Sinners' Playground

by Caroline Peckham

  "Well, alright then. You'll find I'm a very amenable landlord," Joe said, turning back to his house and leaning in through the door, seeming to accept my refusal as easy as that and I really hoped that he had. "I don't like to play hard ball, and if you ever have trouble coming up with the rent then I prefer to come up with alternatives rather than kicking folk out. Rent is due every Saturday – a hundred a week, I like cash and you can either push it through my hole in an envelope with your trailer number on it or hand it over direct."

  Lyla pointed at a hole in the door as I gave her a horrified look and I blew out a relieved breath.

  "Okay, sounds good," I agreed.

  "You're number twenty-two. Here you go." He handed me a key with a blue surfboard keychain on it and the number twenty-two painted on the base. "You got money to put on the electric meter? I can get you running with all the facilities like water, propane, etcetera if you got another hundred to start you off?"

  "Yeah. Facilities sound good," I agreed, rummaging for another hundred in my bag and handing it over.

  Joe eyed me like he was wondering where I'd gotten all of that cash then seemed to realise he didn't give a shit. "Come on then, I'll get all your needs filled."

  Lyla gave me an excited grin and we turned to follow Joe out into the park.

  "You gotta watch out for rattlesnakes gettin' beneath your trailer," he said casually as we walked. "The fences keep the coyotes out but there ain't nothin' I can do for a snake."

  "Great. I'll keep an eye out," I assured him with a shudder.

  "I got some anti-venom up at my place if you do get bit, but I gotta charge a pretty penny for it. That stuff ain't cheap, you understand?"

  "I bet not," I agreed.

  "That's me," Lyla said, pointing out a trailer with a pink door and cute fairy lights hanging all around the little porch that was constructed out the front of it. "Come over any time - but if only the blue lights are lit then I'm with a client."

  "Got it," I agreed as Joe approached a trailer a few down from hers and gestured for me to unlock it.

  I moved forward with way too much anticipation as I looked at the blue and white trailer, stepping up onto the wooden deck in front of it and imagining getting my own set of lights to string up outside - probably better check that there isn't some signal system in use for the hookers here first.

  I unlocked it and tried to tug the door open, but it got stuck.

  "You gotta jiggle it," Joe grunted, leaning around me to grab the door handle and jiggling it as his chest pressed to my back.

  I cringed away from him but the door burst open before I needed to deploy the elbows, which was probably for the best as he was my new landlord and all.

  "Gimme a sec to get the electric going," Joe said, heading around the side of the trailer while I stepped inside.

  Mutt shot past me, racing around the dark space excitedly, his little tail wagging as he went.

  There was a faint smell of shea hanging in the air and I could just make out the kitchen cupboards and sink in front of me.

  I squinted around as I tried to figure out the layout and the lights suddenly blinked to life as the power came on.

  I sucked in a sharp breath as the inside of the trailer was revealed to me. The whole thing had been decorated in a retro style with pale blue cupboard doors and white surrounds. The oven was baby pink and there were blue cushions on the chairs either side of the table to my right. The whole thing was seriously cute and about a million times better than I'd been expecting.

  A few doors led off of the main space at the far end of the trailer to my left and I moved down to open them up, finding a shower room, toilet and finally a bedroom. I stepped into the small space, grinning at the unmade bed which took up almost the entire space with the little blue curtains hanging by the window.

  I’d never had a place that was entirely mine before. I could actually see myself liking it here.

  "You gotta watch for this window," Joe said suddenly, making me shriek in alarm as he pushed the window at the foot of my bed open from outside and stuck his head through. "The lock is dodgy and folk can see right in here and get a look at whatever you're up to if you don't make sure to pull the curtains."

  "Noted," I said, reaching out to slam the window as he retreated and laughing breathily as my racing heart began to slow.

