Pieces (Riverdale #1)

     
Jake
Lanza, loved the sound of a needle buzzing against skin.
 
He loved watching something he created,

 
take life on someone else. He had always had a
flair for sketching, it was a favorite past time of his. He would spend hours
locked in his room as a teenager, just shading his latest sketch; that was his
favorite part. He could still remember his seventh grade art teacher,
explaining how the light casts from one angle, and to follow that angle with
your pencil. The curves become rounder, the lines more defined.

     
When
he realized he didn’t want to be a starving artist, he decided to play around
with the concept of tattooing. What drew him into it was the sentiment of it.
People buy paintings they hang them up on the wall, and then when they change
the room, and slap some new colorful coat of paint on those same walls, out
goes the painting. A tattoo is a forever kind of thing. Usually when someone
wants a tattoo, it’s for a reason, a sentiment, and it means something to them.
Jake could honestly say that each one of his own tattoos had a meaning and a
purpose. That’s why he loved what he did, he loved being the guy that gave you
the tribute to your mother, that marked your skin with your firstborn’s
handprint, and when you thought you were losing your faith, Jake was the one
that restored the reminder.

     
Riverdale
Ink was Jake’s pride and joy, it was his baby. He had opened it five years ago,
after his mother told him; she wasn’t too keen on him giving tattoos in her
basement. He had to admit, that, it was getting a little out of hand. He had a
nice size cliental and couldn’t really be the success he strived to be working
out of his mother’s basement. After sharing his vision with his dad, Joe Lanza
had helped set him up with the tattoo parlor. Since the day it opened, Jake had
made it his goal to be a success.

     
Framed
photos lined the walls, showcasing all of the art he had marked along the
years, as well as his fellow tattoo artists. There were two oversized black
leather couches in the waiting area, accompanied by a sixty inch flat screen.
He had a Bose system installed and filtered music through the whole parlor.
After a year, he had to expand and hire a few other tattooists, even someone
who did piercings. Riverdale Ink had six cubicles for privacy when one was
getting their tattoo. He had a small room in the back, a station for piercing.
It was everything he wanted it to be.

     
He
finished the outline he was working on and paused, carefully holding the needle
back, to absorb his work. The man he was working on was a soldier, just back
from Afghanistan. He was marking his fallen brothers along his chest. Jake had
just finished the soldier, who was kneeling around the flames, a lone tear,
falling down his face. He had spent the entire week designing it, he wanted
each detail perfect. His hand steady, he began to move the needle back over the
skin, accentuating the teardrop, more precisely. Once it was exactly how he
wanted it, he pushed his stool back and smiled at the soldier.

     
“There.
Take a look.” He said to him, putting the needle down and grabbing a mirror for
the soldier. He crossed his arms against his chest, his tattoos fully exposed,
as he watched the man stare at his reflection. The moment of truth, every time
it came down the unveiling, Jake held his breath for a moment.

     
The
soldier glanced at Jake through the mirror, “Jake, it’s perfect. You hit the
nail right on the head.” Emotion etched along the soldiers face as his eyes
averted back to the tattoo.

     
“Glad,
you like it. I scheduled you for the same time tomorrow to shade it in.” Jake
said, as he patted the soldier on the back. “Once it’s colored in, it’ll be
even more realistic.” He started covering the tattoo with A& D ointment and
placed a gauze pad over it; taping the edges with surgical tape. “Take the
bandage off in a couple of hours, and let it breathe.”

     
The
soldier shrugged his shirt on and shook Jakes hand, bringing him against his
chest. “Thanks Man, I love it.”
      

     
Jake
grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” Once the soldier had headed out of the
parlor, Jake began to clean up his station. He glanced at the large clock that
hung on the wall. He had an hour to kill before his brother, Luke picked him up.
When Luke had asked him to take a ride with him to pick up his best friend,
Jake jumped at the chance. Nick Foti had left Riverdale six years ago, when he
moved to Seattle to work for his father. It had taken them all for a loop,
because right before he left, he was supposed to go into business with Luke in
a collision shop. Not to mention Jake would’ve bet his last dollar, that Nick
had something going on with their little sister, Sam.

