Chapter One #3
Dan had carefully swept up all the broken glass and put the inventory into a box he found in the back room. He tried to put similar things together, but some of the piercing gear befuddled him.
“I could have done that,” Riley said from behind him. “I’m not feeling attentive right now. Sorry.”
“I got it. No complaints. Hey, why don’t you go get your sketch, and let’s dicker over placement and price.” He grinned up at her from his position next to the box. “Mad Dawg, Tinder, and the other boys will be gone soon. I’ll put you to work once we get your shop squared away.”
“You’re military, right?”
The question seemed to come out of left field, and he frowned.
“Yeah, former. Had planned on being career military until—” He waved one hand at his face.
“—this happened.” He dipped his chin. “That’s why I usually look like this.
” He touched his covered face and glanced back up at her. “And this is just the way it is.”
“You hide behind the mask?” She squatted next to him, a hand on the edge of the box he’d been filling with her piercing hardware. That’s a shame.” She reached out and traced a line around the top of the bandana, across his cheek and into his hair. “You’ve got great cheekbones and flippy hair.”
“I don’t know what that means.” He pulled away from her touch. “Flippy hair doesn’t sound real good, lady. And anyway, I’m aware what I look like. Been living with it for years now.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“Nope, and I’m not likely to start.” He picked up another piece of jewelry and tossed it into the box with more force than necessary. “I need to finish up here. Get your sketch, Riley.”
***
Riley
Every moment she spent talking to Dan gave her a greater sense of safety and confidence.
Simply by being around him, Riley found her muscles loosening and the looming headache retreating.
Something about Just Dan fit with her. She stood, watching him efficiently organize the removal of the smashed display and replacement with one that was twice as nice.
“Hey, Dan,” she called and waited for him to pause his conversation with Dawg. “This has lighting inside.”
“That’s good, right? People can see the shit inside a little better?”
“Well, it’d be great if I had a plug in the floor for it. Even without that, this display is too much. I’m not in a position to turn it down, though. Dan, I’m in a pickle. I can’t pay you guys what it’s worth, but I’ll pay you what I have. I can do tattoos for free and stuff.”
Tinder cleared his throat, and she angled to look at him. “We’re thinking of making you our club tattoo artist. Especially if someone wants our patch and colors tattooed on. I’d like to have you develop a standard for how we like things.”
“Okay. All right. I can understand you wanting some similarity for members’ tattoos about the club. I’d be pleased to do that, but you can have the guys call me for an appointment. If you won’t take free, then every one of them will get a discount. I can’t thank you enough for everything.”
“We’ll pay full price for the tattoos, thanks. Riley, you’re an artist and a good one. That’s reason enough.”
“I mean, I won’t argue about getting more money. If you don’t want a discount, you don’t get a discount.”
Dan spoke up. “And for the display case, it was gathering dust in a warehouse. You’ll want to give it a good scrub before you put your shit inside.” He shook his head. “And we won’t let you pay a penny for it. It’s a gift for a new friend of the club.”
Riley stared at him for a moment, seeing the resolve in his expression, and she chuckled softly. “Friend of the club, huh?”
“For life,” Dan said. He shifted to face her, and that raggedy bandana was still pulled up over half his face. She stared, because he had the most gorgeous eyes. Pair those with the hair tousled just enough to be carelessly stunning, and he was real easy on the eyes.
“I need it, so I’ll accept it, but it feels wrong to take something for nothing.” Riley couldn’t rip her gaze away from Dan’s face. It looked like he might be smiling under the bandana, but she couldn’t be sure. Why do I wanna know so bad?
“Putting up with us isn’t nothing.” Tinder pulled her attention away from Dan, and he at least was smiling wide.
“Since you’re now a friend of the club, I’m going to have Dan parked here for a few weeks.
Just until I’m certain that those leftover assholes understand that this location is a no-go. We’ll want to send a message.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Riley noticed Dawg grinning at Dan and wondered what she’d missed.
“No, seriously. I’ll go back to my normal precautions.
The only reason the door was unlocked was because I’d hired a guy to run the register and take care of scheduling sessions.
” She shrugged. “He booked it as soon as shit started going down. No loss that one. But I can break out normal precautions for a single woman working in a solitary location again.”
“Sounds like Dan’s arriving just in time to be your new help. Good to know you’ve already carved out jobs to hand him.” Tinder walked to the door. “Dan, you’ve heard me.”
“Yes, Prez. I got it.”