'She was a wild one, but some of us need the storm to feel safe.'
|| Book 1 in the Ashton Wright Series ||
|| Animal Kingdom ||
|| S1 - S3 ||
|| COMPLETED ||
No. 1 in #animalkingdom
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They stayed the entire ride to Tao's, Deran parking across the street before he got out. She jogged after to him catch up, entering the small surf board shop behind him. She smiled as she breathed in the smell of new boards, her eyes raking over the ones hung up on the wall as Deran leant into the room off to the side. She greeted Tao with a waved through the window, earning a nod in reply.
She followed Deran again as he headed out the back, her eyes never stopping from raking over the new boards as she passed them. Ashton stepped into the room before the man as he hesitated, leaning back against the wall beside the door as he knocked on it. Adrian looked up at them for a second, his dust mask covering half his face as continued to work; not uttering a word.
'I need the rent,' Deran stated after a second.
Adrian kept working, scraping off what remained before he was ready to seal the blank.
'Look, I'm sorry, okay?' Deran sighed.
The boy looked up then, removing his mask from his face to reveal the damage.
'You didn't have to get the kid in on it,' Adrian looked at him dead on.
'Jesus, Deran,' She hissed as she rounded the board.
She cupped Adrian's face in her hands, the left side of his face was heavily bruised; his eyes puffy.
'Cracked three of my ribs,' He informed Deran as he glanced at him, reaching up to grab the seal; 'I had to pay four grand for an MRI and make sure my spleen didn't rupture... Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna have the rent for a while.'
'Come on, man, Smurf's gonna lose her shit,' The blonde pleaded.
'How about I ask her for the money? I'll tell her you sucked my dick like a champ, then sucker-punched me like a pussy... You owe me four grand. Minus the rent, let's make it two and a half.'
'Here's two grand,' She sighed as she pulled her money out.
'Ash-' Deran started.
'Don't. You fucked up, I'm paying for it. I've got the other five at home and I'll pay the rent.'
'No, Ash,' Adrian pushed her money away; 'I want him to pay.'
'Don't worry, he'll owe me.'
'Thanks.'
'It's nothing... Now, am I leaving you two here to make up or are you going to kill each other?'
'Nah, we're going,' Deran rubbed his nose.
'You're kidding me? Dez, seriously.'
'We'll catch you later, man.'
He dragged her out of the room, glaring at her as she snatched her arm back and sent him a steely look.
