Chapter 6 – Vivian
L uka jogged back, a blistering smile carved across his face.
That boy just killed someone.
That man saved Kathryn. As I scrubbed the blood away, I chewed on a dark, desperate idea.
“That looks good,” Luka said approvingly.
“Yep, being a maid comes in handy,” I drawled, standing up.
Luka held out the bottle of booze. “We’re going to have to walk back to our stuff. Fishes are feasting, so you might as well have a nightcap.”
I shot a long look to the house. “Maybe I should stay and make sure Kathryn is okay.”
Luka chuckled. “She’s fine. And it’s better if she thinks this is all a bad dream.”
“Okay, mister, you seem to have a solution for everything, so what do we do with this?” I held up the thief’s gun.
Luka held out his hand. I gave it over, not feeling even a feather of mistrust. He didn’t need it to hurt me, and some non-logical part of me knew he wouldn’t do that in the first place.
We began the long walk back in silence. The waves crashed into the shore with a steady rhythm. The familiar noise settled around me, helping to calm my pulse and wash away the remnants of physical stress after the spike of adrenaline. I’d been alarmed. Criminals with ski masks and guns were something normal people avoided. But with Luka there, I wasn’t truly afraid. It was insanity! I didn’t know the man, and Luka probably wasn’t a model citizen with his knife-throwing, body-disposing, drug-giving knowledge.
But I hadn’t been scared. Did that make me crazy?
I sighed. I needed to sleep. Probably some distance from this gorgeous man wouldn’t be a bad thing until I could properly deal with my emotions. Unfortunately, I was stuck with him for the next mile and a half.
It was a long way back to The Warf. Normally, I didn’t swim this far at night. But there was something competitive about this man that drove me to swim farther and farther into the waves earlier.
As it turned out, it was a good thing we swam so long, and fancy-pants Kathryn was going to be just fine.
Probably with a nasty hangover. A rough laugh barked from my throat.
Luka shot me a side look. I snatched the bottle from him and took a long pull.
Gin.
I gagged on the pine needle flavor, remembering why I barely drank. I might not be stick thin, but I had the tolerance of a thirteen-year-old girl at a slumber party.
“Your turn.” I held the bottle back.
Luka eyed it. His lip curled up and he shrugged. “I don’t really drink.”
“You had vodka at the bar.”
“Did you see me drink it?” he countered.
Touche. I tipped the bottle and let the contents pour onto the sand.
“This libation we pour unto thee, O Ancient Lord of the Sea.” Luka spoke so quietly, I didn’t think I was meant to hear.
And since I didn’t have a damn clue how to respond, I ignored the gibberish.
A few houses down, Luka paused at the dune. I watched in fascination as he began to dig a deep hole.
“You aren’t supposed to do that,” I murmured. “It disturbs the natural vegetation.”
“Do you have a better idea to dispose of this?” The pistol dangled on his fingertip.
“Slip it in the trash bag at The Warf.”
Luka sat back on his haunches. “Are you some nature lover?” He gestured to the dune in explanation.
Hands fisting on my hips I glared at him. “Not actively, but one doesn’t have to be that to appreciate and care about nature. The sea is my one true love, and I won’t have anyone desecrating her if it can be helped.”
“As you wish.” Luka pushed to his feet.
My fingers itched to punch that smirk off his lips. I stormed after him, but a burst of moonlight, as it peeked out from the thin cloud, created a dazzling effect. A shell half-buried in the sand glinted, catching my eye. I stooped to pick it up, rising to find him watching me. I gestured for us to continue.
By the time I stopped for the fifth time, my strange companion spoke up. “Didn’t you pick up enough shells already?”
“Go on, then. If you’re in such a damn hurry,” I snapped. “I’m perfectly capable of finding my way back.”
Crouching, I smoothed my palm over the line of shells stretching in a wide curve where the sea spit them up. This was a good offering.
