Sinners' Playground

by Caroline Peckham

  "You're up early, pretty girl," he commented.

  "I had a badger problem in my room," I explained, taking a savage bite out of my toast just as Fox prowled in, rearranging his tender junk and his green eyed glare fixed on me. "Did you know he's been sneaking in and watching me sleep like a freaking creeper?" I demanded.

  "Seriously?" JJ questioned and Fox just levelled him with a flat stare.

  "Mind your business, J, I can take care of my own," he snapped.

  "And what's with the pained expression?" JJ inquired and I smirked over my toast at the junk in question, which I could see outlined through Fox’s shorts again. And it looked swollen. Or, no that was just as big as it had been the last time I’d gone all shorts stalker on his D. Goddammit.

  "I said mind your fucking business," Fox snarled. "And is that my fucking toast?" He pointed a finger at me accusingly and I glanced down at the food I was half way into demolishing. It actually made a lot more sense for it to be his than mine.

  "No?" I questioned and JJ snorted a laugh.

  Fox huffed angrily and turned away to grab some bread to make more toast. The moment he did, JJ caught my chin, turned me towards him and captured my lips with his, making the foundations of the building freaking shudder as my heart catapulted out of my chest and heat seared me hot enough to burn me up from the inside out.

  I hadn’t realised that last night’s earth shattering performance on top of the dryer in the laundrette hadn’t been a one off and that maybe this was going to be a regular thing, but as his tongue pushed into my mouth I found that I had no objections to that idea whatsoever.

  It was far too brief and over too soon as he released me again and we both glanced Fox's way a moment before he whirled back around to face us with a grouchy Badger scowl again.

  "I want to go out on my own today," I announced, deciding that I might as well get this over and done with while Fox was already pissed at me.

  "No," he snapped.

  "You said if I used the stupid phone then I could have more freedom. So stop acting like you own me and let me go out," I demanded.

  Fox opened his mouth with the clear intention to argue some more, but JJ beat him to it.

  "Just let her go, man. You promised her. Plus her car is here so there's no reason not to let her-"

  "Where do you want to go?" Fox demanded.

  "To the pharmacy for condoms," I said with a shrug. "And then I'm going out to find someone to fuck, preferably in public."

  "Hilarious," Fox deadpanned.

  "Are you letting me go or what? Because I'm getting seriously sick of the bullshit, Fox. You promised me freedom, so set me fucking free."

  "I actually promised you a phone and a car and a bit of time out of the house-"

  JJ threw a crust at him and gave him a demanding look and Fox blew out a frustrated breath.

  "Alright, fine. But I want you back at a reasonable hour tonight," Fox said irritably. "Go get your shit together and I'll show you the car."

  I smirked like a triumphant bitch, fighting back the desire to call him out on the 'reasonable hour' bullshit because it actually suited me just fine. Reasonable was a vague concept I was happy enough to decide on for myself and I was pretty sure that I found it reasonable to come back at some point tomorrow. Or maybe the following day.

  I hurried upstairs and hunted down some clothes, settling on a cute skater dress with black skulls printed on white fabric paired with some white tennis shoes then left my rainbow hair in waves that ran down my spine and tossed a shade of bubblegum pink lipstick on last.

  When I made it back downstairs, the boys had finished up with their food and I practically skipped towards the garage door with Mutt on my heels.

  "Have you got your cell?" Fox demanded and I held it out, flashing the pink device at him with a sarcastic eye roll.

  "I remembered to put my panties on too," I snarked back and he glowered at me before heading to the garage door.

  JJ moved up beside me, his hand slipping beneath the hem of my skirt and making my breath catch as he skimmed his fingers up the back of my thigh before cupping my ass in his big hand, his fingers toying with the edge of my lace thong. "Just checking," he breathed, making a laugh escape me as we followed after Fox where he'd headed down into the garage.

  My heart stuttered as we made it down to the open space beneath the house and my gaze fell on the red Jeep Wrangler convertible parked there with the top off, ready and waiting for me.

