When Dan is finished with Raffe I tell Dan I’ll see him the next day and follow Raffe outside. He throws his leg over his bike and then notices I’m hovering nearby. “What’s up kid?”
“I know a Jimmy. Maybe it’s the same one you were talking to Big Dan about,” I tell him shyly.
“You do? Does he wear a Desert Devils jacket?” he asks.
I shake my head yes. He narrows his eyes at me as he lights up a cigarette.
“Well, Jess, my advice is to stay away from him. Okay?” He blows smoke out of his mouth and points a finger at me.
“Um, he lives with me so yeah, that will be hard to do.”
His eyebrows shoot up and I see a look of concern flash over his face. “Really?” He tilts his head and studies me a little closer.
“Yeah, my aunt fucks him,” I say, trying to sound as bad ass as he looks sitting on his bike.
He laughs and all his dazzling teeth sparkle white in the bright desert sun.
“Is there something you want to know about him? I mean I could maybe find out what you’re wanting to know.”
“Naw, honey. You just try to stay clear of him. He’s a bad dude.” He starts his bike, the rumble waking up every happy cell in my body.
I watch as he heads down the road then I turn and slowly walk towards William’s house. I know Jimmy is a bad dude. I’ve known he was a bad egg since seeing him on Renee’s porch a few weeks ago. When I get to William’s he is in the garage tinkering with Sylvia.
He looks up and smiles at me. “She’s going to be ready for the first day of school,” he says, tapping a wrench on his chin, leaving a streak of grease behind. I laugh and walk over, running my thumb over his chin to wipe it away. He stares down at me.
“Good, I can’t wait to get back to school.”
His head is still tilted down, his gaze boring into me. “Is Jimmy bothering you?” he asks, a crease forming between his eyebrows. He’s searching deep in my head for any secrets I might be keeping from him.
“Naw, just being his normal asshole, I’m the boss of this trailer, self. It’s cool. Don’t worry about me William.” I turn away from him and run my hand down Sylvia. She’s a bad looking rat rod.
We make plans to hang out over the weekend and I head home. When I get there, I’m greeted to at least twenty bikes parked around the trailer and men hanging out, drinking beer everywhere. Renee is getting in her car, headed to work. “I saved you some supper,” she hollers and then shuts her door and backs out of the driveway. I look around unsure of what to do. I push past all the bikers and head inside. No one is in the trailer so there’s that. I reach out to grab the plate of food Renee left on the table for me but, Jimmy reaches around and latches onto my wrist before I do.
“Where the fuck have you been?” he asks.
“Hanging with my friends. Looks like you’ve been doing the same,” I taunt. I know it’s stupid, but I hate him so much. He’s not my dad and I don’t like that he acts like he is.
He squeezes my wrist painfully, making me wince despite my best effort to not show him how much it hurts. “You need to have your ass home by eight, every night.”
I scoff but he tightens his grip even tighter. “Fine. You’re hurting me.” I try to pull my hand away but it’s no use, it only makes it hurt worse, so I try my best to relax in his hold. It’s then I notice his pupils are fucking blown out. You could drive one of those small foreign cars right through them.
He lets go and takes my plate from me, walking over and dumping it in the trash. “Good girls who get their ass home get supper. Bad girls get sent to bed.” He points to my room. I stomp off and am about to slam the door, but he follows and rips it out of my hands. I start to back up. He matches me step for step, backing me into the wall.
My heart is going to beat right out of my chest. I stare at a stain on his shirt as vodka breath rains down between us. “Maybe you need a good spanking,” he says in a voice I’ve only heard him use with Renee.
I don’t say anything. Statue. I am a statue. He cannot hurt me. He cannot hurt me.
He laughs and backs away keeping his eyes trained on me. “Someday, little girl. Someday.” And then he turns and closes my door behind him. I slump to the floor wishing my bedroom door locked.
That night I lay in bed listening to the music and laughter coming from outside. I decide right then and there that I’m going to listen to everything that comes out of Jimmy’s mouth and I’m going to report it all to Raffe. He doesn’t like Jimmy. I don’t like Jimmy. Maybe the group Raffe belongs to can get rid of him. If not I’ll have to find a way to do it myself.
A few weeks later I go to the hardware store to buy a lock for my door. The only problem is I need a drill to install it and Aunt Renee doesn’t have anything like that. I would buy one, but man are they expensive. I could get one from William but then he would ask too many questions.
The door dings as I walk into the tattoo shop. A scent lingers in the air. Something that smells awfully familiar. I can’t quite place it. Big Dan is wiping down his chair. He looks up at me. “You just missed my cousin,” he tells me.
“Bummer. Is he as pretty as Raffe?” I tease.
He laughs. “No, you’d probably run out of the room crying if you saw him,” he dishes back.
I roll my eyes. “Whatever, Big Dan. Nothing scares this girl.”
“Everyone’s scared of something, doll.” He finishes cleaning up while I stand by the door nervously. I hate asking for favors and I need a favor from Big Dan.
“I’m getting ready to head out. Going to see an old friend of mine who just got out of prison,” he says, shutting the back lights off.
“Sounds fun. Hey, do you happen to have a drill, like you know so I can install a lock like this?” I point to the chain lock on his front door.
He stares at me for a long time. “What are you locking?”
“Oh, Aunt Renee’s lock is broke on her front door so I thought I would help her out and put a new one on. To be safe you know?” I look at the floor as I say this.
He goes to the back and then comes out with a drill in a bright orange case. Before he hands it to me he tips my chin so he can see my eyes. “If you ever need anything you can come to me. You know that right?”
I nod and blink quickly. Something about the way Big Dan said that makes me get a funny feeling in my chest. Just like it does when William talks to me. He hands me the drill.
Setting it on the floor, I wrap my arms around him and give him a quick hug before picking it back up and running out the door.
Chapter Seven
Jesse ~ Sixteen years old
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"Practice on the grapefruit and then maybe, a big maybe, I’ll let you try your stuff out on me,” Big Dan says as he tosses a grapefruit to me. I catch it in one hand and smirk.
“Don’t trust me. I thought we were friends,” I pout.
“We are. I trust your art, I just want to see how bad you mutilate the fruit with the needle first,” he laughs.
I get to work on the fruit. He hovers over me and nudges my hand when he thinks I’m going a little too deep. “Pretty good for your first time. Practice a few weeks and then we will go from there. I can’t let you do any work on the customers, but I might…might…let you do a small piece on me.”