Chapter 5 – Luka
I ’d been waiting on the beach since I was kicked out of The Warf at closing. The surf was loud, rolling into the shore with a steady rhythm. Each crest of the waves was a dare. If I didn’t have to be back in Chicago by next Wednesday, I would have taken the evening off to enjoy the salt and sand.
Closing my eyes, I drank in the rich, magnetic air. It was fucking heaven here. There was no other way to describe the sea. A great man once said: Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
Well, he was right.
“You could find peace here, Cool Hand,” a soft, lilting voice whispered in my mind.
My muse….
Only in the most profound moments did the memory resurface. Did it make me crazy? Hearing a voice that wasn’t my own speak in my mind? Probably.
But life without that sound was empty. I would rather be insane than alone.
“There’s no such thing as peace,” I argued, because, well, it was fun to provoke her. That had been our thing; when we weren’t fucking or working, eating or sleeping, we were debating. Except, many times we brought our rapid, torrential conversations into those other activities, driving everyone else nuts. To back up my position, one of the thousand pieces of thought bubbled into my brain. “As the unknown wise man said: ‘People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.’ And I am doomed to be that rough man.”
No response came. The more time that passed since I last heard that voice in real life, the harder it was to conjure the sound. The muse was silent, the voice fading back into memory.
Resting my chin on my hands, I let the emotions I rarely indulged in well and fade. Loneliness. Sorrow. Heartache. I soaked in the peace of my surroundings. The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow across the sandy beach. The light danced on the grains of sand, making them sparkle as if they were dusted with tiny diamonds. The salty scent of the ocean mingled with the cool night breeze, creating an intoxicating aroma that was both refreshing and invigorating.
“You’re like a penicillin-resistant STD,” a peeved voice said. “You just won’t leave.”
Looking over my shoulder, I pinned the spitfire with a look. “Not this time, darlin. You came to me.”
Her lips thinned. “I did not come seeking you.”
“And yet here we are.”
A short breath made her nostrils flare. “Well, you can watch my stuff. I’m going for a swim.”
Now that surprised me.
Without another prompt, she shucked her shoes and socks. The black, body-hugging tee fluttered down beside the dropped backpack. And when the button on her shorts popped, my body went rigid. Lust shot like an arrow through me, and my pants tented in a burst of eagerness.
Deeply tanned skin shimmered under the silvery glow. It was soft and beckoned to me. I had to bite down on my urge to run my tongue along the bronze expanse.
In only a cotton pair of panties and a black bra, the temptress skipped into the surf. Her sharp inhale as her feet hit the change of temperature set my blood boiling.
Fuck it. What was a few hours’ delay?
“May I join you?” I called out.
Vivian cut me a look. “Can you swim?”
Not really . “Yeah.”
She shrugged. “It’s a free country.”
With that, Vivian dove into a wave. Her body arced and for the briefest of moments, she seemed to be a fairy creature from folklore.
I lost no time undressing and joining her, only to find her gracefully carving through the water. I, on the other hand, was a dog, scrambling after her. After the third wave knocked me back, I realized that scooting under the swell before it crested meant I could maneuver. There was something to be wanted in my timing, but I managed.
The silvery rays of light created a shimmering path that beckoned me forward. As I slipped into the ocean over and over, the cool water enveloped me, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. The contrast between the heat of the night air and the coolness of the water heightened my senses, making every movement feel more vivid.
Stopping every few minutes to check my bearings, I was surprised to see Vivian suddenly standing on the opposite side of me. The waves pushed us farther than I expected. Banks of sand dunes stood sentry between us and the private residences.
Which was where Vivian was looking. “I heard something,” she murmured.
A shrill scream broke through the night.
Vivian scrambled from the water. Her feet pounded across the hardpacked, wet sand. The waves made me clumsy, but when I finally tripped out of the surf’s hold, I was pounding along right behind her.
Just as she reached the stairs that cut through the dune, I leapt and snatched her ankle. Vivian hit the sand with a loud exhale.
“Sshhh,” I hissed, tugging her farther down. “You don’t just rush into danger.”
Mocha eyes blazing with unconcealed defiance, she flashed me a look that promised death.
A painful ache pulsed in my dick at the sight of her fury.
“I didn’t say we wouldn’t help,” I snapped, pushing her down below me and began to climb the dune, avoiding the manmade path. It was the harder ascent, but we wouldn’t be waltzing directly into danger like we would if we took the path. “We won’t be rushing into the trouble.”
“Fine,” she snapped.
