Dead Ink(Karma Series Book 4)(10)

"Shop manager?" Angus asked and Faith's eyes shot to his quickly as if confirming her own suspicions.

"Yes. Like I told you just a few days ago I was going to hire one." Lars  gave him a look as if to say and you better swear that I did.                       
       
           



       

"Yeah, I completely forgot about that," Angus said. Angus had the  decency to turn his face away from Faith before he rolled his eyes.

"You can put your stuff in the office," Lars said, pointing to the back room.

He was watching her walk in there when Angus started questioning him. "What are you doing?" His voice was hushed but impatient.

"If she's going to be here, she might as well help out." Sounded logical enough to him. Nothing to make a big deal out of.

Angus' jaw dropped open as his brow lowered. "You going soft on me?"

"Me?" Lars responded in a forced whisper. He jabbed a finger in his  friend's arm. "Who bought her a phone and gave her lunch money?"

Angus shot a look to see if Faith was still in the office before he  replied in an even softer voice than Lars. "I couldn't help it. She  looked all … I don't know, sad and lost and shit."

Lars didn't say anything but nodded and motioned to the door. "Okay, well get going. I've got shit to do."

Angus made a huffing noise. "I don't know how you have customers."

Lars let out a sound that was almost a laugh before he said, "Me neither. But seriously, get out."

Angus shook his head and Lars watched him walk out the door. When he  turned back around, Faith was standing there. Now what was he going to  do with her?

She straightened her shoulders, still standing there and looking  determined about something. Then it clicked. He'd seen this look before.  She wanted to talk. This was already going downhill and this was only  her first day.

"I know that you just made up this position for me," she said. "It  doesn't matter. I promise I will be the best shop manager you've ever  had." She gripped her hands together as her brows rose and said, "Even  if I'm the only shop manager you've ever had."

He didn't respond and she didn't move. She was looking at him like he  should be saying something to her now but he wasn't sure what she  wanted. He knew what he wanted to do and it had nothing to do with  talking.

He took a couple of steps away, seeing if that would jar her out of this strange expectant mode but she followed him.

"Lars?"

She wasn't going to let this whole talk to me thing go. He stopped  walking away from her and tried a new approach. "It's not a big deal."  Then he turned his back and hoped that was the end of it.

"What should I do?"

And the talking just kept going on and on. She was looking all around.  If he were human, he'd even say she looked eager. The idea made his  insides shudder.

"Watch the door. If someone walks in, tell them to get out."

Her mouth opened slightly, and she looked confused. What was confusing about that? It was a very simple request.

"But what about the rest of the time?"

What did he have to do to get the talking to stop? And then the phone  rang and it sounded like a symphony to his ears. He pointed to it.  "Answer that."

She ran over to it and then paused right before she picked it up. "Wait, how do you like to normally answer the phone?"

"Say whatever you want." He was sure it would be better than his normal, What do you want?

"Dead Ink, may I help you?" She grabbed a pencil from the cup by the  phone and looked for something to write on. He pushed the appointment  book at her and she was off and running.



***



Lars had gone back to tattooing, and the phone had stopped ringing, so  Faith had taken it upon herself to sweep up a bit. She'd tried to ask  Lars what else he needed but he kept getting that look on his face, like  he couldn't understand why she kept speaking to him.

When there was nothing left to sweep, she tried to straighten up the  shop. It wasn't a complete mess but it was far from organized. She moved  around and tried to group similar things together.

Every so often she'd feel his eyes on her, watching. He probably thought  she was going to mess something up, so she was careful not to do  anything drastic. But she needed him to think she was useful. If she  could keep the place running smoothly, he'd keep paying her, and it  would buy her some time to figure out a plan.

It was crazy how much relief she felt at having some purpose, even if  according to Lars it was to answer the phone and kick people out.  Anything to keep her mind off her life as it was now. Her family,  career, everything gone. She'd just started to figure out who she was,  build something to be proud of, and it was gone. The biggest question  she had was how do you rebuild a life when you aren't a person anymore?  It wasn't like she'd got divorced or moved to a new city. She had no  past. As far as the majority of the world was concerned, she didn't  exist.                       
       
           



       

But with money, she had options. She had no idea how much Lars would pay  her but it was a beginning. Without an ID, she couldn't even serve up  fries at a local fast food joint. She'd had zero options before but now  she did. People bought fake IDs all the time. She'd save and buy herself  a new life.

When she did, it would be one far away from Seattle and the memories of  what she'd lost. There were too many friends there she couldn't talk to  anymore because, well, unfortunately they all thought she was dead.  Nervous laughter threatened to burst from her and she covered her mouth,  trying to hold it back. She didn't want to explain to Lars why she was  hysterically giggling but it was either that or cry.

Out of some morbid curiosity, she'd looked up her obituary this morning  on the phone Angus had given her. She'd known it was going to be there  but she still had to see it. The part that had bothered her the most was  the "Survived by her brother," part. At least her parents weren't alive  anymore. She'd lost her mother to cancer when she was ten and her  father in a car accident when she'd been nineteen. Her brother had  turned eighteen only the month before.

Her brother was tough though, even as a kid. He'd be okay. Maybe, at  some point, she could reach out to him, explain what had happened. But  not now, not until she got her own phone that she knew no one could  track.

Screams startled her and she dropped the boxes of gloves she'd been  piling up. She looked to the window and saw a gang of people fighting  across the street.

"Lars, we have to call the police," she said and looked over to where he was finishing up with a client.

He looked up and at the window. "Why would we do that?" he said, completely unfazed.

"There's a gang fight across the street." The front of the shop was all windows. He must be able to see what was going on.

"Can I go out the back?" the client asked.

"Yeah, sure," Lars responded, neither of them seeming overly concerned.

Faith ran over to the phone and dialed nine-one-one. Lars saw her and  shrugged as the client threw his shirt back on. She watched the guy  leave through the back exit while she wondered why the phone just kept  ringing.

Lars walked over to the window as she continued waiting.

He leaned a hand on the wall as he watched the fight but then spoke to  her. "They aren't going to answer, no matter how long you wait."

"Why not?"

She thought about how many times it had rung and realized he was right.  If they hadn't picked up by now, they probably weren't going to. She put  the phone back on the cradle and stared at it for a second longer  before she got her mind to give up on the police.

She walked back over to where he stood, watching the fight that was  still in full swing, minus a few combatants who were lying unconscious  on the ground. The sight made her fidgety but he was leaning against the  wall still, not a tense muscle to be found. "Doesn't this bother you?"

He pointed out the window. "As long as they kill each other on that side of the sidewalk, nope."

"Why?"

He looked at her as if it was obvious but then explained. "Because from  the sidewalk in is my land. Nobody fucks around on my land."

She nodded, deciding to let that conversation go for now. "And this is  all because of Malokin?" she asked, even as she got the distinct  impression Lars wasn't in the mood to speak. Or hear her speak? She  wasn't sure which.

"Yes."

"But how?"

"We don't know how it works exactly, but his presence here is making  people angrier. They aren't in their right minds anymore. Not all of the  humans but enough to cause utter chaos."

"So him simply existing spreads anger?"