7. JENSEN
7
F eeling this satisfied sitting for hours next to the girl that hates me is a major red flag, but I brush it off like any other screw-up.
It’s after six when we drive into Flagstaff, Arizona. The leftover liquor in my body has definitely lost its effect, so I’m dying to put some more in over a nice fat juicy burger or something. Anything to ignore the buzzing of my phone that has been going off with unstoppable notifications for the last two hours.
I try to stretch out as much as I can in the car, feeling the soreness of my muscles. My body is aching for some movement.
Letting out a feral yawn, Rae takes a turn to the right on route 40, and a familiar sign on top of the building pops up in front of us. The orange neon letters on top of the Brickstone building have been shown on TV more than once, and anyone who has ever heard of Flagstaff knows exactly what the most famous and infamous hotel is called.
“We are not—you’re not staying at the Monte Vista, right?” I ask cautiously, keeping my eyes on the hotel that is featured in almost every paranormal series there has been in the US.
I once saw this documentary where people heard knocks on their doors, calling for room service when literally no one was even in the hallway.
I’m not a scaredy cat, but it did give me chills, and I’m definitely not eager to look that shit up. I like my sleep to be peaceful and uninterrupted.
“Yeah, I stayed here the last time. It’s close to the road and at a good rate. I mean, it’s not the Four Seasons, but it’s better than a motel.”
“You have got to be kidding me?”
“Why would I be kidding about a hotel?” She shoots me a glare, pulling up to the parking lot and parking her car next to the Monte Vista Lounge.
Clearly, she isn’t aware of the infamous ghost stories of the Monte Vista Hotel, or this girl really has balls of steel.
Probably both.
“Have you ever heard about the stories? This place is haunted,” I explain with wide eyes, giving her a nervous laugh.
I know she is tough, tougher than any other girl I know, but you can’t tell me she wouldn’t be at least a little freaked out if she knew about this.
The engine is killed, and she turns her body to face me directly, her hands resting on her lap.
She looks at me with a stoic face before glancing to Bodi for an explanation.
“I’m Australian. I don’t know shit.” He raises his hands, palms facing our way.
I grind my teeth. It pisses me off that she wants his confirmation before even taking me seriously.
Since when are they fucking besties?
“You don’t believe me? I’m dead serious. There are dozens of stories about guests who heard freaky shit and ghost chasers that detected some weird shit too.”
“Ghost chasers? Like ghostbusters?”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes are back on me, her face not showing an ounce of understanding. I keep her gaze, waiting for her to say something. To show me she isn’t some badass shield made unaffected by paranormal activity that is making me feel like a goddamn sissy boy.
“Jared James Jensen, you are not seriously telling me you are afraid of ghosts?” She cocks an eyebrow, her lips in an amused grin, and I clench my jaw at her comment.
Her fingers are casually playing with the gemstone of her necklace.
Fuck me, is she really playing me like that? Putting me on the spot like that? I’m not scared of ghosts, but I would sleep much better in a hotel that isn’t known for their paranormal activity. Besides, I wouldn’t want her to be screaming in front of my door in the middle of the night.
I mean, I’m really just thinking about her right now.
“Don’t worry, my plan is to drink enough to make me pass out so I’ll be able to ignore a fucking bomb attack, but I wouldn’t want to mess with your good night’s rest. After all, you are the one driving.” I keep my face straight, although I’m doing my best to suppress a grin.
My ego is too big to tell her straight up that I would rather go to another hotel, but my ego is definitely not too proud to manipulate her into getting on the same page with me.
She furrows her brows, probably discussing with herself if she should take the bait or not.
Leaving her hanging to think over my words, I slide my phone in my pocket and reach out to open the door of the car.
“But you are right, it’s probably nothing. Besides, you have already slept here, right?” I don’t wait for her reaction and get out of the car, then open the trunk.
While I reach for her bag, acting like a gentleman, she gets out and joins me, casually dropping her hip to the tailgate, her arms crossed in front of her body. Her face is relaxed, but her eyes flash me the seed of uncertainty I just planted in her head and I suppress any movement of my lips.
Mission accomplished.
“Exactly what kind of stories did you hear?”
I ignore the snickering of Bodi, who is still in the car, pretending to be working on his phone. I know the son of a bitch is listening to our entire conversation.
“There are a lot.” I shrug.
I push a few boxes to the side, then drop my ass on the tailgate to sit next to her, holding her suspicious gaze.
“A lot? Like what ?” She nervously swallows, and I push my smug grin to the back.
I have her exactly where I want her. When I’m done telling her all the spooky details, we will be booked in the Marriott around the corner.