     
Nick
may have been Luke’s best friend, but he and Jake were really close, as well.
After Luke’s girlfriend left him to raise their infant daughter, he had been
tied up in a shitload of responsibilities. Luke had found himself raising a
baby and trying to make a career for himself all at the ripe age of twenty
five. He assumed his responsibilities, and never once complained. Nick had been
there a lot for Jake, taking the role of big brother in many ways. Jake was
wild and out of control, and any jam he had gotten himself into, Nick was there
for him. Jake loved Nick, just like he loved his brother, and was thrilled that
the son of a bitch was coming home, and from the looks of it, it would be a
permanent thing too.

     
The
door chimes sounded, and Jake glanced up to see who it was, he didn’t have time
for a walk in, and he’d have to have one of the guys do it. The person, who
walked into Riverdale Ink, wasn’t looking for ink, she was looking for him, and
when her eyes found his a grin spread across her beautiful face. Cara Sloane,
was Jake’s best friend since they were sixteen years old, there wasn’t anything
she didn’t know about him, or he about her. He often thought about the first
time he met her; he almost didn’t go to the movies that night. A bunch of
friends were going to the movies, and asked him to come with them. They were
the only two out of the bunch that weren’t coupled up, and so the two
singletons sat together and shared a tub of popcorn making fun of their friends
that were all in relationships that no doubt would be over by the end of next
week. They had hit it off right then and there and when the relationships
ended, they were still standing. He couldn’t picture life without her, and
never wanted to. For that reason alone, he never tried anything with her.
Everyone always got on their cases, no one understood why they weren’t a
couple, hell half the time he questioned why they weren’t. It always came down
to, that she was too important to him, to test those waters.

     
Cara
was beautiful, with auburn hair just above her shoulders, wavy and framing her
face. She had the prettiest eyes, he ever saw, he figured they were hazel,
because usually they were brown, but there were times they were green, like
when she drank too much. She usually didn’t wear lipstick or that shiny, sticky
crap, but today she had some on, because her full lips were a plum color. Best
friend or not, he was a man, and he noticed her body, he noticed her body a
lot. She was a petite little thing, with curves that drove him crazy, but he
would never admit that. The jeans she wore, shaped those curves like a second
skin, and rounded her heart shaped ass. She removed her short leather jacket,
and revealed a long sleeve midriff baring sweater. She was hot, and that was a
problem for Jake, she constantly had guys flocking to her and working at Rudy’s
Bar and Grille, didn’t help the cause either; it didn’t matter who the guy was,
no one would ever be good enough for his Cara.

     
She
leaned over and pressed her pretty plum colored lips to his cheek, before
running her finger over the mark her lipstick had left behind. “Now that should
be your next tattoo.” She winked and rubbed it off with her thumb.

     
“Right;
your lips on my cheek, how would I explain that one?” He said smiling at her,
though he did kind of like the idea.

     
“Who
cares?” Her eyes twinkling as she teased him, “We’ve explained a hell of a lot
more. You know, our anniversary is coming up.”

     
Jake
chuckled, swiping a hand down his face, remembering. When they were twenty
three, they had pulled the ultimate April Fools prank on their friends and
Jake’s parents. They had gone out the night before, and when the clock struck
midnight, and it was officially April first, Jake got down on one knee in the
middle of the bar and proposed to her. They had gone the week before to Canal
Street, in Manhattan, to buy a fake engagement ring. His sister had called his
parents from the bar and told them, when they got home his mother had called
the entire family at five o clock in the morning to tell them he was engaged.
Needless to say, when the jig was up, Jake had caught all sorts of heat from
Deb and Joe. Still, it was one of his and Cara’s favorite memories, and every
year she wished him a happy anniversary.

     
“This
has got to be the longest running engagement, ever! I say this year we tell
them we got hitched!” Jake said half kidding, half wondering if they could pull
it off.

