Page 21

Getting a tattoo is something I’ll never forget, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be.
Of course there are tears and small screams, but it’s not that horrible. Thank you, Tera, for making me feel like an angel is tattooing me. She is always attempting to calm me down with her hands. She treats me with kindness and care, and she even stops to embrace me a few times as she works.
Dustin comes back with a fresh set of tools by the time Tera is done with the tattoo. When he sees the tattoo on the back of my right shoulder, his eyes go big.
“Is that really the one he told you to do for her?” His voice is full of astonishment.
I feel uneasy within. I can’t believe I have to go through this again if this is the wrong tattoo.
Yes.
Tera uses sign language to talk to her dad.
Before I applied to the care agency, I learnt some sign language so I could be ready for any requests that potential clients could have. However, I wasn’t very good at it because I didn’t have much time to study it.
Tera has been sending me notes since she doesn’t know I can understand sign language. I can sort of infer what she’s trying to communicate now that I see her doing it.
Yes. He told me to cook it for her when he came to visit me this morning. There was no way I could have heard him wrong.
“What?” I sound worried. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with my tattoo?”
I can’t see it yet since it’s on the back of my shoulder. They don’t talk for a while, and then Dustin eventually sighs.
“Well, Emily…” He seems like it’s hard for him to explain, and I don’t like how his voice shakes.
What might possibly make him a little nervous? He probably has done hundreds of tattoos, so what possibly be wrong with this one that he couldn’t even find the words to say?
He says, “I don’t think we can tell you about this tattoo.” “Only Liam knows why. You can ask him when you see him again.”
I am getting more worried. I look at Tera, and she gives me the same guilty face.
Dustin says again, “I’m sorry, Emily.” “We can’t tell you the answer because we don’t want to go over Liam’s head.”
I think I’m going to weep. The last time I saw Liam, he was really angry with me.
Maybe he gave me this tattoo to hurt me, not to keep me safe.
Dustin ruffles Tera’s hair and whispers, “You did the best you could.” He kisses her on the forehead. “I’m very proud of you.”
Tera grins with tears in her eyes, and I can’t tell if it’s a sad smile or a happy one.
“I think it’s better to wait for Liam to say it himself. I don’t think anyone would be ready for this.” Dustin stands up straight.
Tera soon agrees and helps me put my clothing back on so that my tattoo is covered.
“Go with her to breakfast,” Dustin tells his daughter.
My heart is thumping loudly in my chest.
“Don’t worry, Emily,” Dustin says as Tera and I walk to the door.
I turn back at him and see that he is staring at me with a serious face.
“Everything will be okay.”
That’s the last thing I hear as Tera pulls me out of their house.
Tera and I go to the kitchen. When I question her about the tattoo again, she just looks at me with an apologetic face and doesn’t say anything.
“Please, I need to know what will happen to me.” I stop as we get close to the kitchen.
She shakes her head, and I feel disappointed again. She puts her hand on my heart and smiles at me to let me know that everything will be okay. But that’s not enough for me.
I stumble into someone, and as I glance at them, I see Lizzy, the girl I met when I initially came into this home.
“Isn’t it the girl without the tattoo?” She sneers and then gives Tera a look that makes her feel bad. “Emily, you’ve got a friend. A dumb mute.”
I’m so angry that my heart hurts after hearing how she talked about Tera.
“Just leave us alone,” I say angrily.
“Emily,” someone yells, and everyone in the room turns to look at me.
I get chills down my spine as I see Kelvin approaching towards me with his two companions. One of them really does look like Arthur, and I turn my head to find the other brother, hoping he will walk up and smack some sense into them again.
“I think it’s time for Liam to trash you.” Kelvin pauses in front of me, and everyone else gets quiet. “He hasn’t given any more warnings since the first one, and from what I can see, you’re the one who’s always on his tail.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do than bully someone?” I say through angry teeth. “Maybe an important mission?”
I know I hit the perfect area when Kelvin clenches his jaw. He feels bad about himself.
“Watch your tongue,” he snaps as he moves closer to me.
Tera steps in front of me to protect me from him.
Kelvin laughs and looks at her with sadness. “Get out of the way, you f*****g mute. Don’t get in the way of my business with her. It’s time she knew who’s in charge here.”
Tera shakes her head forcefully. Kelvin takes one more step closer, and she bravely presses his chest, which makes the people around us gasp. We don’t see an innocent, silent girl having a battle with one of the Knights’ right-hand men every day.
Kelvin is so angry that he pushes her so hard that she smacks a table around the corner. I can’t believe what I’m seeing as I watch her collapse to the floor.
I yell at Kelvin, “What the hell did you just do to her?” and then I run to aid her.
Tera winces in agony. When I help her up, she takes my hand.
“Are you okay?” I ask, with anxiety in every syllable.
She shakes her head. Seeing the bruise on her forehead makes me angrier.
“Are you crazy?” Arthur’s brother yells in Kelvin’s face, and his own face becomes white as a sheet. “Zane will be mad if he finds out about this.”
“Shut up,” Kelvin yells.
I frown because I’m confused. I have a feeling that there is something going on between Tera and Zane, but I can’t be positive.
“You said it was an important mission?” Kelvin laughs at me.
As he gets closer to me and Tera, I reflexively move back.
“Do you even know where the men who went on such a mission are now?” He makes another step towards you, making you feel threatened. “Did they even succeed? That’s bullshit. Victor told me he couldn’t get in touch with them anymore. They’ve been gone for days.”
Tera’s face turns pale, and her eyes fill with tears. The girl who couldn’t speak and just held her head up high is now about to cry.
“You’re worried about Zane?” Kelvin hisses at Tera, his voice full of hate. “You should.”
I can’t stop thinking about the phone chat I had with Ethan that ended suddenly due of gunfire and explosions. I haven’t heard from him again after then, not even a text back.
Something terrible has occurred to Ethan, Zane, and Dante, that’s for sure. But I won’t accept that they’re dead.
“And you.” Kelvin glares at me. “You might be Liam’s slave, but a rule is a rule. If someone comes into our base without being a part of us, they die. Liam wouldn’t know the truth because he’s f*****g blind. He can’t even see your tattoo.”
I defiantly tilt my chin up, but he grabs it so hard that it aches.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been using him all this time.” His voice is as icy as ice. “Because if that’s the case, I’m sure he won’t mind if we kill you and use you.”