Chapter Five
Garrett
“This guy,” Nero points at a still from the video I showed him.
They’re outside the university. I’d been in my car when Caleb came out of the building, furtively looking around. It was obvious he was on edge.
When the guy approached and they moved into a corner at the side of the building, I knew it was important.
My long-range camera got a few good shots of their faces, then I’d switched to video. After they separated, I got out of the car and followed the other guy. I knew where Caleb would be going because of my tracker. This guy was new. I tailed him to his car, got shots of it, and a close up of the license plate, then went home.
It is day six of this bullshit. After the original four, Nero wasn’t happy with what I brought him, which wasn't a lot, given the guy never did anything but go to work.
Putting clients off any longer is bad for business and I miss it. It felt foreign having not heard the buzz of a tattoo gun for so long.
I only take Sunday off. Technically I’m not supposed to work Wednesday’s, but I always come down at some point during the day and do walk-ins that interest me, not the bullshit ones. I still give those to Shane or Sumner.
Phoenix is always as booked up as me. You want Phoenix, especially for portraits, you have almost a year long wait ahead of you.
“I want everything on this guy.”
I pull an envelope from my pocket and hand it over. “Everything I can find about him is in here.”
Nero grins and takes it. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”
We’re in the clubhouse again but this time up in the room where he holds Church. It’s busy downstairs, the beginnings of a party getting underway.
My relationship with the club has always been different. Certain members look at me funny, wondering why I’m not held to the same standards they are. I don’t wear the patch or a leather cut, but I have it tattooed on my forearm.
Hanging out here is rare for me, when I do come, it’s usually with Phoenix. None of these people are friends, though there are a handful I’m friendly with.
I will never cross Nero, I will never do anything that goes against the club either. Hell, my tattoo shop is named after them. Most of the brothers don’t understand my relationship with Nero but I don’t give two shits. Nero knows what he’s getting from me and I’m valuable enough to him that I can negotiate terms.
When I was nineteen, I enlisted in the army. Not my best choice and I ended up hating it. One of the commanding officers in my unit noticed I had other skills, the kind that gave Nero a reason to keep me around. After two years I was moved into the Military Intelligence Core in Arizona. Moving to an admin role as a signal intelligence adviser didn’t make me like it much more, but it did teach me a lot.
After another year, I was given a Hardship Discharge from the army, due to a family matter.
Once I got back to Baltimore, I apprenticed at the tattoo shop and realized this was my calling. Brick was the one who got me hooked in with the Disciples.
The rest, as they say, is history. It suits me. I’m not going to complain.
“I’ve pulled back from Dexter’s place, all my equipment is out.”
I don’t like leaving things for longer than a week, there is always the chance the mark could accidentally come across something. I’ve been back to his place and grabbed everything and scrubbed his laptop of any evidence there was a clone and tracker worm in there.
Then there is the concern of running into the hot blonde again. Last thing I need is to be spotted more than once. I am disappointed at not seeing her again, which is fucking stupid.
Doubly stupid is watching her come and go on the security footage of the building.
Mostly she’s been dressed in jeans and T-shirts. One day she went out in a skirt and blouse but for some reason, it didn’t suit her. The jeans she wears are always tight, cupping her ass. It got to the point I was forwarding footage to see her come and go. That shit borders on stalker behavior, so I stopped.
Nero’s voice snaps me back to the present. “I might need you to watch him.”
“I can get more information if you need it, but it will cost you. I can’t spare the time to do full surveillance.”
“That’s quite the set of balls you got there, Ghost.”
I shrug. He stares at me in silence, but I refuse to wither. Like I’ve said, I have a life outside of the club and if he wants to keep using me the way he does, then the respect goes both ways.
“Let me look over this first,” he puts his forefinger on the package I dropped on the table. “I’ll be in touch if I want anything else.”
Nodding, I stand still. Like I said, respect goes both ways, so I wait for him to fully dismiss me.
Whether I’m an active member or not, Nero is the Prez. If I’m seen disrespecting him in front of the brothers, he’ll need to make an example of me, and I don’t have time for that shit. So, I play the game, like a good soldier.
“See ya round.” He walks away before I do.
Thank fuck that is over. All I want to do is get back to the shop. I’ve already called a client Phoenix put off and offered him a slot this evening if he can manage. He agreed, so there are at least a few hours of tattooing ahead of me today.
Parking my bike at the back of the shop, I enter through the rear door. It’s usually quiet at this time on a weeknight but I can hear laughing and women’s voices. Fuck this isn’t what I need right now.
Music is playing louder than I like when I’m here. They’re like a bunch of fucking unruly kids. I’m out for a few days and it all goes to shit.
Shane is sitting at his station with a girl that is vaguely familiar, but I can’t place her. She has a streak of blue in her half-shaved hair and is facing Shane as he inks her collar bone. He pauses what he’s doing so she can yell across to another woman.
She is lying on her side with Sumner in front of her. He has one hand on her hip and his gun poised. He’s stopped too and they all seem to be involved in a fucking full-on conversation.