Crawling up the sand dune, I peeked over the top. Lights were on in the house directly in front of us, but none of the neighbors seemed to be at home.
A rough laugh caught in my throat at the sight below. “Oh, sweetest karma, though art a heartless bitch.”
“What?” Vivian hissed.
But I was already scrambling over and into the yard where a thug held the homeowner at gunpoint. “Good evening, my dearest friends, how are you this beautiful night?”
A gun swung in my direction, but I merely smiled broader. “Have you had a dip in the sea? It’s utterly delightful.”
The man in the ski mask gaped at me, jaw hung wide open. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“Oh, absolutely.” I took a step forward.
“Don’t be a hero, mate,” he snarled. The homeowner fidgeted but drew the attention of her attacker.
I held up a finger. “I don’t have to. That woman doesn’t like violence. She made her position on that topic quite clear tonight.”
The flash of horror in the bungalow bunny’s eyes was priceless. I drank it down like a shot of cheap, syrupy-flavored booze.
But the man was panicking. “Sit down. Hands where I can see them,” he barked.
I nodded, pulling out a seat for Vivian who was right on my heels.
“Sit down, and let’s enjoy the show,” I said casually.
“Luka,” Vivian hissed. “I thought you said—”
“I can’t help this woman. It would require violence.” I crossed my ankle over the opposite knee, twisting my calf to keep the straps of the sheath hidden.
“Kathryn, what does he want?” Vivian said calmly.
Tears streamed down the rich woman’s face. It was almost enough to melt the heart of the hardest stone. Almost, but not quite.
“He wants me to open the safe,” Kathryn sobbed.
“Poor thing, her hair’s all mussed,” I cooed. “Must be very exhausting for her to be robbed. Maybe if she wasn’t a pacifist, she could have defended herself with a well-placed shotgun shell.”
“You are such an asshole,” Vivian exploded. “She needs help!”
“Yep!” My tongue popped over the P sound. “But as I already said, that would require violence. See, I could kill that man five different ways in the next thirty seconds, but your buddy Kathryn doesn’t believe that is the right thing to do.”
The thief brandished his gun at me. “I will shoot you! I’ve done it before!”
“Congratulations,” I drawled. “Welcome to the Bound for Damnation Club. There are tee shirts, but I don’t have one with me in your size. If you give me the best shipping address, I’ll be sure the overlord mails you one.”
“Luka,” Vivian hissed.
I tossed a grin to her. “Yes, darlin?”
“Help her.” Determination flashed across her face.
The ripple struck me full in the chest. “As you wish.”
The poor thief didn’t even see death coming. One moment the blade was in my hand, and the next it was lodged in the throat of the thief.
My only miscalculation was how hard his finger gripped the trigger.
I jumped on Vivian as two shots rang out. Our bodies crashed into the ground. Her hot breath whooshed past her lips, fanning over my face. I grunted, my knee suddenly blazing in the aftermath of the rough contact with the ground.
“Are you hurt?” I rasped, searching her face for any sign of pain.
“No, you?” she demanded, eyes narrowing as she watched me.
Those rich, mocha eyes—I could stare into them forever. “Never been better.”
Here I was, holding a very beautiful, basically naked, hellcat. Every place we were connected crackled.
I caught the moment when Vivian suddenly became aware that we were pressed together in only our thin clothing. The painful tightness between my legs dug into her, and there was no way she hadn’t noticed how hard she made me. She drew in a long, strangled breath. Even in the shadowed night, her cheeks darkened with the most delicious blush. If I leaned forward even a fraction, I could taste that surprise on her lips. Maybe even catch a gasp if I moved quickly enough.
The shrill cry behind us broke the spell.
With a sigh, I pushed to my feet. “Quit that. We don’t need the cops showing up.”
The bungalow bunny trembled violently, but her breathing turned into short, erratic gasps. I gripped her hands and brought her to the patio chair I’d been sitting in.
“Can you go inside and find her a stiff drink?” I asked Vivian quietly.
She nodded and scrambled to the sliding glass door.
“I am going to get rid of the body, we’ll clean up the mess, and you’ll never speak of this,” I said firmly, gripping the woman’s chin.
The shock that controlled her body was too strong. She wasn’t processing my instructions.
It would be easier if the cops showed up and gave her the help she would need.
But I couldn’t have this traced back to Vivian.
My palm connected sharply with her cheek in a double slap. It wasn’t hard; I didn’t hit women.
“Unless it’s on the ass,” my muse corrected. The unhelpful voice had the worst timing.
“Listen to me,” I growled. “We were never here. Do you understand?”
“He was going to kill me!” she wailed.
