Sinners' Playground

by Caroline Peckham

  The car started up with a reluctant wheeze of the engine and Chase whooped in triumph loud enough to draw the attention of the people inside the store, including Mr Harper, whose car this happened to be.

  "Oh fuck," Chase breathed as our Math Teacher came running out of the store yelling at us and I did the only thing I could think of, throwing the car into drive and slamming my foot down on the gas.

  Chase started yelling instructions as the car shot off down the street, grabbing the wheel when I forgot about it and looked over my shoulder to see Mr Harper charging after us, screaming out for someone to call the cops.

  Between the two of us, we somehow managed to drive the thing all the way out to Gallows Bridge where we crashed it into the trees at the side of the road and fell about laughing as smoke curled out from beneath the hood where it was smashed against a fallen trunk.

  "You're a bad influence on me, little one," Chase laughed, as we clambered out of the wreck before wrapping his arms around me and squeezing tight.

  "No way. You're the one who said you wanted to get back at him for failing you on that pop quiz," I protested, grinning up at him as his dark curls fell into his eyes.

  "I didn't think you were gonna Google how to hotwire a car," he protested, but the smile on his face was worth a thousand crazy risks. Especially as I glanced at the black eye he was still sporting after his dad had gotten a call from Mr Harper the super dick about that dumb quiz.

  "I'd Google how to dispose of a body for you if it'd make you smile like that, Ace," I promised and he gave me a grin so big it lit me up from the inside out. "Now let's get out of here before the cops show up."

  He shoved me to get me moving and we both laughed as we started running down the road in the vague direction of the beach. The others would freak when they found out what we'd done. Fox would tell us off, Rick would curse us for leaving him out and JJ would come up with a bunch of targets for us to hit next. And if stealing more cars would make Chase smile like that then I'd happily steal a hundred of them and maybe he'd be able to forget about his asshole dad altogether. At least for a little while.

  I got the truck started, blinking off the memories and reminding myself that even though all I'd ever wanted was to see Chase smile, he didn't even feel bad about casting me out of this town and ruining my life. So there was no point reminiscing about old crap like that about him. My love for him had been all consuming, his for me had been optional, disposable, forgettable.

  I hopped up into the seat and took off out of the parking lot, keeping an eye on my rear view mirror and smirking to myself when no one appeared from the bar to notice my theft. By the time anyone did, I should be done with this vehicle anyway. I just hoped they weren't too pissed about the condition they'd be getting it back in. But fuck it, I wasn't gonna be hanging around here long anyway so they wouldn't be able to come after me even if they did figure out who took it.

  I sped down the road towards Rosewood Manor, snapping my seatbelt into place as I spotted my target and drove on past it for several hundred yards before slamming on the brakes.

  I took a deep breath, put the truck in reverse and swivelled in my chair to look out the back window. I lined up the wooden pole holding the electrical power cables which ran into the manor with the rear of the truck before slamming my foot down on the gas.

  The truck accelerated fast and I screamed as it slammed into the pole, the impact throwing me into my seatbelt and deploying the airbag in my face.

  I coughed as I inhaled the white powder from the airbag and scrambled to get my belt off and get out of the truck, quickly rubbing down anything I'd touched with the hem of my shirt, just in case the cops took enough interest in this to investigate it.

  I looked up at the buckled pole and broken power cables with a grin before turning and sprinting towards Rosewood Manor through the trees on the far side of the road.

  I skirted the fence as I ran through the undergrowth all the way around the back of the property until I was certain I had to be close to the graveyard.

  I kept going until I found a tree with thick branches hanging low enough to climb and hauled myself skyward until I made it up to the top of the fence.

  I eyed it warily as I wondered whether there was any chance they had a backup generator. Because if they did, I was about to find out just how powerful the voltage on this thing was.

  With a deep breath, I jumped from the tree to the fence, catching hold of it and heaving myself over the top with a grunt of determination.

