AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Olivia
“Are you sure you want to do this, angel?”
Olivia slid onto the leather seat carefully, settling into the comfy chair with a little wriggle of her butt. Her nerves were strung out after a particularly long and arduous session with Connie; the Mistress was beginning to pull out all the stops, encouraging her to dig deep into repressed memories to start the healing process. “It’s not about want, Zeke. It’s something I need to do.”
Her lover glowered at her. “This is not your weight to carry.”
Six months after Tabitha’s unexpected morning visit, the investigation into Jared’s activities was coming to a close. The FBI had found the remains of all nineteen victims, identifying eleven within the first month.
The other eight had taken longer.
Only a week ago, Olivia had stood next to Zeke beside an open grave in a quiet cemetery, bearing witness to the internment of one of those young girls. One of the original victims whose family hadn’t been traced.
Rather than let the girl be buried with only the priest to remember her, Olivia insisted being there was the right thing to do. In her mind, it was the least she could offer when a life was snuffed out in lieu of her own.
“Jared was a murderous asshole. I’m not going to wear the blood he spilled on my hands, but the girls he killed are connected to me through him. Some of them have families who’ll make sure the memory of their loved one continues through the generations; some of them don’t have families left to do that.” She rubbed her palms on her jeans. “This is my way of honoring them.”
Zeke pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d stuck with her through every horrible step of the last six months—every interview, every update, all the pain and grief. It was his arms she’d woken in when nightmares of being hunted and murdered by her stepfather ripped her screaming from sleep night after night.
“Nineteen names need a big tattoo, Livvy.”
She nodded, her skin already twitching. For the design she’d chosen, Loki estimated she needed to spread her chair time over two days, maybe three, depending on her pain tolerance. “I know. I can do this, Zeke.”
He gave her a rueful grin. “Angel, you can do anything you put your mind to, I have no doubts.” He picked up her cold hand, squeezing her fingers in the warmth of his. “Let me share the burden with this.”
Olivia blinked in surprise. “What?”
“Names and dates take up a lot of space. I’ll get the same tattoo with half of them. We’ll both honor them.” Rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, he reached up with his other hand to brush a lock of hair away from her eyes. “Am I worthy of this mission, Livvy?”
Tears stung her eyes. “You’re the only one worthy.”
Chuckling, Zeke bent and kissed her sweetly. “Thank you.”
Sniffling, Olivia wiped at her eyes as Loki approached from the reception desk, checking to make sure no tears had escaped without her noticing. She offered him a hesitant smile, still vaguely uncomfortable with social situations.
“Hey, guys. Good to see you.” Loki slapped Zeke on the back, winking at Olivia. “Are you ready to see the ideas I came up with for this memorial?”
“Slight change of plan,” Zeke told him. “We’d like matching tattoos, Loki.”
“Matching, huh?” Frowning, Loki pursed his lips as his friend explained what they wanted. “Okay, let me show you what I’ve put together. Because I had Olivia in mind, the designs are more on the feminine side. That doesn’t mean I can’t adapt one into something suitable for you both.”
Biting her lip, Olivia watched him as he picked up a tablet, tapping his finger on the screen several times. She took it when he offered it to her, her throat tightening at the sight of the first design.
Ornate angel wings filled the screen, all pale gold and pink. Most of the feathers had the name of a girl and the year of her death, but there were a few that were just color.
“This is beautiful,” she murmured.
“It makes a statement,” Loki agreed. “Depending on how big you want the tattoo and where you’d like it placing, I can expand to include the last names. It feels more intimate just to have their first names, but that choice is entirely yours. For Zeke, I could tone down the ornamental aspects, give it a more masculine twist.”
“Zeke?”
He studied the image, then her face. “It’s pretty, but it’s not the one.”
“It’s not?”
Shaking his head, he flicked his finger at the screen. “Keep lookin’, angel.”
Obediently, wondering how he knew it wasn’t the right one, Olivia switched to the next design. The bouquet of wildflowers was sweet, vibrant in color, and the center of each one held initials and a date. “I’m not sure you can masculinize flowers, Loki.”
