38. Catch Me if You Can #2
I froze, as Carter stepped out of my way, motioning for me to escape. “Run for me, pretty girl.” He demanded, and grinned wickedly, gaze dragging over me like he was about to make a meal out of me. “Go on.”
Wide-eyed, I slowly inched around him, slowly backed towards the door— and then he pounced . I screamed as he grabbed me clean out of the air and hauled me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Now I shall take you back to my lair and drink your blood, my fair maiden.” He laughed an evil Dracula laugh, and we were moving before the world spun and suddenly I was pinned between him and a wall, right side up again.
His lips crashed against my own, desperate and hungry, and I screamed with adrenaline-filled laughter when he bit my neck with a dark chuckle, making good on his promise—only, we were suddenly falling.
The wall gave out, and we fell through it, getting tangled in a mess of fake cobwebs right as a fake spider came crashing down on our heads.
“Fucking hell.” Carter hissed, ripping the thing clean out of the ceiling while I howled with laughter, wondering if I’d ever seen him so worked up.
“This mother-fucking shit-hole!” He muttered a string of grumpy, pissed-off curses under his breath, each more riled than the last.
I was crying, I was laughing so hard, nearly peeing my pants, still shaking with adrenaline as he hauled me through several more rooms, finally banging open a swinging metal door that said operating room.
“Out.” He actually growled at the sexy nurse, covered in blood.
She was on her phone, and she looked up with a sigh. “You’ve entered the operating room, and now I’m going to cut you up.”
“Get out!” Carter snapped, holding out a folded bill. “Now!”
She perked up slightly. “Come on, Trevor, let’s take a break.” A guy who was dressed like a rotting corpse banged open a metal medicine cabinet door and hopped out. “Unless you’re shooting blanks, I suggest the top drawer on the left.”
Heart still pounding, I opened the drawer and giggled— hundreds of Halloween-themed condoms. Carter slid a heavy metal table in front of the door, and when he turned, the look he gave me had a tear rolling down my thigh. Alone. Finally.
Carter strode across the room and took my face in his hands and kissed me.
Hard. Desperate. Wanting. I whimpered as he pushed me against the wall, hauling my legs up around his waist before he snapped his hips against mine, pinning me in place with his strong, unyielding body.
With the barrier between us finally broken after all these years, one night of teasing and we couldn’t get enough of each other fast enough at all.
I moaned a desperate plea into his mouth as our tongues tangled ravenously—his desire growing more powerful and unleashed, as he devoured me like he was actually starving.
New and exciting, comforting and familiar all wrapped into one delirious, passionate, perfect kiss.
There was no doubt in my mind anymore, he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him.
The second I tried to wriggle down from his grip, he released me, and I turned, shoving him up against the wall, hard . I slid down as he watched me from above, breath ragged while my fingers frantically grappled with his belt.
“Wait.” He rasped, fingers circling my wrists as he pulled me up.
He backed me up against a table, where I yanked him down to my mouth again, giddy he couldn’t resist as I hauled him against me and hiked my leg over his hip.
His fingers slid higher as he groaned and lifted me onto the table—then with great effort he finally peeled himself back.
I grinned when he gave me a warning look that said, stay there or else .
Carter dragged both hands down his face, looking absolutely tormented as he backed across the room and planted himself against another metal table. “We need to lay some ground rules.” He panted.
“Perfect. I love breaking the rules.” I shrugged with a grin.
He groaned. “Don’t I know it.”
I chuckled, relishing the bite of cold metal against my legs, because my skin was on fire, everywhere his fingers had been, everywhere I hoped his mouth would go.
“We are going way too fucking fast.”
“Are we?” I asked innocently.
“This has been a hard year.”
Oh great. This again. “And this might be the only thing making it better.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying—I don’t want to be your rebound, or just a fling, or whatever.”
“Carter,” I groaned. “You’re not.”
“You said Isaac took advantage of you, that you were sad, that he only wanted one thing. ”
“This,” I pointed between us, growing frustrated with him. “Is not that at all.”
He barked out a frantic laugh. “I’m really glad to hear you say that, Sara, but I know you’ve had shit luck with guys, you said so yourself, and I know something fucked up happened with Tag that night—so how can I possibly let you get on your knees for me when you specifically didn’t want the dildo in your mouth last night?
