Chapter 18
“The door attacked me without provocation.” ~ Dakota
Dakota
I wave to Blossom as I walk toward her. We’re going to spend the day together enjoying the Ghost Tide Festival. I have no idea what you do at a Ghost Tide Festival, but it’s going to be an awesome day, no matter what happens, since I have a day off from catering to Eli’s whims and from helping drunk guests figure out how to open doors.
“This is so exciting.” She bounces on her toes. “I love all things ghost.”
“You do?”
“Halloween is my favorite.”
I nearly slap my forehead. Duh. Ghost tide. Halloween. How did I not connect the two? I blame a lack of sleep from working two jobs. Not lack of sleep from spending way too much time reliving a certain night in a certain hotel room with a certain sexy boss’s brother.
“What do you want to do first?”
“I have it all figured out. We’ll begin our day at the Ghost Tide Market. They’re supposed to have all the best goodies. Then, we’ll do The Smuggler’s Gauntlet.”
A gauntlet doesn’t make me feel all tingly with excitement. Quite the opposite. “The what?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fun.”
Her smirk does not reassure me.
“And we’ll finish the day off with the Haunted Cove Boat Ride. ”
I shiver. “It sounds scary.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?”
I shrug. Scary isn’t usually my thing, but I’m willing to try anything once.
We walk to the boardwalk where the Ghost Tide Market is set up. I shiver as the cold wind off of the ocean hits us. I didn’t consider cold ocean breezes when I dressed for the day.
“Oh look. Parker has a stand.” Blossom drags me to the Pirates Pastries stand.
I inhale the scent of chocolate and cinnamon, and coffee. I moan. “I think I’m in love with you, Parker.”
She giggles. “Do you want anything to eat with your coffee?”
“How do you know I’m going to order coffee?” She cocks an eyebrow. “Fine. I’ll have a coffee and a…” I scan her offerings. “What’s in a pumpkin moon pie?”
Blossom elbows me. “Who cares? It’s pumpkin.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re one of those annoying people who go crazy when pumpkin spice arrives in the grocery store, aren’t you?”
She winks. “I’ll never tell.”
Parker hands us each a pumpkin moon pie. “It’s a pumpkin spice cookie filled with marshmallow cream and decorated to resemble the full moon over the tide.”
I take a bite and moan as the flavors of pumpkin and marshmallow hit my tongue. “I don’t understand how you’re not working at some fancy patisserie in a big city somewhere, but Smuggler’s Hideaway is lucky to have you.”
Pain flashes in her eyes but then she blinks and it’s gone. Before I have a chance to ask her what’s wrong, a man leans over me.
“My treat,” Rhett says as he hands her cash.
“We can pay for ourselves.”
“Speak for yourself,” Blossom whisper-shouts. “I personally never say no when a gentleman wants to buy me a slice of heaven.”
If she only knew. This pumpkin treat is not a slice of heaven. Heaven is spending the night twisted up in the sheets with Rhett. Heaven is him touching and tasting every inch of your body. Heaven is him bringing you wave of pleasure after wave of pleasure.
I wrangle my hormones under control. Rhett may want a relationship but I’m not convinced. My past says men are liars. Even if there are a few good men, I wouldn’t be the one to stumble upon one, considering my track record with the opposite sex.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
He grins. “Where else would I be but with you, Havoc?”
“Sorry, but I’m spending the day with my friend, Blossom.”
Blossom raises her hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m happy to have the help of a local for The Smuggler’s Gauntlet. ”
“Excellent.” Rhett rubs his hands together. “I’ve played a Prohibition officer for years. We’ll have an advantage.”
Prohibition officer? “Hold on. What is The Smuggler’s Gauntlet ?”
“It’s a contest where you sneak ‘contraband’ past Prohibition officers. You evade capture in a maze of hidden tunnels, foggy alleyways, and secret doors,” he explains.
I frown. “I don’t think you want me on your team. I’m not very fast.”
“Being fast isn’t a requirement. Being sneaky is.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Another gust of wind rolls in off of the ocean and I shiver.
He frowns. “Are you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
He studies me and my chattering teeth. “You are cold.” He snags my hand and leads me through the market until we reach a clothing stand.
“I don’t need another sweatshirt.”
“Too bad because I’m buying you one.”
I yank my hand away from his. “You’re being controlling again.”
He sighs before raking a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be controlling. I don’t want you to be cold. Let me do this for you, please.”
“If you don’t let him buy you a sweatshirt, I will,” Blossom whispers to me.
