Page 122 of Sincerely, Butterfly

He doesn’t look at me, doesn’t speak.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, frowning.

He lets out a caw, and I sigh. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been busy. I haven’t replaced you with Callie, I swear. I still need you. I’ll always need you. You’re my eyes in the sky.” I grin, giving his head a scratch. “Callie just has opposable thumbs, you know? An extra hand comes in handy… get it.” I giggle. He nips at me, and I pull back. “Ouch!” I hiss. “Damn, someone’s in a mood.”

I walk over to my desk and place my bag on it. Pulling the vials of blood out, I sit down at my desk and get to work on mixing the blood and the ink.

“Tomorrow I’m getting my first tattoo.” I bite my lip, grinning. “I hope they love it.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

NOLA

“Areyou sure they’re even going to let you use it?” Callie asks as I park my Jeep.

“Yeah. Dad said this is his tattoo guy that he’s been going to for years. Guess if you pay someone enough, they will do just about anything.” I shrug.

“How does this work?” Callie asks, getting out of the Jeep. “Do they just take the blood and mix it with the ink? Also, won’t the red cause the green of the ink to change colors?”

“The rest of the blood is back at my place. I only needed a few drops. I already pre-mixed the blood with ink that I bought myself. I used a roller mixer to make sure everything was mixed together thoroughly. It’s black ink, so it will only be used for any line work, outlining, and shading. The green will just be regular ink.”

“You really put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?” She shoots me an amused smile.

“What can I say, I like to do my research.” I shrug. “I’m fascinated by this kind of stuff.”

“Is this the place?” Callie asks, stopping outside a shop that says Dagger Ink Tattoos.

“Yup,” I say. “Ready?”

“I mean, you’re the one getting the tattoo. Areyouready?”

“So ready.” I grin.

“Then let’s go.” She laughs, opening the door.

As soon as we step inside, we’re greeted by the buzzing of the tattoo guns. A girl at the counter looks up from her phone. “Hey,” she greets cheerily. “What can I help you with?” She has piercings lining the shell of her ear, one in her nose, a pair of snake bites, and tattoos that go right up to her chin. Her long, blonde hair flows all the way down to her waist. She’s really pretty. The tattoos look great on her, but I don’t think I’d be able to pull that many off.

One tattoo might be where I draw the line. As for the guys, theyare welcome to get as many as they want. They look hot as fuck with them.

“Hi, I was hoping Gerard was available to do a tattoo?”

“I think he’s just about to leave for the night.”

“What’s up?” A man steps around the corner, joining the girl at the counter.

“This girl here was wondering if you were available for a tattoo.”

“Sorry, hun. About to leave for the night.”

“Could you please squeeze me in? I was really hoping to have you do this tattoo? It’s just a butterfly on my upper arm.” I show him a photo of the design I was looking for. “I’ll pay extra. I just need to get it done tonight.”

Blood is only good in the fridge for around thirty days, and I’d rather use it while it’s fresh anyway.

He looks at it and shakes his head. “Sorry, but you’re looking at at least two hours. But I’m sure one of the girls here could do it for you.”

“I don’t want anyone but you,” I reiterate. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they’re nice people, but Dad said Gerard was the one to go to. So, if my dad trusts him, so do I.