Page 123 of Forbidden Game

Sigh.

Even when I’m not working, I’m working.

Plus, Aleks and Parker still have their bet going, and I promised him I wouldn’t do anything to sabotage it. Not that I really know what that means. Parker doesn’t seem to be doing anything different to dissuade the few curious looks I’ve been getting from Lee.

We finally make it to the front of the line, and the employee taking our tokens gives our group a once over.

“You’re welcome to go in together, but it’s more fun in pairs or smaller groups. The hallways are quite narrow at times,” she says while dropping the tokens into a glass pumpkin.

“Then we’re going first!” Lee links her arm with Deer, and the pair start running inside.

“Hell,” Jackson mutters under his breath before he jogs up the stairs behind them.

“Guess that leaves you and me, babe.” Aleks grins down at Stevie, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Stevie’s fox eyes gleam. “Perfect,” she purrs before tilting her head up into a kiss.

“Gross.” Deanna shoves past them. “We’ll see you on the other side.” She and Maya hold hands as they disappear into the haunted mansion.

Stevie and Aleks follow a few minutes later, and then it’s our turn to wait for entry.

Parker’s quiet. I can feel the nerves vibrating off his body. He even starts toying with the twin hoops in his ear as his eyes dart all over the creepy monstrosity before us. It’s like he is trying to see through the decrepit wood to the inside so he can map out an escape, and we haven’t even gone in.

“Don’t worry.” I pat his chest, my fingers tingling at the contact with his skin. “I’ll protect you.”

He scoffs, standing straight and gripping the collar of his shirt to puff it out.

“I’m not worried.”

“Sure,” I drawl.

“Next,” the employee calls out.

“Come on, Alice. Let’s enter the rabbit hole.” He tugs my hand and starts to lead us inside. “Maybe I’ll even show you my caterpillar later.”

“Oh, Parker.” I frown. “No, that’s,” laughter bubbles out of me, “that’s awful.”

He gives me a boyish smirk, but it quickly fades away as we walk into the entryway of the mansion. It’s somehow bigger and smaller than I expected. There’s the hum of music swirling around us, a solemn piano tune mixing with quiet laughter. The creepy kind, not the joyous kind. It’s also colder here, and goosebumps rise on my arms.

Parker stills, every part of him on high alert.

“Come on, let’s go this way.” I nod to the room on our right, one that looks like a dining room from the crack through the door.

Excitement burns through me. It feels like I’m part of my beloved haunted house podcast, investigating a creepy ghost story.

We’re making our way through the living room when the chandelier starts to flicker. The room is plunged in and out of darkness over and over.

It looks like there are spiders crawling on the ceiling, and a dripping noise begins playing through the speakers.

“Oh, fuck no,” Parker swears, grabbing my hand and pulling us through the next door.

We just about make it through when a nearby cabinet pops open and a bloody head rolls out. It looks pretty realistic. Parker flinches and immediately starts running us down the dark hallway.

I snicker quietly under my breath.

“This was a shit idea,” he mutters, finally slowing down.

“I think it’s fun.” I trail my hand up his arm absently, looking around and trying to make out shapes in the distance. There looks to be another set of doors just up ahead.

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