by Ali Parker
“I’m not drunk.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Don’t go in.”
“Okay. Okay.” I nudged his hip with mine. “Are you actually looking out for me?”
“Get your ass down to the water. I’ll be right there.”
Grinning like an idiot, I spun away from him and crossed the sand to meet the water. I dropped off my gold sandals and abandoned them higher up the shore before hurrying forward to let the water wrap around my ankles.
I let out a content sigh.
Up until this year, I’d never seen ocean like this. Now, I couldn’t imagine life without coming to visit beaches like this. There was nothing that made me feel more at peace with the earth than standing in the ocean and listening to it; to the hush of the waves, the trickle of the water running through my fingers, the breaking of the waves in the distance against the reef.
It made perfect sense why Cooper loved it here so much.
“Paradise,” I breathed.
“Hey there.” A male voice broke through my serene moment.
I opened my eyes and looked to my right, wondering if it was Drew or Mitch or Luke, and my stomach rolled over when I realized it was not.
It was the three men Cooper had warned me to stay away from.
My mouth went even dryer than it already was, and I dared a glance over my shoulder toward Cooper, who was still in line at the bar truck. I willed him to look this way, but he did not, as he was deep in conversation with Max, who was laughing at something he’d just said.
Shit.
“You’re new around here,” one of the guys said. He was the tallest of the three, with thick shoulders and tattoos all over his arms and at the collar of his shirt. I suspected his entire torso was swimming with dark ink. His hair was as black as his tattoos, and his eyes were a piercing blue. “Are you staying at one of the resorts?”
I shook my head and desperately tried to get my tongue to work. “I’m here for the month.”
“Where are you staying?” the second asked. He also had tattoos, but not nearly as many as the first. There was one on the side of his neck in a pattern I couldn’t make out. His hair was buzzed short, and he had several piercings in one ear.
“With a friend,” I said, hoping they would leave it at that.
“A friend, huh?” the third asked, stepping forward between the first two. He was the most menacing of all. From a distance, the three of them had looked ordinary. Safe. But up close, I could see signs of things Cooper would be wary of. Crooked noses from a history of breaks. This one had a scar running through his right eyebrow that prevented any hair from growing. His cheeks were hollow, the inside of his arms were all beat up from years of injection sites, and his muscles were sinewy. He looked like the sort of man with a lot of power and strength.
He also looked a little deranged.
His eyes were the lightest shade of blue I’d ever seen. It gave him a catlike look that made me uneasy, and his stare ran over me from top to bottom with agonizing slowness. His thin lips curled in a smile. “Your Coop’s girl. Aren’t you?”
How did I answer that? If I said yes, would that put me in a worse spot than saying no? Did they have it out for Cooper? Would me confirming that I was with him mean they would leave me alone?
I suspected there was no right answer where these three were concerned.
I put my back to them and waded out farther in the water until it was around my knees. “I’m staying with him until the end of the month. And then I fly home.”
“Where are you from?” the one with the tattoos asked.
“New York.”
“Where in New York?”
“The city.”
He chuckled and patted the buzzed head guy in the chest. “She’s being evasive. Cute, isn’t it?”
I put my back to the ocean to face them. “Look, I don’t—”
Cat Eye wandered out in the water after me. My heart leapt into my throat as he reached for me, and I recoiled, wrapping my arms around myself as I took three hurried steps farther into the water. He stopped, and a wicked grin spread across his face. “Where you going, sexy?”
“Don’t touch me,” I spat.
My buzz was gone. My ears were ringing with one word and one word only: Danger.
“Don’t be like that,” Cat Eye said, his lips still twisted in a malicious smile. “Come here. We just want to get to know you better.”
“I’ll scream,” I threatened.
The other two flanked Cat Eye on either side. Their smiles were as wicked as his, but he was by far the creepiest. His eyes traced the lines of my body before lingering on my breasts. I suddenly wished I’d worn something that covered more skin than this little yellow sundress. “You can’t scream if you’re underwater, can you, Coop’s girl?”
I filled my lungs with air to let loose a terrified howl, but just then, water sprayed up behind the three men, and one of them went down face first into the ocean.
“Cooper,” I said, the word rushing out of me in a sigh of relief.
His stare locked onto mine for a brief moment. His expression was hard. His jaw was tight, and his mouth was pressed into a thin, angry line. Both hands were curled into fists, and he looked like he was about to explode as the man he’d knocked down, the one with the tattoos, sputtered and came up for air in an explosion of water.
I swallowed.
I shouldn’t have gone in the water.
CHAPTER 16
COOPER
The sky was dark. The ocean was dark. Everything was dark.
But all I saw was red.
“You’re not welcome here,” I growled. It was a battle just to keep my voice even and low. All I wanted to do was rip their ugly heads off their bodies and hurl them onto the bonfire.
They deserved it.
Piper was scared. I could see it written all over her.
She’d gone out deeper into the water to get away from them. I’d watched the whole thing transpire as I raced across the sand from Gordie’s truck, abandoning Max mid conversation. I’d watched, the anger burning a hole through my gut, as Piper wrapped her arms around herself and waded in up to her thighs.
