noticed how cold she looked. She trembled as she climbed back out.
My hands grew clammy and icy. I tucked them into my pockets.
“No, not there.” Petey pointed farther down. “It’s in the main. You’d just be swimming in there. It’s a big pool-like place. People can pay for their kids to go swimming, or you might get some of the drunks in there, too.”
My hands weren’t as cold now. “Mark mentioned—”
“Sam?”
A female voice cut me off, and I looked up to see Becky, Adam, Cass, and another girl standing there. Becky held a polar bear to her chest, and Cass and the other girl each had a beer. Adam’s eyebrows were raised.
“What are you doing here?” Becky asked.
I ignored her, asking Adam instead, “You’re done working today?”
He nodded, his eyebrows still arched. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m working.” I threw them a dark look before pulling out my phone. I held the phone up to Petey. If Mason was done with work, he could come and visit. “I need to text someone.”
He nodded, pointing to the side. “Go to the back.”
I slipped out and was texting Mason when Becky came around to the rear of the tent. “What are you doing?” I asked her.
“I could be asking you the same thing.” She looked over her shoulder to the carnival. “What are you doing here, Samantha? Mark said you guys got jobs, but I didn’t know it was at this place.”
My phone buzzed a second later.
Okay. I’ll get Matteo. We’ll come and walk around for a bit.
I frowned. I wanted him here, but… I shook off the hesitation. I wanted him here. Only seeing him in the evenings was nice, but I still had to share him with Matteo, and Nate was coming at the end of next week. We never had gotten that living alone time. Logan would be here the week after that, and I assumed Taylor would come with him.
I’m at the rope ladder booth. Love you. I typed.
Love you.
I put my phone into my pocket and turned back to the booth. Becky was still standing there, holding that bear. She was biting her lip and I sighed. I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Becky? I mean, why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This.” I pointed at her. “Standing back here. Pretending like you’re scared or nervous, or whatever you’re doing.”
“I can’t do all of that?”
“You’re acting like we’re friends.”
“I…” She closed her mouth, moving back a step. “I didn’t realize you were still like this.”
“What? No.” She was getting this wrong. “No, Becky. This is not me being a bitch. This is me reminding you how things have been for the past three and a half years. We haven’t been friends, and it’s awkward to find myself the guest of honor at your engagement. I mean, that’s just weird.”
“I didn’t do that.” Her neck grew red. Her cheeks would soon be matching. Her hands formed fists around that polar bear. “You can’t get mad at me because Adam thought about all of that, but I’m glad he did.”
A headache was forming. I gritted my teeth, knowing it’d be blinding me within an hour. “Look,” I gentled my tone. “It was nice finding out that you wanted me at your engagement. That was…” I didn’t have the words. I wasn’t sure. There was still a tickle in my chest every time I thought about it. “But we’re not friends. I hugged you. I congratulated you, but you’re acting like we’re friends again. I don’t remember saying I was okay being friends with you again.”
“Oh.” She looked at the ground.
And I felt like an asshole, but you can’t trick someone into being a friend. That’s not how it works, or that’s not how it worked with me.
“It is nice not having you or Adam as my enemy, though.”
Her head lifted. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “Yeah?”
I nodded. I could give her that. “Mason said he and Adam are actually getting along. That’s something.” His exact words were that he ‘didn’t feel like knocking him unconscious every day,’ but that was progress for Mason. I tried giving her a reassuring grin.
“Adam will like hearing that.” Her bear looked to be in danger of decapitation. She squeezed him like she was a boa constrictor. “He was nervous when he got the assignment from his dad, said there’d be no way they could work together. But he’s been saying the same, you know? He’s impressed with Mason, said he has a brilliant head for business.”
We were approaching unwelcome territory for me. Becky would start feeling all sorts of warm fuzzies, thinking thoughts about Mason and Adam becoming friends. That would lead to her wanting me and her to be friends, too, and I’d have to recycle everything I just said to her.
I began to inch around her, back into the booth.
“Well, fuck.”
My eyes snapped up, and I recognized one of Jared Caldron’s buddies.
“Caldron, look who’s back here,” he called.
Jared Caldron came to stand next to his friend, and I felt bathed in dirty and perverted mud. I fought against actually trembling; they’d get off on that. Instead, I moved past Becky and said under my breath, “Go around the back. Get Mark.”
She wavered. “But—”
“Now!”
I blocked her retreat just as Caldron started toward me. His buddy was joined by another two, and I let out a breath.
