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“Yes, sir.” She mock-salutes, chewing pink gum and blowing a bubble.
Ethan shakes his head at her and turns back to us. He frowns. “Only one of you booked me, right? Corey.”
“That’s right.” Corey’s eyes are shining, green like leaves. He’s fairly jumping up and down with excitement.
“And have you chosen a design?”
“Of course. I want something…” Corey points at a pierced heart on Ethan’s muscular arm. “Something like this.”
Oh. My. God. Shoot me now.
“Follow me,” Ethan says with a faint, bemused smile and heads off to one of the cubicles.
I grab Corey as he starts after the man. “Are you out of your frigging mind?”
“What?”
“We’re here for the tattoo artist?”
“Well, I am.” He winks. “You’re here for me.”
Jesus Christ. “Very funny, Corey.”
“I know.”
***
At least Corey is taking the pain stoically, I’ll give him that. He’s sitting there, letting Ethan draw a heart and arrow on his arm, framed by roses, and says nothing.
Of course he’s staring at Ethan like he could eat him with a spoon, which makes things a little awkward.
“I should wait for you at the reception desk,” I say for the third time, but again Corey grabs my arm and stops me.
“No, no, no. You said you’ll hold my hand throughout this ordeal.”
Ethan arches a brow.
Yeah. Meet Corey, the drama queen.
“Fine.” Yeah, awesome. I stand there as Ethan works, the silence getting more and more oppressive. I think of Riot, think of his tattoos, and I open my mouth before I even realize. “Hey, do many people get flame tattoos?”
Ethan blinks, lifts the tattoo gun. “Flames, like…? Lots of tats with flames.”
“Orange and yellow. They look like metal sheet. Like gold.”
He looks uncomfortable. “I’ve seen them. Not many people get those, no.”
“What about Hellfire?”
“What about it?” He looks even more uncomfortable now, brows drawn together, jaw clenched tight.
“What are you talking about, Pax?” Corey tugs on my hand.
I tug back until he releases me. “That word. What’s the connection to the flame tattoos?”
“What makes you think there is one?” Ethan asks, his voice careful.
I shrug. “I saw this tattoo on a guy. Flames, and a skull, and that word.”
