Razor's Mark: (Marked Book 1)

by Gracie Meadows

  “Shit.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So now they need to make sure no one finds out about them selling to terrorists.” He knew it was fucked up shit. What the hell was he going to do? He was a simple tattoo artist and not some brain; he had more street smarts than book smarts. “Alright. Well, we’ll figure something out. Right now we eat.”

  “Just like that.”

  “Yup.”

  “You don’t like to explain things, do you?” she asked him.

  “Nope.”

  “I have a feeling you are going to annoy me to death.”

  “I don’t doubt it, kitten.” Her annoyed groan only made him smile. At least someone could be as miserable as him about this situation.

  Chapter Four

  Razor watched as Faith picked at her food, realizing how upset she was. It was a hell of a lot of information to take in and keep to yourself, let alone make sure no one knew she had it.

  “Eat,” he commanded. Razor already knew he sounded like an ass, but it was him. He didn’t change for anyone. Plus he knew she needed to eat; she looked as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “Bullshit. When was the last time you ate?”

  “Don’t call BS on me. I know my body and if I’m hungry or not. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Come on, kitten; right now everything about you is my business. Now when was the last time you ate?”

  “Arg, I don’t know. John pulled me out of the rabbit hole about three days before he showed me the information.”

  “Rabbit hole? What the fuck is that?”

  “It’s kinda hard to explain, but it’s like we get stuck on something, and our mind goes fully into a project. We tend to forget to eat, shower, normal things people should do. Almost like a trance. But we call it going down the rabbit hole because we lose all sense of reality.”

  “Wow. That sounds…”

  “Like what?” she snapped.

  “Fucked up. What happens if you don’t come out of this hole?”

  “Normally dehydration, hospitalization, and so on.”

  “How long?”

  “Huh?”

  “How long were you gone?”

  “Oh, a while.”

  “That would mean what?”

  “Arg, you’re a nosy ass, you know that.”

  “Yes, now how long?”

  “Four days.”

  “Four days? Shit, no wonder you look like you need a Snickers.”

  “I do not. I’m perfectly fine, I think. Hell, I don’t know anymore. I don’t want to talk about me,” she quipped, taking a long drink of her water.

  “Fine, then eat.” She looked at him as her mouth hung open. Raising a single eyebrow, he gave her a silent challenge, which she didn’t push. Growling, Faith took a large bite of her food. Before looking at him and smiling.

  “So tell me about yourself,” she asked. Damn, what is it with women and wanting to know about him.

  “Not much to tell.”

  “I doubt that. Okay, why do people call you Razor?”

  “Because.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “Yes, it is, just not one you want.”

  “Are you avoiding it for a reason?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Oh my goodness, you really are a pain.”

  “Yup, but at least I’m one who can keep your ass safe.” She quieted then. He finished his pizza, asking if she wanted more. It was close to seven at night and too early to go to sleep. He knew a game was on, so he clicked on the TV, trying to find the station.

  “Um…I have a question for you.” Raising his eyebrow, he waited for her to ask it. “Do you know where I will be sleeping?” Huh, that was a good question. He only had a one bedroom, so yeah. Looking at her, he could see the weariness coming over her.

  “You can have the bed.”

  “Oh…okay.” She lowered her head acting like she wanted to say more, but didn’t. “What?”

  “Oh, nothing, thank you.”

  “Just tell me,” he snapped. He hated mind games.

  “It’s just that…well, do you…maybe possibly…have any clean sheets?” Okay, he didn’t see that one coming. Standing up he went to his room leaned down and sniffed. Okay, well, they didn’t stink per se, but they could use a wash.

  “I have a spare set.” He went to his closet and pulled down some sheets tossing them to her. “Here ya go.” And he left her to grab another beer and watch the game.

  He heard her mumbling something under her breath. Hell, she wanted them changed, so she could do it herself. He wasn’t her maid. He said he would help her, but that didn’t mean he had to wait on her hand and foot. The only reason he was really doing it was because of Johnny. Sure the shit was fucked up, but it didn’t affect him, and he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the company.

