Chapter Seven
Vandal
Steel City Ink held the familiar scent of disinfectant and ink.
It was still quiet inside since we didn’t open until eleven, but Dagger was already there setting up his station and firing up the computer and cash register.
I set up my station first, keenly aware of Macy hovering behind me, hesitation rolling off her so thick it filled the room.
I turned on some music and kept the volume low, before turning my attention to Macy.
“What?” Her arms wrapped around her midsection as she braced for bad news.
That shit killed me, but I didn’t react. “You can sit in the room with me,” I said, already making my way back to my station.
Macy scoffed behind me. “I could have stayed at your place, Drew. I’d be out of the way at least. I don’t think your clients are gonna want someone hanging around.”
I flicked a gaze up at her, eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re not in the way now.”
Her lips closed tight and then she pulled them between her teeth. She folded her arms and stared at me.
I laughed. “I know what you’re doing, Mace, and it ain’t gonna work.”
Her brows shot up and her mouth parted slightly. “What are you talking about?”
“You,” I pointed at her. “Staring me down until I give in. This isn’t about your comfort, it’s about your safety.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I got that, but I don’t need to sit in the corner while you work like some lost puppy.”
“Or like my oldest friend who I want to catch up with,” I offered with my most charming smile.
She did a damn good job fighting the smile, but I was too charming. “And ignore your client? I don’t think so.”
I barked out a laugh. “You think a guy is gonna have a problem with a beautiful woman watching him get inked?” I shook my head. “You have a lot to learn about the world if you think that.”
She folded her arms tighter. “What if he’s a big ol’ chicken and won’t want some woman watching him bawl his eyes out?”
She thought she had me. “With big pieces, tears come with the territory.”
Her lips thinned into a straight line, nostrils flared too. “You’re stubborn,” she accused.
“Yep.”
“Fine. How about I earn my keep by manning the phones and shit? I’ve done desk work before and worked plenty of cash registers, that way you boys can just worry about the ink.”
I stared at her, trying to come up with an objection.
She stared right back, chin tilted high in the air. She was defiant and fiery, the way she was when the system—teachers, cops and even social workers—tried to tell her who she was and wasn’t.
“I can’t see you out there,” I said, my voice low and tight with tension. The image hit me hard and fast, someone walking in, grabbing her, and me being just far enough away to get to her too fucking late. It fucking gave me hives.
She sighed, flashing a half-hearted smile like she knew exactly what I was thinking. “I’m just going to greet people, answer phones, maybe put them on the books.” She turned to Dagger who stood in the doorway watching us with an amused expression. “Is that a problem?”
The traitor didn’t even hesitate. “Not at all.” He flashed a wide grin. “It would actually be very helpful.”
I glared at him.
He grinned, unapologetic. “How about we just check on her when we’re free? Your first session starts in fifteen, but I’m open for another hour. I’ll hang up front, chat with her, maybe get to know your oldest friend a little better.”
I shot him a look that promised payback.
“See?” Macy wrapped her hand around my forearm, squeezing just enough to be impactful. “If I feel unsafe or uncomfortable I promise to come back with you. Okay?”
I didn’t like it. I hated it. But if she was trying to compromise, I should too. “Fine,” I said. “But you stay inside this building. No wandering.”
“No wandering,” she promised before she released me.
I watched her step behind the counter and stare at the computer screen, quickly learning the software as if neither me nor Dagger stood there staring.
“I’ll be fine guys.” The words came out on heavy, slightly annoyed sigh. “I’m not looking to get dead, okay?”
Those words were enough to propel us both into action. She stayed upright while Dagger and I went to our respective areas and set up for the day.
***
The first half of the day passed in a blur of ink and rock music.
I looked up every once in a while, to see Macy at the counter, on the phone with a half-smile on her full lips or processing payments for satisfied customers.
She wasn’t wrong when she said she was well-suited for the job and I was sure no one but me noticed how fucking fake her smile was.
How long had she been faking those smiles? Did anyone ever notice that her lips were pulled wide, but her eyes were dull and lacked the vibrancy of her real smiles? It killed me to know she’d been out there all this time, alone, thinking I’d forgotten about her. I should’ve looked longer.