I need to know how to take care of you.” He panted.
“I need to understand your boundaries better, because I have no fucking idea where the lines are.”
I froze. Why was he bringing this up now ? “I don’t want to talk about that.” I murmured, not quite ready to let go of that little secret just yet.
“And I’m not asking you to—not until you’re ready, at least,” Carter said. “But I, we—are moving way too fast. We need to slow this down.”
My lower lip wobbled against my will as the sting of rejection washed over me.
“Sara.” I couldn’t meet his eyes. “Sara, look at me.”
What he was saying made sense, so why the fuck did it hurt so badly? Why did it feel exactly like rejection? What was wrong with me?
“Sarafina,” he said, his tone softer and more lusty.
“Be a good girl and look at me.” His tone was gentle but still commanding enough that I couldn’t help but look.
“Please don’t cry.” He gripped the metal table while I batted my lashes, trying to keep the water in them from spilling out.
“I need you to know something,” he lamented.
“It’s taking everything in my power not to rip across this room and grab one of those party favors so I can fuck you against the wall until you’re screaming my name again.
” My skin tingled, wishing he would do exactly that.
“But I’m not going to do that because you’re the kind of girl, I could—” He swallowed hard and stopped himself.
“I’m not going to fuck it up because we moved too fast before you were ready.
” My heart stalled out as his words hung in the air like dynamite, ready to blow up.
Marry? Is that what he was going to say?
I was the kind of girl he could marry? “I want to do this right.” He panted frantically, adding, “ Have to do this right. ”
“What about what I want?” I asked, emotion getting the better of me.
“We need time to figure this out.”
“I know what I want—I want you.” I declared, knowing I should try harder to play it cool, but I was so damn tired of pretending.
“Sara, I don’t want to screw this up.”
“This.” I pointed between us. “Is kinda screwing things up.” I headed for the door feeling—I didn’t even know. Everything. Nothing. Not enough.
“Sara, please don’t walk away.” He begged.
I crossed my arms, jiggling my leg, trying not to cry. “Move the table.” I just needed a breather, a second of space to think.
“Can we talk about this?” he pleaded.
“I can’t do this right now.” I admitted quietly as I stared towards the door, “Please, I just—I need a minute to think.” I added, unable to look at him.
“I hear what you’re saying, I just—” Something panicked started clawing its way up my throat, the feeling of being trapped, out of control, I didn’t know.
“Carter. I need to get out of this room. Right the fuck now.” I snapped, the music feeling too loud, my skin feeling too sticky, the air feeling too hot.
He reluctantly moved the table, and I headed down the hallway, feeling his presence a few paces behind me. Only I wasn’t watching where I was going, and suddenly, the floor dropped out from under me.
I was falling, flailing, screaming, and then my body barked with pain as I landed on a filmy, stained mattress. Something cold and wet splashed all over me as gargling and screeching creatures grabbed at me.
“Carter!” A dirty hand clamped over my mouth, and my hands were tied before I even realized what was happening, and suddenly, I was being hauled away with alarming speed.
Carter had already dropped through the ceiling when we locked eyes. The look in his expression was terrifying—it made me feel like something was actually wrong. Something more than just haunted house theatrics.
“Carter!” My voice cracked as I thrashed against the goblin, but Carter was already in motion, already closing the space between us, and nearly to me already. He was going to get to me, just like he had minutes earlier.
And then I saw it, as if in slow motion, a thick metal door started to roll shut, and Carter’s panicked expression disappeared as the hallway grew darker and darker, until finally, the door seemed to thunder as it slid into place, sealing off the hallway.
It was all happening so fast, hands all over me, body slamming into one wall after another as we rounded so many corners, and I was screaming, but suddenly I was being dropped into some sort of container.
A sickening feeling lurched through me as I scrambled up, but there was a heavy click as everything went dark and quiet. Trapped . And as I frantically pounded on the lid, I realized something awful.
I was not the only thing in this container.
Carter
There are moments in your life when you can think, plan, strategize. Moments when there is time for rational thought, and then there are moments when the reptilian brain takes over, when there is nothing but instinct, muscle memory, and survival.
