Ghost Train

by L. M. Somerton

  After an eternity of stillness, Clem moved. Every nerve ending Garth possessed sparked into action.

  “Please, please, please…”

  Clem obliged by building his speed until was driving into Garth so hard that if it hadn’t been for the cross, Garth would have been propelled forward.

  “Yes! More.” Garth wanted Clem in no doubt that his aggression was welcome.

  A grunt was Clem’s only response. Admiring his stamina would have to wait until Garth could find two functioning brain cells to rub together. His inability to control any aspect of what was happening to him was liberating. He didn’t have to worry about anything. His pleasure, his frustration, his pain were all under Clem’s decisive control.

  “Do you want to be mine, Garth?” Clem asked. “Even if it means being denied release for days at a time?”

  Garth had no idea how Clem was able to speak, let alone ask difficult, complicated questions. He responded by pushing his arse out as far as he could, encouraging Clem to take him harder, deeper.

  “You will look stunning with my collar around your neck.”

  As if the words were a trigger, Clem came. He pushed hard against Garth’s body, riding the wave of his orgasm. Garth laughed. The sense of accomplishment that came with being the reason for Clem’s pleasure was shocking. He sagged against the cross, regretting the need for a condom. He couldn’t wait to feel the heat of Clem’s seed inside him.

  When Clem withdrew, the void left behind was palpable. The minute it took for Clem to unhook Garth from the cross and turn him around was interminable. Garth stared at him, begging with his eyes. His rigid cock in its iron cuff strained for release. Clem stripped off the condom and cast it aside. With deliberate movements, he unfastened the cock ring and let it drop to the floor. He picked up the graphite wand, flexed it once then let it snap back against Garth’s erection. Garth screamed and came, his orgasm more powerful than anything he had experienced before. His legs shook and he would have fallen if not for Clem pulling him into a firm embrace.

  “I’ve got you.”

  Garth sobbed, overcome by emotions he couldn’t process. When Clem released his wrists, it took all his strength to wrap his arms around Clem’s body. Clem scooped him up and carried him from the playroom all the way up the stairs to the master bedroom, where he laid him on the bed.

  “Don’t leave me,” Garth murmured.

  “Never.” Clem stretched out next to him before pulling him close. “Close your eyes. Rest. Everything else can wait.”.

  Chapter Five

  Garth scanned his corner of the park for the twentieth time that day and wished, yet again, that he was back in the safety and comfort of Clem’s bed. He checked his watch but could have worn the hands hadn’t moved. Shaking his wrist made no difference. The view from his position at the front of the ghost train was restricted by several other rides and stalls. Because of its size, the ghost train was set in a corner, so his outlook on the approaching paths was limited. The crowds were thinner than usual and Garth found himself examining every face for any sign of malevolent intent. His observation skills, honed by fear, had detected a pickpocket who the security team picked up soon after Garth had alerted them. That was the most excitement he’d had so far and he hoped it stayed that way. There had been no sign of Clem, but, over breakfast that morning, he had said he needed to keep a low profile.

  Garth fingered the leather wrapped around his wrist. The cuff had been a gift from Clem, who had said it was too soon for a collar, but that Garth needed a reminder that Clem wasn’t far away.

  “Hey, pretty boy! Stop daydreaming and get the fucking ride started.”

  Garth jabbed at the button that sent the car and its foulmouthed occupant and his girlfriend through the doors into the ride.

  “Bet he wets himself, the dick,” Garth muttered.

  “Trouble?”

  Garth hadn’t even noticed Adam approach. So much for being alert to danger. “Hey. Nothing I can’t handle, just the usual loudmouth wanker trying to impress his girlfriend.”

  Adam scowled. “Maybe I’ll just hang around here until he comes out of the other end of the ride.”

  “Okay.” Garth offered his friend a smile. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Adam folded his arms across his chest, making his biceps bulge. He got a wolf whistle from a group of girls waiting in the queue. Garth rolled his eyes.

  “Wait ’til I tell Stevie about you showing off to a bunch of women.”

  “Why would Stevie care?” Adam tried to pretend he wasn’t bothered but couldn’t quite pull it off.

  “Jesus, you two need to get your collective act together. If there’s one thing the last twenty-four hours have taught me, it’s that life is too fucking short to waste.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” A pink blush on Adam’s cheeks betrayed the lie.

  “You like him. He likes you. You don’t need Zach to do the maths on that one.” Garth sent car after car into the darkness.

  “It’s not that easy,” Adam grumbled. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

  “What you want is to get into Stevie’s trousers.”

  “Well, there is that.” Adam focused his attention on the exit doors. The next car to come through contained the idiot who had sworn at Garth, though he was now two shades paler and a lot more subdued. Adam glowered in his direction and Garth had to hold back a laugh as the man bolted from the car, leaving his girlfriend to get out on her own, muttering under her breath about the need to “dump his sorry arse.”

  “I don’t know whether to credit that little drama to your expression, or the ghost train,” Garth said.

  “I’m much scarier than a few bloody corpses.” Adam slapped his forehead. “Sorry! That was an idiotic thing to say.”

  “It’s okay, I’m fine.”

