“I thought all the girls were being taken to the cove? Those were the rules,” another guy challenged.
“She’s with me,” Carter repeated, his grip on me tightening as he squared his shoulders. “Anyone got a problem with that?”
I held my breath. There were general mutters, but no one came out and said anything.
“Okay. Three hours. Meet at the cove.” Everyone split off, and I was left standing there with Carter’s arm still around me.
“What’s going on?” I ventured, keeping my voice low.
“Just a bit of friendly competition. First, we picked the girls we wanted, now—”
“You picked the girls you wanted?” I barely managed to get the words out.
“I know where your mind’s going, and it’s not like that. No one was taken against their will or anything.”
Hadn’t he taken me against my will?
It was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. “Remember, I asked you if you wanted me to let yo
u go, and you said no.” His arm tightened around me. “Believe me, most girls would jump at the chance at being caught by one of us.” A low chuckle escaped his lips. “I can guarantee that you were the only one who really put up a fight.”
His hand ran up and down my back, and I relaxed under his touch. “Now, we get to do something to win bragging rights.”
“Bragging rights? And where did the girls go?” The questions fell from my lips before I could stop them, and I could only hope he wasn’t paying attention to my voice.
“Yeah. Bragging rights. As for the girls…they got taken on a nice little ride to the same place we’ll be going later. An all-night party.”
“I can’t stay out all night,” I whispered. Technically, I could, but I wasn’t about to. Carter started to say something, but I cut him off with another question. “Why didn’t you send me away with the other girls?”
He fell silent, then when he eventually spoke, his voice was full of confusion. “I don’t know?” He pulled me closer. “I hadn’t planned on keeping you with me. There’s something about you, though. Something addictive.”
“You don’t even know me.” I curled my body into his.
“Maybe that’s part of the fun,” he murmured, before he let me go.
A bolt of longing hit me. How I wished he’d show this side of himself to me in the outside world. I mean, I knew there had to be a nicer side to him, otherwise he wouldn’t be so popular, but I’d only ever been the recipient of his hate. I swallowed the lump in my throat at the thought that once he found out who I was, it was game over.
Needing a minute, I turned back towards the carnival, the lights blinking on and off enticingly and the sounds of music, laughter and screams filling the air. I sighed before I even realised what I was doing.
Carter’s head whipped around in my direction. “Shit,” he muttered. “I’m taking you away from all the fun, aren’t I?”
I stared at him in shock. “N-no. I’d rather be here with you. I’ve just…I’ve never been to anything like this before,” I told him truthfully.
He took my hand again and began tugging me back towards the carnival. My mouth fell open in stunned disbelief as he said, “Pick something. We have time.”
Once I’d convinced myself that I hadn’t been hallucinating and he was actually serious about taking me back, a huge smile spread across my face. Not that he’d be able to see it. I looked around me, at the rides and stalls illuminated by the lights cycling between colourful flashing neons to white strobes, then back again. What to pick? “Nothing with clowns. They freak me out.”
I hadn’t realised I’d said that aloud until he laughed. “No clowns. Got it. Anything else?”
“What would you pick?” As time went on, I grew bolder in speaking to him. He hadn’t recognised my voice yet, so I was more or less sure that I was in the clear.
“Me?” He seemed surprised that I’d asked. “Other than getting you back in the haunted house again?” His voice dropped to a low rasp as he pulled me closer.
“Something different,” I murmured. I didn’t think I’d survive another go inside there.
“Maybe that.” Letting go of my hand, he pointed towards the same shooting game that Captain America had been trying his luck at when I’d first arrived. “But we can do something else, if you want to go on the rides.”
I looked to the left of the shooting game to the neon blue Ferris wheel, standing tall among the other rides. “Do we have time for two things? The big wheel might be fun.”