Toronto, Canada, 2006. A few months after the worst year of the Iraq war. Gabriel Navarro splits his time between his job slinging ink at the Atlantis Ink tattoo parlor, and working on his master’s degree in fine art. Gabe is twenty-two, sure of his beliefs and his artistic integrity, and na?ve enough to think he’ll never have to compromise. And then one night Jake MacLean walks into the shop and changes everything. Jake Maclean is twenty-eight and a veteran American Army pilot. He's been staying with his ex-pat sister in Toronto while he tries to get his life in order. The problem is, he can't. After his disastrous final mission in Iraq, he's overcome with anger and survivor’s guilt, trapped in a losing battle to atone for a failure he’s sure can never be forgiven. Left without hope, he decides to have his memory of the mission tattooed on his back, with the condemning words: God Will Judge Me. He doesn't expect to fall for the tattoo artist. Gabe falls just as quickly and deeply for Jake, though Jake's reluctance to talk about what happened frustrates and worries him. Gabe knows Jake isn't doing well, but accepting Jake’s claims that he's "fine" is far easier than dealing with the frightening truth. But soon it’s horribly clear Jake can’t control his panic attacks or flashes of violence, and he's getting worse. If Gabe can’t help him face his demons, Jake is headed for a crash -- and there’s every chance he’ll take Gabriel down with him.

Black Hawk Tattoo

“Great,” Gabe said. “Give me a minute to set up.” He took a moment to eyeball his equipment, making sure Rob had already bagged the spray bottles, the machine and the ink hose attached to it, and had put the Vaseline, pack of gauze, the cling wrap, and the medical tape in easy reach. The grommets and rubber bands were already next to the tattoo machine, so all Gabe had to do was get the right inks and needles. Rob always set up the stations for the first customers when he came in the mornings. Gabe figured that was because Rob liked knowing for sure everything had been done right. Even so, Gabe quickly sprayed the chair with disinfectant and then wiped it down, then grabbed a clean, white towel off one of the shelves and put it over the chair back. “So you don’t stick to the vinyl,” he explained to Jake. “We wash them in super-hot water and bleach the hell out of them after each use, so don’t worry, they’re totally clean.”


Chapter 33