Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Frankie
I stare at myself in the mirror and sigh.
Is this really better than being handcuffed to the bed while topless?
God, that would almost be hot if the circumstances were different, but no, I’m not sure this is better.
Not as I stand below deck on a small fishing vessel and prepare to commit murder under a sea of stars.
Eve steps beside me and offers a kind smile. “If you’re nervous about the sharks, don’t be. Yeah, it’s possible for them to get into the cage, but you’re more likely to be struck by lightning.”
“They can get into the cage?” I blink a few times and try to steel my nerves, but it’s no use. That wasn’t what I was nervous about, but it sure as fuck is now.
“You’ll be working with Maverick, right?”
I nod.
“Then you definitely have nothing to worry about. Honey, he is the definition of Mister Nice Guy. If the shark squeezes into your cage, he’ll throw himself into its jaws to save you.”
“The Maverick you know and the Maverick I know are two very different people, it would seem. To be honest, I don’t think he likes me very much.” I pretend that this bothers me. And it kind of does. “He and I don’t see eye to eye on killing, and it’s creating a bit of a disconnect.”
“Because he’s a hitman?” Eve nibbles her lip.
“I hate to break it to you, but I’m no different from him.
Kindra and Cat struggled with it at first too, but our friendship came first, so that helped them cope.
Maybe that’s how you need to look at it.
See Maverick for who he is as a person and how he treats others. ”
I mean, he kills others, but okay. Maybe she has a point. Maybe I should try to silence my rational mind and be a little more open. Hell, maybe I should even cut loose a little. It’s not like anything can come back to haunt me. King gave us license to kill.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” I say, and that earns a smile from Eve. I’m grateful. I really like her. And maybe I don’t have to rat on everyone after this.
We help each other into our wetsuits. The only other woman in the changing room is the little old lady from the first day, but she hasn’t said peep since we boarded the ship. She picks up the wet suit, grimaces, then hurries up the steps.
“What’s her deal?” I ask when the upstairs door shuts behind the woman. “I met her on the first day, and she didn’t speak then, either.”
Eve gathers her hair and ties it back with an elastic, then hands one to me. “Don’t take offense. Her ex-husband slashed her throat and damaged her vocal cords, so she can’t talk. Well, she can, but only in a language she and Grim understand fully.”
“Grim...” Realization dawns, and the blood freezes in my veins. “ Der Sensenmann ?” I whisper.
“Honey, you don’t have to whisper,” Eve says with a chuckle. “We’re all a little infamous here. The Abattoir Adonis, the Heartbreak Killer, the?—”
“The Abattoir Adonis and the Heartbreak Killer are here? Where?”
Eve laughs again, a little harder this time. “You’re starting to sound like Cat. She was obsessed with serial killers before she became one of us. I can’t lie, though. I was a little starstruck the first time I met Kindra, but I played it off well.”
“Wait, I thought the Abattoir Adonis was a man!”
“He is. That’s Ezra, the hot British guy with glasses.” Eve pulls the rubber hood over her head, leaving only her face exposed. “Kindra is his fiancée. The Heartbreak Killer. Cat, her best friend, is the Confessor, and her boyfriend, Bennett, is the Chaos Killer.”
Jesus fucking Christ! Who needs Maverick when there are Eves in the world? I feel like I’ve met God at the pearly gates, and he’s giving me the answers to all of life’s mysteries.
“Do you know who killed JonBenét too?” I ask, though I’m only half-joking.
“No, but Jim promised that as soon as he learns of the killer’s identity, he’ll pay five million to the Sinner who brings him to Devil Horn Island.”
My ears perk up, and I log that tidbit away for later. Devil Horn Island doesn’t sound familiar, which means it hasn’t been on our radar. I plan to change that.
We start up the stairs, which means I’m running out of time to ask questions. If Maverick gets wind of the sort of conversations I’m having when out of his grasp, he’ll keep a tighter hold.
“Have you been to Devil Horn Island?” I ask.
Eve shakes her head. “No, my first trip was last winter, and that wasn’t on the island. Jim hosted the first winter event in Alaska, and I had a break between shows, so I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did because I’ve made some incredible friendships.”
“Alaska, huh?” I close the door behind me as we reach the top of the stairs, but the questions come to a swift halt when I spot Maverick’s tall figure a few feet away.
