Page 15 of Bony Bony
GIANNA
Afterleaving my office in the club the next day,Ihad a bite at the bar—a delicious salad with buffalo chicken.Itsmelled so good, stirring my already ravenous appetite, especially sinceI’dlet myself get too hungry while working in my office.I’dgone for a swim before coming to the club as well, shifting to my siren form onceI’dventured deep enough into the ocean so as not to be seen.Thatswim had to have burned through a ton of calories, andIshould have eaten earlier, but had gotten so caught up in schedules and payroll and stuff for my accountant that the hours slipped by.
Istabbed at lettuce and a hearty bite of chicken.Theheat from the sauce gave it enough of a kick thatIhad to drink plenty of water.
Staffbusied themselves for the evening, making sure we were well stocked for the night.PatBenatarsinging “Shadowsof theNight” played over the speaker, andItapped my foot to the beat.Whata legend.
WhileIate,Zane’sodd offer replayed in my mind.Ishook my head.Wherewould he get such a nutty idea?Didhe really thinkI’dabandonSebastianand my club after singing a couple of songs with him?Getreal!
Butstill,Iwas flattered.Whodidn’t fantasize about being a rock star at least once in their lives?
Novahad joked about it last night whenItold her during the drive home. “Comeon,Gianna, this isn’t the first time men have acted peculiar around you.Whendon’tyou make them go gaga?”
“Still,”Icountered. “Somethingabout thewayhe said it was weird.”
“Howso?”
Iexhaled. “Idon’t know.Likehe was trying to compel me.”
Novadidn’t reply right away while she contemplated it. “Maybehe was.”
“Ha!”Isnorted. “Typicalman trying to get his way.”Butthat wasn’t exactly true.Zanewasn’t at all typical, butIcouldn’t let his appealing rock star persona sway me.Icouldn’t place what exactly it was.
AsIfinished up the last bites of lettuce from my salad, one of my regulars walked in holding a skeleton that stretched even taller than him.Eddiewas a biker with a scruffy gray beard.Hewore his favored black leather jacket with his favorite band on it—Motorhead.
“Whatthe trembling toadstools are you bringing into my club,Eddie?”Istood and planted my hands on my hips in mock exasperation.
“Isn’the yours?” he asked, holding the bones out closer. “Ifound him leaning against the building.”
“No, never seen him before.”
“Thenmeet your new patron.”Eddiechuckled and his eyes twinkled.Heraised the fake skeleton’s bony hand and waved it. “Hello, my name isMr.Bones,”Eddieadded in a deeper voice.
Ishook my head but grinned. “Niceto meet you,Mr.Bones.”Iextended my hand and shook the skeleton’s.Itwas warmer thanIexpected.Astrange vibe ran through my fingertips that lingered for a few seconds afterIlowered my hand to my side. “Wow, that’s a pretty good replica.Italmost feels like the real thing.”
“Haveyou shaken a real skeleton’s hand before?”Eddieasked with raised brows.
“Ha.”Icocked my head and studied this strange skeleton. “Itdoesn’t feel like plastic.Whatdo you think it’s made of?”
Heshrugged. “Whoknows?”Hehanded to me. “WhereshouldIput it?”
Somethingabout this seemed off.Istepped backward. “Backoutside where you found it.”
“Leaningagainst the wall?”Eddiesquinted his eyes. “Imean, somebody must have left it here for the club.Theymight have seen it atHomeDepotor something and thought you’d like it.”
Ireleased a breath in a low whoosh.Eddiewas probably right.Peopleoften brought me stuff they thoughtI’dlike, but we had plenty of decor by now—not only with framed posters and signed record albums but with an entire cemetery scene set up on one wall, which made me think ofMotleyCrue’s“LooksthatKill” video.Ipointed in that direction with the faux tombstones and black iron gates. “Isuppose we could put it in the graveyard.”
Eddiegrunted in acknowledgment. “Fitting.”
Ihuffed. “Peoplebring me the weirdest shit.”ThenItook the skeleton and glanced at its skull. “Comeon,Mr.Bones.We’llget you settled in nicely in a chair.Andif someone comes in and claims you, then you can go back home—wherever that is.”
Icarried it by its lanky limbs over to the other side of the club and grabbed a chair.ThenIdragged the chair closer to the wall with the graveyard design and propped the skeleton onto the chair.Steppinga few feet away,Istared at the placement.Fittingindeed.Iturned and called across the bar to be heard over the current song,Europe’s“TheFinalCountdown,” which amused me as it reminded me ofJobdoing magic tricks in one ofSebastian’sfavoriteTVshows,ArrestedDevelopment.“Whatdo you think,Eddie?”
Hegave me a thumbs up.Kylieglanced up from behind the bar and grinned.Acouple of the waitstaff and regulars glanced over and flashed an odd look at our newest resident.Ismiled to assure them it was just a fun find, sensingIwas also assuring myself.Maybeit wasn’t a good idea…
No,Iwas just being weirdly wary.Kyliemust have gotten into my head with her true crime podcasts.
Iturned back to the skeleton figure.Itfit perfectly with the vibe of the club.Iwalked back to the bar. “Itwill be perfect for our nextHalloweenparty.”
