More Than Lies (More Than #1)(53)

“Are you not sure you want to stay in Oxford?”

“Shawn,” she pins me with a hard stare. “It’s not about what I want. I’ve never gotten what I want a day in my life and it doesn’t . . .” She doesn’t finish her statement, but it doesn’t take a genius to know where it was headed. We both look away from each other as the sound of the office door opens.

“You ready to do this thing or not?” Adam pokes his head in. Tara hops off the desk and leaves, squeezing around him and out the door.

“Might as well.”

I stand as he turns to walk away. I follow until I’m out in the open where everyone is scattered around. It’s not an overly large space. There are four stations on each side of the room, with one being walled off in the back corner for piercing. Two of the stations toward the front have been vacant all three of the years that I’ve worked here. Yet another reason this place needs new blood running it.

Adam starts the meeting off, as he should.

“I appreciate some of you coming in earlier than your usual schedule. I don’t think this will take long, but I needed all of you here.” He takes a seat on a rolling stool, and looks around the room. I’m propped against the wall with Tara seated next to me in my chair. “I was approached a while back. Someone wanted to purchase the business.” He gestures around indicating the studio even though it isn’t necessary. They’re all smart enough to know what he means.

“So what’s that mean to us?” Hunter’s stupid ass pipes up.

“I’m getting to that man.” Adam’s annoyed with him as usual, yet has never done anything about Hunter’s attitude or work ethic. I already know he and Tyler won’t make my cut. Tyler is the shop’s piercer, and only became one after he couldn’t hack as a tattoo artist. The boy does shit work no matter what he tries. Hunter is just a shitty person and I can’t stand him. He has a piss-poor attitude, and I won’t have that type of person working for me. “It means I’ve sold, and as of today we all have a new boss.”

“So, not even a heads up before now.” Hunter, again. “That’s shitty, man.”

“I had my reasons. All of which did not concern you, or anyone else in here for that matter. Piss off, if you don’t like it.” The day he stops being the boss is the day he decides to grow a pair of balls.

“Are you leaving?” Sabrina pipes up, looking at Adam as if she’s mad. She’s probably beginning to realize this is the end of her run. She’s going to soon find out it’s not only the end of her stealing from me, but that ass is about to be canned.

It took long enough, but I finally have the proof I need to know she has been stealing from the company for nearly a year. Chance, my brother’s tattoo artist buddy in Vegas, gave me some good advice. He is successfully running the tattoo shop he owns, so I’m confident he knows a thing or two about business.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. Jeez.” I find it funny that he’s annoyed.

“So who’s the new owner?”

“I’m getting to that if you motherfuckers would shut the fuck up for a minute.” He runs his palm through his hair. “Fuck, you bitches talk too much.”

“I’m the new owner,” I pipe up letting Adam breathe. All eyes turn to look at me. Most looked stunned. Only Tara, Adam, and Kenny knew before this moment that I bought the place.

“Oh.” Sabrina voices her thought. It’s the way she screws up her face and rolls her eyes that piss me off. “Couldn’t that have been relayed via text or something? Even an email? Did we all need to come in early for that news? I mean, really, it’s Shawn. He’s one of us. Nothing will change, except the name signed on my paycheck.”

Adam shakes his head with the slightest of movements before he turns his head in my direction.

“I’m going to leave that one with you, brother,” Adam says.

“What?” Sabrina looks at us both as if missing a key piece of information. She is.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I begin. “All of you need to listen up. Things are about to change. That is one thing I promise you right here and now. I’m not saying anything Adam did or didn’t do was wrong. What I’m saying is that everything before this moment is irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant? Like how?” Sabrina chimes.

“Before today, I wasn’t your boss. I didn’t give two shits what you did, didn’t do, or how good any of the work was that you put out. Today, that changed.” I look each person in the eye, giving them time for my words to sink in. “A lot is about to change; probably fairly quickly too. Some of you won’t make it, that I’m sure of. Others, I hope you’ll see this as an opportunity to improve—not only your skill, but yourself as well. We’re here to work, not shoot the shit.” I look at Adam when I deliver the last sentence. Tara has opened my eyes to things I hadn’t noticed.

“All right, boss,” Jon says, so I turn my attention in his direction. He’s sitting on top of his storage cabinet, legs crossed, looking me in the eyes. His expression is masked. I can’t tell if he’s on board with me or not. Jon isn’t a bad guy, and from everything I’ve seen, his work is damn good. “Enlighten us on these changes.”

“First change is the name. It’s changing to Wicked Ink. I have a new sign on order that’ll replace the one in the parking lot. Shirts with our new logo should arrive by Monday. Commissions will stay the same; sixty percent goes to the artist with the shop retaining forty percent.”