Boxed Set: The Ink Series Volume 1-4

by Holly Hood

  I pulled the knob sending hot water and steam raining down onto the shower floor.

  I undressed, taking off my shirt and shorts. I dropped them at my feet keeping my eyes on Slade. It was like I wasn’t even there. He stared at the water getting in when I touched his arm. I closed the curtain behind us and watched the water slip down his body soaking him.

  “What if we can do something,” I said, lathering up my loofah. I rubbed it down his neck doing my best to get him clean and free of blood or any memories of what happened.

  “We saved your dad and look what happened,” he murmured. “I don’t know.”

  It was a better answer than what I expected. Maybe there was still some fight in him. His fingers crawled across his face. “I don’t even know what they did with him.”

  “What do you mean?” I slid the sponge across his chest. “Where is he?”

  “Who do you think has him?”

  I had an answer. I just hoped it wasn’t the right one.

  He touched my face. “We’re going to figure this out. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”

  “It’s not just about me,” I said. “This is about every single one of us.”

  Slade’s fingers stroked my hair. He gently kissed me on the forehead. “It’s a mess I want to get all of us out of.”

  ***

  I slipped out from underneath Slade’s arm and climbed out of my bed. He was out finally and I wanted to check on Karsen.

  I went down the hallway and opened my dad’s door first. He still wasn’t home from the looks of things and I found it strange.

  So I closed his door and went down the hall to the living room where I knew I would find her, my best friend, the one person I had been through just about everything with.

  I sat down on the loveseat across from her. She was curled up in a small ball with the throw across her. Her blonde hair matted against her face. And when I cleared my throat she opened her eyes and looked at me.

  I didn’t know what to say. Her eyes were red and her makeup was smeared down her face. She started crying all over again which made me cry. I hated to see Karsen cry. Nothing in her life ever made that happen—until now.

  “I have to go back home,” she said, wiping her wet dull eyes. They weren’t the usual bright blue I loved seeing.

  “Karsen,” I started, but then I closed my mouth and stared at my hands. Anything I was going to say would sound selfish. And I couldn’t be selfish.

  “When your mom and dad split you wanted nothing to do with Georgia,” she said. “And I want nothing to do with Cherry.”

  “Okay.” Was all I could force out. I sniffled and looked away.

  I slipped beside her on the couch and we wrapped our arms around each other sobbing. Karsen dropped her head on my shoulder and started to shake.

  It hurt to hear, but I held on and did my best to comfort her the best I could.

  “Do you need me to call your parents?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I’ll call them later. Right now I just want to go back to sleep.”

  I covered her back up with the throw and left her alone. The house was empty, there was no sign of the boys or dad. Even my dog was missing. I trudged back down the hallway and crawled back in bed with Slade trying to forget about reality.

  Unsolicited

  The sounds coming from the kitchen pulled me from my sleep. Slade threw on his shirt and took off before both of my feet touched the floor.

  I rounded the corner and gasped. “What is he doing here?”

  Karsen was behind me, up and alive at the sight of Carlo and Kenny. I didn’t know what she was capable of anymore, especially after what they did to Kidd.

  Slade moved between Karsen and them, stopping her before she could do something stupid. “Take Karsen to your bedroom.”

  Karsen shook her head. “I want to hear what they have to say. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Kenny raised his chin. “You don’t want to piss him off any more than he already is, sweetheart.”

  Karsen screamed and lunged at Kenny, but Slade stopped her before she attacked him. He carried her down the hall to my bedroom.

  I stood there feeling like the next thing they were about to destroy.

  “You ruined her life,” I said. “I just thought you should know that.”

  They didn’t offer their condolences just cold stares. “There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Isn’t that what they say?” Kenny rolled his eyes.

  Slade returned. “What do you want?”

  He did his best to keep it together.

  “Her father, we want her father. I thought we made this clear the other day.” Kenny took a seat at my kitchen table. “All of this could have been avoided. The mind games, the torture, do you think we want to waste our time on all this bullshit?”