  Luckily, my ass did not get barbecued and I grinned as I lowered myself down on the other side into the graveyard. I glanced around warily, hoping the CCTV was also off the grid now that the power was down before darting between the family graves to the squat stone building in the centre of the fenced off space.

  The crypt was just as I remembered it with the stone statue of a weeping angel leaning over the doorway. His wing was draping forward to create a small archway that I could stand beneath as I reached out to trace my fingers over the ring of keyholes set into the stone door.

  I knew whose was whose. The locks that matched the four boys' keys surrounding my own in the centre.

  I took my key from my neck and slowly pushed it into the lock, my heart thundering as I slid it into place and resisted the urge to turn it. My breaths came more heavily as I stood there, feeling how solid the stone was, appreciating the fact that this was still here, our secrets still concealed within. And one secret in particular which I was going to lay claim to to exact my revenge on the boys who had destroyed me.

  It didn't even feel like a choice anymore. More like the desperate plea of my heart to seek retribution for what they'd stolen from me before I could ever even consider the idea of trying to find happiness again.

  In fact, I was certain I wouldn't be finding any of that.

  But maybe I could find a little peace if I could just make them hurt the way they'd hurt me. And maybe that would have to be enough.

  I hunted the whole of Sunset Cove before I finally found my car parked up on the curb near Sinners’ Playground. Someone had tossed three ice cream cones on the hood which a bunch of seagulls were currently tearing into and leaving scratches on my fucking new paintwork. And by someone, I meant Rogue. And by tossing one look at the shady looking ice cream vendor down the street who was giving me the side eye, I also meant him.

  I didn’t even care to try and chase the birds away as I started running down onto the beach toward the pier. I was just relieved she hadn’t skipped town already. Maybe it was a weak hope to think she might not still be planning to go though. Maybe she’d dumped my car and jacked herself a new ride somewhere along the seafront, but my gut told me she was in our old stomping ground. And I had to see her. I didn’t know if I could convince her to stay because I couldn’t erase every shitty thing that had happened to her because of us. But I’d fucking try.

  I climbed the beam up to the railing on the pier, swinging my leg over and dropping into the park. I strode between the old shops, casinos, checking through the windows to make sure she wasn’t there. My heart was thrashing like a wild beast in my chest and I knew it wouldn’t rest until I found her again. Please be here, pretty girl.

  “Rogue!” I called, figuring if she wanted to run from me I wasn’t going to stop her anyway.

  But maybe if she knew I was here, I could convince her to talk to me. Convince her that…fuck, I didn’t even know. That I wasn’t an asshole? I was. That I hadn’t meant for any of that bad shit to happen to her? Well fucking duh, but how did that make it any better? She was right. When we’d exiled her from Sunset Cove, there wasn’t a chance she was going anywhere good. But staying had equalled death. And we’d only meant for it to be temporary. She wasn’t meant to run. We were supposed to contact her, find her. But when we’d tried…hell, I hated to even think of it now. The long and short of it was, Luther would have killed her if we’d run to her too soon. And by the time we finally searched, it was too late. She was g
one.

  “Rogue!” I bellowed, frightening a flock of gulls which took off into the sky from the top of the arcade with indignant squawks.

  “Go home, JJ!” her reply came and the air rushed out of my lungs. She hadn’t left. She was here. And my heart beat more solidly as it urged me toward her.

  I moved through the maze of old rides, searching for her among them. “Where are you?” I growled, desperate to see her.

  “I’m a ghost remember?” she said bitterly.

  “You’re not dead,” I snarled, rounding the dodgems and hunting each car for her. “If you come out here, I’ll show you how real you are.”

  “Is the wind alive, J?” she called, her voice now drifting off somewhere ahead of me. I caught sight of a tanned leg before it disappeared around an old candy cart and I started jogging after her. “The wind can move and howl and you can feel it against your skin, but it’s still just a ghost. Like me.”

  “Stop it,” I growled, running around the next corner and finding her sitting on a golden horse on the old carousel. Her hair was being pulled to and fro in the wind and her little dog was sitting obediently at her feet, a pious follower of this heartbreakingly beautiful goddess. Just like I was.

