*Epilogue*
Tuesday afternoon, cars passed by and a few streetlights, most corners were dark, but somehow she was always in the most visible one. Outside the building, always waiting by the very end of the staircases.
"How long was it going to take this dumb ass to understand no one was coming for her?" Art thought as he looked down the window at her. "It's been weeks, why doesn't she realize no one EVER comes back after they run."
Today was Art's twelve birthday, and he was already comfortable that no one remembered or cared, he continued watching her for a few more minutes. He didn't want to go outside, but it was better than staying inside.
Art heard Karl's fuck face starting to move around in his sleep, and he knew he had just about a moment before shit got out of hand.
Art grabbed his jacket and ran out the door, as he was out the building the first person he greeted was Benny his best friend and the others boys, they were actively messing up an abandoned car. The usual loud music, sirens blaring and random fights from the rest of the neighborhood didn't scare him as much as police patrols did.
Art looked across the street at Lindsey.
"She got to be crazy to think anyone would be coming back here." he had tried to tell her a few times, but she swore every which way her big sister was coming back for her.
Art knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but walk across the street to where she was, and sit next to her.
"I know what you are going to say, so just save it," Lindsey said as she continued to look down the road waiting to see her.
"I didn't say shit." He said letting his body relax.
"She is coming back alright! she promised, and she always keeps her promises," Lindsey said after a long pause.
"Maybe ... shit, maybe not." He said.
"Hey, happy birthday!" she said, suddenly turning to him with a smile.
"How did you know?" He asked impressed and surprised.
"I have my ways," She said with a grin, "You should do something nice."
"Sure." He said, "I should get going, but just have this." Art pulled a half-eating chocolate bar out of his jacket and secretly placed it in her jacket pocket.
"Hey, it's your birthday! I should be the one giving you a gift." She complained.
"Don't worry about it." Art said, looking away at the other kids and getting to his feet.
"Is it like a redhead thing?" Lindsay mocked him.
"Whatever dumb ass!" He said, as they both laughed, and he started to walk to his friends.
****
~Chapter I
Loud music, low lights, smoke, girls dancing and the men screaming out rock n roll songs while drowning in alcohol and fucked up memories, some sicker than others, it was Tuesday again.
Art was lightheaded, the music seemed louder than ever, and the sea of people in the club made him want to keep drinking.
He had been partying for three days straight, he stopped moving for a second to try and light his cigar, but the lighter seemed stuck.
Art walked outside the club, and everyone seemed to make way for him, at 6'2 he had always been a big man even when he was a kid he was pretty big for his age.
As soon as he took a step outside the club, the humid air made him feel better, although the noises of people laughing and dancing around him didn't die down. If anything, he could swear there was an equal amount of people outside the clubhouse compared to the inside.
Art was in the process of trying to light his cigar when he heard a woman call a name. It sounded familiar, but no one had called him that in a very long time, except his lawyer and a few judges.
"Patrick! I'm looking for Artist Patrick Hans!" she was yelling between cat calls and smoke blown her way.
"Well, shit! Who's calling by your government?" Benny appeared behind him.
Art could hear a woman calling, but he couldn't see exactly where she was standing as she was surrounded by a group of men.
"I am looking for Artist Patrick Hans, would anyone please tell me where he is?" she said, sounding a bit more frantic.
Art walked to where all the commotion was happening and almost laughed out loud when he saw her.
Standing in front of him was a short thick black woman almost 5'6, with short straight-black hair, full lips, and big dark eyes, was just beautiful. She was dressed in a black dress that covered her from head to toe, but instead of being invisible which probably was what she was going for it only showcased her hips, tights, a flat stomach and perky A cubs tits that stood erected through the fabric of her leather jacket.
The fact that she was dressed in designer was a dead giveaway she clearly didn't belong there.
"Now this is some expensive shit!" He thought as he examined her.
" Mr. Hans I presume?" She looked up at him, distracting his train of thought.
"Who the fuck wants to know?" He looked her dead in the eyes.
The intimidating look seemed to have an effect on her, and she steep back, realizing she was surrounded by a crowd.
"Yo! Guy's air! We need air!" Benny called on the crowd to disperse, still standing behind Art.
Soon it was just the two of them.
Art folded his arms to his chest, he was still a bit bussed out, but this situation interested him a bit, he knew exactly who she was.
"My name is Lara Tanice Smith, I am looking for someone." She said after a while.
