Hot Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan;Cari Quinn;Sidney Bristol

  The phone finally loaded, and several chimes for various notifications popped up. His stomach sank as he checked his texts. He could hear Renee’s increasing distress in the words as she started with a text to see what he was doing, and it progressed to the last one.

  Where are you? I need you. Call me.

  He hit dial and tapped his foot. Where was she?

  “Hello?”

  Kit paused and glanced at his display. It was Renee’s number, but the voice was definitely male.

  “Uh, hi, is Renee there?” Damn, he felt like he was twelve.

  “She’s in the shower right now. Who is this?”

  “I’m pretty sure my number is saved in her phone as Kit, so you know who this is. Who are you?”

  “That’s…”

  Kit heard another, female voice, in the background, then everything grew muffled, as if a hand were placed over the phone.

  “Renee? Renee, can you hear me?” He yelled into the phone. Goddamn it, who was this man and where was she?

  Despite the muffled tones, the voices grew louder until he could clearly hear Renee’s voice saying, “I don’t care.”

  “Renee?”

  “Hello?”

  He sighed with relief at hearing her voice. “Renee, where the hell are you?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.” There was hurt in her voice.

  “I’m sorry, I meant to be back by the time you were off work, but I finished my last job late and we got caught up in traffic.”

  “Why didn’t you call?”

  “I was going to, but my phone died. Shit. I have this new fucking thing that has to have these two…never mind. It’s not important. Where are you?” And why was she letting another man answer her phone?

  “I’m at Nate’s house.”

  “Who is Nate?”

  “He’s my play partner.”

  “Play partner?” She’d mentioned she still had one that was too busy right now… Jealousy ate at him and his vision hazed red.

  “Yeah. I couldn’t get a hold of you and I didn’t want to go home so…I came here.”

  “I’m here now. Do you want to go home? I’ll go with you.”

  “No.”

  “Do…you want to stay there?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to come here?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean…”

  “I want to be with you…but I’m scared. I feel like someone’s been watching me all day. Nate says I’m being paranoid, and I don’t have any proof, but it’s so weird.”

  Kit paused. There was a chance it was a paranoid delusion, or that it was a side effect of the subdrop. Regardless, he wasn’t about to let that be a stumbling block.

  “Why don’t we go to a hotel then? Someplace nice,” he suggested. It might be the last nice thing he could afford for a while, but he’d take it.

  “I can’t. Nate…Nate kind of took my keys away.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “I’m dropping hard, and he’s right. I shouldn’t be driving and I feel fucking crazy.”

  “Then I’ll come and get you. Where are you?”

  She gave him the address, but still seemed hesitant about it. Whatever it was, he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

  Kit took the charger and his phone back to the Jeep, plugged in the address and broke every speed limit on the way. The address she gave him was in a well-to-do part of the city, with neat, cookie-cutter houses with no character lined up along the street and sleek cars parked outside. He pulled into the drive behind Renee’s car and barely cut the engine before jumping out and striding up to the door.

  He didn’t bother with the bell. Instead he pounded the door with his fist until someone darkened the frosted window on the other side and pulled it open.

  A tall, athletically built man stood on the other side. His hair was completely silver, though his face was young, maybe late thirties—wearing only basketball shorts.

  “Where is she?” Kit demanded.

  Footsteps heralded a third person. Renee.

  Nate stepped through the door and pulled it closed behind him.

  “She wants to go with me,” Kit said, refusing to back down as Nate stepped into his personal space.

  “Renee doesn’t know what she wants right now,” Nate replied, his gaze narrowing.

  “Well I heard her pretty well.” Kit leaned toward the man.

  “You aren’t understanding what I’m saying.”

  “It sounds like you’re trying to keep her against her will.” Kit curled his hands into fists.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” Nate snapped.

  The door opened and Renee peeked out at them.

  “Renee, please give me a moment to speak to Kit?” Nate said without taking his eyes off Kit.

  “If you two start fighting I’ll kick both your asses.” She stared at them a moment longer then slowly closed the door.

  The silence stretched on while they sized each other up.

  “What is it you want to say?” Kit finally spoke first.

  “I want to know what you’re doing here.” Nate folded his arms across his chest.

  “I’m coming to get Renee because she asked me to,” Kit said slowly.

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it. What do you mean to do with Renee?”

  “Why is that any business of yours?”

  Nate took a step forward so fast Kit didn’t have time to react.

  “I know who you are. I know what you’ve done to her. And I’ll be damned if I just sit here and watch you hurt her. Again.”

  Kit narrowed his gaze. He wouldn’t lay a hand on the man. But he wanted to. What he’d done to Renee? He’d done what she asked him to, and when he’d suggested staying with him for the day? She’d said no.

  “Are you her play partner, or her father?”

  “I’m whatever she needs me to be.”

  Kit’s anger evaporated. Renee was alone here, without family, and she’d turned to the one person she felt she could trust. He couldn’t fault her for that, or Nate for protecting someone he cared about.