  I headed back out into the main part of the trailer, finding Lyla smiling at me in the kitchen. "Cute, isn't it? A girl named Dotty used to rent it and she did it up like this. But then she went and got knocked up and moved out to live in a house with bricks with her baby daddy."

  "I love it," I admitted.

  "You're all set up," Joe called from the doorway. "Don't forget. I need some kind of payment on Saturday." The look he gave me let me know what kind he was hoping for but that would be a hell no. Cash in his hole would be my go to method, thank you very much.

  Lyla laughed at the look on my face and headed out after him. "I'll give you some time to get yourself settled. If you wanna come down to the beach with me in a bit, we can go see who’s hanging out by the fire down there tonight. There’s some pretty hot guys living here if you look hard enough.” She winked at me and I grinned back. “Welcome to the neighbourhood, sweetie."

  The moment she closed the door, I turned the lock and looked around at my own little space. I dropped down onto the blue couch and breathed out a laugh.

  Mutt jumped up and snuggled into the couch beside me with what I could have sworn was a doggy smile on his face.

  Tonight I'd managed to escape the entire Harlequin Crew with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes and shit they'd bought me as well as around two grand in cash without them even seeing me run.

  I was set up in their town with my own place and no way for them to figure out where to find me and on top of that, I was freaking loving my new trailer. I wasn't sleeping in a car or wondering whether or not I was going to get caught peeing in a bush.

  Shit, I bet they’re freaking out right about now.

  A laugh tore from my lips as I imagined it and Mutt jumped up, barking excitedly.

  "Home sweet home, boy," I said to him. "I think we're gonna like it here."

  “T he Damned Men claimed the old Sailor’s Eye Lighthouse last night,” Draper told me.

  His name was actually Dirk, but everyone called him Don Draper on account of the stupid ass suits he insisted on wearing about town and his quaffed dark hair. He fancied himself a businessman because he swindled tourists in the upper quarter to take his overpriced tours to locations in Sunset Cove that had featured in movies. Which of course, they hadn’t. The closest Sunset Cove had ever gotten to fame was the alleged time the Beach Boys had visited back in the seventies and Carl Wilson had gotten food poisoning at the Squid Shack. Suffice to say, if the story even was true, the band had never come back. But the Squid Shack was still a popular as shit destination thanks to Draper’s tours and the cordoned off toilet where Carl had supposedly shat a lung.

  “We’ll make a move to claim it back,” I growled, irritation prickling along my skin as I turned to Kestrel who was my best eyes and ears in the cove. He wasn’t much to look at with his small build and washed out looks and he tended to blend right into the background, but that was what made him so good at his job. “I want a report on how many men Maverick is stationing there and how often they come and go.”

  “No problem, boss,” Kestrel agreed.

  “We won most of Palmview Street at least,” Draper added and a murmur of excitement rippled through the room. The elders were nodding enthusiastically, the old folks my dad had worked with since back in my day including a few of my uncles. My Great Uncle Nigel always had a lot to say, but before he could pipe up about how we should announce our victory by painting the houses on Palmview Street in the Harlequin colours or some other pointless vanity endeavour, I spoke.

  “Not good enough,” I snapped and silence fell instantly. I looked to Chase and JJ who were sat to my right, their expres
sions as dark as mine. “How much more territory have we won this year?”

  JJ sighed. “Practically nothing. Whatever we win, they take back. And whatever they win, we take back.”

  “The Divide’s always been a push and pull,” Merkle reasoned across the room, the muscly bald guy one of my best arms smugglers. “So long as they’re not gaining territory, it’s serving some purpose as a barrier at least.”

  “We should be gaining territory,” Chase snarled and I nodded my agreement as others in the room nodded theirs.

  Uncle Nigel tutted, pushing his fingers into his grey beard. “We should be celebrating our victory, splashing the news across town, reminding the people of Sunset Cove who protects them in their beds at night, who keeps the streets clean of Damned Men filth.”

  “What good will that do?” Chase rolled his eyes.

