Page 74 of Cast in Shadow
Zeke snorted and looked out the window. He wasn’t going to ask again. Since this trip didn’t include a hypo to the neck, zip ties, and having his ass loaded and unloaded like a sack of potatoes, it was already a thousand times better than the last time he and Sean shared space.
“At least I’m conscious this time,” Zeke mumbled, making Sean laugh.
They pulled up to the curb in front of a tattoo shop. It was small and didn’t look like much from the outside.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Sean said as if reading his mind.
Zeke didn’t. Some of the best ink he’d ever gotten had been in places just like it.
“Hey, Sean,” greeted a solid-looking woman with short black hair and an assortment of facial piercings. Every visible bit of skin below the neck was covered in intricate lacework ink.
“Hey, Kim,” Sean replied.
“Are you finally going to let me give you that magic cross? I bet Nicki would love it.”
Both men winced at the mention of the four-pronged penis piercing. “Not today, Kim. Not ever.”
She laughed. “What can I do for you?”
“Zeke wants to get his woman’s name tattooed on his ass.”
Zeke sighed but didn’t bother correcting him.
Kim looked Zeke up and down. “I think we can manage that. Tiny’s just finishing up a client and doesn’t have another one for a while. Go on and have a seat.”
They did. Zeke picked up a design book and skimmed the pages. The guy’s artwork was incredible. He should have no trouble doing what Zeke had in mind.
Before long, Tiny emerged from the back. Zeke’s first thought: Tiny was anything but tiny. The guy was six and a half feet tall and had the build of a pro wrestler. Kim said a few words to him and pointed to where they sat.
Tiny greeted Sean and turned to Zeke. “Kim says you want your girl’s name on your ass?”
Sean snickered.
“My chest, actually.”
“Come on back, let’s see what we’ve got.”
* * *
Zeke and Sean left Tiny’s less than an hour later. Tiny had done a phenomenal job of taking Zeke’s ideas and working them seamlessly into the ink he already had.
“Where to now?” Zeke asked.
“Mo’s.”
“Who’s Mo?”
“He runs a custom cycle shop. Robin said you like bikes.”
He did, and looking at motorcycles was a nice way to kill time while Aggie was busy elsewhere.
Mo’s cycle shop did not disappoint, especially when Sean led him around to the back and introduced him to Kyle McCullough. Kyle created legendary customs and specialized in old Harleys.
They talked about bikes and Kyle showed him some of the stuff he was working on. One bike in particular got his attention. It looked like the one he’d shown Aggie, only better.
“I just finished her,” Kyle said. “Want to take her out for a ride?”
Zeke looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “You’re kidding, right?”
