Ferryman lets out a hoot of laughter. “Holy shit, girl. We better take it easy on you. Flask, can you get me one of those girlie shots?”
Flask, a grisly older man with the longest, whitest beard I’ve ever seen, doesn’t even bother to hide his amusement. “Want a tampon with that?”
Ferryman raps his knuckles on the bar in front of me. “It’s for Jamie, you cranky old fuck. Shot of Jack for me.” Then to me, he says, “Rumor has it you grew up here.”
“I did.”
“Yeah, so where you been? Mayhem’s a small-ass town, and I’d remember seeing a fine woman like you walking around.” Ferryman’s voice is low. Gravelly. His words work up my spine as I struggle not to glance over my shoulder at Wraith and that woman.
“Florida.”
He leans away to give me a once-over, and I bristle under his scrutiny. “You’re pale as fuck for someone who lived in Florida.”
“B-52 for the lady.” Flask sets a shot glass in front of me. “Jack, for my favorite jerkoff.” He slams this one in front of Ferryman.
“Thank you kindly, Flask.” Ferryman lifts his glass. I lift mine. “Welcome home.”
In my peripheral, I see beer bottles and glasses go up.
“Cheers.”
Everyone but me downs their drink.
Ferryman nods at my glass. “You gonna hold it all night?”
“Honestly, I haven’t decided,” I admit.
“Christ, honey, just put it to your lips and let it slide down your throat.”
I follow his simple instructions and tilt my head back. Caramel, coffee, and a hint of orange hit my tongue in an explosion of bitter and sweet. Unfortunately, I can’t do the shot in a single swallow. There are a few chuckles, but I don’t care. It takes three tries. Eventually, I get the entire concoction down, and once I do, Ferryman throws those massive arms around me in a celebratory embrace. Everyone here is touchy-feely, and it’s a culture shock given that I’ve never enjoyed people putting their hands on me. But when he smacks his lips against the side of my head in a rough kiss, I have to laugh at how exaggerated it is.
“Congrats, honey.”
Ferryman releases me, and as I catch my breath, he orders me another. I don’t plan on drinking it, but more Unholy join us, and although my mind’s on Wraith, I’m having a decent time. The conversation is loud and lively, with tons offucksandshitsandassholesflying, and without realizing it, I’ve finished the second shot.
Only when my brain is nice and fuzzy do I bring myself to sneak a peek across the room.Bad idea. My heart slams against my sternum, and I swear to God, I’ve never been angrier at empty space.
Wraith’s gone.
I swing around and search the room, frantic. Every familiar face has vanished. I’m alone in a room full of lethal strangers.
Ferryman’s large, heavy hand settles on the small of my back. “You okay, honey?”
I swallow hard. “Yes.”
No.
He looks over my head and says to someone, “Get her some water.”
“I’m fine,” I protest.
Ferryman’s dark brows slam into a scowl. “Sure, you are, lightweight.”
“I just want to leave.”
I couldn’t drive even if I wanted to thanks to getting myself good and buzzed. And I’d rather chop off my feet and walk back to Wraith’s house on two bloody stumps than choke down my pride and drag him away from pigtail girl so he can drive me home. Ferryman might take me, but I’m not comfortable enough around him to be alone in a car with him. As much as I hate to bother one of Wraith’s friends, they’re my only options.
There’s a lesson to be learned here.
