Chapter 36 Hunter
THIRTY-SIX
HUNTER
I bury Connor and his hands in the back corner of my property, as far away from the house as I can get.
I don’t want Max to be able to find any trace of him, so I bury the tarp and the knife too.
There’s relief when I toss the last shovel full of dirt over his body.
I don’t care about my calloused palms or the sunburn on the back of my neck.
He’s gone, and I’m top of the fucking world.
I whistle on my way to the back porch, knowing I need to get ready to head to work soon.
Spending the last twenty-four hours with Max has been magical and exactly what I needed.
We stayed in our pajamas all day yesterday after Skyler and Leo left for Fright Nights, curled up on the couch watching shitty television shows.
She woke up abruptly in the middle of the night after a nightmare scared the shit out of her. I turned on the light and held her until she fell back asleep, her head on my chest and my heart in her hands.
I’ll do that every night if she needs me to.
I toss the shovel under the steps and dust off my hands, glad that’s done. There’s a glass of cold water waiting for me in the kitchen and a smile face doodled on a ripped paper towel. I grin and walk down the hall, finding Max on my bed, a book in her lap.
“Did you steal my romance books?” she asks, not looking up from the page she’s reading.
“You’re just now realizing that? Sweetheart. I took them weeks ago.”
“Of course you did.” Max uses her fingers to hold her spot and sticks out her tongue. “Do you plan on returning them?”
“Nope. Why bother transporting them back to your house when you can read them here?” I take off my shirt and head for the bathroom. “It also gives you a reason to stick around.”
“Kidnapping my books is a heinous crime, Hunter.” She appears in the doorway, smiling at me in the mirror. “How are you going to pay for your sins?”
“By building you a shelf in my room and filling it with all the same books you have at your place. You’ll have multiple copies of your favorite stories, so technically it’s not kidnapping anymore.”
“You’re going to build me a shelf?”
“Yup. I’m also going to clean out a drawer in my dresser so you can keep some clothes here. There will be space in my closet for you too, and a desk where you can grade worksheets and vocabulary lists. Anything you could ever want, I’ll give you.”
Max blinks, and I see the tears in her eyes. “That’s very domesticated of you.”
“I can be a house husband, baby. I’m a man who wears many hats.”
“I’ll say. Is there anything I can do to help with Connor?”
“All taken care of.” I unzip my pants but leave my briefs on, facing her. “Want to wait for me in the living room? I’m going to finish getting ready, and I’ll be out in a few.”
“I’m taking my book you stole and a blanket.” She pauses. “I wish I wanted to stay in here, but I’m not ready to—”
“You don’t have to be, remember?”
“Yeah.” Her smile is soft. “You’re a good man, Hunter Wilder.”
“You make me a good man, angel.”
She blows me a kiss and disappears, and I know I’d trudge through hell and back just to see her smile like that again.
“Second to last shift. How are you feeling?” Leo tosses me a rubber knife and grabs his mask. “Wishing you were home with Max?”
“Yup.” I zip up my jumpsuit and shove the knife in my pocket. “But it’s only eight hours, then I can see her.”
“That’s not long at all. Hey. I’ve been meaning to ask you about Connor.”
“What about him?”
“All of your killings are usually planned, but you went rogue with him. What did you do with his cell phone?”
“I tossed it in a dumpster that’s been taken to an incinerator. Luckily for me, he doesn’t have any cameras outside his home. Neither do his neighbors, so there’s no footage of him being loaded into my car. Guess he changed names and towns again.”
“Smart.” Leo grins. “I’m proud of you, man. I know that’s the most attached you’ve been to a… client before, but you got the job done.”
“Yeah, after he made a goddamn mess. My back is still sore from scrubbing the basement floor. Maybe downstairs will flood with the next hurricane, and all the evidence will disappear.”
“Those meteorologists I watch said hurricane season goes until the end of November. That’s a whole month for the weather gods to work in our favor.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” I stifle a yawn and silence my phone. “Ready to get in position? I want to be out there before Janey comes by. I’m trying to stay in her good graces.”
