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I watched as the lights turned down and the crowd clapped. They actually clapped.
I found a dark spot in the far corner of the room. Away from all of the eyes. Away from the questions. I didn’t want to look at who was here because I’d wonder how and why. Why the fuck are you here? I had a reason. Did they?
He slid beside me, a hand coming to my upper thigh. “How much would you pay for her?”
I collected my glass, tapping my finger against the glass as I watched the girl slowly lower herself to the ground, her head bowed. She looked the part. I figured they were drugged. It was obvious. But this one was different. She didn’t fight. Her eyes were not on the crowd. She was alert—aware.
“A lot.” I turned to face him, watching as the shadows moved over his jaw. “What about you?”
He raised a perfect brow. “I don’t buy the recruits.” When he lifted his glass to his lips, I knew. I knew right then that was probably the only answer I’d ever get out of him.
Shiloh
“Isent her a photo of my dick, and she got mad.”
I cup water in my hand, pouring it over my thigh as Cooper continues to make his argument on why he’s not a fuck boy. Spoiler alert: he is.
“Cooper. You are a damn menace.” I rock against the rolling waves as we wait for another break.
It’s been a slow day today, but I don’t mind. I need to be out here for reflection, and on these days, I need a calmer ride, not a chaotic one that I need for distractions.
“I am not!” His hand touches his chest before he runs it through his long blond hair, flashing me a smile so damn wicked I honestly don’t know how he gets any game at all. I mean, that’s a lie. Cooper is what you would call attractive. I don’t find him that way, but I can see how others would.
Someone whistles out from the shoreline, and I block the sun with my hand to see who it is.
“Ugh. I still can’t believe you and him are—”
“—nothing.” I glare at my best friend before lying down on my board and shuffling on. “You’re being ridiculous.”
I start paddling to the shoreline when Cooper calls out. Turning over, I see the roll of the shoulder before it slowly curls up into the pocket. I need to catch that pipe. It will be perfect. I push down on my board when I see the lip form on the tube, sliding up on my feet as the break opens up over my body in a half pipe. I can faintly hear Cooper in the background, but nothing else matters. With the sun rising in front of me, reflecting orange and red hues off the water, I have the perfect view. I reach out and skim my hand across the pipe, a wide smile on my face. I never want to leave this moment. The wave rolls out into a flat and I ride until I’m skimming the sand, turning to catch Cooper coming off his.
I’m still chuckling when I turn to find Dion, his eyes going between Cooper and me. “You ever fucked my cousin?”
My smile falls instantly, and I scowl at him. “Ew. No.”
He shrugs as if it’s the most normal question to ask anyone ever. “I had to ask.”
Dropping my board onto the sand, I wriggle out of my suit. “Did you need me?”
They leave tomorrow morning, and although Sparrow has told me the two people that they’re bringing in while they’re gone won’t be an issue, I’d be naive if I wasn’t nervous.
“Yeah, but we’ve all organized—and by all, I mean Cooper too—a kind of wake tonight for your mom. Cooper may have noticed that you would never ask, and I don’t know, Poppet—” He reaches forward and catches a wet curl, tucking it behind my ear. “I think your mom deserves it.”
I swallow through the dryness in my throat, drying off my hair before picking up my hairspray. “Okay. Thank you.”
He smiles stiffly before turning and walking back through the little footpath access to the house.
Cooper steps up beside me, drying his hair. “He tell you?”
“Yep.” I dump my UV hairspray and lip balm onto my towel. “But why didn’t you tell me?” I’m not that mad or even upset, more curious. Cooper could never keep a secret from me usually, what made this one different?
Cooper shrugs his shoulders, turning back to face the ocean while cupping the sun with his hands. “Eh, they asked me not to until they figured out whether they could get what they needed.”
I look up from Cooper to the house. From beachside, the dark timber arched up to the sky before stained glass windows lead your way back down. There’s a large black porch that wraps around the entire back, with steps that lead down to the sandy grass. Large trees spread out on the sides, the branches stretching wide over the ceiling.
“What is it that they needed?” When Cooper doesn’t answer me, I drag myself away from the mansion that was once known for slaughter. “Did they tell you?”
He brushes off the sand from the back of his shorts. “Nope!” He towers over me, his smile fading slightly when he pulls me into his embrace. “But I did beg them to allow some people over for after—”
