She parked in one of the open spots in front of the parlor. There were a few cars parked outside the small, rundown-looking establishment, but she knew that it was a well-known and respected tattoo shop in Black Mountain.
She didn’t see Reese’s truck but thought it might be parked in the back where she couldn’t see it. Or maybe that was hopeful thinking. And if he wasn’t there, maybe someone inside could point her in the direction of where she could find him.
After getting out of the car and making her way to the front door, she realized she felt lightheaded from her nerves. She was scared. She was terrified that once she spoke with Reese after all this time, he’d have realized the distance had been for the best.
Keira shook her head, not wanting to go there. She’d worry about that if or when the time came.
33
A bell jingled above the door, announcing her entrance into the tattoo parlor. Classic rock music played softly overhead, and the buzzing sound of a needle along with the murmurs of conversation blended together.
“I’ll be with ya in just a few,” an older man with a long white beard called out from where he was seated, hunched over a middle-aged woman’s back.
From the distance, Keira could make out the image of a koi fish he was tattooing on the small of her back.
She sat down on the black, ratty vinyl couch and grabbed a magazine. The cover showed a heavily tattooed woman in nothing but a few strips of fabric covering the important bits. After ten minutes of Keira flipping through the pages, the man with the white beard stepped in front of her.
“What can I do for ya?”
Keira stood and set the magazine on the table beside her. She had to assume this was Max, the man Reese was fond of.
“Uh.” She looked around in hopes Reese would magically appear from the back room so this would be so much easier. “I’m actually looking for someone. Thought he might be here.”
He didn’t say anything, just lifted an incredibly bushy eyebrow and waited for her to continue.
“Is Reese Trenton working today?”
A flash of surprise washed over the man’s face, and she wondered if it was because someone in general was looking for him. That thought made her feel incredibly sad.
“Reese?” He slowly said his name, and Keira nodded.
“He, uh… he told me he worked here, but not his schedule or anything.” Keira had tried calling, of course, but he’d been avoiding her ever since their last conversation, and her call had gone right to voicemail.
“Yeah, he works here, just not today.” He didn’t move from right in front of her, just continued to watch her with dark, knowing eyes.
“Oh.” She licked her suddenly dry lips and nodded. “Okay, thanks.” She turned to leave, but he called out to her. She stopped and faced him.
“You’re that ‘someone special,’ right?”
She felt her brows pull down low. “Excuse me?”
“The girl Reese talked to me about. The one he said was somethin’ special.”
Her heart hiccupped in her chest. She nodded slowly.
“I could tell for the last couple weeks somethin’ has been bothering him, but he’s a pretty private person. I assumed it was female trouble.” Max turned and walked over to the front desk. He stood behind it for a moment, clearly contemplating what to say next. “I shouldn’t be saying this to you, because it ain’t my business, but I have a piece of advice for you, since he clearly won’t see reason.”
She didn’t know what that “reason” was. Maybe they’d talked about her, about the situation? Maybe he just knew.
“Never take something that makes your heart race or your gut clench for granted. There are not too many things in life worth fighting for, but when someone opens up your world, makes your head spin, and has your heart aching for more, it’s only then that you walk to the ends of the world to make it work.” His words hung in the air between them, and emotion struck Keira fast and hard.
She nodded slowly, because she wasn’t sure what to say after that.
He gave her a tight nod. “But as far as telling you where he’s at, I can’t help you with that, ‘cause I don’t know where he is.”
“Thanks.” Keira gave him a small smile and left the shop, not sure where to even look next. But the longer she stood there, the more she realized where he might be. The one place he said he went to get away and think.
She got back in the SUV and started heading for that lone structure where he’d first touched her, where her heart had really raced for the very first time.
Once on the private property, she pulled into the small strip of dirt off the side of the road and cut the engine. Keira chewed her bottom lip, nervous to be here. She didn't have the cloak of darkness around her now. If she got caught, she could get in serious trouble, no matter what connections her parents had.
She climbed out of the vehicle and started making her way toward the barn. She kept to the trees but stayed parallel to the dirt road. And then she saw the structure and her heart raced. Remembrance from their last time here filled her mind and made her move quicker. Once inside, she stopped and stood there, listening. Everything was so still and silent that she almost turned around, assuming she was alone. But she went in deeper and headed toward the little room Reese had taken her to that first night.
And when she rounded the corner, she froze, seeing him sitting on an overturned crate, his head lowered, his forearms resting on his thighs.
He had his eyes closed and headphones covering his ears.
For a moment, all she did was stare at him. It seemed like so long since she had seen him last. He was big and strong… yet so sad-looking in that moment.
The urge to go to him, wrap her arms around him, and hold him close was so strong that she started to do just that, but even with his eyes closed and his hearing blocked by the loud, angry music coming from his earbuds, he must have sensed her.
He lifted his head and opened his eyes, looking right at her.
For long seconds, she didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. Slowly, he stood and pulled his headphones off. His throat worked as he swallowed, and she could hear the force of it from where she stood. Now that she was so close to him, she didn’t know what to say.
“Keira,” he said her name in a broken pitch. “What are you doing here?” He swallowed again.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. I hoped you were. I stopped by the tattoo parlor and spoke with Max, but he didn’t know where you’d be. I figured maybe I’d try here.” Surprise filtered across his face at her explanation. She was twisting her hands together. “I…” The words stayed clogged in her throat, and she took a steadying breath. “I’m sorry, but please don’t shut me out anymore. I know you think this is what I want, and I know I made you feel that way.” She took another step closer, swore she saw and felt his nervousness. “I was stupid for thinking I needed time to think about things and work through whatever it was that bothered me.” Emotion was so strong in her that she couldn’t breathe. “This time away from you has been so hard for me—”