New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 162

Chapter 162 The tattoo guy

Claire and Matthew stood in front of a tattoo shop, the neon sign flickering against the darkening sky. Claire had told Matthew about the wings tattoo on the man, and she had an idea to visit tattoo shops in hopes of finding this person. There were many shops in the area, but Claire hoped they might get lucky.

"Are you ready for this?" Matthew asked, adjusting his cap as part of their disguise.

Claire nodded, tugging the brim of her own hat lower over her eyes. "We don't have much to go on, but it's worth a try."

With that, they stepped inside the shop. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, maybe even weed, making Claire wrinkle her nose. They approached the front desk where a woman with tattooed hands and facial piercings sat, looking thoroughly uninterested in her job. "Hello," Claire greeted politely, trying to mask her discomfort. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

The woman glanced up, her expression bored. "Yeah, sure," she replied in a monotone voice.

Claire pulled out a picture of the wings tattoo on the man's neck that she had printed out. "Do you recognize this tattoo? We're trying to find the person who has

it."

The woman glanced at the picture and shrugged. "A lot of people have that tattoo," she said dismissively.

Claire exchanged a look with Matthew before leaning in slightly. "Could we take a look at your customer book? It's really important."

The woman sighed, clearly annoyed, but slid the book across the counter. "Make it quick," she said, rolling her eyes.

Claire nodded. "Thank you. We'll be fast."

Claire and Matthew quickly flipped through the pages of the customer book, jotting down names and dates. Matthew glanced at Claire, whispering, "What's the plan?"

Claire didn't look up from the book. "We take pictures of each guest's name and visit date. We can identify them later."

of the relevant entries. Once they were done, they handed the book back to

the passenger seat while Matthew

minutes, she let out a frustrated sigh. "None of these people have the wings tattoo," she said, looking

focusing back on the

her lip, thinking. "We move to

nodded. "Alright,

attention. The process was similar: disguises on, a quick entry, and a polite but determined request to look at the customer records. Each time, they

sat in front of the fifth shop, Matthew turned to Claire. "This is

rubbed her temples, feeling the strain of their efforts. "I don't know, but it's the

were met with another disinterested receptionist, another customer book, and another round of hurried picture-taking. As they left the shop, Matthew looked up at

more shops do you want to

glanced at her watch. "One more. Let's try one more

on their list for the night. This one was quieter, with a lone artist working on a design behind the counter.

a moment, his expression thoughtful. "I've seen this tattoo before," he said

a beat. "Do you remember

guy named Tom. Comes in every few

look with Matthew. "Do you

artist shook his head. "Sorry, can't give out personal info. But I can tell you he usually comes in on Fridays

smiled gratefully. "Thank you.

optimism.

like our persistence paid

wait and keep an eye on him if he visit the shop. Matt, I need you to hire someone to keep an eye on

"Roger that, Claire."

will just wait for

been anticipating. The man she hired to keep an eye on Tom informed her that he was heading to the tattoo shop. Without wasting a moment, Claire relayed the information to Matthew. They quickly throw