Chapter 6 Natalya
Hayride kissed me.
I’m still reeling from it, trying not to think about how he captured my lips and thoroughly made me forget about any other guy before him as his tongue entered my mouth. Just one kiss. It’s enough for me to know how talented he is with that tongue and how I want to experience more of it.
I let down my guard for a few seconds, and this sexy biker jumped those metaphorical walls I’ve built up and firmly planted his feet on the other side. He’s wicked. A bit reckless. Wild. Sensual.
I’m craving him already. This is such bad timing.
“How is the food? You’re not saying much.”
I glance up from my plate of barbecue brisket, cornbread, green beans with bacon, fried potatoes, and baked beans. It’s a hearty meal and calorie-dense. I’ll never finish the plate. “It’s delicious.” I’m not lying. “Every bite is perfection.”
“Yeah. Best place to eat in the whole state.” Hayride is almost done with his food, and he watches me, drinking a glass of sweet tea.
“If you’re full, I won’t be offended. Don’t feel like you have to finish it all. We’ve still got dessert.”
I almost forgot he bought two chocolate pies and a banana pudding. “I’ll get fat eating all this,” I laugh. “It’s enough calories for three days.”
Hayride shrugs. “I’ve never been opposed to seeing a little weight on a woman. Haven’t you ever noticed it tends to gather on the best parts?”
Oh, he’s bold. “Like?” I ask, calling him out on it.
“Ass, hips, and tits. All my favorites,” he replies scandalously with a wink.
“I bet you were a handful growing up.”
“For real. Just ask my mama. I’ll bring you by to meet my folks sometime. They’re not much for the tourists and crowds.”
All I can focus on is the fact that he wants me to meet his parents. Is that a common thing in small towns? In Columbus, people aren’t like that. You meet someone’s parents, you’re serious about the person. Like marriage. “Ah.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on the wooden surface. “Yeah, it means something, gorgeous. I can see those wheels spinning in your head. You’re the type of girl I bring home to meet my ma. No use in hiding that fact from you.”
I’m so surprised by his admission that I don’t know what to say.
“Finish up, Fireball. We’ve got shit to see and do.”
I take a few more bites and reach for one of the pies. Not sure if he wants food I’ve partially eaten, I slide the plate to the side.
“Natalya Scott, if you ever shove good barbecue to the side and not offer it to me ever again, I’m gonna spank your ass.”
I gasp as he chuckles and reaches for the plate, finishing off every bite I have left over. It’s an astounding amount of food he’s consumed. Even as I finish my pie, he devours both of the other desserts.
When Hayride is finished, he pats his belly. “Now I’m full.”
“Are you going to be able to walk?” I ask with humor as he tosses our trash.
“Babe, I got a lot of stamina.” He sends a wink my way, and I realize that Hayride is flirting with me. And it’s not the first time.
“Good to know,” I reply, trying my best to shove the worry and concern for my brother aside. Not to mention the awful day today has been. I’ll go crazy if I don’t take a mental break.
My phone rings, and I check the screen, noting with relief that it’s my parents. They’re on vacation in Florida, and I haven’t had a chance to fill them in on what’s happening with Thad. It’s not a conversation I’m looking forward to, but I can’t put it off for later.
“Mom?” I answer, and then I start to cry.
“Baby! What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Hayride looks panicked as he walks closer, reaching for one of my hands. I tether our fingers and lean against his shoulder as I tell my mom about Thad’s disappearance. I don’t hold back, giving her the truth about how he met a girl, got her number, and the tour guide saw him leave with her.
My mom’s voice cracks as she hands the call over to my father. I know she’s crying, too, and it makes me feel awful.
Dad is strangely calm. “We’re going to come to Raven’s Crest. I can be there in a couple of hours.”
“I don’t know, Dad. There’s nothing for you to do. Sheriff Madden is searching for Thad. Everyone is already doing everything they can to find him.”
“Anyone organized a search party yet? Aren’t there a lot of woods in the area?”
Hayride nods. “Tell him Boomer is getting one together for tomorrow morning.”
I repeat it to my father, but he just scoffs.
