The Origin by Wilette Youkey Read Free Book Online Page A

forehead, struggling against the gravitational pull of her lips. “But I really should go.”
    “Daniel?” she said before he reached the door.
    “Yes?”
    She raised one delicate eyebrow. “Please don’t make me be the one to call you again.”

5   |   A MARKED VILLAIN
     
     
    John Mathers was a proud man of Maori warrior descent. Born Hukarere Matera, he had changed his name once he’d entered the business world in the big city. He had heard his name butchered enough times to finally resort to legally changing it to one that sounded more professional, Caucasian even, on paper. Once in person, he knew that he was enigmatic enough to convince even the crustiest CEO to give him a job. And a job he had acquired, at King Industries, working his way from a mailroom boy up to the cream of the crop, the account liaisons. It was a position that required much time and commitment, and a lot of schmoozing and negotiating with heads of companies, until deals of the multi-million dollar kind were struck.
    The problem was John had been too good at his job. He had landed so many accounts that he had become cocksure of his position in the company – had even hoped of someday becoming Richard King’s successor – but that had all come crashing down around him when he’d been abruptly let go. Two weeks ago he had had a dynamic job, a huge commission on the way, and all the promise of a protégé. One short week later, he was but an unemployed minority, swindled out of what he’d justly achieved.
    And Richard King himself, whom he’d idolized and emulated, was the very man who’d carried it all out.
    He’d been accused of duplicity, of trying to lure away clients for Lockwood Inc., the only company standing in the way of Richard King’s complete domination in the pharmaceuticals business. The most bitter part was that John had never even entertained the idea of leaving King Industries as he had always felt a strong sense of allegiance to the company that helped forge him from the insecure youth he had been into the self-assured man he was today. King Industries was his home, as far as he was concerned. At least, it used to be.
    John’s nose flared as he thought of his unjust dismissal as the needle pierced his skin repeatedly. The pain of the tattooing process magnified the sting of betrayal so that he flinched and hung his head, trying not to cry.
    “How long will this take to finish?” he said to the artist who was wielding the vibrating needle.
    The woman leaned back and surveyed the temporary blue print, the final section of his massive tribal tattoo that she was in the process of tracing over. “Hmm, it’s a pretty large design, so I’m guessing, um, three or four hours?”
    John sighed. He stared at the framed pictures of celebrities that had visited the establishment, resigned to spending the rest of the night at the tattoo parlor. But then again, he had nowhere else to be in the morning now that he was without employment. The only other variable, his girlfriend Natasha, would not be back for a few more days as she attended a wedding in California. The night was his own, unfortunately, with only his thoughts and the pain to keep him company.
    “This is an interesting design. Did you do it yourself?”
    “No. Well, my twin brother and I came up with it. I’ve just never gotten around to having it finished,” he said, thinking of the times spent dreaming up the perfect Maori-inspired tattoo and drawing on each other with a Sharpie. One particular night, they had been looking through a library book when his brother had come up with the idea of designing an enormous tattoo that, when standing side by side, spanned both their chests and shoulders.
    “It will be epic!” Rapata had said, starting to sketch on a piece of paper. “So when we’re together, it makes one design.”
    Rapata was the one born with vision and John with the drive. Together they were an unstoppable force, up until Rapata’s dying