Gravity (Artistic Pricks Ink Book 1) (33 page)

“What the hell is going on?” Skinner asks, flying down the exit ramp into downtown Vegas.

“Get me to the hospital.” My words come off detached as I scroll through my phone. I dial Kionna’s cell which goes straight to voice mail. When Mitch and Shelby don’t answer theirs either, I am ready to jump from the car and run to the fucking hospital. As crazy of a driver as Skinner is, even he isn’t going fast enough for me right now. My mind races as I replay the phone call in my head.

“Incident.”

“Shots fired.”

“…see you at the hospital.”

Transporting to the hospital means someone was hurt, but who? The intruder? The intruder and someone I care about? Everyone in that shop is important to me, they are family. Fear and worry grips me by the throat and all I can do is sit here and wait until we get there.

Nearly thirty minutes later, after dodging wall to wall traffic all over town, we pull in at the hospital. “Go, I’ll park and be right in.” Skinner says screeching to a stop at the Emergency Room doors.

I don’t hesitate. Jumping from the car, I run through the automatic doors to the information desk. “I’m looking for Kionna Slade.”

The older woman adjusts her glasses then types away on her computer. “Sir, we don’t have a patient listed under that name.”

“You have to be wrong. The police said she was being brought here.” I argue. “Check again, please.”

“Luke.”

The sound of her voice washes over me. Looking up, I meet Kionna’s eyes as she walks out of a waiting room holding a blanket around herself. “Dollface,” I say, taking a deep breath for the first time since my phone rang.

Running up to her, I wrap her in my arms and bury my face in her hair. “It was Kelly. She was there… and then Shelby… They fought and Shelby was shot… Then Mitch ran in… I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.” She wails as I hold her to me.

“Ssh, baby. It’s okay, this wasn’t your fault. Where is Mitch?” I ask, pulling back to look around.

“In there. He’s not doing so hot.” Ki says sadly, and I don’t doubt it.

Releasing Ki long enough to wrap an arm around her body and pull her against me, I lead us into the waiting room where Mitch sits beside Charlie and Leah. “Hey, what are they sayin’ about Shelby?” I ask when Charlie and Leah see me. Mitch’s arms and bare chest are covered in blood, making my damn heart leap into my throat. He doesn’t look up at me; he just stares down at the bloody mess that was his shirt, wringing it in his hands.

“They were able to stabilize her before transport, but that’s really all we know right now. They are worried about blood loss and her being unconscious as long as she was. She’s in the O.R.” Standing up, Charlie walks over to me and shrugs his shoulders.

“Kionna, why don’t you go sit with Leah, yeah?” I say, pointing to the empty chair. Nodding, she walks away and sits beside Leah not taking her eyes off of me. I don’t blame her, I left her. I saw the window open and I still left her.

“Cops said the chick circled the block after busting the window and snuck in a window and just waited for her opportunity. Guess she wasn’t countin’ on Shelby and Mitch.” Charlie says, looking over at my friend. “Guy is a mess. Cop told me Mitch emptied the rest of the clip into the chick.”

“No.” I say in disbelief, looking at Chuck.

“He did. He also wouldn’t leave Shelby until she came to. Even then he had to be put in cuffs until they could get her off in an ambulance.” Looking at my best friend, I attempt to get a read on him but none of what I see is good. If I thought I had seen Mitch broken before, I was wrong. Something has snapped in him and fuck if that doesn’t scare me.

Three hours later, Mitch is pacing while we wait on news about Shelby. Once Skinner walked in, he was Mitch’s shadow. Clinging to him like glue and talking to him in an attempt to keep him calm. Even though Mitch never said a word, or really even acknowledged Skinner, I could tell it was helping. We are all on pins and needles since we haven’t heard anything since Shelby was taken into the operating room. All we have been told is that she was listed in critical, but stable condition at the moment.

“Family of Shelby Winston?” A woman calls from the doorway, pulling off her mask and gloves.

“That’s us.” Mitch says, rushing toward her.

“I’m Dr. Clark. Miss Winson’s sustained serious injuries, as you are aware. Without going into a bunch of medical jargon, I’ll get to the point and tell you what you’ve been waiting to hear. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding and have her listed in stable condition right now. The concussion she suffered is more so what we are watching at this time, as she was unconscious and unresponsive for quite some time. She was very lucky, as the bullet mostly skimmed her and did minimal damage. I expect her to make a full recovery,” Dr. Clark says, making everyone sigh in relief.

“Thank you.” Mitch says shaking her hand. “When can we see her?” He asks.

“I prefer for her to rest tonight. Tomorrow you may see her if she so wishes.” Dr. Clark replies, walking from the room.

“I put signs up at the shop. A.P.I. is closed for the next few days. I’ll go by and get Shelby’s book and reschedule our appointments,” Chuck says, clapping me on the back. “Come on Leah, let’s go.”

“I think we should all head home.” I say reaching for Kionna’s hand.

“I’m not leaving her.” Mitch says, slumping into a chair. He crosses his arms over his chest and blows out a breath.

“Man, come on, you can crash at my place.” Skinner says grabbing his arm.

“No.” Mitch roars leaping to his feet. “You didn’t see it. You didn’t see her lying on the ground, bleeding. Fuck!” He shouts storming from the room.

