I’ve grown and changed, and this little bit of ink is a reminder that I am strong, even when I feel weak.
Let’s keep in touch, Stone,I text.I miss you a lot.
A moment passes. I think that’s all I’m going to get, but the dots that let me know he’s typing keep appearing and disappearing until finally four more words appear.
Miss you too, Matty.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
STONE
I must look pretty damndepressed. There’s no other reason Billie would include me for her weekly beer with Red.
It’s almost enough to cheer my sorry ass up. Chilling with a couple established artists feels good, even though my own career path at Blade has tanked.
When I head to the bar to get a second pitcher, though, it’s the text messages with Matty that actually make me smile. I pull my phone out and kick back against the bar. We’ve just been sending these short messages back and forth, all I can manage with one hand, but it’s like I’ve been groping my way through a thick fog, and I’m only now finding him on the other side.
It’s like he’s a light, and I finally have something to walk toward.
The bartender slides the pitcher my way, and I head back to the dartboard. I’m useless with my hand, so I just sit back on a stool against the wall and watch while Billie and Red play. The dart practically disappears in Red’s giant hand, but they each throw with the finesse of an artist.
I pull my phone back out and send a quick message.Hope you got the scene edited today.
A second later, Matty sends me back a selfie where he’s collapsed on the table in exaggerated exhaustion. I grin when I see the way his tongue is lolled out, flopped between his pink lips.
“What’s making you so damn happy?” Red asks. His voice is gruff and scratchy. With his faded tattoos and the glare in his eyes, I always feel like I’m talking to a genuine hardened badass.
“Don’t scare him,” Billie says, appearing by his side to refill her glass. “He doesn’t know you’ve got a soft and chewy center.”
Red snorts. “Fuck off.”
Billie jumps onto the stool beside me. “He’s probably just texting his boyfriend.”
I glance quickly at Red. He seems chill about this kind of thing, but after the whole mess with Jeremiah, I’m not comfortable dropping my guard.
“That it?” Red asks. “Because if I had a broken paw keeping me out of work, I’d be miserable.”
I nod, glad to have someone who understands. “It sucks,” I agree, then shoot Billie a glare. “But Matty isn’t my boyfriend.”
“Too bad,” Red says as he pours the rest of the beer into his glass. “The kid reminded me of Mack.”
I blink. “Mack? Like Mack who ran the shop with Caesar?”
“Until he and his boyfriend ran off to Miami,” he nods. “Pissed Caesar right off, too.”
The information smacks me up the back of my head. “I had no idea the guy who ran Blade with Caesar was gay.”
Red shrugs and takes a big swig from his beer. “Back in the day, lots of tattoo artists were. ‘Course, gay or straight, men like Caesar and Mack don’t talk much about that kind of thing.”
Billie shakes her head with a smile. “Maybe we should drop that information for Jeremiah to hear. Might do him good to learn his history.”
Red scoffs. “Hell, if he’s going to fill the shop with assholes anyway.”
He turns and starts to lumber back toward the dartboard. His odd comment throws me off, and I’m left standing there with my mouth hanging open. Luckily, Billie acts fast and grabs his arm, pulling him by the denim shirt. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Fuck,” Red growls. “This is what I get for blabbing my big mouth.” He glances between us and continues. “Since my studio will be empty, Jeremiah’s been pushing Caesar to let him hire a friend. Looks like he got the go-ahead last week.” He clasps Billie on the shoulder. “Sorry, captain. Looks like you’re going to have another dipshit around the shop.”
Red heads back to the dartboard. My brain explodes as I start to put the pieces together in rapid order. Billie’s doing the same work, I can tell, because she looks straight at me with wide eyes.
