Page 24 of Queen of Spades

She followed suit, a lot more cautiously though, setting it down in the water and slipping on top of it. I demonstrated how to paddle on the board, and together we made our way out to the surf line. Grace was a little out of breath when we got there, and I helped steady her as she moved to sit up on the board so we could watch for waves. I turned to wave at Levy, who was sitting and watching us from the beach, and Grace did the same, blowing him a little kiss.

“Remember princess, you tell me when you get tired, no pushing yourself. It’s dangerous to get too tired in the ocean,” I explained, and she nodded.

“I’ll let you know,” she assured me.

My princess took to surfing as quickly as she’d taken to the ocean the first time we’d come here. We practiced kneeling on the board, then shifting up to stand, over and over until she got her sea legs, no longer wobbling like a baby deer when she stood up. Her fierce determination every time she climbed to her feet made me beam with pride, and the urge to tackle her into the water and wrap myself around her was hard to ignore. But we were here for a reason, and that reason was beginning to crest as the waves picked up.

I showed her how to spot a building wave, and we paddled further out, meeting it as it swelled and climbing to our feet to ride it out. The first few times, Grace landed in the water immediately, coming up sputtering and grabbing for her board. The eighth wave, she stayed on, her feet braced as she wobbled, riding the little crest of water with a grin from ear to ear.

I saw Levy on the beach on his feet, jumping around like an idiot, probably cheering for her. She laughed and held out her arms wide, tipping back until she fell into the water, and I couldn’t help but laugh as she came up for air, looking reborn.

The ocean cured all ails.

We kept at it for another hour, until the waves got too choppy and Grace’s legs were starting to shake from the exertion. We rode one last wave on our knees and let it propel us back into shore. Levy was there to greet us, helping Grace pull her board up into the sand. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright as I helped her undo the leash.

“Did you have fun?” I signed, grinning, and she launched herself into my arms, nearly toppling me over. I held her tightly, her small form trembling in my arms, and I knew it wasn’t all from exhaustion. Healing took an emotional toll, and the ocean took its tithe in tears, sweat and blood. A large presence warmed me from behind, Levy’s hand on my back steadying me as I held Grace.

When she finally pulled away, her eyes were rimmed red. She smiled sheepishly and pressed her lips to my cheek. I smiled and tweaked her nose gently, leaning back into Levy and twisting to catch his eye. He was unusually comfortable with my casual touches today, not shying back as he typically would. Maybe the ocean had a little healing for him as well.

“Breakfast?” I asked them both, and they nodded, Grace wiping her face with the back of her hand. We carried the boards back to the Jeep and grabbed our shoes out of the back seat. I tugged my wetsuit off my shoulders and grabbed a tank top out of my trunk. Grace stripped down to her bikini and pulled her cover-up out, the crocheted dress covering barely anything. When she let her hair down to air dry, I realized that both Levy and I were ogling her shamelessly. It was easy to see that our haunted friend was head over heels for the little blond we’d kidnapped, and it warmed my heart to see him this way.

When Grace bent down to tie up her sandal strap, I reached over and grabbed Levy’s ass. He jumped and I grinned at him cheekily. He shifted in a blink, and I was pinned against the side of the Jeep, Levy’s arms caging me in.

Hmm, this is new.

I toyed with my tongue piercing, letting it peak out as I smirked up at him. Levy’s eyes were a dazzling blue in theearly morning light, like the ocean with their hints of green, as he tracked the movement of my tongue across my bottom lip. I sent a quick flash, no more than a second, of a pierced tongue running up the length of a cock. Levy’s cheeks flamed red, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, his hips moved closer, nearly brushing against mine.Oh, Ghost.The fun we could have together.I sent him another vision, of me asleep this time, with him hovering over me, touching me. I knew what he liked, and he needed to know that I was game if he was.

Levy’s hand dropped to my neck, cupping it as if he would drag me in for a kiss, his eyes wide and conflicted. His thumb stroked across my skin, drifting over my pulse point, and I tilted my chin up, showing how comfortable I was under his grip. It was a waiting game with Levy, and fuck, had I been waiting a long time.

