Page 25 of Claymore
“Before you do that, there’s somewhere else we should go first.”
“Really, and where might that be?”
“Lunch with Hallie sparked something. There was this tattoo shop in Sedona Gina used to take me to. If she still goes there, maybe I can find her. I just need to talk to her again. Maybe then we can get some real answers.”
“Tattoos, huh? Maybe we have more in common than I thought,” he teased.
“It was just a little one. This one right here. I’m not looking for a sleeve anytime soon,” I said, pointing to the little heart on my wrist.
“You’d look real hot in a sleeve.”
“Yeah? Can’t say the same for you,” I joked.
He flashed me that perfect grin. “My sleeve isperfect.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Come on, darlin’. I’m dropping you home. Tomorrow, we can go check out that little tattoo shop. Sound good?”
I nodded, taking the helmet from him. It felt good to slide onto the back of his bike again, wrapping my arms around him. I was starting to see just how much I looked forward to it.
***
Claymore’s bike engine whirred as we came to a stop outside The Inkpot. I expected to see at least a few cars parked out front and the music thumping loudly over the speakers near the door, but it was empty. The glass windows were boarded up, and the place looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages.
My heart sank as I stared up at the abandoned building, the one where I shared a lot of memories with Gina whenever she was fighting with Ray. That was the time I got to know her the best, but after seeing her recently, it was clear she’d changed.
“No. It can’t be out of business. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been back, but I would’ve known. Everyone comes around here, especially tourists that roll in. What happened?” I asked, but I wasn’t exactly expecting an answer.
“Let’s find out.”
My eyes widened as Claymore walked right up to the door, fiddling with the lock while I took a look around the property. This was where Derek and Louise first came to when they got a tattoo on their second date. It was a place that everyone talked about when they came through to Crystal’sfor a bite to eat. Seeing it like this made me realize how much time had gone by. It made me see how stuck I’d been, living the same underwhelming loop of the same day over and over again.
Claymore pried the lock open and I heard the metal snap, but before I could join him, I smelled the light scent of cigarette smoke in the air. I glanced down at my feet to see that I’d stepped on a cigarette that looked like it was just put out. I followed the slight trail of ash to a half-empty bottle of vodka.
“Claymore?”
“Yeah?”
“Doesn’t that look like the bottle and paper bag Gina had when we saw her?” I asked, watching him pop his head around the corner of the building.
“It sure as hell does.”
“Do you think she came through here after all?”
“I don’t know, Ella. I mean, it could be anyone. If this place has been abandoned for a while maybe it just served as a place for people to get hammered,” he said.
I nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Come on. Let’s head inside. Maybe there’s something worth seeing in there.”
He stretched out his hand and I took it, hearing the sound of my boots on the wooden planks of the porch while he led me inside. The dark shop was stuffy, dusty, and over in the corner was the red leather chair where I’d gotten my tattoo. The ink gun was resting on it, and I found the binder of art examples a few feet away.
“Ella?”
I turned around to see Claymore fumbling for a light switch, holding up something in his hand that I instantly recognized. It was a black leather purse with gold hardware, stuffed to the brim with toilet paper. Claymore dumped it out, and a few pills fell and clattered to the ground along with a wallet. I quickly grabbed it, opening it up to see Gina’s picture staring back at me.
“This is Gina’s. So she was here. See?”