"Lindsey! You are looking for Lindsey?" He said as he resumed trying to light his cigar.
"Yes! I have Intel. You and she have always been close..." Lara's eyes light up at the mention of her sister.
"Yeah, now I remember you, you are the one who abandoned her like....sixteen year's ego." Art started to walk to his truck; he could feel the headache now in full motion.
"I just want to see her, have you had any contact with her recently, are you guys still close?" Lara asked as she followed him.
"I am going to tell you the same thing I told your private detective Mr. Bad suits weeks ago, I don't know anything about the kid, and she is gone." Art got in his truck and started his engine.
"Please! She can't just disappear like that, someone has to know something, please help me find her!" Lara tried to call out to him, but she was left standing as he drove off.
~
Art had his head on his arm, he was nursing an awful hangover, and he wanted nothing more than to sleep it off, the other hand was firmly securing a glass of whiskey knowing Benny had the bad habit of trying some stupid pranks.
"You know we could get some money out of this rich broad," Benny said, with some pretty girl sitting on his lap.
"This shit again, fuck you don't let shit go, do you?" Art was getting annoyed, it had been a few weeks since Lara had come looking for him at the clubhouse, and he had told Benny all about it.
"I am just saying, let them deal with their fucked up family drama and we get a cut," Benny said.
"I said no, I don't give a damn if she offers me the world and some change I am not telling her where the kid is end of fucking story," Art drank his whiskey "Besides let that bitch suffer, it's what she deserves after what she did to Lindsey."
"Fine! Whatever." Benny said, placing his attention back to the girl in his lab.
"And you better not go behind my back either" Art warned him.
"I said fine, don't be a bitch about it," Benny replied with a smile Art hated.
~
A few hours later Art was on his bike headed to the ink studio, it was getting late, but he had a client he didn't want to reschedule again, and he couldn't wait to finish the tattoo; his waiting list was getting longer.
Tokyo a big Asian woman covered in tattoos was the owner and one of his closes friends. The others were already working on some clients when he got there, Art got started immediately.
He already knew he would be staying late night as the people around him finished up, and he was only on his third tattoo of the night. He didn't mind staying up working on a big design, but he definitely didn't enjoy being the only one staying out late.
Luckily, tonight was a slow night, and he didn't have to deal with drunk college kids looking for some stupid dare tattoo.
Art was sterilizing his needles when heard the door, he expected to see a new customer, but Lara's sad smile was the first thing he saw, Art rolled his eyes in annoyance and slouching on the receptionist's chair.
"Welcome to Paradise Studio, how may I help you?" He said in the most boring and robotic voice he could.
"Yes, I don't really know what design I would like," Lara said, looking and the wall of pictures and drawings behind him.
"Are you sure you would like a tattoo, I do have it on record you're not got at permanence?" He said.
"I definitely deserve that." Lara said eyes low and her voice a bit weak, "I know what I did was wrong, I didn't mean to leave her like that... I was fifteen and stupid."
"Right, great," He said, bored. He wasn't in the mood to hear her sob story, "I kind of only do really large projects and since no one else is here now, I would advise booking an appointment with someone else."
"No, please, I will do anything to find her, please!" Lara started frantically searching inside her purse, "Name your price."
"Woman you can keep your money, I already told you I don't know where your sister is," He said, "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you to save my life." He said, returning to his station.
"You must know something, everyone I asked told me the same thing, maybe you were friends, lovers, or just mates, she must have told you something. I get your really protective of her, we are no different you and I." Lara followed him to his station "Maybe where she was headed next?"
"Why are you so obsessed with her anyway, you had no problem abandoning her sixteen years ago. Shit! She is not even your blood, why don't you go make another family or something," he said turning away from her.
"Please, I beg of you in the name of God! Tell me where she is, I just want to see her know she is ok, I promise after I will leave you alone and You guys will never hear from me ever again, " Lara said, getting down to her knees and crying. "Artist, please! If you ever love someone, please! Let me at least see her one last time."
Art had never expected this level of drama, but when she placed her hands on his knees pleading and sobbing like a grieving mother, something inside him snapped and picked her from the floor.
Art place her on his lap like she was a small doll, and she sobbed into his shirt while she repeated over and over that she was sorry, and she just wanted to see her sister.
This moment brought him to memories, it felt like déjà vu as he remembered this is how he had held Lindsey when she was ten and finally realized after months of waiting that Lara was never coming back.