Vivian rushed out, a bottle in one hand and glass in the other.
“Sit with her a minute,” I asked. “Get her to drink as much of that as possible.”
She nodded, but there was a distinct tremble in her hands.
Ah, shit.
A muscle in my jaw tensed. “Take one—or two—of those yourself, okay, Vivian?”
A soft gasp that did things to me escaped her lips. “You know my name?”
Keeping my sanity, I gave her a lazy smirk. “Your coworker told me.”
The lie smoothed those ruffled feathers.
Jogging into the house and up the stairs, I went straight for the master suite. Sure as shit, there was a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions.
“Ah, Valium, my old friend, how art thou this evenin’, hmm?” I poured a good amount of the pills into my hand. A benzodiapine, it would impede short-term memory conversion into long-term. It was a brilliant little drug, and I thanked my brother-in-arms, Pavel, for teaching me how to use it.
As I passed her closet, I glanced at the wall safe.
“You need to leave!” The feminine tone was more my conscience than any moral compass ever had been.
I rolled my eyes. “Shouldn’t I at least see what treasures she’s keeping?”
“Probably nothing good. Now go! You have a job to do.”
Torn between my natural inclinations and the need to escape, I let the logical choice win out. If a neighbor heard the shot, we were screwed.
Grumbling, I jogged back outside. “Here, help her take these. Three should be enough.”
Vivian snatched the pills and looked at me suspiciously. “What are they?”
“Sleeping pills.” It was a half-truth. They would make her sleepy.
“Aren’t you not supposed to mix booze and pills?” Vivian accused, nostrils flaring as she huffed.
It was utterly distracting to see her gorgeous tits and hear that sharp tongue. I knew one sure way to silence her. Swallowing the groan, I gave her another partial truth.
“My friend is a doctor. I can call him on the house phone if you’d like, but trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
“And how does a man come to such knowledge?” Vivian slid her look to the dead body that was probably bleeding into the pool.
“How does a woman like you not melt into a puddle of fear after what just happened?” I countered, warming at the spark of defiance that had her chin tipping up.
Her lips pressed tight. “I only fear one thing.”
For a split second, madness seized me. My fingers curled into a fist. Whatever she feared, it was never touching her again.
You’re just the delivery man. The stray thought deflated my chest. The desire to help flickered like a candle on an open windowsill.
Vivian took the pills and began to coax the bungalow bunny to take them. It didn’t take much insistence.
I could have pressed, and I wanted to. I was beyond curious now. But instead, I jerked my head to the body. “When I move him, splash the area with pool water?”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “Now you’re making me an accomplice?”
“You already are, darlin.”
With that, I hefted the rich woman over my shoulder and strode into the house. Since she was already out of it, Kathryn didn’t protest. I placed her on her side, so in case she vomited, she wouldn’t choke. A shadow on my heels, Vivian’s dark gaze tracked me all the while.
“Do you know if she has anyone in her life?” I asked, going to the kitchen. The fridge was free of clutter, no magnets decorated the front.
A peep into the pantry showed low calorie brownies. Gross, but better than nothing. I took out a plastic package and offered it to Vivian.
Brows drawn together, she shook her head. “I don’t think she has anyone.”
“Sad,” I grunted, opening the brownie and chomping it in two bites.
Katrhryn’s phone was on the counter. A quick look told me she had a child. I sent his number to my burner phone, erased the message, and then went back to deal with the thief.
He was far heavier.
But I managed to lift him. “Wash it good, Vivian.”
I didn’t look back to where she stood in the shadows as I trudged over the steps and deck that cut through the beach dune. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have managed scrambling over the loose sand with the body. It was hard enough walking through the sand on the other side to the water.
“The sand squeaks ,” my muse chirped. A rush of childish delight swirled through me.
I clamped down on it, not needing the ache. “You didn’t say anything earlier. Why?”
Silence pulsed in my head.
Thinking about any of the past would be far too much to handle right now. My cousins jokingly called me psychotic. If they only knew the half of it….
Dropping the body unceremoniously in the sand, I bent and removed my knife. Blood leaked from the wound. The next wave lapped it greedily off the sand. With the help of the surf, I drew the man out. It had been awkward swimming before, and now it was twice as much. But I needed to go deep. When the shore became a speck, I carved slices through the pudgy flesh.
The sleek caress of…something else, sent a true bolt of panic through me. It was such a novel feeling that I lingered a second too long.
The crest of a fin had me paddling like mad in the opposite direction.
Crawling onto the sand, I collapsed. “What a fucking rush.”