Page 4 of Ash (Dragon Riders MC 3)
Then again, that was my cousin. Always dressing in clothes that were two sizes too small underneath that leather jacket of hers.
“I can’t believe you got me into this,” I murmured.
“And I’m telling you, I’ll get you out of it. Just be patient. Think you can do that?”
I looked over at her. “Has patience ever been my strong suit?”
She cast me a look. “Stay patient or you’ll get us all killed. Got it?”
I rolled my eyes before I rested my chin against my knees. After graduating college two years late, the last thing I expected after getting my Business degree was to be stuck in some dingy cabin room with a bunch of girls dressed like everything from hookers to married housewives. I should’ve been applying for part-time jobs while researching Master’s programs. I should’ve been coming up with plans for my own business one day: my own publishing company. I wanted nothing more than to publish the books of others or own a store that sold books. Anything to do with my number one passion. My first love.
“Skeleton,” Slash whispered.
I shook my head. “No. Reading is my first love.”
Slash furrowed her brow. “What? Girl, no. Skeleton’s coming. Shut up and sit up straight.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ah, the man you tried to throw off with my presence. Think he got the message?”
“I’m going to kill you myself if you don’t—”
The doorknob started to rattle, and I rolled my lips over my teeth. Yeah, yeah, I knew what my cousin was up to. Duping this dope and shit like that. The only reason why I didn’t ask for more money off the top of this entire thing was because she was honest from the get-go. She told me about throwing off Skeleton. About the job some guys in some crew wanted them to do. About the double-cross and how we were supposed to work with Skeleton and these incompetent idiots to—I don’t know—do something. I wasn’t part of that part of the plan. I was hired to throw off Skeleton, and that was all I knew for sure.
But as quickly as the doorknob started rattling, it stopped.
“Slash, is he—”
“Shh,” my cousin said curtly.
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall as she slowly got to her feet. Some of the girls whispered at her to sit back down, but I didn’t give a shit what she did. She’s the one that got us into this mess in the first place when she drew her damn gun at the campground because someone called her fat. Fat, of all things! That was what pissed her off!
“Sit down,” I groaned.
“Shh!” the girls hissed.
I shook my head and turned my backs to them as Slash fiddled around with the door. The only reason I took this job was to pay off the debts I had. Then, I wanted to use the rest to get the hell out of town. My ex-boyfriend wouldn't leave me alone no matter what I did. And if I simply got out of his way and made a new home for myself, I knew he’d bite the dust. The man was a mooch, and the exact reason why I hadn’t used more of my working capital in college to pay things down as they racked up. Had I stuck with my original monetary plan, I would only have half the debt I did now, and it’d be completely manageable with the part-time job I managed to snag at the bar working for the girls.
“Why don’t you look worried?” one of the girls talking behind me, but I didn’t think she was talking to me.
“Hannah?”
“Hmm?” I asked as I peered over my shoulder.
“How can you be so calm right now?”
Slash snickered. “Because she’s part of me. That’s why.”
I rolled my eyes. “Because this is a vacation right now compared to some of the things I’ve been experiencing. That’s why.”
My cousin slowly looked over at me. “Is that asshole bothering you again?”
“He never stopped.”
She paused. “Wait, what?”
I shrugged and went back to looking at the wall.
“You told me he left you alone,” Slash said.
“That’s because I didn’t want to bother you any longer. I’ve got it under control,” I said.
She came and sat next to me. “The hell, you do. Your ex is dangerous. I told you that before you guys started dating back in college, and the same holds true today.”
“Yeah, well. Again, I’ve got it under control.”
“What’s he been doing?” someone asked.
“You know where he lives?” another girl asked.
“Got his number? I could send a threatening text before my phone dies.”
We all paused as Slash slowly turned around on her ass.
“Darla,” she said.
“Yeah?”
My cousin blinked. “You mean to tell me you’ve had a cell phone on you all this time and you didn’t—”
Darla cursed beneath her breath. “Fuck. Just kidding. Phone just died.”
