Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged #4)

“What if I hit you just kinda hard and gave you a little bit of amnesia?” she suggested, grinning.

“With my luck, I’d just remember the crap and forget the good stuff.”

“What good stuff?”

“Lark and Phoenix,” I said, walking away. “Oh and the fucking from last night was pretty memorable.”

“Whore.”

Giving her a wink, I disappeared down the path to the apartment. A night with the girls would distract from Vaughn. I wanted to smack him for the stupid text. I also wanted another night of sweaty fun. Smacking and sexing would have to wait. The Johansson sisters required all of my attention.

Twenty minutes later, Bailey was shocked when Sawyer won Rock, Paper, Scissors then chose Chuck E Cheese as our hangout destination. Sawyer was shocked anyone wouldn’t want to go to Chuck E Cheese. I was just shocked the sisters hadn’t killed each other years ago.

A deal was a deal, so we dropped by Chuck E Cheese. Even though I promised Bailey we would eat somewhere, she sulked like a bitchy child. I eventually said I was ignoring her unless she played nice.

Grudgingly, oh so very grudgingly, Bailey chilled out. Arms crossed in irritation, she watched Sawyer and I play the Aliens game. Duckface present, she stood next to me and Sawyer while we rode the roller coaster simulator. By the time I was throwing basketballs, Bailey finally realized there was no harm in silly fun.

When we were crawling around in the tubes with Sawyer, Bailey laughed before quickly looking around to make sure no one knew she was having fun. In that moment, I realized her biggest problem. Bailey lived her life through the eyes of others.

Despite her big mouth and claims of awesome, she wasn’t her own person. Everything she did was to gain the approval of others, but people were impossible to please. I wished she understood how out of a hundred people, she would still have at least one hater. I realized this fact as a kid when one grandmother told me I looked like an angel before another grandmother told me I looked like trailer trash. There was no pleasing everyone, so life had to be about what I needed and how to please those I loved. Anyone beyond them was static.

Telling Bailey any of this would feel like a lecture and she was in a good mood once she realized Chuck E Cheese was empty enough for her to enjoy. We bought a hundred tokens and played crappy games until they were all gone. Next, Sawyer danced with the Chuck E Cheese animatronic mouse while I took pictures. Soon, I joined her and shook my butt to the horrible music.

When Bailey seemed unsure about joining us, I yanked her onto the kiddie dance floor. She smiled like I was the best brain she ever had and I agreed with her. If I was running things up in that pretty head, her life would be a hell of a lot easier.

“I never took dance classes,” Bailey said, swaying her arms.

“Neither did I,” Sawyer yelled, bouncing around. “I’m a natural.”

Rolling my eyes, l laughed. “You’re both dorks. It’s Chuck E Cheese. No one cares how you dance.”

Bailey and Sawyer proceeded to display their lack of formal training by holding hands and jumping in place. I stepped back and allowed them a little sisterly bonding.

Lark and I used to do goofy things together. I missed those easy times, but I’d left and she built a life without me. Despite my pride in what she created with Aaron, I longed for what I left behind. With those days gone, I could only follow my sister’s lead and build something better.





Chapter Six - Vaughn


Relieved to have company, I refused to run back to Raven. Nothing said a guy was hooked like spending two nights in a row with the same chick. No, I needed to keep my distance and play it cool. Problem was most days were boring as shit and my evenings were even duller. That was where Judd and Tawny came in.

The dark haired couple walked into the restaurant connected at the hip in the way couples tended to enter any room. Judd’s arm was wrapped around Tawny’s shoulders and he walked slower so she could keep pace. Normally, the pretty girl who stole my buddy’s heart was bouncing or nearly humping him. Tawny always seemed in a state of happy since snaring her man. Tonight, her dark eyes looked depressed.

“Something I said?” I asked as she sat across from me in the booth.

“Fuck off,” Judd growled.

Even grumpy, Tawny smiled at his growling. She thought the sound of it was hilarious.

“What’s the deal? Are you that upset about having dinner with me?”

Judd’s blue eyes glared at me and I knew he was really pissed. Like jump across the booth and cut my throat pissed. While he might kill me, I figured I’d make him work for it.

“Therapy is hard,” Tawny said, staring at the menu in front of her. “Not everything is about you, Vaughn.”