Ink Read Online Free Page A

wasn’t the end of the world, and the tattoo was going to be unbelievable when Sailor finished. The needle bit, then lifted, and Sailor wiped away blood.
    “Yes, I think this will be one of my masterpieces.”
    He started to hum, and his hand moved faster across Jason’s skin. The scratch no longer belonged to a tiger but to a creature with razor-tipped claws. Jason closed his eyes, breathed in and out, counting to five each time, and listened to Sailor’s wordless tune. When Sailor lifted the tattoo gun away from his skin for the last time, Jason shook out his cramped fingers, unsure how much time had passed.
    “See, that was not so bad, was it?” Sailor took out his handkerchief.
    Lift. Dab.
    “Let me clean it up a bit, then you can take a look.”
    Sailor ran a moistened cloth across the tattoo, and Jason held his breath as his skin shrieked. Sweat ran in a cold trail down the center of his spine.
    “Almost done,” Sailor said.
    Jason didn’t exhale until Sailor took the cloth, now tinged pink with his blood, away and held up a small mirror.
    “What do you think?”
    “Holy shit.”
    It was more than unbelievable, so much more. The creature, its feathers and fur done in shades of amber, gold and tawny brown, looked ready to spring up from his skin. Its beak and claws were pale but tipped with dark, its eyes a piercing green, and the massive chest leaned forward and up—regal, haughty, and proud.
    “Judging by your expression, you are pleased?”
    “Very.”
    “I told you it would be even better than the sketch.”
    “Yeah, you did.”
    “Good. Now, I am going to put a bandage over it—”
    “Can you wait a minute?”
    Sailor narrowed his eyes. “Yes?”
    “I want to take a picture of it first, before you put the bandage on.” Jason pulled out his cell phone and took a quick picture while Sailor watched with an amused expression. When he slid the phone back into his pocket, Sailor gave him a crisp nod and covered the tattoo with a gauze pad.
    “Leave the bandage on tonight as it may bleed for a few hours. I have an ointment for you to use three times a day for a week, which will aid in the healing process. It should take two weeks, at most, to heal completely, and during that time no hot tubs, swimming pools, or soaking in the tub. Itching and peeling, especially with this amount of detail, is quite normal, but it will pass. Have you any other questions?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Then I think we are finished,” Sailor said, reaching out, oddly enough, with his left hand.
    Jason shook it, and an odd tingle raced up his arm, all the way up to the tattoo, then disappeared. Sailor smiled, wiped his eyes again and handed Jason a white, unlabeled tube.
    “Thank you. I mean really, thanks a lot. This is amazing,” Jason said.
    “I am sure you will be the envy of all your friends. Now if you do not mind, I have another client who will be arriving soon, and he is a very private sort of person.” Sailor walked in his odd way and opened the door.
    “Oh, okay. Sorry. Thanks, I mean it.” He turned to say thank you one last time, but Sailor had already shut the door. Jason walked down the staircase, ignoring the strange wallpaper. His arm burned under the bandage, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t just a tattoo.
    It was a work of art.
     
    8
     
    Behind the door, John S. Iblis smiled, raising the handkerchief to his leaking eyes. He had not lied to Jason. The tattoo was indeed one of his best.
     
    9
     
    Sitting in his car, Jason sent the picture to his co-worker and friend, Brian. The response came only minutes later.
    “That’s fucking awesome. Where did you find a tattoo guy in Cancun?”
    Jason replied with a short message. “Not in Cancun.”
    “Why not?”
    Jason laughed while he typed his response. “Shelley and I split up.” Split up was far better than Shelley left me , even though it came down to the same damn thing. She’d finally gathered up all her pretensions and carried them