Page 86 of Spring Break Fling

“We’ll follow you to get it,” Rich said. “Your dad mentioned something about a tattoo shop with a heavy till.”

I snorted. “I don’t work there anymore.”

He chuckled. “I see you’re taking after your old man. Can’t keep a job.”

“It’s that old bastard’s fault I got shitcanned.” I flexed my hands, weighing my options. These guys weren’t here to negotiate. They wanted money, and if they didn’t get it, things were going to get ugly fast. “Look, whatever beef you’ve got with my old man, that’s between you and him. You’re the dumb shit who lent him money. That’s on you. I’m not involved in this transaction.”

Rich took another step forward. Up close, I could see the tattoos crawling up his neck, intricate gang markings that told a story of violence. They weren’t good tats. It was all cheap ink you got done by an amateur or in prison.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Rich said. “You’re involved now.”

The only thing to do was stand firm and show no fear. Men like this preyed on weakness.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, I guess you’re shit out of luck because I’m broker than my deadbeat dad. So I don’t know. See if you can find another relative.”

Rich’s grin vanished. “Fuck that.”

It wasn’t much warning but it was just enough. Rich charged me but I was expecting it. I grabbed the front of his coat and stepped aside, using his own momentum to send him sprawling on the asphalt. The other guy had the knife out and he thrust it at my belly. I danced back, keeping distance between us.

“Two against one and you still need a knife to even the odds?” I growled, shaking my head at him. “Can’t fight me like a man?”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Knife guy slashed at me with a speed that forced me to backpedal. My heel caught on Rich, where he was dragging himself up. I stumbled and almost went down, which would have been bad news for me. Somehow I managed to stay on my feet.

Then Rich was up and they came at me together, coordinated, moving like they’d done this a hundred times.

“I don’t have any fucking money,” I spat. “Stabbing me won’t change that.”

“We’re just trying to give you some incentive to pay us,” Rich said, circling around me.

“I didn’t even know you existed until five minutes ago.” I backed away from the guy with the knife but Rich was moving behind me. I couldn’t keep watching them both at the same time.

Rich shoved me toward his friend. He cracked me in the head with the butt of the knife. My legs betrayed me and I fell to my knees on the pavement, dazed. My new friends showed no hesitation. Fists and kicks rained down on me. I had enough sense to cover my head and face but my back and ribs took it instead.

The guy with the knife had jammed it back into its sheath, and I knew they weren’t going to kill me. Unless I did something to piss them off. I wasn’t about to cower there and take an ass-whooping without a fight, though.

I kicked out as hard as I could and got knife guy on the side of the knee. It bent in the wrong direction and the guy went down beside me, clutching his leg and letting out a bark of pain. There was no time to celebrate.

I sprang to my feet and headbutted Rich right in the nose. Stars exploded in my vision but I knew he was feeling it worse. I followed it up with a few quick jabs but there wasn’t a lot of power behind them. I was in rough shape. My vision kept darkening at the edges.

I pushed off of Rich, throwing him off balance, and I took the opportunity to unlock my car and jump in. The engine turned over on the first try and I peeled out of there, narrowly avoiding running over knife guy. I left them behind in the shadows like the cockroaches they were and fought to keep my vision from tunneling.

On the busy, well-lit street, the violence seemed like it had happened in another world. My heart raced and my fists were still clenched, aching. My entire body hurt and my lip was split but I was alive.

“Fuck,” I muttered, tasting blood.

This night just kept getting better.

30

HANNAH

I’d been trying to get a hold of Nikko for hours. I couldn’t do it like this. All night I tossed and turned thinking about never seeing him again. It didn’t sit right with me. I know a second goodbye isn’t going to change things, but I need to see him.

I know goodbye is goodbye, but I can’t fight the need to see him one more time. One more kiss. Maybe I’m hoping he’s going to tell me he wants to follow me to Boise. Idahoans get tattoos. It’s not like he can’t get a job anywhere.

Although leaving the sunny beaches of Miami would be pretty tough. All I could promise him was low humidity and a shit ton of snow. I wasn’t sure if that was really a good trade, but maybe.

I didn’t know if he was ignoring my calls. Maybe he blocked my number. But I had to see him. I climbed out of the Uber and right back into the heat. It felt especially humid today.