Page 110 of Haven

I stretched my back, hearing it crack as I dipped my needle in white ink. We were almost done with her tattoo, and I was ready. Adding highlights and the final touches took another thirty minutes, making the grand total for her back piece six hours and forty-five minutes. I did one final wipe and told her to check it out in the mirror. She turned, peeking over her shoulder into the mirror, admiring the intricate design.

“Wow.” She arched her back slightly. “It’s amazing. It’s everything I wanted and then some.”

“I’m glad you like it. Thank you for letting me do it. Can I take a few pictures for my portfolio?” She nodded and I snapped a picture of her in the mirror, looking back at her tattoo. It was a perfect shot. Then I took a few pictures of her back. “Clean it with antibacterial soap, and keep it clean. Use a fragrance-free ointment to help the healing process, and if you need any touch-ups after it’s healed, just shoot me a message and we can work something out.”

Ariel paid me before giving me a tight hug and thanking me again. I let her out of the shop before locking the door once more. I told my woman I was done, and told Vesper I expected her to be waiting for me in her bedroom. Tattooing took a lot out of a girl, and I wanted to rejuvenate with Vesper—and maybe even have Hades watch.

I turn on Def Leppard and start cleaning my shop while messaging Hades and Vesper. Cleaning was a lot harder when I was sexting—and by sexting I mean sending reaction memes to what Hades and Vesper said they would do to me when they had me together. It seemed I had to do a lot of yoga or something because they would bend me into a pretzel.

I stopped when my music stopped; the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The broom fell from my hand and crashed to the floor. I didn't turn at first because I knew who would be there when I did. Why was he here and how did he get here? Why was he doing this?

I turned on my heels and came face-to-mask with the intruder. He was there by the door, holding my speaker. He wore a mask because he was a fucking coward, but he was smart.

Don't panic. Deep breath, Rory.

Ninety-Two

Widow

Vesper came into my office after her rendezvous with Hades. I still didn’t trust her, but she and Rory did. A Devil and Viper didn’t mix, but arguing with Rory would be like arguing with a brick wall and Vesper was…hell, I didn’t know what she was doing. She was teaming up with the enemy to find information on Cinder and her disappearance.

Melisa came in after her, and I straightened. I wasn’t expecting Melisa to be here. “What’s wrong?”

“Hades’s tech friend found something in Rory’s past. It’s not related to her, but there was another girl before her. The FBI was involved for her, but not for Rory.”

“How are they involved for one but not another?”

I looked at Melisa. “When the FBI came to me, they weren’t interested in Rory or what happened in Nevada. They wanted to know everything about Cinder, her dealings and what the Vipers did.”

“Do you remember the agent's name?”

“I’ll have to dig through my desk to find her card. It’s a Cajun name.”

My phone rang and it was Rory’s ringtone. “Phoenix?”

“What are you doing here?” I heard Rory ask.

“Rory?”

“I wanted to see you. You wouldn’t talk to me, so I had to see my princess again,” a man’s voice responded.

Shit.

I muted my phone. “We need to get to Rory’s tattoo shop. Now.”

After everything he did and the pain he caused, he better hope we didn’t catch him. I had plans. He would despise his life by the time I was finished with him.

There was a crashing sound, and it took everything in me not to call out to her, but if she wanted us to have the element of surprise, I needed to be quiet. Fear radiated down my spine as I listened to Rory fight. Rory was always fighting, and deserved to finally have a chance to breathe without someone trying to kill her.

The fifteen-minute ride to Misfit Ink felt like decades, but when we pulled up, there were several more officers. There was shattered glass and blood droplets on the ground. I darted into the shop, looking for Rory when she stumbled out from the back, clutching her forearm. Rory looked pissed as Melisa and the officers scouted out the shop.

“Melisa, call a medic!” I yelled as I pulled my t-shirt off of my body. Rory looked at my chest, her cheeks turning slightly more pink. “None of that. Sit down, phoenix.” She grumbled but listened, sitting down in a chair Vesper pulled out. I lifted the shirt to try and inspect her wound, but it was bleeding profusely. Rory winced when I pulled the shirt tighter. “What happened?”

She shrugged. “I grabbed his mask, and he freaked out and bolted. I’m assuming it’s someone we know.”

“How did he get in?” Vesper asked. We all knew she was careful when she was alone in her shop.

She shrugged. “He knows everything else. He probably has a fuckin’ key.” She winced. “Fuck, this hurts.”