Hot, Wet, Smooth, and Hard (Craving Cove Book 1)

by Blue,Marina

  Harry said, “And don’t forget to stick around for the concert. Melody is a professional singer, who’s got a record deal in the works.”

  “Really?” Murphy said.

  Pearl clamped down on Melody's mouth. “She’s so shy. But yes, really. And you’ve got the exclusive. Now go enjoy the town.”

  As Harry and his boyfriend walked off, Melody spun to Pearl. “That’s not true. I don’t have a record deal.”

  “You will after tonight. Now come on, we got to get you ready.”

  The afternoon went better than expected. Melody's friend Kat had her PR firm put out the word, and by three o’clock the available parking spots were filled to capacity. And during the entire time no one spotted Sparrow in Craving. That meant the day was a massive success.

  But the night was even better.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, lights around town began to click on. But they weren’t the usual ones. Instead, strings of white, blue, and green lights were hung everywhere down Ocean Way, and they sparkled like jewels. There were also strings of bright white lights in the trees, making them look like mystical plants at that bore magical fruit.

  But none of it was as gorgeous as the beach.

  Against the black night, the stage looked luscious. It was lit in light blue and purple spotlights, and the decorations on the booths had tiny lights that began to glow and flicker in a way that would make Christmas jealous. There were even strings of them running overhead, so that the overcast sky looked starry from the ground.

  All around, Craving Cove started to glow. To sparkle. It sparkled like a polished emerald. It sparkled like a precious gem. It sparkled everywhere, and so did Melody.

  “I can’t believe it,” Pearl said. “You did it.”

  Melody said, “We did it, you mean.”

  “No darling, this was you. I’ve checked with the booths and we’ve made enough to pay off the debts for another couple of months. Which will get us through until next season.”

  “That’s great news,” Melody said. “Now all I have to do is put on one hell of a show.”

  “That’s the easy part. You look gorgeous.”

  Melody was in another silver sequin gown. She shimmered head-to-toe like some all-powerful sea goddess. “Thanks. I just wish Knox was here.”

  Pearl put her hand on Melody’s shoulder. “I know. But look around.”

  Melody did. She gazed from behind the stage at the amassed people. The lights illuminated the people’s faces. They were smiling. It was easy to see how happy everyone was, even with the clouds above covering the moon. “It’s beautiful, I’ll admit.”

  “More than beautiful. This is a miracle. And it’s because-”

  All of a sudden, there was an explosion from the lighthouse. The lights clicked off. Darkness rolled over Craving Cove.

  And the people, they began to panic.

  Chapter 49

  “What’s going on?” a person yelled.

  “Where’s the lights?” another asked.

  “What the hell?” Pearl said.

  “The generators,” Melody said. “It’s Sparrow. He must’ve snuck in somehow. I knew this was too good to be true.”

  “Hey, the power’s out!” the bandleader called. “We’re fried.”

  The sound guy came over. “Hey Melody, you got to fix the juice or we’re done for.”

  “Give me a second,” Melody said. “I’ll be right back.” Sparkling in her silver sequined dress, she ran through the crowd.

  “Hey Melody!” It was Harry Talbot.

  Melody stopped, and spun around. “Harry, what’s up? Is the press leaving?”

  “No. Actually he’s incredibly excited to cover the blackout. It’s an actual tragedy unfolding live.”

  Melody stood shocked. “What?”

  “Yeah, it’s got teeth he says. We’ll get a lot more attention. I think he’s hoping for a stampede of scared people.”

  “Oh God…” Melody's stomach dropped. “You’re kidding?”

  “No. I tried to talk him out of filming it, but he’s a professional. The story comes first.”

  “Listen, just try and buy me some time.”

  “What’re you going to do?”

  “Something.” Melody searched around. All she saw were scared faces. She knew she had to make it to the lighthouse, to check on the generators Sparrow had sabotaged. But how? She looked up at the parking lot. There were cars. And a few busses. Most of them were too wide to make it out of the lot, and up the winding road quickly.

