The Harder He Falls: 2 (So Inked) Read Online Free PDF Page B

snapped with more venom than Quin’s teasing warranted. Mary continued to sit in silence as she typically did. She was like that, using her silence to wear you down until you told her everything. Kellie sighed and turned back to clean her station. “I’m cranky. I need a new gym but I don’t have time to go. I’m just frustrated.” And Quin had taken the brunt of that. Now who was the jerk?
    The wood table creaked as Mary pushed off the edge. Her patent-leather heels squeaked as she pivoted and stepped up behind Kellie, who flopped back in her chair and rolled her head forward. Mary answered the silent plea and began slowly kneading her shoulders and neck.
    “You need to work out this tension. It’s not good for you.”
    Kellie sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
    A shrill phone she didn’t recognize rang, interrupting the impromptu massage. She glanced around and found the source of the ringing. Quin’s phone lay on the counter.
    * * * * *
     
    “Sorry I’m late, Kellie.” Natalie popped out of her Toyota, more than a little frazzled.
    “Hey, Nat. Festive scrubs.” Kellie met the nurse halfway between their vehicles and gave her a hug. Sometimes it felt as if Natalie were family. She spent about as much time in Kellie’s house as she did.
    Natalie glanced down at the reindeer print and laughed. “They were clean. I can’t wait for this move to be over and I know where all my stuff is. How’s she doing?”
    “Good. I gave her lunch and meds half an hour ago, so she should be pretty happy.”
    “Awesome. Do you need a hand?” She gestured at the back of Kellie’s Cube, full of soft drinks and a bulging garment bag.
    “No, this is the last of it. Remind me again how late you’re here for? Sorry, rough couple of days.” She scrubbed a hand over her forehead, swiping away the light sheen of sweat that had begun to gather along her hairline.
    “I’m here until three.” Natalie winked at her. “Don’t have too much fun.”
    Kellie chuckled and slammed the door shut. “I’ll try not to.”
    They said their goodbyes, and for the first time since the week prior, she left knowing Grandma was in good hands. She popped in a CD, slid the sunroof back and headed for So Inked.
    All too soon she took the exit for Greenville Avenue. The trendy street looked a little faded and sad in the searing afternoon heat, but then again it was hard to be upbeat when the thermometer was over the one hundred degree mark. The dog days of summer were gnawing her ankles.
    She turned down a side street and pulled the Cube into an alley. The old So Inked shop had burned to the ground, courtesy of a truly psychotic man who had stalked Pandora. Insurance and the best landlord they could’ve asked for allowed them to move the shop down the street to an unoccupied space in a different strip mall, putting them directly in the middle of some of the busiest foot traffic in the area.
    And today was their grand opening.
    She pulled in next to Mary’s refurbished classic De Ville and gathered her bag. She headed for the back door to the shop and pulled it open to a yipping dog and Mary’s rapid-fire Spanish. Kellie breathed a sigh of relief.
    It was nice to be home. They might be in a different building, and all of the equipment might have changed, but nothing could destroy the So Inked spirit, as long as her girls were working under one roof. Now if she only knew where Autumn was.
    The back emergency exit had a direct line of sight to the front doors. A single bulb floating inside a mason jar lit the hall. To her left were the office and a storage room. To her right were the bathroom and a private room to do piercings and more sensitive tattoos. The walls had been painted a dark crimson. Gaudy gold frames hung at intervals, each featuring paintings they’d done for the purpose of decorating the new shop.
    Their last attempt at decorating had been to use all of Pandora’s artwork, but Mary wanted to showcase their variety at the new location.