Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

ECHO

I'm pretty sure Joey is gay and wants to sleep with me.

That thought keeps running through my mind as I sit in Booker's tattoo chair, listening to my club brothers bicker.

"I'm just saying you are meant to be a scary badass and you're getting finger sparkles tattooed on yourself. They aren't exactly going to have someone cowering in fear, are they?" Jet says with a smug smirk at Fizz, who is sitting in Rex's tattoo chair.

"You are such an idiot. Anything can be scary given the right setting," he smiles dangerously at Jet and I know he is brewing up a plan. "Anyway, who's saying that isn't the point? I am a 5'6" gay man. Maybe I want assholes like you to think I'm not scary. Draw them in with my nice smelling cologne and pretty tattoos and next thing you know I've venus fly trapped them."

"Dude," Jett says, jaw dropped.

"What?"

"That sounds kind of cannibalistic." Booker mumbles, not tearing his eyes away from the tiny little scythe he's tattooing below my left shoulder.

My giant back tattoo is probably my pride and joy. A few years ago Booker tattooed a giant open book at the base of my back and every time I read a book I love, Him or Rex adds something that represents it so it looks like it is spilling out of the open pages. They are all about half an inch big and fucking awesome. I have a weed, a storm cloud, a puck, a swing porch, some black wings, a rugby ball, and about twenty more.

This was meant to be a lifelong project, but I see myself being covered by the time I'm thirty.

Maybe I'll start on my thighs at that point.

"When I say I enjoy eating dick, I don't mean the whole sausage." Fizz retorts and I huff a laugh.

Jet opens his mouth to continue their ridiculous argument, but thankfully Lacey, who owns the local bakery, walks in with a tray of pastries.

"I'm here to feed a few of my favorite boys," she announces. Jet, being the only one who is neither tattooing or being tattooed, jumps up and takes the box out of her hands.

"If you eat them all, you are never getting a free tattoo ever again," Rex grumbles in his deep voice.

I know Joey thinks I'm quiet and not very talkative, but I wonder what he'd make of Rex, who makes me look like a Gilmore Girl.

Does Joey have a thing for men who don't talk a lot, or is it just me? Maybe he would want to hook up with Rex, too.

Well, I don't like that fucking thought.

"There is more than enough to go around," Lacey chuckles. "I brought enough to feed a football team."

"Yeah, but Jet will still have a good go at eating them all, Lacey," Fizz tells her.

"Jet, are you not eating enough? You need a partner to make sure you eat."

"That sounds more like a parent than a partner." Booker mumbles, making me snort.

Lacey looks at me. "You're single aren't you Echo?"

"Echo has a guy he goes to college with," Fizz interjects quickly. I shoot him a grateful look. Lacey is lovely, but she's constantly trying to set people up. It's sweet, but tiring.

Lacey beams at me. "You'll have to bring him into the bakery some time."

I just nod. I'm not going to make any fake promises, but Joey won't be making his way into town because of me.

The thought captures me, and I imagine what he'd look like first thing in the morning. Probably hot as fucking hell. I bet he's a morning person, all happy and cheery the moment his eyes open. I can see him waking me up with a kiss and then I'd reciprocate by blowing him.

I bet he tastes amazing.

Why do I torture myself?

No time to date. Maybe I should tattoo that to the back of my eyelids.

"Dude, why do you have a boner while I'm tattooing you?" Booker's voice cuts through my thoughts.

"He's probably thinking of his guy." Fizz smirks at me.

"Well, I'm going to head back to the bakery. See you tomorrow, boys," Lacey says. We all say our goodbyes before the four of them turn back to me.

"We're not doing this."

Of course they ignore me.

"Is he hot?"

"Have you seen his dick?"

"I want to see a photo."

"Why won't you let yourself date him?"

That last one comes from Rex. I hate it when he decides to be an insightful bastard and judging by the smirk; he knows it too.

"I have too much going on. Club stuff, work, classes." I mumble.

"Sounds like a cop out to me."

"It's not-"

"Sounds like you're scared of being happy, so you won't even take a chance. You don't have to fall in love with this guy, Echo. You can just date him, have some fun, get your rocks off. It doesn't have to be all or nothing."

I think about Joey and how his eyes light up when he talks. Most people only do that when they're excited about something in particular. Joey finds everything interesting. It's probably hard to find something the man doesn't like.

"Joey is perfect. With him, it does have to be all or nothing."

"No one is perfect, man. And that is a lot of pressure to put on a person." Rex says.

"Nicky is perfect," Booker says, breaking the tension.

No one gets the chance to say anything else because at that moment Booker's phone rings with the ringtone we all have for Kenny's emergency line. booker pulls off his glove and answers it.

"Hey Kenny, I'm with Each, Rex, Jet, and Fizz. Do you want me to put you on speaker?" Kenny must have said yes, because that is exactly what Booker does.

"Can you all hear me?" Kenny's gruff voice comes through.

"Everyone can hear you," Fizz answers for us all. "Is everything okay, prez?"

"The long and short of it is no. About twenty minutes ago five Red Devils were seen on their bikes circling the clubhouse." Kenny says warily.

"The fuck?" Jet shouts.

"They want to be seen," Fizz says ominously. "What's our next step?"

"I'm going to contact Dragon, the President of the Lost Knights, over in Stanstead. I know he's had problems with them before. At the very least, he'll have advice."

We all look at each other warily. "Kenny, do we want to be joining forces with them? They run drugs."

Kenny sighs. "I know, but compared to the Red Devil's they are saints. I might not agree with them on a lot of things, but Dragon is always respectful of us being a queer club and they never hurt innocent people. That's all I've got to hold on to."

"I think we should do this," I say, cutting across whatever Booker was going to say. "It's your call, prez, but I support you."

"Thanks Echo, that's given me some hope that has. I'll make the call."

He hangs up, and the mood is a kind of somber after that. Fizz nd I get our tattoos finished and then we all head back home to the clubhouse. I'm not the only one who is keeping the eyes out for a Red Devil's attack.

It proves my point that I should not be bringing Joey into this world.

He is better safe and sound in his own happy bubble.