  Her eyes were red, but it looked like her tears had long since dried. I didn’t think she’d ever looked so captivating as she did now with her mascara smudged and strength burning in her eyes. A smile didn’t compare to that deep and endless sea that lived in her gaze. Not even one as perfect as hers.

  I walked towards her, looking up at her on the horse as she gazed impatiently at me like anything I said would be waste of time. And she was probably right about that.

  “I know my apologies are worthless,” I said darkly, reaching out to grip her calf and her throat bobbed as she gazed at me. “And I’m not here to drag you home.”

  “Why are you here then, Johnny James?” she asked icily, tugging her leg out of my grip and Mutt jumped up, growling at me as he got the silent message from his master that she didn’t want me here.

  I stepped up onto the carousal, stuffing my hands into my pockets and shaking my head. “Because once upon a time, I would have followed you anywhere. And then I lost you and now…I guess I’ve done what I couldn’t do back then.”

  “What’s that?” she asked bitterly.

  “I found you,” I said with a boyish shrug before stepping closer to her again. She tipped her head to the side as she watched me approaching like I was a lion in the long grass.

  “Maybe I want to be lost, JJ,” she sighed. “Maybe I was lost for so long that it started feeling good.”

  “Nothing feels as good as having a home, sweetheart. And this is your home,” I said firmly. “Are you really going to leave again?” My throat seized up as I prepared myself for the answer. Because if she chose to go, I’d have to accept it. I knew I couldn’t chase her to eternity when she didn’t want me in her shadow. I’d have to let her go. But I wasn’t ready. I’d never be ready. Not after going so long without her only to have her back for nothing but a few short weeks. I had so much I wanted to give her, but I didn’t know how. These past years had fucked me up too and now we were finding each other broken instead of whole and it wasn’t anything like I’d wanted it to be.

  “I’m still thinking about it,” she said, twisting the key at her throat between her fingers.

  I nodded, looking out in the direction of the bright blue sea. “This isn’t an excuse but…Luther never would have let us come find you.”

  She scoffed. “I don’t wanna hear it, J. You could have found a way. I would always have found a way for you guys.”

  I nodded, guilt tugging at my chest as I thought back on one of the days me, Fox and Chase had all been trying to locate her.

  “Maybe if you hadn’t smashed her fucking phone when we sent her away, this wouldn’t be so hard,” Chase growled as we stood in Fox’s room.

  “As if my father would have let her keep it anyway,” Fox said, stalking back and forth in front of the balcony doors.

  Luther was out on a job and we did what we always did whenever we had some time away from him. We planned how to find Rogue. But this time it was more than that, we were going to fucking do something about it. It had been two months since she’d left and Luther hadn’t mentioned her in weeks.

  “I had to prove my loyalty to him so he’d trust us,” Fox hissed, getting up in Chase’s face.

  I groaned, knocking my head back against the wall. “Just stop fighting. We need to do this now.”

  “Fine,” Fox snarled, stalking to the door and opening it. We followed him into the hall, heading toward Luther’s office and Fox knelt down in front of the door as he took a couple of picks from his pocket.

  I moved to stand guard by the stairs while Chase threw me an anxious look. The house was quiet. Luther probably wouldn’t be back for hours, but he had plenty of armed men crawling about outside.

  Fox had been practising picking locks for a few weeks now and as a click sounded, I turned and found him pushing his dad’s office door open with a smug grin.

  I gasped and Chase pumped his fist in victory. I jogged across the hall, following them into the office and Fox ran around the huge desk, taking Luther’s iPad out of a drawer.

  “Three five nine nine,” I breathed. I’d watched Luther unlock it over breakfast a few days ago and my heart hammered as Fox tapped in the number.

  We all held our breath then my heart leapt as the screen unlocked. I hurried around the desk, my shoulder pressing against Fox’s, and Chase crushed in close on the other side. Fox brought up Luther’s emails, typing in the name of his cousin in Fairfax. Nothing came up.