  “If I tell you something I’m not going to tell her yet, will you keep the secret?” Kit asked.

  “It depends what I think is in her best interest.”

  “Fair enough. You’re worried about me hurting her. I wouldn’t. I’m also guessing you know about our previous relationship?” From the way Nate ground his teeth together Kit took that as a yes. “Well, I have plans to stay here. Permanently.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Nate shook his head.

  “She’s good for me, and when she’s with me she smiles.”

  “I don’t know if you’re good for her.”

  “Well she still wants to go with me.”

  Nate stared long and hard at him. Kit was pretty sure if Nate had the option he’d lock Renee up and forbid Kit from seeing her. Good thing Renee had a mind of her own.

  “I want her to check in with me tonight and tomorrow,” Nate said.

  “If she agrees to it, okay. But I’m pretty sure Renee is going to do exactly what she wants to.” Which was to leave. With him.

  Nate turned toward the door and pushed it open. Renee stood on the other side, a bag slung over her shoulder and Peaches’ carrier at her feet.

  “Will you call me tonight to let me know you got settled safe, and tomorrow to let me know how you’re doing?” Nate asked her.

  Renee’s gaze flicked to him and he shrugged, feeling a little pride that she looked to him first. He nodded.

  “Sure.” She picked up the carrier and stepped through the door.

  Kit reached for the carrier, then took her hand and escorted her to his Jeep. He needed to make arrangements for his things, sub-letting his place, his own Jeep back home, but for now—tonight—all that mattered was making sure Renee was taken care of. He buckled the carrier into the back seat while she watch
ed, then handed her into the passenger seat and even strapped her in himself.

  After tonight, things would be different.

  Chapter Eight

  Renee turned in a circle, taking in the hotel room. It was nicer than the cheap motels she’d stayed in on the rare occasion she needed to. Everything gleamed white and chrome, while the furniture was sturdy cherry wood.

  “Want to tell me why we can’t stay at the house?” Kit asked. He’d been incredibly patient with her while they picked a hotel that was far from either of their houses.

  She sighed and sat on a low chest of drawers, cradling her face in her hands. Peaches strolled past her, rubbing against her shins.

  “I feel crazy,” she said without looking at him.

  Kit took her hands and she couldn’t help but stare into his concerned gaze.

  “I felt like someone was watching me, Kit. What if...what if someone wanted something from me? What if some crazy person thinks I can get stuff out of evidence for them?” She’d thought through all the aspects of what her value might be, and it came back to her job. She had clearance to get to a lot of valuable stuff.

  “Have you called your cop friends?”

  “Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “They told me to let them know if I saw anyone or could write down a license plate, that it would be a good idea to stay with a friend. The normal bullshit they’d tell anyone. Unless I have proof they can’t do anything.”

  “And the break-in doesn’t count?”

  “They still think I must be missing something valuable, but it’s not like I own much a person would want to steal.”

  “Okay, okay.” He massaged her hands and she clung to him, needing that touch. “Well we’re safe now. I doubt anyone would follow us in here.”

  He had a point there. The lobby had several men in suit jackets that had the unmistakable appearance of security. She clung to that, and the fact that Kit wasn’t anyone to be trifled with.

  “Have you eaten?” Kit asked.

  “Yeah. Nate had dinner when I got there.”

  A muscle on Kit’s jaw twitched. Yeah, mentioning Nate probably wasn’t a good idea. It had been a long time since her play with the older man had been sexual, but she doubted Kit would care about details like that.

  “Have you eaten?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Have you checked in with Mick?”

  “Earlier. He wants us to come by, says he’s got some ideas.”

  “Cool. Will we have time tomorrow?”

  “We?” She blinked at him.

  “Well, yeah. I’m not about to leave you alone.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She was relieved for the promise of his company. One more day she wouldn’t have to wonder if he was gone or not. “I was going to have dinner with him tomorrow.”

  “Cool. Count me in then.”

  He stood up and went to the pile of their bags near the doorway. They’d dropped everything to get Peaches settled first, but now Renee didn’t have the energy to care where her overnight bag landed.

  Kit arranged their bags in the closet before wheeling a rolling case she recognized from his earlier post toward the desk. It was his traveling case for all this machines and inks. She stared at it, wanting to flip open the latches for some stupid reason and see what he was packing.

  He sat down at the desk and the metallic ping as he released the latches felt as if they stabbed her. She watched as he lifted the top lid and peered at whatever was inside.

  How many machines did he travel with? What was he using now?

  Sure, she was out of the loop when it came to the new machines, but she couldn’t deny that part of her that still wanted to ink.

  She pushed to her feet and paced the length of the room, glancing at Kit when he seemed engrossed in what he was doing. He had alcohol wipes out and was going over a machine with a skull over the rotary coils. It had to be a custom machine. It had that look, a little rough, a little artistic that meant it couldn’t be a piece off an assembly line.

  Kit spun toward her, and she realized she’d stopped and had begun to hover.

