Page 22 of Gunner

She was hiding something.

Indigo Cambridge had been working here for six weeks. She was popular among the women who wanted to get piercings and tattoos, and there were more than a few men who booked with her too.

Older men.

Men who tried to hit on her the first time they came in. They didn’t try again after that. I made sure of it.

She reminded me of my baby sister, Mellie. So, I protected her. Like I did with my sister. Only with my sister, I had pushed her away, with Indie I hovered.

The questions surrounding Indie would have to wait, when I heard the bell over the door jingle and in walked Freeway.

He was older, in his late fifties. He had been in the Silver Shadows for nearly forty years. He wasn’t as tall as I was, though few people were, but he was big. Being in prison for the last twelve years meant his options for recreation were limited. He spent most of his time working out.

His head was shaved bald, and he had tattoos covering most of it, as well as down the side of his face and neck, leading under the shirt he wore. I knew he was mostly covered in tattoos and figured I was close to the top of his list when he got here, seeing as I was the one who had done a lot of the art on his body.

“Hey, man, how’s it goin’?”

“Good. Good. Great to be out. Though, not sure what the hell Steele was thinkin’ startin’ up a chapter in the middle a fuckin’ nowhere. And worse, sending my ass here.”

“Wasn’t Steele’s choice.”

“True.” He looked around my shop while scratching the stubble on his chin. Freeway never cared for the maintenance of a beard, but always thought he didn’t look scary enough with a clean face.

“So, you got time for some ink?”

“You got money?” I grinned at him, but I wasn’t doing shit without payment. Even the brothers paid, albeit with a hefty discount he didn’t need to know about.

“Yea, Steele set me up. A fuckin’ severance package, I guess. Got outta the fuckin’ joint, and he sent me to the fuckin’ prairie. After everythin’ I did for that asshole.”

“Maybe you should a been smarter and not got caught dealin’ at a fuckin’ elementary school.”

“That asshole cop had it in for me. He planted that shit.” Freeway pulled his shirt off and flexed, like he was trying to impress me.

I rolled my eyes and pulled the ink I would need.

“That asshole cop is the sheriff up here, and Steele knows he won’t hesitate to throw your ass back in a box, so you better behave.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He sat in the chair, exposing his back to me.

I had been working on a piece when he got picked up. I assumed he wanted to finish it now that he was here.

Freeway was quiet while I worked, and I found myself hoping he’d fallen asleep like he usually did. The fucker always relaxed when he was in pain. That’s what made him dangerous.

The bell jingled, but I didn’t look up.

I knew it was Indie coming back from lunch. She walked over to my station and dropped a bag at my feet.

“What the hell is that?”

“Your lunch, asshole.”

Setting my gun down, I grabbed the bag.

Looking inside, I turned to her with a grin. “Aww, you do love me.”

“Fuck you.”

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