“Should have been done already, sweetheart. I’m coming to Raven’s Crest to speak to the sheriff.” His voice gentles as he adds, “I’ll meet you for breakfast.”
“Okay, Dad. There’s a nice diner.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“We love you!” My mom shouts before the call ends.
I sigh as I shove my phone into the front pocket of my jeans. Sniffling, I wipe the wetness from my cheeks. It’s a bit mortifying that I’m crying in front of Hayride. “This just got more complicated.”
“I gathered,” Hayride says with a little sarcasm, but then his voice softens. “You’re not alone. I’m here for you, Nat.”
“I know.”
“And I get your pops wants to be sure we’re not fucking things up, but I need to let Scythe know. And Boomer, too.”
“Go ahead.” Not that he needs my permission, but I appreciate that he told me before he sends any texts.
Once he’s finished, he tugs me toward the entrance to the Fear Farm. We pass by the ticket booth, and no one says a word as they see the leather vest and the Kings of Anarchy MC logo on his back. No one wants to piss off a King.
In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen how the town reacts to the bikers. They seem to trust and respect them. No one is complaining or being rude. In fact, people chat with them more than with the other locals.
Hayride still holds my hand as we head into the corn maze. A guy in a Kings leather vest, with the word PROSPECT stitched on the front, ushers us in despite another line.
“You sure people won’t mind that we’re jumping ahead of them?”
“Baby, you gotta ditch the idea that the same rules apply to us Kings that apply to everyone else. We make our own rules. Since we run the Fear Farm, we get certain perks.”
That made sense. “You’re right.”
“I know.” He flashes me with a grin. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
The corn maze is lit with just enough light to show the spooky, frightening details as we pass by Halloween scenes set up in strategic spots to elicit the most screams. I hear one occasionally as people in front of us encounter the actors who pop out or rev chainsaws.
“Don’t be scared. Most of the people who work in the maze are club members or family. No one is gonna hurt ya.”
That’s a relief. “Good to know.”
“You seeing a theme yet?”
Now that he mentions it, I am noticing a lot of scenes from popular horror movies. “They’re all horror icons.”
“Yep. Jason. Freddy. Michael Myers. Jigsaw. We had a blast putting together a new set of props this year.”
“It sounds fun.”
“If you like gore, blood, and getting messy, then yeah.” He laughs. “Might as well enjoy what we do, huh?”
“True.” Is that what he wants to show me?
“But I’m interested in what you think about the next one.”
We continue through the maze until we reach the next display, only this time it’s not dripping with blood and gore in the traditional sense.
The whole thing is carved from pumpkin. The coolest part?
It’s the opening scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas, including figures of Jack Skellington and Sally in front of a giant moon.
“Wow!” I exclaim as I move closer, taking in all the details. “This is fantastic. The detail is extraordinary.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s a work of art.”
“Glad you think so. I put a lot of time into last night.”
Blinking, I just stare at him. “You carved all of this from pumpkin? Last night?”
Hayride shrugs. “I enjoy it. It keeps my hands busy and my mind quiet.”
Interesting.
“You have talent. Have you ever watched those shows around Halloween with the carving contests?”
“I might have seen an episode or two.”
“Well, I don’t think you know just how amazing this is because I love Jack and The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s one of my favorites.” I might be in my late twenties, but I still love that movie. I always will. It’s one of Thad’s favorites, too.
“No shit?”
“You just impressed me, biker man.”
Hayride tips my chin up, and before I can catch my breath, his lips are on mine. It’s a slow, thorough, intoxicating kiss that I feel all the way down to my toes as they tingle.
When we separate, I stare into his stormy grayish blue eyes, and I see an intensity and desire that rivals mine. We’re both a little breathless. I want to tell him to take me to his room and ravage me for most of the night.
It’s reckless and irresponsible, and exactly what I need.
“You keep looking at me like that, Fireball, and we’re gonna be fucking against the hay bales.”
“I can’t believe you just said that.”
Hayride’s dark chuckle is filled with promise as his gaze sweeps over me. “You make me hard.”
I do the only logical thing after a statement like that. My gaze dips right to his crotch, where I see the bulge. He’s telling the truth. “Uh, nice?” I say and wince. Who says a guy’s enlarged penis is nice?
