Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kindra

I 'm seated at the small breakfast nook when I hear a light tapping on my door the next morning. The sun has barely broken the horizon, but I didn't exactly sleep peacefully last night.

After setting my coffee on the table, I fling a light robe around my body and rush to the door. Cat is already halfway down the boardwalk by the time I step into the sunshine.

"I'm up!" I call toward her, and she spins around.

She shuffles back with a sheepish look on her face, probably fearing I'll reprimand her for waking me. Her eyes only widen when I grab her arm and pull her into the villa, then close the door behind her.

"You will not believe what happened after the two of you left last night," I say.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you had more kinky tie-down sex," she says.

I sit at the breakfast nook and grip my mug of coffee close to my chest. The heat from the ceramic rests just over my heart, where another sort of warmth blooms as I prepare to tell her what happened.

"He said that he's falling in love with me," I say.

Cat squeals and begins jumping up and down, and goddamn me, I can't help but join her. I set down the mug, leap from that chair, and grip her hands, and like two absolute brain-dead ninnies, we jump in a circle and squeal.

"Oh my gosh, Kindra, please tell me everything," she says once we sit down. "What did you say when he told you?"

I pull the mug to my lips and take a long sip. "Well, I didn't know what to say, so I just...snored."

"You what?"

"I was shocked, okay? I'd just told him that I'm HBK, and he set it up like he needed to tell me something horrible, but then he said he was falling in love with me. That isn't exactly something I prepared a response for, so I pretended I was asleep."

She jumps up and comes to my side, then wraps her arms around me. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. He said he's falling in love with you, and I'm so happy for you!"

I stiffen in her arms, as I'm not normally the hugging type. Sensing my discomfort, she releases me and takes a seat again. Her face glows, and her cheeks have to hurt from smiling this widely. It's as if someone had professed their love to her last night. That's how happy she is for me.

And then it hits me.

This is what having a friend is like. This is what it could have been like all along, had I not been such a prickly bitch. It feels nice to have someone in my life who is truly excited about my little wins, and I don't know why I've run from this for so long.

I reach across the table and grip her hand. "Thanks for being my friend, Cat, even when it wasn't easy."

Tears spring into her eyes, but she swipes them away. "Oh, stop it. I didn't make it easy, either. Though I had good intentions, everything I've done has ended in a mess for you."

She's not wrong. But everything has come out right on the other side, so I can't complain.

"Is that why you're up so early?" she asks. "Too excited to snooze?"

"After he left, I couldn't sleep. Then I fell asleep, but I couldn't stay asleep. Around five, I gave up and made coffee."

"Sounds like you need something to occupy you. Would you want to go on the hike this morning? That's why I came by. At the end of the hike, you can push some Cattle off a cliff. It's not the most luxurious way to murder someone, but I figured it's better than not murdering anyone at all. I'm running out of time."

While a hike at the crack of dawn's ass isn't at the top of the list of things I wanted to do today, I don't have the heart to tell her no. She's been kill-blocked at every turn—through no fault of her own—and I want to be there for her when she accomplishes her first murder.

"Of course I'll come with you," I say. "Just let me get changed."

As I'm easing into a tank top and some jean shorts in the bedroom, I hear another knock at the door, followed by Cat talking to someone with a deep voice. While I have a newfound appreciation for our friendship, the girl could fuck up a wet dream. If that's Ezra on my doorstep, I can't risk her blabbing that I heard what he said.

I hurry to the bathroom to piss before rushing back to the main area and, just as I feared, Ezra is seated on the couch. Judging by his outfit—a pale-blue button up, khaki cargo shorts, and hiking boots—he planned to hike this morning as well.

"I came to see if you wanted to join me on the hike, but I see someone beat me to it," he says. "Mind if I join you girls?"

"Not at all," I say, and why does my voice sound like it's risen three octaves? Do I always sound like this when I talk to him? I clear my throat. "Will your brother be joining us?"

Ezra shakes his head. "Not this time. While he enjoys most athletic endeavors, he finds hiking a bit boorish."

"My day just got exponentially better," Cat mutters. "Then again, if he hates hiking, maybe I'd rather he tag along. I can feed on his misery."

"We should probably ask," I say. "I'd hate for him to feel excluded."

Yes, I need to make nice with my future brother-in-law, I think to myself, then immediately chastise my wild imagination. He said he was falling in love with me, not that he was in love with me.

And we aren't exactly dating. Are we?

How will I know if we are? Is that a question I ask, or is that something he'll clarify?

But will I seem too needy if I ask? What if I am needy?

Oh god. It's been so long since I've been in a relationship. I don't even know if?—

"Kindra?" Ezra looks at me with his eyebrows pulled together. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"She's probably a little tired because?—"

"Because I slept so hard!" I say before Cat can completely blow my cover. "You know how it is. Sometimes you sleep so well that it takes longer to shake off that groggy feeling." I cover my mouth as a yawn parts my lips, and then I smile at them.