Most of the shells were cockles. There were oyster shells that were large and had marks where smaller critters clung to them. The coquinas were cool, but most were broken. The calico scallops, however, were my favorite.
“Ooh! A spiny jewelbox!” I pinched the prickly white between my fingers.
Two bare, moon-white feet stepped in front of me. Even his presence couldn’t shadow the moment. There was something about finding treasure that just burned brighter than any darkness.
“That is an extraordinary one.” Luka crouched before me.
I cut him a look and suddenly found myself trapped in the raw magnetism. There was something about him that promised he’d be trouble. Every instinct screamed run, but….
I won’t be afraid .
“We could make you a shell box.” The offer was out of my mouth before I could bite my tongue.
He cocked his head. It was the slightest of movements, but because I was so in tune to him, I noticed everything.
How his body was tan and heavily inked, except for his bare feet. They glowed. Dammit, I wanted to push him down, straddle his lap, and—
And—
Study every single one.
“What’s a shell box?” His voice was sticky sweet, but like the best honeys, there was the spicy kick of chili.
I swallowed past the heartbeat suddenly lodged in my throat. “We take a glass container, add a scoop of beach sand, and fill it with all the interesting shells you find.”
If I didn’t know any better, that idea didn’t sit right with him.
The sudden edge to his voice confirmed that. “Can’t. Vacation is done.”
“Oh,” I breathed and stood.
We began walking, the silence between us full and crackling with something I couldn’t name. And what was with that tightness in my chest? It was better he left! I was just starting over and didn’t need a complication. Especially one who looked like sin incarnate.
Just one taste? My lady parts throbbed in agreement.
But instead, I blurted out, “Are your services for hire?”
Those top teeth sank into the bottom lip, slowly grazing the skin as he considered me. “What do you mean?” he finally asked.
“I have money, but I can’t access it. So if you can eliminate the…roadblock, I can pay you for the trouble.” My heart rate doubled. But it wasn’t from guilt or something worse. No, it was something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Hope.
The fickle emotion of hope peddled my heart beat faster, and faster!
Even though what I was asking was for him to commit a murder.
“I can’t take your money,” he said sadly and began to move away.
Don’t go! The muscles in my chest throbbed. This could be a way out. I couldn’t lose this chance!
Bounding after him, I planted myself in front of his path, gripping his shoulders tight. “Then take this.”
I kissed him.
Because of the height difference, I had to pull myself up to bring our lips together, but that only brought our bodies closer.
Since our strange run-in at the amusement park, my body had been furiously turned on. This was the only balm to soothe the ache. What I wasn’t counting on was the blazing explosion of our coming together.
There was a pause, and then his hard hands clamped around my waist. He kissed me back with a full blast of desire. I only thought I sensed the raging fire under his lazy mask of mischief. What lay underneath was blanketed with twisting, thick layers of stone. But it was there.
A soft moan escaped my lips. His thick cock pressed into me, higher than where I needed it.
Those fingers began to roam and search. I deepened the kiss, opening my mouth to allow him better access.
Luka stiffened.
I knew instinctually that something was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what.
He pulled back and gently pushed me back to my feet. “We can’t.”
His now empty stare bore down on me. Defeat sank through my chest. The force threatened to crush my windpipes. I couldn’t breathe. No! How could he refuse me? Didn’t he know he was a gift of fresh air?
But the hard set of his jaw said it all. He wasn’t relenting.
Twisting away from the weight of that, I began to walk back to the beach in front of The Warf at a furious pace.
The swoony moonlight made this a walk of shame. The ocean mocked me with each laughing wave. My eyes stung. I didn’t put myself out there, and I sure as hell didn’t ask men who were clearly seasoned killers to take care of my problems.
That was what I got for being stupid. For believing things could change. No, I was in hell, and there was no escape.
At our pile of stuff, I snatched my clothes and was about to leave when his voice stopped me.
“I’ll walk you home, Vivian.”
“Don’t bother. You have a vacation to enjoy,” I sneered.
