Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,138

my cheek as her wide eyes searched my face. “Are you okay?” she asked. There was an ache to her voice as if she already knew the answer to her question. “Sofie told me what happened.”

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. Her head rested against my shoulder with her face pressed against my neck. “I’m okay,” I whispered. We stood that way for several seconds, barely breathing. I could have stayed like that forever, but time was slipping away from me and things needed to be said.

Stepping back, I leaned against the counter in the tattooing room. “I have one client coming in today and I’ll be with him for several hours. I’ve canceled all my other appointments, but could you tell everyone else that I’m not in today?”

She nodded, worry starting to fill her face.

“I don’t think the Towers are going to strike here, but I’ve taken precautions in case. I’ve got spells in place for warnings. If they come, I need you to do as I say when I say it without question. Can you?”

“I can,” she agreed, far too easily for Trixie. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“With the Towers, no,” I said with a shake of my head. “But you can finish things with the Summer Court for me. Someone is supposed to visit with the queen and king today. She should fix the baby problem. You will need to tattoo them when it’s over.”

“Who is visiting?”

“Gaia.”

Trixie’s face brightened and her mouth formed a silent O in surprise. “You spoke to her?”

“Yes. It was an . . . interesting experience.” A swell of longing rose with the memory of my time in Gaia’s garden, threatening to choke me. It hurt to think about the place I had walked away from—that perfect place where I fit. The place that held my son. But if I had stayed, I would have never looked down on Trixie’s smile again and I didn’t want to face a world devoid of that beautiful sight.

“She’s agreed to help, but you need to make sure everything is mended with the king and queen. You won’t be hunted any longer.”

She leaned into me, grabbing me in a fierce hug. “Thank you, Gage!”

The little bell on the front door sounded, indicating that someone had come into the shop, and Trixie moved away from me. She started to go to the lobby, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her. I had already seen the person on the monitor, and I had been expecting him.

“I’ve got it,” I said as I walked past her. I paused before the entrance and cleared my throat, pushing back the lump while wiping my face clean of worry and sadness. Stepping into the lobby, I pushed a grim smile on my lips as I looked at my brother, Robert.

“You ready for this?” I asked, drawing his gaze to me. He was looking haggard. His eyes were underlined with dark shadows and his cheeks were hollowed out as if he’d been eaten away by worry.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” His voice was rough and low as he looked over the shop, searching for some hidden assassin. “I haven’t heard from Reave in a while, but I’m guessing that plans haven’t changed. I need to make the delivery tomorrow.”

“Good. Let’s go.” I turned and he followed me wordlessly to the back room, where I had made all my preparations. I closed and locked the door behind him then set a spell over it to ward against anyone trying to come through with magical means.

Robert slipped off his jacket and tossed it over a spare chair in the corner while I grabbed a piece of paper and pencil. “Give me your driver’s license. I need to make a record for TAPSS,” I said.

He crossed his arms over his thick chest and glared at me. “Reave said no records.”

“I have to put down who I tattoo. I just won’t put down what I really did,” I said.

When he grudgingly handed me his wallet, I handed him a piece of blank paper and pencil. “While I’m doing this, I need you to write down the coordinates. I’ll turn them into code from that.”

We worked in silence for several moments before he handed me back the paper. I didn’t give him his wallet. A quick glance revealed that the coordinates were genuine. I didn’t know the actual coordinates like Robert did, but there was a resonance in those numbers. Something in