by Carly Spade
“It’s my job to solve mysteries. I’m drawn to them like a moth to a flame. And you—” I paused, watching his eyes scan my face as if I were as big of a mystery to him. “You’re an absolute enigma.” I curled my hands around my glass to keep them from shaking. “You say you’re rude, but I don’t think that’s the normal you.”
“You’re wrong.” His voice dropped an octave, cold, and clipped. It sent a chill down my spine. He turned away with a sneer. “Some people are inherently evil.”
Heat traveled up my neck. “Everyone is born good. It’s what happens through life, which sways them in one direction or the other. They choose.”
He locked his gaze with mine, his pupils dilating. The glass squeaked as his hand tightened around it. “You’re. Wrong. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.”
A fuzziness clouded my brain, but I shook it away. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re so quick to believe in the morality of humans.” He shoved his nose in his glass.
“Of course, I am.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
He looked at me with a furrowed brow. The pastel colors around him pushed further through and were sucked back in by the darkness. “Then I feel sorry for you.” He slid his empty tumbler across the bar.
I frowned.
An older man in a pair of tropical board shorts sat at the bar on the opposite side from us. Despite his fully rounded beer belly, he wore no shirt. A previous sunburn was evident in the shape of a tank top on his skin. The only hair he had was a small grey patch in the center of his head and a bit below his ears.
“Tell me. What do you think his story is?” Hades shifted his eyes.
I let my investigative brain take over. “Older. Mid-fifties. Alone. His company maybe had business here, and he’s taking some R&R. Confident.” His colors vibrated with deep reds and oranges.
“Almost.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “He’s currently cheatin’ on his wife for the fifteenth time. He takes advantage of his company’s frequent travels to go outside of his marriage. He has another family on an island not far from here. Neither family knows of the other. And his wife is so aloof she hasn’t a clue.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How could you possibly know all that? He’s been at the bar for what, two minutes?”
“Hey, honey,” the man said into his phone. “Yeah, they’re working me like a horse over here. But I’ll be home in a few days.” He looked around as he spoke.
I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Hades was right. But how? My hand hit my glass, sliding it off the bar. Hades snatched it from mid-air, stopping it from crashing to the ground.
“Compassion is an admirable quality, Stephanie. But don’t let it cloud your judgment. Reality is reality.” Like a lunar eclipse, all other sounds faded away.
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, he was gone. As if he’d vanished into thin air. His empty tumbler stared back at me. I’d been so consumed by being wrong about the other man I hadn’t heard Hades leave. I headed for the pool.
Sara lay on one of the lounge chairs, her towel, and bag piled on the chair next to her, saving it for me. I halfway hoped she was asleep. Otherwise, she’d ask me a dozen questions about Hades. With cautious movements, I moved her bag to the ground beside my chair. I paused, eyeing her still lying there like a breathing corpse and slowly sank down.
“How’d it go?” She asked.
Fail.
“There’s something about Hades, Sara. A quirk? A secret? I can’t tell you.”
“Sounds like you two were made for each other.”
Grabbing the towel, I whipped it at her with a laugh. She blocked it with her forearm.
“This isn’t funny. He’s…odd.”
She lifted her sunglasses to her head. “And that makes you even more interested, doesn’t it?”
I pulled at the hem of my coverup.
Sitting up on her elbows, she narrowed her eyes. “You have that look. The one you get when you’re about to pour your heart and soul into a case. We’re on vacation, Steph. You want to hang out with this guy, try to make his heart grow three sizes bigger, fine. But don’t get wrapped up in it.”
“He comes off so confused. One big mess. Like he needs someone truly willing to listen.” His words replayed in my head. Compassion is an admiral quality.
“And you’re invested.” She flipped her sunglasses back onto her nose, nuzzling back into the comfort of her chair.
“He can profile people better than you can.”
She sat straight up, whipping her sunglasses off. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not kidding. He saw all these subtle clues. I can usually read people pretty well, but he saw right past the guy’s façade.”
