Chapter Fifteen
It was early evening and the center of town was crowded with people, but they were lucky enough to find a parking spot close to Siren’s Cove. As Trinity and Nikita got out of the car and made their way toward the entrance of the bar, the doors opened and a group of women walked out.
Trinity immediately recognized Olivia, the woman she had met last time she had been in Siren’s Cove with Jackson. She was with another young woman and three older ladies who all seemed to be speaking over one another.
When Olivia glanced over, she gave a cheerful wave. “Hi, Trinity!”
“Olivia,” she said with a nod. “Nice to see you again.”
One of the older women linked her arm through Olivia’s and beamed a bright smile at them. “Olivia, honey, who are your friends?”
“This is my mother, Rosie Abbas. Mom, this is Katrina Cross and…”
“Nikita Nuria.”
“My, you two are certainly a striking pair. Are you both new to our little island?”
Trinity nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, so polite! How long are you here for?”
“Not long,” Nikita replied.
“That’s undetermined yet,” Trinity said at the same time her friend spoke.
“Are you beautiful girls married yet?”
Nikita held up her tattooed ring finger. “Yep.”
Trinity shook her head and didn’t like the speculative gleam that was in the older woman’s eyes. “Olivia, have you told them about our upcoming auction?”
“No, I just—”
“That’s okay. Now is as good a time as any.” Rosie smiled sweetly. “We are hosting a charity auction soon. I’ll have an invitation delivered to you with all the details. But while we have you here, we should talk about how you can participate.”
“Participate?” Confused, Trinity said, “Um, ma’am, really I—”
“We have several business owners donating various items. My husbands I are donating a fabulous vintage Rolex, and Oliva is donating some things from her store. Now, what do you do?”
Trinity and Nikita glanced at one another.
“Rosie,” one of the older women said with a chuckle. “She means your job. What do you do for work?”
“Yes, of course,” Rosie agreed. “Are you employed? If not, that is totally fine as well.”
“I own a tattoo shop in Texas,” Nikita explained.
“Oh, that’s cool,” the young woman standing next to Olivia said. “I love your tattoos. Did you design the ones on your arms?”
Nikita nodded. “But I’m not sure I’ll be here for—”
“That’s fine, honey. We’ll work around your schedule,” Rosie said, rolling right over her. “And you, dear?”
Trinity fought the urge to fidget. “I’m a security specialist.”
Rosie’s brow creased at that. “Well, I don’t quite know what that means or what we can do with that.”
“I work for a company that creates and implements security systems in some of the largest corporations in the world and other high-value targets,” Trinity clarified.
Olivia gasped. “Wow, that’s awesome!”
“That sounds dangerous,” the other older woman said, sounding thrilled by the idea.
“It…can be,” Trinity admitted.
Rosie’s eyes widened comically. “My, my. So, I assume you know how to shoot and defend yourself?”
Among other things. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Perfect!” Rosie clapped her hands together, jostling the giant purse she was carrying. “We can auction off a special personalized training session with you. I’m sure we can get permission for you to use the gun range and training facility that our police officers use. I bet all the single men at the auction will be willing to pay loads of money to be able to spend a little one-on-one time with you. Even some of the married ones, too, if their wives don’t murder them first!”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t—”
“Sure you can! Now, where are you staying? With friends? Did you rent a place?”
“I’m at the Palace Resort, but—”
“I simply love that place! I’ll have your auction items printed up on the list.”
“Items?” Nikita asked with a raised brow.
“Of course, we can’t forget about you, dear. You won’t mind using the shop here in town to complete a tattoo, right?” Before she could reply, Rosie said, “I’ll send your invitations to the resort with all the details. It was so wonderful to meet you both and can’t wait to see you again soon! Have a good night!”
With that parting shot, Rosie whisked the other ladies away, leaving Trinity and Nikita alone in front of the bar.
“What the fuck just happened?” Trinity asked, feeling slightly dazed.
