Page 13 of Triple Trouble

“Can you pull your top up?” Jackson asked. The sleeveless top she was wearing completely covered the phoenix.

Emma complied and Jackson gently touched the ink.

“It looks like it’s healing well,” he said. Her skin was red but not bleeding, and the black lines were as vivid as they would have been when Jackson first did them.

“It looks good,” I agreed when she frowned.

Emma looked back in the direction of the street, even though all she could see was the curtain.

“Oh,” she said. “I guess it must be okay, then.”

“Glad we could help,” I said. “Don’t be afraid to come in if anything changes, but right now, it’s healing fine.”

I slid the curtain open, and Emma flinched and darted behind the shelving unit, breathing heavily.

Jackson’s eyes met mine, and we both looked out the window. There was a man out there, on the sidewalk, and he peered into our shopfront with his hands cupped around his eyes to block out the sun. He looked normal enough — in his mid-twenties with dark hair, wearing a red hoodie and jeans. But the sight of him made Emma tremble visibly.

Maybe I was wrong, but I was willing to bet her tattoo hadn’t been bothering her much at all. I’d put my money on this guy, instead.

“Has he been giving you trouble?” I asked.

Emma made a wounded noise and gave a tiny nod.

I walked out of the shop like I meant business and drew myself up to my full height. At six foot four, I intimidated most people. And I wanted this guy tocowerwith fear. My shadow fell over his legs and he stared at me with fear in his eyes.

“What’s your problem?” I growled in my deepest voice. I wouldn’t have spoken to a potential customer like that, but it was clear this guy wasn’t here for a tattoo. “You wanna stop loitering around my shop?”

The guy looked like he was about to shit himself, but then something in his expression changed and he stared at me defiantly.

“The sidewalk’s public space. Go fuck yourself.”

He was trying to be tough, but the subtle upward inflection in his voice told me how uncertain he was. He had one foot turned away, ready to run.

I grunted. Of course, he was scared — only a coward would go out of his way to make a woman like Emma feel unsafe. I wanted to punch his lights out, but instead, I took a step forward, covering his entire body with my shadow.

“Leave. Now. Or I’ll flatten you.”

The guy was torn between fighting back and fleeing. Fear flashed across his face and he glanced into the shop, but he couldn’t see Emma where she was hiding.

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth, and turned to walk down the sidewalk, spitting on the concrete as he reached the intersection. It was disgusting, but I ignored it. At least he was gone.

When I went back into the shop, Emma was in the kitchen with Jackson. He’d given her a steaming cup of hot chocolate, but she hadn’t touched it.

“Who was that joker?” I asked as I sat next to her. The table was small and my knee almost touched hers, but she didn’t move away.

“My ex,” she said. “Nathan. We broke up three weeks ago, but he’s been sending me threatening messages. And today, he followed me while I was driving.” She leaned back against the wall — she looked exhausted. “I didn’t want him to follow me home, and I wasn’t sure where else to go.”

I looked at Jackson, and from the worried expression on his face, I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was. This girl was in trouble.

“You don’t have anyone else?”

Emma shook her head.

“My mom died when I was eighteen. My dad was never in the picture. I had a lot of friends when I was at school, but I lost touch with most of them while I was with Nathan.” She sighed. “I reconnected with Cora, the girl I live with, a few weeks ago.”

I frowned.

“I don’t like the sound of this guy,” I said.

---