“Is he a cop?”
“I don’t know. He’s pretty closed off. And why does he wear so much black?”
She laughed, curling her arms around her knees. “Maybe he’s grieving for his love life?”
“You’re such a goober sometimes.” I slunk down in the chair with a snicker.
She held two fingers up, pressed together, a gesture that was uniquely hers. “Um, false. I’m a genius all of the time.”
“Forgive me, illustrious one.”
“And you have five minutes before I make you put on sunscreen.”
“Yes, mother dearest.”
We sunbathed by the pool for almost an hour. Sara set a repeating alarm on her phone to remind us to flip over. I put on sunscreen for fear of looking like a lobster for the rest of our vacation and rolled my cover up just enough to cover my cleavage and stomach.
“Would you mind if we used this chair?” A female British voice asked.
I lifted my head, squinting through my sunglasses. All other lounge chairs were occupied except for the one next to me. “Knock yourself out.”
The woman laughed. “I bloody well hope not.” She set her bag and towel down. “I’m Michelle,” she said, extending her hand.
We shook. She had long, wavy auburn hair, pulled back into a low ponytail. Her skin was ivory with patches of freckles on her arms and shoulders. She was thin, tall, and sporting a vibrant green bikini. Her aura colors were warm and inviting. There wasn’t an ounce of negativity about her.
“I’m Stephanie, and this is Sara.”
Sara reached over me. “Nice to meet you. England?”
“Ah, yes. Welsh-born, but Windsor implant.” She sat down, removing a bottle of sunscreen from her bag.
A man walked up with peppered colored hair, toned physique, oiled up, and sporting a bright red speedo. “Sorry, darling, it took me a while to find a bar with tea. Fancy that.” He kissed Michelle on the cheek, making sure to flex every muscle in his upper body as he leaned in. His aura was confusing, muddy yellows mixed with brownish forest greens and strokes of black.
“This is Rupert, my fiancé. We’re actually here celebrating our engagement,” Michelle said, curling her body toward him.
And now we were to have a conversation. I sat up on my elbows. “Congrats.”
“Have you set a date yet?” Sara asked, still leaning on my chair.
“Sometime next fall, I’d imagine. Still working out the details, right, love?” Rupert smiled, causing the creases in his cheeks to deepen. He leaned back, his gaze dropping to Sara’s lap. Or it seemed to. It was hard to tell behind the shadow of his sunglasses.
Michelle playfully elbowed him in the leg. “Are you two celebrating anything?”
“Why, yes. We’re celebrating not thinking about work,” Sara replied.
We fist-bumped, following it with an explosion gesture.
“Well, that’s about as good of a reason as I ever heard. Have you been here long?” Rupert sat next to Michelle, accentuating the bulge in his speedo.
I shot my eyes back up to his face. “Just since yesterday.”
“Are you having a good time?” Michelle asked.
“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life so far,” I said with a grin.
>
Sara snorted.
Michelle bounced on her seat. “We should get together at some point. We’re here for the rest of the week.”
“Absolutely! You two can take one of our chairs. We’ve been lying out here awhile, I need to take a dip to cool off,” Sara said, gathering up her things.
“It was great meeting you two. Hopefully, we’ll see you around,” I added.
“Michelle was nice. Rupert,” Sara said his name with an exaggerated English accent. “He’s another story.”
“I kinda got that vibe too, especially in that speedo.”
“The speedo, the subtle changes in his gaze. We’ll have to watch him.” She stopped in front of a bulletin board.
The board had several sign-up sheets for resort activities and a slew of advertisements for nearby restaurants, clubs, and tours. Sara grabbed the pen attached to a string and feverishly scribbled our names on pool volleyball and Greek mythology trivia.
“Woah there, Speedy Gonzalez. Do I get a say in events I’m going to embarrass myself at?” I tried to yank the pen from her grasp, but she recoiled.