“Skinner, let it go.” I say, when Ki stands to her feet. “He needs to work through that shit. Once he sees Shelby in the morning, he’ll be okay. Can you give us a ride to my house?”  Skinner nods and follows us as we head toward the door.

The ride to my house in the suburbs is quiet. There’s too much worry and yet so much relief at the same time. Kelly is dead and everything is over now. Shelby is going to be fine, but I don’t know about Mitch. Even though I told everyone he would be, I doubt it myself. Mitch has been through a lot, and this only makes his load to bear heavier.

“I’m gonna circle back to the hospital and check on him.” Skinner says when he pulls into my driveway.

Opening the door, I nod. “Thanks. Keep me updated on everything. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You got it, Luke,” he says as I climb from the car and help Ki step out onto the concrete and close the door.

Walking up to the house, I unlock the door gesturing for Kionna to go in ahead of me. Once inside, I close and lock the door before pulling her into my arms. Her legs wrap around me as she buries her face in my neck and shudders. “Baby,” I whisper, walking up the steps heading for my bedroom. My entire world has been upside down, holding Kionna helps right it. “I don’t do very well with feeling helpless. I almost lost you today, Dollface.” The words make my chest ache as I say them. My eyes burn with the emotion I have been pushing back since the drive to the hospital.

“There was a moment, after she shot Shelby, that I accepted it. I knew no one was stopping her once I saw Shelby lying on the floor like that. I never would’ve thought Kelly could’ve been so cold and calculating,” she chokes out, meeting my eyes. “Then Mitch saved us and shot Kelly and like that, it was all over. The thing is, I realized something while Mitch was pleading for Shelby to wake up. I’ve been floating through the last few years of my life, just existing. Until you I met you. I tried to stay away from you, but it was as useless as fighting the tide. I belong here,” she says brushing her lips over mine softly. “I belong with you. I’m not floating anymore, I’m anchored. To you. There has to be something holding you to this Earth other than gravity and for me, that’s you, Luke.”

“I love you, Kionna.” I whisper, pressing my lips to hers.

“I love you too,” she replies as I pull her against me.

Listening to her breathe for as long as I can, I fall asleep with her in my bed, where she belongs. Content in knowing that everything we have ever had to endure has brought us here to this moment together. She stole my heart without even trying and I got her heart in return. So I am going to say that I came out ahead on this one.

“Are you done yet, Prick?” Kionna asks lying back on the table.

“Five minutes closer than I was the last time you asked, Dollface.” I reply, winking at her as I finish shading in her very first tattoo.

The last few weeks has been crazy. Once the police were done with the shop, we had to get repairs done and clean-up before re-opening. Kionna has been taking over for Shelby while she recuperates, and let’s just say, I love my girl but I miss my office manager.

Of course, in true Shelby fashion, she wasn’t home a week before she showed up demanding her office chair back. Mitch came unhinged. He immediately wrestled her keys away before marching her pretty ass to his truck and drove her home. Even with her pride and joy Ford Mustang Convertible locked away in Mitch’s garage, she still manages to show up here every day. Leaving her with nothing to do but plot ways to kill him on her bright pink sticky notes. His chair is littered with them along with his box every day.

“Kionna?” Shelby asks looking up from her note pad. “What says ‘give me my keys back asshole’ nicer? Castration or disembowelment?” Tapping her chin with her pencil, she sighs. “The man really is lucky he saved my life. I’d report it stolen, but according to that officer Stewart guy, it would be ‘falsifying’ a police report.” Shelby says making air quotes with her fingers. “My baby needs to be driven people.”

“He’s just worried about you.” Kionna says, jumping when I turn off the gun.

“Someone should be worried about him if he doesn’t stop treating me like glass. Asshole,” she mutters, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s a total pain in my ass.”

“All done, baby,” I say, wiping away the excess ink.

Kionna sits up, bouncing on the table. “Lemme see, lemme see!”

Turning my freestanding full-length mirror, I give her the first look at the idea I came up with. Green ribbon flows from a ballet shoe accentuating the script along her thigh that reads “
Love is the only force stronger than Gravity
.”

“It’s beautiful.” Ki sniffles.

“That looks great Luke.” Mitch says from the doorway, spinning a set of keys around his index finger.

Shelby’s eyes instantly harden as she stares at him. “What the hell are you doing with those?” She asks angrily, no doubt spotting the bright pink key ring.

“I felt like givin’ the ‘Stang a long, hard ride.” Mitch says with a shrug before winking at her. “Boy, can she purr.”

Pushing from her chair, she starts after him. “I can’t run very well yet, motherfucker, but all the best horror film murders walked with purpose. Right now, my only purpose is running you up a flag pole by your balls.”

Kionna looks at me and shakes her head. “Should we break that up?” She asks as I run my fingers up her arms.

“Nope, I think they need to hash it out.” Tipping her chin up, I brush my lips over hers. “Do you really like it?” I ask, moving my mouth along her jaw, down to her neck.

“Yes, I love it,” she moans breathlessly. “I love you.”

Fuck, I will never tire of hearing her say those three words. “Love you too.” I reply, already planning another tat, this time for me.

T
HIS ISN’T THE END,

IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Cat Mason was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois which is just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, Missouri. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.