“The ink I use for the special tattoos, it needs a specific base or it won’t work.”
“You don’t make it yourself?” she asked him.
“I have but I prefer not to. It’s a bit messy.” He looked over at her briefly. “You really don’t want to know,” he added, before she thought to ask. To be honest, he wished he didn’t know. He’d made it once and that had been plenty.
“You get it here?” She pointed to the grand old mansion on the waterfront he was slowing down in front of.
“It’s an old family business,” he said as they pulled into the drive. He got out of the car and stood looking at the place that made so many memories rush back.
This was where it had all started for him and the beginning of going rogue from the Universe. A fling with a girl who said she was a witch. It had been the first person outside the agency who he’d told the truth to.
Normally, hell would open up if he divulged those kinds of details to someone not like them, a person not in the employ of the agency. The consequences were steep for giving out that information. The person told would die, memory erased, and be shipped off to a new life.
This girl who called herself a witch said she wanted to know about him. He’d told her the risks and she said she still wanted to know. That she wasn’t afraid. He told her, fully expecting her to die. He hadn’t really cared. She’d been warned. It was her decision. Then nothing happened.
That’s when the experimenting started. He’d thought that he was the one keeping all the secrets but the black hole of knowledge this woman possessed was staggering. He’d learned most of what he knew of the arts from her. It’s what had led to him being able to quit the agency completely but quitting hadn’t freed him the way he’d hoped it would. The urges had persisted.
“Should I come in with you?” Faith asked, walking over to his side.
When Lars had invited her, it had been a knee-jerk decision. He hadn’t thought out the possibilities. Larissa, the witch who helped him and also one of the only women he’d slept with more than a handful of times, might not be keen on meeting a female who was staying with him. Then again, she’d have no way of knowing that. He’d introduce Faith as the shop manager, which she was, and it would go fine. Why wouldn’t it?
It would have to, because even though Keith had no way of knowing where they were, the thought of leaving Faith out here alone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Decision made. She was coming in. “Yeah, come on.”
He took another look at Faith as she walked beside him to the house. Did she have to wear that white lacy top today though?
Hell, it didn’t really matter. She looked good in anything she put on, but Lars’ unease grew steadily as he knocked on the door.
The unease exploded into dread the second Larissa stood there on the threshold. She looked as youthful as always but the face that was frozen in age didn’t have a problem expressing displeasure the second she saw Faith. It probably didn’t help that on at least half the trips he made here, he usually did more than just pick up ink. Why did he always forget how possessive women could get? He shifted gears immediately into damage control.
“Larissa, this is my shop manager. I thought it would be a good idea if you met her in case she needed to do a run by herself at some point.” There, problem solved.
Larissa’s gaze shot instantly to him, eyebrows raised, letting him know his last minute excuse ranked in the epic fail category. Faith looked at him with an expression that silently asked him why he’d even brought her here. How did they both know so damn quickly?
Faith held out a hand. “Keys. I’m going to wait in the car.”
Lars grabbed Faith’s arm and dragged her back several feet from the door, while Larissa leaned on the jamb, still looking quite put out at the unexpected addition to their normal afternoon.
“What’s the problem?”
“Your girlfriend looks a little territorial. I’m not going into someone’s house where I’m clearly unwelcome. I have more pride than that. I’d prefer to sit out in the car.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“She thinks so. Keys?”
“No. Not a good idea.”
“Yes.” One hand shot to her hip and the other one shot out toward him, palm up. “It is.”
Why the hell was she pissed?
“No. You aren’t staying out here,” he said, ignoring her demand.
“Give. Me. The. Keys.”
“Keith’s not the only problem these days.” As he said it, he scanned the streets, looking for the gangs that had popped up everywhere. Charleston was among one of the safer areas. They’d instituted a private police force that was patrolling the area. Well, the wealthier area anyway. And no one, not even the crazies, would approach this house if they had even an inkling of who resided inside. Larissa’s family were witches way back even before the Salem days. He’d learned all his black arts from them.
“Lars, are you coming in or not?” Larissa whined from the door as Faith shot him accusing looks.
The car was in Larissa’s driveway. There was no way the perimeter of this house wouldn’t be warded. He cracked. He couldn’t deal with two pissed off females both giving him dirty looks at the same time. Guys were so much easier. If they pissed him off, he just punched them.
He dug out the keys and walked Faith over to the driver side of the car.
“Any sign of trouble, lay on the horn. I’ll come right out.” He leaned past her to the glove compartment and pulled out a gun. He took off the safety and laid it in her lap. “After you hit the horn, shoot anyone that comes near you in the eye.”
“I don’t know how to use this,” she said.
“Aim and squeeze.”
“Fine,” she said, with a snippy tone.
She’d gotten her way. Why was she still pissed? He shut his car door and headed to the house with a growl wanting to release from his chest.
Chapter 24
Seriously? An hour? How much longer was he going to leave her sitting there? Faith’s toes were tingling from being in the same position, and although she had said she wasn’t going to step a foot in that house, after she saw the sour face on that girl, she’d had it. She would deem to step a foot on the porch long enough to ring the doorbell and get the hell out of there.
She stepped out of the car and didn’t have a chance to close the door before something slammed into the back of her head. She’d never seen them coming.
She was dazed but still alert as she fell to her knees and gripped the gun Lars had given her. She rolled over quickly and swung the gun up at the two men. They’d just been about to grab her when they saw the gun pointed up at them.
She recognized them both from that first night Malokin’s men had escorted her to meet him and Keith. One of the guys that had sat in back with her, and the other had driven.
“Back off or I will blow your brains out.” She was surprised at how calm she sounded. Maybe it was the knock to the head. She was too dazed to panic.
“Which one of us? You can’t get us both,” the larger of the two said.
“Shut up,” the driver said to the other guy before turning to Faith. “He’s going to get you. If you think about it, things will go much better for you if you just come willingly, because this is going to happen. Do you really want every person from your past ripped apart?”
“He already killed the only person left I loved. You can tell Keith to fuck off. That’s what you can take back with you.”
The other guy made a sudden movement toward her and she didn’t hesitate for a second. She aimed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. She thought she hit closer to his cheek but blood and brains still exploded as the body collapsed on her and pinned her to the ground.
She shoved at the body holding her down while trying to hold back her breakfast.
When the body was suddenly flung off of her she jerked the gun, still clenched in her hand toward her second attacker.
“Do you not know how to work a horn?” Lars’ voice was near a scream as he leaned over her.