Carnival Hill (The Harlequin Crew Book 3)

by Caroline Peckham

  “I keep thinking he’s gonna call or show up somewhere in town,” JJ said, shaking his head at himself as he flicked his cigarette butt away and lit up another one. “It’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid,” I said gently. “I feel like that too.”

  “Except if he saw you, he’d run for the hills,” JJ pointed out and I snorted.

  “He’ll probably start haunting my ass now,” I said and JJ laughed.

  “Yeah you’re screwed, man, you can’t banish a ghost.”

  I smiled at the thought of Chase still being close, but the pressure in my chest didn’t lessen. He may have been a traitor, but I still loved that fucking boy even after everything. And losing him was unbearable.

  A clang in the kitchen made me turn and I found Rogue there washing up the nacho plate. She glanced over her shoulder, giving us an apologetic look as she tried to slip out of the room again but I jerked my head to beckon her.

  “Get out here,” I called just as the first splashes of rain fell against my cheeks.

  “Come on, pretty girl,” JJ encouraged. “And bring the rum.”

  She stepped outside barefooted in one of Chase’s white shirts, her hair hanging wet around her shoulders. Me and JJ shifted apart so she could sit between us and I rested my hand on her knee as she offered me the bottle of rum. I took a long drink of it, letting it burn away the ache in my chest a little before watching as she and JJ sank two large measures.

  Rogue kicked her feet back and forth in the pool, resting her head on JJ’s shoulder while her fingers interlocked with mine.

  I bathed in the comfort of their company, not wanting to be anywhere else in the world right then and mentally deciding to put off all Crew responsibilities for today. I just needed to be around my family and cling to their presence, facing the huge cavity in my chest where Chase belonged. The five of us were never going to sit together again and though that had been fairly obvious where Maverick was concerned, now it made that reality permanent. And it just plain fucking hurt. I thought of Maverick saving me at The Dollhouse, chewing over the meaning of that once again. I’d probably never understand his motivations, but I knew for sure it hadn’t been because he cared about me. Maverick had stopped feeling anything for me years ago, the gunshot scar on my neck was proof of that.

  “I don’t want to say goodbye,” Rogue said, her voice unsteady as she took a cigarette from the box.

  “Maybe we don’t have to,” JJ said. “Maybe it’s better to keep thinking he’s going to show up again, maybe I don’t wanna stop feeling like he’s right round the corner or in the next room or down at Raiders Gym.”

  “Yeah,” Rogue agreed and I guessed that wasn’t the worst idea in the world, though I didn’t want that to mean their pain went on longer than necessary.

  Then again, if I was being really honest, I knew saying goodbye wouldn’t erase our pain anyway. Chase wasn’t just going to be forgotten or moved on from, he was too integral to us. When Maverick had cut us off, I’d at least known he was out there, hating us maybe, but not gone. There’d been a small sort of comfort in that, even though it hurt like a bitch.

  Wherever Chase was now, I knew he was still as attached to us as he always was, just as my adopted brother was too. The five of us couldn’t escape each other, even in death. It was something intangible I couldn’t really explain but which lived in us like our souls were tethered together by unbreakable chains. And wherever it was that he’d gone in death, I knew one day we’d follow Chase there, because our souls would hunt for their counterparts to the ends of the universe. And I was fairly sure they wouldn’t find true peace until they were together once more.

  ***

  I woke with my arms wrapped around Rogue and the rough brush of a man’s fingers on my arm. My eyes cracked open and I inhaled the scent of Chase, Rogue and JJ. We were in his room again, the three of us taken to sleeping here together – well four of us if you counted Mutt. He was currently wedged in between my head and Rogue’s, curled up in a tiny ball with his little paw over his nose. His butt was pointed towards me of course, but I had hope that him being willing to sleep so close to me meant he might start coming around to me again one of these days.

  None of us commented on the strange sleeping arrangement we’d come to, we just all seemed to end up here night after night, watching Chase’s collection of horror movies on his TV and falling asleep way after midnight as we reminisced about the good times in our childhood. It was nostalgic, peaceful, but I knew I was hiding from reality. Every day I was avoiding too many of my tasks, putting off my duties so I could just be at home with Rogue and JJ. Luther was hounding my ass for a meeting, but I wanted a little longer. Just a few more days.

