Shaded ✔️

CHAPTER 7

I decided that getting drunk wasn't going to cut it, and neither was sleeping with some random person. I needed some serious me time as far away from Jax and the club as possible, and I was due for another appointment with my tattoo artist and best friend up in King's County. So I packed a bag, telling Val I was going to be away for the weekend and that I was taking his Jeep.

"Where exactly are you going?"

"King's County." He sighed, running a hand over his beard.

"Just be careful alright? You know I don't like that King guy." Ace King was my tattoo artist. He also claimed the title of my best friend, considering the only other friend I had was MIA. His brother, Domenico King, was the president of the Kings MC. There was no bad blood between the Kings and the Sons of Shadows, but we weren't allies either. Ace wasn't part of the club, much to his father's disappointment considering he had started it himself. The town was named after his great grandfather, who was rich enough to have built it up from nothing. We had been friends for months now, and he was the one who had taught me most of what I know about tattooing and had done a lot of mine.

"Is there anyone you do like?"

"Just you." I rolled my eyes with a smile.  

"Cute. I'm leaving so tell Chuck I won't be able to work until I get back on Tuesday."

"Do you have to go for so long? With everything going on with the club right now, I'm worried."

"I'll be fine, Val. You know that the Kings run that town, I'll be protected."

"Alright. Be safe."

"Love you too Val." He just huffed and turned away, but I saw him smile before I headed to the doors. Me and Val weren't big on displays of affection, and I knew the closest I would get to an 'I love you' from him was along the lines of 'be safe' or 'don't do anything stupid'. Just I was getting to the car I was almost knocked over by, of course, Satan himself.

"Just where are you running off to, darlin'?" My heart hit my stomach at the sight of him. His white shirt was covered in oil and his arms were on full display, his hair messy under a baseball cap. He was wiping his hands on an oil rag, obviously just finishing working on his bike. I forced myself to keep moving away from him, throwing my stuff in the trunk before hopping in.

"As far away from you as possible, honey." I slammed the door before he could respond, pulling out of the lot and leaving him with a dumbfounded look on his perfect face. The drive into King's County was about an hour and a half, so I put my favorite playlist on shuffle and headed towards the highway. I put the windows down, letting the wind mess up my hair. I took a deep breath as I passed the town's welcome sign, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I wasn't going to think about that town and all the shit that came with it, at least for a couple days. No Val, no Nate and especially no Jax.

The drive to King's County always left me a little mesmerized. The desert feel faded away. There was more trees, more flowers, more life. I had thought about moving here too many times to count, but parts of me felt rooted to the town, to the club. I pulled up at King's Ink, Ace's shop, and saw him leaning against the wall outside, smoking a cigarette. He looked the same as always, his dark hair messy, his tanned skin covered in ink, his bright blue eyes sheilded by his sunglasses. I couldn't help the smile that covered my face as I ran up to him and jumped on him. He was surprised at first, but quickly wrapped his arms around me, lifting my feet off the ground and making me laugh. Ace always smelled like home. A mixture of his cologne, cigarettes, and clean laundry. For some reason it made my eyes burn with tears as I realized how much I missed him. I quickly blinked them back, pulling away and looking at his smile that mirrored my own. I felt like I had smiled more in a minute with him than I had in the last month. He put his hands around my face and pulled my forehead to his own. We stayed like that for a minute before he pulled back and I jumped off him.