  “It will bolster the people,” Nigel pushed. “And without the town’s support, what are we but heathens? The Harlequins are great, so let it be known!”

  I suppressed an internal sigh, waving Chase down as he opened his mouth to argue. I nodded to my uncle, knowing I had to keep the elders content. “We’ll organise a rally. But I want The Divide pushed back a mile by the end of the month, and I want the fucking lighthouse back by the end of the week,” I demanded. “Merkle, triple our weapons supply. And I want new recruits.” I stood from my seat, sweeping a finger around to point at everyone. “You’ll all sign up fresh blood or I’ll question your value as a Harlequin. We’re done here.”

  I strode toward the stairs, feeling Chase and JJ close on my heels as I made it to the top and knocked twice to let my men know we were coming out. They stepped aside as I opened the door and I nodded to them, my eyes skimming across the party goers down the hall as I instinctively hunted for Rogue.

  Unease filled me as I headed through the house, failing to spot her anywhere.

  “Where is she?” I growled as we made it to the kitchen and Chase grabbed a bottle of rum off the island.

  “I dunno, man. Let’s just have a good time. We haven’t even celebrated our last job. Who cares where the ghost is?”

  “You’re always fucking celebrating,” I pointed out, ignoring a shot glass as he held it out to me. JJ downed one and I walked out onto the patio, hunting the pool, the loungers. But she wasn’t among anyone there.

  The uncomfortable feeling I was getting only continued to grow and I headed back inside, feeling my friends following me again as I made it to the stairs and my man stepped aside to let me pass. I jogged up to the first level and hurried along to her room, pushing the door wide and stepping into the space. Empty.

  I turned back into the hall, my heart beginning to thump unevenly as I noticed my door was ajar and I strode through it as JJ headed into his own room.

  I swear I could smell her on the air. She’d been in here. And the bathroom door was wide open so maybe she was still fucking here, snooping into my private space.

  I crossed the room in a few furious strides, switching the light on as I entered the en-suite and came face to face with a lipstick message written in curling letters across the mirror.

  Bye, Badger X

  My hands curled into tight fists and I gritted out the only word I could manage right then. “No.”

  I stormed back through the room and into the hall, sure she couldn’t have gotten out of my house. There was no way. I had a man on every door. Wherever she was, she had to still be here.

  “She took my fucking sunglasses again,” JJ huffed as he stepped out of his room.

  Chase was leaning against a wall down the hall, drinking rum like he gave no fucks, but as he took in my expression, he stood upright and frowned.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “She’s trying to leave,” I hissed, shoving into her room and starting to check that all the balcony doors were locked. There was no way she’d gotten out. No fucking way.

  JJ helped me search, his brow creased in concern as we worked from room to room, stalking her, hunting her. All of her stuff was missing from her closet. Everything we’d bought her. Fuck, that girl was going to be in trouble when I found her. People didn’t disobey me without consequences. I’d offered her fucking everything here and she was throwing it back in my face.

  “No joy?” Chase asked as I headed back to the stairs and I bared my teeth at him.

  “Start looking, asshole,” I commanded and his eyes darkened.

  “If she’s gone, I say good fucking riddance.”

  I lunged at him, locking my hand around his throat and pinning him to the wall as a deadly energy burned through me. “She’s mine. And if her presence upsets you, then you don’t have to stay here, Chase. But she is staying either way.”

  His lips parted indignantly, but I didn’t hang around for his response, storming downstairs while JJ murmured something to Chase which soon got him following me. I strode outside again where the music had been turned up and people were grinding against one another by the pool.

  I stuck two fingers in my mouth and whistled, causing everyone to look my way and stop mid-fucking dance as they realised who wanted their attention.

  “Who’s seen my girl?” I demanded and several people shook their heads in answer.

  But one shirtless guy with a joint in the corner of his mouth pointed to the wall, seeming nervous.

