18. Booker

Chapter 18

Booker

A ustin picked the lock with quick efficiency, getting us into the dark house in minutes. Cigarette smoke and a metallic tang stuck to the stuffy air, and with a glance at the kitchen counter, a long-forgotten cigarette butt had small tendrils of smoke rising from an ash-ridden dish.

Each window had black-out curtains covering them, making it hard to see much of anything, but we didn't turn on any lights as we dispersed. The meet-up spot wasn't too far from here, and once he found out Chase wasn't there, he'd turn straight around. I didn't take him to be a dumb man, so I was sure he'd catch on the moment he arrived.

Austin took the small office in the front entry while Henley checked all the other drawers in the house. That left me to the two bedrooms down the hall. One was completely empty save for a black tarp on the ground, and the other held a bed, dresser, and a nightstand. I would've thought that a person such as him would have more to his name, but this could very well be a temporary home, one he stayed in when he came into town to collect, or by the looks of the other room, to take care of business.

I rifled through the nightstand drawer, finding nothing but a box of condoms, then moved to lift the mattress. I was careful to put everything back how I found it, and the others were doing the same. We wanted to leave no trace we were here, and in case he had cameras, we wore all black aside from our skeleton masks, even our cowboy hats matching the attire.

Brynne hadn't put up a fight when I asked her to stay at the ranch, and I was thankful for it. I didn't need her getting caught in the crossfire if things went haywire here. I'd already almost lost her more times than I liked, and I wouldn't risk it again.

There was only so many times I was willing to fuck with fate, and I'd reached my limit when it came to Brynne's life. Anyone else, and I wouldn't give a shit. But Brynne had ingrained herself into my mind, wrapping herself around my heart like a cocoon, and never would I have thought butterflies would flutter through my stomach at the mere thought of a woman.

Yet here I was.

Moving to the closet, I dug through a few shoeboxes from the top shelf, my gloved fingers making it difficult to look through each paper as I flipped them under the flashlight. None were the deed.

With a muffled curse, I set them back where they'd been on the shelf, careful to realign them with the lines in the dust where they'd been sitting for who knew how long.

After finishing in the closet, I surveyed the room, trying to think where I would hide an important paper if I was the controlling man.

Right as I was about to flip up the rug, Henley announced, "Got it!"

I did a quick glance to make sure everything was in place, then headed back down the hall to find him standing in the kitchen, holding up the paper.

"Where'd you find it?" Austin asked, walking through the threshold to the office.

"Underneath the utensil tray. Stupid ass place to hide it, if you ask me," Henley said.

I approached him, taking the deed from his hand to look it over.

It was ours, that much was certain.

Austin peered over my shoulder, his eyes scanning the page. With a small nod, he said, "Alright, let's get the fuck out of here."

I quickly folded it, then froze with the paper halfway in my back pocket as a car door slammed outside.

Their eyes widened behind their masks as my heart thumped in my chest.

Fuck.

Shoving it the rest of the way in my jeans, we beelined for the back door. We had no time to figure out how to lock it behind us. We slid out right as the front door opened, disappearing from sight after quietly closing it. We didn't stick around to see if he realized we were here as we hurried around the side of the house to the narrow strip of overgrown grass leading to the back gate.

Austin jumped over the fence first, then Henley, and next, me. Once on the sidewalk, we slowed our pace, not wanting to bring attention to ourselves. We removed our masks, holding them at our sides in case any cars passed and were suspicious. Halloween was soon, though, so I was sure no one would look twice.

To my surprise, no one followed us. We made it to the truck where I got behind the wheel, Austin in the passenger seat, and Henley behind me. Dusk cast everything in shadows, but to be safe, I didn't turn the headlights on until we were out of the neighborhood.

I drove straight to the ranch, glancing at the clock. We'd arrive right at the time Brynne said she wanted us back. She had plans with McKenna to go to the haunted house tonight, and of course, Brynne was dragging the three of us along, despite knowing that wasn't our scene. After everything that happened this week, I wanted her to have fun, and I felt like I owed it to her after she stayed home for this, so I couldn't say no.

Not to her.

Not anymore.

I fucking hated the soft side of me that came out around her, like she placed cotton candy around the bloody knives and brick walls in my head, making my sharp edges have no choice but to be sweet and lose their deadly bite for her.

In minutes, I was turning down the driveway to the ranch. We pulled up, finding Brynne sitting on the front steps in leggings and a sweater. She stood as I pulled the truck to a stop, and Austin got out to let Brynne slide into the passenger seat. He closed the door, taking a seat in the back as Brynne reached over to place a kiss on my cheek .

"No costume?" I asked, making my way back to the main road as she buckled herself.

"McKenna has it. I'll just change at her house. And what are you supposed to be?" she asked, eyeing my black attire.

Turning onto the road, I grabbed the mask where it sat on the center console, holding it up for emphasis.

"How original," she said blandly.

"The mask not do it for you, Darlin'?"

She shifted on the seat, and with a glance her way, I noticed the apples of her cheeks were now stained pink.

A smirk held the side of my mouth as I drove to McKenna's house, following Brynne's directions. Once there, Brynne hopped out to run inside and change. She hadn't told me what her costume would be. Every time I asked, she'd get quiet, almost like she was embarrassed.

