Gravity (Artistic Pricks Ink Book 1) (17 page)

I let the wrong person get too close and that’s on me. I dusted myself off and moved on. It’s what you have to do. I had no time to fall apart over life not going the way I planned it to. I had a shop to run and family to take care of. At the time Chase was in college and, of course, Mom was always a mess in-between men. They needed me so I did what needed to be done, just like I always do.

Never a dull moment in the life of Luke Hanlon.

That was also when I decided to make
Artistic Pricks Ink
a twenty four seven operation. I threw everything into making it something I could be proud of and I took care of my family. I was building something bigger than myself, something that would provide more than just a weekly check. If I wasn’t working at the shop or sleeping, I was taking care of something for someone.

Climbing into the car, I hand Ki the bag. “You okay, Luke?” She asks, her fingers grazing along the inside of my forearm.

“It was nothing. I’m fine,” I reply brushing her off. I have no desire to talk about this right now.

“Riiiiiight.” Turning in the seat, Ki drops the bag at her feet.

Starting the car, I blow out a breath. “I’m sorry.” Reaching over, I take her hand. Not continuing until she meets my eyes. “That was the last possible thing I expected to happen this morning. Crystal and I didn’t end on the best of terms. Honestly, what I want is to forget that happened at all.”

Ki smiles, but it lacks its usual sparkle. I instantly feel bad knowing it’s partially my fault for the change in the atmosphere around us. It’s shitty of me taking that away from our time together, she made me feel better after my fight with Mitch when she could have easily just went home. After I went on about staying focused on us, I check out more than she does.

I feel like an ass, but I don’t want to dump all this on her. Not so soon.

“I assume you mean more than just seeing her in the store, Luke,” she replies, softly. “I don’t know what happened; honestly, it wouldn’t matter if I did. You can’t just forget the parts of your life that got you to where you are. Good, bad, even the ugly; you have to deal with your past or you have no chance of getting through it to your future. You can’t ignore it and you can’t expect me to ignore how horrible that was to watch.”

“Trust me, Kionna,” I begin. Releasing her hand, I put the car into gear, and pull out of the parking lot. “That shit is better left in the past.”

The ride to her house is awkward and tense. Ki sits in her seat, staring out the window saying nothing. Turning on the radio does nothing to combat the unease I feel right now. The playfulness between us just moments ago is gone all because of Crystal and I hate it. I try focusing on the drive, figuring that I will find the words to break the distance again, but I don’t. Ki is shutting herself off to me again and this time it’s my own fault.

“You’re doing it again,” I say, finally breaking the silence. “I’ll accept partial blame for it, but it doesn’t mean I am okay with it.”

“Huh,” Ki’s voice is calm, yet distant. “Doing what?”

“You’re all lost up in your head again. Don’t shut me out again, Ki. Don’t ruin this.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Keep tellin’ yourself that, Dollface. The last hour is running through your head on a loop, making you forget everything else,” I reply. “Making you forget what really matters. Don’t go cold on me again.”

“That’s awfully funny coming from you, Prick,” she snaps, turning in her seat to meet my eyes and I see the anger, hurt, and confusion all over her face. Although, that doesn’t stop that beautiful brown from heating to a full rolling boil. “How am I the one with the issue about your ex, Luke? Huh? How is the married, pregnant woman
you
were with years ago, according to you, a problem for me? I wasn’t the one going from hot to cold so fast that I feel like I have whiplash.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she laughs. “This is why I don’t get involved with anyone. I don’t want the fucking labels and the hassle.”

“You finished?” I ask, arching a brow at her.

“Actually, yes, I am.” She says, her words cold. The finality in her tone makes my stomach drop.

“That’s not what I mean, Ki, and you know it.”

She opens her mouth to argue, but closes her mouth tightly again. I have no idea if I am getting through to her or if she has just decided to shut down on me again. By the looks of it, her brain is going to overheat with all the overthinking she is doing. As much as I don’t want to, I need to lay it out. All of it so that she has no question in her mind about what the time I have spent with her so far has been for me. I had every intention of doing so, once we were more solid. I’m not going to lie, what we have has happened so fast, it’s been explosive. And the force that pulls me to her is like nothing I have ever felt. I can’t even begin to understand it. I see possibilities for more, so I take a breath and let it come pouring out like the word vomit that it is.

