Page 59 of Brutal Kingdom

“No. But that’s why I’m coming to you. I’m gonna need to use some resources.”

“Son, I can’t get involved. If it’s a scam…”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m just letting you know I need authorization to use some assets.”

He sends off a text, I’m assuming, to our accountant and our lawyer. “Discreet inquiries and research only. If Johnathan gets wind of this, or your uncle…”

“I understand.”

“And you stay away from her.”

“Who?”

“Your research subject. Don’t do anything to draw suspicion.” He fires up his computer, putting an end to our conversation. “Oh, and Logan, you have until Bella’s twenty-first birthday. That’s the day we’re announcing the engagement.”

That’s my dad, supporting me with boundaries. I can work within the time frame, but the staying away from Jordy part. I roll my eyes at that. It’s too late for that warning and dad knows how I feel about ultimatums like that. So what he’s saying without really saying it is,don’t get caught.

TWENTY-FIVE

JORDANNA

Haunted escape room. That doesn’t sound dark and scary at all, and yet I’ve let all my friends convince me it’ll be fun to go. So here I am listening to the safety speech before we let them lock us in for however long it takes for us to find our way out.

I give Dixon another look when the guy says the lights are out in most of the structure and they’ll be pumping music and fog inside, to further limit visibility. Oh, and we need to be on the lookout for surprises. He doesn’t specify what kind, but the haunted part makes me think folks will jump out to scare us in the process.

“I’m really not all that big on haunted houses.” I say for the third time.

Noel steps closer, squeezing my hand. “I’ll protect you from the boogie man.”

“Me too.” Sterling says, sandwiching me between them. He’s grinning, his face a little flushed, likely from the drinks he had while we were setting up camp over by the stage. They’re still passing a flask back and forth. It reaches me and I take a sip for courage before handing it back.

“Thanks guys.”

The safety brief is wrapping up, and we’re instructed to move inside to the starting point. Each group starts in a different location, which will only add to the chaos.

“We stick together guys, no matter what.” Kassidy says as she moves into our room. I nod in agreement, grabbing onto the hand she’s holding out to me. With my back pressed against the wall, I feel like I’m on one of the graviton machines where you stay plastered to the wall, spinning round and round, praying you won’t fall off. Summer dragged me onto one, and well, I’m not a fan of those either. I know it’s odd since I love a good rollercoaster.

The white light goes out, the red light comes on, and it’s time to escape. This is all too much like that night at The Rift. Something tells me that’s what the organizer of this event was going for, and judging by the turnout, everyone was looking for an encore.

Senior planning committee should take notes on what to do to get more people interested. Because a charity car wash and the winter wonderland themed dance and carnival might not be enough to raise the amount of money they want for the class donation. It’s like mass confusion with the people in the halls, crossing and weaving in and out of groups, trying to find the next room that leads to the exit.

The music makes it harder to hear, and I damn sure can’t see more than a few feet ahead of me. Kassidy and I let go of our hands because it was harder to hang onto each other with people bumping into us.

We left our phones locked outside so we wouldn’t be accused of cheating. That’s why I’m caught off guard when something buzzes in my pocket.

I’m so glad you were up for another game. Time to finish what I started

I text back, Who is this?

I’m sure you’re dying to know, but I think it’s more fun if we don’t use any names

I’m gonna take a pass on being sexually assaulted by you again

You didn’t seem to mind my assault at the club. In fact, you welcomed it. And you asked for it at The Rift.

So the same guy was at both places. Does that make me feel better or more nervous knowing I’m being stalked by someone with no boundaries? And how did he get this phone on me?

That was then. Today’s a new day and I’m not into it

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