  The sound of his door shutting to his room told him she didn’t want to be bothered, which was fine with him. He had a pillow and a small throw on the couch. Granted it wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but it was something. After drinking the rest of his beer, he had to take a leak. Standing, he stretched and went to the bathroom. After finishing his business, he spotted her in the kitchen. She had changed into some weird looking sweatpants and another oversized shirt. It made him wonder if she knew how to dress normal.

  “Got everything you need?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

  “Good. Well, I’m watching the game a little more then I’m turning in.”

  “Okay, I’m going to sleep now, if that’s okay,” she said quietly.

  “Yup.” He grabbed the carton of milk and took a drink.

  “Are you kidding me?” He stopped and looked at her.

  “What?” Okay, he was confused.

  “You drink from the container?”

  “Yeah, my milk, remember?”

  “I guess I will have to buy some later, or just drink water.”

  “Tough, kitten. Again, my house, my rules. But I’ll try to remember next time.” He felt a little bad about what he did, but shit, he wasn’t used to having people in his place. Hell, when he did get laid, he went to their place, less traffic for him.

  “Whatever.” And she stomped away. Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to the couch.

  *****

  Faith was on the verge of breaking. She was sad about John, frustrated about the situation, and angry at being stuck with a Neanderthal, who had the manners of a housefly. Damn, she hated this. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to climb into a hot bubble bath and soak away the world with a book, a glass of wine, and chocolate.

  She climbed into the bed she had to make herself because the ass wouldn’t help her. That, in itself, annoyed the hell out of her. She grabbed the laptop she’d brought with her. He didn’t have a secure network, so Faith made sure to avoid anything that could track her whereabouts. Opening the smaller files, she tried to figure out who to trust and give the information to. But first, she wanted to know how John died. She’d meant to ask Razor, but she had a feeling he would find a way not to answer her question, or he wouldn’t know what happened. He did say John had been killed, but what had they labeled it as? Did they expect him to have a funeral?

  So many questions ran through her head that she started to get dizzy. She never had enough answers. She needed to find a secure network tomorrow and try to gather more details. Then she could figure out who to go to and how to keep herself safe. She didn’t know what John was thinking having her go to his brother. He didn’t seem to know anything, and sure as heck didn’t know John very well.

  Looking at some different sites, she never pulled up her email. Shit, that made her wonder what she was going to do about work now. She’d dumped her phone, and if she called in sick, she would need a good reason. Huh, maybe she could use a payphone, if she could find one, to cal
l in sick. But then again, she couldn’t work for the company anymore. Not when they were doing what they were doing. For once in her life, Faith had no clue what she was going to do.

  Closing her computer, she laid down pulling the covers up and over her. Doing her best, she closed her eyes. When she woke next, it felt like it had been hours, but in reality, it was still dark out. She was thirsty and needed to use the bathroom. Getting out of bed, she listened at the door to see if Razor was still up. She heard a soft snore and knew she was fine. Tiptoeing to the kitchen, she found the cupboard with the glasses and grabbed the first one she saw. Going over to the sink, she filled it and took a large drink before topping it off again.

  As she started to walk back, she couldn’t help but notice Razor sleeping on his back. His arm was over his face, his chest bare, and he had on a pair of black boxers. The man was very fit, and definitely not like John. He was covered in tattoos on his chest, arms, and a few on his legs. One of his nipples was pierced, and he had a six-pack for God’s sake. Who actually looks like that? She could only imagine men like this from her books, and here was one in the flesh and blood. Trying not to ogle, she felt a blush creep over her as she stood a little longer than she should. He shifted, and she jumped afraid she woke him. He mumbled something in his sleep and went back to snoring.

