"Maybe we should have brought some chum to attract the sharks," JJ muttered as he stood too and I pushed myself upright in my seat.
"He's plenty bloody, the sharks will sniff him out anyway," Chase reasoned.
"We've gotta stick holes in him so he doesn't float," Maverick announced, getting to his feet and unwrapping the tarp.
"That doesn't sound right," I muttered, my nose wrinkling at the sight of the body as I sat up.
"It is, beautiful, trust me." Rick gave me a wide grin and then snatched the metal poker from within the bloody towels while I tried not to look at Axel's face which still looked kinda shocked in death. Like he couldn’t believe that some big bad gangster could be taken out by some nothing girl he just wanted to fuck and forget. Well fuck him for underestimating me and I seriously hoped he was burning in hell right about now.
"Don't," JJ protested, reaching out towards Rick with a disgusted look on his face as he raised the poker.
"You see this asshole's pants?" Rick snarled, pointing with his free hand. "You see how his fucking fly is undone? You do know what he wanted to do to our girl, don't you?"
JJ looked while I tried not to and Fox took my hand, squeezing it tight.
JJ leaned forward and snatched the poker from Maverick before driving it down into Axel's gut with a shout of anger.
Chase pushed to his feet and kicked the body next then suddenly all four of them were kicking and stomping and stabbing him with the poker as the boat bobbed and swayed beneath us from all of the movement.
"Enough," I shouted when it looked like they were about to lose their shit completely. "Throw him overboard and let's just all forget that motherfucker ever existed."
JJ looked me in the eye and tossed the bloody poker into the sea while Fox, Chase and Maverick wrapped the body in the tarp once more and then shoved him overboard.
We all watched in silence as he floated there for several achingly long moments and then the tarp tipped one way and the whole thing was swallowed by the waves.
I sighed in relief as I watched our secret sink to the bottom of the ocean and my boys all moved in close around me as the five of us drew strength from the unbreakable bond we all shared.
"B ring all of the clothes you're wearing now and we'll burn them here tomorrow," Fox told us as we parked up at Sunset Beach. Chase and Rogue gasped, glaring at him. She was sitting on his lap this time and Maverick didn't look best pleased about that.
"Not the shoes," Rogue said firmly, looking down at her favourite combat boots.
"Some of us don't have an endless supply of clothes, bro," Chase growled.
Fox got that bossy look in his eyes that said he was going to go top dog on us. Then Maverick caught his gaze and shook his head and he sighed.
"Just bring everything you can afford to lose to the beach tomorrow evening for a bonfire," Fox said and we all nodded our agreement. “And at least try and wash what you’re keeping a few times.”
Maverick stepped out of the truck and we all followed him, but as Fox stepped out too, his phone started ringing. We all stilled, watching him closely, fearing what that phone call could mean. It was nearly three am, why the hell was someone calling him?
Fox looked down at the screen of his phone, his brows pulling tightly together. "It's my dad," he said, his jaw flexing.
"Answer it," Maverick urged as we all grouped around Rogue protectively.
I wasn't sure she even noticed how we all gravitated around her. Or realised how damn far we'd go for her. With the scent of bleach still clinging to me, I should have been more worried about what we'd done. But I'd figured out a long time ago that I'd walk to the ends of the earth for this girl.
"Hey Dad, what's up?" Fox asked and a second later the tension ran out of his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm with Maverick. We'll be home soon." He hung up and tucked his phone into his pocket. "Dad says The Dead Dogs are causing trouble in town. He wants me and Rick to go home in case the gangs start a fight on the streets."
Maverick cursed and Rogue sighed as she hugged him goodbye. He moved forward, clapping me and Chase on the shoulder. "Look after her," he growled in warning, but he knew we would.
We said goodbye to Fox then he hugged Rogue far longer than was necessary, murmuring something in her ear before finally releasing her.
"We’ll meet tomorrow," Fox promised before climbing back into his truck. "Stay at Sinners' Playground. Don't leave until the sun's up."
"Yes, boss," I mocked while Chase rolled his eyes.
They drove off and me and Chase walked on either side of Rogue as we headed towards the old pier we'd claimed as ours. Rogue was shivering so I wrapped my arm tight around her shoulders as the cool sea air whipped around us and she leaned into me.
We made it to the side of the pier where we'd carved hand holds into one of the support beams so we could get into the closed down amusement park. The large gates at the front of the pier were too tall and sharp to climb, but no one could keep us out of anywhere. Chase went first then Rogue went next and I soon followed, the three of us reaching the top and climbing up onto the pier.
Chase strode off ahead of us like he was hankering to put more bodies in the ground tonight and I sensed there was something more going on with him than what had just happened. By the fresh bruises on his face, it was pretty obvious what it was. His motherfucker of a dad had laid into him again.
Me and him often slept here or at Rosewood, trying to escape the shittiness of our homes. I was always out of the house when my mom had clients over. And as rent day was coming up, she seemed to have them there non stop lately. There was nothing worse than hearing your own mother making big hairy men groan and grunt a few doors away. I was pretty immune to the smut that came out of her mouth, but somehow, I never stopped being creeped out by the guys. Call it protectiveness, but I didn't like creeps coming into my home and fucking my mother. Guess I was unusual like that.
My arm brushed Rogue's and her fingers slid smoothly into mine as we walked towards the arcade. Chase lifted up the block of wood we'd used to wedge the door closed, opening it and heading inside with a glance back at Rogue like he was double checking she was still here. Still okay.
I wasn't feeling one hundred percent comfortable with what had gone down tonight. Not that I would have done anything differently. But seeing a dead body had rattled me. There was plenty of fucked up shit in Sunset Cove to witness every day. Bodies were one of the things I'd managed to go without making any contact with up until now. But that asshole had touched Rogue, and I damn well wasn't remorseful over his death. I just felt slightly off after throwing his ass into the ocean like a sack of shit.
We slipped into the arcade and I wedged the door shut again before we followed Chase around to the Pac-Man and Space Invaders machines where a nest of warm blankets were waiting between them.
"You're safe now, pretty girl," I murmured in Rogue's ear and she looked to me with a half smile.
"I know," she said lightly.
Chase kicked off his shoes and we mimicked him before crawling onto the blankets and sitting with our backs to the wall. Rogue was wedged between us and she took Chase's hand too, still shivering. I hooked up one of the blankets and pulled it over us and Rogue sighed, her head falling against my shoulder.