Page 3 of Ink

“Ouch,Zia!” I grunted, rubbing the sore spot.

She glared at me, then smiled warmly at Onyx. “Let me get you a plate.”

He smiled gratefully and followed her over to the spread of food on the massive kitchen island.

When my mother didn’t start in on me again, I warily returned to my seat at the table to finish my meal.

“Ink.”

I turned my head to look at Domenico De Angelis, a member of the family who worked for Rafa here in Georgia.

“We could use your help with a”—he paused and glanced around for a second—“situation this week. There might be a connection to the Hounds.”

I shook my head. “Gotta talk to King.” Anything involving the MC needed to be discussed with my prez before anyone else.

“It’s family business,” Domenico said with a frown.

“Not if it involves the Hounds of Hellfire,” Rafa chimed in, backing me up. “Besides, King isn’t likely to let us borrow Ink anytime soon anyway.”

“Why not?” asked Marco, one of Rafa’s brothers.

“Don’t know,” I drawled sarcastically, leaning back in my chair. “Maybe ’cause last time you got me shot?”

1

ANNIKA

“Are you on the way to Hellbound Studio?” Rachel asked, her voice playing through my Jeep’s speaker.

My ride was adorable…and also the last present I got from my mom and dad. So even though most of my friends had gotten new cars for our high school graduation, I hadn’t been the slightest bit envious. I planned to drive this baby until the wheels fell off.

“I am,” I confirmed with a wide grin that she couldn’t see.

“I’m so bummed that I couldn’t be there with you for this. Although it’s probably for the best because I doubt I would’ve been able to walk out of the tattoo parlor without any ink of my own, and we both know how that would’ve gone down with my parents.”

I laughed, picturing the hissy fit her mom would have pitched at the sight of a tattoo on her daughter’s unblemished skin. Something she wouldn’t have been able to hide during their annual trip to the Bahamas, which was where she was this week. “Forget heading off to college in a couple of weeks. You would have been locked in your room for the next year.”

She snorted. “Let’s be real. It would be at least two years.”

“Probably,” I agreed. “Remind me not to go swimming at your house if your parents are around. She might decide I’m a bad influence and not let us hang out together anymore.”

“Like I would ever let that happen. I might not put my foot down with my parents very often, but if they went after my bestie, you best believe they’d have a fight on their hands.”

I knew she meant every word of her vow, and hearing how much I meant to her made me sniffle. “Cut it out, or I’m going to be crying before they even start the tattoo.”

“Maybe there will be a hot guy to hold your hand during the whole thing since I’m not there to do it,” she teased.

I rolled my eyes. “Not gonna happen. This isn’t one of the romcoms we love to watch on our movie nights.”

“But it could be.”

My best friend was much more optimistic than I was. Losing my parents a couple of years ago made me see the world differently. I wasn’t as carefree as I used to be.

“I’m almost there,” I told her as I turned onto the road where the tattoo parlor was located.

“Then I guess I’ll let you go.” Her laughter drifted through the line. “Which is probably for the best because my mom will come looking for me any minute. We’re going snorkeling today.”

“Sounds as though you’re going to have lots of fun. Tell your mom and dad I said hello.”

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