Page 13 of The Other Princess

“Don’t I know it?” Kane chirped out, clapped his hand on the side wall of the space I’d be working in and then took off for the break room in the back of the studio. Kane had just disappeared around the corner when the tinkle of the bell over the front door sounded alerting me to the fact that my very first client was here.

~*~

“I hate to say this to you Zeke, but you may have to share this canvas from here on out,” Eddie told my boss and mentor.

“Can’t say that I blame you for that,” Zeke returned solemnly as he checked over the work I’d done. When he finished taking it all in he stood straight and looked me in the eye before he spoke again. “You did damn fine work, Ever. Make sure you get pictures of that and get them in a book to put out front.” That was it. He left Eddie standing there grinning at me while I picked my jaw up off the floor, because I knew what needing a book out front meant.

“He just told you this was a regular thing for you, didn’t he?”

I nodded, still sort of shell-shocked.

Eddie clapped his hand down gently on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “I had a feeling about you, kid, and my instincts have yet to lead me wrong. Congratulations, and glad I could help get you there.”

I did something I’m definitely not prone to do then. I hugged the man. “Thanks Eddie, I appreciate your faith in me.”

“Yeah, well, I appreciate this fine ass dragon you inked on my leg.” As I cashed him out and took the extremely healthy tip he left for me I had savored the elation that had welled up inside me. Tattooing the dragon on his leg had been a high in itself. Seeing my work done so well in the end, the client happy about it, and my boss offering me a book to show off my art up front just blew everything over the top though. For the first time in years I felt hope that happiness would find me again.

Before happiness could find me, my brother showed up looking instead. The bell over the door tinkled to life causing me to glance up. It was then that Deck, Trunk, and my brother all came strolling in to Permanent Marks. A part of me wanted to run to the back and beg Kane to deal with them. The other part of me was still running on the high of my finishing my first major tat and wanted to share that news with the world, even if that world included my mostly estranged brother and his friends. I was still paralyzed by my indecision when Kane came sauntering back out to the lobby.

“You guys lost or something?”

“Nah man,” my brother started to say, but Kane came and positioned himself so that a good half of his body was hiding me from the three men who had entered the studio together. It was a protective stance if I ever saw one, and the hurt that registered on my brother’s face said that he knew it too. Kane felt he needed to protect me from the men of Aces High. It didn’t hurt that Kane happened to be my best friend’s big brother and knew all about the shit storm I had to wade through over the past couple years.

“Damn dude,” my brother huffed out. “I don’t know whether to be thankful you have my sister’s back, or to be completely insulted that you think she needs you to have her back when her own brother walks through the door.” He hung his head a moment, and then shook off whatever he’d been thinking.

It was then that Deck stepped further into the room placing himself between Toby and Trunk and myself and Kane. “We just came by to check to see if Ever was inking people yet.”

“What business is it of yours?” Kane sniped at him. “You guys have your people over at your own shop, man. Pretty sure if you wanted Ever doing work for Aces members you would have manned up and asked her to work there, but no one did.”

“Yeah, it’s unfortunate that I wasn’t around to see that it happened that way,” Deck informed Kane. “I’m here now though, and making sure some things get set to rights around here.”

“Yeah, okay,” Kane scoffed in his direction.

“What exactly is your problem here?” Deck asked while narrowing his eyes on Kane as if he were finally seeing a problem just a man trying to protect a young girl. “Bit old for her, aren’t you?”

At that, my brother and Trunk both bristled a bit before Kane damn near doubled over in laughter. I glanced at him; feeling a bit miffed for thinking the insinuation that he might have something to do with me romantically was so damn hilarious. “Shit, that’s the funniest thing, because I’m pretty sure that would make you the pot and me the kettle, Deck, since we’re the same fuckin’ age.”

Oh shit. My brother’s head snapped around, Kane no longer his focus, as it now was entirely on Deck. I wasn’t completely sure what was going on, and I definitely didn’t like where this altercation appeared to be going. I stepped out of Kane’s shadow for the first time during this whole oddball situation. “Okay, well, now that we know how old everyone is, maybe one of you can tell me why you’re actually here, because I know you don’t care if I’m tattooing or not.”

All three of the men standing before me turned hurt eyes my way and suddenly I felt that same red-faced shame welling up that had happened earlier when Kane called me out for ignoring my texts.

“We really did stop by to check in on you, and whether your apprenticeship was heading into actual tattooing yet or if you were still just selling your art for others to put on people,” Trunk responded. “Besides, ever since I found out you were the genius behind this asshole’s tattoo, I’ve wanted to come see you about getting something to represent my old lady. Our anniversary is coming up and she’s been riding my ass for years about getting her inked on me so she can have her permanent claim or whatever.” I smiled about that, because knowing his woman, he wasn’t lying. “Been telling her it couldn’t be just some old generic shit property tag like the other guys get and then have inked over when they move on to the next willing body along with a cover-up tat.”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought, because I knew a few of the men in the club had definitely done just that over the years. I always had found it tacky, but I never showed any of them judgment for it. Now, I didn’t have to hide my disdain.

“So, you came to see if I could draw you something?” I asked Trunk with a little apprehension leaking through my voice.

“Jesus,” he hissed out and then ran his hands through his hair, tugging quickly in a show of frustration. “Until the other night when you showed up to the barbecue, I never knew how bad things had gotten for you while I was put away.” He glared at my brother for a moment before refocusing his attention on me. “I also hate that you seem fuckin’ hesitant and almost frightened to talk to us – to me. I’ve never wished you ill in all the time I’ve known you, honey.”

“I know you haven’t, Trunk. You’ve been one of the few people who have unfailingly treated me well over the years, and I appreciate that. You have to understand, I simply have a hard time trusting people.” I noticed my brother’s physical reaction to my statement. It was damn near a full-body cringe.

“I get that, honey.” He glanced around, taking note of the men of Permanent Marks who had come out to the lobby to see what the commotion was about. “Seems like you found different folks to trust though,” he added.

“No, she really didn’t,” my boss, Zeke managed to get out as he stepped forward, standing on my other side with arms crossed and feet spread shoulder-width apart in a defensive stance. “Ever doesn’t trust a damn one of us with anything personal. It’s a shame too, because she’s a great girl who is constantly stuck holding herself back. Just before you came in, she did her first on the books tattoo, and I know how it feels when you get that first paid job done. You feel like fuckin’ flying, and you know what she did? Grinned to herself, because she doesn’t think she has anyone to share her happiness with. I don’t know what the fuck you idiots over at Aces have done to damage this girl, but if that’s what you’re here for, you can see your way right back out those doors. She may not trust us yet, but she’s ours just the same, and I’ll be damned if I allow any more hurt to weigh those shoulders of hers down.”

“Fuck!” My brother hissed out and then he did something I’ve never seen him do in all of the time we’d spent together. He lifted his hand to his face and wiped away the rogue tears that spilled from his eyes. “Jesus, Ever… I didn’t… I can’t… Fuck!” He turned his back, completely unable to get out whatever he was attempting to say. Instead, when Trunk put a comforting hand on his shoulder Toby shook him off. “I don’t deserve that,” he mumbled to Trunk, and then he walked right back out of the shop.

“It makes my heart ache to see that boy, who was your fiercest protector when you guys were little, unable to even speak to you now,” Trunk stated quietly before walking about behind Toby.

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