And the fuckers had followed her.
She still hadn’t moved. She was in the water, about six feet away from us, and her arms were still wrapped tightly around herself. Her eyes were wide and fixed on me, but I kept my attention trained on the three men.
Around here, they were known as the Raptors. A lame, childish, stupid nickname in my opinion, but it was how people referred to them, due to their wicked natures. Not only were they known for causing a scene like this one, but they were dangerous, sometimes coming to parties like this with concealed weapons.
And they were drunk. Which made everything worse.
Maz, the one with the tattoos I’d just knocked down, slicked his wet hair back and laughed in my direction. “Coming to the aid of your woman, Coop? This is a different look for you.”
“Leave,” I spat.
“We just got here,” Tom said, splaying his fingers innocently. He’d shaved his head since the last time I saw him, and his usually hidden piercings were now on display.
The last one, the meanest and least trustworthy of the three, Lennon, rubbed his hands together. “I sure am glad you’re here tonight, Coop. It’s been a while.”
I resisted the urge to crack my knuckles. “Not long enough.”
Lennon threw his head back and laughed at the night sky like the madman he was. The others looked to him and followed suit, their cackles breaking over the water. I shared a look with Piper, who stared wide eyed back at me and mouthed the words, “let’s go.”
But it wasn’t that easy. There was no way these clowns were going to let me walk away. Especially if I had something they wanted.
Something like Piper.
Of all the times to get in a fight with these guys, tonight was not the night. I had no backup. Nothing to use against them besides my fists and my alcohol-muddled brain.
They
would have to do.
Maz twisted his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders. “Last time we saw you, your boys were with you. Where they at now, Diaz?”
Not here, I thought bitterly. At least, I was fairly certain neither Luke nor Mitch were here. They were probably going to arrive later.
And at that point, I might be floating facedown in the ocean with lungs full of saltwater. The Raptors did stupid shit when they were sober, and they had no limits when they were drunk and strung out on coke like they were now. They were a damn plague on this island.
“Piper, get the hell out of here,” I said.
Tom laughed and shook his head. “She stays here.”
When Tom made to move closer to her, Piper backed away and skirted around us to make for shallower waters. Good. At least she had the sense not to keep going deeper. That would only get her trapped. She needed to make for land, and then she needed to join the crowd. There was strength in numbers.
“Leave her alone,” I warned.
Tom scoffed. “What are you going to do about it, tough guy?”
There was no getting out of this one. And I couldn’t very well make it any worse than it already was. So I cracked a smile of my own. “I’m going to knock some of your teeth out and make a necklace out of them. I’m sure someone would pay a pretty penny for it.”
The three laughed.
Piper moved toward me. “Let’s just go, Cooper. Please?”
“He’s not going anywhere, sweet cheeks,” Lennon said. “I suggest you sit back and enjoy the show. Then it’ll be your turn. Don’t worry. We’ll be gentler with you.”
Piper reached for me.
And then everything exploded in a spray of ocean water.
Piper shrieked and stumbled back as Lennon and Maz came for me at the same time. She landed on her ass in the water as I blocked Maz and sent my knee into his gut. But I took a hard hit to the jaw from Lennon’s knuckles.
It wasn’t the first time he’d nearly knocked my lights out in one punch.
Fucker.
I staggered, braced myself against the fall, and regained my balance as the beach tilted sideways in my vision. To buy myself some time, I put more space between us, massaged my already aching jaw, and yelled at Piper to get up on the beach.
She went, but Tom went to go after her.
I caught him around the waist and brought him down into the water. His cry was silenced as I submerged him and held him down. Lennon moved in for a second hit. I ducked underwater to avoid his right hook, still holding Tom under with both hands and a foot planted in his chest. I broke through the surface as Maz closed in to tighten ranks with Lennon.
Tom struggled beneath me. I wasn’t letting him up. Not until I had to.
Lennon’s laugh split the air. “I always forget how much fucking fun you are, Coop.”
“Let him up,” Maz said, desperation touching his voice. At least one of them had enough common sense to notice their third was drowning.
“Back off,” I growled, my hair hanging wet in my eyes. Two drops of saltwater fell from the end of my nose.
Lennon slammed his right fist into his left palm. “Tom’s always been good at holding his breath.”
They came for me again.
I had to back up and let Tom up. He came up in a rage, gasping for air and flailing about, trying to land a hit on me, but I’d already put enough space between us. Lennon, however, was already on me.
I took another hit to the jaw and tasted blood. Lennon’s laugh thundered in my brain as he grabbed the front of my shirt with both hands and yanked me down to drive his knee into my chest. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and I wheezed in pain as he gathered a fistful of my hair and threw me past him, face first into the water.
I landed on my hands and knees and forced myself to breathe out, the fastest way to recover from being winded. Then I pushed myself up to one knee.
“Cooper!” Piper’s cry made me snap into action.
I rolled to the right, toward the shore, and Tom went barreling past me in a spitting rage.
