Page 21 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

W hatever image I had in my mind of Chris’ vessel was wrong. As I pulled into the harbor, I couldn’t miss the literal yacht behind where Sarah, Bridget, and who I assumed was Chris were standing. Albeit a small yacht, but I’m not picky as far as yachts go.

“Oh, ok,” I said in disbelief. “I feel so much better now because I had no idea how we would stay looking cute rowing a dinghy.”

Sarah ran up to hug me, laughing.

“Raina, this is my boyfriend, Chris.” Bridget introduced us to each other. It didn’t take much speculation to notice there was some tension between the two of them. They were at least an arm’s length apart, and they seemed to avoid each other’s eye contact.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He reached out to shake my hand. Chris’ dark auburn hair caught the gleam of the lights on the dock, highlighting golden streaks.

“Beautiful boat,” I said with a curt smile.

“Thanks.” He slinked an arm around Bridget’s shoulders. It was subtle, but she inhaled sharply at his touch. Noted. “I hope it’s alright that I invited some people from work to join us.”

“That’s fine with me,” I caught Sarah’s stare, and how she winced immediately made me regret my words. An SUV pulled up beside my car, and three people got out. Griffin, Agatha, and Tamara. My stomach dropped.

Sarah walked over to me and linked our arms. “Don’t worry, we’ll still have fun,” she whispered so only I could hear her. “I promise,” she added with a squeeze.

Tamara sauntered towards us but stopped when she noticed me standing there. I doubt she knew I would be here, even though it was my birthday. “Don’t leave without me,” she shot at Chris, turning on her heel and walking straight toward Cole’s boat. She strutted as if the gravel parking lot was a catwalk. Her walk reeked of her desperation for attention.

“What is she doing here?” Agatha asked, not so subtly glaring at me.

“Don’t be rude.” Chris took a step toward her. “She’s my guest. And,” he turned toward me, “it’s her birthday.” Agatha rolled her eyes and stomped past Chris. She ascended to the deck of the yacht without looking back. “Sorry,” he said to me, his eyes sympathetic. “She’s always been like that.”

“Growing up here limited who your options were for friends,” Bridget explained. “Aggy is cool about one percent of the time. Tamara used to be cool until she started hooking up with Cole.” Hopefully, Cole would distract Tamara long enough that she’d miss the boat. For some reason, the thought of the two of them together made my stomach feel…strange.

“Saying Tamara was ever cool is a stretch,” Sarah snorted.

“You guys ready? I’ll text Tamara that we’re leaving soon.” Chris began to walk to the yacht.

“Raina?” a man yelled from near the Boathouse Cafe. Jeff stood there, shrugging his coat on. “What are all of you doing here? Is that the police chief?” I walked towards him, ready to quell any brotherly concerns.

“Him?” I pointed to the tall and lean man near the yacht. “That’s Chris. He’s taking us to the mainland. We’re going out for my birthday. Do you want to come?”

“Yeah, he’s the chief of police, but no, I’m good.” He squinted his eyes. “So, you’re getting on a boat with some random guy?”

“He’s not random. Chris is Bridget’s boyfriend.” To my surprise, Jeff remained unbothered by the news. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

He shook his head. “I’m good. Let me know when you get back,” he said gruffly. He headed toward his truck.

Tamara skulked back along the dock as I returned to the group, who were all boarding the yacht. I slowed my pace so I wouldn’t catch up with her, and I looked back to where she came from.

Cole stepped out onto the dock where his boat was anchored and stretched out the muscles in his neck. Coming to a stop, I couldn’t look away. Cole sat on the stub of a piling, watching me, and I was utterly entranced. The heat from his stare bore into me, and my body reacted to his attention…which I probably hallucinated. Because from this distance and in the twilight haze, I could have imagined any expression I wanted on the man’s face.

“Raina, come on,” Sarah called down from the hull of Chris’ boat. I mentally cursed myself and moved my feet.

“What were you doing down there?” Bridget asked, craning her neck around me to scan the gravel lot.

“Jeff was leaving, so I invited him.” Bridget’s eyes widened. “But don’t worry, he said no.”

Her shoulders dropped, and the yacht lurched into motion. As we sailed, Chris explained how he kept the boat docked at a yacht club by the bay on the mainland, which made sense as to why I hadn’t seen it before now. The yacht club staffed and chartered the ship’s use, and there was a bartender on deck who served us cocktails to kickstart the evening’s festivities. Even with the addition of the two most miserable women I had ever met, I was enjoying myself. Minutes into the voyage, Sarah started on the shots.

“To our beautiful new neighbor, who already feels like family. Happy birthday, baddie!” She raised the tiny glass of lemon drop in salutation , and we all followed, even the dastardly duo.

