Page 34 (1/1)

Drying off, I slipped on a pair of sweats and returned, exhausted but unable to sleep, toaway at the little boy’s face… the young, torn face crying bullets… bullets that I’dhis daainst the head of the pointed chisel, I pushed Aliyana’s set what had happened between us There was no way I would fucking ruin her too

Chapter Nine

Ally

Teeks later…

So this is it? This is where he stays? I thought tostudio froiven me led ht was dark and beside me on the seat of my rental was a box filled with the draft text boards and titles I’d called Vin to ask hin off on them, but he’d insisted he was too busy on the East Coast and that I should take the the Puget Sound… after teeks of hearing nothing from him

As always, the skies were overcast, a slight breeze in the air, but the day was dry Checking the address in ht place…

I was procrastinating

A large white square building stood before e but blacked out on this side It was tucked away down a s beautiful sea views Vin had said this was his studio, the one he’d used for years, but he gifted it to Elpidio for this exhibition

My heart beat faster as I watched the wooden double door for any signs of life There was nothing, et out of the daivebreath, I opened the car door, shivering at the cold chill seeping through the thin material of my lilac maxi dress and short, fitted black leather biker jacket My hair was straight and loose, the light breeze causing it to drift across er seat, I pulled out the box housing the boards and, locking the car, sloalked across the street to stand at the large wooden door

Loud htened with nerves I wanted to see Elpiin the world, but I doubted he really wanted to see me My knees shook as I lifted lanced round the s it was deathly quiet It suited Elpi completely A lonely studio on a lonely street for a loner sculptor

The n of Elpi Trying again, but knocking harder this time, I waited about fivecolder and colder by thethe box under one arm and tried the doorknob

It turned

The door creaked open, betraying the age of the studio, and revealed a long e the heavy box in both hands, I edged into the hallway, kicking the door shut with ainst the blaring heavy rock co my shoulders, I forced ot to the end of the hallway, the more I doubted my decision to come here It was his private space He ht to leave, I heard the poetic sound of a chisel chipping away at marble and I stilled

I wanted to see hie And ain

I couldn’t help it I felt a pull withinether, I bent to place the box of text board drafts on the ground and crept forward to stand in the door-less doorway… And the sight that greeted me took my breath away

Elpidio stood in the center of the room, dressed only in a pair of black ripped jeans, his top half bare, every inch of his olive skin covered in what looked like thousands of tattoos There wasn’t one bit of naked skin showing I’d never seen anyone so covered in ink in allthe doorfraers, were the thick definedover his shoulder blades, the cut pieces of flesh da with every blow froid as he stood his ground, carefully sculpting the back of aboy with a larger boy at his back whispering in his ear