Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
TEDDIE
"Where the fuck have you been?" It was well past midnight when Hel greeted us at the door.
He was wearing only a pair of shorts, his hair a mess as if he'd been running his hands through it.
Tattoos, usually hidden under his shirt or suit, were visible now.
A full sleeve on his right arm, a massive bear on his shoulder.
The ink was more sparse on his left arm, ending on his wrist, just below where his watch would sit if he was wearing one.
"Nice to see you too, brother." Fade slapped him on the chest before stepping past, his jacket over his shoulder. "We're fine by the way."
Hel followed him with his glare before turning it on me.
"My car broke down," I said. "I texted you to tell you."
"That was hours ago," he snarled.
"It was too dangerous to drive, if you didn't notice." Fade tossed his jacket in the general direction of one of the dining chairs. It landed over the back and hung there for a moment before sliding onto the floor in a puddle.
"Teddie and I decided to wait out the storm. I'm sorry, were you hoping to peel our dead bodies off the side of a tree?" He matched Hel's glare with his own.
Hel closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. "No. Of course not."
"Awww, were you worried about us?" Fade strode over and patted Hel on the cheek. "Or were you just worried about me?" He gave me a sly smile.
I flipped him off and grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter. Surprisingly, cum and a few M&Ms didn't make for a filling dinner. I carefully peeled it and wrapped my lips around it, watching both men as they watched me.
"I was concerned about both of you." Hel's eyes were locked on my mouth, the words coming out of his automatically.
"What's— Oh." Oak stopped in the doorway and rubbed at his eyes. He was also dressed in only a pair of shorts, his hair wild like he just got out of bed. Like Hel, he was also covered in ink along both of his arms and all the way across his chest. All of it black, making his nipples stand out.
"So fucking sentimental," Fade said sarcastically.
Oak shrugged and stepped over to open the door of the fridge. He stared at the contents for a few moments before closing it again.
"It's late, you should go to bed," Hel said as I swallowed the last of my banana.
Judging by the tent in the front of his shorts, he'd like me to be swallowing his banana. What would he do if I got down on my knees right now?
Before I could think about it too much, Hel dragged his gaze away from me, back to Fade. "We have some things to discuss."
"I can't fucking wait." Fade started to loosen the buttons of his shirt. "Hit me up first thing in the morning."
"It can't wait," Hel said.
"I'll leave you to it." I stepped out of the testosterone-thick air and started up the stairs. Halfway, I stopped to listen. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the tone was heated.
I thought about heading back down and trying to eavesdrop, but Hel was right, it was late. I had college in the morning and our girls’ night out tomorrow night. Correction, tonight. I could use some sleep, for a few hours at least.
I trotted the rest of the way up and into my bedroom. Contemplated for a moment that mine, like theirs, only locked from the inside. They couldn't lock me in, and if I wasn't inside my room, I couldn't lock them out. Not that I had anything to hide, not really.
I closed the door with a click and took a quick shower before changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed. As I arranged the covers over myself, rain started again, softer at first, then picking up and becoming heavier.
Looks like we got home just in time.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the wall around the curtains for a moment. A rumble of thunder followed a handful of seconds later. That was followed by another sound.
That wasn't thunder.
I sat up, leaning on my elbow, frowned and listened.
There it was again. It sounded like a distant shout.
I pushed the covers off myself and padded over to the door. Eased it open and stood there with my ear to the side.
I could make out the vague sound of the men talking in the kitchen, but it wasn't heated anymore.
I was almost certain the shout hadn't come from one of them.
If it had, they could take care of themselves.
Did I want to find any of their dead bodies lying in the kitchen in the morning?
No. In spite of everything, I was becoming used to them. Maybe a little bit attached.
If it wasn't them, then who was it?
I closed the door and walked over to the window, peeling back the curtain as lightning flashed again. Frowned and waited.
Thunder rumbled. Rain pattered on the roof. No sounds of distress. No screams or shouts. Not even a groan.
Whatever I heard, it must have come from one of the neighboring houses. I squinted, but couldn't see anything but darkness. I couldn't even make out the ocean unless the lightning flashed right over it, lighting up the waves for a heartbeat before the night fell dark again.
"I was hearing things," I told myself. I let the curtain drop back into place and crawled back under the covers. "Unless…"
Saltgrave was known to have an abundance of supposedly haunted houses. If I was a ghost, this was exactly the kind of night when I'd be out, making myself known. Shouting and rattling the house, trying to scare the shit out of people living there.
