Page 13 of Pretty Pink Poison
Scarecrows with distorted faces and men with chain saws leaned just a little too close as we continued on. I let them make a wrong turn and scramble as they had to double back. The maniacal laughter echoing around us had Cora squeezing my arm especially hard and then she grabbed Rafe to put him between us as she tried to hurry through.
He chuckled at a few of the guys who taunted us, but he didn’t seem at all frightened. At one point, though, we lost half our group to them running off when a man with a chain saw jumped out.
I finally made the right turns with Rafe, and the end was up ahead with a haunted fun house on the other side, its crooked facade lit by swinging lanterns.
When I glanced to the left, though, a masked man standing down that path of the corn maze wasn’t supposed to be there. The knife in his hand looked much more real than the others. And a dark liquid dripped from it too.
I took a step toward him, but Rafe threaded his hand through mine. “Exit’s this way, Bianca.” He smirked like he was helping a damsel in distress, like I hadn’t made the damn maze myself practically.
“I know.” I shrugged. “I like the thrill and am going to weave through a few times more before going to the fun house.”
“Want me to come with?”
I shook my head, my eyes still on the figure who hadn’t moved, the figure who was watching us with a restraint I wanted to explore.
On my own.
“That’s okay. Let’s see if they can scare the person who helped put all this together.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know if your mother and father would want you walking around without me.”
“Good thing I just turned nineteen and am an adult.”
“Soon, you’ll be a wife too.” He winked.
“And the responsibility even then won’t be yours to keep me safe if I don’t want to be,” I countered.
He chuckled. “If you say so, babe. You’re getting a bit twisted but go have your fun.” He leaned down to kiss the side of my neck and then he was gone, leaving me to walk down the dark path on my own toward the shadow of a man in a skull-like painted ski mask that shouldn’t have been there.
“This isn’t a part of the maze you should be in.” I narrowed my eyes at him. His vibe felt haunted, dark, and corrupt.
The white outline of the mask shifted when he tilted his head as if asking me how I knew.
“I helped design all the areas and masks. It’s all themed.” I sighed as I considered his mask. It was scarier than most actually, but it wasn’t part of any that were approved by me. “You really shouldn’t be wearing that either. Everyone was given specific costumes.”
He took a step toward me and my heart leapt in my throat, adrenaline spiking as I stared at him in that mask.
What if it wasn’t someone I knew? What if I was really walking over to a stranger rather than leaving with a man I knew might keep me safe?
The idea, though, settled in my bones and made a home there. Even if that was the case, it was still my choice. Stillmine. I wasn’t doing what my family wanted, wasn’t giving into the demands of a damn arrangement, and I wasn’t saving myself for someone I didn’t love or want.
I felt in control as I walked into the darkness, toward him. “You should leave if you weren’t approved,” I told him.
He shook his head, not saying a word. His build was the same as Bane, but I couldn’t be sure it was him without him saying a word.
“Bane?” I whispered out, needing to make sure.
The masked man tilted his head again as if confused by my question.
That was when the adrenaline whooshed through my veins, almost making me dizzy. If this wasn’t him, who was it? And did I really need to find out when my safety could be at risk?
I took one step back, but he matched it with two steps forward.
Great. My mind raced through how bad of an idea this was now that I thought about it. We weren’t exactly the most loved secret society in the world. My father had enemies, my mother too. Pretty sure my uncle had been murdered. Or was that a great-uncle? My mom talked about threats at the dinner table, and I listened to my father when he thought I wasn’t.
Russians, Albanians, Irish, and cartels hated a secret society that thrived, and Diamonds were that.
“You need to walk out of here with me.” I tried to make sure my voice didn’t shake. I held my chin high and feigned indifference. “Or I’ll go get someone to escort you out.”
