Poison Ink by Christopher Golden Read Free Book Online Page B

parents had enough problems without dealing with what they’d perceive as their daughter’s rebellion. She had been struggling with the decision all day, but in her heart she knew that she wouldn’t know for sure what she would do until the moment arrived.
    Silently she said a little prayer that this Dante guy would turn them away, solving her dilemma.
    T.Q. stepped off the curb and crossed the street toward the tattoo shop, and the others followed. Halfway across, Letty realized Sammi still stood on the sidewalk and glanced back at her, brows knitted, wondering what she was up to.
    Taking a deep breath, Sammi hurried to catch up to them.
    “You all right?” Letty asked, her voice soft with concern.
    “I hate needles. And pain,” Sammi said. These were not lies, nor were they the whole truth.
    “It’ll be fine,” Letty said.
    They gathered together in front of the black windows. Sammi glanced around at her friends as they all hesitated, and their faces were bathed in that peculiar blue neon glow. They looked like ghosts.
    “Place gives me the creeps,” she said, unable to stop herself. “What’s it even called? It doesn’t have a name? He could be doing anything in there.”
    T.Q. stared at the front door. “You heard what Letty said. He doesn’t ask any questions. You break the rules, that’s not the kind of thing you advertise.”
    Several seconds went by without any of them moving. Even Letty seemed reluctant now that the moment had arrived. Then Katsuko reached out to open the door. She tugged on the handle.
    “It’s locked,” Sammi said. “Must be closed.”
    Letty frowned. “No way. The Open sign is always on, yeah. But I heard the guy’s almost always here.”
    She rapped on the blacked-out-glass and metal door. “It’s Saturday night. He’s not gonna close on a Saturday night.”
    Seconds later they heard someone cough inside. The lock clicked and the door opened a few inches, pushed from within. The eyes that peered out from within were icy blue, bright and ethereal, and Sammi felt their gaze fix on her.
    When the door swung wider and they got a better look at the man holding it open, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. He had shoulder-length black hair, dark stubble on his chin, and the deep olive skin of the Mediterranean. He might have been Greek or Spanish or Italian or even Egyptian; Sammi could not tell. Wherever he came by his looks, one thing was certain—he was a beautiful man.
    “Well,” he said with just a trace of exotic, unfamiliar accent, “what has fate brought to my doorstep this evening?”
    Sammi felt herself blush. Those icy blue eyes were like nothing she’d ever seen. At the same time, she realized that though it felt as if he were looking directly at her, he had that effect on all of them. Even Letty, who didn’t like guys, seemed captivated by him. And who talked that way, especially in Covington?
    “Hi,” Letty said, nervous. “Are you Dante?”
    With a smile of delight, he regarded them all again. “I am. Which means you aren’t lost.”
    Katsuko spoke up. “Are you open? For business?”
    Dante’s eyes narrowed. “For customers who aren’t going to get me into trouble.”
    “We aren’t,” Letty said quickly. “My cousin told me you could help us. Ana Mattei? You know her?”
    Dante considered the question a moment. “I know a lot of girls.”
    I’ll bet you do, Sammi thought, and the warmth of her blush deepened.
    “We won’t get you into trouble,” Caryn said, with a desperation in her voice that Sammi did not like at all. “I swear.”
    The tattoo artist hesitated, but something about the way those wintry blue eyes sparkled made Sammi think this was just mischief. He had already made up his mind.
    “Why don’t you come in and tell me what you want?” Dante said.
    Sammi saw the relief in her friends’ faces, but her stomach was still filled with butterflies. The threshold of the store might not actually have been the point of no