  And then she saw it.

  Standing alone, like a dark stallion, was Knox’s motorcycle.

  As fast as she could, Melody ran to the bike. It was dinged and scratched all over, but thanks to the chain attaching it to the massive anchor, it was still there. From its looks, the machine was beaten badly by the storm, but it was still whole. Melody reached under the rear bumper, and pulled out the hide-a-key. “Thank God.” She unchained the bike, hiked up her dress, and jumped on it. Then she put the key in the ignition, and prayed.

  Melody turned the key. And Knox’s bike roared to life. Melody pointed its nose towards the lighthouse. But then…

  “Hey, you can’t do that!” It was Sheriff Pinter.

  Melody revved the engine. “Watch me!” The bike’s rear wheel spun, then caught, and she shot forward, slicing through the night air with her hair waving behind her like a stallion’s mane.

  Behind her, Sheriff Pinter picked up his radio. He clicked the button and said, “Sparrow, do you copy?”

  Some static crackled. And a voice said, “Yes uncle, I’m here and it’s done.”

  “Roger,” Jerry said. “Good work. But just to let you know, Melody Song is on her way up.”

  “Let her come,” Sparrow said. “I’m ready.”

  #

  Melody stopped in front of the lighthouse, got off of the bike, and looked all around for Sparrow. He was nowhere to be seen. But then Melody noticed the generators. “No, no, no… This isn’t possible!”

  The twin batteries were completely destroyed, and smoking, like someone had used an explosive on them. Unless Melody could fix them, the concert was over. And so was the cove. They’d bought themselves another season, but with the town’s debt, and this disaster, it wouldn’t be enough.

  So Melody studied the wires. They looked just like the ones she fixed with Pearl in the Coeur de Mer. If she could connect these cords to the generators in the basement of the lighthouse everything would be saved!

  Melody ran to the door, grabbed the handle, and threw it open.

  Revealing Sparrow.

  Melody jumped back. “You!”

  His scarred face had a smile, and his hand held a knife. “Yeah, me. Now I’m finally going to cut a piece off you!” He lunged forward.

  But Melody danced to the side.

  And Sparrow passed by. He kept going, tripped over his feet. And landed flat. But he jumped up, and spun around.

  Right as Melody ran through the lighthouse’s open door. She slammed it shut behind her, and locked it fast.

  Sparrow pounded on it from outside. “You’re trapped, bitch! You’re going nowhere!”

  Melody looked around. The floor was barren. There was a staircase circling upwards, to the actual light in the attic, and another set of steps on the other side of the room that went down. But there were no windows. So Sparrow was right.

  She was trapped.

  But Melody was going to focus on one problem at a time. First, the generators.

  As Sparrow pounded the door, Melody bolted down the steps to the basement. There were three huge generators there. The first thing that Melody did was click on their power. And for the first time since she’d been home, the lighthouse groaned to life. She looked up the winding staircase. At the very top, the bright bulb burned, and the mirror next to it swiveled around and around, sending a beam back and forth over the dark waters.

  Melody then searched the generator itself for a cord. She found it o
n the side. It was incredibly long and black, and split at the end like a viper’s tongue. There were metal tips. One was black. The other, red.

  Positive and negative.

  Like Pearl had taught her.

  Melody scooped them up, and pulled them apart. But she smacked them together and sparks spat from the end. Melody smiled.

  Time to go cook a sparrow.

  She climbed the steps, dragging the long cord behind her, and when she got to the door she paused, and listened.

  No sound. While holding the cords far apart, she spun the doorknob with one hand.

  Slowly.

  And the door ripped open. Sparrow was there. “Come out, you bitch! You’re missing your debut!”

  Melody said, “Screw you.”

  “Oh, we can screw,” he said. “And then I’ll dump you down near the party. Bet you wish you hadn’t called in that news crew now, huh?” He was smiling wide. His silver blade shone, thanks to the light from above meant to guide sailors back home. “Imagine the news story about Craving Cove… Murder at the Frolic. You’re going to be famous.”

