The Archer (18+)

XIII

The following morning Raine and I found ourselves at the Golden Shore beach. We were fully prepared for the light investigation we were to carry out and perhaps a bit of blade hunting.

We both wore black bikinis with matching cover-ups that totally concealed our mandatory dime-sized eagle brandings. Mine was on my ribs but I wasn't sure where hers was.

Raine and I giggled on our walk to the large golden gates with our beach bags in hand.

"I'm sorry ladies. This is private property." The burly man, who was not the same one from last night, rumbled. My light mood immediately dampened. I forgot about that tiny detail.

I gazed beyond the gates and my eyes narrowed. The beach wasn't full, yet it was more lively than I thought it would have been. Didn't someone die here last night?

Men were meandering with women in skimpy clothing. Others were plonked on the golden sand in hopes of achieving a tan.

It was bustling like any other beach so shouldn't we get a pass to go in too? I locked eyes with Raine and something clicked in her head. She smiled lasciviously at the wide man. She beckoned him closer then proceeded to whisper something in his ear. He turned beet red as if the sun fried him. Without a single utterance, he swung the metal open for the both of us.

She snickered playfully and we both entered. The salty air twirled and lept upon my senses. The warm sand seeped on my feet, almost bruisingly, around my sandals with each step. The violent sound of waves crashing was above anything else.

"What did you say to him?"

She threw me a saucy wink instead of answering.

We strolled in silence looking for an area with shade. Palm trees were littered aimlessly but they were all occupied. Men and women alike were giving us strange stares. Mostly in disbelief and surprise.

We finally spotted one vacant tree. It was large with branches spreading generously. We laid our blankets flat then settled at the serene spot. We sat for a moment only listening to the waves.

No one was within a 20 feet radius of us.

"They're all staring at us." Raine spoke not looking in my direction.

I hummed in agreement.

"What are we gonna do now, Archer?" She got a hair tie and put her hair in a topknot.

Our original plan to visit the cliffs seemed unlikely since we were being watched intensely. We would have to find a way to swing by the cliffs even once before we left.

"It's a bit odd here don't you think?" I questioned abruptly.

"I've spotted at least six men with guns. Someone died here a few hours ago and there isn't any proof of that. Odd is putting it mildly." She rubbed her nose with her henna-covered hand so that her lips could not be visible to any. It was a tactic we used when in an intense situation such as this one, where we didn't want anyone to read our lips.

The men did indeed have guns, or at least some of them did. My eyes breezed over the bar to land on a certain black-haired female.

On a regular day I wouldn't even notice her but she stuck out on the beach. Her skin was incredibly pale and she had a pair of huge sunglasses over her eyes. On her body was a long, black cover up that almost resembled a dress. The skin of her hands, from what I could make out, was completely covered in black ink. I could have sworn she was staring at me and my suspicions soon proved to be correct. She tipped her liquid-filled glass in my direction whilst the corner of her pale lips tilted up in mockery.