Savior

Chapter 48

-xx-

Cate grinned at the text message response on her cell phone. After letting her sister have her way with her hair and make-up for their evening on the town, she asked her girlfriend Jessica to take a photo of her on the balcony to send to Derek.

I promised you a picture of this outfit. Xo

Her hair was down in soft curls, and her sister went with a more natural make-up application. The nude espadrille heeled sandals were the perfect beachy accessory to add to the white romper.

You are stunning. Those Miami boys better stay away from my woman. Love you.

She tucked her cell phone into her cross-body bag and watched the waves crash in the distance. They spent the previous day relaxing at the beach and then took in the Miami nightlife. The four women in their group partied hard all night long, letting out their frustrations on the dance floor.

Today was spent by the pool thoroughly enjoying the cabana boys and the endless frozen cocktails. After an early dinner and some downtime in their room, they decided to hit the bars once more.

"Alright ladies, lets get a move on!" Jackie announced as she gathered her things in her clutch and started towards the door.

Cate followed her sister, Jess and Lauren out of the hotel room. Jess locked her arm around Cate's as they headed down the hallway towards the elevators.

Once they hit the ground level and walked onto the bustling boardwalk, Cate took a moment to breathe in the ocean air. Jessica pulled her along the boardwalk behind her as the four women took in all of the shops around their hotel to browse.

Cate and Jess stepped into a jewelry shop. The brunette looked over all of the intricate pieces on one shelf; each was handmade and perfect for the locale.

"Jess," she called the blonde over. "Is it dorky if I buy this for Derek?"

She lifted the leather bracelet in her hands and ran her fingers over the stamped silver wrapped around it. "How would it be dorky? I think that's gorgeous," Jess replied as she stepped next to Cate and took a peek at the piece in her hand. "Will he wear it? I know Evan wouldn't."

Cate shrugged. "I guess there's one way to find out, right?" she asked with a bright smile. "He's always buying me jewelry, and I know he loves his watch collection."

"I think it's adorable to buy him something, Cate." The brunette grinned at her friend. "Now let's shop for ourselves!"

Minutes later, both had pieces for themselves picked out, as well as a shell necklace for Madison from Cate, and headed towards the register. "This is one of my favorite pieces," the cashier said as she picked up the bracelet Cate selected for Derek. "It was the first piece I ever made for my husband."

Cate grinned. "It must be good luck, then," she replied to the older woman.

The white haired woman nodded. "I like to think it was. Forty years of marriage, three children and a handful of grandchildren," she announced as she tallied up Cate's purchases.

A soft smile crossed both Cate and Jess' faces. "Definitely a good luck piece, Cate. He's the type you want to keep around for forty years."

Blush grew in Cate's cheeks as she slid her credit card into the machine. "Ah, new love," the cashier pointed out. "The best is yet to come, dear."

"Thank you," Cate replied softly as she took the receipt and the bag from the cashier and waited for Jessica's transaction to finish. "She was so sweet," Cate said as the exited the store.

"So sweet," Jess agreed.

"There you two are!" The twosome turned around at the voice. Jackie had her hands on her hips as she pushed through the crowd on the sidewalk. "What took so long?"

They shrugged. "We found jewelry," Jessica announced as she waved her small bag in the air.

Jackie groaned. "Like the two of you need more jewelry!" They all laughed. "I found that tattoo shop I follow on Instagram," Jackie announced. "I was going to see if they do walk-ins if you guys were interested."

"It's your birthday weekend, Jackie. We go where you want to go!"

The brunette grinned and grabbed her sister's hand. "Let's go then!"

As they stepped into Ink Society, Jackie stepped right up to the counter to talk to an artist. Cate busied herself with looking through a photo album they had of pieces done in the shop. "Do you see something you like?"

She jumped at the voice of the tattoo artist standing in front of her. "My sister wants to get a new one for her birthday. I'm just browsing."

The man shrugged. "Do you have any tattoos?"

Cate nodded. "Two," she replied. She could tell he was searching for them without being overbearing. "One on my shoulder and the other on my ribcage."

He smiled in her direction. "My name is Grant, by the way. Let me know if you want to add to the collection."

She pursed her lips into a smile. "I'm Cate. And thanks."

Grant nodded before walking to the other side of the shop. Cate nibbled on the inside of her lip as she joined Lauren and Jessica on the couch. They listened to an animated Jackie as she explained what she was interested in at the front desk.

"Are you getting one, Cate?" Lauren asked as she played around with her cell phone.

Cate shrugged. "Probably not," she replied as she also took out her cell phone. On the plane ride to Miami, Cate made a collage of photos for her wallpaper. In the center, was one of her favorite quotes, and something she thought fit Derek to a tee.

The brunette licked her lips and looked up at the desk. "Uh oh, do you see that look, Laur?" Jess asked with a laugh.

"Are you two sure you're not doing anything?" Cate asked, trying her best to change the subject.

Lauren shook her head, but Jessica shrugged. "I feel like we should get something to commemorate Jackie's birthday weekend!"

Cate stood as the two were about to bicker back and forth. "Hey Grant!" she called out as she stepped back towards the counter.

-xx-

Cate rested back on the table with her right arm extended out. She glanced at Lauren and Jackie as they both checked out their new pieces; Jackie with a Q and a heart on her left wrist, and Lauren with a simple wave on her foot.

She checked back to Jessica across the shop as her tattoo artist worked on her ankle piece, a small elephant outline.

She peeked at her the inside of her right bicep and grinned at the half of her completed tattoo. Jackie stood in front of her with her cell phone out. "Smile for Snap Chat!" she announced.

Cate rolled her eyes, and gave a smile and a thumbs up. "Don't send that to Derek," she warned.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Ah, the boyfriend doesn't like ink?" Grant asked with a laugh.

"The complete opposite," Cate replied. "He has his own, but I don't want him to see this one on social media first."

The bearded man nodded. "You're a champ," he mentioned as he continued his work. "You don't even flinch."

Cate laughed. "I took a nap while my shoulder was being done." Grant chuckled knowing what she was talking about as she showed him her shoulder prior to starting this one. He wanted to almost match the font used on that tattoo.

"Cate," Lauren announced from the couch. "You're ringing."

The brunette looked over to see Lauren holding up her purse. "We're almost done," Grant replied.

"I'll get it in a few. If it's important, they'll leave a message." She pushed any worry to the back of her mind; it wasn't Derek's ringtone.

Minutes later, Grant wiped away the excess ink and started to clean up the fresh tattoo. "What do you think?"

Cate turned from her friends to check it out.

his love roared louder than her demons

She grinned. "I love it. Thank you!"

As he wrapped the tattoo, Lauren brought over Cate's bag. After paying and tipping for their new ink, the foursome started out of the tattoo shop.

Cate's phone rang again. As she pulled the device from her purse, she furrowed her brows as she saw Jennifer Jareau on the screen. "Hello?"

She could barely hear JJ on the other end of the phone through the bustle of the sidewalk. Cate grabbed a hold of Jessica's arm and slipped into a quieter alley way. "JJ?"

"Cate, are you there?"

"Yeah, that's better," the brunette replied. "What's going on?"

"Derek's been shot."

-xx-