Was it the ghost of the former owner who was murdered? Hel said he wasn't murdered here, but he might have made his way back somehow. He could be floating around, looking for the person who killed him.
"For the record, it wasn't me," I said, addressing the ceiling and hoping any lurking ghosts heard and understood. Being haunted wasn't on my list of life goals. Whether or not I was heard was another thing. Would the ghost even care? An angry ghost might lash out at anyone.
"I'm starting to think living here wasn't a good idea," I mumbled as I pulled the covers over my head and nestled down.
If anyone else, person or ghost, shouted again, I didn't hear them. I was fast asleep.
"Morning," I said to Shannon as I reached the bottom of the stairs. She carried a box of cleaning supplies and seemed to be heading in the direction of the powder room.
"Morning." She nodded. "Did you sleep well with all the flashing and banging all night? I mean the thunderstorm, not the boys." She smirked in the general direction of Fade and Oak's bedrooms. Both doors were closed. They'd be late for work if they didn't get up soon.
"Once I got to bed I did," I said. I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you hear a funny sound in the middle of the night? It sounded like… I don't know, a shout?"
"I sleep with earplugs in," she said. "The apocalypse itself could come and I wouldn't hear it. Why?"
"I don't know," I said quickly. "I might have imagined it. You don't know if this place is haunted by any chance, do you?"
She barked a laugh. "Those boys are enough to scare any self-respecting ghost away. Although, between you and me, I wouldn't be surprised. They don't call this place Saltgrave Cove for nothing. Before the lighthouse was built, many a ship ended up on those beaches out there."
The lighthouse sat on a promontory a few miles north of this place.
Over a hundred years old, it was still in operation.
The building was also home to a cute coffee shop and gift shop, full of all sorts of Saltgrave themed things like T-shirts and coffee mugs.
All the things tourists like to collect and take home.
My dads had a few magnets on their fridge at home featuring the lighthouse and other landmarks.
"It might have been the ghost of a sailor, wandering the beaches looking for their ship," I said. That sounded so far-fetched, I almost laughed at myself.
"That doesn't sound as romantic as a ghost looking for his true love," Shannon said wistfully.
"It really doesn't," I agreed. "Let's go with that then. Unless he thinks one of us is his long lost love."
"Hell no," she agreed. "I have better things to do than be the object of fixation for some horny poltergeist. If you’ll excuse me." She raised her box of brushes and cleaning products before she hurried off to the powder room.
I pushed my bag up onto my shoulder and headed toward the front door.
"I'll give you a ride to college," Hel said before I could put my hand on the handle.
I startled and turned around.
He wore a navy suit with a dark tie, his hair neat but damp from a shower. His composure was back in place. Not the worried, furious man from the night before. Were they the same person?
"I don't mind walking," I said. "Or I could call for a ride-share." I should pay a visit to the bike store after college.
"I'll drive you." He scooped his keys up from the stand beside the door, giving me no room to argue.
"Fine. I could use a…" I trailed off as an enormous truck turned into the driveway. On the back were several cars, all gleaming and new.
"Right on time." Fade shrugged into a suit jacket as he appeared from his room.
"What is this?" Hel demanded.
Fade responded with a slow smile. "Teddie needs a car. I called in some favors." He looked like the proverbial cat that got the cream.
Hel looked furious he hadn't thought of it first.
As for me, I didn't know where to stare. At Hel, Fade, or the expensive looking white car the truck driver was backing off the truck.
"What are we all looking at?" Oak came to stand behind my shoulder. "Oh, nice. Which one of you…"
"It's for Teddie," Hel said, his jaw as tense as I'd ever seen it.
"I can't accept this," I said once I finally remembered how to talk.
"You already have." Fade grabbed my hand and led me out to the front of the house. "She's paid for. She's in your name. No take-backs.”
"Why would you do this?" I asked. My head was spinning.
"Like I said, you need a car," he said. "White cars are safer, because everyone can see you coming. This one has all the latest safety features too." He rattled off a few more things while I watched the driver park my new car under a tree.
"It must have cost a fortune," I said.
He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "It was a really good blow job. Besides I have more money than I know what to do with. This was nothing."
I believed him. "I don't know what to say."
"You can start with ‘thank you,’ and ‘my mouth is yours whenever you want it.’" He grinned.
I gave him the side eye and a smirk. "You wish. If you think I can be bought that easily—"
His smile widened slowly. “Sweetheart, you already were."