Page 107 of Sanctuary

Zed smiled. “Thanks. And thanks for trusting me with that. Most people who came into my last studio either had a very distinct and narrow vision or they chose off-book images I’d already designed.”

“Where was your last studio?” Lori asked.

“Vegas. But I got bored of tattooing Cirque performers, so I moved here.”

“Really?” Gabe couldn’t imagine growing tired of working on bodies like theirs.

Zed laughed. “Nah, I’m kidding. I came back for family reasons.”

“I’m glad you did, but I hope everything’s okay with your family.”

Zed shrugged. “What are you gonna do? Family is family, right?”

Shay huffed from her seat behind them “Truth.”

Gabe looked at Shay then at Lori’s side profile and smiled. She’d found her family, and she’d do whatever was required to keep it safe, including relocating two thousand miles away.

“You’re happy with the size too?” Zed tapped away on her iPad then turned it back to Lori. “Use your fingers to change it, but you can’t go much smaller than it is already, or I won’t be able to keep that level of detail in the wings.”

Lori pushed the tablet back toward Zed. “I think it’s a perfect size.”

“I’ll print it out, and we can put the stencil on your hip for you to get a feel for it in place, okay?”

“Okay.” Lori turned to face Gabe after Zed went into the back of the shop. “Do you like it?”

Gabe caressed her cheek. “I love it, but that shouldn’t matter. I get the feeling your original tattoo was for someone else; you should get this one because you love it and you want it.”

Lori leaned closer to Gabe’s ear. “But you’re going to be up close and personal with it a lot,” she whispered.

Gabe moaned quietly. “And I’m going to love every time I get to kiss it,” she said, “but it’s your decision.”

Lori pressed her hand on Gabe’s chest. “I know that but thank you for saying it anyway.”

“It’s bad manners to whisper in company.” Shay stood and bumped Gabe against the desk.

“You’re not company; you’re family.”

Shay rolled her eyes. “When I said that you should get more in touch with your emotions, I didn’t mean you should spray them all over the place like a dog marking its territory. You can keep some of the sentimentality to yourself.”

Gabe shrugged. “Sorry, buddy. The floodgates are open, and the hinges are busted.”

Zed popped her head around the shelving unit that separated the reception area from the tattooing area. “Do you want to come back?”

The three of them followed Zed, and Lori laid back on a tattoo bed covered in plastic wrap while Gabe and Shay pulled up chairs on the opposite side of Zed so they didn’t get in the way.

“Could you push your sweats down to about mid-thigh for me?” Zed cleaned and shaved the old tattoo and the surrounding area, then she placed the printed stencil on Lori’s hip. “Do you want to go check in the mirror and make sure you’re happy with it?”

Lori stood in front of the mirror holding on to her sweats. When Shay tilted her head to the side to clearly get a better look at Lori’s ass, Gabe punched her arm. “Cut that shit out. You’ve got the best friend, remember?” she whispered.

Shay turned to look at Gabe. “I haven’t got anyone. I’m a free agent.”

“Lori isn’t, so keep your eyeballs to yourself.”

Shay grinned. “I’m just appreciating what you’ve got, Gabe, but if it offends you, I’ll stop. It’s not like she has eyes for anyone but you anyway.”

“I’d rather you didn’t act like a horny teen, that’s all.”

Shay held up her hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

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