Chapter 1
Ben
You can almost tastethe end of the day when it gets the kind of quiet it is right now. After hours, Wicked Ink is nothing but echoes of dying noise. Every sound from the day feels like it’s still hanging in the air, even after the stereo goes dead.
I grab another tray off my bench and toss the soiled towels in the bin. My hands are tight and restless, and I flex them before I get busy wiping down my station as if I’m trying to erase the whole day. The astringent burn of cleaner stings my nose.
Perfect. At least one thing tonight is sharp instead of blurry.
Corinne, my sister, sits crisscross on the front counter, scrolling her phone, fake-focused. She’s got this way of acting like she isn’t watching, but she’s tracking my every move. She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel her eyes when I’m not looking. But I don’t let it get to me. If I do, she’ll dig, and I don’t have the energy for a family therapy session.
Arrow, my best friend since childhood, is laid back in his chair, boots up, hands clasped behind his bald head like he’s king of the fucking world. He’s watching me, with that slow, mean grin on his smug face.
He checks the clock on the way. “Are you taking your sweet time closing up so you can savor the loneliness, or you got a late-night booty call waiting for you?” Arrow pops his jaw, like he’s chewing on the thought. “Ben Hayes with an actual social life. Feels illegal.”
He twirls his keys on his index finger, never dropping them. Show-off. I keep my eyes on the task at hand, reassembling the last machine for tomorrow.
“Not all of us are busy learning ‘Baby Shark’ on repeat. Did you ever master the task of changing a diaper without getting pissed in the face?”
Arrow laughs. “I’ve been baptized quite a few times, actually, and it wasn’t by my son.” He glances over at Corinne.
She flips him off, not even flinching.
“Bro, seriously. That’s my sister, man.” I throw my rag at him.
Arrow grins like a psycho again.
My phone vibrates on the counter, and my stomach flips. I thumb the screen on.
9:00 p.m.
Purgatory. Don’t be late.
Every time I get a notification, my chest tightens.
Corinne’s suddenly right in front of me, catching me off-guard.
“Everything okay, Ben?”
“Yeah. Just tired.”
She makes a face. I know she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t call me out.
If she really thought I was about to self-destruct, she’d lecture me into next week.
Arrow hauls himself up. “Are we done here? The babysitter charges by the hour. We’ve got to haul ass, or she’s going to hand me a bill bigger than our rent.”
“Go. It’s not like you’re actually helping.”
“You wound me, Hayes.” He’s already at the door, pushing it open so the night air cuts through the lingering chemical haze.
Corinne slings her purse over her shoulder. She watches me wipe down the machine handles one more time. “Seriously, Ben, text if you need anything. Doesn’t matter what.” She says it in a caring way, making my chest squeeze.
I nod back, keeping my mouth shut. For a split second, her eyes go soft. Then she’s back to normal, shoving Arrow out the door.
He spins around, points at me. “Hey, maybe you’ll get laid. Or even better, finally meet someone with no face tattoos. Oh, wait. You’re into that. Nevermind.”
Corinne rolls her eyes so hard. “Can we go? Before we have to sell a kidney to pay our sitter.”
