Protective Ink (Urban Fantasy) by Misty Simon Read Free Book Online

This is the beginning of something beautiful. Now if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I see someone whom I should greet. Circulate, laugh, do what you do best.”
    She watched him walk away in his suit with its tailored lines and the pants that broke perfectly over the top of his shiny black shoes. He was a charmer and suave to boot. Not her type of man, but she did enjoy being the focus of his attention.
    He disappeared around the corner into the hallway with her framed art, along with three other people. The drink and snack tables were set up there, and she’d marked all her art with price tags in case anyone was interested. Nothing wrong with making an extra payment to Cameron here and there if possible.
    Garrett and Dory seemed to be having fun and were laughing it up with a group of bikers she’d invited. Garrett looked happy when his arm was around Dory, and each time he looked at her, his heart was there in his eyes. Lissa’s own heart clenched a little, but then she sighed. He deserved this happiness, and maybe one day she would, too.
    For now, she was going to circulate some more and get her business off to the strong start it should have had yesterday with Jackson’s tattoo. She stopped to say hello to a couple from the Chamber of Commerce and then got waylaid by a woman who had an appointment for a final session on her tattoo sleeves the following week.
    Ten minutes later she made it over to the biker group where Dory was still holding court. The girl might look mousy, but she was full of sass, particularly when challenged.
    “Everyone have enough to eat and drink?” Lissa said when there was a break in the conversation.
    There was a chorus of yeses then Dory mentioned that Garrett was getting her another cup of punch. Lissa barely registered the words because at the same moment Garrett came staggering out of the hallway, looking green as pea soup and ready to puke.
    Jackson was at his side before Lissa could even move. Dory made her apologies and ran to join them, which left her standing alone in the middle of a crowd.
    Jackson broke through the gathered people and hustled Dory and Garrett up the stairs to her apartment without a single word to her.
    A warm hand settled on the small of her back. “Go on up,” Cameron said softly into her ear. “I’ll take care of the crowd and usher everyone out. I can lock up and then I’ll come check on you.”
    “Oh, thank you,” she said around what felt like a tennis ball in her throat. She faked the smile for the bikers and dashed up the stairs as fast as she could without breaking her neck in the four-inch heels.
    She banged through the front door and found her three friends in the living room—Garrett on the couch, Dory hovering her hands over his body and Jackson standing stock still with his arms crossed over his chest and a fierce scowl on his face.
    “What the hell happened?” she said to anyone who would answer.
    “I don’t know. You tell me,” Jackson answered without moving anything but his lips.
    “How should I know? Dory said he went to get her a glass of punch and then he came staggering down the hall. That’s all I know.” By the end her voice had risen to a shout. Dory didn’t even look up from where she was crouched next to Garrett, but Jackson was staring straight at her, his expression unaffected by her outburst.
    “You done? Because we need to figure out what to do with him. He’s looking better already, but I don’t know what happened to him or who might have done this. Dory’s doing her best, but it’s not a bruise or cut that’s ailing him, and I don’t know if she’ll be able to fully heal him. Ideas?”
    Lissa drew in a slow breath until she thought her lungs would burst. This calm, cool collected way was how Jackson acted when he was terrified. She’d witnessed it once before when they were video conferencing on the computer while he was in some war-torn country. A loud boom had ripped through the microphone and he’d