  I shut my eyes, holding Rogue tighter and letting the weight of sleep fall back over me so that I didn’t have to face the truth again. Because every day when I woke up, I remembered that Chase was dead. And that truth never seemed to get any easier to face.

  A door slammed downstairs and I bolted upright, making Rogue roll into my spot and JJ roll with her so he faceplanted her tits.

  Gah. I shoved him off of her and he flopped onto his back with a groan. Mutt growled as I disturbed him too and I slipped out of bed as footsteps thumped up the stairs. I reached for my gun on the nightstand, but I’d know the sound of those furious footfalls anywhere. Just in case he fancied murdering us, I kept the gun in my grip as I stood up and the door flew open.

  Luther took a sweeping look through the room as JJ sat up, bleary eyed and with a pistol in his hand. He was shirtless, in bed with my girl and I was only in my boxers too, so this all looked very fucking strange, but I didn’t need to explain myself to my father.

  Luther’s eyes widened and he seemed lost for words for a moment before he regained his composure.

  “It’s nearly eleven am,” he barked, his glare flicking onto me. “You missed the Crew meeting at the clubhouse, why the fuck was your phone off?”

  I looked around for it, spotting it on the floor where it had died. “Err…” I rubbed a hand over my face, the taste of rum still lingering in the back of my throat from last night.

  “Sorry, boss,” JJ tried, stepping out of bed and pulling some sweatpants on while Rogue continued to sleep like the dead. Mutt bounded across the mattress, jumping at Luther with blind faith and he caught him out the air in surprise.

  “Get up. All of you,” Luther commanded, scratching Mutt’s ears while the little dog licked him and threw me a side eyed glare. “We need to talk.”

  He strode out of the room and I shared a look with JJ where we silently questioned our sanity about sleeping in this bed together. It was what we needed right now though and I guessed it was how we were coping with losing Chase, but if I really analysed it I could possibly come to the conclusion that this was actually a way to hold onto him and never let go.

  “Come on, pretty girl. Time to wake up.” JJ shook Rogue, but that didn’t work so I moved over to her other side and patted her cheek.

  “Hummingbird,” I tried, patting her cheek a little harder. “Baby?”

  She reached out in her sleep, her hand landing right on my cock and squeezing.

  “Jesus,” I grunted, pushing her hand away as my dick got overexcited. “Wake up.” I scooped her into my arms and her eyes finally fluttered open.

  “Where are we going?” she murmured. “I’m hungry. Was that a footlong sub I just felt? Gimme it. Put it in my mouth.”

  “Tempting, baby, but Luther’s here,” I said and she woke up a little more sharply.

  She wriggled out of my arms, grabbing a pair of Chase’s sweatpants from his drawer and pulling them on, tying the cord so they yanked tight around her waist. I frowned at her, seeing the stubbornness in her eyes to keep a part of him with her like she feared if she stopped surrounding herself with him, he’d disappear forever. I knew she was conflicted over him, we all were, but none of us had wanted to see him dead and I didn’t wanna let go yet either.

  We headed
down to the office along the hall and I was reminded of being disciplined in here by my father as a kid. It was my domain now, but as I stepped into the room and found him behind the desk, I didn’t feel much ownership of it. The three of us stood shoulder to shoulder and he regarded us with a pitying look on his face, but quickly schooled it into a hard mask.

  “Shut the door,” he ordered even though there was no one else in the house and JJ moved to obey. “I know you’re all grieving,” he said with a frown as his gaze travelled across us. “But it’s time to move on. Our Crew is at war, and I have intelligence that says Shawn is going to make another move against us tonight.”

  “Where?” I demanded as Rogue’s spine straightened.

