Page 68 of Draven

I squeeze her shoulder. “It’s perfect.”

“Air drop it to me,” Dayton says. “I’ll have it prepared and then we can get you inked up.”

Louise does the necessary while Dayton wanders over to a tall, oak filing cabinet and slides out a sheet of paper from one of the folders inside. “Read this, and if you’re happy, sign at the bottom.” He picks up his phone and taps the screen. “Got the image. Thanks.”

Louise scans the document, then hands it to me, and I do the same. I lock gazes with her and give a curt nod. She takes the pen Dayton offers and scrawls her signature, then he returns the document to the cabinet.

“I’ll be back shortly,” he says, gesturing to the bar in the corner of his office overlooking lower Manhattan. “Help yourselves to a drink.”

He returns twenty-five minutes later with a heavily tattooed woman in tow. “This is Shawna,” he explains. “She works in our research department and played a key part in developing the technology we’re going to use today. She’s also one of the best tattoo artists in New York.”

Shawna smiles. “Would you mind sitting in this chair for me, Louise?” She indicates the one at the head of Dayton’s large boardroom table.

“Can she be trusted?” I mutter to Dayton.

“Yes,” he replies in a voice low enough so only I hear. “Although I’ve kept the details scant.”

“Good.”

I wander over and take the seat to Louise’s right. “First tattoo, Lola.”

“And the last,” she says, wincing as Shawna begins. “Ow. How have you had so many?”

I wink. “They’re addictive.”

“They sure are,” Shawna says, narrowing her eyes as she focuses on her craft.

“I disagree,” Louise says, flinching again when Shawna starts outlining the owl’s wings. “Shit, that hurts.”

An hour later, Shawna wipes a cloth over Louise’s upper arm and sits back, admiring her work. “It’ll be red for a few hours. Recovery won’t take as long as a normal tattoo as the needle I used is also cutting-edge tech. You need to keep it dry for at least forty-eight hours, and don’t use any soap or deodorized products.”

“Thanks,” Louise says, examining the finished product. “That’s stunning.”

“By tomorrow, no one will know you’ve only just had it done.” She packs up her things and leaves.

“All right, let’s get the app loaded and test it,” Dayton says. “Louise, why don’t you take a walk? You can go anywhere you like.”

“Don’t leave the building.” I growl. “We can test it just fine without having you wandering the streets of Manhattan alone.”

Louise rolls her eyes. “Gettin’ old fast, Draven.”

I plant a hard kiss on her lips. “Get used to it, Lola.”

Dayton chuckles. “You guys are too cute.”

The glare I give him would make most men flinch, but not Dayton. His grin gets wider.

We give Louise a five-minute head start, then I open the application Dayton put on my phone, and a red dot appears, blinking steadily as it inches across the screen.

“She’s still moving,” Dayton explains. “Let’s go find her, big guy.”

“That’s impressive.” He closes the door to his office, and we start to track her. The map is easy to follow, and within ten minutes, we reach the restaurant on the third floor of Dayton’s building to find Louise sitting by the window, nursing a cup of coffee. She grins and waves us over.

“I’d call that a successful test,” she says. “Now, will you stop worrying?”

“I’ll stop worrying when this is over,” I say. “But I admit, I feel a lot better now.” I shake Dayton’s hand. “Thanks. For everything.”

“You know my debt to you will never be paid,” he says. “Anything you need, ever, you come to me.”

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