Agatha sat awfully close to Griffin, wearing a strappy mini dress with lace tights. She must have been freezing, even with the overhead heaters. Interestingly enough, to me at least, Griffin seemed completely uninterested in her apparent attempts to vie for his attention, not even sparing her a glance as she leaned into him while laughing at something Tamara said. On the contrary, he was invested in my every move, and I caught his coy glance as he took his shot. He smiled, revealing a dimple, as the sweet liquor went down. This unexpected moment between us sent a delicious shudder through me.

By the time we arrived at the harbor at Machiasport, the group of us had a nice buzz going. A pair of black SUVs were waiting to take us a bit farther inland to the town of Machias. The landscape seemed scarce, exactly how you think a remote coastal village would look. I was starting to wonder if there was any actual nightlife to be had here.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked the girls.

“Trust the process!” Sarah blustered, slurring her words a bit , and falling into a fit of drunken giggles.

“I know it doesn’t look like much but tonight is going to be awesome. Trust me,” Bridget said. She was leaning into Chris, who was running his fingers through strands of her moonlight hair. The liquor seemed to help them move on from whatever argument they may have had before I arrived at the harbor.

We turned down a road lined with buildings; some were even national fast-food franchises. Not a single one of the well-loved structures gave off club vibes. Our vehicles slowed and turned into the parking lot in front of what looked like an old farmhouse. I thought we must have needed to turn around, but the driver parked, and the other SUV stopped beside ours. There were a couple of cars, nicer models, parked on the far side of the lot. A sign on the building’s front siding showed that this was a luncheonette. They served “the best brunch Downeast,” or so they claimed.

“This place is closed. I don’t think they’re serving brunch anytime soon.” I remarked, starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Again—trust me, and trust the process,” Sarah insisted as she jumped out of the passenger seat. I stepped out into the salt air when Griffin exited the other SUV.

“Hey,” he smirked. I could stare into his sapphire eyes forever, losing myself in their depths of crystal and navy blues. Like the calm sea on a quiet morning. But that was promptly interrupted by Agatha clamoring out right behind him. She fell into him, but he didn’t even notice. She let out a sharp huff in response. “They didn’t tell you about this place, did they?” Griffin leaned in and asked me quietly.

“No, they didn’t.” I pouted in feigned frustration but quickly broke into a smile. “I’m not going to get murdered, am I?” He laughed at my probing, the most contagious, bright, and fulfilling laugh I had heard, and I couldn’t help but join him.

“Not a chance,” he chuckled. “Once a month, this place turns into a Speakeasy, and we pull out all the stops.” He looked around to the group of friends and non-friends, all dressed to the nines. “The island doesn’t have a nightlife, nor does this town. Except for tonight.” He held his arm out, which I took. Aggy’s eyes shot daggers over her shoulder as she stomped around the corner of the structure.

All seven of us crowded the stairs to the cellar door at the back of the building. The most peculiar symbol was carved into the dark wood. In true speakeasy fashion, Aggy knocked in an intentional rhythm. While we waited to enter, I held my arms as the chill in the air got to me. I felt Griffin flinch, as if to put his arm around me, but he stopped himself before committing. When the rusted cellar door opened, I took in the most jarring sight.

Lights streamed through a crowd of people, and bass heavy music hung in the air. As we descended into the pseudo-NYC nightclub, I saw other vehicles pull into the house’s parking lot. Squinting against the seething purple neon sign behind the bar, I finally could read “Hearties”. The fact that such a place existed absolutely blew my mind. The music was slow and rhythmic, almost LoFi, but the whole vibe of the place was intoxicating. It felt wrong…like it was against the rules—sinful, even. Before the whole scene even registered, Bridget handed me a shot and Sarah gave me a cocktail.

“Double-fisting, straight outta the gate!” I snorted as I clanked both glasses against theirs.

“Let’s go!” Sarah yelled, like a total woo-girl, and we threw back the shots. Before the alcohol could pick up where it left off, I noticed Tamara and Agatha saunter to the far end of the room where leather booths lined the wall. Griffin hung around by the bar with Chris, standing beside Sarah, Bridget, and I.

Not long after the first round of drinks, it was made known to the entire establishment that it was my first time there and that it was my birthday.

“Everyone, listen up!” Bridget was on the DJ’s microphone. “It’s our girl’s first time to Hearties, and it’s her special day.” She crooned with the confidence of a professional MC. “Tonight, let’s show her how it’s done here!”

The room erupted in cheers as the DJ switched up the music to a mash-up with a stronger, faster beat. Every patron chanted “virgin” as the bartender served me their signature drink, the Thunder Bomb. It was a half pint of their local brown ale, and a shot of local corn whiskey mixed with cranberry liqueur. I struggled to get it down, but with everyone’s eyes on me, I went for it.

