I huff a giggle and feel Bear’s hand move on the small of my back, slowly sliding to the right, sending a spark of warmth up my spine. Sucking a breath of air into my lungs, my attention gets pulledhearing Jay’s voice. “Ace shares his wife too?”
I lift a brow. “Excuse me?” Bear chokes on his laugh as I stare daggers at Jay. “Ace was here?” I look up at Bear holding my questioning gaze on him. “I had a feeling he had come here, that’s why I did.” Bear says softly and my brows furrow before I look back to Jay. “When did he leave?”
“I am not telling you; let him work, Emma.” Jay states and my lip curls to a snarl. I feel my body move forward, until Bear's hand hooks around my hip, pulling me back. “Emma, relax.” He whispers.
“I have to say, you hide your little secret well, doll.” Jay smirks.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I know who you are. I’ve been waiting to finally meet the Queen of this city.” He drops to a knee, waving his hand in front of him, and my brow goes up before I laugh. Never in my life have I seen anything like this, and my emotions are shot. Bear and Jay break into laughter with me as Jay stands and I say. “I don’t think it’s all that.”
“Oh, it is, doll.”
“You know why I’m here, Jay. What do you know?” Bear asks with his deepened low tone.
Jay nods his head to the door of his room and turns, leading us to his room. Bear's hand finally drops from the small of my back as we walk down the hallway and into Jay’s room.
As weird as this may sound, I can smell Ace’s cologne in the air and my eyes continue to scan the room, seeing bloody gauze in the trash and my heart aches. “Jay?” His name whispers from my lips and he meets my gaze. “Tell me if he is okay?”
He laughs; he fucking laughs. Hence the name Crazy Jay. “He’s fine, doll, that was just a scratch for him; he’s all fixed up and on his way.”
Bear huffs a laugh and a sigh of relief escapes my lips; at leastI know he is okay. But he really can’t text me, call me? It is extremely irritating.
“Have a seat on my chair, doll.”
I go to the chair; I’ve sat in many times while he inked my skin for hours. Bear sits beside me on the stool and Jay sits in his swivel chair. “Ace was here asking about a couple of the Heathens guys, one in particular.”
“Which one?” I bark out.
“Zeke.” My brows furrow. “He thinks he’s working with your brother.” Jay nods towards me when he says brother and my heart races uncontrollably. “I agree with him. Zeke comes and goes. He’s here and one minute he’s not. But so is that Zee.” My eyes widen. “What do you know about Zee, Jay?” I snap out.Maybe I don’t know my friend as well as I thought I did.
“He works with the Heathens; I never see him drive, or even hear of him driving, but he’s a sneaky little fuck. I’d watch him, doll.”
I glance over at Bear and watch a dangerous grin curve on his lips, and that jaw ticks, and ticks, like he has something brewing in his head and I am ready to jump out of my skin.
“How do you know who I am, other than what I told you?” I ask with a lifted brow and he chuckles. “I didn’t until Ace came in.”
“Oh?”
“We got talking, you came up, and I told him about when I did your piercing. Actually, I said I remember you by that sweet little pussy and your race car games and Ace almost shot me.”
I snort a laugh. Bear's head snaps over, looking at me with parted lips. “Wait. What? That’s fucked up, Ace never told me about that.” Bear jokes.
“Yes, I have a VCH piercing; no big deal, moving on.”
“That is when he told me you were his wife and the details. Had I known you were Charles Beckett’s daughter, things would have beendifferent Emma, I am sorry.” Jay frowns and I shoot him a tight smile, before I say. “Yeah well, life’s a bitch.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” He barks with a laugh. But then he gets serious. “ Just know I stand behind you and Ace. Ace has given me some great opportunities and saved my ass a fuck load of times.”
“Thank you.” I say with my nod, but deep down, I still trust no one. To gain my trust you must earn it now, it is not given until earned, to no one.
“I think we better get going Emma.” Bear says before he stands then I stand beside him. “Thanks for your time, Jay. I’ll be seeing you soon anyways, I’m in desperate need of some ink therapy.”
“ I have the perfect idea too.” He shoots me a wink and I giggle. All of my work has been bits and pieces of what I wanted, and he created it, throwing in his amazing artistic mind.
I turn and walk out of his room. Bear trailing behind me, we exit the shop and walk towards the car.
Bears hand again on the small of my back, that touch warming the chill that has frozen my spine with the information about Zeke and Zee. He opens the door for me and I turn and look up at him with a smile. “Well aren’t you a gentleman?”
