Page 71 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
He laughed. “Only if you feel like it. We can do whatever you want as long as we stay on the path.”
“Funny you should say that. Georgia is the expert here—I’m deferring to her in terms of what we can and cannot do. Leaving the path is out, but what if we pretended like we were going to?”
“You want to see what happens.”
She smiled as sweetly as she could manage. “Yes, please.”
Maverick’s jaw tightened as he considered, exhaling a sigh through his nose. “All right,butwe do it my way. I’ll lead.”
She nodded in agreement, careful to keep her excitement in check.
“Sometimes, I can’t believe how much you actually like stuff like this.”
“You don’t?”
“It’s definitely not my first choice.” Both his gaze and tone were soft, non-judgmental.
“I know a job is a job, but you could help people tell their stories in other fields. Another company would hire you in a heartbeat.”
“I like my company—there’s other non-paranormal positions I could apply for. I’m tired of traveling, hosting, and being on camera in general, but the team will fight me if I try to retire.”
“They seem more supportive than that,” she said. “Georgia knows, right?”
“She’s the only one.”
He tugged on Lucky’s hand as they subtly began walking at an angle toward the edge of the path. With their current pace in mind, she suspected he was aiming for the bumper cars on their left. The cars themselves had been lined up in a neat row next to the operator console in the darkened arena.
“I think you should tell them,” Lucky said, softly. “Plan your exit and tell them what you want to do instead. They’ll listen.”
He grinned. “Is that some extrasensory advice?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I could tell you more but I think that’s enough.” She had a feeling he only needed encouragement, not a firm answer likeXander searched for you specifically and he still believes in youorStephen would follow you anywhere because you earned his trust. Some translations were better left unspoken—a lesson in balance she’d been steadily learning as of late.
Maverick continued leading the way to finish Lucky’s experiment. “Act like we’re about to get in line for the bumper cars.”
Lucky nodded, catching his drift. They were so close to the ride now, she spotted the cracked paint on the sign.
“We’re not leaving the path,” he reminded her. “Just pretend like we are.”
“Together.” She squeezed his hand while holding his arm.
“Oh, shit,” they said in unison.
The moment they swerved close to the closed gate one of the bumper cars broke formation, swiftly gliding across the metal floor and skidding to an audible stop in the center. Its paint glittered in the moonlight as if dozens of eyes were watching them.
23
Lucky barely had time to gasp before Maverick reacted, promptly guiding her away. “Nope! Keep moving,” he insisted.
The bumper car followed, stalking alongside them like a predator until the barrier forced it to stop.
“But do you—did you see?!” Her excitement made her stutter as the goose bumps from being cold multiplied at a steady rate.
“I saw.” He physically blocked her view with his body as they continued walking. A loud crashing sound echoed behind them—like an empty metal trash can falling to the ground and rolling. It happened twice more, closer and louder, making both of them flinch. “It’s testing us. Don’t look back. You can’t.”
“What if—”
“You agreed to do it my way,” he reminded her. “That means we keep going.”