  “I don’t know. It really fucking looks like it,” Slade said back.

  Carlo rolled his neck, looking agitated. I hated the thought of what he would do next. I stepped forward. “What will you do with him?”

  Carlo looked at me. But Kenny spoke instead of him. “He will be the most protected man you have ever seen. Because if daddy dies so does he. Now where is he?”

  “I’ll find him,” I said.

  Slade sighed. “He’s not here.”

  I bit my lip, hating the fact Slade ratted me out. “I can find him. Just give me an hour.”

  Kenny shook his head crossing his arms. “Five minutes. And then your bff meets the same fate as her man.”

  I was sick to my stomach at the thought of something happening to my best friend. I couldn’t imagine what I would do without Karsen. I headed for my room, tears clouding my vision.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, getting up from my computer chair as soon as I opened the door. “You can’t give them what they want. Look what they did to Kidd.”

  “What other choice do I have?” I raised an eyebrow. “If this is what it takes to keep us all safe it’s what I have to do. I don’t want them destroying anyone else.”

  Karsen sighed, sitting back down.

  I hit the button on my phone, sure he would answer. No matter how mad he wouldn’t avoid my calls. After two rings he picked up.

  “Hello?”

  A little relief settled back into my body. “Dad. Where are you? I need you to come home.”

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, not sounding genuine. He didn’t even sound like he cared.

  “Dad. Nothing is okay. You know that. I need you to come home, now.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said.

  “What?” I looked around the room in a panic. “Dad, I’m not joking.”

  “Hope, I am halfway to Georgia,” he said.

  A knot formed in my stomach. “What are you talking about?”

  There was no way he was headed back to the one place he wanted to get away from.

  “I want my old life back. The boys do too,” he said. “I’m tired of sitting around waiting for it to happen.”

  I wiped the tears racing down my cheeks and hit end on my phone, completely obliterated.

  “What did he say?” Karsen asked.

  I didn’t know what to say, or how to respond. “He…he’s going home.”

  The next move

  “What do you mean he is going home?” Karsen shook her head. “He is going back to Georgia?”

  I nodded pacing the room. “Now what do I do?”

  I didn’t expect Karsen to have any better of an answer. I didn’t expect her to have one at all after what she had been through. But she still tried to help me.

  “You can’t let them win.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You have to figure this out. We all have to figure this out.”

  I dropped to my knees and pulled the big book of magic from under my bed. My finger slid down page after page as I tried at a fast rate of speed to come up with some kind of spell that could rid me of my current situation.

  “Anything?” Karsen asked, stan
ding guard at the door.

  “I’m not sure.” I read. “Carlo is of the highest power. I can only do so much.”

  “Like what?” she asked.

  “I could bind him to another supernatural and contain him, but that won’t last long,” I said. “Or I could destroy his anchor which would destroy him.”

  Karsen sighed. “That’s your dad right?”

  I nodded. I kept reading, desperate to find something, anything to help. “I don’t know.”

  “Hutch.” Karsen dropped down on the floor next to me. “He’s a witch, you can use him to contain Carlo.”

  I shook my head. “Anyone who practices magic is completely off limits. It says the spell can only use someone similar or stronger than him.”

  I didn’t even know what he was. Satan maybe.

  Karsen chewed on her thumbnail.

  I gasped tearing a page from the book. “This is it.”

  She looked at me, shaking her head in confusion.

  “This symbol. It’s the same one I saw on the pastor at church. He’s got to be a supernatural.”

  Karsen took the paper. “Holy shit.”

  We both looked at each other.

  I knew what I needed to do.

  ***

  “So, you see I think he might be at the church,” I said. I bit down on my lip hoping they bought my story. Karsen stood next to me shaking her head in agreement.

  Kenny crossed his arms. “Then we go get him.”

  “No.” I looked between the both of them. “I mean if he knows what is going on he isn’t going to come.”