  My jaw clenched at that single movement, because I knew my father owned her now and I didn’t have the power to keep her from trying to attack Shawn if that was what he wanted. JJ had been teaching her to shoot while I stubbornly refused to acknowledge the fact that she would ever need to use a gun against Shawn. I hadn’t stopped him all the same though, she needed to be able to protect herself, so I turned a blind eye to it and tried not to think about her going anywhere near the front line in a fight against The Dead Dogs.

  “He’s going to strike at The Oasis. One of my men caught a Dead Dog early this morning and squeezed Shawn’s plans outa him. I guess one of Shawn’s little spies heard about our annual summer party there tonight,” Luther said, resting his hands on the desk as his eyes darkened. I’d forgotten all about that, the days having merged together. “And you will all be there when he does.”

  “Rogue stays out of it,” I demanded.

  “No,” she said simply. “I get to kill Shawn, that’s the reason I’ve got an ugly ass tattoo on the back of my thigh.”

  “Which one?” I gritted out and she threw me a death glare.

  “She’s not your solider, she’s mine,” my dad growled, pulling fucking rank on me. “And Shawn’s gonna be there tonight, so the wildcat gets her shot at him. That was our deal.”

  “And what was the other part of that deal, Dad?” I demanded, still having had no more information on that from Rogue.

  “That’s between me and her,” he said. “Now bite your tongue and listen to me.”

  I did as he said, but there were still a thousand thoughts going through my head about how I could prevent Rogue from taking part in this fight today without directly ordering it.

  “Word is, Shawn’s going in hard tonight. He’s bringing a lot of men and a lot ammo. He wants this war won which means he’s going to be gunning to take me and you out, kid.”

  “So what’s the plan?” JJ asked, sounding ready to go in to battle.

  “I’ve got scouts trying to track down his location so we can get the jump on him, but his men never seem to take the same roads in and outa town. As you know, Shawn rarely shows his face when his men strike, but I guarantee he’ll show up tonight if he thinks he’ll get a chance to kill us.”

  “Well there’s only two roads that lead to the clubhouse,” I said thoughtfully, trying to compartmentalise my concerns over Rogue as I focused on making a plan. “We could try to ambush him before he makes it to The Oasis.”

  “Exactly my thinking,” Luther said with a smirk. “But he’ll be cautious, he’ll send scouts ahead to make sure we’re all definitely at the clubhouse before he risks his own neck.”

  “So we let them through?” I guessed and Luther nodded, scratching at the ink on his neck.

  “Which means you and me will need to show our faces there long enough for the word to get back to Shawn. Rogue too.”

  “I don’t want Rogue involved in this,” I said in a growl, my hands balling into fists.

  “That’s not really up to you, is it Badge?” she said and anger built in my chest.

  “She’s right, and Shawn’s made it clear he’s after the girl, so I want her front and centre, dangling there like a nice juicy apple,” my dad said and anger flashed through me.

  “No,” I snapped.

  “Yes,” Luther hissed back. “This is happening, son, so get used to it.”

  “I’ll make sure I’m the juiciest apple ever, then I’ll poison his ass when he takes a bite,” Rogue said passionately.

  My heart beat frantically and I looked from her to my father to JJ whose brows were knitted together. I could see I had no choice in this which meant I needed to take control of it in another way.

  “She doesn’t leave my sight and if she kills Shawn, it’ll be because he’s been handed to her on his knees with his wrists bound,” I snapped.

  “You’re so ridiculous,” Rogue sighed.

  I swung around, glaring down at her. “You think it’s ridiculous to protect you? To stop you from going off half-cocked and untrained to kill the most dangerous enemy we’ve ever faced?” I snapped and she rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic.

  “You’ll stay with Fox,” Luther agreed and some of my panic eased, but not nearly enough.

  “Great, and by the way I’m not untrained, JJ has been teaching me to shoot,” she said, raising her chin.

  “You think shooting at a few glass bottles in the woods can prepare you for facing a man twice your size with years of practice hunting his victims? You don’t know what it’s like to fight for your life in that situation, Rogue.”

  “Well I beat a rapist to death with an iron poker when I was sixteen despite him being three times the size of me so I think I can figure it out, Badge, but thanks for your concern.”