“Where’s your little friend going?” He leaned over to look beyond me, but Becky should’ve already been out of sight.
I still moved to block his view. “Where do you think?”
“Going for reinforcements?” He laughed, and a whiff of alcohol mixed with cigarettes and cotton candy coated my face. “Kade’s not here. I would’ve seen him, and we’ve been over the entire place.” He lifted an arm, holding onto one of the ropes used to set up the booth, and struck a cocky stance. He was literally leaning over me. His gaze lingered on the carnival shirt I wore. “You work here? That’s…convenient.”
He looked too smug. I fought against the urge to bring my knee up in a sharp jerk. Mason was coming, but I didn’t know when he’d show. I needed to stall until Mark could get here, and I hoped Adam would join in. I wasn’t holding my breath, though.
I moved back, moving away from the carnival midway. “Yeah. I work here. Why?”
“I pegged you for a stuck-up bitch. No rich priss works as a carnie.”
“Really? How do you know? Spend a lot of time at carnivals?”
“Ha-ha.” His eyes flashed. “I used to work at one that didn’t stick around longer than two weeks.” He pulled on the rope, testing how strong and tight it was. He gazed around the tent and the booth next to us. “I think this is a good company. They stay in one place for two months, too. I wish they’d been here when I needed a job back in school.” His eyes raked over me.
I had that feeling of being covered in mud again. I’d need more than a few showers to feel like I’d cleaned off his filth.
His eyes darkened with lust. “Would’ve been nice if you were there, too. Maybe we wouldn’t be on opposite sides like this.” The lust dissipated quickly, anger coming back full force. His jaw clenched as he leaned closer. “But I know you’re just slumming it here because you are a privileged bitch. I would’ve known it back then, too, and I would’ve fucked you, then tossed you to the trash. Kade wouldn’t want to touch you, not after I ripped apart that pussy of yours.”
I felt a low growl in the bottom of my throat, but I swallowed it. Time. I needed more of that. I just had to wait. Help would be coming.
All I said was, “Really?”
“Oh yeah.”
He looked down my shirt, and I fought against the revulsion gathering in my stomach. It wanted to spew out all over him. I moved even farther back. I couldn’t help myself. My body was on full alert, my mind screaming to get away from him.
“Where you going?”
“Hey! What’s going on out here?”
> I cringed. Worst timing ever, Petey. I didn’t want him to get involved with this, too. He’d get hurt.
My co-worker stepped out of our booth, coming toward me.
“Hey, man.” One of Caldron’s friends stopped him, a hand placed on his shoulder.
Petey went still, his eyes narrowing. He looked at the hand, then at the guy it belonged to. “Get it off, or you’re going to lose it.”
“Hey.” Caldron turned around to face Petey. He held his hands up, making his voice all friendly. “I know Sam here.” He grabbed me, dragging me to his side and throwing his arm around my shoulder. I grimaced, but he kept on, “We’ve got a friend in common. We’re just catching up. I wanted to tell her all about Budd, how he’s doing in prison. Right, Sam?”
His eyes were on me.
Petey was watching.
Caldron’s friends were waiting, too.
Stalling. That was what I was supposed to be doing. That was the smart thing to do. Being so close to Caldron already had me nauseous, but now that he was touching me, my senses were shutting down. My vision was tunneling. The edges were blurring, becoming black, and I could focus on only one pressing need: to get his fucking hands off of me.
I stopped thinking then, and I felt myself throwing off his arm, stomping on his foot, and swiftly turning to bring my knee up. It made contact, and he recoiled. I heard a roar, but it came from a distance. And then I stood there as Caldron sank to his knees.
There was something…
Wait.
Something… I needed to do something, but all I could do was stare down at him, seething. How dare he lay hands on me? I wanted to hit him once more, and I was bringing my knee up again, this time aiming right at his face, but he saw me. His face was contorted in pain, but he shoved me backward, a hand flying up to my face, and then I saw stars.
I swung around, falling, too.
After that, a tornado whirled inside of me. As Caldron struggled to get to his feet, his friends held Petey back. One of them looked like he’d been hit, but he was still in there, helping to keep my coworker restrained.
Good for you, Petey, I thought as a shadow fell over me.
I looked up, and Caldron was there, rage glittering in his eyes.
He raised a fist, and I knew this was it. He was going to beat me unconscious. And unlike the other times I’d been hurt, I didn’t know if I’d come out of this one alive. Caldron looked like he wanted to murder me.
