Page 101 of All You Want
Fortunately, Tami hasn’t seen me and is on the phone, probably talking to her stupid sheriff.
Now’s my chance.
I light up my miner’s lantern and wave it at the two ditzy females who are always butting their nose into my business and ruining my plans.
“Wooo, wooo, wooo. Come to the Misty Mine of Lost Treasures. Guess the weight of missing gold, and win a big treat.” I hit a rock with the pickaxe. “Ho, there, take a swing and land a golden nugget.”
“Oh, the Misty Mine,” one of the women squeals. “I’m thirsty and wondering if you have a bottle of mineral water.”
“Not only do I have water, but a treasure chest full of spirits and gems.” I shine my lantern into the abandoned mineshaft.
Both women peer into the opening. Before they can wonder why they see nothing but dirt, I give them both a hefty shove and send them tumbling down onto the trash heap below.
They scream, but their screams sound the same as the guests at the Screaming Tree of Souls. Using my pickaxe, I rain a shower of pebbles and rocks over them, and their screams turn to cries of pain.
“Shut up,” I shout and throw the pickaxe down the shaft. It hits one of the women, because I hear a thunk followed by whimpering. Serves them right for making a ruckus and messing up my plan.
“Rosalie! Suzette!” Tami’s voice carries my direction.
I turn off my lantern and circle around until I’m behind her. She’s looking around, confused, and swinging her flashlight in random directions.
“Looking for the next station?” I put my hand on her shoulder from the back.
“Ahh!” She jumps, and her entire body stiffens. And then she relaxes, saying, “Maybe you can help me. I’m looking for the station near the creek. My friends headed that direction, but I seem to have gone around in a circle.”
“I know the way. Follow me.”
“I don’t mean to take you away from the rest of the deputies,” she says, her voice a little shaky. “But I guess that’s what you’re here for, to keep us safe.”
“Yep, and when I saw you wander off, I got worried.”
“Did you see my friends? They got ahead of me.” She stumbles over a tree root, and I’m able to grab her to steady her.
“Not sure,” I reply easily. “There are so many groups out here. Were they at the Hangman’s Hut?”
“No, those were Todd’s sisters. I haven’t even gone to my first station,” Tami says. “How are our guests of honor doing? The CEO and his wife?”
“They were winning bets at the Clairvoyant Card Table and enjoying it.”
“Where are we going?” She leans on my arm, twisting her ankle in the muddy bog near the creek. “I don’t see anything here.”
I yank the empty pillowcase from her hand and pull it over her head.
“What are you doing?” she asks, but I cut her off with a choke hold.
“Help. Help!” She clutches my arm to relieve the pressure.
“I’m taking you to Mooma Belle’s Tea Party.” I knee her in the back and shove her face into the mud. Gaining control, I handcuff her.
She lets out a howling scream, and I shove the muzzle of my pistol against her ribs. “You make any noises, and that’s the last time your heart beats. Your sheriff can’t save you now, because he’s going to jail. And you, Princess Pufflebutt, you’re mine now—forever.”
“I’ll never be yours. Why are you so crazy?” Her voice is muffled as I tighten the pillowcase to shut her up.
Usually, her chatterbox yaps turn me on. I used to stalk outside her window just to catch the cadence of her musical voice, hang out at her friend’s dog barn to hear her sweet-talk the dogs. I sit in on the city council meetings just to imbibe her speeches, chow down on her enthusiasm, and quiver at her brilliance.
But she’s never returned my affections, no matter how much free advice I give her. She’s the princess, and I am but the maid’s son. The wretch in the basement. The troll under the bridge.
But the troll always gets his pound of flesh, and oh boy, do I have many pounds of Tami to feast on.
