Page 104 of Foul Territory

“I can take one of you now if you’re ready,” the man says.

“I’m ready.” I step forward.

He nods. “I’ll let Jude and Scottie know you’re waiting for them,” he tells Hart and Wyatt. Then he leads me back to his private tattooing area. There’s black and white artwork covering the walls and a set of cabinets in the corner.

“Take a seat.” He points to the black tattoo chair. He sits on a rolling stool and wheels himself in front of me. “The name is Axle.”

“Koa.” I shake his hand.

“What do you have in mind?”

I open up my photo album and flip through a few photos until I find the one I’m looking for. “Can you do something similar to this?”

He takes my phone and examines the photo, enlarging it and moving it around. “Same spot?”

“Yes. And the words. I want the words. You can do it in your style, but maybe keep it all the same place?”

“Let me sketch something up and see what you think.” He pushes off the floor and glides over to the cabinets. He slides over a sketchbook and grabs a pen from a skull mug sitting in the corner.

I wait patiently while he draws up a rough sketch. Next door I can hear Wyatt talking to his tattooartist. A loud scream echoes through the room a second after the tattoo gun starts to buzz.

Two minutes later Wyatt ducks his head into my room. “I’m all done,” he says, holding up his wrist that is wrapped in a white bandage. “I’ll be waiting out here if you need me.”

“Son, it might be awhile. There’s an ice cream shop next door. Why don’t you treat yourself to a sundae? You were a very brave boy today,” Axle says, barely keeping a straight face.

I cover my mouth with my hand and choke back a laugh.

“I was a brave boy,” Wyatt agrees. Axle opens a drawer and starts digging around. He pulls out his tattoo gun.

Wyatt’s eyes go wide. “If you need me, I’ll be next door. Please don’t need me.” He spins on his boot and speed walks toward the door.

Axle chuckles as he places the tattoo gun back in the drawer. “He’s a jittery one,” he says, then gets back to his sketch.

My nerves are starting to get the best of me too. Not about the tattoo. I knew the minute I saw the finished painting it was going to have a permanent spot on my body. That’s why I asked her to snap a photo for me.

I’m worried about my chat with Sydney. I miss her like fucking crazy and I’m afraid she'll ask for more time or be done for good. I’m willing to give her as much time as she needs. I’m just hoping I don’t have to.

“What do you think about this?” Axle asks, holding up thesketchpad.

“It’s perfect,” I say, swallowing the emotions attached to the image he’s holding up.

“Sit tight. I’ll get everything ready.” He leaves me alone with my thoughts.

Less than forty-eight hours and I’ll have the answer I’ve been waiting for. I would be lying if I said it’s been easy waiting. I’ve done my best to respect her request for space but if she thinks I’m going to just sit by and not continue to show her how much I love her, she would need to think again.

Now that I’ve had her back in my arms, I will never give up on us. I’ll keep trying to prove to her we were never a mistake and I’m someone she can depend on.

21

SYDNEY

“Did you find a place to live yet?” Zoe asks. She is one of the co-founders of Blooming Beauty Co. I’ve been joining them on their weekly business meetings ever since I signed my contract with them.

It’s been a great opportunity to see how they operate and get to know the staff I’ll be working with in a few months.

Their story is inspiring. Zoe and Jade met in college. Being two of the few Black women in their business class, they gravitated toward each other and struck up a friendship. After graduation they started small with only three products and have grown large enough to compete with the best in the industry.

This is exactly what I want. It's everything I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl crushing my mom’s blush into a powder and mixing it with coconut oil to make my own lip balm. Now I’m going to be working beside women just like me who are driven, ambitious, and know how to make things happen.