Nikita sighed. “It’s a small-town thing. I guess I’m doing a tattoo for charity. Again.”
“Again?”
“It happens in Breakers every now and then. I’ve learned it’s easier not to argue with do-gooders who are determined to make me participate in things I would rather avoid. Especially if it’s for charity.”
Trinity laughed. “I guess that’s the price you pay for friendship.”
Nikita muttered a curse. “Now, I really need that drink.”
They made their way inside the Siren’s Cove. Since it was the start of the dinner rush, it was pretty crowded already. When the hostess tried seating them near the windows, Trinity and Nikita chose an isolated table in a dark corner instead. Trinity removed her sunglasses and ignored the heads that turned their way as they made their way toward the table.
Once they were seated, a cheerful redhead bounced over to their table. Nikita ordered a bottle of scotch and a platter of appetizers to share before she even glanced at the menus the waitress had given them.
Trinity groaned. “A bottle? Is it going to be one of those nights?”
Nikita shrugged. “It’s easier.”
“True.” Besides being easier, it was also safer since no one could tamper with their drinks that way. Even if they wasted half a bottle, that precaution was worth it.
“So, you’re dating two guys. Interesting,” Nikita mused. “How’s the sex?”
“Amazing, but it’s weird, right? Me being with two guys?”
“You’re on an island that caters to poly relationships,” Nikita pointed out dryly.
“I know, I know. But fantasizing about what that would be like is different in reality. As I said, the sex is great…it’s everything else that is totally fucked up. They are both dominant to the extreme and like sweet, submissive women, and I am—”
“Not,” her friend finished for her. “Definitely not.”
“Exactly.”
“If that’s their thing, why are they interested in you?”
Trinity opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again as she thought that over. “That’s a damn good question.”
“Maybe you are worrying for nothing.” Nikita’s gaze frosted over. “Are they pushing you to do something you don’t want to do?”
“No, it’s, well…”
Unsure how to explain what she was feeling, she told her friend about what had happened earlier that afternoon. Their conversation paused when their bottle of scotch was delivered along with two glasses. Trinity opened the bottle and poured them both a generous amount, then they tapped the glasses together before taking their first sip.
Trinity welcomed the burn as she gulped down a large amount of the amber liquid. She really had no idea what to do about Jackson and Maxwell. The two of them were so damn alpha they set her teeth on edge. It was going to take some serious conversations before the three of them could make their new relationship work. It wasn’t like she was any good with normal relationships, and making it work between the three of them was going to be even more difficult.
When she was finished explaining, Nikita said, “Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see the problem. I would have been pissed, too. The only difference is, I would have taken the boat and left their asses in the water.”
“So, you don’t think I’m overreacting?”
“You feel the way you feel. You don’t have to justify it or defend your reasoning. You are simply setting your boundaries and telling them what upsets you. If they don’t like it or can’t comply with what you are asking of them, then they can just walk away.”
“I feel like I’m being judgmental or something by bringing this shit up to them,” Trinity admitted. “I don’t think there is a right or wrong when it comes to kink between consensual adults. But the whole Dom/sub thing is just not for me.”
“Nothing wrong with that. People are into all kinds of shit. Just like some people like to dress up in costumes, while others like to get spanked by their pretend daddy. It’s all a personal choice. The issue is finding someone who matches your kind of kink. And if you can’t discuss this shit with your guys, then what’s the point of trying to be with them?”
Trinity didn’t have an answer to that, so she just said, “Clown costumes would be a deal breaker.”
“I’d fucking hope so. That shit is just creepy.”
She chuckled, then let out a long sigh. “Maybe I’m just not good at normal relationships.”
“Of course, you aren’t. We aren’t fucking normal, Trin. We never will be. We’re more desensitized to some things like life or death situations, but you might have more triggers than other people because of your experiences. That’s your baseline. If you’re comparing yourself to an average person for anything, you’re always going to be disappointed.”