  She glanced at the machine, then to him. “It’s nice.”

  “Super light, too.”

  Renee did not want to touch the machine. That was not a good idea, and yet, Kit was being incredibly patient and understanding with her, so the least she could do was actually pay attention to what he wanted to show her. She held out her hand and Kit placed the machine in her palm. Immediately her palm shot up. She blinked at the oddly light device while Kit chuckled at her.

  “That’s…amazing. How’d they do it? Who makes it?”

  “A friend of mine. He made a few prototypes and gave me one before the show. He’s getting a patent on the design to put it into production. I used it a few times and you wouldn’t believe how jealous the others got.”

  “I bet.” There was a lot to be said about fatigue from bending over a client for hours, the weight of a machine and the bone numbing vibrations that robbed a person of sensation sometimes.

  “You know what else is crazy?” He spun to his travel box and pulled the second drawer open. He handed her something that had the barrel and needle insert points like a tattoo machine, but it lacked the classic double coils. Instead, it had a sleek, flat end where the power cord would attach.

  “What…?” It was almost as light as the first machine he’d handed to her.

  “Isn’t that crazy? It’s a hybrid machine. I can’t use it because it doesn’t vibrate. Like, not at all, and it throws me off, but man. I wish I could. If I practice I might get used to it enough to use their models all the time, but for now it’s just a neat paperweight.”

  She wrapped her fingers around the end of it, as if she were about to use it, and mimicked drawing. The weight was a tad bit different, but not so much that it would matter.

  “That’s neat, and weird. I mean, I’ve heard about these but I haven’t seen one.”

  Kit leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. “Yeah, I don’t see too many people using them, but I bet the next generation of artists go to these.”

  Tattooing hadn’t changed much since the first coil machine was created from a Thomas Edison design. This though, was reinventing the wheel.

  “You should try it. You might like it.”

  “No.” Renee rolled her eyes and thrust both machines at him.

  He took them and sighed while she flopped on the bed to watch Peaches groom himself in an armchair.

  “You won’t even consider it?” he asked.

  No was on the tip of her tongue. It had been her default answer for so long, it was a knee-jerk answer when anyone asked. But was it the truth?

  She shook her head. “Not right now.”

  “Alright.” He replaced the machines in his case and closed it.

  Renee didn’t look at him. She could feel his disappointment. And maybe it was wrong to give up as she had, but some things weren’t worth it. Sacrificing her pride to work in a hostile environment where she was yelled at and treated like a hooker wasn’t her idea of a fulfilling life. Perhaps if she’d gone with Kit all those years ago, things would be different. There had to be better shops out there. She liked going to Midnight Ink when she needed her fix, and they were great to hang out with, but she had a long way to go before she would be ready for that. She was so out of practice, it would take hundreds of hours to get the knack down again.

  The silence stretched on with neither speaking. She looked to Kit first and found him studying his hands, but not seeing them. His mind was far, far away from here.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” she said.

  He shook his head and smiled at her. “You’re beautiful.”

  She snorted. “That was not what you were thinking about.”

  “Of course it was. I’m always thinking about you.”

  Her breath caught. Why did he have to say things like that? It hurt, it felt good, and soon enough she wouldn’t hear it again. He would leave, probably without much th
ought because he had other things to get to. But tonight, she needed him.

  Kit pushed out of his chair and sat on the bed next to her. He gently pushed her hair behind her ear.

  “How bad are you dropping?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It might be drop. It might just be that I’m freaked out about the house stuff.”

  “Come here.” He tugged her up to lay with their heads on the pillows facing each other. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  I don’t want you to leave me again.

  “I don’t know. I’m just…anxious.”

  “About?”

  “About someone following me. About where you were. About everything.” Her gaze dropped to his chest. She studied the V between the lapels of his pearl snap plaid shirt and the glimpse of tattoo she could see.

  “I would have preferred to have spent yesterday with you.” He bumped her chin, the implied command reverberated through her bones.

  She lifted her gaze to his. “I had to work.”

  “And you don’t get to ask for days off?”

  “Yeah, but calling in first thing would have been shitty. Plus they had this massive seizure yesterday.”

  “Seizure? Is everyone okay?”

  Renee chuckled. “They took a bunch of drugs from some guys. Seized it. Everyone’s okay.”

  “Oh. Right. Right.”

  “You could have told me you were going away for the day.” There. She said at least part of what was bothering her.

  “You’re right. I could have and probably should have. I’m not very good at checking in with people. I mean, I thought about you, but like you said—you were at work.”

  “And you couldn’t text me or something?” He’d friended her on social media before she left for work and it had provided a painful view into his life she’d never had before. One she wanted to know more about, and yet needed to keep her distance from it.

  “Babe, I should tell you now, I suck at texting.” He held up his hand. “These fingers? I can barely press the fucking buttons right.”

  She laughed and a little of the tension easing from her.

  “But you’re right. I should have called and let you know what I was doing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d bother you or if it was okay.”