Runaway Devil

“This place is awesome,” Issac said as he shoved his car keys into his pocket. Jerry, Ben, and Issac all followed Bethany and me into the shop, Balan bringing up the rear. As Bethany was getting her things settled in, I opened the door for the three boys.

“There are couches over there if you want to sit, but there’s a bunch of cool stuff to look at, so feel free to explore,” I said as I walked to the front desk. I looked at our schedule for the day and we had an opening later, just enough time for a consultation. “There’s a slot later that y’all can take, and you can meet with,” I paused and typed in some names, checking their workload. “Nick, he’ll be here in about a half-hour.” Ben nodded with an eager glint in his eye. I checked my own schedule, noting who had an appointment with me that day. Just as I was walking out from behind the counter, Joel and his daughter walked in. He was a marine who had recently gotten back from his second tour in Iraq. He was tall and thick, looming over me at 6′3”.

His daughter, Sophie, was almost two years old. I grinned as she squealed happily and ran up to me. I chuckled and lifted her, balancing her on my hip. “Kitty!” She never called me Kara, the letter 'r' hadn't made an appearance in her lexicon yet.

“Hey, babe! What have you been up to?” She wrapped her pudgy arms around my neck and nuzzled my cheek.

“Nuffin,” She giggled and I smiled at Joel. He was huge, more like a mountain than a man. He had broad shoulders and a full beard that he was master at maintaining.

“Hey hun, I haven’t seen you in a while,” He smiled warmly at me, giving me a half hug. His voice was warm and deep, with a considerable amount of gruff. He smelled of masculine spice and smoke.

“How long have you been back?” Sophie began bouncing on my hip and squeaked when she saw Balan.

“Baba!” She squirmed out of my arms, and I just managed to get her on the ground before she had fallen. When she first met Balan, she could only call him Baba, and it stuck. She wobbled over to him, who happily sat by the door, panting. Her face met his chin while he was sitting, which gave him a perfect chin rest. She ran right into him and wrapped her little arms around his neck, giggling. He remained neutral, looking as stoic as he could with a two-year-old using him as a jungle gym.

Joel chuckled, “I’ve been back for a couple of weeks. Just getting settled, you know.” He shrugged and folded his arms across his chest. “Stitch said you’d be in today, so I made sure to book you.” His smile was almost fatherly and one couldn’t help but return it.

“Well I’m glad you’re back home,” I said. “I’ll be ready in just a minute.” He nodded and told Sophie to behave herself, to which she just nodded emphatically. “I’m going to go get set up with my first client, I will not be available for a while, probably about five hours,” I said to Ben, Issac, and Jerry. All of their eyes widened and looked to Joel. “Big canvas.” They all nodded and got comfortable.

“Alright, you ready?” Joel was laying on his stomach on the adjustable chair, and Sophie was lounging with Balan in the corner.

“Fire away, baby girl,” I smiled at the endearment, and began.

“Okay, you’re just about done for the day,” I set my machine down and stretched my back. Sophie had fallen asleep, and Balan was her pillow. Or rather her whole bed. He was lounging, right where I had left him, he was settled in, with Sophie laying face down across his back. Joel groaned as he got up, stretching his arms around his chest. I had started to cover some of his ink and handed him some lotion that was safe to use.

I disposed of my gloves and packed away the rest of the ink. Joel rubbed his face and grunted. I approached Sophie and rubbed her back gently. “Hey, honey, it’s time to get up,” My voice was quiet and she whimpered in response. I smiled and picked her up, her cheek resting on my shoulder, and her arms tucked in between my chest and hers. Joel smiled at us and picked up his shirt, slowly putting it on.

“She really loves you,” He said, his voice full of timber. I smiled and rubbed her back. I could feel some drool on my shoulder and ignored it, I would rather her be comfortable.

“I could say the same for you. She’s a daddy’s girl, no doubt,” He smiled and looked at his daughter with a love that I was unfamiliar with. I had never seen it in the eyes of anyone looking at me. Maybe Dusty. The melancholy snuck up on me, but once I felt it, it was there to stay. “Come on, I’ll get you set up with your next appointment.” I nudged Balan with my foot gently and his head perked up. His ears were alert and eyes sharp. I started down the hall, back to the front.

Balan stood with me behind the desk, while Joel took Sophie. I quickly set him up with an appointment to get another chunk of the piece done. “It looks like we can get this thing done with just two more sessions,” I said happily.

“Sweet, I’m looking forward to it,” He smiled and nodded, on his way out.

