“Clean up on aisle seven,” Ice Pick yells, and we all laugh.
Everyone quiets again. The man on the platform is yelling something to the woman on the other side. She nods, unlike the other women, and I don’t blame her. If I just watched a man kick someone to their death, I’d nod at whatever he said too. Then he steps off the platform and glides her way.
The woman reaches out and snags his feet. It almost looks like they’re going to make it, that he’ll be able to deposit her on the second platform, but whoever designed this trapeze didn’t have very good depth perception. They realize the mistake too late, and the woman’s back slams into the platform. The sudden, jarring stop snatches both down, and the Cattle land on the spikes with a crunch of bone.
King lets out a low whistle behind me. “The bastard took it right to the head.”
I sit a little taller and look into the spikes. Sure enough, a single spike drove straight through one ear and out the other.
“At least we know the last thing that went through his mind,” I say. “The spike.”
Everyone has a good laugh at this, but my smile begins to fade as I realize the first act is coming to a close. It’s almost time for me to make my exit.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I whisper to Aven.
He nods and rises to stand with me, but I place my hand on his arm.
“I’ve got it,” I say. “If anything tries to grab me, I’ll scream.”
He looks around, spots Desmond a few benches away, then nods. “All right, lass. Don’t be long.”
“I won’t . . .”
. . . be back anytime soon, and don’t come looking for me.
There is entirely too much shit to figure out, and I won’t be able to do that if Aven interrupts my process. Namely, fucking another man to see how it makes me feel, but still. It’s my process.
I get to my feet and hurry toward the exit as fast as my little kitten heels can carry me. At least Aven chose shoes that are easier to run in than stilettos. I can put plenty of space between me and this tent, and I’ll be with Green Guy before he even knows I’m missing.
As I hurry into the evening air, I pull the phone from my clutch. There’s already a text from Green Guy.
Exit the park and wait for me at the head of the garden path.
The garden path? That isn’t what we discussed, but I guess the change in timing forced him to adjust his plans. With a shrug of my shoulders, I head that way.
A blanket of unease falls over me as I walk, and I rub my arms to chase away the feeling. Some people enjoy liminal spaces, but I find them wholly discomforting. Places like this should be alive with people, not filled with dark, empty silence. The only sounds I hear are my heels clacking against the asphalt.
I peer around as I get the feeling that I’m being watched. Of course no one is watching me. Everyone is tucked inside that tent, and I’m already at the park gates.
Gary gives me a wave as I pass the final security checkpoint and exit the park. I wave back and take a little comfort from the bright lights and his gentle smile. It doesn’t last after I walk a little further and thrust myself back into darkness.
When the path branches, I stop and wait. There’s a bench nearby, but I’m too nervous to sit. Part of it is the excitement, but the other part is more akin to dread. It feels like I’m making a bigger deal out of this than I should, but it’s turned into a big deal. I didn’t make this happen. It just...happened.
Footsteps shuffle nearby, and I turn and find a man standing in the path. His frame blocks out the light from the tiki torch behind him, casting him in an ominous glow. I take a step toward him and expect him to do the same. When he doesn’t, my blood runs cold.
“Green Guy?” I ask. I take a step back when he doesn’t answer. “You’re scaring me.”
His head cocks to the side.
“Okay, now you’rereallyscaring me.”
The phone vibrates in my clutch, and I snatch it out and read the text. It’s a single word, but that’s all it takes to stop my heart.
Run
In a blind panic, I turn away from the figure and take off. Green Guy couldn’t have been the one to send that text if he was also that man, because that man was standing right in front of me. I couldn’t see if he had anything in his hands, but they were clearly at his sides. That isnotproper texting form.
That can only mean one thing. The man chasing me is Desmond, and Green Guy is trying to warn me.