I felt myself pulling back. I didn’t move, but my mind was leaving. It was retreating to a back area, somewhere I’d be safe. My eyes wanted to close, but I held on. I couldn’t look away. If it was going to happen, if this was the end for me, I wanted this guy to see my eyes the whole time. I wanted him to see me.
His arm started to come down.
Then suddenly, he was gone.
Mason came out of nowhere, tackling Caldron and sending him slamming into his friends and Petey. Petey broke free, and then someone else rushed past me, right on Mason’s heels.
I looked over. I was here. I was seeing this, but I wasn’t here at the same time. I watched from above somehow. I swallowed, trying to stand up. I could come back. I could—I tried to tell myself it was safe now.
Mason reared back and rained punches on Caldron, one after another. Matteo was there fighting one of the other guys. Petey—Petey?—had tackled a third friend, and the fourth… I swung my head around; it felt so heavy. Mark was holding the fourth guy back, with Adam beside him.
“...ou okay?”
A voice sounded through the haze. I looked for that, too. Becky approached me, her hand stretched out. The closer she got, the clearer her voice was.
“You okay? Sam?” She touched me, but she still sounded at a distance.
I shook my head. I needed to clear it. Then with a snap, I was back.
“Sam?!” she yelled.
I held a hand out. “Stop.”
People were yelling. Shouting. I could hear the deep thuds of punches being exchanged, and I gasped, feeling salt and dirt in my mouth. Mason was beating the shit out of Caldron. “Mason!” I rushed forward. “Stop!”
He was going to kill him.
BOOM!
I jerked back, and my head snapped around.
Keifer stood a few feet from the fighting with a gun in the air. He lowered it, pointing it at everyone. “Get out before I call the fucking cops!”
Mason scrambled off of Caldron, holding his hands up as he backpedaled to where I stood. Matteo came behind him, and Petey stood in the middle, wiping blood from his mouth. He rested his hands on his hips, his shirt ripped in half. One side was gone, and the other hung limply from his arm.
Caldron and his friends were slower getting to their feet.
“They started it,” Caldron said, pointing at me. “You know what kind of a bitch you got working here?”
Keifer fired into the air again, his eyes bulging. “I don’t give a damn. Get the fuck out of my carnival, or I’ll let my boys finish the job.” He got in Caldron’s face, breathing down at him. “You got that?!”
“But—”
“Get out! Now!” Keifer motioned behind him, and five or six big guys started forward.
Caldron’s eyes widened as those guys plucked him up. His friends, too. All of them were literally carried from the carnival.
Keifer waved his arms at the crowd that had gathered. “You all get going, too! Get back to the rides and games. This show’s over, folks!” He turned, his sharp gaze landing on me. “You best start explaining, Missy, or you’re out of a job.”
“Uh, it’s like this, boss…”
Petey took over for me, and was explaining what happened, or trying to explain, in Keifer’s office. The rest of us waited out in the hall. Adam, Becky, and Cass were standing, and Mason and Matteo sat next to me. Mark had been sent back to his booth once Keifer realized he’d only come over to help.
I sighed, standing up. Petey’s explanation was sucking at some major levels.
Mason looked over. “What are you doing?”
I nodded at the opened door. “I need to do something. Petey’s making it worse.”
It was obvious Keifer wasn’t buying the first excuse Petey had given him—that the guys attacked us for no reason.
Petey’s hands were all over the air as I walked in behind him. “I was busy with some customers when I heard them. When I got there, the guy was already advancing on Sam. I don’t know why they chose to have a problem with us,” he said. “I mean, we didn’t do anything, and Sam here, it looked like she’d had enough. She got fed up, you know? So yeah.”
Keifer still didn’t look like he was buying it, his eyes flat and a skeptical expression on his face. Or he was just pissed about it.
“Sam’s a cool chick, boss,” Petey added. “I’d keep her around for sure—all twisty and fierce.”
“Okay.” Keifer held a hand up, sitting forward in his desk chair. “Stop. You’re not going to roll over on your co-worker. I got it. Now…” He transferred his no-nonsense gaze to me. “How about we get the real story, hmm?” He snapped his fingers, pointing to the chair next to where Petey stood.
I folded my hands on my lap. “Petey had nothing to do with those guys. He was trying to protect me.”
“I’m aware. Petey hasn’t been in a fight for an entire year.”
“Yeah?” Petey grinned.
Keifer shot him a dark look. “I haven’t caught him, I mean.”
Petey laughed.
Keifer returned to me. “You were saying?”
“Those guys didn’t come to the carnival for me, but now that they know I work here, or…” I coughed. “…used to work here, they’ll