Mafia King's Daughter

Chapter 8

Ravyn's POV:

The next morning I cleaned my piercings and got dressed. Looking in the mirror at my black hair that probably reached the middle of my back, trying to figure out what to do with it. It is so straight and most of the time I just toss it up. I'm thinking that I need to do something with it that will always look good and I don't want to have to do much with it.

I put my hand on the side and pulled it back. I then took my other hand and pulled the other side back a little and turned my head from side to side. I need something that will show my personality and my artistic side. I wasn't sure what I was going to do but will hopefully figure something out when I get there.

I walked into my bedroom and grabbed my purse and one of my sketches before slipping on a pair of knee-high boots over my skinny jeans that were paired with a decorative tank that had a ruffle neckline that was just low enough to show my cleavage. The back was low enough to show my entire tattoo but just high enough to cover my bra strap. I quickly walked down the stairs, hoping my mother won't know that I'm heading out but I wasn't quite that lucky.

"Where are you going? You have school." I heard her ask as I reached for the doorknob.

"Haircut," I told her and opened the door.

"School comes first." She said and I turned and looked at her to see that she was standing just in the entrance with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I only have a few more days of lessons left of the year, I can take some time this morning for a haircut," I told her and opened the door.

"Dammit, Ravyn! I'm going to lock your accounts if you walk out of that door!" I heard her shout but I wasn't listening and continued to walk out of the house anyway.

The guards by the door didn't try to stop me this time, probably because my father didn't tell them to. He probably figures I will be home doing my schoolwork while he is out since that is normally what we are doing when he is at work. I wouldn't be surprised if my mom is on the phone right now calling him so I need to get off the property quickly.

I walked at a quickened pace to the end of the drive. I just nodded at the security guards and walked out onto the sidewalk. I just need to walk a few blocks till I get to the highway which usually has a few taxis driving by. I didn't bother looking behind me to see if anyone was following me. I didn't want to look suspicious. Once I was a few blocks away, I raised my hand at one of the oncoming taxis. I glanced behind me when the taxi stopped in front of me but didn't see anyone following me. Maybe my mom didn't call dad. Either that or maybe the message hasn't been given to security yet. Regardless, I need to get going. The sooner I am away from the estate the less chance of them catching me.

I had the taxi take me to the other side of town to buy myself more time before anyone shows up to take me back home. Dad tends to call in his tracker when I take off which usually means I have a few hours before they find me. That is, as long as my dad doesn't call my uncle and have him find me. Then I'm pretty much screwed and I'm found within the hour. That doesn't happen too often since Jax lives in a different state and is always telling my dad that he is done when it comes to that kind of work.

I pay my cab fare with my card and walk into the salon. I walk over to the counter and lean over it to look past the wall to see if Dominique is working. I gave a big smile when I see him look over at me. He smiles and holds up his finger to tell me to hold on a moment. He is one of my friends that I met at a previous school. He's about five years older than me and has only been working at this salon for a little over six months.

"Hey, beautiful!" He told me with a smile as he walked around the counter and opened his arms for a hug.

"It's been too long!" He continued as we pulled apart.

"Yes, it has," I told him and he smiled again.

"What can I do for you today?" He asked and I pulled out the sketch that I had in my purse.

"I was thinking of cutting my hair short, like this. Layered in the back but then shave it only on the sides with this design." I told him and he took it from my hands.

"Excellent eye for detail as always with your work." He told me as he looked the image over.

"Detail like this in an area that is shaved needs weekly upkeep." He told me and I nodded.

"I know. I figured I would keep up with it at home. I will just come in every six months or so to keep up with the cut." I told him and he smiled and nodded.

"I think we can do this. Follow me." He told me as he directed me back to his station.

"So how's Johnathan?" I asked him once I was seated.

"He's doing good. We are thinking about adopting." He told me and I gasped as I looked up at him.

"Really? So soon? You just got married a few months ago." I told him and he chuckled as he put the cape around my neck.

"Yeah, we feel that we are ready." He told me and I couldn't keep my excitement to myself.

"That's awesome! I'm so happy for you." I told him.

---

A little over an hour later and he was turning me around to face the mirror to take a look at his handiwork. I turned my head from side to side to look at the detail in the shaved area and it looked amazing!

'That looks just like my sketch!" I told him as I took my hand to it to feel it and toss the long top section from side to side.

I will more than likely keep it on one side or the other. Just enough to show some of the detail but yet still tasteful with the longer layered areas on the top and back.

"I'm glad I came close. I kept looking at it for reference to make sure I got it as close as I could to what you had." He told me as he stood behind me.

I then took my hand to the rest of my hair and felt the different layers. It was just shoulder length at the longest layer and the shortest layer went to about the top of my ear. He even styled it with a little flip at the tips to accentuate each layer.

"I love it!" I told him and looked up at him through the mirror.

