Stoker's Serenity: The Virtues Book IV

by A. J. Downey

  “Yeah, we’ll be there. Uh-huh.” He grinned. “Aye, aye, Captain.” He disconnected the call on that note, and I smiled at his almost-excited look.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “The Plank, later tonight,” he answered.

  “What’s The Plank?”

  “A bar at the leading edge of town and our de facto clubhouse when the weather is shit. It’s almost guaranteed to rain tonight, so the captain called off the bonfire on the beach and is having the club convene at The Plank for drinks and some pool and maybe some darts.”

  “Ah,” I nodded.

  “You look great,” he murmured.

  “Cooler, that’s for sure,” I said, my smile growing, and drifted over to the dining room table to look over my new orchid plant, checking the stem and leaves for tears and breaks, happy to find all of the blossoms still intact.

  “I’m going to grab a change of clothes myself and then we’ll take a walk to the boulevard and find some food.” He raised his eyebrows, silently asking without words my opinion of the plan.

  “Sounds good,” I said, and with a nod, he went back to change himself into something cooler, too.

  When he came back out, he had on a pair of olive green cargo shorts, frayed just at the knee telling me they’d once upon a time been a pair of pants. His leather vest, he’d shrugged back into over his bare chest, and I admired the way it framed his drool-worthy physique, my eyes roving over the colorful patches on the front.

  One caught my eye and made my lips part into a wide smile, pulling a laugh through them like a fish on the line.

  It was a red flag, slashed upper-left corner to lower-right corner by a white line – the universal maritime flag for ‘diver.’ What made it funny though, was ‘MUFF’ written in all capital bold black letters across it.

  He looked down at what I was looking at and laughed too, shaking his head.

  I bit my bottom lip and giggled out, “Classy.”

  “Sassy, and a little smart-assey,” he agreed.

  “What’d you do to earn that particular merit badge?” I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure I wanted the answer, but the genie was out of the bottle and there wasn’t any putting it back.

  “Past is past,” he evaded lightly, pulling me into his arms. “I’m living for the here and now, with you.”

  “Slick,” I said, offering up my lips to his. He kissed me lightly.

  “You will be, later tonight.” He gave me the devil’s own grin and I bit my bottom lip to try and keep my smile under control.

  “How do you know I’m not already?” I asked, equally playfully and he gave a delightful little growl and attacked the side of my neck with these wonderful little love bites that left me squealing and squirming from the ticklish sensation he wrought.

  We walked, hand in hand, down the sidewalk through air thick with heat, humidity, and the electrical charge that promised thunder and lightning. It was quiet out here, the threat of nature’s fury a hairs breadth from making itself known with a maelstrom of rainfall, angry growling skies and the clash and riot of light and sound.

  I loved the moments right before a storm, the minutes leading up to the sky’s cathartic weeping, the rain sweeping the sidewalks and streets clean. The only thing I loved more than these quiet moments before the storm was the shining purity that came after, when everything sparkled wetly under the sun and the very air seemed cleaner somehow, the smell of wet, green earth left hanging on the air and the light chasing back the memory of the ominous clouds.

  I kept pace with Stoker, our walk brisk as the sky let out its first rumble. I shuddered and picked up my pace beside him, my hand tightening around his.

  “What’s up?” he asked his voice cautious.

  “Nothing,” I lied. “I just don’t want to be caught by the rain.”

  It was only half a lie, I told myself. I really did hate being anywhere and stuck in wet clothing, but what I really feared was the thunder. The crash and rolling bass through the sky echoed back to shotgun fire echoing through the corridors of Rachel Alice Morgan High School.

  You know its thunder. You know what it is, I reminded myself and in this particular case, knowing really was half the battle.

  20

  Stoker…

  She was shy, nervous, and half-hiding behind me when we went into my favorite dive, right there on the edge of the beach. They had good food and a clean atmosphere that appealed to the tourists, but the place was all dive bar when it came to the food, and cheap when it came to the well drinks. Not as cheap as The Plank, but definitely way better food.

  Rory looked up from behind the bar and called out, “Sit anywhere, man! Hey, Orchid, that you hiding behind him?”

  She peeked out from around me and smiled, calling back, “Yeah!” and it was the most adorable thing. She held my hand between both of hers and dared to come out a little, like, now that she’d been called out, she had to face the room, and I kind of got that about her. She was content to be a wallflower but once she was seen or remarked on, she realized she wasn’t invisible and came out in full bloom.

  Go big or go home, right, baby? I thought to myself as we threaded through occupied tables and found a seat in a close two-seater booth along the left wall at the end of the bar, just before the short hall that led back to the bathrooms.

  Rory came to the corner of the bar nearest our newfound seats and asked, “You know what you’ll have to drink?”

  “Ah, I’ll take a beer,” I said and looked to my little orchid.

  She pondered the drinks menu a moment and finally asked, “You got any cider?”

  “Sure do, by the bottle. Dark Horse Cider, from up there in Washington State.”

  “Is it dry?” She made a cute little face that screamed ‘dry’ was definitely not what she wanted.

  “Eh, middle of the road,” he said, waffling his hand back and forth.