“And you know the drill, take care of it, or I’ll kick your ass, buddy. Get Maria to help you if you have to,” He chuckled and nodded. Maria was his wife and has been for about seven years, she was a sweet woman. She was kind and warm, but tough enough to handle Joel. She was a good person, and I enjoyed spending time with them, and I especially loved their barbecues. They always let me bring Balan, and I would always sneak him some meat. Joel was one hell of a cook, just thinking about it had my mouth watering.

“Hey Kara,” Stitch called with his raspy voice from across the room. I looked up and he had a smile practically splitting his face.

“Hey, what’s up,”

“Did you bring those boys in earlier? The ones from high school?” I nodded.

“Yeah, I hope that’s okay, They wanted some ink so I thought-”

He cut me off with a chuckle, “It’s awesome. We need business, hon. I was going to say a good job,” I smiled up at him, appreciative of the recognition. “They left a couple of hours ago, to go grab some food, I think. They said they would be back though, to see you when you finished up,” Balan nudged my hand with his muzzle, nipping at my fingertips. “I’ll catch you later,” He grasped my shoulder and squeezed lightly, heading back into his office, probably to deal with some paperwork. but before he stepped into his office his voice carried down the hall, “And next time Joel stops by, tell me. I need to catch up with him.”

Balan's ears perked up as he let out a small growl. I peered through the front of the shop, where Balan was looking intently. Dante and his boys were walking around the block, and they didn’t look happy. They were a local gang that was always around, but they usually stayed out of our business. They were headed straight for the shop, and I could tell they didn’t just want to hang out. Balan puffed out his chest and took a wider stance, sensing the danger.

I looked around the shop, and Nick, who was behind the counter, saw them too. “Go tell Stitch.” He was about to protest but the look in my eyes advised him otherwise. I took a deep breath and slowly walked outside with Balan by my side. I looked at Dante, our eyes met, and I pulled out a cigarette. I lit it and took a deep inhale.

“Kara!” His voice was deep and rough, it reminded me of an unleashed dangerous dog. Like a dog who was bred to fight.

“Hey, Dante, what’s up?” I was casual, hoping to keep calm.

“I heard y’all refused to see my sister,” He crossed his arms and his crowd blocked me in. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Look, Dante, she’s fifteen. We can’t tattoo her or even give her a consultation. We just can’t,” Balan was calm and knew how to read a situation. He could see that they had us surrounded, and he knew that it didn’t look good. Dante had a temper, one that could get people killed, and it had in the past.

“I don’t understand how you could have all this ink, you obviously had this shit for a while. And how old are you? Eighteen?” His voice was a growl, and he took another step towards me.

“Hey, back off.” I sneered. He pulled his gun out from his pants and pressed it against my abdomen, stepping in real close. I looked down at his shoes, aware of every single person and their position around me. It would only take a slight movement to spook him, and then it would get messy.

“You’re pretty, it would be a real shame if you got all scraped up.” His breath smelled like stale beer and old weed. Balan knew my signal, and he knew that if I wanted I could handle this myself. He was just there in case I needed him. In the human realm, Balan stepping in would be a last resort. Humans had strict rules about dogs maiming and or killing people. “I’m not gonna ask again. She wants to be one of us, she needs the ink for it to be real,” I said nothing and did nothing, just let my cigarette burn.

“We don’t want any trouble.”

“Well, you have it now,” He sneered right next to my face. Just as his tongue slid between his lips, undoubtedly to lick my face, I jammed my cigarette into his eye. He dropped his gun and backpedaled with a shriek. A number of his men reached for their weapons, but before any of them could fully draw, I had Dante by the neck. I had him in front of me, arm twisted back, a human shield. My palm pressed against his windpipe, holding him immobile.

“What’s your next move, Dante?” He could only make a whimpering gurgle. “I don’t give a shit if you come after me. But stay the fuck away from this shop, and everyone in it.” I growled in his ear. Nobody had moved, and the gun was still on the ground between me and them. I nodded towards it. “Pick up the gun.” One of his younger followers tentatively stepped forward, holding it in trembling hands. Dante thrashed, hoping he could break free but to no avail. His movements only made his joints strain against his awkward position. I grit my teeth and doubled down on his arm. He cried out when I heard a positively satisfying CRACK. His crowd flinched and some looked pale as they saw the stark white of his bone poking out through his skin.

I pushed him forward, and a couple of people caught him but avoided his useless, swinging arm. “Get the fuck out of here.” I was angry that I couldn’t do more. I would do anything just to kill a few. The thought made my gums itch. I ran my tongue over my tingling teeth and growled.

"Watch yourself, Kara. We'll be coming." Dante said in a low, gruff voice. I just looked him in the eye and met the challenge with my own.

Just as they had turned the corner down the block, I felt eyes on me. Ben, Issac, and Jerry were starring, their mouths ajar, with smoothies slipping from their loose hands.