Page 58 of Save Me

“Are you saying you’re like…an aging pop diva?”

“Or like Bono, Sting, or Prince,” he corrected.

The entire conversation had bordered on ridiculous and yet he’d never answered her question.

At least not truthfully.

The bastard.

The next thing that came to mind was the mystery client looking for a tattoo website design. Bristling with anger, Ryleigh swore that if it turned out that they were one in the same, she was going to strangle him. She’d be furious not just because of the whole secretive aspect, but because she completely let her guard down with him and showed him her work in progress—something she never did—and now she felt like a complete fool.

“Do not make me have to strangle you, Ryker,” she whispered, staring at the screen and feeling more than a little nervous about what she was going to find out. It was possible he was just a regular, run-of-the-mill tattoo artist and it would be no big deal. Maybe he was just a guy looking for a change of scenery and, for some reason, chose to move to the smallest town on the Carolina coast.

Of course, he could be some kind of sketchy dude with a criminal past and currently hiding out in Laurel Bay, hoping no one would find him.

“Okay, note to self, no more late-night Netflix documentaries on serial killers…”

She scrolled down a bit and found a Ryker Masella and sure enough, when she clicked on it, there was Ryker’s face staring back at her.

The bio was long and the more she read, the wider her eyes got, and the more she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Ryker Masella, age 32, born in Brooklyn, New York.

Five-time winner of American Tattoo Master, three-time winner of Tattoo Brilliance UK, three-time winner of Tattoo Internationale, and four-time winner of Global Tattoo.

Masella is known internationally for his versatile skill and artistic ability. His face was synonymous with all-things tattoo arts from 2016 to 2021. After winning the top prize for the fourth time at Global Tattoo, Masella announced his retirement from competitions and was quoted as saying he was going to put his attention on opening a studio of his own. Since that time, he’s done numerous guest appearances at conferences and conventions and there is speculation of a book deal showcasing his work.

In 2022, however, Masella stopped taking interviews and has made only sporadic appearances at the top shows. He’s scheduled to be in Virginia Beach for the Tattoo Expo and this reporter already has an appointment scheduled to get some new ink.

Ryleigh let out a long breath as she slowly leaned back in her chair. Raking a hand through her long hair, she had no idea how to process this information.

He had been right the other day when he called her out for not bothering to learn anything personal about him. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but now it suddenly seemed huge.

Enormous, really.

And as much as she knew she could wait to see him until Monday night when he got home, she didn’t want to wait that long. Another quick search told her where the convention was and she was able to purchase a ticket. Then, just to play it safe, she booked a hotel room. If Ryker wasn’t happy to see her there, she was going to need a place to stay.

Once that was booked, she calmly got up and made herself some lunch and ate while she packed. Next, she took a shower and casually went through her closet looking for something to wear. There wasn’t a real rush because it was only one in the afternoon and the convention was open until eleven tonight. The drive would take a little under four hours and if Ryker was as wildly popular as that article claimed he was, she wouldn’t get to see or talk to him until close to closing time anyway.

“But I’m still going early to scope it all out and learn what I can,” she murmured as she pulled out a pair of black jeans and a black and silver sweater. “Could I be more of a cliché?” Still, she embraced the look and slid on a pair of high leather boots and big silver hoop earrings. Her hair was loose and wavy, and by the time she had everything together, she almost didn’t recognize herself.

I’m embracing my inner biker chick…

No…this wasn’t about bikers…but she had no idea what they called women who loved getting tattoos.

“I suppose I’ll find that out as well. This will be both interesting and educational. Yay, me!”

Still, she killed some time wiping down kitchen countertops and fluffing pillows, but as soon as three o’clock hit, she hefted her weekender bag over her shoulder and walked down to her car.

Road trips weren’t normally her thing, but she was a woman on a mission. It didn’t matter that this relationship with Ryker was a casual fling; she was a little hurt that he held such an important part of his life back. After he’d held her while she cried the other day and pretty much shared all her misery with him, she thought he would have given her just a tiny glimpse into who he was.

Or at least his last name, for crying out loud.

There was a list of questions running through her head and she hoped she wasn’t making a colossal mistake by going to the convention. If Ryker got pissed by her showing up and ended things, she’d feel…well…

How would I feel?

Suddenly, that wasn’t such an easy question to answer.

---