“Oh, please. You’ve got your sights set on Jaxon and I know it.”
She sniffs and lifts her nose in the air. “Jaxon doesn’t know I exist.”
Which is painful for her, so I let it go. I’m not teasing her about the man in the presence of his brother.
“This sweatshirt is cute.” Rhett holds up a hoodie with a picture of a seal holding a stop sign on it. “Have you met Sammy yet?”
My brow wrinkles. “Sammy?”
“Arms up.”
My body automatically responds to the command in his voice despite my mind still fighting the idea of him buying me anything.
“Good girl,” he murmurs as he settles the sweatshirt on my body.
“Sammy?” I prompt again because the warmth in Rhett’s eyes is doing weird things to me. Such as making me want to give in to him. But I can’t. I know better.
“He’s a seal,” Rhett explains as he pays for the sweatshirt. “He enjoys lazing in the middle of the street and barking at tourists for attention.”
He sounds adorable. “I love seals. I want to meet him.”
“We’ll go another time. But now we need to kick my brothers’ asses at the gauntlet.”
“Yes.” Blossom pumps her fist.
Rhett takes my hand and steers me through the crowd until we reach the high school. “This is where the gauntlet is held.”
Blossom shivers. “A gauntlet in a high school makes total sense.”
“It’s in the gymnasium,” he says as we join the line.
I glance around and notice several people doing stretches. “Remember. I warned you I’m not a runner.”
Rhett throws his arm around my shoulders. “They’re tourists. Tourists never win the gauntlet.”
“Blossom and I aren’t native islanders.”
He winks. “Good thing you have me.”
“How does this work?” Blossom asks.
“We each get a piece of contraband when we enter. The goal is to make it through the gauntlet with the contraband before a Prohibition officer catches you.”
“Do the officers have weapons?” Blossom asks.
I gasp. “What?”
She shrugs. “It was only a question. Don’t worry. I’m not planning to kick or slap an officer. Unless one happens to be Jaxon.”
Rhett barks out a laugh. “Jaxon isn’t a guard.”
“Bummer,” Blossom mutters.
“You ready?” Rhett asks when the door opens in front of us to allow us entrance.
“Does it matter if I say no?” I ask.
Blossom giggles, and Rhett shakes his head.
“I guess I’m ready then.”
Blossom rushes inside. I follow her. I feel bad. She really wants to win, but she’s stuck with me. Rhett forces his way in front of us so he can pay.
“I can pay for myself,” I grumble.
“Speak for yourself,” Blossom says.
Once Rhett has paid, the attendant hands us empty whiskey bottles. “This is your contraband. If the bottle breaks before you finish the gauntlet, you’ll be disqualified.”
He motions us forward. “Wait at the start line. Your time starts when the door opens.”
Blossom skips ahead. She shoves the bottle up her sleeve. Rhett puts his bottle in his jeans pocket. I put my bottle in my bra. Rhett’s eyes widen.
“What? These big breasts should be good for something.”
His eyes flare. “Don’t you worry, Havoc. Those breasts of yours are definitely good.”
Warmth gathers in my belly at the passion in his blue eyes. Before I have a chance to dim it, the door opens and Blossom dashes inside. “Come on. We’re winning this.”
Rhett grasps my hand and drags me forward. I’m glad he’s leading because I can barely see a foot in front of me with all the fog in the air.
“Stop! Smugglers!” a man shouts from somewhere to my side.
“You can’t catch me,” Blossom squeals.
“To the left,” Rhett coaches her. She goes right and he sighs. “Your other left.”
She spins around and nearly crashes into us. He nudges her forward. “This way.”
We run through the maze behind Blossom until she leads us to a dead end. Her hands move over the walls. “There must be a hidden passage here somewhere.”
There’s a click and a door opens. “Found it,” Rhett says. Blossom rushes through the door. Rhett goes next. I take up the rear.
The door begins to close and I hurry to get through it, but it closes before I can make it and I crash into it.
The next thing I know, I’m laying on the grass outside the high school with Rhett and Blossom looming over me. “Did we win?”
Rhett grins down at me. “We did.”
“Big man carried you the entire way through the gauntlet after you passed out.”
I groan. “It wasn’t my fault.”
Rhett chuckles. “Of course not. The door came out of nowhere and slapped you in the face.”
I try to sit up but dizziness hits me and I fall back down.
“Are you okay?” Rhett asks as he brushes the hair from my face.
The concern in his eyes causes a crack in my resistance to form. I need to get out of here and superglue that crack. I can’t afford to let my resistance crumble.