  I opened my mouth to retort, but Luther raised a hand to halt me. “That’s enough. You’re giving me a headache. I’ve delivered my orders, now don’t question me on them or I’ll consider making you stay home, Fox.”

  For fuck’s sake.

  I sealed my lips tight, just knowing he’d do it.

  “Good,” Luther said with a satisfied smile. “Now grab some chairs and sit down. We’re gonna make a plan to catch Shawn Mackenzie and skin him alive.”

  T he Oasis had always been this taboo place from my childhood. Pretty much the one and only place in the whole of Sunset Cove where the five of us didn't fuck around or pull stunts, break into, or generally use to our advantage. It was the heart of the Harlequin Crew, therefore none of us had wanted a thing to do with it. So strolling in through the front door on the arm of their prince with their king right beside us was something of a mindfuck to say the least.

  Every gang member in attendance cheered as they spotted us and I fought a blush at the attention, not least because I was the only woman in the entire place, so I was getting more than my fair share of curious looks.

  Since Luther had sworn me in, I hadn't exactly spent much time among the rest of the gang and if I was being totally honest, the amount of men in attendance here had my head spinning. Fuck, there were a lot of them. And I had no goddamn idea what they must have been thinking about me. But then I remembered that I didn't give a shit and the whole thing seemed a lot less intimidating.

  It was hot today, summer was in full swing and we were officially into the second week of a heatwave, so I'd chosen to wear a playsuit instead of a dress. It was pale blue with little pink flowers embroidered onto it and my ass wasn't entirely contained within the shorts, but I was cool with that. The top half of it was strappy and the material thin and despite Fox's protests, I wasn't wearing a Kevlar. There was no fucking way I could have gotten away with wearing it unnoticed and if Shawn was sending scouts ahead of him, then seeing me decked out in a bullet proof vest would be a pretty obvious giveaway to let them know we were on to them.

  And lucky for me, Luther agreed, so I was currently on the arm of one angry badger as standard, but I looked freaking cute in my outfit, so I gave no shits. I'd paired the bodysuit with some white tennis shoes, forgoing heels. I was almost certain I'd never wear high heels again after being trapped in them for hours inside that fucking safe, and I definitely wasn't going to risk wearing some when there was a chance Shawn might start chasing me again. Nope, this time I
'd be ready to run or dick kick or do whatever the hell I needed to so far as footwear went.

  The guys were dressed up in their best jeans and smart shirt combos which was about as fancy as the dudes around here ever got and I was not so secretly eye fucking my two old friends. Fox’s ink seemed gilded on his muscular arms tonight, the deep brown shirt he was wearing doing his tan all kinds of favours. And JJ had opted for white which coupled with his ink black hair and the devilish look in his eyes made me want to lick him. I mean, I always kinda wanted to lick him, but right now I was up for doing it slowly and repeatedly and in all the best ways.

  Harlequins flocked around Luther and Fox, wanting their face time with the bosses and I quickly slipped away from them, taking JJ's arm as he led me to the bar at the back of the open room.

  There was aircon pumping in here, but amongst the press of bodies it was still hot, so I was more than glad to escape for a drink.

  The Oasis wasn't as terrifying as my imagination had conjured. The place was huge and built with white wood, the downstairs dedicated to this communal bar area, with tables dotted around and a few pool tables off to the right of the bar. A balcony ran over the bar with a guard blocking off the stairs from anyone wanting to head up there aside from the heads of this criminal organisation. Luther had an office upstairs somewhere as well as a suite where he stayed when he was in town, and I knew Fox had his own office here too. I guessed running a gang included a bunch of paperwork, though I couldn’t imagine what.

  "What are you drinking, pretty girl?" JJ asked me as we moved to stand by the bar and I shrugged.

  "A shot of something that hits hard," I said and he grinned at me before making an order with the Harlequin acting as bartender.

  I knocked back the disgustingly strong shot of liquor and smacked my lips through the wince it brought to my face as it burned all the way down. That was what I needed to take the edge off and I sighed as I leaned my elbows back against the bar and looked out over the crowd.