Cat sees the change in pallor and hurries to close off the red jets.
“My turn,” Kindra says. She gets on her knees in front of the woman and slides the large pruning-shear blades over the big toe on her remaining foot.
The woman jerks her leg free, and Eve and I move to hold it down.
“As bad as it hurts to stub this little shit, I can only imagine how much pain you’ll feel when I chop it off,” Kindra says as she lines up the cut again. Before slicing down, she situates the blade’s edge so that it covers all five toes. “Then again, shouldn’t all the little piggies go to the market together?”
Kindra closes the blades, and toes pop off like jumping beans. When she pulls away, only the tiny digit on the end remains, wiggling in the wind. We collapse in a fit of giggles, unable to continue without cracking at least five jokes about the Brave Little Toester. Then Frankie uses the katana to lop it off as well, and we’re sent into gut-aching laughter again. I guess those piña coladas are kicking in.
But the laughter is cut short when Jim’s and King’s voices reach us. They’re yelling about something—or at someone—and my heart ceases beating. Did Aven finally catch Desmond, and nowthey’vecaughthim? I stand and look, but I can’t see them.
“What’s going on?” Frankie asks.
The men step out from the garden path and finally come into view. I don’t know if I’m more shocked or relieved to see that Aven isn’t with them. They’re just yelling at each other. But why?
Then their voices reach me.
“He got onto the gondola with Desmond, but they didn’t show up at the second station. It was just like before,” Jim says. “I love him like a son, King. We have to find him.”
Their voices fade as they hurry into the hotel, but Jim’s words echo inside my brain. The girls are ready to get back to the game, but not even torture can pull me out of this mental tailspin. If Jim and King are worried about Aven, then I am too.
I make my excuses—much to the girls’ displeasure—and hurry up to my room. If I want to go on a rescue mission, I’ll need to dress for it. I choose jeans and a snug t-shirt in case I’m forced to climb. Something about that gondola is the key to all of this.
My suspicions are confirmed as I’m buttoning my jeans. The secret cell phone buzzes in the nightstand, and I nearly trip over my feet as I rush to read the message.
I’ve trailed him and found his hiding place. Meet me at the gondolas.
There’s no time for questions, so I shove the phone into my pocket and bolt out the door. I hurry back to the pool area. The girls are gone, and some crew members busy themselves with cleaning the blood from the concrete. I can only hope no one has removed the table of weapons yet.
Inside the cabana, I’m relieved to see everything exactly how we left it. Well...mostly. The gun is no longer on the table, and that’s exactly what I planned to take with me. Everything else is too bulky to wield with any efficiency.
With empty hands and a lot of hope, I exit the cabana and hurry to the park entrance. Security gives me a nod as I rush through the turnstile and jog toward the gondolas at the other end of the property. I don’t know which one is considered station one, so I’ll just ride it both ways until I see something.
Hot breath saws in and out of me by the time I reach the station, but before I can board one of the swinging cars, I find the missing gun. It’s in Desmond’s hand as he pushes the barrel against my back and leans down to whisper, “Gotcha.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Aven
Cat, Kindra, Ezra, and Ice Pick sit in the lounge area off the side of the lobby as I hurry toward the elevators. I search the surrounding area, but I see no sign of Quinn. Doubling back, I ask if they’ve seen her since we parted ways at the fun house.
“She heard Jim yelling about his damned bird, so I think she went to help look for him,” Cat says. “She took off toward the park about an hour ago.”
“And you let her?” My eyes bulge, and my hands clench into fists at my sides. I never found Desmond, so the lass is at risk every second we’re apart. I never should have left her.
Cat’s eyebrows pull together, and she takes a step away from me.
Ezra rises and places a hand on my shoulder. “Steady, old man. Just have Jim check the cameras. I’m sure he can find her in no time.”
I shake my head to clear the rage, then look at Cat. “Sorry, pal. I’m just worried.”
“It’s fine, but I usually only let Bennett talk to me that way, so watch it.”
“Be careful, Aven,” Kindra jokes. “Your give-a-fuck is starting to show.”
She’s right. Quinn’s made a visible change in me, and I don’t even care. Let them see my vulnerability. If it will help me save the girl, let them see it all.
“Jim’s up in his room now,” Ezra adds. “Might as well go before he heads to the park for the fireworks shit. Though, he may cancel the entire evening if he doesn’t find that bird.”