  “I’ll try it,” she said with a smile, and he was a bartender on a mission, off after a stiff nod of approval to grab us our drinks.

  We both perused the menu, even though I practically knew the damn thing by heart, until Rory came back to this end of the bar and set down two bottles for us. I got up and threw him some chin as thanks, bringing them back across the short expanse of open floor between the end of the bar and our table.

  “Need a minute, or you know what you want?” he called from behind the bar.

  “I’m ready if you are.” Serenity smiled and I could never do anything but smile back when she smiled at me that way.

  “What looks good?” I asked her.

  “I’m feelin’ the fish tacos,” she said with a wink, and I laughed.

  “Fish tacos for the lady, and I’ll go with my usual.”

  “Fish tacos for the lady and the surf-and-turf special for my dude, sub salad for onion rings – got it.”

  “Thanks, Rory.”

  “You bet,” he said, using a knuckle to punch in our order into the system.

  I turned back to my little orchid watching me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” she said lightly. “I just like looking at you.”

  I gave a slow grin and almost felt like I was the one blushing. Her words were nice to hear. Dudes just didn’t get complimented like that very often. It didn’t surprise me that she would. She was the most fearless, afraid person I’d ever met. Contradictory, in all these fascinating little ways that I couldn’t get enough of.

  We had a nice lunch, talking and laughing over random things. The conversation was a light sparring match in places. I was struck by just how much I loved the way her mind worked, and at how she made my mind work overtime to keep up. She was beautiful, alluring, intelligent, and we were so in tune with one another.

  The woman was quickly becoming my best friend, and it felt good. Like I was a puzzle that’d been missing a piece, she just fit, so nicely, like she’d been cut specifically to fit that missing space, and the picture on top spelled out ‘Love.’


  I was falling in love with this woman and the realization had me grinning like a fool in the middle of the packed bar and grill my bandmate worked at. The thunder was muffled in here by the din of conversation around us, but it’d started to pour out there and the occasional strobe of lightning through the windows would leave a lull in those conversations. It was one of those flashes and lulls that gave me away.

  When we were out like this, she kept her head down, her gaze fixed nowhere in particular, but studiously away from anyone else’s, including mine. It was like, she tried so hard not to draw attention to herself that it made her glaringly obvious, and I didn’t know how to tell her or work with her on it to help her.

  I digress, though.

  Because, when the lightning flashed and the crowd at the tables out on the floor sucked in a collective breath, she looked up, and locked eyes with me. Her expression changed to surprise before softening to something else, something that said ‘secretly pleased’ and she asked, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “It’s nothing,” I said lightly, turning her own words back on her. “I just like looking at you.”

  She laughed and shook her head gently, and dropped her eyes back to her plate, her cheeks painted in a faint blush of pleasure.

  By the time we were finished eating, the thundershower had mostly petered out. It was still a steady drip from the sky, but the atmosphere had lightened, and while it would be a damp walk home, it wouldn’t be a soaker, or completely miserable. It would, to my delight, be just enough for us both to want out of our clothes, and I was totally okay with that.

  I paid Rory, up at the bar, for our food, clasped hands and tapped shoulders, and my little orchid and I were out. We went to walk back to my place but, secure with me, hand in hand, she surprised me and asked to have a gander through some of the shops along the boulevard.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but at the same time, I wasn’t about to deny her heart’s desire anything. If she wanted to window-shop, I was down. If anything, it would give me a better understanding of the things she liked so I could be sneaky and gift some things to her later. If I was lucky, and she was down for it, I had birthdays, and Christmases, and a lifetime of ‘Just because I felt like it’ ahead of us.

  “Oh, wow,” she murmured, stopping outside the town’s jewelry place, Hidden Treasures. One of their bigger claims to fame was a bevy of reclaimed sunken treasure that’d been fashioned into jewelry, old pirate and Spanish coins made into pendants or hanging earrings. It also boasted a bunch of fresh- and saltwater pearls in just about every color they came in. It was super expensive shit. She had good taste, but she was also just looking.

  It was way above my paygrade in a lot of ways, but definitely something I’d be willing to shell out for if this were going to be the forever kind of thing. So, I watched her carefully for that spark of desire over that one thing that was so strong I could say to myself, That’s it, that’s the piece I’m buying for her.

  She didn’t spot it at first, but I did. It was a necklace in one of the cases off to the right as you came in the door. The chain was fine white gold, the pendant looked like hand-hammered white gold, too – at least the petals of the orchid –the center bits were a regular gold setting holding a precious stone that I couldn’t identify, but was a light blue in color, like a drop of dew or whatever.

  The piece was striking, gorgeous, and screamed out at me that it was the one for her. Her sharp intake of breath when she spotted it all but sealed the deal.

  “That’s so beautiful,” she remarked and I nodded.

  “Was just about to point it out to you,” I lied.

  “You like to see it?” the girl behind the counter asked.

  “Oh, no, probably far too rich for my blood,” Serenity said with a light, but uncomfortable laugh.

  “No, come on, let’s get a closer look,” I said. “If you don’t mind?” I addressed the shop girl with the last.