“You wanna know what upset me the most about seeing her?” I ask. When she doesn’t answer, I blow out a breath and continue anyway. “She cheated on me, for money. No remorse, no apologies. Crystal didn’t want to be a wife and mother. It was me who wanted that shit. Still fucking do. Someday. With the right woman and a solid foundation. Never thought I would see her with that before I found it, so it stings.”

“I’m sorry, Luke,” she whispers her reply as I pull into her driveway.

“Don’t be. Look, this isn’t a conversation I wanted to have so soon, but it’s happenin’.” Cupping her jaw, I turn her face so she meets my eyes. “That shit isn’t something I discuss with everyone. Hell why would I? I’m not upset that I don’t have that with her. I don’t want her. Could I have that with you? It’s way too soon to tell. Have to build that trust and find out. Thing is, I’m living my life off the hamster wheel for the first time in years and I like it. I’ve been enjoying the hell out of getting to know you when you aren’t runnin’ or shuttin’ down. Just being around you is enough for me for now. But I can’t handle you going hot and then cold on me, Ki. I’m human. I may need to take a breath, but I’m not checkin’ out. I’ll talk to you about it all. If you’re sticking around a while, that is. If you want to know shit, ask. I’m not the type to keep a damn secret from anyone, just not into oversharing. My life is an open book for you, I just wish I could do some tweaking to the details.”

“It’s none of my business,” Ki replies.

“Isn’t it?” I ask, searching her eyes. “I don’t sleep around. Sex has never been just sex for me. I won’t apologize for thinking you should know and somewhat trust who you go to bed with before the clothes come off. If I wasn’t interested in seeing where this could go, I wouldn’t have had you beneath me. Things with you and me have been quick, neither of us could help that. We obviously need to talk about a lot. If I didn’t give a shit, I’d let you go inside and drive off. That’s not me, Kionna. I talk shit out, face it head on. Relationships that last aren’t built in a day. The good ones take time to make solid. I won’t be promising forever any time soon. That means too much to me to just throw around without the heart behind it to back it up.”

She blinks rapidly, absorbing the words I’ve just said. I wait, watching her eyes as she takes breath after breath. “What does that mean, Luke?”

Turning off my car, I grab the bag at her feet. “It means we are going into your house, and we’re gonna eat while we talk.” Opening the door, I climb out. “Fully clothed and at your kitchen table.”

Walking around the side of the car, I take Ki’s arm as she grabs her purse and closes the car door, shoving her behind me. “What the hell?” She shrieks.

“Your front door is open,” I reply, slowly stepping toward the porch.

“Wait, what?” She asks in disbelief, trying to get around me.

Reaching out, my arm circles her waist making her face me. “Go to my mother’s and call the police. I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, handing her the bag of groceries. Stepping up onto the porch, I wait for her response. Ki nods, her trembling hands coming up to cover her mouth.

Pushing the busted door out of my way, I step through the doorway and it’s like a bomb went off. “What the fuck?” I shout, taking in the space. Stepping further inside, I attempt an inventory but everything is so trashed it’s hard to tell if anything is missing.

“Oh my God!” Ki cries, making me nearly come out of my fucking skin.

Whipping around, I glare at her. Her bag and the groceries now on the ground at her feet. “So much for doing what I told you.” Holding out my hand, I wait for her to step toward me. Tears stream down Kionna’s face as she sobs, silently taking in her home. Finally, she takes a deep breath and closes the space between us.

With each step we take, Ki clings to me tighter and tighter. Her furniture is slashed, foam from the cushions and fabric litter the beige carpet. The drywall has so many holes in places it looks like Swiss cheese. “Baby, I’m so sorry,” I say when she shudders against me, attempting to comfort her even if I know it’s useless right now.

“Oh my God.” Her gasp makes me jump again. Stepping into the hallway, it doesn’t get any better. The beautiful Showgirl photos of Ki that were hanging along the walls, have all been completely wrecked. All shattered at our feet in a mess of glass, wood, and debris.

Knowing she has seen more than enough for now, I turn to face her. “Come on, I need to get you out of here.”

“No!” Ki shouts trying to shove me away. “I need to see what they’ve done.”