  Melody inched forward. “You know the problem with guys like you? You got little dicks.”

  Sparrow’s eyes grew wide. “You bitches think you’re all so great. Hanging out in groups, too good to talk to guys like me. But you’re all the same. Jam it in you, and you’ll start crying.”

  “You’re disgusting,” Melody spat.

  “Come out, come out, before I blow your house down.” And with that, Sparrow lunged forward.

  But Melody didn’t budge. “Blow this.” Quick as she could, Melody jammed each of the cord’s tips into Sparrow’s chest.

  Sparks popped as thousands of volts flew through Sparrow’s body. Fire and smoke burst from his chest as he flew backwards through the air. Sparrow landed flat on the hard concrete, smoldering, and not moving a muscle.

  “Asshole,” Melody said. Then she ran to the broken generators. She unplugged the wires that led down to the cove, and linked both sides to the live wires she held. First the positive. Then the negative.

  And below her, the valley erupted in light. Cheers, too, joined the illumination. And the darkness that hung so heavy over Craving Cove was lifted. Finally.

  But soon the cries died down. And were replaced with a chant.

  “Melody!”

  “Melody!”

  “Melody!”

  She looked down on the city. “I’m coming, just you wait.” She leapt onto Knox’s bike, started it up, and ripped down the dirt road, spitting dust in her wake. She was moving fast. But she didn’t slow down a bit, and it was mere minutes before she was cruising down Ocean Way.

  Even over the wind and engine growl she heard the crowd.

  “Melody!”

  “Melody!”

  “Melody!”

  She was just about there.

  So she laid on the horn. The bike belted out a warning, loud and true.

  People in the crowd looked over. And cheered. The scream moved through the entire group of people.

  When the guitarist from Rick’s saw her, he grabbed the microphone and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present Craving Cove’s favorite daughter, Melody Song!”

  Melody neared the end of the road, but instead of stopping she sped up, and aimed the front of the bike towards the steps of the stage. She rode up onto the curb, then down to the beach, and revved the engine. Driving through the sand, she got to the stairs, and rode the black and chrome beast right up onto the stage wearing a smile, and a slightly mussed sequin dress.

  The crowd’s cheers exploded like a bomb.

  Below, Harry Talbot turned to his friend. “Not bad, right?”

  Brian Murphy stood there with his mouth open. All he said was an aside to the cameraman. “Tell me you’re rolling.”

  The cameraman said, “You know it! Everyone on the coast is going to see this!”

  Once on stage, Melody shimmered like some beautiful sea creature as she dismounted the bike. And the entire crowd went mad. She walked to the center of the stage. And they quieted down. There were thousands of eyes on her. She’d never sang in front of this many people before. Plus, there were television cameras. She was going to be seen by everyone in the state. She should’ve been terrified. She should’ve been quaking.

  Instead, her heart beat steady. She was calm. Confident. She opened her mouth, and said, “Thank you all for coming. This means so much to me, and everyone in Craving Cove. Welcome. You will always be welcome here. This first song, and all the songs tonight, are dedicated to a man who’s absent. I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to him. And that’s happened twice now. So wherever you are, this is my tribute to you, Knox. I’ve always loved you. And I always will…” And then she began to sing. Soft notes floated from her, and danced across the sea’s gentle breeze. The sound caressed every person in attendance. And they began to sway with her soulful ballad.

  Murphy reached out and took Harry’s hand. “She’s amazing.”

  “I told you,” Harry said.

  As the song continued, it captivated the crowd, and they stood awed. For the full song, they were enraptured, and when it was finished, they exploded into applause.

  And that’s how the evening progressed. For one hour, until nine o’clock, Melody sang. She sang from her soul. From her heart. And most importantly, she sang from her spirit. And when she finished, she bowed, and walked off the stage.

  Then she wept.

