Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DAMON
“Absolutely not. You’re not going.” I’ve been arguing with Falin for ten fucking minutes about her and Blake still going to their show.
“Unless we’re calling the cops, I don’t see what sitting around is going to do. I’m sure you guys will have everything under control. It’s still Blake’s birthday. I don’t want this to ruin her day.” She’s hugging Blake, who’s still staring at her car in shock.
Sure, we have everything under control… If she means we have absolutely no fucking clue who’s screwing with us. Anger rises to the surface but I tamp it down before I do something I’ll regret, like punching the other fucking rearview mirror out.
Whoever did this, made it look like nothing more than a hit and run. The entire driver’s side was sideswiped with enough force that the door was crushed in. I called the guys right away and they’re heading over to help me get it off the road.
“Do you really still want to go out?” I ask Blake. The last thing I want to do is let this ruin her day, coincidence or not.
Falin holds Blake at arms length and whispers something low enough that I can’t hear. Blake nods. “Falin’s right. Unless we’re going to call this into the police, there’s no reason for us to sit and wallow all night. We got all dressed up and I still want to enjoy my birthday.”
Of fucking course she’d say that. I lean against the car. My leg vibrates while I think. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.” I see Falin start to open her mouth so I cut in. “That’s the only option. I tried to tell you earlier, Blake’s not safe right now. So it’s either I go or she stays.”
The whoosh of a car driving by startles Blake enough that she gasps. Whether she wants to admit it or not, she’s rattled and that’s not okay. Our eyes lock and she nods, finally agreeing with me. Not that her insistence on a girls shopping trip stopped me earlier. Blake was never out of my sight today, not for a minute.
Once the guys show up and we move the car into Leon’s spot, I grab my keys, open the door and watch the girls get settled while I smoke a quick cigarette.
Leon heads over, Blake’s keys in his hand. “Meet you there?”
“Yeah, but be discreet. I don’t want them getting pissed. But you’re with me, right? There’s no way this was an accident.”
He shrugs and glances back at Blake’s car. “Hard to tell, but given the circumstances, we shouldn’t take any risks.”
“Jasper went back upstairs?” I ask.
“Yeah, I think he needed to grab his meds or some shit but don’t worry, we’ve got your back.”
I pat him on the shoulder and crush my cigarette under my boot. I’m anxious as hell but have to keep my shit together for Blake. We’ll go to this show, come home, and I can finally give Blake her real gift. Nothing else better fuck that up.
We arrive at the venue, a large tent set up on the local fairgrounds. It’s packed with people, all dressed in costumes. Some went all out in full makeup or masks, one dude is walking around on stilts. Nervous laughter and screeches from guests waiting in line fill the air, along with an ominous music track coming from hidden speakers.
Falin pulls Blake ahead, both giddy with anticipation. “This looks so fun! Oh my God, look at that guy’s costume.” She’s pointing at someone dressed as the headless horseman. Even I admit the costume is pretty sick.
Flickering jack-o’-lanterns and fake cobwebs decorate the space while scare actors walk around tapping unsuspecting guests on the shoulder. They better not touch Blake. I’m in no mood for that shit.
“Let’s take some selfies,” Falin says, pulling out her phone. Her and Blake mush together and take a few pics with the tent as their background. “Damon, want one with Blake?”
I clear my throat. We haven’t taken any photos together as a couple. Blake has no idea how many I have of just her. “Of course.”
I pull her in, and we smile for the camera. Then she turns to kiss my cheek, but I move in time to capture her lips. Tasting her has my stomach muscles relaxing, my body feeling relieved. I’m trying my best to give her space to be with Falin, but it’s so fucking hard.
When we break apart, I hear someone whistling behind us in line. “I luuuv a pre-showww,” the guy slurs. He’s about six feet tall, dressed in a pirate costume and swaying on his feet, clearly drunk. “Kissss ‘er again… thisss time facin’ meee.”
“Lay off the rum, Jack Sparrow,” I say through gritted teeth. Falin still has her phone out, most likely recording.
“Myyy baaad.” He holds his hands up unsteadily and stumbles a step closer, knocking into the group of people directly behind us in line. “But if ya don’ wan’ people ta look... then do tha’ shit at... at home, ya know?”
Blake grabs my hand and squeezes. “It’s not worth it.” She’s right, of course, and I need to be here for her. If I punch this prick in the face, I’ll get kicked out. “I think I smell cider. Can you grab us some?”
