“Who almost gave you a heart attack?” Dane questioned, shoving the swine in his mouth and barely chewing.
Standing at his side, hand on her wide hip, Inari stared down at him with a spatula in one hand, prepared to fess up. She didn’t talk about Danilo to Dane, and he’d stopped asking about him years ago. She wished like hell he had some kind of male influence in his life but was thankful he was an all-around good kid. She opened her mouth to speak when something caught her eye. He’d applied some kind of ointment over her name in cursive letters inked in his skin a few inches below his ear.
“Boy, what the hell is that on your neck?” Inari swatted him with the spatula.
“Oh, so, the team all decided to go get tatted last night. Kind of like a brotherhood, ritual type thing. There was this grand opening at this spot calledInk Realm. The artists in there are cold, Ma!” Dane reached for a pancake off the plate and took a bite.
“Aw, it’s kind of cute.” Ayla gushed after standing to look at the tattoo.
Inari cut her mocha tinted eyes at her sister.
“What?” Ayla scrunched her nose. “It’s sweet. Next time, I want my name on you.”
“You are not helping,” Inari quipped sternly.
“Nari, he’s growing up.” Ayla shrugged. “He’s also a good kid and makes good grades. If he was in the streets wilding out, I might object, but… my nephew is one of the best human beings I know.”
Dane grinned as he picked up another piece of bacon, but Inari still slapped him on the back of his head.
“He’s fifteen! Who the hell would tattoo a bunch of kids?” Inari sneered.
Frowning, Dane rubbed the back of his head and cut his eyes at the woman who birthed him.
“Oh, Moose cool as hell. His shop is lit too!” He chimed in after swallowing.
“Moose.” Inari huffed. “I’mma get that nigga shut the fuck down in the same damn week.” She picked up her phone off the table and went right to Google to find out whereInk Realmwas located.
“Ma, don’t do that,” Dane argued. “All my homies already talking about going back and getting more. How it look if they find out my mama got the shop shut down? Most people gotta travel outside Ree Heights for a decent tattoo artist.”
“I don’t care. Nobody should be in business operating like this. The shit is illegal.”
“And you know about illegal, right?” Ayla piped up, grabbing an empty plate so she could make her own.
Inari paused in the middle of typing her review, dragging the business, and glared across the table at her sister. Lifting both brows, Ayla shrugged and snatched up a few pieces of bacon, a couple of scoops of scrambled eggs, and three pancakes before walking it over to the microwave.
“You trying to be funny?”
“No.” Ayla hid a smile and shook her head.
“I’m finding someone to remove that thing too.” Inari aimed her phone at the tattoo.
“Ma, come on. I can’t do that,” Dane complained. “Moose asked me two things when I sat in his chair. Why I wanted a tattoo and what I wanted. I told him because I rocked with my team, and the first thing I thought about was you. Now, every girl that ever comes at me knows my mama comes first. Period. If she can’t rock with that, she ain’t fa me.”
“Oh, my God, he’s growing up.” Ayla pressed her hands against her chest.
“You full of shit, Dane. Don’t be using me as an excuse with these little hussies!”
“Ma, the hell is a hussy?” Dane cocked a brow.
“After you eat, get dressed. We’re going to pay ya boy Moose a visit,” she instructed.
It was almost noon when Inari arrived outsideInk Realm. The shop was located in the local strip mall district. Not only was it on the corner with a big sign hanging above the building, but it was also surrounded by all local businesses. There were nail shops, barbershops, salons, and other finds scattered among the outdoor shopping area. A small barbecue place, BBQ Junction, was about three doors down. Charcoal and mouthwatering grilled meat smoke filled the air. Two large grills were set up in front, and the two brothers who owned the spot, Stacks and Kool, sipped cold Budweisers while chopping it up with a few people seated at small tables outside their doors.
Inari parked and looked over at Dane nervously seated in her passenger seat. Yesterday was her cheat day, but the smell of that food had her considering another. Her son glanced at the front door of the tattoo shop when it opened, and a tall, toasted brown skinned, ridiculously fine figure emerged. Almost every inch of his rich skin was covered in some kind of marking. A wife beater hugged his broad chest, accenting the muscles in his arms as he lifted a Styrofoam container toward his mouth while taking a bite of a meaty rib.
His diamond clustered tennis chain dangled from his neck, and he’d slung his t-shirt over his shoulder as he peered down the block and chewed with a scowl. Sideburns, goatee, and hairline were all neat, and his dark brown locs were pulled back in a barrel style. Inari’s initial perception of him was that he wasmean as hell. When he turned, even his side profile was sexy as his eyes locked with hers through the window of her car.
“Is that him?” she asked.