  Walking as quietly as she could, she found the bed and climbed back in. Why do all the amazing looking men have to be asses or gay? Life just wasn’t fair. Sure, John was sexy in his own right, and she’d had a crush on him, but in the end, they were better as friends. She dated off and on, but they never went past coffee the next morning.

  Damn her ticking time clock, as her mother would have said.

  Closing her eyes, she tried forcing herself to go back to sleep, but it never came. However, she did manage to clean his room and dust before the sun came up. Today was totally going to suck!

  Chapter Five

  No matter what Razor did, he had a kink in his back. He should kick her out of his bed and make her sleep on the damn couch. But although he was a bit of an ass towards her, he couldn’t make her simply because she looked like she needed a lot more sleep than he did, plus he was closer to the door. Making coffee in his small pot, he waited. Clicking on the news, he was listening for anything to be reported that might be worthwhile. There was nothing about his brother’s murder, but then again, from what Faith had said, the news stations probably didn’t know about his death, and they never would.

  This made him wonder why they’d told him. Did they think he knew more than he let on? At the time, he hadn’t known anything, about, well anything. They’d asked him if his brother had any enemies, or was working on something sensitive. What really pissed him off was them asking if his brother owed anyone money, or did drugs. Johnny was as straight-laced as they came. No drugs, and he only drank occasionally, that he could remember. Then again, it had been a while since he’d seen him.

  The smell of the coffee woke his fogged brain up more, and he poured a cup before sitting down. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do today. He needed to work at some point, and possibly see what he could do with her. Faith seemed like a stuck up bitch, but the more she talked on the more he started to understand that her attitude was just a mask she put on.

  Someone must have done a number on her. Just from looking at her, he personally wasn’t into her. She was too clean. Hell, he’d bet she’d never even gotten a parking ticket or had an overdue book at the library. But she was pretty-ish. She could use several good meals, and maybe some clothes that fit. Maybe even someone who could look out for her, as it seemed like she didn’t care about outside appearances at all. But something told him that she was a whole lot more interesting inside that she showed on the outside. And damn it, if he didn’t want to find out what she was like just a little bit more, even if it was just to get to find out more about his brother. Obviously Johnny had meant something to her, which meant, she had to not be all bad. Not liking where his wandering mind was going, he drained his cup before pouring another. Looking up he spotted Faith walking toward him, like a woman on a mission. She had her hair up in that stupid ponytail again and some bags full of stuff.

  “What the hell is all that?” He pointed.

  “Trash and what I could only assume was dirty clothes. We need to find a washer.”

  “Say what?”

  “I cleaned.”

  “Cleaned? Like my room? Why the hell would you do that?”

  “I couldn’t sleep, and I needed something to do.”

  “Fuck,” he took off into his room and sure enough, she had cleaned. His bed was even made. He had room on his dresser and his closet looked clean as well. What the hell did she do?

  “It wasn’t that bad!”

  “Did you leave anything on the floor?” He had a weird system. The pile on the right needed washed; the pile on the left was good at least one more wear. Well, unless he forgot what pile was which.

  “Everything in these bags needs to be washed.” He kept looking, and she’d even organized his closet by sleeve length, then color. Who did that? His shoes were even lined up. Damn chick had issues. It wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be, but he didn’t like people messing with his shit.

  “You should’ve asked.”

  “I don’t know what your deal is, I just cleaned. So get the damn stick out of your ass.”

  “Kitten, you’re treading on thin ice. This is my shit. You don’t come into a man’s home and start doing whatever the hell you want. That is just asking to be spanked. I’m going to take a shower. Be ready to leave when I get out,” he snapped and turned. He couldn’t deal with her, right then. She’d started to show a backbone when she’d snapped at him. And damn he liked it. Hell, even the thought of seeing the librarian turned over his knee made his cock twitch with interest. Fuck, he really needed to stop thinking of her as more than a troublesome woman, who need his help.

