“What? Is something wrong?” Chris feigned innocence.
A little girl walking by the dressing room pointed and giggled. Several high school girls went by blowing kisses at him.
Chris winked and flexed his muscles. He was built for a sixteen year old, Madison noticed. That was weird because she knew he didn’t work out unless video games were categorized as exercise now.
“Chris,” she warned.
“You told me to try on my new clothes and come out here and show you. So here I am.” He turned around to show off his underwear.
“You’re not supposed to try on underwear and you know you’re not supposed to step out here like that!”
Ephraim doubled over with laughter. “Those are his underwear.”
“Oh, look at that so they are,” Chris said with amused interest. “Hmm, imagine that.”
“Stop wiggling your ass!” Madison fought back the laughter, but it was a losing battle.
“Wait, gotta make sure these look good gangsta style.” He lowered his boxers to his h*ps and made mocking gang signs.
The breath caught in Madison’s throat. There below his navel was a light brown crescent moon and cross birthmark. Her eyes shot to Ephraim’s. He suddenly looked deadly sober.
“Don’t,” he warned.
“Young man, go back into the changing room please. This is a family store,” a security guard said.
“Oh sorry, my sister told me to do it.” Chris gestured to Madison.
“Ma’am, please save the fashion shows for home. I have a lady hyperventilating in my office right now from his little show.” Madison’s eyes shot daggers at Chris.
“She liked what she saw, huh?” Chris joked.
“Just go,” the man said, trying to hide a grin as he walked away.
Madison turned to look at Ephraim. “You knew!” she whispered excitedly.
“That he’s a Sentinel? I knew the first time I arrested him. I’ve been watching over him. Now I had to step up before he got hurt. He’s part of the reason I finally accepted their offer. You’re the other. That’s also the reason I bought the house. It’s going to be turned into a Sentinel home.”
“What’s that mean?”
“An alarm system, the place will be upgraded. A training facility will be built in the basement and it will be home to a few select clergy to help in the area. This will be our area to protect.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“No, not yet. He has a lot on his plate at the moment.” She gave him a disapproving look. “Madison, let him be a boy for a little while longer. He’s never had a childhood the same as you. Let him have another year of a carefree life. That was the deal I made with the council. I will protect him and train him myself. He’s going to have vampires and minions after him in good time. For now let him be a boy. Can’t you see how badly he needs that? Needs a family? He’s already been rushed into adulthood. Let him hang onto the last thread of his childhood before he has to be a man for everyone else. Please?”
She nodded. “You’re right. He’s been so happy the last two weeks. He only comes to detention now to keep me company and his grades have gone up.”
“Exactly, we tell him now and he’s either going to rebel hard or get into it too fast and get himself killed. Please don’t tell him.”
“Tell me what?”
They looked up to see Chris coming out of the changing room in his old clothes. Madison had a sneaking suspicion that improved hearing was part of the Sentinel package.
“Are you all set for clothes?” she asked.
“Yes, these all fit.” He dropped them back into the carriage. “Tell me what?”
Ephraim stood up. “Well, I guess the surprise is ruined.”
“What surprise?”
“You’re going with me.”
“Where?”
“I’m going to get a tattoo.” He reached back to make sure the two pieces of paper he carefully folded and placed in his back pocket earlier were still there, Sentinel symbols identifying him as a Pyte and a Sentinel by election. The symbols were known to Sentinels and would save him time and energy later on if he had to identify himself or ask for help.
“Really?”
“Yes, I have two symbols I really like. You can come with me.” He raised an eyebrow. “That is unless you’re chicken.”
“Don’t start that shit, man. Let’s go!” He practically skipped over to Ephraim.
Ephraim pulled out his wallet and handed over the last of his cash to Madison. “Ephraim, there’s like two grand here.”
“I know. That should cover everyone.”
“That is more than enough to cover you and the kids and Grandma.”
“And you. Go buy some clothes.” She opened her mouth to argue. “Please just go buy what you want. I still owe you a birthday gift. So go buy some clothes.”
“You didn’t give her a gift? What happened to the ri-“
Ephraim’s hand clamped tightly across his mouth. “Let’s go before I decide to take Joshua instead of you.”
“Thank you.” She pulled him down for a kiss. “But you need to stop or you’re going to make me spoiled.”
“I like spoiling you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you later, baby.”
She nibbled on her lip. “Are you really getting tattoos?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Oh, I think we’ll leave that as a surprise.”
*******
“You said you were only getting two tattoos,” Chris said from his stool.
“I lied.”
“Apparently.”
“I decided on the third one when we stepped in here if you must know.”
“I must.”
“You know I’ve been doing this for ten years” Ed, the man who was filling in the tattoo on his chest, said. “And I can honestly tell you that I’ve never had a client that stood for his tattoo, never mind two at the same time.”
Jeff, the man who was filling in the one on his right shoulder, said “I would have to agree with that. I like these designs, man. Celtic?”
“Yes, and I’ll pay you an extra hundred dollars each never to replicate them for anyone.”
“Wanna keep the designs original? I gotcha man. Don’t worry about it. We don’t use anything here we don’t have permission for. Plus these damn tats of yours are so f**king intricate I would never be able replicate them anyway.”