  “Shit,” Fox swore, typing in Fairfax, then Rogue Easton, anything he could think of that might seek out an email.

  “Forget it, check his contacts for Sandra,” Chase hissed and Fox nodded as he switched onto them, hunting through them for her name. He found it, tapping on her details and nothing but a phone number sat beneath it. No address, no email. Fuck.

  “Write it down,” Fox growled and I grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling the number down as Fox started checking Luther’s browser history.

  A door slammed downstairs and my heart lurched as Fox nearly dropped the iPad.

  “Put it away,” I hissed and Fox quickly locked it, tossing it back into the drawer and we all ran for the exit.

  We slipped out into the hall and shut the door. Fox dropped down, fumbling with his picks as he worked to lock it again.

  I scrambled over to the stairs, peering down them, fear crashing through me as I expected Luther to appear at any second.

  “Hurry,” Chase urged and Fox cursed as he worked.

  Footsteps pounded this way downstairs just as a click sounded behind me and relief rushed through my chest as Fox jumped up. We jogged back to his room as quietly as possible, our breaths coming heavily between us.

  Fox fell down on his bed, switching on the tv and Chase and I dropped down beside him, kicking up our feet as solid footfalls thumped upstairs. I shoved my hand under Fox’s pillow, stashing the number there as my throat thickened with fear.

  A loud knock came at the door and I shared a worried look with my friends before the door pushed open.

  Luther stood there, blood flecking his cheeks and staining his golden hair red. My heart bunched up in my chest as his murderous gaze slid over all of us before settling on Fox.

  “The motion sensor camera in my office was just triggered.” He held up his phone, showing a video of the three of us at his desk and the world closed in on me, choking out all the air from my lungs.

  “I tried,” I told Rogue.

  “It’s not good enough,” she breathed and I nodded, stepping closer to her.

  “But it’s something, right?” I asked, knowing I was an asshole for it, but I just needed her to stop looking at me like that.

  “It doesn’t change anything.”

  “I know, pretty girl,” I sighed, staring at her up t
here looking like a dark queen and falling back on my instincts. If I couldn’t make her forgive me, I could at least make her smile. I took out a roll of cash from my pocket and held it up to her. “A thousand dollars to sit with the lady?”

  She snorted, shaking her head as she fought to keep her expression flat. “No.”

  “Alright two thousand, but I want some firm, over the pants stroking for that.”

  “Oh, I’ve just figured out why you keep following me everywhere. This is all a long ploy to get me to work at your club, isn’t it J?” she taunted, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. Fuck yes.

  “Yeah,” I played along, stepping closer again and laying my hand on the golden horse’s head. “You’d bring in top dollar, pretty girl. I have a problem though…”

  “What’s that?” she asked as my hand ran down the horse’s neck onto the saddle between her thighs.

  I looked up at her, my smile dropping away as I brushed her inner thigh with my fingertips. “I want to keep you all to myself.”

  I thought of Chase’s reaction when he’d found me with her and knew this shit was getting messy fast. He’d shown his cards and I’d shown mine. I wasn’t going to stop him from making his move on her if that was what he wanted, but I sure as fuck was going to try and lock her down before that could happen. The bigger problem was Fox. Because fuck my life, he was going to shoot me dead if he found me with her. But I just couldn’t stop myself.

  Her lips parted as I painted a circle on her skin and she released a ragged breath. “I told you-”

  “You don’t belong to anyone. I know,” I said, cocking my head to one side. “You’re not for sale…but I am. And I’ve got an offer on right now that might interest you.”

  “Oh yeah?” She quirked an eyebrow.

  “I’m free to any girl with hair the colour of the rainbow.” I smirked and she released a breathy laugh.

  “Not too many of those around here.”

  “It’s a very limited offer,” I agreed and she cracked a smile that made my heart tug.

  I reached up to brush her lips with my thumb, tracing the curve at the corner. “Let me make that smile last longer, sweetheart. It looks far too temporary.”