Page 23 of Savage Ends

He gave the name of the tattoo parlor that had recently opened.It was right at the end of the main street in Carnage.It was so new, Pat didn’t even know the name of the guy running it.

“You’re going to Edith’s place,” Rusty said.“So, there is pussy I’ll get to see.”

“Edith’s place?”

“Yeah, she has got a fucking great mouth.Does some of the best ink around, but she has issues.She might not want to talk to you with me tagging along.”

“Then why the fuck are you tagging along?”Pat asked.

“Because I get to make sure you don’t get killed.”

“I won’t get killed.”

“Dude, there are no rules now, you know that, right?”

“I don’t need rules to take care of myself.It’s a case of me or them, and you know what, it’s going to be me.”He straddled his bike, and without another word, he was on the road, heading toward Carnage.

It wasn’t a long ride by bike, and he was pissed off.There was nothing wrong with his current bike, but it was his backup, and he hadn’t spent a lot of time breaking this bike in.He was pissed that he’d not taken the time to get it feeling just right.It felt like a new bike, and he didn’t quite trust the machine yet.

Arriving at Edith’s place, the town was quiet, but the parlor shop was open.The red neon OPEN sign glowed.

“She’s an early riser but goes to bed early,” Rusty said.

“Is there anyone in this town you haven’t fucked?”

“Yeah, there are quite a few, thank you very much.”

“Name one?”

“The fabric shop women.Never even gotten close to them.”

Pat felt his hands clench.“And you’ll never go fucking near them,” he said.

Rusty looked at him and then held up his hands.“Whoa, do I need to remind you I’m your club brother right now?”

He didn’t like the thought of Rusty sniffing around Ava, Violet, or their mother.He had yet to properly meet the mother, but on paper, she looked like a good woman.The other day at the dog place hadn’t exactly been ideal.

“You keep clear of the fabric shop.You got it?”

“Dude, seriously, I’m starting to wonder about you.You got a thing for the fabric girls, they are all yours.”

He wasn’t about to get into it.Shaking his head, he entered the shop, and the air had a scent of lemon.

The woman behind the counter looked up.She smiled at Pat, but the moment she caught sight of Rusty, it turned into a glare.“What the fuck do you want?”

“I see that you remember me.”

“Remember you.You fucked me, got free ink, and stalked out like a little bitch, and gave me the fucking clap, you piece of shit.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know I had it.”

Edith held a pair of scissors in her hands, and Pat had a feeling she was not afraid to use them.

“Look, you can beat the crap out of him any other time you want.Destroy his bike, or better yet, cut off his dick.I am all for it.I need to know if you have any clues as to who this guy is.”He pulled out the piece of printed paper.

At first, Edith didn’t look at him.Rusty, the coward, was hiding behind him.

“You look pretty, Edith,” Rusty said.