“Please. Volleyball is always fun, and between the two of us, we’ll kick ass at trivia.” She trailed her finger over the remaining sheets, skipping over snorkeling and booze cruise.
“What? No booze cruise?” I frowned.
“You already get seasick. Can you imagine adding alcohol to the equation?”
My stomach gurgled at the thought. “Good point.”
“Ooo a masquerade ball. Oh, we’re definitely doing that!” She wrote our names on the list with an extra flourish.
I poked a line on the description. “It says black tie. Did you pack a ball gown? Because I certainly didn’t.”
She let the pen drop, and it swung back and forth. “There are these places called stores. I don’t know for sure, so hear me out, but I do believe Greece has them.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re hilarious.”
“What’s this all about? Did I hear you two are going to the ball?” Keith said from behind us.
He and Guy sauntered over. Keith smiled and let his eyes roam over my exposed legs. With as much subtlety as I could manage, I tugged the coverup back down.
“We just signed up.” Sara squared off her shoulders. “You guys going?”
Guy grinned, brushing past Sara as he grabbed the dangling pen. “We are now.”
I could hardly contain my enthusiasm…
Sara smiled. “I don’t know. You might have a hard time finding us with everyone wearing masks.”
“How could I miss that smile of yours, eh?” Guy stepped closer to her.
“Sorry about him. He can be pretty forthright,” Keith said, smiling.
I’d give Keith one thing. He did have a sparkling smile. “Oh, she’ll let him know if she no longer appreciates it. Trust me.”
He chuckled. “You two playing volleyball tomorrow?”
“Apparently.”
“Good deal. We’ll get there early, make sure we’re all on the same team.”
“Full disclosure—I’m horrible at it.”
“Noted.” He winked. “I’ll help you out.”
I managed a nervous grin, which probably looked more like I passed gas.
Guy nudged him in the shoulder. “Come on, Keith. We’re going to miss the last period of the Winnipeg game.”
Once they were gone, I blew out a breath. I’d socialized more this week already then in the last few months. It was exhausting. “So…” I turned to Sara. “Do you like Guy?”
She shrugged, swaying her arms back and forth and snapping her fingers. “I don’t know yet. He is pretty cute.” She bit down on her lip.
“Yeah. You like him.”
She tugged my ponytail. “Come on, let’s get nachos and a drink at the bar. Maybe the god of the Underworld will honor us with his presence again.”
It was ironic I had Keith’s full attention, but the one man I wanted to figure out wouldn’t give me the light of day. Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose.
Everyone participating in volleyball gathered around the biggest pool in the center of the resort. A man in a polo shirt, shoes, and socks pulled up to his knees stood near the bar, fanning himself with a clipboard. Sara and I stood in the shade, sipping on hurricane drinks while waiting for them to get the show on the road. Keith and Guy walked over to the man with the clipboard, turning to point at us.
“Glad I wore my one piece,” I mumbled to myself.
Sara blew bubbles in her drink. “I’ll get you in that bikini again.”
“At least I can rest assured I’ll have no nip slips.” I plucked one of the straps.
She smiled, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t know. You might have a change of heart with a certain you know who around.”
“He makes me curious. Doesn’t mean I want him to see me in a bikini.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I was talking about Keith. Are you talking about—”
“Nope. You’re right. Was talking about Keith.”
“Hades? You said he was odd.”
“He—intrigues me.”
“Like a shiny new jigsaw puzzle?”
I furrowed my brow at her spot-on analogy. “Something like that.”
Keith slapped his hands together. “You ladies ready to win this thing? It’s us four and a group from Michigan.”
Sara scrunched her nose. “Michigan? Please tell me one of them isn’t sporting Green Bay gear.”
“Is one of them that guy?” I pointed at a man in a Green Bay trucker hat wearing a tank top and floral red board shorts.
“That’d be the one,” Guy said.
I playfully pinched Sara on the arm. “Play nice.”
“I will, I will. We’re on vacation. I can see past it this one time.” Sara pretended to gag.