“You are spitting some facts today. It’s kind of weirding me out.”
Nikita lifted her glass in a silent toast. “Clearly, I’m not the best person to ask for advice about this kind of shit considering I lack empathy and don’t really understand emotions. But people seem to be falling in love all over the fucking place in Breakers, so I can’t help but observe the chaos.”
“You are married,” Trinity had to point out.
“Yeah, well, that’s an anomaly.”
She snorted out a laugh. “That still means you have more experience with relationships than I do. From one abnormal chic to another, it’s helping to hear your take on things.”
“Then, my advice? Show them your worst now. The bad, the crazy. Whatever. Don’t hold back if they piss you off or do something you don’t like. Smack them in the face with it. This way, you won’t get more emotionally involved and waste your time if you guys can’t find a way to compromise.”
“Is that what you did with Ash?”
“Kind of. I mean, I told him I was an emotional void, but he didn’t really believe it until I killed a bunch of people in front of him. Since he still wanted to marry me after all that, I decided he was a keeper.”
Trinity chuckled as she shook her head. “I heard about what happened in Costa Rica. I’d say the fuckers who tried to kidnap you and Ash got what they deserved.”
Nikita and Ashton Marks had recently gone to Costa Rica to participate in a friendly survival competition with a few of his friends. The competition had turned deadly when one of those friends had set them up to be abducted for the kidnap and ransom insurance money. But that plan had been blown to hell since the bad guys never expected to go up against someone like Nikita.
“Speaking of, I figured Ash would have come with you to the island.”
“He had to fly back to New York for some meetings. If I’m on the island long enough, he said he would meet me here. By the way, I brought a bag of goodies for you. It’s stashed in my hotel room. I wasn’t sure what you would need, but it should cover you while you are here.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Any updates on who tried to run you off the road?”
Trinity explained what she’d discovered in the paperwork and during her visit to the construction site. Nikita’s brow lifted when she got to the part about the guy sneaking into her hotel room.
“It’s strange. Someone is willing to kill to keep whatever is going on here quiet, but they aren’t exactly hiding the fact that something is wrong with the project.”
“They clearly aren’t criminal masterminds.”
“No, they aren’t.” Trinity recalled what Jackson had told her earlier about the kids at the beach party. “Something else just came up that we might have to look into. Have you heard of a new designer drug called Euphoria?”
Nikita’s expression hardened. “No. What is it?”
Trinity gave her a brief rundown, but there weren’t many details to share. “Apparently, it has been showing up all over Florida over the last few months, and it’s made its way here to the island now. A kid just died at a beach party, and several others got sick. With new party drugs, you know it’s only a matter of time before it spreads everywhere.”
“Shit.”
The conversation paused as their appetizer platter was delivered. The waitress must have been smart enough to realize that small talk wouldn’t be appreciated since she hurried away right after telling them to enjoy their food.
“Do you know who is creating the drug?” Nikita asked.
“Unknown at the moment. The kid bought the drugs on the mainland and brought them to the island. It’s probably one of the cartels, but nothing is confirmed.”
Cartels could be ruthless. They didn’t give a shit about who they hurt or how many lives were lost from using their products. The only thing they cared about was making money. Trinity didn’t bother saying that out loud since Nikita already knew.
“I just heard about the incident this afternoon so I haven’t had time to look into it any deeper yet.” She felt a little twinge of guilt about that. Right after Jackson had informed her about the new drug, she should have called it in. “The police are investigating, but…”
“Yeah, but…”
Trinity bit into a mozzarella stick, letting the steaming melted cheese hang in the air for a few seconds before she shoved the rest of it in her mouth.
Nikita used the jalapeno popper in her hand to point at her. “Since I’m here, I’ll look into the drug case, while you deal with this construction business.”
Trinity raised her glass in a mocking toast. “So much for retirement.”