  “I’m still sorry. It must have been horrible. And, if I can still walk with my foot in my mouth, I need to go.”

  Garth chuckled as his friend strolled away, then got back to work.

  By the time the park closed that evening, Garth was so on edge he wished that something, anything, would happen. He closed up without incident and was ready to leave when Clem arrived about five minutes later.

  “Are you okay to cycle back to your place? I have to go install a couple of patches on one of the office computers and I could be a while.”

  Garth tried not to let his surprise and disappointment show. “Sure. I’m kind of tired, so I don’t really want to hang around. I’ve spent all day jumping at shadows and I want to get home and relax.” It crossed his mind that there was something off about Clem. He wasn’t his usual gruff self and he seemed a bit distracted.

  “I’ll pick you up from home tomorrow and drive you in. There will be people watching during the day again. We’ve had no indication that our man is even in the area.”

  “I’m sure he’s long gone,” Garth said, tugging at his wrist cuff. “He’s had plenty of opportunity to get near me today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Come here, boy.”

  Garth stepped into Clem’s arms. He tilted his head back and was rewarded with a kiss.

  “This is a temporary separation,” Clem growled. “If I had a choice in the matter, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter, Sir. I can take care of myself.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion.” Clem gave Garth’s arse a soft smack. “Go home, lock your doors and don’t open them for anyone. I’m not trying to scare you. That’s just a sensible precaution to take. Any problems, you call me.”

  Clem walked Garth to the gate then watched as he collected his bike from the rack where he’d left it the previous evening. Garth gave him a wave as he rode away along the quiet, deserted street. He circled the park to the northern perimeter road set back from the seafront. Traffic was light and there were hardly any pedestrians. In half an hour or so the pubs would be calling time and it would get busier, but for now there w
eren’t any crazy drivers to avoid. Garth knew the area well. He’d cycled the same way many times before. On one side of him, a strip of thick undergrowth and trees disguised the high fencing surrounding the amusement park. On the other, a row of small industrial units stood silent and dark. There was a light drizzle that made him blink into the distance.

  When his tire burst, instinct made him brake, so he wasn’t going too fast when he was thrown off the bike onto the tarmac.

  “Dammit!” There was something sharp sticking into his knee, penetrating the fabric of his trousers. He pulled out a tack and looked at it, mystified. When he pushed himself up, another one jabbed the heel of his hand. He looked more closely and realized that there were hundreds of the brass tacks spread across the road. “What utter idiot dropped these here?” It took a couple of seconds for his brain to catch up with his mouth and realize that he was the idiot. Nobody scattered pins across the road unless it was a deliberate act.

  A man stepped into the road from behind a parked van. He wore a mask and, behind it, his eyes glinted red in the glow of the streetlights. Cold fingers of fear crept along Garth’s spine. He started to rise, but the man was on him before he could get to his feet. A stunning strike across his face sent him back to the ground before he was hauled up by the collar of his jacket.

  “Scream and you die.” A knife blade pressed into Garth’s ribs reinforced his attacker’s point.

  “What do you want with me? I didn’t see anything…”

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

  Garth had no choice but to allow the masked man to drag him into the undergrowth on one side of the road. The amusement park’s high fence loomed from the darkness. The tip of the knife blade jabbed into him and a warm trickle of blood followed, though there was little pain.

  “Let go of me.” Garth attempted to struggle. A blow to the back of his head with the hilt of the knife made his eyes blur and his skull throb. The thought that Clem was going to be mad conflicted with the one that told Garth he’d be dead if he didn’t do something extreme. There was no way the killer was going to let him go. He just needed somewhere out of sight to commit murder.

  Somewhere close by there was a screech of brakes then the sound of people running. A kernel of hope formed in Garth’s mind. Instead of pulling away from his captor, he threw all his weight back against him then twisted, ducking under his arm. He cursed as his jacket snagged on something. He shrugged it off, the momentum of his body ripping him out of the masked man’s grasp.

  Struggling for breath, Garth lost his balance and pitched headlong toward the ground. The fall saved his life as the killer swept the knife in a circle, catching Garth’s arm. Garth crawled desperately in what he thought was the direction of the road and to his relief, shouts and the sounds of men cursing as they fought their way through the dense foliage got closer. He didn’t dare look back, just scrambled through brambles and nettles until he broke through onto the pavement. Two sets of heavy boots passed just in front of his face, hurtling into the trees.

  “He’s in there somewhere,” Garth shouted, though he doubted anyone heard him. He became aware of the damp seeping into his clothes and a line of agonizing fire across his biceps. He groaned.

  “Five minutes. I can’t leave you alone for five minutes.”

  Garth’s laugh was tinged with hysteria. Clem knelt next to him, pulling him into a sitting position.

  “My arm’s cut. Hurts.”

  “The ambulance is on its way. That all went down quicker than we expected.”

  Garth leaned into the warmth of Clem’s body. “You knew he was out here. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because we didn’t want it to look as if you were on your guard. You needed to come across as nervous, a bit scared and anxious to get home. You played your part perfectly.”

  “I should have known you wouldn’t want me cycling home alone. You were acting strange when I left. Didn’t quite look me in the eye.”

