Page 109 of Ink Me Three Times
Alone, finally.
I step out of the car, my feet dragging as I make my way down the street. It’s a crisp night, the cool air biting at my skin, and I pull my jacket tighter around me as I walk aimlessly, no destination in mind. Just… trying to clear my head.
But as I walk through the quiet streets of Coyote Glen, my thoughts are anything but calm. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face.
Trina.
I can’t stop the images from flashing behind my eyelids, and I don’t know how to shake it.
It’s like there’s a ghost hanging over me, a shadow I can’t outrun.
One that I’m supposed to have put to bed by now.
My feet take me through the heart of town, without me even realizing where I’m going until I’m standing in front of the fire station. The bright red doors are lit up against the dark sky, the familiar, comforting smell of smoke and rubber seeping into the air.
Jesse.
I don’t even think about it. My feet just move. He’s the only person who knows how to make sense of the nonsense I’mfeeling right now. The one person who can pull me out of my head.
I push open the door, the familiar ding of the bell sounding above me as I step into the station. The warmth and hum of the place is a small relief, the air thick with the usual scents of coffee and fire gear.
Jesse is at the counter, messing with some paperwork, looking every bit the part of a firefighter, tough, steady, like nothing could break him. But the second he looks up and sees me, his eyes narrow slightly, like he knows something’s off.
“Freddie,” he greets me, his voice easy but laced with concern. “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”
“Feel like it,” I mutter, letting out a deep breath as I drop onto a nearby bench. “Just need to… some shit happened at the con.”
Jesse doesn’t press me, but his eyes flicker over to Leo and Karl, who are sitting at the table in the corner, casually chatting. Leo’s giving me his usual gruff look, like he sees more than he lets on, ignoring Karl’s constant stream of jokes.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” Jesse says to his friends, pushing back from the counter. “You good for a minute?”
Leo raises an eyebrow, but Karl, ever the easy-going guy, shrugs and waves him off. “Sure, man. Don’t worry about us.”
We step out the back door, into the cool night air, away from the hum of the fire station.
“Talk to me,” Jesse says, his voice soft but firm, as we stroll in silence for a while.
“I saw her at the tattoo con, Jesse,” I admit, my feet dragging against the gravel. “Trina. And I think… well, I think she might have texted me before we even left for the event. Look at this. I thought it was an ad text or something, but Mitch and Tim didn’t get one.”
Unknown Number:Looking forward to seeing you at the con!
Jesse frowns. “I mean, this does seem like the sort of thing she’d do, butnow? She’s been gone for so long.”
“Right,” I mutter, still staring at the text. “It doesn’t make sense. Why now? Why at the con?”
Jesse’s gaze softens, and his voice takes on a quieter, more concerned tone. “What do you think she wants, Freddie? You think it’s just to stir things up? Or… could she be trying to take a shot at custody?”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
The thought has been eating at me for hours, but hearing it out loud makes it feel more real.
More dangerous.
More possible.
I swallow hard. “I’m scared it’s custody. I don’t know what she’ll pull, or if she’s got a leg to stand on, but she’s Trina. She’s manipulative as hell. If there’s a way to mess with me, she’ll find it. She’ll try to take Penny.”
Jesse slows his pace, letting the silence hang between us for a moment. He knows. He gets it. He saw me fall apart all those years ago when Trina first left, and he’s seen the damage it did. He’s the only one who understands the fear I’m carrying now, the fear of losing everything again.
