Page 17 of Ship Happens
Eve chuckles. “That’s the kind of name you get when you go viral after stuffing an entire granary worth of corn inside your?—”
“She didn’t!” I say, and my eyes must be saucers. In reality, I’ve seen far stranger things in my line of work.
Eve flashes a knowing smile. “Oh, she did, and I got to witness it live. I doubt it will go anywhere, as neither of us is searching for something serious, but it’s nice to have an orgasm provider on speed dial.”
I wouldn’t know what that’s like. The only orgasms I’ve experienced have been from my own hand. Or the detachable showerhead. And once with a very girthy cucumber.
Don’t judge me.
The three of us file into an elevator, and Maverick works the buttons to get us to the correct level, which is B this time. B for blood? Fuck, I hope not. When the elevator comes to a stop, we file out again.
We step into a hallway that must be for Sinners only, as the darker colors are present. The elderly couple from earlier walks several yards ahead of us. They stop in front of a pair of wooden doors, check the placard on the wall, then head inside.
That’s our destination, but what will we have to do once we enter? There’s only one way to find out, so I steel myself as Eve grips the doorknob and flings the door wide.
Chapter Eight
Maverick
Much like the lounge, tables litter the floor in front of a small stage in this room. The tables here are larger, however, and the lighting is much brighter. A microphone stands in the center of the stage. Behind it and to the right, something large and rounded at the top broods beneath a white sheet.
Eve plucks a blank name tag from a table against the wall beside the door. She bends at the waist to fill out her name, and Frankie follows suit. I look around the room and try to figure out what Jim has up his sleeve, but there isn’t much to go on.
Bennett and Ezra catch my attention, and I start toward them, but then Jim appears out of nowhere and pulls me off to the side.
“How are you getting along with your charge?” he whispers.
I peer past his shoulder. Frankie hasn’t noticed my absence as she peels the backing from her name tag and sticks it to her baggy shirt. She glances around once, but she doesn’t seem to be looking for anyone in particular.
“We’re getting along fine, but I don’t understand this setup. Could you shed a little light?”
“All in good time.” He pats my shoulder and smiles. “You’ll hear more about the scavenger hunt shortly, but I need to be sure you understand that your little package is different from the rest. While the other flies in our potato salad can be squished, she must be protected. In fact, no one else can even suspect she’s not one of us.”
“Jim, they’ll know. Hell, within the first few minutes of meeting her, she already fucked up her backstory. She said she was the Fisherman.”
Jim winces and gives his head a half-shake. “Damn, that’s a sorry business, but that’s what you’ll need to fix. Help her fit in.”
My head turns toward him at a pace so slow that I feel the creak of every tendon in my neck. “You want me to help her...fit in. A fed. Amongst serial killers.”
“Now you’re catching on.” He glances from side to side, then leans closer. “And if you can pull it off, if you can convince her that we aren’t the droids she is looking for while convincing everyone else that she belongs, you’ll receive a very handsome prize.”
If he’s insinuating an invitation to a sad pizza party in the basement of his island mansion, I’ll pass. Still, the challenge will give me something to do while I’m here.
“Okay, Jim. I’m in.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, there’s just one little rule. Frankie can know that you know, but if anyone else finds out, the game is over.”
I glance back at the table, where a few more participants have gathered to fill out name tags. Eve and Frankie chat off to the side.
“Not even Eve?” I ask. “She’s a close friend, and I trust her with my life.”
“Not even Eve.”
It’s a tall ask, and I doubt I can pull this off, but I nod my head. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.”
“Good, now go make sure she’s on your team for tonight’s festivities. I’d hate to think of what she might slip up and say if you aren’t there to help her.” He raises his eyebrows and looks over at the table. Cat and Kindra have joined the...
Cat and Kindra.
