Troubled With Tattoos

022: Windrose

Troubled With Tattoos

Chapter Twenty Two

Windrose

Since the boys told me their little secret I had been avoiding them like the black plague. I couldn't think straight, my mind was doing backflips. Between my mom being on the news, my dad calling my aunt and the boys with their affiliations. I'm surprised my head hasn't exploded.

My mind drifted off back to Saturday night.

"Okay," I said hesitantly. Austin nodded, he had this look in his eye that seemed like he wasn't even here right now. Like he was far away. 

I gulped, this obviously couldn't be good. What if they knew about my family and they're going to question me about it? I followed him nervously into the living room where the boys were already sitting.

"Soo.." I began tapping my foot as I fidgeted on the couch. The boys looked at each other, thinking of where to start.

"Do you remember that night when the gunshots went off?" Austin asked.

"Which one?" I asked recalling the numerous amount of times I have been around during the shots. Austin rolled his eyes annoyingly.

"All of them" he said. He glanced at the others for approval to keep going.

"We made a deal with someone powerful." He hesitated to say.

"A deal?" I asked. My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. My hands grew sweaty.

"Camden got himself into trouble a while back and now we're all in trouble. Well this deal was a way to get us out but we called it off." Luke chirped in.

"What was the deal?" I asked wishing they'd just spit it out already. Austin mentioned before that Cam accidentally gets himself into trouble all the time.

"We uh," Luke began but looked at Austin for help.

"We were supposed to...get you and bring you to the leader of a notorious gang." Austin said running his hands down his face.

My stomach dropped as I slowly realized my friends were hired to kidnap me. Betrayal crept up my stomach and my heart was aching. I wanted to trust someone so bad I trusted the first people I met. I wouldn't let myself do that again.

"We backed out of the deal when we got to know you. We don't want you to get hurt." Austin added.

"We made a pact to instead protect you from this gang." Luke said. Camden stayed silent, his betrayal hurt the most.

"Camden messed with the wrong people and now Cam is apart of their gang." Luke said. I glanced up at Camden.

"Cash had been sent to finish what we couldn't." Austin explained.

"Cash?" I gulped. All of this was some big plan, none of this was real. It warmed me to know they cared for me enough to vow to protect me but was that all this was? Our friendship I began to look at as family was just a vow?

"Yes, Cash Sawyer, Lizzie's new boyfriend. He's just using her to get you to let your guard down." Luke said.

"Why would this gang want me?" I asked my voice cracking. I would not allow myself to cry in front of them.

"We haven't figured that part out yet." Declan admitted.

"Way to bring it down easy, Ducky." Austin shook his head.

"Windrose, that's the name of the gang.  We got Camden out but now we're in." Luke explained. The boys suddenly showed their tattoos in unison. Each of them had the same compass tattoo with roses wrapped around.