Shattered Ties(28)

I paid close attention as Rick dipped the tip of his gun into the black ink and started the outline. It would take a while to trace it, probably most of this appointment, if not all.

Outlines weren’t that hard to do, so I started to get bored as time passed. Wendell never once flinched as the ink went under his skin, even when it was over his spine. I didn’t have any tattoos on my back, but I knew a lot of customers would complain of discomfort when they had tattoos in that area.

It was the second-worst spot after feet.

Two and a half hours later, the outline was complete. Even without any shading or coloring, it looked amazing. I stood and walked back to the front counter to start closing up as Rick finished with the guy. As soon as he was out the door, I locked it behind him and started shutting off the lights.

“Do you know who that was?” Rick asked.

“Not a clue. Why?”

“That was one of the leaders of the gang a few towns over. He’s bad news.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

Rick gave me a mysterious smile. “I have my ways. Good night, Jesse.”

I had often wondered if Rick was part of some gang, but I never had the guts to ask him. We weren’t located in the best part of town, but as far as I knew, there had never been even one break-in. Something told me that had to do with Rick’s connections to the gang world. I waved good night as he let me out of the side door before he locked it behind me.

Once I was in my Jeep, I pulled my phone from my pocket to check my messages. I had a few from Andy and one from Emma. She’d sent it while I was watching Rick.

Emma: Dear Lord, my mother is having some stupid fancy dinner, and I have to go. Why couldn’t you have let me drown? It would’ve been kinder.

Me: That’s not funny. Sorry you were stuck at a party all night. :P She replied back almost immediately.

Emma: It’s not the fun kind of party. I have to pretend I care as these pompous asshats go over and over their achievements. I’m trying to think of an excuse to go to bed. I feel a migraine coming on. ;) Me: You could always tell them you have a date with a surfer.

Emma: I thought you didn’t go on dates.

Me: I don’t, but I might make an exception for you.

Emma: Well...you could always invite me over for dinner tomorrow.

I’ll help you deal with your mom’s boyfriend.

I frowned. I refused to think of Mark as my mom’s boyfriend. He was simply some * who wanted to visit. I also didn’t want Emma to come to my house. I wasn’t ashamed of living in a trailer, but I didn’t want to give her a reason to look down on me.

Me: As tempting as that is, I can’t. We could meet up afterward though if you want. It’ll give me an excuse to leave.

Emma: Works for me. Want to meet at that burger place again?

Me: Sounds like a plan. Night, Emma.

Emma: Sweet dreams.

Yeah, there was no doubt I would have sweet dreams tonight that would feature a certain strawberry blonde in them.



My mom knocked softly on my door before opening it. “Jesse, Mark is here.”

“Great,” I mumbled as I shut off my stereo. Might as well get this over with.

I stood and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Mark and my mom were already sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for me.

Mark stood and held out his hand as I walked to the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Jesse.”

“Likewise,” I lied as I shook his hand and sat down.

I looked him over as he took the seat across from me. He looked out of place in our small trailer. He was wearing a dress shirt with a tie and slacks. I noticed that his shoes were black and polished when I sat down. The guy screamed money, and I instantly disliked him because of it.

“Who wants to say grace?” my mother asked.

I stayed silent. I hated saying grace, but it was something that my mother was adamant about.

“I will,” Mark piped up.

“Jesse, bow your head,” my mother scolded.

I rolled my eyes as I lowered my head, and Mark started the prayer.

“Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for the blessings we have received, for the food in front of us, for the roof above our head, but most of all, for blessing me with the presence of the beautiful woman beside me. Amen.”

I looked up to see my mother blushing. Give me a break. This guy was a total suck-up.

“That was wonderful, Mark. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Mark said as he picked up the bowl of salad and used the tongs to put some of it on his plate. “So, your mother tells me that you’re enrolled at Hamrick. How do you like it so far?”

“It’s fine,” I replied, not wanting to discuss my life with this stranger.

“Just fine? People would murder to be enrolled there.”

“If they want to be enrolled with a bunch of stuck-up *s, then it’s the place for them. For me, it’s boring.”

The table went silent. Neither my mother nor Mark knew what to say to that.

“So,” my mother said, trying to find something to say, “why don’t you tell Jesse what you do, Mark? I’m sure he’d love to hear about it.”

“I work as a mine safety inspector. I go into the mines and make sure that everything is up to regulation. I’m usually in West Virginia or Kentucky, but the office brought me out to California for a few months to help them update some of the regulations and train new employees.”