I’m a spoiled boy; I want a good bed, a clean room, and the option to dip into the indoor pool would totally make my night—and I want it minus the poltergeists of Arizona.
“Let’s see,” I say, mirroring her body language. “There is the story about two people who were murdered there and tossed onto the street below. There is the Phantom Bellboy.”
“The Phantom Bellboy?”
“Oh yeah, rumor is, he knocks on everyone’s doors in the middle of the night, calling out for room service.” The blood seems to leave her face momentarily, and it’s getting harder to keep a straight face.
“And there is this lady that was known to always be sitting in front of the window in her room. She sat in this old rocking chair the entire evening. Then when she died, multiple people on the staff claimed to have seen the rocking chair start rocking,” I pause, “by itself.”
The horrified look on her face tells me I hit the jackpot, but as quickly as the fear came, it’s gone. I hold her gaze, pinning her with my eyes until the sound of a plane makes her look up.
Her face grows stern, and I cock my head, watching how her eyes stay fixated on the sky.
For a couple moments her features tense, her brows knitting together.
“You okay?” I ask, curious.
She blinks, snapping her attention back to me as she releases her breath.
“You are just trying to scare me, Jensen. Nice try, though.” She takes her brown leather weekender out of my hands. “Come on, Bodi, move your ass out of my car.”
Stunned, I stay in place, wondering what the fuck just happened.
Is she kidding me?
“I’m not trying to scare you.” I try again, shoving Bodi's laptop bag into his arms as he exits the car, then pushing the button to close the trunk before trailing behind the blonde pain in the ass prancing away from me. “It's just common knowledge about Monte Vista.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Cursing, I follow her as we walk into the most haunted hotel in Arizona. Or is it the fucking country? I’m not sure, I just know it’s a stupid plan.
There is an oversized rug on the floor that looks like it’s my grandmother’s, and the walls look like they could use a fresh lick of paint. Glancing around the foyer, a shiver runs up my spine, as if the dead are already greeting me with their presence with their stuffy scent.
Great.
“Good evening!” she quips to the man behind the big mahogany desk.
The receptionist greets her with a big smile, his brows quivering as if he likes what he sees, and I glare as he quickly glances over her entire physique with a clear interest.
Yeah, no.
Moving my body close to Rae’s, I rest one elbow on the desk, giving the asshole a daring smile that doesn’t match the glare in my eyes.
She’s mine.
Well, not mine, but she’s with me.
I mean... I think.
“Hey.” I purse my lips, my eyes narrowing, silently telling him to back off. Aware of my subtle threat, he swallows hard, then changes his stance.
Rae’s head slowly turns as she looks up at me, barely a foot of space between us. She frowns, then her eyes darken when I shoot her a sweet smile. We stare at each other for a moment before she returns her focus to the receptionist.
“I have a reservation.”
The receptionist starts to tap his computer. “Under what name, miss?”
“Stafford.”
“Ah, yes. A standard queen, right?” He glances at Bodi and I, a question in his curious eyes.
“Yes. And I was wondering if you have a double queen for these guys? Preferably on the same floor?”
“The room next to yours is a double queen, and it’s free.”
“Perfect!” She beams, giving me a rare genuine smile that does something to my heart before we hand out our IDs and he grabs the keys off the key rack.
“Can I ask you something…” She leans a bit closer to read the receptionist’s name tag. “ Carlos . Will I be able to sleep tonight? We’ve heard some rumors about this hotel,” she whispers, secretly, shooting me a mocking wink as I irritably roll my lips inward.
He follows her gaze back at me, then moves his face closer to hers with a playful grin that I want to wipe off his cheeks.
“Don’t worry. They are just rumors. Nothing ever happens here. But if you or your friends are scared, there is always someone at the front desk to help you.”
“We are not scared. Thank you very much.” I jerk the keys out of his hands, then gently push Rae away from the desk before picking up her bag from the floor. “Goodbye, Carlos .”
“Don’t be rude, Jensen.” A chuckle escapes her lips as I continue pushing her forward, with Bodi trailing behind us.
I sigh when a flutter goes through my stomach at the sound of her joy ringing in my ears, closing my eyes while pressing my lips together.
What the fuck is she doing to me?
“I’m not rude. I’m just hungry.” My hand is still on the small of her back as I walk us toward the stairs, registering the roaring of my stomach and the twitching in my jeans.
I’m starving for a burger and craving a certain blonde.
“Yeah, that must be it,” Bodi huffs, laughing, shooting me a look that screams bullshit.
Grinding my teeth together, I narrow my eyes at him while we make our way up the stairs.
“Shut up, asshole.”
“You’re in trouble,” he mouths with a smug grin.
Yeah, tell me about it.