Page 57 of Sins and Secrets

Waverly

Why did I even come this year? The beach house felt abandoned and empty when I got here, and Angie and the rest of the family were nowhere to be found. I dumped my bags in my room and poked around. Adam’s bedroom was a disaster, Angie’s room had two bags on the bed. But seeing Lukas’s empty room crushed me. Maybe something came up, and he met a girl and decided to stay in Seattle.

The bartender smiles at me. “ID?”

Why’s he asking? I’ve been coming here for years and he never checked before. I’m pretty sure he wants to serve me legally this time.

“Vodka cranberry?”

I nod and people watch for a few minutes. There’s a bunch of girls, already super drunk and screaming ‘Woooo’ every time a new song comes on the radio. A few bros in polo shirts playing pool. A table near the bathroom hosts the old timers. They’ve been coming to the same bar for fifty years. And the table by the jukebox has been taken over by a group of bikers currently laughing loudly about something.

“Hi.” The voice interrupting my observations comes from a guy, conventionally attractive, unassuming, as he leans on the bar right into my personal bubble.

“Hi.” I say back, but instantly a thousand red flags kick in. Maybe it’s the way he rubs his chin as his eyes settle on my cleavage, but I don’t like him.

“You’re Waverly Mcleod, right?” He flashes his teeth like he’s a wolf and I’m a bunny.

Get out.

I narrow my gaze and cross my arms. “No.”

Yuck, go away.

“Don’t lie. Adam already told me your name.”

The bartender comes back and slides my drink toward me. Creepy guy puts his hand over the top of the glass to hand it to me. He whispers, “The things I will do to you.”

I can’t tell if I heard him correctly over another round of ‘Wooo’ coming from the corner, but his tone is menacing, and every alarm in my head screams. “Um, I need to go.”

I’m not sure if I said the words aloud, but he grabs my arm and pulls in closer, his breath so minty it burns my eyes. As I stare at the audacity he has to touch me, I notice a mushroom birthmark. It’s the only thing interesting about him.

“Love, I saved you a seat.” An arm wraps around my waist, at the same time the new voice infuses a deep sense of safety and comfort in my mind. Lukas stands there, towering over me, glaring at the creepy guy. I pull my arm away from the mushroom guy’s clutches and step closer to my Seattle protector.

There’s a silent battle happening between the two men, until the creepy guy throws his hands up in the air and steps back. Lukas motions to the bar. “Waverly, don’t forget your drink.”

I grab the glass out of his hand and Lukas steps between us, adding an extra layer of protection as he walks me over to bikers.

“You okay, love?” Lukas growls.

I nod, looking at his scruffy chin and clenched jaw. “I’m better now that you’re here.”

As we get to the table, the bikers stop talking. I realize my yellow sundress with little pink flowers all over it doesn’t match the black leather and shirtless men’s aesthetic.

Lukas clears his throat. “I tattooed a few of these guys, they’re buying me a beer.” That’s when I noticed the saran wrapped arms and thighs.

There’s a man with a gray beard and a scar over his eye. All his tattoos on his arms are in various states of fade. I gasp at the hammerhead shark.

“It’s beautiful.” I glance at Lukas, whose cheeks turn red, then back at the biker, who nudges a chair toward me “Do you mind?” I ask, leaning closer to his arm. “The linework and shading are absolutely incredible.” I meet the biker’s hazel gaze. “Is there a story behind why you picked it?”

The biker shifts and his nose starts to pinken. “Name’s Teddy, and I will tell you all about it, but first, hand me your drink.”

I hand him the glass and he pours it on the ground, splashing Vodka and cranberry on his calf and shoes. "Can’t be too careful. He might‘ve slipped something in it.” Behind me, Lukas says thank you and nods. “The Hammerhead was my partner’s spirit animal.”

Teddy proceeds to regale us with stories about his time on the road with his partner. He’s about to tell me all about why he has a goat in a tutu tattoo, when the mood at the table shifts instantly.

“Waverly, what the hell are you doing over here?” Adam’s polo shirt collar popped up in all the wrong ways.

“Just talking with my friends.” I wave to the leather clad men, and they all raise their glasses to me.

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