CHAPTER THREE
CASPER
Luna’s descent into mad hysteria had me in a panic. Not knowing what else to do, I dragged her into the closest restroom. I needed to get her away from the general public until I could calm her down. The last thing I needed was for her to do something reckless like call the cops.
Shoving her into the restroom, I locked the door and blocked it with my body. My hands flew as I frantically tried to sign to her, which was an exercise in futility. I doubted she understood any of it. The confused way her brows knit together confirmed that.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Let me out of here. Please don’t hurt me.”
I didn’t blame her for thinking the worst. She’d just watched me kill a man. He hadn’t given me a choice. I should’ve killed the fucker last year.
Giving up on signing, I held up both hands, motioning for her to calm down. She pressed herself against the far wall, as far from me as she could possibly get in the small room. Instead of calming down, she only got more worked up, shouting for help, her voice echoing off the walls.
Goddammit. She was making this so fucking difficult. Not knowing what else to do, I took off my belt. That only made her scream louder and harder. I needed to subdue her so I could find a way to communicate.
Grabbing hold of Luna, I used my belt to secure her hands in front of her. Making it tight so she couldn’t escape. My eyes fell upon the “Dream” tattoo inked in pretty script on her inner wrist. Dragging my gaze away, I covered her mouth with a hand until she stopped screaming.
“Oh my God, what the fuck are you doing? You really are going to kill me, aren’t you?” Her golden brown eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears.
I shook my head. Of course I wasn’t going to kill her. When she started to shout, I covered her mouth again. With my other hand, I held a finger to my lips, motioning for her to be quiet.
Keeping her trapped in the corner, I pulled out my phone, opened the notepad and began to type.
Since she didn’t know sign language, it was my only option.
I used to do this with my friends when they weren’t able to keep up with my fast moving hands and still did it with others who didn’t know sign.
I’m not going to hurt you. You need to calm down and stop screaming.
I held the phone up for her to read the screen. Her eyes flew over the screen before coming back to my face.
“Why the hell did you tie up my hands then?” she asked, voice quivering.
Again I typed on my phone. So I can type on my phone without you punching me in the face and taking off. I’ll let you go as soon as you calm down.
She nodded vigorously, making her beautiful pink and purple locks bounce. “Okay fine. I’m calm. Now can you please free my hands?”
You’re not calm. Take some deep breaths. You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you. I was protecting you.
Luna’s chest heaved. She was not calming down. “You killed that guy. I can’t believe you did that.”
He was going to hurt you. You’re okay now. You can’t tell anyone what happened.
She gaped at me in disbelief. “Doesn’t that make me an accomplice or something? What if you get caught? There might be cameras inside the haunted house. Then what? I’ll go down with you.”
She was doing a great job at working herself up. She continued to ramble on about watching me puncture someone’s throat. In no time she was hyperventilating.
Feeling frustrated that it was so hard to communicate with her, I grabbed her chin and forced her to meet my eyes. The way she quaked in my grasp made me want to eat her up. I couldn’t help but love the way she trembled against me.
I really didn’t plan to hurt her. Hurting women wasn’t really my thing. Still, she didn’t know that.
Motioning for her to follow my lead, I took a deep breath. Then another. She stared at me like a lost puppy before finally sucking in a deep breath. I nodded, encouraging her to keep going. Soon we were breathing in tandem. In and out.
Several minutes passed before she finally calmed enough for me to step back and type another message.
Keep breathing. Stay calm. Don’t worry about anything.
Nothing will happen to you. Nobody will link it to either of us, and if they do, I’ll take the fall for everything. Can I trust you to stay calm?
Her expression twisted into one of uncertainty. “You didn’t even think about it. You killed him like it came so easily.”
I didn’t blame her for being freaked out. The first time I’d witnessed death in action it scared the hell out of me too. I worked hard not to think about that night, although it had a way of intruding in my thoughts at the most inopportune times.
I did what I had to do. I don’t expect you to understand, but I need you to keep this to yourself.