  The crowd was deafening. They screamed and cheered so loud that not an inch of the cove was free from their echoing approval.

  Pearl threw her hands around Melody’s neck. “You did it. I told you!”

  “We did it, Pearl. We saved our town.” Melody wiped her tears away. “But we still lost the Coeur de Mer. I’m so sorry.”

  The older woman had a sad smile. She pulled out some paperwork from inside her coat. “This is the actual deed. Along with that crappy notice of eviction. I want you to have it.”

  Melody took it. “Why?”

  “It’s a gift. You know, the alpha and omega, I guess. The beginning and end. And I know, it’s just meaningless paper, but… well, I won’t have those bastards from Coldwater getting the original. At least we can hold on to its… I don’t know, its spirit.” Pearl looked around the town. “I know it feels hollow now, but at least the rest of the town’s saved. Congratulations.”

  The two women embraced.

  Then the crowd started chanting, “Encore! Encore! Encore!”

  “You better give them what they want,” Pearl said.

  “Absolutely. Can I just have a minute?” Melody said.

  “Of course, I’ll take care of it, personally.” Pearl walked onto the stage, and the whole crowd quieted down. She grabbed the microphone and said, “Ten minutes folks, and she’ll do one more set.”

  The crowd started to mull around, but nobody booed.

  And Melody walked around the back of the stage to collect herself for just a moment. There she was all alone. It was just her and the ocean. Its waves lapped the shore. She looked beyond them. Inky black-blue was all she could see. Knox was out there. Somewhere…

  Then, from behind, rough hands grabbed her and shoved something hard into her back. “Don’t make me kill you, Melody.”

  Melody was pulled under the stage. And flung to the ground. Standing there was her husband, William.

  And he was pointing a revolver at her.

  Chapter 50

  Melody said, “What’re you doing?”

  “What I have to,” William said. Sweat poured down his forehead. He was shaking. And there was a kind of desperation in his face that Melody had never seen before. It terrified her. “I’m too far in. Too invested. If this fails, I’ll owe hundreds of millions. So I’m going to kill you. I have to. I’m sorry.”

  “Why?”

  “Because. When they find your body, it’ll be all over the news. And Craving Cove will be known as a violent place any decent per
son should avoid. Then Coldwater can buy it up.”

  Melody crawled backwards, trying to escape, but struck a column.

  William inched forwards. His gun barrel swayed back and forth. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I have to. I have to...”

  Melody was frozen. She sat on the sand, leaning against the column. Her heart beat so fast. Like the last time she was on this beach. With Knox.

  Knox… Just the thought of him relaxed her. She was terrified of death, but at least she’d see her man again, in the next life. Melody whispered, “Just do it already.”

  “You understand, right? I don’t want to, but I have to.” William cocked the pistol.

  “Yeah, like with your paralegal…”

  He lifted the pistol higher. “This won’t hurt. I promise.” William took careful aim at Melody’s chest.

  But she didn’t look away. She stared, unblinking, into her husband’s eyes.

  William wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’m so sorry. I’ll make it quick.”

  “Me too.” This voice didn’t belong to William. It was deeper. Fuller. Melody knew it immediately.

  And her heart jumped into her throat. Every cell in her body burned with electric fire. And a place that was rapidly dying inside her came back to life with such force, all she could do was scream, “Knox!”

  The gorgeous sailor stood a foot beyond William’s back. His muscles were harder. Larger. But the man looked emaciated. The defining lines in his body were deeper than usual. His beard was wild. And those icy blue eyes with flecks of silver burned like dragon fire.

  William spun around. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I’m her man.” Knox threw a right hook. His knuckles connected with William’s nose.

  William stumbled backward. His pistol fell to the ground, yet miraculously he somehow stayed on his feet as blood trickled from both nostrils, covering his chin with red wetness. William wiped it off with his sleeve.

  “Had enough?” Knox asked.

  “Not yet.” William lunged to the ground, and scooped up the gun.