Grabbing her by the shoulders, I shake her as she sobs. “Ki, I need you to listen to me, baby. We have to get out of here. Now. Whoever did this looks to be long gone, but I’ve gotta call the police,” I explain.

Wrapping my arms around her; I hold her close and let her cry into my chest. Her body trembles, showing every ounce of her fear. Hell, I’m scared for her. Thoughts of if she had walked in on this are enough to keep me on edge. My God, she lives alone.

“Audrey,” I croak, realization slamming into me like a freight train. “I need to check on Audrey.”

Ki’s eyes meet mine, going wide in understanding. Grabbing her hand, I sprint from the house toward my mother’s. Ki doesn’t falter, she keeps pace with me as we run through the grass. My nerves are racing and I catch myself saying a silent prayer that she is okay. Without knocking, I fling open the door the moment I reach it. “Audrey!” I shout, frantically looking around the front room. “Mom!” Everything looks in place, but where is she?

“Luke?”

Stepping out of the kitchen into the hall, Mom’s smile fades instantly. “What’s going on?” She asks, closing the distance quickly. “You scared me to death.”

“Someone broke into Ki’s house. It’s pretty bad,” I say, letting Ki’s hand go long enough to hug my mother tightly. Relief washing over me that she’s okay. “Sorry. I was worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Luke,” Mom replies, wrapping her arms around me. “Now tell me what happened.”

Releasing her, I close the front door. “I’ll explain everything in the kitchen once I’ve called it in to the cops.”

I take Ki’s hand again, following Mom into the kitchen. Ki doesn’t say a word when I settle her into one of the kitchen chairs. I squeeze her hand reassuringly before releasing her to pull my phone from my pocket. She says nothing, just looks down at her hands while tears stream down her face.

Dialing 9-1-1, I explain as much of the situation as I can before rattling off Ki’s address. Also explaining that we are next door waiting, instead of staying inside the house that is now going to be deemed a crime scene.

Mom sits in the chair beside Ki. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”

Ki nods, but says nothing; the wheels in her head turning as I have found they do when she is quiet. She is thinking things through, trying to pick apart this whole thing. She closes herself off in her mind, letting her thoughts consume her. Instead of letting that happen, I decide to try to force her to see that we are with her. That we are here for her.

“Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary last night or this morning, Mom?” I ask, hoping for any clue as to who could possibly have done this to Ki.

“No, not a thing.” She answers, frowning. “I would’ve called you or even tried to get a hold of Ki.”

“Probably best you didn’t, I guess,” I reply, knowing that with my nosy mother investigating something would have, no doubt, ended badly. It is one thing to lose your possessions, but having people hurt in that would have been something far worse for Kionna to handle right now. “If you had went over to check on Ki and walked in on that, you could’ve been hurt.”

Kneeling in front of Kionna, I tip her chin up. Red-rimmed brown eyes meet mine and it’s like a punch in the gut. The girl who has fought with me, been hot then cold, been sexy and silly, looks so broken. Worry and fear etching her features; her hands, even though clasped tightly in her lap, still tremble. I can’t stand it. “The police are on their way. It’s going to be okay, Dollface. I promise, everything will be fine,” I say, not knowing one single way to make it that way, but damn if I don’t want to just to see her smile right now.

I don’t like shit I can’t control. Problems are meant to be solved, fixed. Right now, there’s nothing I can do and I feel just as helpless as I did last night with Mitch. This time I can’t argue or take a drive to get clarity on the situation. I can’t bear to walk away and leave her to do this alone. That protective mentality is kicking in and everything says to take her and get the hell out of here even if I know I can’t. Not yet.

Ki shakes her head. “The police are coming.” Sliding the chair back, she stands to her feet, and skirts around me. “I should be outside waiting for them.” Swiping at the tears, she turns toward the door.

Pushing to my feet, I grab her hand, stopping her immediately. Her eyes stare down at our joined hands as I lace our fingers. “I’m coming with you.” I say, not wanting her to do this alone.

“I can handle this, Luke.” She replies shakily. “You don’t have to—”

“I don’t doubt that you think you can, Ki. I’m still coming with you,” I interrupt her midsentence as someone knocks on the door. Turning to my mother, I nod. “Should be the police.”