His gaze finally broke away from mine, and we both looked over to see Grace smiling, her eyes lit up with interest as she watched us. Right, we were getting food. Levy pulled away from me quickly, and I grabbed Grace’s hand, lacing my fingers with hers. They followed me as I led them down the boardwalk, which was still quiet this early in the morning.

Trevor’s food truck looked closed, but I knew better. Walking up to the side door, I knocked a silly little code that he’d come up with, the door popped open, and Trevor stuck his head out, grinning at me. I held up three fingers, and he nodded, greeting Grace and Levy as someone behind him scurried around, preparing food. Trevor used the mornings for food prep only, but a few local surfers who were in good with him knew that if you came by and used the special knock, he’d have some breakfast wraps heated up and readyto go. He’d been a competitive surfer for years until a couple of compacted discs and a snapped femur had taken him out of the game.

His colleague appeared with a large paper bag that smelled like heaven, and I took it with a smile, shooting Trevor a wink and signing him a thanks. Grace took the lead this time, walking us to the public tables where we’d eaten before. Levy took a seat next to Grace as I sat across from them, handing them each a wrapped burrito and a can of cold brew, which she snatched excitedly and cracked open. I smiled at my two ocean converts, admiring how the fresh air had lightened the dark circles under Levy’s eyes, bringing him to life in the soft morning light.

Grace devoured her breakfast with a hunger that had me wishing I’d gotten her two. I forgot how taxing surfing was when you weren’t used to it. I watched as people began to filter onto the boardwalk; some were surfers like us, others were shop owners getting ready to open their businesses for the day. “How long have you been coming here?” Grace asked, crumpling up her wrapper and dropping it into our empty bag.

“Since I was a kid,” I signed back, smiling. “My mom would bring me here a lot when I was little. I started surfing when I was twelve.” She nodded thoughtfully, sipping on her cold brew.

“Have you ever tried?” Grace asked Levy, and he shook his head quickly, dimming a little until I could see the table behind him.

“I can’t swim,” he replied sheepishly, and I grimaced. This was an area of contention with us. I’d been begging him tolet me teach him for years now. You couldn’t live beside an ocean and not know how to fucking swim.

“Levy! We need to teach you,” Grace admonished, and I grinned, nodding in agreement. Now that it was two against one, he’d have to give in eventually. We finished our breakfast, chatting as the tables slowly began to fill with people. When it got busy enough where Levy started to look anxious, we cleaned up our mess, and I held onto Grace’s hand as we headed back to the Jeep, Levy grinning on the other side of her.

Something prickled behind my ear, just a hint of a warning as we approached the car. I tugged Grace to a stop and motioned for Levy to stay with her as I approached alone, trying to pinpoint what was setting off the nagging feeling of worry in my bones.

The back tire looked funny. I frowned and ran my finger over the tread, finding a thin slit in the rubber where someone had stabbed it. Rage bubbled up in my chest.Who the fuck would vandalise my Jeep?!I crouched to examine the tire closer, and something caught my eye, a little red glint underneath the driver’s side. I dropped down on my hands to get a better look and saw a mess of wires and something small and black tapped to the underside.

I was on my feet faster that I could blink, flashing Levy an image of the device. He grabbed Grace’s hand and turned, running back toward the boardwalk with me right behind them. We were nearly at the store fronts when the air around us tremored, and something threw me forward, knocking the air out of my lungs.

Chapter fifteen

Anders

The last person I wanted to see today sure seemed hellbent on breaking down my door. I slammed my book shut and strode toward it, swinging it open, and glaring at Erik. “What the fuck do you want, King? My presence is not required until tomorrow,” I snapped at him. The look he gave me was less angry than I’d expected. In fact, it looked more like… fear.

“We have to go,” he replied quickly, grabbing my uninjured arm and dragging me out of the room. I jerked out of his hold, and he continued down the stairs, meaning I had to follow if I wanted answers.

---