  “Fine.” Kenny sat back down. “You go find him, we’ll stay here. If you’re not back in an hour things won’t be pretty.”

  The three of us started for the door. Before I could get out of it Kenny spoke again.

  “Karsen stays here,” he said. “That way I know you’ll come back.”

  I shook my head and held it together. “We will be back as soon as we can I swear.”

  Karsen took a seat, giving me a small smile. I could see it in her eyes, she was worn out and depressed, but hanging in there for the sake of everyone involved.

  One fancy element

  “Remember the tattoo on the pastor’s arm? It was the symbol in the spell book.” I looked at Slade, and hurried across the sand toward the church.

  “If this is real, it means we have a chance,” Slade said.

  I didn’t know why, I only knew what the book said. “The pastor could be the key to destroying Carlo.”

  Slade nodded. “And if it wasn’t for you we would have never figured this out.”

  We were feet away from the church. There were no cars in the parking lot. Service was over. I prayed he was there so we could get what we needed before it was too late.

  “What if it doesn’t work?” I sighed. “What if I’m wrong?”

  “You will never know unless you try.” He climbed the stairs and pulled the handle raising an eyebrow at me. “Ready?”

  I nodded, looking over my shoulder before I went through the door.

  Slade and I looked around. It seemed empty. A table of candles burned at the altar.

  I touched the tablecloth. “If the pastor is who we think he is we can use him to kill Carlo.”

  Slade climbed the steps to the pulpit moving books and papers.

  “What are you searching for?” I asked.

  He bent down. And when he stood he was holding a glass bottle. “This.”

  I caught the bottle before it shattered at my feet. “What is it? Holy water?”

  “Holy oil.”

  “That’s oil that has been blessed right?”

  He nodded. “Now we find the pastor and see if this works.”

  I tried the door to the left, inside was a long hallway and a couple of doors. Slade put a hand on the small of my back and followed me.

  “Hello?” I called out. “Anyone here?”

  The radiator rattled, but nobody said a word.

  “Let’s try this one. The lights on. Maybe the pastor is counting the money he made today.” Slade turned the knob.

  Pastor Harvey stood as soon as the door opened. I let out a sigh of relief, when he spoke.

  “Services are over for the day,” he said. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  I couldn’t come up with an excuse to be standing inside of the church.

  “I’ll cut to the chase,” Slade said. “Where did you get that tattoo?”

  Harvey’s eyebrows met in the middle. “Just a simple tattoo. That’s what you came here for? ”

  Slade sighed, stepping closer. “Try again.”

  Harvey ran a hand through his hair. “If you knew what this tattoo means you wouldn’t be so quick to confront someone that has it.”

  I swallowed.

  The door slammed shut behind us, I moved closer to Slade. I knew I wasn’t the one who made the door shut.

  “The church hired you because they know who you are and what you are capable of,” Slade said. “But I know what you are capable of too.”

  I touched my head, Harvey’s face blurring. I rubbed at my eyes, but it got worse. “I don’t feel so good.”

  My mother’s image jumped to the forefront. I could feel her hand against my cheek. I could hear her voice in my ear.

  “One of the abilities he possesses is messing with our memories,” Slade’s voice cut through the chaos going on inside my head. “You have to tell yourself it isn’t real. Block him out, Hope.”

  I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut and held my breath until it went away. When I opened them Hutch was in front of me.

  “What’s the matter, doll?” His fingers slipped through my hair. “You’re not happy to see me?”

  I shook my head. “You’re not real.”

  “I’m in your head. I always will be. We have a connection,” he whispered, his breath brushing against my ear.

  I screamed, forcing myself out of the fog. “Stop it!” I fumbled with the bottle in my pocket and unscrewed it.

  “You’re either willing to help us out or you’re not. What will it be?” Slade asked.

  I moved around the room, tipping the bottle little by little as I went.

  “My intentions aren’t to harm any of you.” Harvey showed his palms. “I’m trying to do a job. Make a living, that’s it.”