It’s Shane who sees me first and mouths oh shit . My eyes move about the rest of the studio. Lucky is sitting on the back of the sofa, with her feet on the cushions. There is a lollipop in her mouth and she’s idly rotating it between her teeth. Phoenix is holding one of the tattoo books open as he stands next to her, looking at the images together.
“Hey boss,” Shane shouts, loud enough that the others hear, and seven sets of eyes all turn to me.
“Hey G, we weren’t expecting you in tonight,” Phoenix says.
I dip my head in the direction behind him and Phoenix spins, looking at Gez. He’s sitting on the sofa opposite Lucky, his arms thrown over the back as he watches everything with a bemused expression.
Phoenix winces, he’d not realized my client was here waiting. What the fuck is going on? He goes to turn the music down. I frown pointedly at Lucky till she climbs off the sofa, she pouts as she approaches me, and I glare back at her.
“Missed you,” she goes up on her toes and kisses my cheek quickly, before practically running behind the counter, not giving me a chance to say anything.
I hide the smile, last thing I want to do is give her any idea I’m not as pissed off as they might believe.
Needles start buzzing again as Shane and Sumner get back to work. Not one word passed my lips, but the whole atmosphere in the shop changed. It’s not that I want to ruin anyone’s good time. This is a place of business, not a fucking nightclub and after the week I’ve had, I just want things to be normal.
I hold up a hand and indicate for Gez to come to my station and apologize for keeping him waiting. I’ve been working on a piece on his back for a couple of months now. It’s a Roman gladiator, the Colosseum in the background, with the male figure taking up most of the image. It runs from the base of his hairline, all the way down to the top of his ass.
While he takes off his top, I get everything set up.
“Holy shit that is amazing.”
The voice comes from behind me. The girl on her side with Sumner.
“All the praise goes to this guy,” Gez answers.
“It looks so real,” she breathes.
Rolling my eyes, I continue with my set up.
“Could I see?” the other woman asks.
Shane stops and she leans around. Gez accommodates her by turning his back to her. He catches my eye and grins. To be fair, he’s a good-looking guy, only a few years older than me. He’s single, so why wouldn’t he be playing up to this.
While they’re all preoccupied, I take a quick look at what Sumner is doing. Looks like a cover up. He’s covering text with two traditional roses.
“Come on then, what’s it gonna be?”
Phoenix is talking to Lucky. My head turns between the two of them.
“Will you do the pin up?”
“With big tits and juicy thighs,” Phoenix winks. “You know I will.”
Lucky rolls her eyes.
“You’re letting him tattoo you?” I ask, surprising everyone in the room.
Phoenix smirks at me. He knows I’ve done most of Lucky’s work. Not that I’ll stop her letting Phoenix work on her. Is it a good idea? Probably not. I see the way he is looking at her. Lucky is oblivious.
“All the girls agreed we’d get a new tattoo tonight, and I didn’t know you’d be in,” Lucky says as she passes me, heading toward his station.
I don’t care who all she is referring to, but I lift my chin. “Let me see it before you put it on her,” I tell my partner.
“Fuck off,” he shakes his head with a laugh. But he will.
Not that I doubt his skill, I just want to make sure it’s worthy of going on her. This all seems rushed, whatever this is. I fucking hate being away from the shop and not knowing what the hell is going on.
The surrounding chatter continues, and everyone gets overly excited about what Phoenix is putting on the back of Lucky’s neck. Begrudgingly I nod when he shows me, then go back to Gez. This one takes concentration and I’m not going to short-change a regular by letting this bullshit distract me.
Gez gets settled on the bed while I peel out a pair of black latex gloves from the box on the cabinet. All the inks are laid out and I’ve put a fresh needle in the gun.
“Jericho will lose his mind when he sees this,” the blue-haired one says.
Jericho? Oh right, yeah, the guy from the bike shop. Not motorcycles, regular bikes. He’s decent enough, got a lot of ink here. Now I remember her, she’s his girl.
“We are literally here to cover up an exes name and you’re getting his,” Lucky laughs.
“We’re never breaking up.”
Everyone laughs, even Gez. As one, everyone who works for me points to a sign on the wall.
“Name tattoos suck. Don’t be a dick sucker.”
“I don’t care. We will stand the test of time.”
She gets called a lot of names but encourages Shane to continue. He eyes me. We usually try to talk clients out of it, but I guess he was overwhelmed. And young, he hasn’t learned how to refuse or coerce people yet.
They’re all fucking loud as they shout over the music. I’m almost tempted to ask Gez to move into the private room at the back, but he seems to be enjoying and taking part in the banter.
“You good to go?” I ask him, zoning them all out. He agrees and I settle myself in my seat, test the needle with the pedal, then turn to dip it in the ink.
I’m not paying any attention when Katja comes back into the room with someone else. But when everyone starts whooping and cheering, I’m about to lose my shit. What the fuck are they all yelling about now.
