Shattered (Koa #5)

3. Asher

Chapter 3

Asher

I t took us a day and a half to unpack, but we managed to get the place looking not so bad. Neither of us wanted to be tripping over boxes and shit for weeks, so we got everything done in one go.

We finish after midnight, and I have to shower and change, my clothes drenched in sweat. Though I could hardly handle standing for another minute, it was worth it when I came out feeling refreshed.

Bane brings out a speaker and blasts some hard rock while we chill in the chairs we stole from the Sunshine House.

“I checked out our shop; it looks pretty good besides the barf pink walls. I’ll pick up some paint and throw the first coat on tomorrow,” Bane says.

“Go dark grey. I’ll frame and hang some of our designs on the walls. ”

“When are you gonna have time to do that?” Bane asks.

“You’re taking all of our customers for now.”

Bane rolls his eyes. “This isn’t some self-deprecating bullshit, is it?”

I ignore his snide comment. “It just makes sense. I want you to get as much experience as possible so I can let you go solo.”

“I’m already going solo. I hardly need you.”

“Great, well, soon you really won’t need me,“ I grumble.

It’s not just for him. My spark is basically gone. I just can’t fucking do it right now. Everything feels so heavy.

“You wanna tell me what happened in the upstairs bathroom?” Bane asks, motioning to his cheek, pointing out the massive gash on mine that’s faded into a pink line.

“Not particularly.”

“I cleaned up the mess. You’re welcome.”

“Did you throw that fucking toilet seat in the garbage?”

“It came with the house, Ash,” he says, annoyed.

“Bull fucking shit.”

Our fight is halted when my phone goes off on my chest, and I check it. It’s from Jared, and it’s a picture of a HORRIBLE tattoo that I can’t even make out. It’s faded and splotchy; it looks like it was picked while healing or just butchered out the gate. A single word follows.

Jared: Help.

Asher: You better be fucking joking.

Jared knows better than that. He’d never pick a tattoo or go to an artist who would butcher one like that.

Jared: Yeah, I am. I knew that I’d get some kinda response from you tho .

Motherfucker. I’ve been ignoring him for weeks now. Shit’s been too heavy. A moment later, he calls me, and Bane raises a brow as I answer, lowering the volume of the music from deafening to just ear-splitting. I have to max the volume on my phone to actually hear.

“Fuck you,” I growl at Jared.

“Fuck YOU! Where have you been? Rocco and Rooney told me you’re dead,” he says casually, as though he never believed it.

“That doesn’t surprise me. I’m not dead, I had to leave town, and shit’s been crazy, but I’m finally settled. Sorry about that.” It’s a crap apology, but it’s all I’ve got.

“Where are you, and are you back to work?”

“Bane and I moved to Alton, and we’re back to work in a few days. What do you actually want?”

“My back is completely bare, I’m thinking an enormous dragon head, straight on, too big to comprehend.

It sounds like a monster project, exactly what I don’t want right now. I just… can’t.

“I won’t be tattooing for a while; we’re still trying to get the shop up and running. Bane’s taking all of our clientele for now.”

Jared pauses. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I’m sure Rocco can get you in, though.”

“I want the dragon in realism. What about Bane? Do you think he could pull it off?” he asks, completely missing the point.

“I know he could. But you realize Rocco and Rooney will have our heads if we pawn you.”

“Then don’t tell them. I never see them as is; they’ll never know.”

Jared’s right, and he’s not one to bullshit. I know he won’t cross us .

“I’ll text you Bane’s number, and you can review everything with him.”

“Thanks man, I’ll be in touch.”

Once I hang up, I copy and send him Bane’s number. “Jared wants a dragon head on his back.”

“And he’s settling for me?”

“Yeah, he is.”

He chuckles. “Fine with me. But we might want to do something about the chick next door.”

“What?”

Bane points to the Sunshine House, where I see the Sunshine herself, hanging her head out of a window.

And she’s pissed.

She looks like a doll, so tiny and porcelain. Her light hair is in a messy bun with pieces falling around her face. Her brows are sharply downturned, and her enormous fucking owl eyes pierce me like a goddamn knife. I can see her lips moving furiously, but I still can’t hear her, even with the music lowered for my phone call.

“Turn that off,” I tell Bane.

Bane shuts it down, and she shakes her head at me, angrily throwing up her arms.

“What?” I shout back, playing dumb.

She explodes. “Turn the fucking music down, you assholes! ”

“Language!” I gasp. “It’s not polite to yell and swear so late at night, Sunshine.”

“Oh, get fucked, dick bag!”

I’m genuinely shocked. This chick doesn’t know what tree she’s barking up .

“Why don’t you come down here and say that? Preferably with no clothes on.” It’s a direct challenge. I was trying to make her blush, but she only huffs and sticks her head back in the window. A moment later, she storms out of her back door, using the flashlight on her phone to light her way.