     
“No
way, your mother would hate me forever.” Cara said as she tucked one of her
curls behind her ear, revealing the last tattoo Jake had done for her. Right
behind her ear there was a Chinese symbol of faith. “I didn’t come here to plan
our next prank, although you’re already giving me ideas. I’ve got a couple of
hours before I’m due at the bar, and wanted to know if you wanted to take a
ride on that new bike of yours.”

     
Jake
wanted nothing more at that moment, to jump on the Harley he had just bought,
but then it dawned on him that Luke would be here any minute to pick him up for
the airport. “I can’t today. Luke’s coming to get me; we’re going to pick up
Nick from the airport.”

     
“Oh
shit I forgot that he would be coming home today. Luke must be thrilled.” Then
her eyes widened, “How is Sam taking it?”

     
“Oh,
you know her, she’s parading around like it’s nothing and meanwhile she’s
probably tracking his flight as we speak.” He laughed picturing his sister in
front of a computer constantly checking to see if his plane landed. God, he
couldn’t wait to tease her.

     
“Should
be interesting to see how this all pans out.” She knew just as well as Jake,
that the shit would finally hit the fan between Nick and Sam.

     
A
horn honked outside, and they both saw Luke’s truck parked in front of the
shop. “He’s here.” He turned to look at Cara. “I’ll catch you later. I’ll come
by the bar, save my seat okay?” He shrugged his leather jacket on and leaned
forward, pressing a friendly kiss to her cheek.

     
“You
got it.” She looked up at him and smiled at him.

     
He
hesitated for a moment, caught up in those eyes. “Maybe we will figure out
where I can tattoo those lips.” He winked and with that turned and strolled out
of the tattoo parlor.

Jake felt Luke
staring at him as they sat, waiting for Nick’s plane to arrive. He turned and
looked at his brother with an innocent smile. “What? Did you want some?” He
said crumbling up the empty bag of nuts. Luke laughed to himself. Since they
had arrived at the airport, Jake had been raiding the duty free shop, he had
already gone through two bags of snacks, three magazines, and as his leg
twitched he knew he was ready to go another round. Instead, he pulled out an
electric cigarette from one of his plastic bags from the shop.

 
“How much longer you think we’re going to be
in this shit hole? I’m having a Nicotine fit.” He said as he took the e-cigg
and started to puff on it, the little blue light came alive and he exhaled some
smoke. He immediately began to cough after the first pull. “This shit’s for the
birds.”

Luke glanced down
at his watch, “It shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard
that six times since we’ve been here. I’m running out of snacks.” Jake said,
rummaging through his bag, pulling out a snickers bar. He took another puff of
the electric cigarette as he unwrapped, the candy bar.

“You know, Ava has
more patience than you.” Luke said, comparing his twenty eight year old brother
to his six year old daughter.

“Well, she would,
after all she’s your daughter.” He said, biting into the candy bar. “Mr. Cool,
Calm and Collected.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he taunted him. “You remind me
of Danny Tanner, from Full House. I could completely be an Uncle Jesse type. I
should start a band, going to put it on my list of things to do.”

Luke rolled his
eyes, “You do that. Let me know how it works out for you.” He silently prayed
to God, that the plane wouldn’t have to taxi around the airport, delaying this
process any longer.

“We should’ve
brought Sam along for shits and giggles.” Jake said as a grin spread across his
face.

“You’re one sick
puppy, you know that, right?” Luke asked his brother, watching as he rolled his
eyes and nudged him with his elbow, the stupid electric cigarette, dangling,
from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh come on, it’s
all gravy. I can’t wait to see her face when she sees Mr. Fancy Pants. I should
send her a video of him coming out of the terminal, get the ball rolling.” He
said so enthusiastically, like he had just come up with the greatest idea of
his life. Luke looked at his watch again and scowled. “I may have to close the
shop down a couple of days this week to make sure I don’t miss anything.” He
said, pondering the idea.