  "That's mine?" I asked, my lips parting in surprise as I stared at it.

  "Yeah, pretty girl, all yours," JJ confirmed as Fox just stood and watched.

  I squealed a little bit - okay, maybe a lot - then raced forward and opened the door before hopping in and whistling for Mutt. I ran my hands over the steering wheel, breathing in that new car smell and wondering if I should be throwing this back in their faces. But fuck it, I'd never had a new car in my life and they owed me far more than this anyway.

  I glanced over my shoulder into the back and sucked in a sharp breath as I spotted the surfboard there, my entire body falling totally still as I stared at it with its pale blue design with a white palm tree.

  I scrambled into the back, standing up to get a better look at it with my heart racing as I tried not to get all emotional about a stupid surfboard, but shit, I felt that gift like a sucker punch to the heart. And not in an entirely bad way.

  "You like?" JJ asked, moving to stand right beside the Jeep and I grinned broadly, leaping at him and forcing him to catch me as I wrapped my arms and legs around his waist and laughed. Because this had to be him, he was the one who had seen me with the Jeep and he was the only one I'd told how much I missed surfing.

  "I freaking love it, J," I said, squeezing him tight and he laughed a little awkwardly.

  "You should probably be giving this hug to Fox then, because this was all him," he said and I let him set me down on my feet before glancing at Fox who was standing there with his arms folded, watching me with an unreadable expression on his face.

  "Oh." I released JJ and moved to Fox slowly, his gaze shifting down my body and causing a ripple effect along my skin. "Thanks, Badger," I said with a grin, reaching up to pat him on the head before snagging the keys from his hand and skipping back to the Jeep.

  "Are you shitting me right now?" Fox demanded as JJ cracked up laughing and I hopped into my shiny new car.

  "If you don't like being treated like a dog, Foxy boy, then maybe stop treating me like one, ‘kay?" I blew him a kiss, started the engine and drove off up the ramp to exit the garage with the memory of his scowling face making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

  I flipped off the Harlequins who were stationed at the front of Fox’s property and they frowned at me as they opened the gates. I laughed to myself as I flicked through radio stations until Stolen Dance by Milky Chance caught my ear and I started singing at the top of my lungs.

  It had been a long time since I'd realised that I was broken inside, but I'd quickly figured out that I could still enjoy myself if I focused on it hard enough. It had given me a say yes attitude, so whether it was taking part in wet t-shirt contests or drinking with people I barely knew or singing at the top of my lungs while I drove, I threw myself into it until the smile on my face became real. And for the most part it worked out pretty damn well for me. I could almost believe I wasn’t miserable.

  I wound through familiar streets, heading east towards Rosewood Manor and leaving the coast behind as the houses began to thin out and the trees began to thicken.

  It didn't take long to reach the gates leading up to the huge estate, but as I pulled my Jeep up before the shiny black metal, my heart sank. On the drive, way up by the house, I could see a flashy silver sports car. Aside from that, the grounds looked better kept, the porch had had a fresh coat of paint and there was an expensive looking intercom system beside the gate. I ignored the sense of foreboding that built in my gut though and slipped out of the Jeep to go press the button.
>
  A low buzzing sounded on and off for a few seconds before a curt sounding man answered. "Yes?"

  "Hi. I'm an old friend of Miss Mabel's and I'm back in town after a long time. We didn't really keep in touch while I was away, but-"

  "I'm sorry, but Miss Mabel died over eight years ago now. I'm her nephew and I inherited the property after she passed. You can't have been a very good friend if you were unaware of that."

  "Oh, I'm sorry to hear tha-"

  "If that's all, I have things to be getting on with."

  "Okay, right, yeah, sorry for your loss-"

  The guy cut the connection before I even got to finish that sentiment and I was left standing there feeling like a sack of shit for not even knowing the only decent person I’d known in this whole town had died without me ever saying goodbye.

  Miss Mabel had been crazy old, so maybe I was dumb to have believed she might still be here but the knowledge that she wasn't still stung.