Then I turned and faced the three of them, bracing myself for how much worse this was about to get. They squared their shoulders and faced me, and then Lennon’s gaze slid over my shoulder. “So you’re not alone after all, huh?”
I looked over my shoulder. The motion made me dizzy. But what I saw was a huge relief.
Mitch, Luke, Drew, and Max had all come down the beach and were standing at my back. Max, despite her size, was fierce as hell and not afraid of anyone or anything. She lifted her chin and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at Lennon. “On behalf of everyone on this beach, get the fuck out of here, you degenerates.”
Lennon winked at her. “You want to tag along, Maxine?”
Max stepped forward until she was shoulder to shoulder with me. “If you’d prefer to stay, that suits me fine. I’ve been itching to break that nose of yours.” She cracked a smile and paused for dramatic effect. “Again.”
Lennon’s eyes narrowed. “Bitch.”
The others came forward too until we formed a line of defense against the shore. Mitch put a hand on my shoulder, and I silently thanked him for giving me something stable to lean into. My head was spinning, and my chest ached horribly. I wanted to sit down—or pass out—but didn’t dare show any weakness in front of Lennon. He’d get some bad ideas and try to take all of us on.
It had happened before.
Lennon’s jaw flexed. His gaze wandered over to Piper, who had retreated to the shore. She was soaking wet and her dress clung to her, showing every line of her body. Lennon winked. “Maybe next time, babe. At least we got a bit of a show. Right, boys?”
The three of them turned to walk around us, but they moved toward the side where Piper was standing.
“Other way,” I hissed.
They paused.
To my surprise, they switched directions and moved up to the beach on our other side. We stayed where we were, turning only to watch them leave up the beach toward the parking lot, where they immediately descended into their usual fuckery of knocking over garbage cans and laughing obnoxiously as they howled at the moon.
As soon as they were gone, I let my shoulders relax. “Fuck me.”
“Cooper,” Piper breathed my name in a panic and came rushing through the shin-height water to me. She raced around in front of me and ran her fingers over my shoulders and then cupped my face in her hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t go looking for them. I was minding my own business and—”
“I know,” I said, closing my hands over hers. “It’s all right. It’s not your fault.”
She swallowed hard, and her eyes glistened. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m all right.”
Mitch clapped me on the back. “He just needs to walk it off, right, Coop?”
I nodded.
Mitch let his hand fall from my back. “Luke and I can walk you two home, just to make sure the riffraff doesn’t come looking for round two. You should go lie down, Coop. Lennon’s an ass, but he hits like a fucking boxer.”
I rubbed my aching jaw. “Tell me about it.”
Piper put her fingers under my chin and lifted my face toward the moonlight, squinting her eyes to study the bruises I was sure were already forming. She winced. “These look bad.”
Luke, Max, and Drew crowded around us. All I wanted was to get the hell out of there. But I owed them. “Thanks for the backup, guys.”
“You know I’d never turn down a chance to get in Lennon’s face,” Max said. “Sorry we were late noticing what the hell was going on.”
“Better late than never, right?” Luke said.
I nodded. “I’m calling it a night. Piper and I are out of here. Thanks again.”
Piper grabbed her shoes while the others waved goodbye, and Mitch and Luke walked along the beach with Piper and me to make sure we got back to my place in one piece. Piper hovered by my side the whole time, peering up into my face and the bruises that
were, according to her, turning a darker shade of purple by the minute.
After saying goodbye to Mitch and Luke at the bottom of the stairs leading up to my yard, Piper sighed. “We’ll put some ice on it. Then you can lie down.”
“I’m fine, Piper. Honestly.”
“I feel bad.”
“There’s nothing to feel bad about. If it happened all over again, I’d do the same thing. I couldn’t let them get away with talking to you like that.”
She paused at the top of the stairs with her sandals in her hand and wiggled her toes in the grass. “But you can talk to me like that?”
“I’m not that bad,” I said defensively.
“No,” she mused. “I suppose you’re not.”
I chuckled. “I like when you call me on my shit, babe.”
Piper stretched to the tips of her toes to press a warm kiss to my lips. “Then I’ll keep doing it,” she whispered.
And just like that, my aches and pains were gone.
CHAPTER 17
PIPER
I put my phone on speakerphone as I lowered myself down to the edge of the pool and sat with my legs in the water. When Janie answered, her tone was chipper. “Pipes. How are you? Is Cooper still being a dick?”
I was glad he wasn’t around to hear that part. Currently, he was in his gym, pumping iron, looking hot as hell. And as per usual, he was completely on display for me and for those down at the beach below.
I looked away before I started salivating.
“Hi, Janie. No, actually. Things have… changed.”
“Have they now?” Janie’s tone took on a curious note.
Changed was an understatement. They’d done a one eighty.
“He’s not what I originally thought,” I said.
“I’m shocked. I thought you hated his guts. How have things changed so quickly?”
“Well,” I said slowly, trying to decide where to start.
But Janie beat me to it. “You fucked him, didn’t you?”
“Janie, that’s not why things are different. I’m not that shallow.”