I huff and glance behind us, checking that the drunk pirate is done running his mouth. He stumbled back to his spot in line, thankfully. He’s lucky he backed off. I nod and ask if they want anything else, before ducking under the ropes and walking in the direction of the food stands. I fill my lungs with the scent of smoke and spices that linger in the air, letting them calm my nerves. I could use another cigarette but I don’t want to let Blake out of my sight.
I reach the stand and order three spiked hot ciders and some kettle corn, paying with cash. While I wait, I check my phone.
Leon: We’re here. Jas is pretty messed up from his meds. Don’t know how much help he’ll be, but I’ll hang out around the line. I got us tickets too.
Me: Perfect, thanks. Keep an eye on a pirate behind us. Guy’s fucking wasted and shooting off his mouth.
Leon: Got it.
The line’s moving by the time I make it back to them with our drinks. Once inside, we find seats close to the front. It’s set up like a circus, with a large stage in the middle and seating all around. The entire tent is bathed in red light, while fog machines spew mist that creeps heavy along the ground. That eerie music is louder in here, even over the chatter of at least a hundred people. Blake’s legs vibrate with excited energy as she drinks her cider.
“This is so good,” she says. “A few of these and I’ll be buzzed for sure.”
I drink some of mine and feel the warm burn slide down my throat. She’s right, they didn’t skimp on the booze. This many people in such a crowded space makes me uneasy. It was different when we were outside, but in here, it’s like the tent is swallowing us whole. A couple dressed as zombies squeezes past us and slides in next to Blake, so close that their thighs touch. I grab her hand and gently tighten my hold, taking another long chug of my cider.
“You okay?” she whispers against my ear.
“Yeah, fine. It’s just crowded in here.” She wraps her hands around the back of my neck and pulls me in for a soft kiss. I breathe in the scent of her hair, and savor the taste of her lips, feeling my pulse calm.
“‘Nother freee showww,” a slurring voice says behind us. Fucking perfect. I don’t need to turn to know it’s that pirate asshole again. He makes obnoxious kissing noises and moans, “Kissssyyy... hic… kissshyyy.”
All the things I’d like to do to him play through my mind like a slow motion montage. How I’d drag him out of this tent by his throat and throw him down in the dirt. I’d pluck his eyes out one by one for daring to look at Blake. The sounds of his screams would be my own personal symphony. I’d let the notes float in the air until I cut his pathetic tongue out and shove it down his throat.
Blake runs her fingers through my hair, scratching my scalp with her nails and I blink, coming back to the present. “Look, I think it’s starting.”
A spotlight shines on a guy dressed in full skeleton paint as he takes center stage. “Creatures of the night, welcome to Nightmare Manor , where vampire vixens and sinister sirens will bewitch and entrap you with their unholy appeal. Where ghoulish glamor and macabre masks will awaken your deepest and darkest fantasies. Our spectral performers and phantom entertainers will titillate your senses and chill your bones. Witness acts that defy both gravity and mortality, as our dangerously alluring cast blurs the line between ecstasy and terror. Exciting, isn’t it? But heed my warning: those with the blackest of hearts will find themselves a permanent home inside these walls. If your soul remains pure, untainted by the seductive darkness that permeates this place, you’ll find the exit to your right. For the rest of you... well, we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in eternity.”
Blake and Falin clap along with the rest of the crowd, but I’m still seeing red. That fucking pirate is hollering behind me, yelling obscenities.
“Our first performer is the lovely Mistress of Shadows with her act, The Vampire’s Embrace.” Skeletor leaves the stage and the lights blink then turn to a low blood red hue.
Images are projected onto the canvas walls, creeping shadows and flickering lights while a haunting melody begins to play. A gorgeous woman with thick flowing black hair, wearing a long gothic dress, not unlike what Blake has on, glides across the stage. She moves in slow, hypnotic motions, swaying her hips and drifting her arms in come hither gestures.
“Holy shit, she’s hot,” Blake whispers, squeezing my hand. I can’t help but smile.
“Not as hot as you,” I say, resting our entwined hands on her thigh.
As the music builds her movements follow. She crawls along the floor, stalking her prey, and removes a layer of skirt.
“Taaaake it offff baaabyyyy!” the pirate yells, before whistling with two fingers in his mouth.
“What a fucking tool,” Falin says, loud enough that the couple to our left snickers.