  “The rainbow haired chick, right?” he asked in a drawling surfer way and I nodded, my hands curling into fists. “She scaled that wall about an hour ago, boss. Jumped right up from the barbeque and I was like woah, that rainbow chick can fly.”

  Fireworks burst through my skull and I grabbed the nearest sun lounger, tossing it into the pool with a bellow of rage. “The party’s over, get the fuck out of my house!” I roared, taking my gun from my waistband and firing a shot into the sky. People screamed and ran like they were under attack as they grabbed their clothes and sprinted for the exits.

  Chase and JJ shared a look that said they were fucking concerned, and they should have been.

  An hour. She’d been gone for one whole hour. She couldn’t have gotten that far on foot, but what if she’d jacked a car again? Or hitch-hiked? Or-

  I rounded on JJ and Chase. “Split up. JJ, search the beach. Chase, head to the west side of town, I’m going south. Call me if you find her.”

  I stalked into the house, a possessiveness filling me that wouldn’t quit. Losing her wasn’t optional. I wouldn’t sleep until I found her. She’d walked back into my life and hell if I was going to let her run from me again. She might have hated me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I’d figure that out just as soon as I got her back. I couldn’t think beyond that. I just needed Rogue Easton in my home, in my life. She had to stay here or I’d fucking break. And I will not break for her again.

  I fetched my keys from upstairs then unlocked the door that led into the garage and ran down to it, jumping into my truck. I started her up and tore out of the garage, racing along the drive and flashing my lights at the men on the gate to let me out. There were plenty of party goers walking on foot in flip flops, wearing bikinis and shorts with drinks still in hand. I beeped my horn and they scattered faster than fucking ants as my headlights lit them up.

  I tore through the middle of them and the wheels of my truck bounced as they hit the road and I burned up the tarmac as I turned south, speeding along the streets. I took the backroads, sure she’d try and outsmart me if she was out here looking for somewhere to hide for the night. But there was nowhere in Sunset Cove that she could hide from me. This was my domain. I knew every shadowy corner, every darkened door, every fucking back alley. But the size of the town was against me. Especially if she had a vehicle, she could be anywhere. She could be on the fucking highway to the next city by now, in any direction.

  “Fuck!” I roared, punching the steering wheel, my pulse pounding too loudly in my ears.

  I pulled up the display on my car dash, tapping on JJ’s number and hitting call. He answered after one ring. “Anyth
ing?” I demanded, speaking before he could.

  “Nothing yet. Just relax, brother. We’ll find her.”

  I hung up on him, calling Chase instead.

  “Give me good news,” I growled down the line and he sighed.

  “Look, man. She’s gone. Face it, we’re all better off without her. Don’t you remember the fucking dark days after she left? Better we deal with it now than go through that again.”

  “How can you say that?” I hissed. “You know why she left. Because of us. And I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”

  “It’s her fucking choice. She doesn’t want us anymore. She wants our cash, or our keys, or all of the fucking above,” he pushed and my teeth snapped together as I refused to believe that.

  “It’s more than that,” I growled. “She’s one of us.”

  “She stopped being one of us a long time ago. Why can’t you accept that?” he demanded and it was only because he was my lifelong friend that he could get away with speaking to me like that. I’d destroy anyone else for it. But I wasn’t pig headed enough not to listen to the closest men in the world to me.

  “Because I fucked up with Rogue and I’m going to make it right this time,” I snarled.

  “By keeping her as your prisoner?” he scoffed.

  “If that’s what it takes,” I hissed then jammed my finger on the button to kill the call.

  Fuck him. I didn’t care what he thought of my behaviour over Rogue. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me either, but she’d awoken a beast in me who was nothing but a feral creature with one, single need. And that need was her. I couldn’t fight that part of me any more than I could cut off my own head.

  So I was going to find her, bring her home and make her mine. I didn’t care what price I had to pay for that. Rogue Easton was not getting away a second time.