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Two hours later, I was reclining in Nell’s tattoo chair as Gill set plywood over the broken window. The cops had come, taken a report, and hurried to the station before I returned from the hospital. Jade was right. Gill handled everything.
Entertaining Nell meant feigning interest in body art. She sat beside me as I flipped through her portfolio. What was Jade thinking? She assigned me, the magnet of death, to watch after her sister? If I was the Raven’s lightning rod, then shouldn’t I be as far from Nell as possible?
I wondered how Jade was faring. She had gone to the hospital to sit with Pax as he awaited his last test results. How she’d convinced Nell to leave him was beyond me. It must’ve been a sister thing. I watched the clock tick.
“Thanks for doing this, Penny,” Nell said, her voice riddled with exhaustion. “I need the distraction.”
“Are you sure you’re fine to work?” The terror was clumping in my throat. I hadn’t expected Nell to want to work. I was only trying to get her involved in explaining the process, not to get me prepared for the procedure.
Thankfully, the fear of needles wasn’t one I possessed. However, having a distracted, sleep-starved woman wielding a gun filled with them was going on my list. I closed my eyes.
Nell’s gloved hand brushed against the meat of my wrist as she flipped my arm over. It took all my strength not to scream and flee. “Work is always calming for me,” she said as she examined my skin. “It soothes me. Clears my head for other thoughts.”
I desperately wanted her to think about my tattoo, not about other things. She could ponder life after she’d scarred up my skin. Or until I thought of a polite way to postpone things.
“Other than yesterday, what has you needing distraction?”
Nell released my arm. She rested her elbows on the workbench behind her. Her sideways glance bounced off her new wooden window fixture.
“And that,” I said, shrugging. I hoped my question would get her talking, even if it were a dumb one.
Nell started her story.“You saw me yesterday.” I let the muscles in my neck relax. Nell’s tattoo gun rested, unfilled, behind her. “I’m a mess about Pax.”
“Still, after yesterday?”
Gill’s hammer echoed off the concrete floor. I winced with each strike.
Nell looked to the ceiling where the chandelier once swung. “Sure, he tried to save me, but one heroic act doesn’t wash away every other trouble.”
“It doesn’t?” A male voice entered through the back door moments after the last thwack on the hardware.
“Gill!”
Nell rushed to embrace the family friend. With the window secured, I thought he’d go straight home and to bed. He had to be as tired as I was, maybe more so.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” Gill said as Nell led him inside.
“I’m good. Thanks to you and Penny.”
Gill’s eyes shot to me, sitting in the chair. “What’s this about heroic acts?”
Nell took her place beside me. “You know about being a hero.” Gill smiled at the compliment. “I was going to give Penny her first tattoo.”
“Never had one before?” Gill asked me.
“Nope,” I said but didn’t add I’d never particularly wanted one either.
“I gave Gill his first one, too,” Nell said.
“And my second and my third.” Gill winked.
“He’s a regular,” Nell explained. “But he’s never had a piercing. Which is weird.”
“Jade’s always booked or baking.” Gill looked at his nails as he spoke. I got the feeling Gill wanted a piercing as much as I wanted a tattoo. His loyalty to the Morris sisters compelled him to offer his services for whatever they needed, even if it was a human pincushion or canvas.
Nell’s phone rattled on the glass snack counter. She brushed past Gill to retrieve it. Her head cocked to the side as she read from her screen. “My sister sent me the weirdest text.” She turned the phone to me.
“Why does she want you to listen to Simple Minds?” I shrugged.
Gill explained what he thought were the facts. “Jade and Penny were playing a game with song titles.” His eyes rolled.
“Pax sang that song all morning. When he started crooning the song from Breakfast Club, the orderlies swooned. It was cute until it wasn’t.” Nell turned her phone to face me. “What does she mean by these?”
Jade included flames, clouds, and skull emojis after her request. It wasn’t long before I knew what Jade was hinting at. Nell queued up the song, letting it play over the speakers.
Gill sang along in the other room as Nell organized the supplies. Fire, storms, dying dreams, and last-minute rescues played a part in the lyrics. Sure, it wasn't exactly a murder ballad or love gone wrong till death sort of song. At least, I hoped not. For reassurance, I turned to the youngest Morris sister.
“What’s this song about, anyway?”
“What most songs are about.”
“And that is?” I asked dumbly.
Gill trudged into the room. “Love,” he answered. His voice cracked. “Trying to get someone to see the value of your love.”
Nell bobbed her head in agreement. “Well said, Gill. Yeah, it's about sticking around through the hard times until the relationship revives.” Her cheerful face slumped in the lyrical reflection. “Like Pax and me, I guess.”
“Or love that hasn’t started yet. Though honestly, I thought this song was ‘ I like it Kinky’.”
I snorted with nervous laughter. Nell chuckled. “Yeah, Gill, Jade, and I often sing. ‘I Like it Kinky’ while we work. Drums up, new clients.”
The moment of levity pulled Nell out of her moment of pensive pouting. I was glad. If this was going to be her last day on earth, a great belly laugh was the way to go out.
Gill’s eyes locked onto my face. “I’m too tired to play this game,” he said, rubbing at the frown lines marking his forehead.
“You and me both,” I said.
Sweat beaded on his skin. His glance became a glare. I shrunk back. Nell broke the silence. “You know,” she said. “I think your tattoo will have to wait.”
I tried not to let my relief beam across my face. “Some other time.”
Nell grinned. “Any time for the heroic Penny Nicols.” She yawned. “How many times have you rescued me now?”
I shrugged. Gill’s stare bore into the side of my face. I didn’t look at him.
“We should get some sleep,” he said pointedly. “I wanted to check in.” He yawned. “Now that I know you’re alright, I probably should head to bed. I’ve got a full shift later.”
“Thanks for fixing the window,” Nell said. “I can’t believe someone trashed our storefront. Who would do that?”
Gill ripped his eyes from me to soothe Nell’s worry. He took her hand in his. His fingers flexed as he squeezed them softly. “I only caught the back of him. He was shorter than me but broader. Muscular.”
“I’m glad to know you were close but not so close you could get hurt,” Nell said.
Gill’s face fell. “I could’ve handled him.” His jaw tightened. “If I’d caught him.”
Nell rested her head on Gill’s shoulder. “That’s our Gilly boy. You’d think you were our big brother or something.”
Gill’s face waved between pride and unease. He wasn’t happy being labeled as a big brother. Probably because he had feelings for Jade, I thought but didn’t say.
“That’s me,” he said. “Mr. Dependable.”
“You’re so much more than that,” Nell said wistfully. She pulled away from Gil’s comforting side hug and dropped her hand. “Pax better get his act together, or I’m coming after you.”
Gill blushed. I shuddered.
“Now I know you’re tired,” Gill said. “You and Pax are meant to be.”
That was one way to shift attention from him, I thought. Gill was good at deflecting. He could be invisible if he wanted to be.
“I’ll walk you, ladies upstairs before I go home,” he said.