Page 30 of Fright Night
Me
Yes.
Nothing shy of the world blowing up will change my plans for her.
FOURTEEN
OAKLEY
“Thanks for everything and happy Halloween!”I wave goodbye to the last set of volunteers before returning to the food trucks and carts that are nearly finished breaking down their set-ups, to ensure they’re good to get going soon.
The vendors are packed up to leave, clearing out most of the event. The tents, House of Mirrors, and hay barrel maze remain to be broken down by a crew on November first, after Halloween, in case anyone around town tomorrow wants some quick holiday fun to kill off the afternoon of waiting for dusk and trick or treating.
Once the last of the vendors leave so can I.
Thank god, because my feet are killing me.
Pulling the fairy wings off my back, I wait until the last of the people leave me alone in the empty park, with only the generator left to kill. The wiring also remains, since it’s too much work to remove quickly, and the team will be along tomorrow to undo it all.
With a sated but contented sigh, I turn for the maze where the generator is set up behind it. One more task and then off to home where I’ll kick off my shoes, put up my hair, and drown myself in a hot bubble bath.
Tomorrow’s a day off, so until dusk falls when it’s time to hand out candy, my plans consist of a couch, a few Halloween movies, coffee in the morning and wine in the afternoon.
And one bank transfer.
I shiver, irritated by Julian’s interruption. Since our breakup, this is maybe the third time we’ve been face-to-face; his one-sided texts are my only form of communication with him. He’s never shown up to harass me before, but chose to tonight, probably aware I was in charge of the event. And being drunk or stoned or both, he decided throwing me off kilter would be his own form of holiday entertainment.
I hate the power he stole from me, but what I actually hate more is being blackmailed to protect Henry. A man who gave my work a brief compliment before launching into his own plans for my future.
Maybe Julian needs to win next month. By not paying him, he’ll release his blackmail. The initial blow will be hard, but then more drama will eventually hit the family and this will become yesterday’s news.
Maybe. I’ll spend the month thinking on it.
Regardless, seeing Julian rattled me in the ways he intended to, and having Knox defend me made me feel less alone than I’ve been for years. Dealing with Julian month after month leaves a sour taste in my mouth, with the weight of guilt and embarrassment pushing on my shoulders. Even though Knox didn’t know what he was defending me from, it felt really nice to have him on my side.
Pushing Julian from my head—because there’s a creepy enough feeling already in the park without thoughts of my ex—my pace increases. This place, especially with only the couple small tents, the much larger House of Mirrors one, and the maze, leaves the park eerie. It’ll be worse after the power gets cut.
The park, the few strobe lights set up, suddenly go dark, bathing the area in darkness.
Um.I’m the only one in the park.
Aren’t I?
I’m also the only one with the key to turn off the generator, and that key is safe in my bra. Me, and the electrical team, but one of them wouldn’t be behind this—I hope.
I retrieve my phone and tap the flashlight button to create an immediate glow around me.
“Hello?” I call out, feeling like a moron for talking to the air. Whyever the power flicked, I’m close enough to the main entrance that I turn for it, ready to leave this suddenly ominous park.
I’m three steps into my journey to the exit when something on the ground crunches behind me. Leaves, I think, being stepped on by someone else.
“Trick time, Trickster.”
His whisper is almost poetic, seductive along the nape out of my neck—despite making me leap out of my skin. How he snuck up behind me so silently is a mystery I don’t really care about, and spin around to catch him.
“Knox.” My tone is practically a growl. At this point, it’ll be a signature sound I save all for him.
Behind me remains empty. My eyes scour the park, the nearby trees, searching through the dark for the glowing telltale mask, but it all seems empty.