He gave me a huge smile before he started to take the cape off from around my body. I walked with him over to the counter so he could ring me up. I handed him my card to pay for it.

"It says it's declined." He told me and looked over at me.

"Crap, try this one," I told him and handed him another credit card.

"That one is declined too." He told me as he handed it back to me.

"f**k, she really did freeze my accounts," I mumbled to myself as I pulled out the last credit card.

"Sorry, Ray, but that one is declined too." He told me with a frown.

"Dammit, she really did it," I told him as I put the card back in my purse.

"Your mom?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, she said she was going to do it, I just didn't believe she would. She never follows through with her punishments." It told him.

"Here, I have some cash," I told him.

I usually keep my cash for purchases that need to help hide my location or hide what I am doing, like my tattoos or spray paints. It's a good thing I always have some on me. I just don't have much left now to do anything with. I guess you never know when your mom will freeze your money.

"Let me know if you get approved to adopt," I told him just as I was walking out of the salon.

"Dammit!" I snapped at myself again as I walked down the sidewalk.

I can't believe she did that! I was pissed off because now I can't even call a cab because I don't have enough cash on me to get me back home and all three of my cards are frozen. I'm on the other side of town and there is no way I'm going to walk all the way back. Dammit! I shouted again at myself as I continued to walk down the sidewalk. The only place I could go from here is back to the tattoo parlor since that is on this side of town. I need to check up on Drake anyway and see how badly my father beat him.

According to my watch, it took me just over 30 minutes to walk the several blocks to get to the tattoo parlor. My feet were killing me in these boots that had a two-inch heel. I finally got to the door of the parlor and opened the door, hearing the bell ring as the door opened.

"Drake?" I called when I didn't hear any movement in the parlor.

I know he is here, the door was unlocked. I walked through the employee's door and down the hallway that had a few rooms. I glanced into each one to see if he was in one of them but he wasn't. I slowed my pace when I saw hanging on the wall, the photo that was taken of me with my new tat. It looked amazing, the way I was posed with the tattoo in all of its glory. I took a few steps into the room to get a better look at it. It was exactly the way that I wanted it and I couldn't wait to show it off. Well, maybe not all of it considering it goes around to my inner thigh but most of it can be visible. Regardless of how much or how little is getting shown, it will look amazing.

"A work of art, that tattoo." I heard his voice behind me and I quickly turned around.

"Drake!" I said quickly in worry when I saw his swollen, black-and-blue jaw and cheekbone.

I walked over to him quickly to carefully placed my hand on the side of his face.

"It's nothing. He just dislocated it. As long as I don't get hit again any time soon and I chew on the other side the doctor said it should heal fine." He told me and tried to give me a smile but I could see how much pain he was in.

"I'm so sorry," I told him as I gave him a look of sympathy.

"It was worth it. Being able to tattoo one of your works of art is always going to be worth it." He told me and I gave him a small smile.

"I don't think we are going to do any for a while. The next time might kill you." I told him and he just chuckled.

"That's the price any man is going to pay if they touch you in any way." He told me and I just gave him a glare and walked away.

"Don't remind me. He's smothering!" I told him as I turned back around to face him.

"He was never this bad with my sisters," I added quickly before he had a chance to say anything more.

"Probably because they had your brother, Ramirez chasing all the boys away. Now he's not around which makes your dad feel he needs to protect you." He told me and I just shook my head.

"I can take care of myself. You know that." I told him and he smiled.

"Yes, I know but I also know that you don't know as much as your other siblings because your lungs wouldn't allow the extra training." He told me as he placed his fingers on my upper chest as if he was pointing at my lungs.

"Yeah, don't remind me of that handicap," I told him and walked over and sat down on the bed that is used for tattoos or piercings.

"It's not a handicap if you just stop trying to defeat it as if it was a curse. You're always trying to do more, be more than what you can only for it to put you into the hospital again. If you just accept that you have limitations you would never know it was there." He tried to explain to me but I just looked down at my hands that were on my lap.

"But I feel as if I'm getting held back and I don't want to be held back. I want to know that I can go to the beach on a hot day and enjoy the water as it cools me off. I want to know that I can chase after my children if I were to ever have any. To be able to teach them to play ball or to play tag with them. I want others to know that I can work hard too just like they can at a job and not have to worry about not being able to breathe. I just want to be free, like everyone else." I told him and looked over at him.

"I know you do princess but then if you could do all of those things, like everyone else, then you would no longer be the amazingly strong woman that I know will still conquer all of those things even if she has to finish it with an inhaler in her mouth." He told me and I gave him a small smile as I leaned to the side till I was resting on him.

"What would I do without you?" I asked him.

"Well, you would probably still be getting into trouble with your dad while trying to find a way to express yourself and I wouldn't be sporting this new shiner on my face." He said with a laugh, causing me to smile as I put my arm around his back and gave him a soft squeeze.