Page 59 of Rox

I smile at him because it’s the only thing that feels natural. Something about what he said calms my nerves at the same time as spiking my worry.

“I’m sorry it’s been rough. I’d ask you what’s going on, but something tells me that that isn’t something you’re ready to discuss.”

“No, I’m not. But I appreciate the acknowledgment.”

Trying to get any bit of information as I can, I take a new tactic. “There are a lot of people that would like to work at Angel’s shop.”

“Trust me, I know. I would love to work with him, but I know he isn’t taking any new artists. I’ll find my place eventually. Like I said, it’s not my top priority right now. But hey, my neighbor told me about you, and to be frank, you’re just as good, in my opinion.” He winks at me, and it causes a shiver to go through my system.

“I’ve been at this, professionally, for less than a year. I doubt that I made a name for myself in that short time. I mean, I was cleaning bathrooms for the first while.” I give myself a self-deprecating laugh.

“Don’t sell yourself short. Your connection to Angel helps, yes, but the rave reviews from my neighbor sold the deal. The work you did on him is incredible. When he told me about your training, I knew I needed to check you out and see what the hype was about. Some artists can only do one type of style. You’ve allowed yourself to mold so many different techniques into your own form. It’s an incredible talent you have, Roxie. Truly.”

The way he speaks, it’s like he was more excited to meet me and work with me than he was Angel.

I’m not sure what I should say or do, but I’m positive that what I decide isn’t the correct answer. “So you moved here because you had to, but won’t say what the why for is. Then you try to stroke my ego by claiming your desire to be inked by meover Angel. Claiming you know others who have gotten done by me, but I doubt it because I haven’t worked on many. What the hell are you really doing here, Mark?”

Don’t ask me why I decided to be a total bitch to the man who’s tried to kill me. I can’t say. I’m sure I’ll think of a reason when I wake up dead.

“You know what, I’m gonna go. I came to you because Percy wouldn’t stop raving about you. Sure, the Angel thing is a bonus, but I wanted the art you could provide. I’ve got shit going on in my life that I can’t explain—”

“—That’s not suspicious at all. Please, continue.”

Mark lets out a long breath as he looks down at the ground, shaking his head in disappointment. “I don’t know what made you go from zero to one hundred, but I’m sorry for whatever I did or said to cause it. You don’t have to believe me about my reasons, and you’re entitled to think they’re suspicious, but I’m not going to argue with you.”

“I wasn’t planning on continuing the conversation anyway.”

I pull open the door and make my way back inside. I’m a couple of steps past the threshold when it occurs to me that I didn’t hear the door close. My panic causes my body to freeze, and it’s the last thing I remember before my world goes black.

Twenty Nine

Mimic

Knuckles is clicking away like a madman. Every time something doesn’t give him the answer he wants, he curses. I’m not sure what he’s doing or how he’s checking everything, but I can’t look at his screens anymore.

There are cameras, but what none of us realized was the amount of fucking blind spots they have. We missed something in our security sweep, or someone moved them.

I can’t help but beat myself up over it. We did our original sweep but should have done another. We should have put in new cameras that moved depending on motion. Something. Anything. Instead, we have footage that’s fucking useless.

“The huffing and puffing behind me isn’t helping the pressure I’m already under.” Knuckles snaps at me.

“Sorry if making sure you can find her is putting undo pressure on you.” I snark right back at him.

“Dude, your Prez and mine are already going to bury my ass if I can’t find her. You don’t scare me as much as you annoy menow.” I finally turn to snap at him when something in the corner of the screen catches my eye.

“Wait!” I grab the back of his chair. “Rewind this screen!” I point at the one that shows the front of the shop. He grumbles under his breath, but he does what I asked. “There, I know that van! I’ve seen that van!” I practically scream.

Knuckles hunches from the assault on his eardrums, but I don’t have a single fuck to give at the moment.

“Where? Who drives it?”

“I don’t know, but it’s the same one I saw speeding away from Rox’s house the night of the fire. I couldn’t go after them then, but I’m positive it’s the same person.”

“It has to be Mark, right?” Dizz asks.

An enormous amount of guilt crashes over me yet again. If I had just gone after the person that night, Rox wouldn’t have been taken.

All of this could have been prevented had I just protected her better in the first fucking place.

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