Friends. Allies. Lovers?
Jackson Freeling lost his sense of purpose when he left the marines. Lissa McLaughlin gave him a new one: protecting a man with the ability to forge weapons from his tattoos. Together, they defend the innocent from the criminals vying for control of their cityâs drug trade.
Lissa inked those tattoos. After watching her friend risk losing a piece of himself every time he used his powers, she decided to suppress her own strange gift. But, without quite understanding how, she has given Jackson a tattoo that lets him become invisibleâ¦.
While Jackson and Lissa do their best to save their ally, they also fight the growing passion between them. Everyone they care about is in danger. And they have to decide whether their feelings for each other are a strength or a deadly weakness.
With this sequel, Misty Simon continues the bewitching tale she began with her urban fantasy debut, Wicked Ink.
Chapter One
âSo, this investor guyâ¦â Jackson Freeling let the sentence trail off as he tried for the twentieth time in five minutes to get comfortable.
âWould you please stop squirming? Iâm going to nick you with the tattoo gun and you will not be happy. I guarantee it.â
While Lissa McLaughlin continued to set up her instruments of torture, Jackson repositioned himself again in the old barberâs chair. Lissa had gone all out in preparation for opening her first tattoo parlor. Sheâd worked in other peopleâs establishments for years, so when sheâd made noise about setting up shop for herself, it had been his bright idea to recommend that she move back to her old hometown to do it so that sheâd be close to him and Garrett. Which was why sheâd offered to give him the inaugural tattoo at her new shop, Wicked Ink. He only had himself to blame. But it felt good to have her back in town. He hadnât seen her in a long time.
While Jackson certainly trusted Lissa with that gun of hers, he hadnât been inked in almost twenty years. Not since Lissa gave him his first mark right before he went into the militaryâthe standard United States Marine Corps insignia with the eagle, the world and the anchor. Over his decade in the service, heâd watched all of his buddies smack girlsâ names on their biceps and American flags on their chests, but heâd never been tempted to go back for round two. His best friend, Garrett Blackwell, local unsung superhero, had a ton of tattoos and had been trying to talk him into getting another one for the past five years. Even that hadnât changed his mind. Hell, he had enough battle scars.
But then Lissa had called him, sounding so excited, and offered to give him this tat as a giftâone that would get Wicked Ink off to a good start.⦠And even though his brain had wanted him to say no, his mouth had said yes. Saying no to this woman had never been easy for him.
And so here he was, trying hard not to be a wimp. Getting a tattoo wasnât any worse than pulling shrapnel out of his ass, but it wasnât going to be a massage, either. He remembered that much.
Why hadnât she answered his question yet?
âThe investor guy,â he prompted again.
âHis name is Cameron DiMaggio and heâs a perfectly nice man. He contacted me after I went to the bank for a loan. I couldnât get the whole thing financed and the loan officer asked if he could give my name to a new investor in the area. Of course I wasnât going to say no. Youâll meet him at my grand opening tomorrow night, you nervous Nellie.â She paused and he held his breath as the low-level buzz of the tattoo gun filled the small shop before it suddenly cut off. âJust making sure everything works. Now, hold still while I shave the area. Your skin will have to be smooth for the transfer to work.â
He immediately jerked in the chair. âWait, hold on. What transfer? We didnât talk about me getting one of your âspecialâ tats, Lissa.â
She threw back her head and laughed, making her button-down shirt pull tight across her chest. He forced his eyes to find something else to focus on. Still, he couldnât help but notice how incredibly smooth and graceful her neck was when she arched back to let out the full throaty sound. Just because he hadnât seen her in years didnât mean he hadnât thought of her. She was the one whoâd gotten away. Actually, the one heâd never pursued. By the time she was old enough, heâd been put on Garrett-watch. Helping his buddy turn his life around had been a full-time job at first.
Shaking his head like a dog wouldnât get the traitorous thoughts to go awayâbesides sheâd just yell at him for movingâso he closed his eyes and willed himself to think of something else. It had worked for years, but for some reason it wasnât working today. Well, shit.