Page 44 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

“Probably.” His thumb moved up and down my knee, gently stroking it. “You know, what you say makes sense. Even though I call Seastone my home and the people have treated me as one of their own, I have always felt different. Maybe it’s because of my eye. Or because I’m gay. Or because I lived alone for so long in one of the town's eyesores. It’s hard to say for sure. The only person I felt a genuine connection with was Jack. Until I met you, that is. With you, it’s different. You felt like the right thing from the first moment that you laid your eyes on me, screaming like I was death itself.”

We both laughed at his words.

“I love you, Nicholas.”

“I love you, too,” I replied, placing my hand on his. “If it is any consolation to you, I’m certain I’m nowhere near finished with Seastone.” I leaned over the center console, my mouth reaching for his touch. “I’m talking years, maybe decades away.”

Jason opened his mouth and let me in, his tongue caressing mine. His lips were soft and soothing. Our breaths intertwined.

“That’s comforting to know,” he whispered in between two kisses.

After a minute, the song on the radio stopped just as the chorus was about to kick in.

“Breaking news,” the fake radio host announced. “We interrupt our program to inform you that there has been a prison break at Broken County State Penitentiary.”

My heart rate went from zero to a hundred in a second.

This was it.

Our heads turned toward the radio as if we could hear the announcer’s words better that way.

“A man identified as thirty-seven-year-old Edward Raynes Petrol, also known as the Leather Mask Killer, has escaped custody and is now on the run. He was last seen at a gas station near Ashbourne, Pennsylvania. Citizens should remain vigilant and contact 911 if they observe anything suspicious. As far as the police know, he is unarmed but extremely dangerous. Do not approach the individual. Lock your doors, and do not let strangers into your home. We will keep you updated on this issue.”

The music took over again. We stared at the radio for another second before Jason laughed and pushed my head away.

“You’re funny. How did you do that?”

I couldn’t tell him how hard it was to tap into the radio and control it from the trunk, so it looked like this hour-long program Alex had prepared would appear to be a live radio broadcast.

“What are you talking about?” I tried to sound as serious as possible. “It’s just the radio.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I stared at Jason, biting my tongue to keep from laughing. I had to play my part to make it seem real. “Honestly. Look.” I pointed to the unplugged cable I usually use when I want to listen to something on my phone.

Jason frowned. “So that wasn’t you?”

I frowned back. “How would I even do that?”

“I don’t know.” He pulled his hands back, his eyes wandering through the window to the side mirror. “So a real killer is running around Pennsylvania?”

“Looks like it,” I replied. My lower lip trembled, not because of a non-existent killer but because it seemed like the plan was working.

“Shall we go home?” I asked. Even if he said yes, we definitely wouldn’t be going anywhere. We had planned for that possibility and had prepared my car to look like the engine was dying.

Jason shook his head. “I think this guy has other things to do than show up in the mountains and kill random people. He’s probably more fixated on getting out of the state right now.”

“You know, that’s what they say in the movies,” I teased him.

“This is not a horror film,” Jason replied, taking a deep breath. “Come to think of it, maybe you’re right. Should we call someone? If there’s a killer on the loose, they shouldn’t have a bonfire.”

“Let’s call Jack,” I said, pulling out my phone. We had prepared for this case as well. I dialed his number. When it beeped, I put the call on speaker and turned down the music so we could hear him properly.

“Nick?” Jack answered. “What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?” In the background, we heard people laughing and the fire burning.

I knew Jack was hiding behind the bushes, ready to play the fake killer the radio had just told us about, but Alex had recorded some background noise for him to play so it would sound like he was down in the valley where he should be.

“We are,” I said. “But we just heard some disturbing stuff on the radio and wanted to check in.”

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