24. Mona #2
I burst out laughing, running and jumping as high as I can on his back. He screeches, the sound lost in the noise of the bustling house and music as he catches me, bumping me up securely on his back.
Pressing my lips against his ear, I whisper, “I want to race Serena and Bates like this. Do you think we’d win?”
As if that’s the most normal question I’ve ever asked, he doesn’t bat an eye. If anything, I think he’s offended that I didn't assume our victory. “Obviously.”
He exaggerates his steps, bouncing me against his butt, and I can’t help but giggle the whole walk back down the hallway until we reach the library.
He helps me get a few more totes down from the storage rack in the hidden room in the library. The walls filled with books and journals in the main room were only the beginning of the history tucked away in here.
Eventually, he sits down in the desk chair, and I take his lap, reading entry after entry aloud to him as the hours slip away.
I’ve got to say, Harvey and Jean had a very passionate love life, and Harvey was incredibly talented at detailing it out.
He’d have been an exceptional erotica writer in another lifetime.
The house has quieted down beneath us; guests, actors, staff, maintenance—everyone—have resigned for the night.
Tomorrow is the employee party to celebrate the hard work of the season—Cambrie’s idea.
She really is an incredible businesswoman who knows how to set expectations while keeping people happy and motivated.
But now the house is all Casper’s and mine, and it’s a tiny bit less scary now that we know no one is lurking in the walls—our security now checks for that during the final sweep.
My stomach rumbles, and Casper sighs, shaking his head.
“Let’s go, before you get hangry. There’s leftover pizza downstairs. I had Donnie, the pub manager, leave some in the warmer for us.”
I exhale slowly, the kind that takes weight off your shoulders. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.”
He hums, “Mmm. Just one of many, baby.”
He slides me off his lap, and we scurry downstairs to the pub. My stomach grows hungrier than ever. It’s not a bad call on Casper’s part to feed the beast before she wakes.
In the span of ten minutes, as I sit on the bar top, I eat three giant slices of pepperoni pizza, and Casper eats four. And they’re the best damn slices I’ve ever had.
We make sure the warmer is off and the place is locked up before heading back upstairs to the main floor, up to the second, and finally the third. My legs feel ripped after doing these stairs multiple times a day recently.
“I’m going to run to the restroom. I’ll be right back,” I mutter, rubbing my food baby as he settles into the desk chair again.
My eyes widen when I realize that I just said the one famous phrase you’re not supposed to mutter in a scary movie. I’ll be right back. Because nine times out of ten, whoever says that never comes back.
“Don’t worry; I’ll protect you, Scaredy-Cat,” Casper assures me with a playful smirk. “And if anyone in this house is the masked killer, it’s probably me, and there’s no way in hell I’d ever hurt you.”
That’s honestly so fair.
Feeling a wave of confidence, I utter the phrase again, disappearing down the hallway. “I’ll be right baaaack.”
His laughter carries me all the way to the bathroom a few doors down, and after peeing and washing my hands, I tiptoe back down the hallway as quietly as I can.
The floorboards creak, and I just hope he doesn’t hear them when I reach the edge of the doorframe, ready to jump into the room and scare him.
“Ahh!” I scream as I turn and rush into the room, arms up like I’m a terrifying monster. My voice fades as disappointment drops my shoulders.
He’s not here.
“Casper?” I call out, assuming he’s in the hidden room since I can see the door ajar.
But he doesn’t call back, and goose bumps skate across the tops of my arms, my hearing acutely tuning into everything around me. I hear nothing … and that’s the fucking problem.
“Cas—” My words fall to the wayside as iridescent foil flashes on the desk in the corner of my eye.
My legs carry me to it without thought, and I grab the ghosty card—the same kind he’s left me multiple times over the last couple of months. It looks almost identical, except for the stamped message inside and the added lines, scribbled in pen.
My Little Prey,
Sink into your desires, the ones you keep close.
Into the darkness, anything goes.
You’ll be hunted, lured, and chased.
Brave the unknown, I promise you’re safe.
Time’s running out. We’re getting near.
Run and scream. No one will hear.
Put me in your ear. You have nothing to fear.
––Your Masked Haunting
Oh. My. God.
Is this what I think it is? Or rather, is he doing what I think he’s doing? A chase like I described.
A pulse of anxiety spikes my system, dread forming in the back of my throat. The last time I was chased here, it certainly wasn’t consensual, and it wasn’t by Casper.
Knowing myself and my mind, I flatten my hands on the desk, grounding myself, and take a few deep breaths. This is Casper. I’m safe. And I know that if I don’t want to do this, he’ll stop it immediately.
But maybe this could be good for me, willingly being chased by a masked man to help rewire the fear in my brain associated with the house and the corn maze. Trauma exposure sex therapy. I’m not sure if that’s a real thing, but that’s what this feels like, so that’s what I’m calling it.
I want this, and I don’t want what happened to me to have more power than I’m willing to give it. It’s also not an all or nothing; I can stop it at any time. I have a safe word for a reason.
Lifting the letter, I read it again. Put me in your ear. What the hell does that even mean? My gaze falls to the desk, and I spot it rather easily. I mean, he couldn’t have put it in a more visible place.
I pick up the tiny earpiece, sliding it into my left ear, and I hear shallow breathing immediately, like his face is behind a mask. “C-Casper?”
I recognize Casper’s voice instantly when he says, “Hello, Scaredy-Cat.” It’s insane how clearly he sounds, like his lips are pressed against my ear as he speaks. “Do you want to play a game?”
My shoulders relax ever so slightly because I know it’s him on the other side. “What are the rules?”
“They’re simple. You run, and we hunt.”
“We?”
The stamped phrase in the letter flashes in my mind—We’re getting near.
For a second, his voice softens, Casper comforting me rather than my masked man. “What’s your safe word?”
“Ghostface,” I murmur, confused on why he asked when it has nothing to do with my question.
“There’s five of us.” I can’t imagine what four people are with him, other than his best friends and teammates. “I’m wearing my mask—”
My mouth interrupts him with no go-ahead or green light from my mind. “The Barney one.”
He chuckles darkly, scolding me, “Mona.”
“Sorry.” My playfulness is gradually coming out more and more, which brings another level of comfort. “I mean, I’m not sorry, but continue.”
He clicks his tongue between his teeth, and I know he has a thousand words on the tip of his tongue, but he bites them back, letting my sass slide.
“I’m wearing my mask, and the other four are wearing Ghostface masks. It’s both your safe word and your indicator that they are safe and won’t hurt you. They will not touch you; they will not speak to you.”
“Why are they here?” My curiosity gets the best of me.
“This is a big house, Mona. They’re helping me cover ground. And they won’t be staying once I catch you. What happens between us stays between us.”
“Okay,” I murmur, running my hand up and down my neck nervously.
“Why are you rubbing your neck?” he asks, and I freeze, remembering that his cameras cover almost every inch of this place. “You’re one hundred percent safe. But all you need to do to stop this from starting or to stop it at any point during is to say that word.”
Silence finds my mouth—for once in my damn life. I want this. I want to face my fears and be rewarded with Casper’s kiss, dick, and tongue. What more could a girl ask for?
Inhaling, I hold my breath for a second before forcing it back through pursed lips. “I want to play.”
A growl of satisfaction rumbles out of him, boosting my confidence in my decision. “That’s my good, brave girl.”