Order (Tattoos and Ties 2)

“Do you have time to fit me in?” Keyes asked, typing with his fat thumbs until he pulled up a picture he saved of a tattooed angel he wanted inked.

“Sure.” Dev took the phone, getting a closer look. Keyes had been thinking about that particular design for a while now. This would be a first for him. He hadn’t actually picked any tattoo currently marking his skin. He had always left it to Dev’s discretion. “Where?”

“My back. Like across my upper back. I want the wings to tip out on my shoulders,” he explained as Dev reached for his beer.

“Let me see,” Ace said, taking the phone.

After Dev took his first drink, he said, “Yeah, it’ll cover what’s already there. I’ll have to alter the design in the wings, but it needs to be big to look badass.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, taking the phone from Ace who gave him a nod he interpreted to mean he’d made a good choice.

“Send that to me. I’ll work something up. When’s Thanksgivin’?” Dev asked, looking at him, and he just shrugged. He had no idea of the date, and they both looked at Ace.

“I think in a couple of weeks, right?” Ace said, and Keyes again used his fat thumbs to pull up the date on his phone.

“Yeah, in a couple weeks,” he replied.

“Can you come over Sunday?”

Alec would shit if he missed their planned day together, but he’d have to get used to it. The week and weekend before a holiday were always busy for the tire shop so he’d need to get this tattoo done before then, otherwise it might be January before he could carve out the time. People liked to buy all those fancy tires for their kids for the holidays. He wasn’t sure Louis had enough of a salesman side to his personality. He didn’t see him able to convince the customers to buy from their shop over the bigger name companies.

“I’ll be busy with family matchin’ ink from about next Tuesday through the Thanksgivin’ weekend, so come early Sunday. Plan the time, it’ll take me a while. Saw that new truck. That little kiss-ass said it was yours.”

It took a second to mentally shift with the sudden change in subject. Keyes hadn’t even considered the truck when driving over. Instead of acknowledging the new truck, he stuck with the kiss-ass part. “Yeah, little fucker. He’s not gainin’ favor with anyone, is he?”

“Your old man loves him,” Dev said, tilting the beer bottle up for another drink. Keyes gave a humorless laugh and drained his beer. “All his recruits are just like that. Gainin’ favor? Who says that shit?” Dev asked, laughing straight at him. “Tryin’ to class us up?”

That was the other thing about spending time with Alec. He could tell his vocabulary was changing too.

“Fuckin’ cold as shit out there.” Mack came barreling through the front doors followed by Ray-Ray, Chain, and Hound. Keyes pushed off the stool, greeting his brothers with a round of fist bumps and hand slaps. He repeated the motion several more times as everyone started filing in. The clubhouse seemed to shrink in size whenever all the brothers were there. Fox came through last, phone to his ear with one hand and a finger shoved in the other. As everybody greeted each other, Fox’s intense gaze landed on him, and his gut twisted. Fox looked away, over his shoulder, back to Ace who stood behind the bar.

His shit officially freaked as Ace yelled, “Church.”

Oh fuck, what did that mean?

“Come on, man.” Dev’s arm locked around his shoulders, drawing him toward the meeting room. His most immediate concern was Alec. What if the club knew? Keyes jerked free of Dev’s hold as Fox came in behind him. Keyes had become fucking lazy and content with his hiding. His pistol was locked inside the truck. It should be on his body. His heart sped up in panic, drowning out everything, even as Fox’s hand rested reassuringly on his shoulder, giving a squeeze.

“Give me a sec.” The hand squeezed again, and Dev looked over, catching the gesture. Keyes’s intense gaze locked with Dev’s. Surely if he was about to get the beatdown of his life, Fox wouldn’t be so kind.

“Whatever you tell him, you can damn well tell me,” Dev said with all the attitude that was Devilman. Keyes watched his buddy’s chest swell in indignation. Yeah, let’s see how long that lasts if Fox brings Alec into the mix. About half his brothers were already inside the meeting room, the other half turned at Dev’s outburst.

“Holy hell, Dev. What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Fox hissed.

“You can’t just single him out—” Dev started, and Fox cut him off.

“Goddammit, sit your ass down,” Fox ordered, grabbing Dev’s collar and shoving him down on the barstool. Hmmm, that move changed things. Dev was known for his explosive personality. In all these years, Keyes had never seen Fox manhandle his son, not ever. While the action was wrong, it eased him. If this were about Alec, he imagined the brothers would already be beating his ass by now.