The show continues, the dancer unbothered. But I’m fucking seething. Pricks like him shouldn’t share space with people like Blake. The dancer leaps and lands in a seductive split, tossing her hair for added effect. The music rises to a crescendo and she pulls a bewildered man from the front row, placing him in a wooden chair on the middle of the stage. She dances around him, toying with him, pretending to bite his arm before backing away. Removing another layer, now in nothing but a corset and panties, she glides to him and as the music ends she bites his neck seductively, pulling back to show herself covered in blood.
The crowd roars; even I clap. But I’m distracted by the pirate, grabbing onto the head of the person in front of him and using them as leverage to stand. I watch him sway through the row, toward the exit.
Without another thought, I lean in to Blake. “I’m going to go grab some more drinks. Be right back.”
She nods and focuses her gaze ahead, clapping as the skeleton man enters the stage. I make my way out of our row slowly, not drawing attention to myself. I know I should leave it alone. He’s nothing but a drunk asshole who doesn’t deserve my time or energy, but I’m wound so tightly, my skin prickling for the release that only comes from violence.
With my fists clenched at my side, I shuffle by a few patrons, heading outside, my eyes trained on one figure alone. I see him, heading to the food and drink area and the tingle of anticipation rises in my chest. Keeping close behind him, I get in line at the small booth selling booze. It’s nothing more than two costumed young women behind a few folding tables, with coolers and canteens filled with cider.
“Neeeed a whis… key... dub-ble. An’ a beeeer... none a’ that im-por-ted shiiiit. Gimme... gimme a Coorsss.” The two women make eyes at each other and one of them, dressed as a sexy witch, speaks.
“Sir, I’m going to need to get our manager. We’re not allowed to overserve here. Please step to the side and we’ll be with you in a moment.” She gestures to the person in front of me but the pirate isn’t having it.
“T’ fuuuck izz thisss shiiiit!! I’m a payin’ cuss-tomer an’ I wan’ my god... goddamn driiiink!” He leaks spittle from the corner of his lips and bangs his fist on the table. The women step back, one of them making a call on her phone.
I’ve had enough. With my sweetest smile, I cut in line and speak to the witch. “Hey, I’ll take care of him. So sorry about that. He’s my uncle, not all there in the head. Can I get a beer and I’ll keep him out of your hair all night?” I pull out a few twenties and lay them on the table. “For your trouble.”
She nods, glancing back at the pirate, who’s uttering curses and stumbling around, before handing me a can of Bud. I thank her and step beside the pirate. “T’ fuuuck you wan’? Ohhh… it’s luvvver boyyy… where’sss yer preeetty girlfrienddd?”
I sling an arm around his shoulder and show him the beer. “Look what I got you. You want this beer?” He grabs for it, but I tsk at him. “Come on over here, let’s find a nice quiet place to cool off.”
I lead him away from the booths, toward the darkened part of the fairgrounds, using the beer as a lure. Once we’re far enough away that the noise of the show and the hushed voices of the patrons outside fade away, I crack the can and hand it to him. I grab a smoke out of my pocket and light one up, taking a long drag.
“Got ‘nother?” he asks, pointing to my cigarette.
I hold it in front of him. “You want a smoke?” I ask, slowly enunciating each word. The pressure in my chest is ready to erupt, I can’t hold back anymore. When I look at him I see his leering gaze all over Blake. I hear the wet, sloppy kissing sounds he made while looking at her.
I reach into my pocket like I’m grabbing my smokes but pull out my switchblade. I move faster than he can comprehend in his drunken state, jamming my knife into the front of his hand and through his can of beer. He opens his mouth to scream but I cover it with my free hand, my cigarette burning close to his nostril. “Listen closely, you piece of shit. You’re going to leave this place, go to whatever shithole you call home, and take a good hard look at your life. If I find out you’re disrespecting women again, I’ll show up when you least expect it, and next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
His gurgled moans slip through the cracks of my fingers as I yank my blade out. Blood spills from his wound mixed with beer from the leaking can. I release my hand and he immediately squeals, wrapping his injured hand with the other. “Shiiit... you... you fuckin’ stabbed meee. Heeeelp! Heeelp!”
He gives me no choice; what a dumb fuck. I push my cigarette against his uninjured hand, putting it out before knocking him upside the head with the handle of my blade. He goes down easily, face in the dirt where he belongs.
My shoulders relax instantly but my limbs vibrate with released adrenaline. I need to get back to Blake and Falin. They’ve already been alone for too long. With one last look at him, I pop a mint into my mouth and head back to the tent.