He stands at the ship’s edge, gripping the railing as gentle waves rock us back and forth. Ice Pig stands beside him, and both men stare out at the open water. Stars gleam in a clear sky, only sharing the stage with a sliver of moonlight.
To our right, the deck stretches out and widens.
A large spotlight shines on the water, where some of the crew has already dumped chum to stir up some sharks.
I’ve never been cage diving, so I don’t know if this is normal, but it feels dangerous.
Why send the sharks into a frenzy before putting people in front of them?
A few Cattle also stand on the deck. I can tell them apart from the others because they don’t wear wetsuits. Aside from the glittering red or pink bikini bottoms, they don’t wear anything at all.
Two more men in wetsuits join Maverick and Ice Pig as Eve and I approach. I recognize both of them. One is Grim, the notorious killer from Germany, and the other is Aven, the Scottish man who sat at my table on the first night.
“He’s definitely one of them,” Aven says, and my ears practically twist like satellites to hear more. “He said he came cage diving to swim with sharks, not murder people. I don’t know what more proof we need than that.”
Maverick’s gaze flicks to me. “Jim isn’t here, so we can’t sanction an agent kill right now. You’ll have to save it until you get back to the ship.”
“I have to get in a fucking cage with the guy,” Aven whispers. “What if he tries to take me out?”
I study Aven’s beefed-up frame. He looks like he eats steroids for breakfast and shits pure creatine in the afternoon. What does he have to fear?
“Could you switch with me?” Aven asks Maverick, and my heart picks up its pace. “You seem like you’re pretty close with Jim. If you kill the guy, he probably won’t excommunicate you.”
Maverick shakes his head, and my heart rate returns to normal. “Can’t do it. I have to look after my roommate. It’s her first trip, and she’s a little nervous.”
“Perhaps Rose will switch with you, Aven. If you feel unsafe, you can get into my cage with me.” Grim is completely serious, despite standing before us in little more than a shiny silver banana hammock that struggles to obscure his massive balls.
“Rose will not hesitate to put an end to funny business, so she will be safe.” He turns to me.
“Please do not stare at my genitals. It is rude.”
“He can’t bring that much hanging brain to the table and expect people to be unaffected,” Eve mutters. “His nuts could have their own zip code.”
I cover my mouth to stifle a smile.
“You’ll be fine, Aven,” Maverick offers. Then his gaze travels upward, and his jaw slackens.
We turn as a group to see what has him so flustered. At first glance, I can’t figure it out. It’s just the older woman descending the steps from the wheelhouse, and aside from her attire—which is no attire at all now—I see nothing out of the norm.
That’s when the spotlight catches on the blade in her hand. As she steps closer, streaks of red also become more visible. They paint her in random places, as if she’s been slinging a paintbrush at a canvas.
Or a knife into a body.
She steps closer to the old man and traces symbols on his palm, leaving red lines behind. He smiles at her, then faces us.
Grim clears his throat. “The matter is thusly concluded. Rose severed his femoral artery and allowed him to bleed out.”
“But why is she naked?” I ask.
He turns toward me, his face a mask of serious offense. “Because she wishes to be.” With that, he grips her arm and leads her back to the wheelhouse.
The five of us who remain watch silently as they ascend the steps and disappear once more. I have so many questions.
“Do they normally just...take each other out?” I whisper to Eve.
“Honey, I have no idea. This is only my second trip, and it’s nothing like the winter retreat. With these people, you just need to put your wheels down so you can roll with things.” She cracks her neck and shakes out her hands. “Any chance we could get this show on the road?” she asks Maverick.
He nods and leads the way to a small table covered in weaponry.
The Cattle stand chained to the deck a few feet away.
Now that we’re more in the open, I can see the two cages dangling just below the ship’s edge.
I step a little closer and peer into the water.
Flashes of silver-brown skin catch the light and disappear into the depths.
Maverick and the others study the weapons. I’m assuming we’ll each take Cattle to use as bait for the sharks, and I feel absolutely sick about it. The four men on deck may be criminals, but they have a right to due process and a punishment that fits their crimes.
I step closer to the weaponry. I need to understand the why here. “Eve, how do you pick who you want to kill at these things?”
Eve shrugs and runs her fingers along a harpoon. “I just tell Jim to bring a red or pink for me. That’s all the motivation I require.”
“But what if they’re innocent? I mean, what if the court got it wrong?”
Ice Pig chuckles and gathers a few large fishhooks from the table. “Well, then I guess that’s on the court, ain’t it?”