“Let’s go!” Sarah shouted her favorite phrase before chugging her own Thunder Bomb, and Bridget gave an indignant look as she sipped her espresso martini.

“You good?” Griffin asked me, chuckling at our friends, as I slammed the pint glass back onto the bar. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to wince at the burning in my throat.

“I’m great,” I whined, chasing the drink down with a sip of the vodka cranberry that Sarah gave me.

In the meantime, Sarah responded to Bridget’s judgment by shimmying around her as obnoxiously as she could. The espresso martini sloshed in its glass, dangerously close to spilling. Finally, Bridget cracked a wide smile, placing her drink on the bar, and elegantly twirled. Her hair whipped around, smacking all of us in the face.

I dove behind Griffin, who turned with me so we were face to face. “So, what’s the deal with you and Agatha,” I blurted out before I even knew my mouth had opened.

Half expecting him to play coy and beat around the bush, I was pleasantly surprised when he said, “It looks like something is going on, right? The thing is, I'm just as curious as you are.” He ran a hand through his warm brown hair as I tilted my head in confusion. The sleeves of his black button-down shirt were rolled up, revealing his fully tattooed arms. “We dated in high school. She cheated,” he cleared his throat, “and I ended it. I wasn’t really looking for anything serious anyway. I left the island for a few years. I was with the Portland Fire Department, but I moved back when my dad got sick. She’s been trying to get me back since. It’s been five years since he died.” I was not expecting such an honest response. His eyes quickly scanned mine, slightly nervous for my reaction. I instinctively reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

“I am so sorry about your dad.” My throat tightened with sudden emotion. “I lost both of my parents.” He looked down and then his eyes, shining with unfallen tears, met mine again, shattering all of my defenses.

“I didn’t mean to bring us down.” He broke our gaze and nodded to the bartender behind me. Griffin shouted for two shots of locally made whiskey and reached for them. Handing me one, he said, “Cheers to us.” He tilted his head with a small smile and clanked his shot glass against mine. He took a step closer to me, lips brushing against my ear. The feeling sent a thrilling chill through my body. “Will you allow me to ensure that this is the happiest birthday you’ve ever had?” His request felt genuine, and tempting. With Griffin being so close, my head swirled in his scent of whiskey mixed with the richness of cocoa and spice.

I let myself lean into the scent before whispering, “I think tonight is going to be a lot of fun.” I almost didn’t recognize my voice, with a slight rasp from the shots of grain alcohol. My head continued to spin and my limbs felt loose. It had been months since I allowed myself to just let go.

Turning a deep violet hue, the lights lowered as the music matched the mood. Sarah spun around Griffin and I, grabbing me by the wrist to pull me out to the dance floor. I hadn’t noticed Griffin’s hand on my waist until I felt it slide off as I was torn away. I mouthed “sorry” to him, and he gave me a wide, amused grin, flashing the dimple that I was quickly becoming obsessed with.

People were losing themselves in the beat of the song, growing warmer with the movement. Feeling the heat myself, I shrugged my jacket off, and someone immediately took it from me. Griffin. He carried it back to the bar, hanging it on a hook in front of our stools, and then he came back by my side.

In a heartbeat, in which his hands were back on my waist, every other person in the room melted away, leaving just the two of us, reckless in our infatuation. Griffin moved with the bass, and I fell into every beat, matching his body. I was lifted into a heady haze, and I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the booming music vibrating in the air. Trailing one hand down from his shoulder to his chest, I lost myself in the music. His hand traced my hip, and I closed my eyes as he moved his hand slowly up my spine until it held the back of my neck. His touch set my skin ablaze. Heat rose from my toes, through my core, and bloomed in my chest. I felt…alive. Opening my eyes, Griffin’s were locked on mine – the intensity of his gaze sent shivers down my body. My heart pounded in my chest, almost as loudly as the music in my ears. My stomach twisted in delight…but the twisting didn’t stop.

All at once, reality came rushing back in. Shadows from the people surrounding us became detailed once more, and I could see their sweating faces. The music became much too loud, and the lights were too bright. Although I was now standing still, my head spun. I took a step back from Griffin to see Agatha slicing through the crowd, with her death glare locked onto me like a heat-seeking missile.

“Are you alright?” I saw Griffin’s mouth move, but I couldn’t hear the words. The heat and movement in my stomach climbed to my throat.

“Oh, no.” I barely got the words out as Griffin’s eyes widened, and all the alcohol, every shot, every cocktail, spewed out of me all at once, directly hitting the person closest to me. Doubling over, I continued to heave. As I took a steadying breath, I straightened to see Agatha standing inches from me, covered in my vomit. “Oh, shit.”