Sara and her dad had been devout Chicago sports fans since she was a kid. Her hatred for their rival, Green Bay, covered anything related to Michigan.
Sara cupped a hand over her mouth and yelled, “Bear down.”
Two of the Michiganites snapped their heads in our direction, glaring.
I gave Sara a playful shove and laughed. “How is that playing nice?”
“You know I can’t help myself.”
“Alright, everyone! We’re going to start. If everyone could get into the pool, we’ll explain the rules,” the man with the clipboard announced.
The resort kept every pool at the perfect temperature. Not too cold, but still cool enough to be refreshing, given the sweltering heat. A dance-y, head bobbing worthy song started to play over the loudspeaker, and I swayed my arms through the water in time.
They explained the rules of pool volleyball, but I was only half-listening, spotting Hades walking to his usual spot at the bar. He still wore the same funeral-like all-black attire, only this time, he had a tank top on, revealing his tattoo in its entirety. His arms were toned and muscular, but from this distance, the tattoo looked like a black smudge.
I pressed my forearms against the edge of the pool. “Hades!” Shouting the name of a Greek god across a resort in Greece didn’t seem strange until several pairs of bewildered eyes landed on me.
“Stephanie, we’re about to start,” Keith said, his voice gruff.
I waved him off. “I’ll be over in a minute.”
Hades ran a hand through his semi-long locks and held a finger up at the bartender. He strolled over, slipping his hands into his pockets. He glowered down at me. “Yes?”
I kicked my legs behind me, splashing water like I’d done when I was little. “Why don’t you join the game?”
“Is this your way of gettin’ my shirt off?” Still no smile.
“No! I mean—you can leave all of your clothes on if you wanted to. Not to say you’d look bad or I wouldn’t—,” I cut myself off, blowing out a breath, and sunk in the water until my chin rested on the edge of the pool.
He shook his head, making his hair fall over his eyes. “Water’
s not really my thing. I hate it. It’s more my brother’s deal.”
“How can water not be your thing? More than half of the human body is comprised of water.”
He bent forward. “I’m not human.” His eyes darkened.
He was close enough to make out his tattoo. A three-headed canine creature with swirling smoke, fog, and symbols I didn’t recognize.
I stared up at him. “Most days, I don’t feel like it either, but I still have to drink water.”
He stood straight, jutting his head at the game. “I’m gonna have a drink. A real drink. You have fun beatin’ a ball back and forth over a net.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing!”
He tipped his head over his shoulder. “I’ll try not to weep over it.”
This guy was about as hard to crack as a walnut. I pushed away from the wall, swimming over to Sara, my gaze glued on Hades. The volleyball collided into the side of my face, followed by Keith bashing into me. I was completely submerged underwater for several seconds before pushing to the surface, sputtering and fumbling for my sunglasses, which had gotten knocked off.
Keith gripped my shoulder. “Holy hell! Sorry. I didn’t see you. You alright?”
“I don’t know. How red is my face?” I laughed. My hair was in a disarray of dark tendrils over my arms and eyes.
He snickered, moving my hair away with his fingertips. “Only slightly. Red is a good color on you, though.”
I tensed and looked over at Hades as if he heard Keith—or cared.
My sunglasses couldn’t get back on my face quick enough, and I gave his bicep an awkward pat. Usually, I’d take the time to appreciate a shirtless man in front of me, but for some reason, Keith’s nipples saluting right near my face made me uneasy. A voice, like a fainted whisper, passed over my ear. Hades stared at me from his seat at the bar, sipping from his glass. I turned my attention back to the game before I got another ball to the face, making both cheeks match.
Between Keith and Guy, they had the game under control. One would set it up, and the other would spike. Rinse and repeat. It shouldn’t have surprised me they’d try to steal the show. Not that I was complaining, considering I was about as coordinated as a toddler.
“Stephanie heads up! I’m going to set it for you,” Keith said.