Luna’s gaze fell to her bound wrists. “Is this the part where you threaten me?”
Do I have to?
Luna Burke was a gorgeous little fairy. That’s what she made me think of with her colorful hair and whimsical outfits. She was a woman who walked to the beat of her own drummer. Someone who didn’t try to fit societal norms but instead allowed her heart to lead her.
I’d noticed her months ago. Long before she and I walked down the aisle together at Rebel and Storm’s wedding. Occasionally, I would sneak a peek at her. Whenever Rebel or Stray hung out with the girls, I sometimes came along just to look at her.
The last thing I wanted was to scare her off with a threat. I really hoped she didn’t force me to be that guy.
Her bottom lip quivered when she said, “No. You saved me from him. I won’t say a word. Thank you for being there. For helping me.”
Did it make me a complete monster that I loved the way she looked with those wide brown eyes and her hands bound? Would it scare her if I pinned her to the wall and kissed her right now? Probably.
Keeping a close eye on her, I typed again. We’re going to go back out there and find our friends. We’re going to have a nice, normal time. This never happened.
Raising a brow, I asked a silent question. She nodded several times, swallowing hard.
“Right. This never happened. A nice, normal time.”
As I leaned in to untie the belt from her wrists, her flowery lavender scent caught my attention. Everything about her was so fantastical. If she smelled that good, I could only imagine what she tasted like.
Forcing that thought out of my head, I blocked the door while putting my belt back on. Tilting my head to one side, I nodded toward the door.
Pressing her lips tight together, Luna nodded as well. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
We’d been gone for a while. Our friends might be looking for us. No doubt they would think we snuck off to hook up. If only that were true.
Opening the door, I held out a hand to her. Looking nervous as hell, she slipped her hand in mine and allowed me to lead her from the restroom. A mom with two kids stood outside waiting. When she saw us emerge together, she shot us a disgusted look. I merely smiled right back at her.
When Luna began to walk too fast, I gave a light tug on her hand, jerking her back to a normal pace. She felt too flighty. I hoped I could trust her not to sell me out to the cops.
As we passed a vendor selling snacks, I pulled her to a stop and pointed at the cooler filled with water. She looked in the direction I pointed and said, “No thanks. I’m good. I think I need something a whole lot harder than water.”
Understandable. I was feeling ready for something stiff myself. We found our friends not far from the haunted house exit. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves. Having a great time. When they saw us walking up together, their reaction was exactly as I expected.
“There you two are,” Codie gushed, loud and exuberant. “We were wondering where you snuck off to.”
Luna jerked her hand from mine, putting a few feet between us. “We just went to find the restrooms.”
“Sure you did.” Athena winked, like they shared some saucy secret. “Next time you want to sneak off for a quickie, give us a heads up. You could’ve texted so we could move onto the next haunted house. We’ve been waiting for you guys.”
Stray caught my eye, subtly raising a brow. I gave a small head shake. Once we had a few minutes alone, I’d fill him in on what happened. If I started signing now, the girls would wonder what we were talking about.
Thankfully, Auryn appeared then, saving us from further teasing. He strolled up, hands shoved into the pockets of his Squid Game jumpsuit. Platinum hair like a beacon. “Have you guys seen Dom? The fucker ditched me. I think he might be tailing Noah through the park.”
I rolled my eyes. That would be just like Dom.
Noah Cunningham and his crew had gone over and above to screw with us and our business.
Then they paid the price. Even though I felt certain they wouldn’t bother us again, Dominik had developed this strange obsession.
He was constantly checking up on Noah, convinced that he was always plotting against us.
“Haven’t seen him,” Rebel confirmed. “He’ll turn up.”
“Let’s keep moving. We have two more haunted houses. I hope they’re better than the last one. It wasn’t scary at all.” Athena looped her arm through Luna’s, dragging her along as she headed toward the next house.
Hanging behind, I fell into step with Auryn, watching Luna get farther away. If she knew what was good for all of us, she would keep her mouth shut about what she’d seen. I had no choice but to trust her.