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CHAPTER 3
‘My dear, you’re not so innocent
You’re fooling heaven’s gates
So you won’t have to change
You’re no saint, you’re no savior’
Saints - Echos
Jamie
When I wake up again, Nathan is not in bed with me. His t-shirt is right next to my head and I put it on, loving the smell of him on me. I hear the shower running in the bathroom and relax instantly. Despite everything that happened, there’s something I can’t take away and that is that I feel so happy and safe when he’s near, it’s unbelievable. I just wish I didn’t forget it so quickly when Jake is around.
I grab my phone to check the time and stare at the wallpaper with a stupidly contented smile on my face. It’s the picture from Nathan’s Instagram that I had asked Emily to screenshot and send me. He’s lying topless on his sofa and I’m lying on top of him, my face to his chest, a drunk in love smile on my face. I look at the camera while Nathan looks at me, his eyes nothing but pure love.
I scroll through a few texts from Emily until my eyes fall on a notification from an unknown number. I open the text with furrowed brows.
Unknown: Nathan is dangerous. Have you not seen his tattoo?
There’s a picture of a drawing. It’s clearly been done in a rush with a pencil but I recognize it very well. That tattoo. I sit up in a hurry and reply straight away, but the message has been sent during the night.
Jamie: Who is this?
Nothing. I lock my phone and my eyes go back to that picture of me and Nathan.
I chuckle. Nathan doesn’t have this tattoo. This is so stupid. Someone is pranking me.
But my heart skips a beat. Who could possibly prank me about this tattoo? I only know three people who have it and none of them would know of Nathan’s tattoos.
Still, I decide to look intently at the picture. But his tattoos are hard to distinguish one from the other. I go to my gallery and decide to zoom in on the picture. Why am I doing this? I trust Nathan, I don’t need to prove myself anything.
And yet, my heart stops and I can’t quite believe my eyes when they fall on what I was looking for. I move the photo around with shaky fingers, not accepting what I’m seeing.
On Nathan’s side, right below his armpit, is a tattoo of an X. Not any X. One with a crown on top of it and a W under it. A 19 on one side and 33 on the other side. My brain can barely process the news.
How have I never seen this before?
It’s the exact same tattoo Samuel has on his neck. The exact same one Rose has on her arm and…Jake between his shoulder blades. Jake. This can’t be a coincidence. It just can’t.
I get up suddenly, my whole body shaking in confusion and fear. What the hell does that mean? He said he wasn’t working for Mateo Bianco anymore. Does it mean he’s working for Samuel? Is this possible? Did he lie to me?
The sound of my bedroom door opening and closing makes me bounce around in surprise.
Nathan is standing by the door, his hair still wet and a towel around his waist.
“What’s up,” he says as he must see the look on my face. He’s casual though, using a second towel to dry his hair.
Reality dawns on me and I freeze in fear wondering who the hell I let inside my house, alone with me.
I slowly walk to him, panic screaming at me to stay away, and observe the tattoo from a closer angle. It’s there. It’s real.
“You lied to me,” I whisper in shock.
“What?” he asks, confused. He throws the towel he was using for his hair on my bed. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s this guy in Stoneview. He’s the head of a new gang,” I say with certainty. I need to put up a brave face, show I’m in control. “Real scary guy. He has a tattoo on his neck. The exact same one as this one.” I point at the tattoo on his upper ribs.
