Chapter Fifteen
It had been little over a week since she'd got Gunner and had been tattooed by Hap. Gunner had settled in well and the tattoos had healed well as she'd followed the aftercare to the letter, if only everything else could be that simple she'd thought several times in the past week every time her phone rang, choosing to leave it off and get a new burner from Juice who happily obliged.
It was a boiling hot day in Charming and the garage was packed, it seemed like every time a mechanic finished a car there were five more to do each time, Gunner had retreated into the clubhouse in the cool air and shade. Belle was increasingly frustrated, she was distracted and no matter how much she tried to forget about the phone calls she couldn't and that was what was frustrating her, she didn't care to speak to him but he didn't seem to be taking the message despite her ignoring him.
Gemma walked out into the muggy air, sliding her sunglasses on as she walked across to see the guys taking a break as they were all sitting round the picnic table drinking cold beers like water, watching Belle who was cursing vividly as she worked on an old Honda, she'd noticed how everyone had been giving her a wide birth since this morning.
"What's up with Belle Gem?" Bobby asked as Gem sat down next to Clay.
"I don't know, she's barely spoken the last day or so." Gem answered.
"Something's bothering her, she's been smoking like a train as well." Jax stated the obvious.
"Great observation there Jackie-boy." Chibs mused just as he heard the sound of a tool hit the ground and saw Belle jump back and grab her arm before he noticed the blood dripping down it, another round of curses escaping her mouth.
Belle completely ignored her cut and bloodied arm as she walked away from the piece of shit car she was repairing, pulling out a smoke and quickly lighting it before shoving the near empty packet and her lighter into her pocket. She walked away from the car and towards the street, ignoring everyone and everything until she'd walked past the gates and sat down on the curb.
She sighed as she inhaled the tobacco deeply, trying to relax before she noticed the blood dripping down onto the pavement and finally looked at her arm realising that the cut was actually a few deep gouges that would need cleaned and bandaged so not to get infected.
Chibs waited a few minutes, finished off his beer and then stood up, following after Belle and the small trail of blood she'd left as she walked out of TM. He found her sitting on the curb staring out at the street, he loudly made his way over so as not to startle her, before taking a seat next to her.
"Geez lass, you really cut up your arm." Chibs said as he looked at her arm, that had streaks of blood dripping off it, coating her bare leg as it dripped.
"Yeah." Belle said quietly not bothering to shift her eyes to look at him or her arm.
"Want to tell me what's going on with ya?" He pressed as she finished her smoke and stubbed it out on the concrete. She sighed before she reached into her pocket and pulled out her iPhone, turning it on.
"Why does the past have a way of coming back and haunting me?" She asked quietly as his brows furrowed at her question.
"What do you mean sweetheart?" He asked, not sure of what to say. He watched as Belle pressed her finger to the screen before she handed him the phone. He pulled his glasses from his kutte pocket, put them on, and looked at the screen seeing over two hundred missed calls from Carter, who he was sure was her ex, the patch that got her here and then broke up with her in San Bernardino.
"The calls started the day after my birthday, I haven't answered any of them. I don't want to talk to him, I made that very clear the day we broke up that he was never to contact me again. That's why I got a clean burner from Juice...and those boxes contained a few of Mom's things that I managed to save before the asshole threw all of her stuff or anything that reminded him of her out in a drunken rage...and I met this really nice guy then ended up flipping out on him because of all this shit." She blurted out, realising it felt better to say it out loud.
