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Even though in the back of my mind, I understand his anger. I know that what I did back then was wrong, it was why I fought with Shi to not tell them, but I know neither of them is fucking perfect. For one, Malyk. He’s still doing shit that could ruin my career, expose everything our ancestors have fought to protect, and get both Sparrow and me locked up for fucking accessory. He has law enforcement chasing his trail up and down the West Coast, and last I checked, they slapped a label on him. The Boneyard Killer. Because why? Well…funny story. Make it make sense.
“Of the tales that have been circling the locals since the town was founded and it started? Or what? It was all hearsay back then. I wanted to know if we were chasing a fucking ghost. I mean, really—” I glare at both of them.
I love Sparrow and Malyk like they’re my brothers, but that doesn’t mean I won’t speak up when they’re being fucking ridiculous. And besides. This whole thing is an equal pack.
“Who was going to believe it? I needed proof. Proof that the Anchors to Hades exist.”
“—they exist,” Malyk sneers, and I catch his eyes.
“Aye! Don’t go all fucking Boneyard Killer on me, homie. At that time, I didn’t know.”
“And what has all of this got to do with little Shiloh St. Claire and whatever Mahlia is going on about?” Sparrow asks, moving to the bar cart on the opposite side of the room.
I watch as he pours a couple of fingers of whiskey before he turns back to me. I hold his stare. “Push play.”
I knew that doing this would raise red flags, but since it was just Ruin, me, Blaire, Shiloh, and Jenny, it was only half the people who were here.
“Just so you know.” Blaire shuffled into her wet suit as Ruin powered us through the dark water. Whitecaps curved over the small waves as he broke through the bar crossing, heading out farther and farther to Hades Landing. “You both can buy me a drink. Or ten. Since I don’t want your money.”
“Correction.” I loosened the air canisters. “You don’t need my money. There’s a difference.”
She zipped herself up. “Exactly. And if it weren’t for my best friend having much too big of a heart, I wouldn’t be here right now either.”
The blue LED lights rimmed the inside of the smaller speed boat, as the same sat under the hull on the outside.
I turned over my shoulder to look into the water as Ruin slowed us right down to a slower speed. “You know, for fourteen, you sure are years ahead of your time, Little B.”
She flipped me off, helping Jenny into her wet suit. Shiloh was showing her around the equipment and giving her a five-minute rundown on oxygen and the warning signs of decompression sickness when the fish finder lit up with bright signals.
“Holy shit.” Ruin cut the speed instantly, and we all tumbled backward slightly.
I moved through to the front of the boat, reading the map. “Is that?”
“Yeah.”
Clinking sounds began as Ruin dropped the anchor, and I tapped the screen to save the coordinates. Little anchor shapes flashed every few seconds as the beeping continued to grow.
“What is it?” Shiloh came up beside me, and I stood up straight.
“That is where you are going.”
It couldn’t be this easy—right? If it was, why would they go through so many hoops to find ways to get here when all I did was use a five-thousand-dollar fish finder? It wasn’t even a fucking good one.
Shiloh looked between the tiny screen and me. “Do you not know how to do it yourself?”
I grabbed my shirt and gave the camera to Ruin. “Actually, I’m coming in too.”
“Wait! But I thought this was for money?” Jenny muttered, scooping her long red hair onto the top of her head.
“It is.” I nudged my head toward the water, not wanting to tell her I’d give her the money regardless. “Now we can bring one anchor up each.”
Ruin grabbed my arm, pulling me back slightly. “I don’t know, bro. Like, if the myth is right, I don’t think we should be touching this shit. Shouldn’t we call it in?”
Fuck. I forgot all about the fact that, one, Ruin had a big mouth, and two, I was most definitely going to have to figure out a way to get him to shut his mouth.
“It’s fine.” I shrugged him off. “It’s not even real. Chill.”
The lie fell from my mouth too easily, and I knew then that I had betrayed something I wasn’t even sure I really understood yet. I was warned. We all kind of were…but I mean…where’s the fun in obeying rules. How they had done things obviously wasn’t working.
