Page 7 of Little Horrors & Deceptions

“Honestly, all of the above. I’ve been needing an extra set of hands around here for when I need to leave or handle other business. And I think you’re the perfect fit.” He added the last statement while giving me a bright smile and jotting something down on my paperwork with his pen.

“Amazing,” I said finally, my decision firm. “I’d love the job.”

“Excellent. Welcome to the madness.” His grin was slow, knowing.

I couldn’t help but return it. “Madness seems to be a recurring theme in my life,” I quipped, the edges of my resolve softening.

“Then you’ll fit right in,” he assured me, standing and clasping my hand a moment too long. His eyes held mine, and when I cleared my throat, he released me. “I’ll need you here in the morning at eight. I have a meeting I have to get to, but Derek will be here. He’s the co-owner and can go over all the basics with you.”

“Sounds great, I’ll be here,” I said before leaving the man far too attractive for his own good in his office. With every step toward the exit, I could feel his eyes on me, and the thrill of the hunt pulsed through me, mingling with his allure.

Chapter 5

Liam O'Connor

Iadjusted my tie, the silk slipping easily through my fingers as I looked in the mirror. I hated suits, had never been a fan. I preferred a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but I needed to dress the part today. I’d seen Jade pull up in her car this morning, for her first day, through my bedroom window. Living in my haunted mansion in my own little private area upstairs had its perks. For some reason, knowing she was in here somewhere, moving through the rooms of the haunted house, did something to me. Made me feel almost like there was an itch I couldn’t quite scratch about her.

I was good at reading people. I had to be with the kind of business I dealt with. She had the kind of beauty that could make a man forget his own name, with curious eyes that held secrets darker than any of our staged horrors. But I couldn’t deny that I was curious about her too.

I caught a glimpse of her, laughing with Derek as he’d led her through a tour of the place, and it had been like sunlight piercing through storm clouds. It didn’t fit here, or maybe it did too well.

“Mr. O’Connor, your guest has arrived,” one of my workers’ voices crackled through the walkie-talkie on the bathroom counter.

“Copy that. On my way,” I replied, tucking away my thoughts of Jade. I didn’t need a woman distracting me from one of the biggest deals I’d made in a while. The one I’d been looking forward to the most. Plus, she was my employee now. She was off-limits.

The floorboards creaked beneath my steps. I made my way to the private parlor, where a member of the Croix family waited. They were spiders at the center of a web of crime, and I walked into it willingly.

“Mr. O’Connor, a pleasure as always,” greeted Marco Croix. He carried a smile on his face that never reached his cold eyes.

“Marco, good to see you,” I said, shaking his hand firmly. The deal we were about to make would thread another needle through the fabric of our mutually beneficial arrangement. I acted as if I took money to balance their books and kept silent while doing it. And in return, I kept building their trust in hopes to get them all in the same room one day. And today, we’re signing a deal to make just that happen.

“Your events are quite… unique,” Marco remarked, glancing around the room filled with gothic antiques. “Marianna insisted on her wedding being here.”

“Only the best for our esteemed clientele,” I assured him, allowing a half-smile to play on my lips. A haunted house was a perfect place to do dirty dealings—screams were expected and questions weren’t asked. From an outsider’s perspective, we were a world-renowned attraction known for our venue and spooky events. But underground, we were mixed in with all thecrime families. They paid handsomely, and I did what was asked of me until I could work my way up the chain to earn their respect. And now we were here…

“Shall we?” Marco motioned toward the table where the wedding contract awaited us.

“Let’s,” I agreed, my mind clear. This was the game, and I played it not for the profit, but for the day when all the debts would be settled.

Marco slid the contract across the table, a neatly printed document illuminated by the flickering candlelight on the desk. I leaned forward to scan the terms, brushing my fingers against the paper, feeling the weight of the moment.

“Everything seems in order,” I said, my voice steady.

“Excellent.” Marco’s lips twitched with satisfaction. “Once this is signed, we’ll proceed with our normal arrangements as previously discussed.”

The pen felt heavy in my hand. With each stroke of my name, I sealed more than a deal. I forged another link in the chain that would drag them down. Revenge for my mother, for my sister—whose memories haunted me more and more each day that I got closer.

As Marco stood up, oblivious to the storm raging within me, the deal was done. I watched him leave, and a thin smile crept onto my face. I was the closest to the endgame than I had ever been. Marianna didn’t know it, but it would be the happiest and saddest day of her life.

Chapter 6

Olivia Bennett

“Welcome to the Chamber of Screams,” Derek announced, ushering me into the dimly lit foyer. The soft glint of the lights accentuated the rich undertones of his dark brown skin, giving it a striking, almost ethereal glow. Shadows clung to the walls like cobwebs, and there was something scary no matter the direction I looked.

“Creepy,” I muttered. “I love it.” My gaze darted from the grotesque portraits to the chandelier made of bones dangling ominously above us. A chill skittered down my spine as a stuffed raven cawed from its perch atop an old looking bookshelf, its mechanical movement jarringly lifelike.

“Handcrafted horrors. We love supporting local artists, so plenty of them are involved with creating this place and making it as scary as it can be,” Derek said proudly. “To your left, the Hall of Horrors.” He directed me toward a corridor lined with doors that were boarded up with rotting hands sticking out through the openings. Then he led us to the Maze of Mirrors,where our reflections were distorted into monstrous things. My heart pounded with each twisted image, a funhouse gone terribly wrong. Every few turns, there was a mirror that was like a screen, showing a monster instead of my reflection. Derek walked over and showed me how when customers were walking through, they’d set up the motion detectors on the mirrors so the monsters showed, making the customers feel like they were being chased through the maze. They would change the effects up so people could get different experiences, but it was still creepy all the same, monsters or not.

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