  He didn’t mind a submissive type of woman, but only in bed. Any other time he liked someone who pissed him off and challenged him on his shit. Wait, what the hell was he thinking? He wasn’t into her, he couldn’t be, she wasn’t even close to his type, if he had one that was.

  Pissed, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his now clean and folded shirts in his drawers, and left the room without another agonizing glance around it. Once inside the bathroom, he showered, dressed, and was ready to go, like he told her. She too had changed into jeans, the same boring kind, and yet another ill-fitted shirt. He had to go to work and talk to the girls, about her. Sparkle would help him.

  “Ready?”

  “Sure, do you think…”

  “No, come on.” He walked out the door holding it open so she could step out. She went without a word, down the stairs, and to his bike, as he locked up. He needed to think about how to handle her. She was playing with his damn mind, and he didn’t like it.

  “Put it on.” Handing her the helmet, he swung his leg on and waited for her to climb behind him. Her heavy sigh made him smile. She was learning. Climbing behind him, he waited for her to wrap her arms around him again. She seemed hesitant to do so. Once she touched him, he took her arms and pulled tight, making her squeak and smashed against his back. That did make him chuckle.

  “Hold on tight.” Turning the key, his baby purred to life. It was a nice day out, and a drive might be just what he needed to clear his mind. Hitting the throttle, he took off letting the warm wind hit his face. It felt great, and Faith seemed to mold into his back the more he rode. The vibration from his bike had a soothing effect on just about everyone.

  He didn’t head right to the shop, as he needed to figure out what to tell Sparkle. She understood shit with the red tape and cover-ups. She might be a smokin’ hot woman but she loved conspiracy theories, and this one was a whopper. The truth, but without names, would work, and they could find a way to keep her in the back until he got this solved. He didn’t want to have to babysit a wom
an, especially one who annoyed the crap out of him, and intrigued him all within one breath.

  He didn’t even know if the threat was real, and if it was, what would they actually do to her? He knew thugs and shit like that, but government crap and military undercover OPs were not his thing.

  Getting this done and getting Faith out of his life and out of his mind was his motivation for turning around and going to the shop. Pulling in the back, he parked in the spots for the artists. He waited for Faith to climb off before he did. Taking both helmets, he locked them away, then after making sure she could stand on her own, they headed inside. Opening the back door, he smiled when Tex was there.

  “Oh look, fresh meat. Please tell me she’s a virgin and I can mark her first.” Tex, with his crazy ass southern drawl, made Faith jump and hide behind him, like a scared mouse.

  “Shit, I didn’t think about that. Not sure about the virgin part, but marking her, not while she’s here. Sparkle in?”

  “Yeah, in the front. Want me to send her to the office?”

  “Could you?”

  “Yup, oh and, Razor, if you don’t want her, I’ll take her. She looks sweeter than a Georgia peach, and I bet I can make her cry.” He winked at Faith before leaving.

  “What was that about?” she asked. Faith hated people talking about her, and she really hated when people assumed she was a virgin. Sure, she lacked in the sexual department, but the men she worked with thought coitus was only needed for reproduction and not enjoyment.

  “Nothing,” he said before pulling her once again into the office she had been in before.

  “That wasn’t nothing. I don’t like people talking about me, especially when I’m standing right there.”

  “What about that bothered you?”

  “Just parts,” she answered. She didn’t need to tell him specifics.

  “Ah, the virgin part. Let me reassure you, kitten; it’s not what you think. He didn’t want to know if you had had sex before. He was talking about your skin. A virgin to tattoos and piercings. They are the best to work on. Fresh, clean skin, untainted by color and marks. It’s a great honor to have someone do a virgin tat that’s not some stupid butterfly shit.” She blinked a few times, not sure what to say. That was the most he had ever said to her and with his few words she was drawn in. His voice was soothing and hypnotic. She enjoyed his voice when he talked like a person to her and not barking orders. It made him much more attractive than before, and it made her feel drawn to him in some sort of weird way she couldn’t explain. A magnetic pull of some kind.