  I sighed as I headed back to my Jeep, hopping in and pulling out onto the road again and I wrapped my fingers around the key that hung from my neck thoughtfully.

  I pursed my lips and started the car up again as a tear slipped past my defences and rolled down my cheek. Mutt hopped into my lap and snuggled against me like he knew I was hurting and wanted to help and for some reason, that just encouraged a few more tears to fall.

  I took a deep breath and gave him a squeeze before forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

  I pulled away from the drive and turned up the road, frowning as I realised the fence that surrounded the property had been completely replaced by a ten foot wooden monstrosity with an electrical wire along the top of it which I couldn't even see through. There were security cameras too, enough to cover the entire perimeter as far as I could see which meant I had no way of knowing whether or not the crypt was even still standing or not. But surely it had to be. Whoever her fucking nephew was, he wouldn't have destroyed the old family graveyard, would he?

  My gut tugged with concern about that but there was nothing I could do to check it out unless I wanted my ass to be seen on camera. I just had to hope for the best so that once I got my hands on all of the keys, I could come back here, break in to the crypt, take what I needed and go. At that point it wouldn't even matter if I was caught on camera because I wouldn't be hanging around in town to have to worry about being caught anyway.

  I swung a U-turn in the middle of the road, let out a breath of frustration and headed back towards town. There wasn't anything else that I could do about the crypt right now and that surfboard was whispering sweet nothings in my ear which I just couldn't ignore any longer.

  I was going to drive down to Rejects Park, pay the rent on my trailer then spend the day on the beach and in the surf with my new friends if I could find them or make some more new friends if I couldn't. And after the last couple of weeks, I had to say that sounded like its own little slice of paradise.

  ***

  A day on the beach enjoying the surf and laughing with Lyla and Bella did wonders for the tension I'd been carrying around with me. This was what I needed. Just some down time away from the ghosts of my past and the dominating auras of the Harlequins where I could relax and talk shit over a couple of beers with the sun warming my skin.

  "A bunch of guys are going to The Dungeon tonight," Lyla said as we were gathering up our shit and making our way up the beach with the sun setting at our backs. "You wanna come party with us?"

  "Where's that?" I asked curiously.

  Ten years was plenty of time for new clubs and bars to have opened up in town and though I knew this place like the back of my hand, there were more than a few additions that I didn't recognise.

  "It’s beyond The Divide," she said, tossing her blonde hair and glancing over her shoulder like she was concerned about being overheard. "Obviously none of the Harlequins can come because it's in Damned Men territory, but it's one of the best clubs in town and they have a band playing tonight."

  My pulse picked up a little at the mention of crossing through that tensely fought over strip of turf, but did I really have any reason to worry? I wasn't in the Harlequins, I had no real affiliation to them aside from Fox's dumb claim that I belonged to him. Besides, the leader of The Damned Men was one of my old boys. No matter what else I might have thought of Maverick, I didn't think he'd actually hurt me. And I was way overdue in my need for a night out.

  "Okay, I'm in," I agreed decisively.

  Great, make sure you wear something hot and we'll head out at nine. Lyla walked off up the beach but I stopped, grabbing my cellphone from my bag and glancing over the messages I'd received while I'd been surfing.

  Fox:

  It's been hours now. Where are you?

  Fox:

  If you expect to keep hold of this new freedom of yours then I suggest you get your ass home soon.

  Fox:

  Answer me

  Fox:

  If you don't let me know that you're okay, I'll come find you myself.

  JJ:

  Can I get your opinion on something? x

  JJ:

  Also, can you text Fox before he flips out again x

  It was extra irritating because I knew that he knew exactly where I was thanks to his stupid tracking software, but I was also fairly certain that he’d be showing up here soon if I didn’t reply. I sighed dramatically, sent Fox a quick message to tell him to stop riding my ass if he expected me to ever come back then asked JJ what he wanted my opinion on.

