One Time Only

Chapter 37

Harry locks the shop door and plops down on the sofa. He can't believe how many girls he had to ask to leave, but he only had himself to blame. Acting the way he has been, hoping Andi would tell Jerica and she'd come home didn't seem to be working. And now he has the reputation of fucking every skanky girl who walks in here wanting a tit tat when he's actually been dump their asses on the street corner and going to a hotel by himself, getting shit faced alone.
Looking up, Harry sees the painting Jerica hung on the wall that day years ago, when they were still getting to know each other, when they were happy together. Harry stands up and walks closer to the picture, and for the first time, in all the years it's been hanging there, he notices, not only did Jerica use her brother's eye color mixed with his, she added in hers also. To separate his eye color from her brother's was her own. Right next to his. Sitting in his tattoo chair, Harry cries, he cries for everything he's lost.
.................

Louis walks into the tattoo shop and looks around, the place is spotless, everything is in its place.

"Wow, what happened here while we were gone? Did Harry replace me?" Andi asks as she looks around.

"No I did not." Harry says as he walks out of the back room. "I would never do that. This place needed cleaning after you were gone for a few days. So I cleaned it." He says.

"What no customers?" Louis asks.

"Had a few walk ins. I sent them away, they weren't the type of clients I want this place to represent anymore." Harry shrugs.

Louis raises one eyebrow at that. "Oh yeah? What brought all this on?"

Harry shrugs. "Just tired of the bullshit. That's all." He says as he continues restocking the front display counter.

Louis and Andi look at each and shake their heads. "So what type of clients are we accepting now? Just so I know." Andi asks.

"Decent ones. Ones we don't have to worry about sanitizing our chairs after they get up so the next person doesn't catch something." Harry says as the door opens, and Louis laughs.

"You mean like her?" Andi asks, looking at the girl wearing fishnet stockings, a barely there leather skirt, and what looks like a sock wrapped around her torso, hardly covering her tits.

"Exactly like her." Harry snaps. "I'll be in the back, let me know when the trash has been taken out." He says making Andi laugh.

Louis looks at the girl by the door, then snorts. "You're so crazy. I can't believe you pulled this off, go change before he comes back out here and realizes who you are." He tells Gemma, pushing her back out the door. Louis then walks to his area and starts setting up for the day.

Harry walks back into the main shop area, looks around then looks at Louis. "You have a 1pm coming in. Wants a wolf done." He tells him.

Louis nods. "Fine with me. You get many tats done while we were gone?" He asks.

"A few. Did a portrait of a ladies son, he passed away in a motorcycle accident. Kid was 16." Harry mumbles as he sets his station up.

"That's rough. That's what I like about doing animals, not to many sad stories with those." Louis says as Gemma walks back into the shop.

"Hey Gem. What are you doing here?" Harry asks, giving her a hug.

"Can't I come visit my brother without a reason?" Gemma asks, hugging Harry back.

"No, you never do." He smiles. "So what gives?" Harry asks.

Gemma is just about to answer Harry when her phone rings, holding up one finger she picks it up. "Yes mom. What? When did this happen? We just left there they were fine." Gemma says. "No I'm at the shop, Louis is here." She whispers just as Andi runs in carrying Addy. "I'll tell them, love you too." Gemma says hanging up. She then looks at Andi, seeing the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Gemma turns and looks at Louis then her brother. "Timmy and Jeri are in the hospital. Mom said Timmy seems okay, he was in the pool with Rico Jeri's grounds keeper, Jeri they're not so sure about. Marta the house keeper, Rico's wife was killed." Gemma says as she chokes back a sob. "Jeri was walking back into the house when it blew up. Peter is out of jail and found her." Gemma sobs as Harry grabs her and pulls her to him.

Louis walks over to Andi and hugs her and Addy also. "Shh, love. We'll go back. Make sure they're fine." He whispers.

Hearing what Louis said, Gemma raises her head, she then picks up her phone from where she dropped it and dials a number. "Alex, get the plane ready, we're leaving again. We're going back to Spain." She says. "No there will be me, Lou, Andi, Addy and Harry. We'll be there shortly." Gemma says, then hangs up. "Let's go get you guys repacked, and you Harry, packed. We leave in an hour."