Page 41 of Stiletto Sins

“You're good,” he said, tapping the cart, and in the next second, we were off. I turned back to the front, holding Asa’s hand as the ride began to move. It was slow at first as it crept up, and I peeked over at Cohen, his eyes still closed tight.

I could feel us climbing, and I knew a big dip was coming, so I decided to be brave. Taking a breath, I quickly kissed Asa on the cheek and let go of his hand. He smiled, nodding, having figured out what I was going to do.

I cupped Cohen’s face as we came to the top, his eyes remaining closed. “Cohen, look.”

He shook his head, so I decided to go all in. As we began to crest over the edge, I pulled his lips to mine. I kept my eyes open, wanting to see if he would look. Pressing my lips into his, he stayed frozen for a few seconds, and I felt us beginning to plummet down. Shouts of glee rang out around us, my stomach climbing to my throat as we dropped, but I kept pressing, holding him to me.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes, and I felt as if I had seen Cohen Campbell for the first time. There were no barriers, no banter to hide behind, just raw vulnerability.

He stared back, and something in him switched, and I caught a fire burning. His hands swept up into my hair, pulling me closer to him as the roller coaster turned and wheeled around bends. Asa’s hand gripped my leg, but outside of that touch, I felt like I was floating as Cohen kissed me back.

It was aggressive and rough; his tongue sought dominance as he took over the kiss, not asking for permission but taking the kiss he wanted. When we started to slow, he drew back, panting a little as we stared.

“I think roller coasters just became my favorite thing,” he said, his eyes bright and his smile wide as he peered back at me.

“Me too.”

The three of us climbed off, rode a few other rides, played a couple of games, and grabbed food as we walked around. When the sun began to shift lower, I knew the time for fun and games was over.

“I guess we should head to the funhouse,” I said, sighing.

“The fact he picked a funhouse is creepy within itself,” Asa said, swinging my hand. I’d been holding hands with both of them all day, not caring as people would stop and look. It felt nice to not let other people dictate how I should act.

“That wasn’t in the book, was it?” Cohen asked.

“No. I don’t recall it being there. They went to the Ferris wheel and ate cotton candy.” I shrugged.

The sign for the funhouse grew bigger the closer we got, a new pit forming in my stomach. It felt wrong somehow. Everything Blackhawk and I had up until this point had felt more, but maybe that was my misguided attempt to not feel like I’d been duped like the world’s biggest loser.

“You ready?” Asa asked, looking at me.

“I dunno. It feels strange. What if we didn’t get the clue right?”

“Then we go back and reassess. You’re not in this alone.”

Taking a big breath in, I nodded, feeling confident with their presence that this time it wouldn’t be too late.

“One at a time,” the attendant said, stopping Asa from following me.

“We’ll be right behind you,” he said, and I swallowed.

Stepping into the funhouse, I took hold of the railing as it began to tilt, throwing my balance off-center. Mirrors and lights around me began to move, making my depth perception off, and I struggled to walk in a straight line.

I couldn’t turn to see how the guys were doing, so I focused on taking one step at a time, looking only at the ground. When I got to a hallway, I sighed in relief, the topsy-turvy feeling dissipating. Turning, I was surprised when I found myself alone and when I took a step, I smacked into a mirror.

“Ow! How?”

What I thought had been the way I’d come was now closed off, a mirror in its place. I spun around, all the mirrors showing different reflections of me in a kaleidoscope of Fin’s.

Frantically, I began to stumble as I searched for a way out, a way back to the guys. My breathing became ragged as anxiety began to overtake me, and flashbacks of past times began to collide with reality, making me confused about what was real and what wasn’t.

I caught a flash of black out of the corner of my eye, and I turned, searching for it. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to find someone. I was so dizzy, I could barely see.

“Please, I don’t want to be here.”

A body pressed up against my back, a hand covering my mouth, and I began to thrash. I felt something begin to prick my neck, a cold feeling settling in me that I was being drugged again. But when I blinked, it was gone, and the body left me.

Sucking in a breath, I took the chance and darted forward, finally seeing my way out.

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