  Several messages demanding my immediate return appeared from Fox but I ignored them in favour of opening up the video attachment JJ had sent.

  The sound of Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney poured from the speakers of my cellphone as I was shown a video of JJ dancing on stage with four other dudes, grinding his hips in a sinfully slow and torturous rhythm before tearing his shirt off to reveal his seriously ripped body which seemed to gleam a little beneath the lights overhead.

  He threw flirtatious looks at the camera as he moved towards it, unbuttoning his fly with a dramatic flourish while doing that crazy hot lip bite thing that shouldn't have been legal. Just as it looked like his cock was about to spring free of his pants, the video ended and I found another message from J.

  JJ:

  Made you look ;)

  I swallowed thickly, my gaze raking over JJ's body in the freeze-frame as I got some seriously bad ideas about one of the dudes I hated. Not to be outdone though, I raised my cellphone in front of me to take a video, licking my lips slowly as I traced my hand along the edge of my red bikini top, tugging on it so that my nipple was almost revealed before cutting the recording and sending it to him in reply.

  Rogue:

  If you wanna play with me, J, then make sure you're ready to bring your A game

  I decided that was more than enough interacting with Harlequins for the night and quickly switched my cell off, pulling the SIM card out for good measure to make sure Fox's tracking bullshit couldn't give him the location of my trailer. Then I grabbed my surfboard, whistled to Mutt and headed up the beach to my shiny new Jeep where I stowed my board then drove the short journey around to Rejects Park where I pulled up in the lot outside the trailer park and tried to ignore the fact that my car was worth more than every other vehicle here combined. It didn't really matter - if it got stolen then that was more of a Fox issue than mine. I very much doubted the thing was registered in my name anyway.

  I grabbed my shit and me and Mutt headed back to my little slice of freedom together, pausing to shove this week's rent through Joe's hole - shudder.

  When I made it into my retro trailer with its little blue cabinets, I grinned to myself. It had been a long damn time since I'd had somewhere I felt I could truly call my home. When I'd lived in Granshaw, I'd had a room in an apartment with a couple of other guys but it hadn't been my space alone and it was the kind of place where people came and went so I never even got to know my roommates all that well. But this righ
t here was all mine. And no one could take it from me.

  A shower, outfit change into a hot as hell little blue dress JJ was responsible for, plus the full works with my hair and makeup later and I was ready to go out and get fucked up.

  I was painting my lips a deep plum colour when a bang made me leap half out of my skin and Joe's head popped through the window at the foot of my bed.

  I shrieked in alarm, hefting the blowdryer into my grip and wishing it was a damn pistol as I whirled around to glare at him.

  "Told ya to watch for this window," he drawled, clacking the toothpick he had wedged in his mouth across his teeth then ducking back out of the window and disappearing again before I could do any more than thank all that was good in this world for the fact that he hadn't done that before I'd gotten dressed.

  What the fuck was with him? A shudder raced down my spine as I remembered being sixteen again, walking down the street that led to my group home while that dirty old bastard Axel called out compliments which made my skin crawl.

  I quickly crossed over to the window and locked it up tight, making a mental note to get some freaking nails and a hammer and do an even more permanent job of it as soon as I got the chance. And a can of mace. A big one. Anything to keep Joe McCreepy out of my personal space.

  Mutt seemed perfectly content to curl up on my new bedding, so I stuffed a couple of twenties in my bra, tossed my shiny pink cellphone and SIM card in my closet then kicked on a pair of chunky heels and headed out.

  I locked up, hid my key in a little plant pot on my porch then got my ass moving as I headed to meet Lyla and the others.

  "Yo, Green Ranger!" Di's voice made me turn towards her with a wide grin and she jogged to my side looking hot as hell in a white figure hugging dress that made her ass look seriously good.

  "I was hoping you were coming," I said with a grin as we started walking together. "How are we getting to the club anyway?" Of course I had a car, but I was the kind of selfish asshole who wanted to drink tonight so I wasn't gonna offer to play the designated driver.