Why didn’t I believe her?
16
Art
The muffled buzzing sound of the tattoo gun echoing off the walls in Human Canvas was home to me. I might be a biker, but art was my calling.
But nothing compared to the state of nirvana I’d been in after spending the afternoon with Eve. Finally, she was mine.
While I was seated on a stool behind the counter in the lobby, Karma powerwalked out of the back. Everything she did was forceful. The woman had a rough edge to her. From what I knew, which wasn’t much, Cobra had done her wrong a long time ago. It was unfortunate for the poor bastard because Karma wasn’t the forgiving type. I doubted she’d ever give Cobra a second chance. It was his loss because she was a beauty.
“What are you doing here?” Her brash tone made the customer’s eyebrows shoot up. It didn’t affect me. I’d gotten used to her snippy responses and resting bitch face a long time ago.
“Got somethings to discuss with you.”
She took the money from the dude and printed out a receipt. “Doug, if you’re late next time, I’m canceling your appointment. Don’t bother entering the building if you’re one second late.”
There was that rough edge.
“I won’t be late. I promise.” Doug rushed out like his pants were on fire.
Karma turned toward me with a don’t-fuck-with-me expression. “Make this talk quick. I need to get home to Nova.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s better. Two-day flu is all. So what? Talk.” She braided her hair as she leaned against the counter.
“Did something happen today?” She was more prickly than usual.
“Are you kidding? The only time I’m this bitchy is when Cobra inserts himself into my life like he has some right to do so. I wish that man would give up already.”
“What’d he do now?” The poor fucker only needed to breathe to get on Karma’s nerves.
“He called on the business phone. I swear he lives to annoy the shit out of me.” She rolled her eyes. “I stopped answering the phone after the third call and let everything go to voicemail.”
“So, what did he want?”
“Do you really want to get sucked into my drama? Jaynee calls me every night to see if anything new happened with Abe. We’re like a ten-car pile-up drivers can’t help but rubberneck to see the horror as they go by.”
I snorted at her example. “Drama and grit sell. But if he’s your kid’s dad, he should know.”
The vibe in the parlor darkened as Karma squared her shoulders and stepped toward me. “Watch it, Art. I don’t interfere in your life. Keep out of mine.”
“I’m just saying—”
She raised her hand. “I don’t want to hear it. What did you need to talk to me about? If you’re just being nosy about Abe, I’m leaving.”
I appreciated Eve’s sweetness more than ever before.
Cobra must’ve had a few screws loose for wanting Karma so desperately. She might’ve been a beautiful and talented tattooist, but the sharp-tongued woman had deadly, razor-sharp edges. She was way too much for the average man.
“I’m gonna need you to run the parlor for a while. I’ll be in The Cities helping the Vipers.”
“Since when did the Knights turn into humanitarians? Y’all are getting soft. Abe and his brothers would never assist the enemy in anything more than digging their graves before they slaughtered them.”
“This is different.” I couldn’t go into detail, but the Minnesota Knights had “slaughtered” plenty of menaces over the past couple of years, Dirty Hunters, a deputy and a drug kingpin, and more recently a dozen Vipers.
Karma picked at her black nail polish. Today she didn’t have henna designs on her hands. “I get Matt had a different vision for his chapter, which is fine, just don’t look weak.”