Cat seems to get the memo without having it spelled out for her. She's evolving.

"I was saying that we can certainly drop by his villa and ask him to join, but he's still going to say no." Ezra looks at his watch. "But we'd best crack on if we want to make the hike. It starts in less than forty-five minutes."

We hurry and craft a bag filled with trail mix, bottled water, and sunscreen. Ezra plays the part of pack mule and carries it.

Everything seems a little brighter as we step into the morning sunshine. I've unearthed the identity of the man who killed my brother, and though it didn't end quite as I'd hoped, it's still a chapter of my life I'm happy to close. I've gained a friend and an assistant, and I've gathered the necessary info to begin a multi-part exposé on Eighties.

And, yes, the man of my dreams has confessed that I've affected him, and maybe that's fucking with the vibrance of life a little more than usual.

Cat and I walk across the wooden boards, sticking close behind Ezra as we make our way down the row of villas. Maudlin Rose sits on her porch, wearing nothing more than a sun hat and a smile. She waves as we pass.

I don't think I've heard the old woman speak since we arrived. I don't even know if she can speak.

When we reach Bennett's villa, "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones pours from the open windows as a breeze ruffles the curtains. I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh. I never would have pegged Bennett as a Tom Jones fan. Then I catch the faintest sound, like someone tapping against the wall to the beat of the song.

Ezra looks as confused as I feel, but he shakes his head and knocks on the door anyway. Bennett doesn't answer, and the odd tapping sound continues.

"Bennett? You in there?" Ezra knocks again, a little louder this time, but no one comes to the door. He looks back at us and shrugs. Bennett probably can't hear us over the thump of bass and smooth male vocals.

"Try one more time," I say, though I'm less interested in convincing Bennett to join us and more interested in discovering what he's doing in there.

Ezra turns back to the door as Cat leaves the porch and goes to the window. Before Ezra can knock, Cat flails her arm and covers her mouth, her eyes wide. She motions us over, and, being the nosy bitch that I am, I rush to her side.

I've seen a lot over the years, but no amount of internet porn could prepare me for what waits beyond this thin coral curtain blowing into Bennett's bedroom.

My brain almost can't register it at first. He's standing in front of the bedroom dresser with his hands firmly planted on the top, bracing himself as he...fucks a pineapple. He's wedged the spiny fruit within one of the drawers, positioning it at the perfect height for his dick. With each aggressive thrust, the back of the dresser collides with the wall.

Well, at least I know what the tapping sound is.

As his ass flexes to the beat, I can't contain my laughter. I mean, he is really showing this pineapple who's boss, and despite what Tom Jones says, it absolutely is unusual.

Then Bennett's head tips back, eyes closed in the throes of passion, and it's all Cat and I can do to stay upright. We grip each other and fall to the sand as tears of laughter fill our eyes.

My entire abdomen aches, and I can't breathe. In fact, I'm fairly certain I'm one wheeze away from pissing myself, but I can't stop. And I don't want to. I can't remember the last time I laughed like this.

Ezra rushes over, trying to shush us through a wide grin, but it's not like his brother can hear us. He's lost to passion, pineapples, and a groovy sixties tune.

When we've composed ourselves, we return to the window. Bennett has removed his hands from the top of the dresser so that he can caress the fruit wedged within the drawer. His thrusts slow, and we all watch in horror as he completes his mission—right inside the pineapple.

But, oh god, it doesn't stop there.

Bennett finishes spilling his load, then drops to his knees. Now I can see that he's cut the bottom of the fruit away and taken out the central core, leaving the perfect slot for his dick. Kneeling in front of the destroyed, pulpy innards, Bennett leans forward and begins licking the outer hole he created.

"I know they say pineapple makes it taste better, but I'm not sure this is what they meant," Cat says...right as the song comes to an end.

Bennett's head whips toward us, and, like a bipedal chameleon, he jumps to his feet and shifts from tan to beet-red.

"Why aren't you assholes on the hike?" he screeches as he snatches a blanket from the bed to cover his crotch. But not before we're blessed with a view of his pierced glory.

Another song begins, and Bennett rushes to the stereo to silence Celine Dion's "I'm Your Lady" before disappearing into the bathroom.

Ezra leans into the window. "We wanted to see if you'd join us on the hike."

"Fat chance of that happening now," I say. "After we caught him with his pants down, I don't think he'll be up for hanging out."

Cat nibbles her lip and giggles. "On the contrary, Kindra. Now he doesn't have a choice. Unless he wants his fruity little secret to get out, he has to come along."

"You clever girl," Ezra says. "My god, this little tidbit of information is going to come in handy."

Realizing Bennett isn't going to open the door, Ezra hoists himself in through the window while Cat and I wait outside.