Unlike the adrenaline that I’m so used to at work, the adrenaline that flooded me at the sound of Sara’s terrified scream was wholly different.
My body reacted before my brain did. I was already moving, launching into a sprint. How she’d gotten so far, so quickly, was horrifying, but there was no room for guilt, and no room for second guesses. There was only instinct and action.
I saw that fucking door as it started to roll across the hallway, and I pushed harder, ran faster. I was nearly to her, almost there, when it slammed shut. Separating us. I slammed straight into the door, yanking on it, but it didn’t open.
“Let me go!” Sara screamed from the other side, making my stomach bottom out.
“Sara!” I heaved against the door, over and over again, but it wouldn’t budge.
Frantically I fumbled at the seams, when Sara screamed in the distance, “Get off me!” My gaze snapped up and a new sort of fear drenched me.
Muscle memory took over as I pulled my gun out and unloaded the entire clip along the seam of the door before the locking mechanism released.
I heaved the door open and slammed a new clip in as I followed the sound of Sara’s screams, shoving monsters into walls as I sprinted through the haunted house after her.
And then, what was worse than her screaming was when I couldn’t hear her at all. Loud music blared, and there was cackling and howling from every corner of this hellscape, but no sound of her.
I sprinted from room to room, screaming for her without a response.
A zombie sprinted past me, cackling, and I grabbed it clean out of the air, shoving it against the nearest wall.
“Where the fuck is she?” The zombie screamed as I ripped its mask off.
“I will make you hurt in ways you didn’t know you could.
” I growled, adrenaline and panic pounding through me as precious seconds slipped away. “Where is she?” I shook him.
“I don’t know.” He gasped, wide-eyed. “It’s not real, it’s just part of the performance.”
With a broken laugh, I lowered my voice to a lethal growl. “ You have exactly two seconds to give me an answer before I start making things hurt.”
“There’s a room.” He sputtered. “Please don’t shoot me. I just work here.”
“Where?” I dropped him to the ground, holding him by the scruff of his neck.
As he led me through several rooms, I hoped this was all just part of the haunted house theatrics, but what if it wasn’t, what if someone more dangerous had abducted her—say someone who had just threatened that, a mere twenty-four hours ago.
One thing at a time.
The zombie quickly led me down into a basement, and when I saw one goblin guarding a locked door, I dropped the zombie.
“Is she in there?” I demanded.
The goblin launched into a script, and I shoved him out of the way, trying the door. It was locked.
A hand landed on my arm. “You can’t just go in, you have to break the code, and then sacrifice?—”
I pinned him with a lethal look, because I was not fucking around. “The only thing I’ll be breaking is your fucking arms if you don’t get out of my way.” He immediately backed up.
I shouldered the door open and inside, I found a woman tied to a chair, looking mildly alarmed. Not Sara. My stomach rolled. If she wasn’t here…
“Who are you ?” The woman asked as I stared at her, recalculating.
A man, who I assume was her date, hurried in. “What the hell took you so long?” She complained as I stormed out of the room and grabbed one of the goblins.
“The brunette in the Air Force hoodie.” I demanded. “Did you take her?”
One of the goblins in the corner chimed in, “Yeah, I think that hot piece of ass in the green dress is upstairs in the cooler.” My eyes snapped to him.
“I got quite a handful, if you know what I mean.” He shook his head with a laugh, not looking up from his phone.
“It’s always easier to cop a feel when they’re flailing around.
” Then he added more quietly, “God, I love this job.”
Everything went red. “What did you just say?” I stalked towards him.
He turned to look at me. “Oh, shit!”
I kicked his chair out from underneath him and sent him crashing to the floor. “You’re the one who fucking touched her.”
He scrambled back, but I stepped on his chest, slamming him back into the floor. “I was just joking around.” He pleaded.
“Was it a joke when she was screaming at you to get your fucking hands off her?” I leveraged more of my weight onto him as he wheezed. Good, let this piece of shit suffocate in that mask. “It’s not so fun when you’re the one who can’t fight back, is it?” I growled, bearing down harder.
He started begging, and this was wasting time. I hauled him up and twisted his arm behind his back, right before the point of breaking, muttering. “Take me to her right now, or I promise you, I will break every bone in your useless body.”