“So that’s why you brought her a coffee the size of her head when we clocked in today. Because you’re sucking up.”
“Obviously.” I hold open the trailer door, gesturing for him to go down the stairs first. “When have I ever not sucked up?”
“Never. What position do you want to start with?”
“I’ll take the middle of the house. It’s my favorite spot, and come next year, I’m sure I’ll miss it. Gotta soak up the time I can.”
“Look who’s feeling nostalgic just in time to retire.” Leo knocks his shoulder against mine and waves to the crowd standing in line. “Ready?”
“Yup. I’ll see you on break. Hey! Want to play haunted house bingo to keep tonight interesting?” I call out when we split off to head in different directions. “Last one to get five in a row is on dish duty.”
“Deal.” Leo gives me a salute and turns to the left. “I’m going to kick your ass, Wilder.”
I chuckle and find my spot in the house, shucking off my robe.
The technicians said the air conditioning has been acting up today, and I groan at the oppressive heat that greets me.
I’m already sweating, and with an hour to go before our first rotation, I’m going to be miserable by the time break rolls around.
The house lights shut off, signaling the five minute warning before the firsts guests come through the line. I test my AAD, making sure the sound cues are synced up, then take a swig from my water bottle.
“Two minutes,” Janey calls out, making her final walk through. “Good to see you, Hunt.”
“You too, J. Thanks again for being so understanding.”
“I do have a heart, you know. No fighting tonight. I’d like to close out the season without any more paperwork, so if you could keep your hands to yourself, that would be great.”
“Tell that to the people shotgunning two beers in line,” I yell after her, laughing when she flips me off.
The first forty-five minutes of a scare shift always pass in a blur.
The adrenaline of the night is still in high gear.
The guests aren’t belligerent. I have all my energy, and when there’s a brief lull in the line because someone is too scared to move forward in the previous room, I chug the rest of my water so I don’t pass out.
“Excuse me,” I hear from behind me.
“This is a backstage area. Guests aren’t supposed to be—” I whip around, freezing when I spot Max standing there in a leather skirt and orange top. It’s the same outfit she wore the first night we met, and I gape at her. “What are you doing here, baby?”
“I’m lost.” She glances around, her hands on her hips. I grin behind my mask, taking two steps toward her. “Could you help me find my way?”
“That depends. What are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I like this.” Max motions at my outfit with a coy smile. “Especially the mask and knife.”
“This is a nice surprise.” I sweep her off her feet, holding her in my arms. She giggles and pushes my mask to my hair, touching my face. “The best part of my night.”
“Really? Because it’s the worst part of mine,” she teases, and I pinch her ass. “I wanted to say hi. So. Hi.”
“Hi, angel. Everything okay at the house?”
“Yeah. I just missed you. Oh! I also brought you a little gift.”
“Is it a pair of your underwear I can keep in my pocket the rest of the night?”
“You have no manners.” Max swats at my chest and I set her down. She reaches in her purse and pulls out a small box. “This is for you.”
“Are we celebrating something?” I ask, ripping off the tape. “If so, I need to get you a gift.”
“No. We had a Halloween fair at school earlier this week, and when I saw this, I thought of you.”
I lift an eyebrow, intrigued, and open the box. Inside is a small Michael Myers figurine, complete with a mask and knife. I laugh and rub my thumb over the paint, bringing it next to my face. “What do you think? Do you see the resemblance?”
“Without a doubt.” She grins. “Okay. I should go. Skyler’s show starts soon, and she’s the real reason I dragged myself through all this scary shit again.”
“Hey.” I take her hand and kiss the inside of her wrist. “Thank you for coming by.”
“See you later, Michael. And Happy almost Halloween.” With a wink, Max saunters back to the line, but she turns to look at me over her shoulder. “Oh. By the way. Is that a knife in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
I burst out laughing and hold up my hands, making a heart in her direction. “You, Maxine Wilder, are the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“Right back at you, biker boy.”
She disappears back into the crowd, leaving me alone. She might be gone, but I can still feel her everywhere. In my hands, in my heart.
“I love you,” I say, and I swear I hear her say it back.