“Dammit, woman,” he muttered, grabbing his backpack and jogging after me.
My calves burned as the sand grew soft. The squeak of the sand under my feet was just another cruel reminder of my idiocy.
“Here, olive branch,” Luka panted, darting in front of me.
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t want anything from you.”
“It’s a Gatorade—Cool Blue. The best flavor.” His cheeky grin was back.
Letting out a huff of disgust, I made to move around him, but he dogged me.
“It’s hot out,” he insisted. “You swam, you walked, you need to hydrate.”
Standing on the pavement of the parking lot, I brushed the sand from my feet. I slid first one and then the other sock on my feet then shook out my shorts before putting them on.
“Fine! If that will make you leave, I’ll take it,” I basically shrieked at him.
“Cheers, darlin.” He handed me an unopened bottle and took out a second from his backpack.
The orange plastic cap twisted, the security band crackled, and a few drops splattered on my hand from the force of my muscles.
The truth was, I really was thirsty. And this was better than the tepid water in my reusable container. I put it to my lips and guzzled.
“Oh, shit,” Luka whispered.
Someone in his demeanor made me pause. I pinned him with a look. “What?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, pulling on the muscles with that hard hand. “You weren’t supposed to drink it all.”
Dread slithered down my spine.
A cold sweat broke over my skin.
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” I growled.
“You’ll have to pee,” he said quickly, but there was something under the words that I didn’t like.
“Stay the hell away from me.” I chucked the empty bottle at him. I would apologize to the earth later for littering. Right now, I had to leave.
I felt fine. Especially since he didn’t follow. I hurried down the street, taking a few turns to make sure I lost him.
Creepy! He was creepy.
Was he?
“I need to stay away from dangerous men,” I scolded myself. “They might seem exciting, but what I really need is a cinnamon roll.”
“You weren’t supposed to drink it all.”
I frowned. The cap was sealed. It hadn’t been tampered with, that I was sure of. But the sickening sense inside begged to differ. Fingers clawing at my throat, and I ran.
Memories from the other night surged. The idea that someone was chasing me. I told myself it was an overly active imagination mixed with low blood sugar, especially when there was no evidence on the sidewalk. Carla hadn’t mentioned anything when we talked about the treasure coins that had been stolen. And to double check, I read the newspaper at the condo we’d cleaned just to be sure.
No dead bodies.
“Dead bodies,” I gasped, stopping in my tracks.
A connection snapped into place. No. No! It couldn’t be. That shadow following me home was just a bad dream from too many Benadryl and overworking myself.
The world swayed.
I blinked hard. “Shit, what was that?”
It was as if I was back on the amusement ride, the swing allowing me to plummet. Only the earth was right there.
I slapped my palm against the pavement. I wasn’t falling. I wasn’t on the swing—
“Why am I on the ground?” I murmured.
No…not murmured.
Slurred.
The self-preservation instinct screamed at me. “RUN! Run now!”
But that was too hard when the ground wouldn’t stay still.
The soft whirr of tires broke the symphony of nocturnal animals. My unfocused eyes looked, but there were no blaring headlights.
“I need to keep moving,” I panted, struggling to my knees.
A shadow rose up from the ground. The wisping tendrils cupped my cheek. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, darlin.”
I tried and failed to decipher the features of the monster. He was both parts terrifying—my heart slammed against my chest. The organ was desperate to escape. And yet, the beast in front of me was gently pulling me into his embrace.
“Take me home, shadow daddy.”
There was a dark, dangerous chuckle. “We haven’t known each other for more than a day and you’re already calling me daddy. You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you, Vivian?”
I whipped my head back and forth. Warm. He was so warm. A contradiction of hot and cold. “I’ll be good, I promise.”
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned. “Maybe I should just shoot your fiancé and take you for myself.”
Yes, do that. Shoot Markem.
The last thing I remembered was the delirious laughter. Because that was what I asked the stranger on the beach to do, and he wouldn’t. but this shadow daddy? He might just be what I needed!