All thoughts of telling them to shut up, or ignoring them like I usually do, fall out of my head.
It’s her.
The woman I ran into at the apartment last week. The one I’ve been semi, somewhat creeping on in security footage. The one I’ve had fucking fantasies about for the last couple of nights. Jesus Christ.
My hand moves and the needle hits the bottom of the ink pot. It makes a loud whirring sound, ink and water splatter across my table. They’re all still too caught up in their excitement. I mutter a curse. No one notices my fuck up. I’ll have to-do the whole set up.
Her eyes are bright, and her cheeks flush as Katja puts a hand on her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. My eyes are glued to her face. Damn she is even more perfect than I remember.
Her long blonde hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, accentuating her bone structure. She has denim shorts on that are doing all kinds of things for her long legs. And my dick. Shifting I let my eyes trail over her T-shirt.
Fucking hell. Fuck . Just as I see it, Lucky screeches.
“You did both of them! Yes, girl!”
Barbells. In her fucking nipples.
Plain as fucking day to everyone in this room, who apparently all knew she was back there getting it done. There is no way to hide it, she isn’t wearing a bra. Nipple piercings are painful and extremely sensitive right after they’ve been done.
Her T-shirt doesn’t cling, but the outline of the metal and her hard puckered nipples are not easy to hide. She has full round tits, which I can’t help but stare at. The piercings are like the icing on a very enticing and edible fucking cupcake.
Shit. I’ve pierced hundreds of nipples in my time, but not once have I ever felt fucking jealous about someone else doing it. And angry. Why the fuck that emotion hits me, I don’t know. I have no say in what she does to her body.
I’m not angry at her. I’m angry at Katja, for having seen those breasts, for piercing them. And at these assholes shouting and laughing about it.
My jaw clenches as she takes a few steps nearer to everyone.
“Can we see?”
I’m about to shout she better not get her tits out in my shop where any one of these fuckers who work for me will see them, when the woman puts her hands up.
“Sin, I love you. But I’m not showing my boobs.”
Shane guffaws and I’m thoroughly tempted to slap the back of his head, but I’d have to get up to do that. Truth is, I could. She’s a client, he should be respectful. The woman is smiling though. I guess she’s friends with Jericho’s chick.
Katja starts telling her about aftercare, discussing how they will heal and to ensure they’re protected and cared for, while I set about clearing up and re-doing all the inks and water on the table.
“So, are they super sensitive?” the girl called Sin asks with a laugh. “That flush tells me you’re feeling all kinds of feelings right now.”
“Sensitive,” she deadpans. “You’re joking right? Right now, it feels like I’ve had red-hot pokers shoved through my-”
Her eyes catch mine. Her mouth snaps shut and her cheeks flush. Okay, I guess she remembers me too. Part of my brain triggers, if she recognizes me, she remembers me from being in that hallway.
I curse all over again for having someone see me while I was on a job. The rest of me focuses on that flush rising up her neck, her cheeks are bright red, and her eyes are wide.
What is she thinking? Clearly seeing me has thrown her. Why though? Is it the same reason I’m feeling?
“Nips!” Lucky shouts, drawing her eyes from mine.
My head snaps in her direction. Phoenix pokes her shoulder, his eyes going from me back to Lucky.
“What?” she asks him. He tilts his head at me, Lucky turns, sees my expression then covers her mouth with the back of her hand. It’s not about getting caught, she’s fucking laughing.
“Have you been drinking?” I ask through clenched teeth.
“Of course I haven’t. You know Phoenix wouldn’t do this if I was drunk.”
Everyone has quietened down. I feel like a fucking asshole for being the one to change the mood in here, but my irrational brain has kicked in. Whether this girl is bothered or not, I am taking real offense to everyone staring at her tits. Even her friends.
“Well, can we all get back to being professional and having respect for our clients?”
Shane ducks his head and goes back to his tattoo. Sumner is the only one who hasn’t stopped what he was doing. Phoenix whispers something to Lucky that has her pouting but resting her elbows on the back of the tattoo chair.
“It’s okay,” the woman says, drawing my eyes back to her. “It was a group decision for me to get this, I’m not offended.”
My eyes dip to the outline against her T-shirt again before going quickly back to her face. I don’t answer her which is probably a dick move because she looks nervous, then frowns, exchanging a look with the girl, Sin.
I’m not sure what possesses me to say it, but the words fall from my mouth before my brain engages. “You’re distracting everyone from their work. You mess up when you’re tattooing, it isn’t something you can brush over.”
“I didn’t… I mean.”
“G,” Phoenix says, giving me a disapproving, ‘what the hell’ look.
What the hell in-fucking-deed. I decide to keep my mouth shut but my scowl is evident to everyone. The room goes quiet, the buzz of needles filling the silence.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the woman take a seat beside Shane and Sin and she has a hushed conversation with her friend.
I go back to my inks and tap Gez’s shoulder, letting him know I’m about to start. He nods and without looking at anyone, especially her, I get back to work.