Page 43 of Taking a King

“So, where are we going?” Finn asks.

“Don’t worry about that,” Wyatt says. “It’s just your average night of debauchery. Let us handle the details.”

Finn rolls his eyes. “I don’t want debauchery,” he says. “Just a fun night out with the guys.”

Wyatt sighs. “Fine. Have it your way.”

“Shut up,” Finn laughs. “Your debauchery days are over, and you know it.”

Van bumps Wyatt with his elbow. “I guess it’s up to me to carry the legacy.”

“Like you were ever that wild,” Wyatt says, rolling his eyes. “You’re the good twin, remember? I always had to drag you out to have fun.”

“Hey, I can debauch with the best of them,” Van protests.

Ronan, Finn and Wyatt all laugh as though he just said something hilarious. I don’t know the twins that well, but from everything Claire has told me, Van isn’t the type to go out and have a wild night without someone encouraging his behavior. I get the feeling that person has always been his twin brother. Van laughs along with the others, but I detect a hint of irritation behind his laughter. I wonder about it, but I don’t comment.

I’m finishing my second beer by the time we arrive at the address. There’s not much here that I can see. The street is dark and none of the buildings have their lights on. The low, brick building we’re parked in front of has boards on the windows and graffiti on the walls. Ronan looks at me nervously.

“You sure this is the right place?” Wyatt asks. “I don’t see anyone.”

I pull up the text on my phone and double-check the address. It’s the same. I nod. “This is it. Come on. Let’s find the front door.”

The others look skeptical, but they follow me. I really hope I didn’t lead them to an abandoned building where we’re all going to get robbed. I walk along the darkened sidewalk around to what I assume is the front of the building. About halfway down, a single light hangs above a low door. I glance around, but aside from a few cars passing by, the streets are empty. I don’t even see any parked cars that might indicate there are people inside. Weird.

I think back to the way my friend had described his night at the speakeasy when he’d visited. He didn’t mention much about the outside of the building other than to say that he’d thought it was abandoned until they’d gone inside. I can hear the others behind me murmuring nervously as I approach the door. Here goes nothing. I reach for the door and pull. Nothing happens.

I push instead. Still nothing. It’s locked.

Shit.

Not knowing what to do and realizing that everyone is looking at me, I do the only thing I can think of. I knock on the heavy wooden door. I don’t know what I think is going to happen. Part of me believes that nothing will happen, and I’ve dragged these guys out to Wilmington for nothing. I’ll be responsible for the lamest bachelor party in history. I’m about to turn around and face their disappointed faces when I hear a click from the door and a scraping sound. At eye level, a small, rectangular opening appears in the door. I see a pair of eyes looking out at me and not much else beyond them.

“Password,” comes a soft, feminine voice.

I blink, confused for a moment until it comes to me. The other part of the text. It hadn’t just been the address. There had also been a cartoon drawing.

“Oh. Um. Bear in a tutu?” I say, hopefully.

The little opening slides shut without warning and for a moment I think I got it wrong. Then the door begins to open. I step back to give it space to swing out and glance back at the guys. They all have matching looks of confusion and excitement on their faces. I take that as a good sign. I shrug and walk inside. One-by-one, the others follow me.

We’re in a long, dimly lit hallway. The woman at the door checks our IDs before pointing down the hall.

“Head on in, boys,” she says, sweetly. She gives Wyatt a wink that he steadfastly ignores.

I shake my head, amused. Ronan leads the way down the hallway. The further we get, the more sounds I can make out. I hear low music, talking and laughter. The hallway makes a left turn at the back wall, and we follow it. There’s another door here, and I wonder if I need another password. If so, I don’t have it. To my relief, the door swings open when Finn pushes it. We all file inside and it’s as though we’ve been transported to a different time.

The room beyond is dimly lit by low-hanging light fixtures that cast long shadows. There’s low piano music playing from somewhere I can’t see. The bartender looks like he stepped out of the 1920s as he serves drinks to the patrons. I see a woman in a flapper dress make her way over to a table to deliver a round of drinks. I glance around at the rest of the bachelor party to see they’re all nodding in approval.

“This is great,” Finn says. “Let’s get some drinks.”

He walks toward the bar and the rest of us follow.

Chapter Twenty-two

Claire

The shock on Hannah’s face is hilarious. I wish I’d have thought to video her reaction. I half expect her to argue, but I think she’s had just enough to drink to think of it as a fun idea, rather than something embarrassing. Instead of arguing or running for the door, she looks curious as she sits in one of the chairs and sips another glass of champagne. The instructor introduces herself as Miranda and begins to explain just what’s in store for us tonight.

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