No matter what the fuck she said, I knew I should have given my search for her more time.
I was a stupid fucking kid, too emotional and dumb to know what I was doing.
The weeks I looked for her felt like an eternity and with each day that passed without a sighting had made me more certain than ever that one of her parents had finally gone too far.
Neither the cops nor the social workers could convince me otherwise.
But here she was.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“Everything okay?” The guy in my chair looked over his back with one brow arched.
I nodded and pulled myself from my thoughts. “Yeah, the ink is looking incredible. Just got lost in some thoughts I shouldn’t be having right now.”
“Got a new woman?” he asked with a laugh.
“Something like that.” It was too complicated to explain but that was the gist of it. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Keep going.”
That’s what I did, losing myself in the rhythm of a good, long inking session.
I’d already done the outline of the back piece and all that was left was two sessions to fill it all in.
It was black and gray with lots of fine lines and heavy shading.
It was precision work, exactly what I needed to stop my racing thoughts.
“I need a piss and a smoke,” he grunted a couple hours later.
“Right.” I covered the ink and stepped back to remove my gloves. The moment he left out the back door, I went to Macy. “How’s it going?”
She spun my way with a slow smile that went all the way up to those incredible eyes. “Good. You?”
“My back is tight as fuck but it’s a hazard of the job.” I stretched my spine and then my neck, trying to get some blood pumping into my limbs. “I’ll be all right.”
“Of course you will. I’m still here, still in one piece.”
“I see.” I let my gaze settle on the details. Her short black hair and high cheekbones. Those full pink lips that were meant to be kissed. The delicate jaw that made her look like the world’s toughest porcelain doll. “You look good.” I smiled.
She smiled back, it was soft and almost shy. “I wouldn’t say good, but at least today I don’t look like I slept on a Greyhound.”
I barked out a laugh. “You look beautiful,” I whispered.
“Did you pick up some extra charm in the Army?” Her tone was teasing but those soft pink cheeks told me my words had hit their mark.
“Nah, came by it naturally. You like it?”
She shrugged. “I’m starting to.” Her gaze locked on mine for a long, intense moment. There was attraction there and happiness, but underneath there was something else I couldn’t quite figure out.
That look stayed with me for the rest of the fucking afternoon. By the time the day was over, I was exhausted from all the thoughts that clouded my mind. “Ready?”
Macy nodded, closing down the computer with a sigh. “Yeah,” she answered before turning to Dagger. “I did everything you said but you should probably double-check it just to be sure.”
“Thanks for your help today, Macy.” Dagger’s smile was friendly and warm.
“It’s literally the least I could do.” She let out a soft laugh. “Besides I’ve never worked in a tattoo shop before. Maybe next time I’ll get to pierce someone,” she joked.
“Maybe after the first week,” Dagger grinned.
At six on the dot, we locked up and headed to the parking lot. I didn’t let Macy out of my sight, wrapping my arm around her in a protective gesture. She noticed and she didn’t let me get away with it.
“You know,” she said, helmet tucked under her arm, “if you glare any harder at the parking lot, it might file a restraining order.”
I snorted despite myself. “You had a good day?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t bad. It was surprisingly normal.”
Normal. That word was a double-edged sword but today it felt right. “That’s good. Right?”
She threw her head back. “What the fuck do I know about normal? It felt good not to be scared and on edge for hours on end, so I’m considering it a win. Maybe a draw.”
“One day down,” I started but my words died as my eyes went to her long, denim covered legs. They looked long as fuck as they climbed onto the bike, straddling the seat like a pro. “Who knows how many more to go?”
She laughed again. “I’ve learned to take it one day at a time and today was more good than bad. Let’s just leave it at that.”
I wanted to say more but she slid the helmet down, effectively cutting off all communication, at least until I started the bike and the mics inside the helmets kicked in. “We can do better than just leave it at that, can’t we Mace?”
She gasped and smacked my shoulder. “Not funny.”
“Hilarious,” I told her, still chuckling as I moved the bike onto the road and headed home. I kept my head on a swivel, watching for anyone who followed too closely or who tried too hard to look casual.
We made it home without incident.
Today it felt like a big fucking win.