What the fuck?

She’s not naked but wearing the next best thing: pajama shorts low on her perfectly rounded hips and a thin top with tiny straps that don’t reach her shorts, leaving a bit of skin showing. As she enters the light on the deck, I realize her nipples are visible through her shirt. Her tits are so small they’re almost not there, a cute contrast to her wider hips. I muster every bit of muscle, bracing against the chair to help me stand in a way that looks normal in time for her to stop in front of me, face to face. She only comes up to my neck, and even then, she cranes hers up as she stops, leaving only inches of space between us.

“Get fucked, dick bag, I believe was what I said,” she snaps, on full offense. “It’s what someone says to two obnoxious guys who are blasting music at one in the fucking morning, you inconsiderate pricks !”

I can’t take her seriously. She’s got a lot of balls to be mouthing off to a couple of guys over twice her size without backup. There’s a pickup with the SUV in her driveway, but I’m guessing it belongs to the other blonde peeking out the window of the Sunshine House with more brains and less balls than this one.

“You forgot to take your clothes off,” I say, teasing.

Her eyes narrow in rage. “Go fuck yourself.”

“I’d rather fuck you, Sunshine. You run, I’ll give you a head start. ”

Something interesting flares in her eyes. It’s not exactly disgust and certainly not embarrassment. Before I can place it, she masks it with a cocky sneer.

“I’ve seen you walk; I think I can outrun you.”

My expression steels as rage boils in me, the flirtation gone, and this fucking chick doesn’t bat an eye, her glare still locked on me. I lean in just enough to crowd her, my eyes piercing hers, but she doesn’t shrink beneath my gaze. She holds her ground, and that pisses me the fuck off.

“Watch it, little bitch,” I sneer.

She raises a brow, almost unbothered. “What, am I supposed to be afraid of you?”

“You should be. We’re not gay, Sunshine, and you’re over here all alone tempting us,” I say, a clear threat, just as I hear a vehicle approach and stop in front of the house.

She doesn’t even bat an eye; she takes a short half-step back as her angry expression returns. It’s a clear challenge as she puts that tough girl mask back on.

“Just turn off the fucking music.”

“I will, under one condition. Let me put my number in your phone. Y’know, in case you ever need some cock.”

She rolls her eyes, and I still can’t figure out what she’s thinking. Then she pulls her phone from her shorts that sit far too high on her lush little thighs, and she opens a new contact on her phone and hands it over. I put my number in and return it to her.

“Asher,” she says, looking at my name before lifting her eyes back to mine, conniving. “Great, now I can block you.”

“Lila! ”

A man approaches calmly from around the corner. He’s tall and looks like he sucks dick for a living with his gelled-back hair and meek eyes. As he walks up the steps, he flashes me the badge at his hip. He’s a cop.

“Everything alright here, gentlemen?” he asks sternly, his hands firmly on his hips. The girl, Lila, keeps her eyes glued on mine, not even turning to see the new addition to the party.

I flash him a fake smile. “Of course. Our neighbor Lila here kindly asked that we turn down our music. I think it might’ve woken her up.”

The cop literally wraps an arm around Lila, pulling her back from me. Her furious posture vanishes, replaced with comfort. She still doesn’t look at him, so she must know who he is. I wonder if she’s fucking him, but I doubt it.

“Goodnight, gentlemen. Please, keep the music down,” the man says as he directs her down the steps. They bicker as they head towards her house, still audible, but Lila stops and turns on her heels, shooting an amused glare my way.

“Oh, and when you’re done with my chairs, put them back, and then stay off my fucking property.”

“Might I suggest a new coat of paint? Maybe black?” I say, motioning to her house. “Space called; it needs its sun back.”

She sneers at me, and the cop yanks her away, forcing her to turn around.

“Everything was fine!” Lila growls.

“Yeah, what could’ve possibly gone wrong?!” he asks shortly, raising his voice.

“They were being assholes! ”

“You need to knock this shit off, you don’t know them, they could’ve been psychos!”

The cops’ analysis makes me chuckle because he’s not far off. I watch him ensure she gets inside and hear him tell her to lock her doors. He waits there for a moment until the other blonde girl comes out. She’s younger than Lila, maybe in her early twenties, while Lila looks closer to her late twenties. She’s got long, curly blonde hair that engulfs half her body, making a curtain behind her as she hurries along with the cop. He walks her to her truck, just at the other end of the driveway, out of view. I hear it pull out and the sound of a car door opening and closing, but no engine. The cop’s going to stick around for a bit to ensure we don’t go after her.

But something tells me she’d like that.

“What a psycho bitch,” Bane says, in awe of Lila’s idiocy.

“Don’t get any ideas,” I steel.

I think I’ve found something to keep me entertained in this shit town.