Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

“What are you guys doing here?” Opal asks, looking around at my ma, Fran, and Bear.

“I’ve got to go,” I tell Thomas. “But we’re not done talking.”

“Whatever, kid,” he says as he disconnects the call.

“Hi, Opal,” Ma says, breezing by me. “We thought we could take you to dinner later. Would you like to join us?”

Opal glances at me as I growl.

“Knock it off,” Ma warns. “You’re not the boss of her.”

Opal chuckles. “I love the women in this family.”

“The men aren’t half bad either,” Bear says as he runs his fingers through his beard.

“I’d love to go to dinner with you two,” Opal says.

Opal doesn’t care that I’m bothered, which has me worried but also proud. She’s coming out of her shell and doing it quicker than I thought possible. Being around all the strong women in my family is definitely rubbing off on her.

“Mama,” Lily says in a sugary-sweet voice as she walks out of the piercing room. “What are you doing here?”

“Taking Opal to dinner,” Ma answers.

Lily glances down at her fancy watch that tracks her steps and heart rate. “Oh. Early bird?”

Ma shakes her head. “No, silly. We’re coming back later for her.”

“Got it. And you.” Lily turns her attention to Bear. “What are you doing here?”

“Protection,” Bear states.

Lily tilts her head and nods. “Solid idea. I like it.”

I roll my eyes with a huff. “Still bullshit.”

“Think whatever you want, son. This is how it’s going to be,” Bear tells me.

Ma gives me a small smile, touching my arm again. “I know it’s hard, Stone, but let someone else look after you for a bit. You can’t protect everyone from everything all the time.”

I grumble, but I’m not going to win. “I’ll try, Ma. I’ll try.” She motions for me to tip my head and then kisses my cheek. “Thank you, baby. You made your old mom happy.”

At least someone is happy.





20





OPAL





“This is lovely, isn’t it?” Stone’s mom, Mia, says as we sit at our table overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. “It’s the perfect evening for this.”

“The view never gets old,” Fran says before taking a small sip from her ice-covered beer glass.

I stare out across the horizon at the endless blue of every shade. Since Stone took me to the beach, I’ve become obsessed with the way the water moves and sounds. I never knew something could be so calming while reigniting my soul.

“How did today go?” Mia asks, leaning back in her chair, one hand in the air with the stem of a glass of wine between her fingers.

She’s a stunning woman with wavy, dark-brown hair and the most perfect, sun-kissed skin. At her age, I’d think she’d show more effects of aging, especially from the relentless and never-ending sunshine, but I’d be wrong because her skin is almost flawless.

“It was okay,” I tell her, pushing aside my aggravation with Stone for making me stay at the shop all day. “I’m not doing it tomorrow, though.”

Fran and Mia exchange glances, looking more than amused at my statement.

“Oh boy,” Fran mutters against her glass. “This’ll be fun.”

“My son can be a bit much.”

I nod enthusiastically. “A bit? That’s an understatement.”

“Like father, like son.” Mia swirls her wine around in the glass. “They can be a pain, but it comes from a good place.”

“That’s the rub.” Fran sighs. “They’re being nice, but they don’t know when they’re overdoing things, or they think we’re overreacting.”

I reach out, dragging my fruity drink with no alcohol closer because I don’t want to be dozing off after I get back to Inked. Drinking makes me ridiculously tired, and besides the chairs used for tattooing, there’s nowhere for me to sleep off the effects. “I don’t think Jeff’s going to be an issue, and we’re all changing our lives as if he’s going to strike at any moment.”

“Do you think people are inherently good?” Fran asks me.

I think about her question. Are people inherently good? I’d like to believe so, but my life experience has shown me the opposite. There are more bad people in this world than virtuous ones.

“No. I learned that the hard way, Fran.”

“Jeff’s already shown his ass, honey. He’ll think nothing of doing it again, and rarely do people back off when the fire’s burning their feet. They run forward, right into a world of hurt.”

She’s talking in riddles, making my head hurt and making me regret my no-alcohol dinner.

“Maybe his time in jail changed him.”

Fran tips her head back and cackles. “You’re too precious, Opal. Too damn precious.”

“Jail would change me,” I mumble.

Mia gazes out across the water as her hair blows in the breeze. “Jail would change most people who think before acting, but let’s face it, many men don’t have that ability. They’re almost feral.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Fran says, holding up her glass for a second before taking a swig of her beer. “There’s no almost about it, Mia. They are completely feral and sometimes unhinged.”