  “It wasn’t my idea to send you out on your own. I wasn’t happy about it. Bloody stupid plan was dangerous. One more minute and…”

  “Don’t talk about it, just tell me you got him.” Garth was cold and weary, his eyes drifting shut.

  “We’ll discuss it later.” Blue lights lit the street as the ambulance pulled up. Clem relinquished Garth into the care of two paramedics, who cut off his shirt. Garth caught sight of the blood covering his upper arm and felt sick.

  “That’s gonna need stitches.” The needless observation from the paramedic made Garth want to giggle.

  “No shit, Dr. Frankenstein.” Garth’s vision blurred around the edges. “Think I need to lie down.” Garth didn’t fight the blackness that descended, because unconsciousness seemed like a brilliant idea.

  * * * *

  Twenty-two stitches, one tetanus vaccination, three hours in a police interview room and not enough sleep later, Garth sat in Clem’s kitchen, cradling a mug of coffee as though it was ambrosia. Clem was pretending to be busy at the sink but was actually avoiding the scrutiny of Garth’s friends. Zach, Adam and Stevie had shown up on the doorstep at the crack of dawn, demanding information.

  Garth had to hold back a snigger. Watching Clem back away from diminutive Stevie with his shock of colorful hair had made Garth’s morning. Stevie could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be and was not one to be intimidated, however sweet and shy he might come across. He and Zach occupied stools at the counter alongside Garth. Adam hovered at Stevie’s shoulder as though he was his personal bodyguard.

  “You have to tell us everything,” Stevie said.

  “Dad just said you’d been hurt in an accident,” Zach contributed. “But I know there’s something going on at the park, and you’re involved, aren’t you? So is Clem.”

  Adam had a sheepish expression on his face. He took a step back.

  “Why don’t you ask Adam?” Garth sipped his coffee and tried to look innocent.

  “Aw, you had to go and say something, didn’t you?” Adam moaned.

  Stevie rounded on Adam, eyes wide. “You know what’s happening? Why didn’t you tell us?” His tone spoke of absolute betrayal. Adam gulped.

  “I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed to say anything.”

  Stevie banged his mug down onto the counter. “I want to know and I want to know now. If my friends are in danger…” His voice wavered.

  Zach put his hand over Stevie’s on the counter. “Don’t get upset, Stevie. We’re here now and we are not leaving until Garth tells us everything.”

  Stevie nodded and brushed the back of his hand across his eyes. Adam reached for his shoulder but pulled back at the last moment, his forehead creased with worry.

  Garth pulled at the leather strap around his wrist, drawing Zach’s attention. He got a knowing look and Zach’s lips quirked into a smile.

  “I think you should tell them, Clem.” Garth suspected that he didn’t have the full story either. He wanted to hear it from Clem just as much as the others did. Clem dried his hands on a dishtowel then turned to face them. He leaned against the sink.

  “I get the feeling that you guys won’t leave the premises until you know everything, so, against my better judgment, I’ll tell you what I can. Nothing I say leaves this room. If any of you repeat anything about this to anyone, I’ll have you arrested and thrown into jail.”

  Zach nodded and Stevie blinked. Adam folded his arms across his chest. Garth stared into his coffee mug watching the tiny bubbles on the surface.

  “I work for an organization that has been supporting Interpol on an investigation into smugglers working along the south coast of England and the northern coasts of France and Belgium. The job has taken several years and spanned half of Europe. We’ve had moderate success in picking up some of the people involved, but they’ve been small beer. Who we’re really after is the people at the top of the tree. This is organized crime at its worst.”

  Garth tried to ignore
the pain from his cut arm. It had been a while since his last painkiller and the throb from the wound was building.

  “You’re white as a sheet, love.” Clem pressed a couple of tablets from a blister pack, handed them over and waited while Garth took them. “You okay to carry on with this?”

  Garth nodded. His friends would no doubt band together and kill him in some horrible way if the story stopped now.

  “We’ve known for some time that the amusement park was being used as a handover point for drugs and cash. It’s the perfect spot. Busy, noisy, people focused on enjoying themselves and not on what’s going on around them. The security team is more interested in controlling rowdy behavior and spotting pickpockets than anything else.”

  “And why shouldn’t they be?” Adam asked, sounding a bit defensive.

  “They shouldn’t. That’s the point,” Clem said. “Someone at the bottom of the ladder took it upon himself to skim some profit. Those in charge of the operation didn’t appreciate his entrepreneurial spirit.”

  “So his was the body I found in the ghost train?” Garth asked.

  “Yes. We suspect he was taken out by a contract killer known as Harlequin. Nobody knows his true identity because he always wears a mask. Garth saw him inside the ghost train. He got in through a service door at the back of the building, presumably following his victim.”

  “That’s why I wasn’t sure,” Garth said. “The mask made him look like a character from one of the scenes inside the ride. But he had red eyes.”

  “Contact lenses.”

  “It was terrifying.” Garth shivered and Zach put an arm around him.

  “We think you saw something, even though you might not remember what it is, that can identify Harlequin and that’s why he’s coming after you. He doesn’t leave loose ends.”