers through my hair.
“She left outta your room pretty early,” Lake said, his left brow going up in question. “I wasn’t being all creepy, I just heard her car start up and drive away.”
It didn’t surprise me that he was up at that hour to take notice of her leaving. In all the years I’d been around him, I’d never known that guy to sleep through the night. Even back at Moon Hill he was like that. I had no clue why and he wasn’t one for going into details about it.
I had a feeling it was about to get real chick flick up in here. So, I slid the bill over my hair and made sure it was tucked in back just right, grabbed a box of pizza, and made my way over to the couch between the rooms. I wasn’t shocked at all when all three of them followed behind in a line like baby ducklings.
“So when I got back last night—or the wee hours of this morning, rather—she was there in my room. I could tell that what had happened was hitting her but I didn’t know what to do. I mean, I’m used to it by now, but someone like her, she shouldn’t be familiar with shit like this.” I flung my hand in the direction of the front of the shop. “She shouldn’t even know what it’s like to be in a situation like what happened last night. Fuck! I wanted to talk to her but then…”
Well, then she became a distraction and I willingly had let her. I think we both needed it right then.
“You slept with her?” Chris said and I couldn’t tell if the twinge of shock was meant as a joke or not.
I shot him a look. Sure I’d opened the door, but I wasn’t going to disrespect her and talk about it. It was private and maybe some of my thoughts that I’d had while I was buried inside of her were just the opposite of that, but right now I wasn’t going to turn her into some locker room conquest talk.
“Ky said he heard you two, thin walls and everything. And he wanted to know whose car that was sitting out front.” Lake shrugged it off like he knew not to say too much but at the same time, wanted to make me aware that what had happened in my room was pretty much common knowledge at this point.
“I’m not talking about it. My point is, this morning she seemed fine. She said she was heading back to her place to get a shower and stuff. Then she mentioned that she wanted to help clean up the shop but I told her to stay away until she heard from me because I needed to make sure it was safe. I still don’t know what’s going on.”
“How’d she sound when you talked to her?” Blade asked and there was that tone again, the one that said he needed to know she was alright.
“Don’t know,” I said with a half-shrug. “She didn’t answer when I called. Haven’t heard anything from her all day.” I tried my best to brush it off and not reach for my phone at the same time. I knew checking it would only leave me with the same disappointment I’d gotten all day every time I’d given in and looked. Nothing. Not even a simple text.
“Eh, just give her some time. She’s probably trying to process it all. I mean, come on, it’s not like it something that’s all that easy to come to grips with. And seeing you hurt, well, I know that feeling all too well,” Chris said and I could see him going back to the night that my bike, as well as my body, had gotten fucked up. “But seriously, I need to know more. Leave out the details, because I know you, but how did this even happen? Last I’d seen, she was like one of those little frightened hairless dogs around you.”
I laughed despite the blue mood I was in.
“Chinese Crested,” Blade mumbled around a bite of pizza.