  “Not at all,” she said brightly.

  She pulled the necklace and I helped Serenity into it. The shop girl held up a mirror for her and Serenity traced just below the pendant, which lived beautifully in the hollow of her throat. I mouthed over her head at the girl, I’ll be back for it, and she nodded.

  “Thank you for letting me try it on,” Serenity said and went to take it off with a reluctant sigh.

  I helped her with the fine clasp and checked the price tag.

  Shit. I’d be back for it. But in a couple of installments. This wasn’t going to be a one-and-done purchase at that price, but I happened to know the place took payments and when it was paid off? The piece could go home with you.

  I knew it’d only been a few weeks I’d known her, but this was no impulsive thing. I really wanted to do something for her, something meaningful that would make her happy, that would let her know she was loved without saying it outright this soon – I didn’t want to scare her, or give her second thoughts. I wanted her to hold onto this easy and comfortable feeling we had when it was just her and I.

  We left the shop and went into a few more random little places, an easy stroll down the boulevard that ate up time and the distance between us and The Plank.

  “Ready to head back?” she asked. The sun, though not visible with the remaining cloud cover, was giving its last, the dark creeping out from between buildings and wrapping around my little town.

  “Actually, we’re closer to The Plank than the house at this point and by the time we reached my place, we’d touch the doorknob and have to turn back to make it on time.”

  “Better early than late,” she said with a smile.

  “My thoughts exactly.” I gave her hand a squeeze and she wrapped her other arm around mine, leaning into me as we turned the corner to the line of bikes parked out front of the little bar.

  The captain was here; looked like Hope had ridden on her own; and a bunch of the other guys’ bikes were parked out front. I spotted Marlin’s, Atlas’, and Radar’s. Pyro’s was out here, too.

  I felt weird arriving on foot. It wasn’t something I did, but we were already here, so it was whatever.

  I held the door open for my little orchid, and it was like I held my breath along with it. I mean, this right here felt like she was really stepping wholly into my world for the first time. At least, for a no-holds-barred look into it.

  Citizens weren’t always welcome at The Plank. We kept it club as much as we could. The only real exception to the rule was the VFW guys we let in here when the town’s VFW Hall burned to the ground. Cutter, being a veteran of a foreign war, brought it to the club at an emergency meet, and he’d posed it as bringing a little legitimacy and respectability to The Plank. At least enough to keep law enforcement from getting any wild hairs. Not that we had any trouble from Ft. Royal’s four-man police force. They were firmly in our pockets.

  I stepped in right behind Serenity, dropping my hands to her bare shoulders and pressing my thumbs lightly in between her shoulder blades, where her tension rode.

  “Back in the back,” I told her, as she nervously looked around at some of the old-timers giving her curious looks. A couple of them were wary until they spotted my cut. A few of them gave me a chin lift, a nod of respect. I threw some chin back at them as we passed, and I herded my beautiful woman past them thinking to myself, Yup, look at what I got, motherfuckers. All mine.

  “Hey,” Cutter crowed as we stepped into the club’s section of the bar. He was draped in his electric chair, Hope sitting on one arm, looking up at us with his greeting. Her face went from serious to a stunning smile in an instant and I relaxed.

  “Hope we’re not interrupting,” Serenity’s musical voice came from just behind my shoulder.

  “Not at all.” Hope’s smile grew bigger.

  “Welcome in,” Cutter agreed. “Pull up a chair, there, Stoker.”

  I pulled up a chair as directed and dropped into it, helping my little orchid into my lap. She put an arm around my shoul
ders to steady herself and perched prettily on my knee.

  “We were just talking about you, actually,” Hope said with a wink.

  “Oh, no. I can’t tell if that’s good or not.” Serenity’s laugh was a tad forced, her nerves on full display.

  “Nah, it’s nothin’ bad,” Cutter said. “We was just sayin’ you could probably stand a weekend away. Get out of Florida for a minute. Head up north with us where nobody knows you.”

  “I don’t follow,” she said and chewed her bottom lip.

  “Lake Run?” I asked.

  “See, I knew you’d pick up what I was puttin’ down.” The captain winked at me and I smiled.

  “Actually, I’d forgotten all about it. Thanks for the reminder,” I said.

  “Okay,” Serenity said. “What is this?”

  Hope grinned. “We, and by ‘we’ I mean the Kraken, are friends with another club up north in Kentucky called the Sacred Hearts,” she said. “They were a little before my time, but they’re a great group of guys and girls, and every summer we meet them halfway for a weekend at this lodge. Camping on the grounds, drinking, swimming, a little fighting all in good fun, and general fuckery. It’s a blast, and really good for the soul.”

  “You should come as Stoker’s guest,” Cutter said, and I was touched that they would include her.

  She looked a bit apprehensive and a little overwhelmed by the idea so I cooled things off with, “We can talk about it later.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that. I would love to, it’s just, when is it? I have a hard-assed manager and I would need to know at least a month in advance to get the time off, and even then it’s no guarantee I’d be able to afford to take it off or anything. She really doesn’t like me, and could drop my hours or…”