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Chapter 4
Cass
“Seriously Arin, whatis wrong with this guy?” I rant. “Every time I turn around he is there. My private lessons are at 10, then he asks me to lunch every single day no matter how often I tell him I’m not interested.
The icing on the cake is when he comes here to the shop as soon as the gym closes. Yeah I know he is fixing water pipes, putting shit on the walls and doing odd jobs but we can do that stuff without him!”
When I stop to take a breath Arin is doubled over laughing at me!
“What the fuck!” I growl and storm off to organize the new inks that came in today.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, I open the box and marvel at all the pretty colors.
Maybe one day I’ll let Arin ink me but that day is not here yet. I’ve just opened the second box to shelve when Arin walks in closing the door behind her.
“Cass, I’m sorry for laughing at you but you gotta admit it’s funny that man is head over heels for you.” She tells me.
“You know how we were talking about dinner when he walked in on Tuesday?” I ask her.
“Well, when we closed I found a bag of Chinese food waiting by my door. Arin, it was hot and fresh. The man had it delivered just as we closed.”
“Aww that’s so sweet.” Arin replies.
“That’s the problem! He is sweet, charming, and built like a Greek God but he is making a home here, Arin. I told you when you hired me, I can’t stay long.”
Arin and Lily are the only people that know the truth about why I’m here. I wasn’t going to tell anyone but when Lily showed up, demanding answers and the way Arin welcomed me in, treating me like family had me spilling it all out.
For the first time since everything began, I opened up. They both only asked one thing of me. They made me promise that if I need to run, I will tell Arin first.
“Cass, you can’t spend your life running from everyone and everything. I keep telling you, we can protect you. Just tell me the ass-hat’s name.” She pleads with me for what must be the hundredth time.
Shaking my head, I give her the same answer as every other time, “No, I’m not putting any of you in danger.”
“I’m going to tell you a secret Cass. At Poison Pen, we’re family. It isn’t made of blood or DNA or anything like that. It’s a family we choose and who choose us.
We take care of each other, we keep each other safe. No matter the cost. Once we let someone in, they’re in for life.
If I pick up my phone and send one text, I can have people here in a matter of hours. People that would make your ex-douche shake in his boots and run for the hills. Or just come up missing altogether.” She looks at me with a serious expression that’s hard to decipher.
I’m about to ask her what she means about that last part but the phone starts ringing.
