Vero scoffs. “Of course not, I was going to ask someone to cover Kayla first.”
She giggles and I throw Vero’s orange jumpsuit at him. Kayla helps him tuck it around her lower half, then he jumps off the carousel and starts walking toward the gate that leads back to the houses.
Fuck my life—now I will have to kill anyone who sees him naked.
Vero is walking ahead with Kayla and is talking at full speed.
I walk behind them, Clay in front, and Ares is off to the side. If anyone gets close to them, they are going to wish they hadn’t.
We cut through the passageway beside the Asylum and hear screams coming from inside. Vero looks sideways at the building but keeps walking.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement on the opposite side of the alley at the Funhouse of Horrors. There’s a man in a hoodie, and he’s not moving but staring our way. He watches Vero and Kayla, but hasn’t paid me enough attention to notice I have stopped. I don’t say anything to the others as I move to the end of the funhouse and circle around the other side. When I slip alongside the building, his back is to me.
The man steps further into the shadows but must sense me because he looks over his shoulder. When he sees me, he runs.
Big mistake, he is no match for me, and I close the gap between us in four strides. This peeping tom needs to work on his fitness if he plans to spy on people.
And he chose the wrong people.
Once I get close enough, I take him down to the ground hard. Pressing my knee into his spine, I rip his hoodie back.
“Get up,” I snap, knowing I vaguely recognize him as someone who works here, one of the newer staff.
“I-I’m sorry,” he stammers. Though he sounds convincing, it’s not enough for my anger to settle. “I wasn’t watching anyone; I was checking the stall lock likeKhodi asked me.” He holds my gaze as he continues. “I’m Luca, and I’m new here. I’m sorry if I startled you, but I wasn’t sure what to do when I saw you all coming. So I thought I would wait until you passed.” He gives me a gentle smile.
But I have known Ares for a long time and watched him act like this. Not in this situation, but using this tone of voice and body language. A normal person would be shaken, not calm and collected. Every word Luca just said was carefully chosen, and he added eye contact and comfort.
I nod and deliberately relax my body. “There is a rule here. If you come across anyone in the middle of something, you turn and walk away. You do not watch. You do not stand and stare in the fucking dark. Simply leave.”
“You’re right. I understand now, and it won’t happen again.”
I offer him my hand to shake, but as he goes to take it, I shift and drive my fist into his stomach. He folds and goes back down, making a wheezing sound.
“You think you can mindfuck me? You can’t, I live with the best. Look at what’s mine again and I will fucking kill you. This warning is a courtesy to Nixie and Ares, so we don’t have an incident report to fill out tonight.” I leave him on the ground and catch up with the others.
Clay raises a brow at me as I fall in line with him. “Problem?”
“Not anymore.”
Clay nods, understanding now is not the time to talk about it. When we get back to the house, we’ll let Vero and Kayla shower, then I will fill the others in.
Kayla
My bar job here at The Pit is very different to working on the island, and I am finding I want to be there more and more. I feel terrible because this used to feel like home, but now I am having to drag myself here, and I hate doing that.
Doren comes up beside me and slides a glass of water my way. “You look like shit.”
“Wow, tell me how you really feel.”
He chuckles. “I’m serious, did you sleep much last night?”
I think back to what happened last night and smile. No, I didn’t sleep much. Vero and Brawley came over to my loft, and let’s just say being the meat in their sandwich was amazing, but it left little time for sleeping. Especially when Vero wakes up with the fucking sun.
“I slept fine, and you need a haircut.”
He gives me a skeptical look that says he really doesn’t believe me.
“Well, you need a personality transplant.” He gives me a nudge, and we both get back to work.