“I tie bad girls to it,” Karo says with a smirk.
I grab Jess by the arm and pull her out before she gets any ideas. “Not happening.”
I don’t stop moving until I get her to the safest part of the island, the alley that leads out to the front gates.
“I will handle your little ex-girlfriend problem, but you need to leave. Now.”
“Thank you,” she chirps, pushing up onto her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “But don’t murder her—I don’t want to be an accessory. Just scare her a little. It shouldn’t be hard when your face always looks like that.”
I glance around and spot Brooks watching our exchange. “Yo, come walk Jess to her car and make sure you watch her until she is across the bridge.”
Brooks nods his understanding.
“I don’t need an escort. I am not a baby. Clay, I am capable?—”
Her words are cut off as Brooks picks her up and tosses her over his shoulder.
“Clay, this is bullshit, and you know it! Put me down, you big bastard. I can walk.”
I laugh as she beats against his back, thankful she is safe with him. Brooks doesn’t like anyone or anything, and I really have no idea why he works here. He hates the costumes and the masks, yet he still stays. So I guess he doesn’t hate it all as much as he says.
“Has anyone seen Nixie?” I ask over the comms.
“She is in the bar,” Ares replies, and I head that way.
It’s in the alley as soon as people enter the gates. The path lights up and leads guests there, to the bar, a gift shop, food stalls, and more.
I push through the doors and find Nixie sitting at the bar, laughing at something Ares says. Nixie is the operations manager of Fear Island. She sends out the invitations, conducts the background checks, processes the contracts, and deals with all the business shit.
Ares nods, and Nix turns around and smiles at me.
She is the mother I always wanted. Mine died when Jess was a baby, and maybe that is why I’m so protective of her and my other sister. Our father is a good man, but he works long hours to provide for my sisters. Nixie has taken on a motherly role for me, even if I wasn’t keen on the idea at first. She wore me down, and I seek her out for advice and help when it comes to my sisters.
“My boy, I saw little Jess here before. Is everything okay?”
I take a seat beside her as Ares pushes a shot of whiskey across the bar. The best thing about working here is that you can be a little drunk and no one will notice; everyone here is a littleunhinged, some more than others. I drink the shot and turn to Nix.
“I need some more background information on her boyfriend’s ex. Apparently, she is causing issues, and I need to make them stop.”
“Consider it done. I will have her name, address, and employer by the end of the night.”
The door to the bar slams open, and Vero darts inside. “Hide me,” he says as he jumps up onto the bar, then ducks down behind it.
“What did you do this time?” I drawl, raising an eyebrow, and he laughs maniacally.
“I tried to stick a finger in Brawley’s ass—you know, to spice things up. He didn’t believe me that a finger in the ass is amazing, and now I’ll have a black eye tomorrow. If he finds me, my asshole will be ripped to shreds, literally. Actually, that doesn’t sound like a terrible thing.” He pops back up and leans over the bar. “Maybe this can be our new form of foreplay.”
Vero and Brawley are two of the people I am closest to on the island, though they are an odd couple. Vero exudes crackhead energy and has no self-control. He does things just to see what happens. Brawley fits every part of his name; the guy is massive. He is fueled by violence, and if you saw him walking down a dark street, you would turn and run the other way. He didn’t get the nickname “The Grim Reaper” for nothing. Most of those who fight him no doubt wish they’d meet Jesus, as it would be a hell of a lot less painful.
“Shit!” Nixie says, standing from her stool and glancing at her watch. “Everyone needs to meet outside.”
At 8:00 p.m. every night, everyone meets in the stunt area. Nixie gives a little speech about not killing anyone, goes through who will have customers, and who is in full character.
“Do I look fat in this?” she asks me.
“Of course not, you look fucking stunning as always.”
She shakes her head at me. “Boy, I blinked and gained three pounds, but thank you for lying. Now let’s get a move on. Doors open at nine.”
