Page 22 of Shattered

“I’ll find some,” she says with a wry smile.

There are only a few small windows up front, so we can’t see inside as we exit my SUV and approach the door. Neela grabs for the handle, but it’s locked.

“Must not be open yet,” Neela says.

Before we can leave, the door swings open. Bane takes in Neela first, and when his eyes flicker to mine, he smirks. Bastard.

“Hey, Lila.”

“Bane,” I grumble.

Neela’s eyes jump between us. “What? This is your new neighbor?”

“This is the milder one,” I say simply.

“Asher’s not here, but he’ll be back soon,” he warns.

I roll my eyes, but he’s not looking at me anymore. Whatever amusement he had with me is now focused on Neela.

“Nice ink. You’re covered.”

She grins. “Thanks. I was hoping to book an appointment when you guys open.”

Bane considers for a moment before stepping aside. “Come on in.”

Though Neela hesitates, I motion her forward, and she slowly enters the shop with me at her heels. It’s clearly not ready yet. It smells like fresh paint, and the furniture is scattered away from the walls.

“Don’t touch anything,” he says as he steps behind a desk by the door. He pulls up a heavy binder and gives it to Neela, so casually, as if I didn’t get finger blasted in his living room against my will last night.

“You want more flowers? I have some you’ll like,” he says as he flips the binder open. “Color, right?”

“Yes,” Neela says, as though it should be obvious. Her eyes light up as she takes in the designs I can’t see from here.

“This one suits you, and it looks great with the others,” Bane says. “Here, let me show you my portfolio first.”

Bane shows Neela some of his past work, and she likes what she sees.

“I should tell you too, I’m still technically an apprentice,” Bane says.

“Oh, I don’t mind. The work you showed me looks great, and an apprentice in Fairway did most of my tattoos. She was amazing. I love that floral piece you showed me. Can I have that blown up on my tailbone, maybe eight inches across?”

“Course.”

Neela practically vibrates with excitement. “When are you opening?”

“Hopefully, in a few days.” He hesitates, glancing behind him at the shop before turning back around. “I’ve been dying to tattoo this one… if you’re okay with the mess in here, I can do it today, and I’ll give you a bit of a deal. The station will be clean, of course.”

“Done.” Then she turns to me. “I can get someone to pick me up after if you want to go.”

“I’m not leaving you here,” I insist, my eyes flickering to Bane, and he notices.

But he doesn’t bother reassuring me.

It takes a while for Bane to map out the tattoo. He prints the design in a few different sizes on some special paper. Once it’s transferred onto Neela’s tailbone, she approves it in an oversized floor mirror. Then she lays on a big table on her stomach, with her shirt pulled up to her mid back and her shorts down a little. With her face in my view, I sit beside a table with more binders.

I don’t have any tattoos, and I’ve never been to a tattoo shop. I have nothing against them; it’s just not something I’ve ever looked into. But as soon as Bane turns on his machine and starts inking Neela’s skin, I can’t peel my eyes away.

“Can I watch?”

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