“Nice?” Hayride growls, reaching for my hand and pressing it against the bulge. He’s not being an ass, just letting me check out the package.
“Okay, nice is not the right word.”
“Thank fuck for that.”
“Would you prefer large? Girthy? A dickasaurus?”
“A dick-a-what?” He looks horrified.
“It’s a reference to a dick-shaped dinosaur.”
Hayride takes a step back. “The fuck?”
I can’t hold it in any longer, and I laugh, doubling over to hold my stomach because his expression is priceless. And yes, I’ve seen them at book signings and shops. They’re funny.
But I guess it’s not that hilarious when you’ve got a cock.
I wipe under my eyes because I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster today. I’ve cried. I’ve been inside a tent when someone is murdered. I’ve lost my brother, and I don’t know where he is or if I’ll ever find him alive. My life is turned upside down.
But I finally feel something other than fear, worry, concern, and sorrow. I needed this.
Hayride shakes his head but slides his arm around me, and we keep walking, moving through the maze until we reach an emergency exit. “Come on. I think we’ve had enough of the maze and dick jokes.”
I snicker. “Okay.”
“How about we ride over to the Mayfield and see if Ellie is working?”
My humor vanishes, but that’s okay. I don’t mind. I’ve been a mess the last couple of days. My emotions are all over the place, shifting between excitement, fear, shock, and worry so often it’s a wonder I’m able to keep my sense of humor or my sanity at all. I’m a bit traumatized, truth be told.
But I won’t let it control me. I can’t.
We walk out of the Fear Farm and through the crowd, passing the pavilion on the way to Hayride’s motorcycle. It’s grown cooler out. A brisk breeze whips around us while we pass a big cornfield on our right.
I happen to look into the stalks, but gasp when I see glowing red eyes. They’re staring at me with the same intensity that I felt when I left the Mayfield Inn after the tour.
Creeped out, I cling to Hayride’s arm.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
We stop, and that just makes this scarier.
“Red eyes,” I whisper.
Hayride snickers. “It’s one of the scarecrows.”
I blink. It’s just a scarecrow? “Why are the eyes red?”
“Makes it look spooky.” He’s far too amused at my reaction.
I huff. “So not funny.”
“Well, then I’ll take you to meet him.”
Wait. “Uh, I don’t think so.”
“He’s harmless, Nat. Come on.”
I let Hayride lead me into the cornfield, moving through the stalks that seem to swallow us up the second we step inside. They’re monstrously tall and dense, but they don’t snuff out the red eyes glowing ahead of us.
I’m gripping Hayride’s hand as we approach, ready to run and scream if it starts to move or hop down.
“Just straw. See?” Hayride pats the clothes. “Nothing to worry about.
I look at the scarecrow’s face and his button eyes. He’s sort of cute. During the day, he’s probably a lot less menacing. The dark isn’t helping him appear less threatening.
“He’d never hurt you,” Hayride promises. “They’re protectors, you know.”
Oh? “I thought they just scared the crows away.”
He chuckles. “You read too many stories.”
He’s not wrong.
“Come on. It’s getting late.”
I only glance back once, and the scarecrow’s eyes are still glowing red. One of them goes black for a second, like the light went out. Then it’s back.
Weird.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say it winked at me.
When we arrive at the Mayfield Inn, we spot Ellie as soon as we enter. Hayride must know who she is because he walks right up to her.
“Hey, you got a minute?”
She nods. “Sure. Come to the break room. I don’t want guests to hear this.”
Hear what? An admission of guilt? Something spooky?
Ellie leads us out of the lobby and down a hall, making two more turns before we enter the employee lounge. It’s not much to look at, but I suppose it’s adequate. There are long tables with chairs, a big fridge, and a coffee/tea station. I also spot a microwave.
“What can I help you with?” Ellie asks as she takes a seat. She’s not wearing the same clothing as last night. Right now, it’s the hotel uniform in shades of gray, white, and maroon.
“I need to know what really happened to Thad Scott.”
Ellie gasps. “What do you mean?”
I tear my gaze away from Ellie and stare at Hayride. Does he know something that I don’t?