And when she emerged from the peeling-paint door, why she may have been ashamed to tell me became all too apparent.

She was dressed up as a slutty cowgirl, and the way those little jean shorts barely covered the tops of her thighs did things to me I didn't want to admit.

Never in my life would I think I'd be adjusting myself over a costume-induced boner.

McKenna locked the door, then headed down the narrow pathway to the truck. From the looks of it, she was dressed as a rated-R Barbie.

With her lips a thin line, Brynne scooted onto the passenger seat as Austin moved to the middle in the back, allowing McKenna to slide in beside him. One glance in the rearview mirror told me exactly how Austin felt about her little costume as his eyes roamed over every inch of her. McKenna seemed to enjoy it as she puffed out her chest, her extremely short pink dress accentuating all of her curves. It was split up the middle, a buckle across her breasts barely keeping it together, along with a strap around her neck.

Next to me, Brynne wore a little red top that tied in the center of her cleavage, a bandana tied around her neck, a white felt cowgirl hat that had a beige band around it, and white boots. They'd be freezing, and neither had emerged with a jacket, indicating they didn't care. If need be, Brynne could wear my sweatshirt, and I was sure Austin would be more than willing to offer up his own to McKenna.

"Shots, anyone?" McKenna asked, her voice airy and sweet, hinting at the possibility of her already having drank a few. She dug through her little purse, pulling out a couple bottles of fireball.

My nose burned at the thought.

"I'll pass," I grumbled as Henley and Austin eagerly took one each from her. McKenna passed one up to Brynne as well.

I watched as she uncapped it, then kept her eyes on me as she downed the entire thing in one gulp, her pink lips wrapping around the top. I hated fireball, but fuck me for wanting to know what it tasted like on her tongue. As soon as the last drop left the bottle and her face scrunched from the alcohol, I wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, making her lean over the center console to press her lips to mine. I darted my tongue into her mouth, lapping up the cinnamon flavor mixed with her sweet, minty taste. I could've gotten drunk off this alone.

Satisfied with the flavor that now bounced around in my own mouth, I let her settle back in her seat, then shifted into drive to head toward the haunted house. It sat on the outskirts of town, right at the peak of Whiskey Hill. It was the tallest point in all of town, hence it taking part of the name. I didn't believe the place was actually haunted. The county most likely started the rumors themselves to make money off people wanting to run around an old, abandoned house with the thought of ghosts or other eerie things following them.

It was all a gimmick, but Brynne and her best friend wanted to go, so we'd entertain it only for tonight—to let loose after the shit week we'd all had.

Once Chase's boss inevitably figured out the deed was missing, I was sure he'd come looking for it, but there was no way I'd let it go a second time. He'd have to kill all three of us and pry it from our cold, lifeless hands if he wanted it.

The parking lot for the haunted house was nearly full, so I parked the truck at the back of the lot, hoping it'd be easier to leave once we were done here. Turning off the engine, we all got out, then headed toward the line leading into the attraction.

"I bought all our tickets beforehand," McKenna said, pulling her phone out of her handbag as we stopped at the end of the line.

Brynne stood beside me, and I glanced down at her, not sure how to go about being in public together. I'd never really had an official girlfriend, always just on and off flings. But Brynne was clearly more. Hell, if she wasn't, she would be. I wasn't letting her go.

Lacing my hand into hers, I turned her so her back was to my chest, then I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her hand stayed in mine, and I ran a thumb along her skin. It felt nice to not have the pressure of getting the deed back anymore, or dealing with her ex, or a target on her back—for the time being. Tonight, we could have fun.

It was something I hadn't allowed myself to do in a long time.

The ranch always came first. Keeping it afloat assured me, Henley, and Austin that we'd have a place to live. We worked hard, earned every penny to get where we were today, and I wouldn't let that be pulled out from under us so easily.

Now, I had a girl to share it with. One who unexpectedly came into my life and opened my heart under scalpel and knife, inserting herself into it without even knowing.

A few minutes later, we approached the front of the line, and a man scanned the barcode lit up on McKenna's phone, allowing us entry. The five of us walked up the steep hill, approaching the tall, open doors that entered into darkness. Screams rent through the air from the inside, people presumably jumping out from behind hidden corners and scaring their friends.

We stopped in front of the entrance, staring up at the house that loomed before us like hell itself. Pieces of wood had fallen off in various places, proving it was unstable in and of itself. Black paint peeled off the shutters, windows were shattered, and a decaying smell wafted out from the inside, stinging my nostrils.

With an arm looped around Brynne's waist, I ran a hand down her forearm, feeling the goosebumps that peppered her skin from the cold.

"If you're scared, we can always take this back to the ranch," I murmured in her ear. I could elicit the same thrill they were seeking here. I was sure Austin wouldn't mind having his fun with McKenna, either.

Brynne swallowed, shaking her head as a couple passed us. "No. We always go in, don't we, McKenna?"

McKenna flicked her attention to her best friend. "Every year."

With that, Austin, Henley, and I situated our masks on our faces, then we stepped over the threshold. The wooden beam creaked under our combined weight, and then we were thrust into darkness.