Hours later, he was rudely awakened by the shrill ringtone of his cell phone.He opened one eye to look at the clock on the nightstand.Five o’clock.He grabbed the phone and saw Cujo’s ugly mug staring up at him.With one arm over his eyes, he answered.
“This better be good, Cuj,” he answered groggily.
“Sorry to wake you, man, but the front of the studio was vandalized overnight.Just got here to open up.”Christ.He rubbed his hand over his face to wake up.
“How bad?Did they smash the glass?”
“No,” Cujo responded.“Just some spray paint on the glass outside.We’ll try and scrub it off.”
“What did they spray?”He hoped it wasn’t something totally offensive.Tattoo shops weren’t always the most wanted stores as neighbors, the middle-America crowd a little scared of the kind of clientele they could sometimes attract.
“That’s the weird part, it seems like Italian.Amor condusse noi ad una morte,” Cujo offered in a butchered Italian accent.
“Could be worse, I suppose.”Trent yawned.“Hate to do this but we should call it in to the police.If it doesn’t come off, we’ll need a police report for the insurance I guess.”
“Junior would be disappointed in you.”Cujo laughed.
“Yeah, well.If the little shit who did it had stuck around, maybe you could have offered him an apprenticeship.”
Once a cleanup plan was agreed upon, Trent hung up.At least whoever did it had shown a little bit of class.Love brought us to one death.A famous quote by Francesca in the second circle, canto five.If he weren’t so pissed off, he’d be impressed.
***
“It’s him, Lydia.I know it is,” Harper said into the phone.She paced the break room, dragging a hand through her hair.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Taylor.I had my tech expert check out the messages you sent.The technology exists to bounce messages from all over the world.It could be from anywhere.”
Harper kicked the uniform hamper hard, spilling dirty aprons across the floor.She cursed and bent to pick them up.
“So what do I do?Just sit here and wait for him to come finish the job?”
“Taylor, he’s abiding by the terms of his release.You know I’m on your side.I agree with you that it’s highly likely Nathan is behind this, but there’s no proof.”
Harper remained silent, fighting to rein in her temper, which was about to blow.
“Listen.I’ve told you that you need to go to the police.Given this is likely Nathan, the police asking questions won’t really tell him anything he doesn’t already know.And if by some miracle he isn’t implicated in this ugly mess, it will only narrow it down to Miami.This is their job.What they do.”
The door behind her opened and Drea hustled through on her way to the washroom, casting a worried glance in her direction as she passed by.
“I have to go, Lydia.I’ll call you.”
Harper hung up and blew out a sharp breath, caught up in the ugly feeling of being cornered.Telling Lydia hadn’t helped, telling the police wouldn’t help, and telling Trent would only involve him in something she wanted him to be kept far away from.
Harper sunk down onto one of the plastic chairs and dropped her head into her hands.She closed her eyes as Drea rubbed the top of her head, soothing her.
Drea crouched down in front of her and took her hands.“You gotta come with me.I have a present for you that I know is going to cheer you up.”
“Can I get six éclairs with a side of welcome-home sex, please?”Harper heard as she followed Drea out into the restaurant.
Trent stood on the other side of the counter with a huge smile on his face.He held out a small pink bag with white handles.
Harper flung herself into his arms and allowed him to lift her off the ground for a thoroughly hot welcome-home kiss.His dark hair was completely disheveled, and his eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses.
“The éclairs I can do.The sex is going to have to wait,” she whispered against his lips, pushing the shades up onto the top of his head so she could see him properly.She sighed with relief as he held her tight, resting her head on his strong shoulders.
“Really?”He moaned.“I honestly thought you’d just drop ’em right here for me.”
Harper hit him hard against his arm.
