[Mystic Caravan Mystery 04.0] Freaky Games

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Oh, puh-leez,” Luke scoffed. “You make them sound evil.”

  “They are evil.”

  “I think you’re projecting.”

  “And I think you’re being incredibly naïve,” I snapped. “Luke, get a grip. You’re acting like an imbecile. You can’t go back to the casino. You’ll lose even more money. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m going to win.”

  That did it. My temper exploded in a sea of white-hot rage. “No, you’re not,” I bellowed. “You’re not going back. I forbid it!”

  “You forbid it?” Luke was on his feet, his nose inches from mine. “You’re not the boss of me. You realize that, right?”

  “Technically I am the boss of you,” I said. “I’m second in command here.”

  Luke scowled. “You know what I mean. I can do whatever I want in my private time. That means I can go wherever I want to go … and do whatever I want to do.”

  “Luke … .” I felt helpless.

  “No, Poet,” Luke said, his eyes pooling with weariness. “I’m the boss of me, and I’m going to do whatever I want. Why are you making this a thing? Are you bored or something? Don’t you have a security studmuffin to focus on? Give me a small break here and stop treating me like an idiot. I don’t think I deserve that.”

  I thought my heart might break, but then annoyance won out. “I forbid you to go, and if you do I’ll make you pay!”

  “Bring it on!”

  “WELL, I DIDN’T handle that well.”

  I dropped my head into my hands as Kade rubbed my back. We sat on my bed, daylight dimming to darkness through the window. I stormed out of Luke’s trailer not long after our blow up and hadn’t talked to him since.

  Instead I paced, swore, cursed his name, considered enlisting Raven to cast a spell so he couldn’t leave the fairgrounds and came up with a bevy of revenge scenarios – one of which would make all of his favorite shirts itchy should he try to wear them – while hiding inside my trailer.

  It was all very mature.

  “I don’t think it’s as bad as you make it out to be,” Kade offered, adopting a sympathetic tone. “I’m sure once he has a chance to cool down things will be better.”

  I arched a challenging eyebrow. “What makes you think I’m waiting for him to cool down?”

  “Um … .”

  “I’m the one who needs to cool down,” I supplied. “I’m the one who was wronged.”

  “I see.” Kade scratched his cheek and I could practically see him searching for something that would soothe rather than fire me up. Instead, he took both of us by surprise when he went the opposite route. “How were you wronged?”

  “He called me bossy.”

  “He insinuated you were bossy,” Kade corrected. “He didn’t actually use that word.”

  “How do you know? You weren’t there.”

  “Hey, I am not the enemy,” Kade countered, wagging a finger. “I’m on your side. You repeated the conversation for me three times. He never called you bossy.”

  “He said I wasn’t the boss of him.”

  “You’re not.”

  “I am so! I’m second in command of Mystic Caravan. That makes me his boss.”

  “Okay, fine,” Kade conceded, rolling his eyes. “You’re not in charge of his personal life, though. He wasn’t wrong when he pointed that out.”

  “I’m technically your boss, too,” I muttered.

  “Actually, Max said when he hired me that I’m autonomous,” Kade corrected. “I believe that was the source of our first argument. That was before you decided you couldn’t survive without seeing me naked, of course. I understand that you were merely delusional that day.”

  It was a serious situation, but I couldn’t contain my laughter. “You’re awfully full of yourself.”

  “Yes, but I try to dole out my ego in bite-sized portions so I don’t become too much.” Kade shifted so his legs were around mine, resting my back against his chest and wrapping his arms around my torso. “Luke is a grown man. You can’t tell him what to do with his life.”

  “He’s my best friend. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. I’m not ordering him around just to do it.”

  “I get that. He still has a right to make his own decisions.”

  What Kade said made sense, yet I couldn’t completely let go of my anger. “Luke should know that I love him and that I only want the best for him. That’s what best friends want for each other. He should listen to me simply because I’m smart and know what I’m talking about.”

  Kade chuckled in my ear. “Well, I have a feeling that Luke isn’t in the mood to listen to you because you’re smart. He’s got it in his head that he’s going to win that money back. Now, I don’t know Luke all that well yet – although I think I’m getting to the point where it’s getting easier to read his moods – but he strikes me as someone who needs to make his own mistakes. You can’t protect him from everything.”

  “I should be able to protect him from this.”

  “Uh-huh. And what do you think is going to happen to him?”

  “He said he’s going to return to the casino and win his money back,” I replied. “He’s going to lose more money. I know it.”

  “Do you psychically know it?”

  “It’s something I feel.”

  “Well, I’ve come to realize that your feelings are generally spot on,” Kade conceded, rubbing his cheek against mine. “That doesn’t mean this isn’t Luke’s mistake to make. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He could lose money. I get that, but it’s not as if he has children to support … or a house he could lose. I believe the truck technically belongs to the circus, right, so he can’t gamble that away. So what are you worried about?”

  I hate it when people use logic on me. Kade had a point, and I was loath to admit it. “I’m worried that he’ll lose a piece of that shiny soul of his,” I admitted. “I’m worried that he’ll lose his smile.”

  “Money doesn’t buy happiness, honey,” Kade said. “This is his choice. If he loses more money … well … that’s on him. You can’t tell him what to do. He has to figure it out on his own.”

  “I know you’re right. I just … I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it. You simply have to accept it.” Kade kissed my cheek. “For all you know, your words already sank in. He might’ve decided not to go.”

  As if on cue, headlights flashed against my window, and when I leaned toward it to peer outside I saw Luke’s truck pulling onto the highway. “You were saying?”

  Kade watched the truck disappear from sight before speaking. “Do you want to roll around naked with me and forget about your problems?”

  “Do you think that will help?”

  “It can’t hurt.”

  He had a point. “Okay, but I might have to add s’mores to the mix later. I’m feeling a desperate need for chocolate.”

  “I’m always ready to mix chocolate and sex. You never have to worry about that.”

  14

  Fourteen

  My dreams were convoluted, a foggy landscape that somehow also managed to boast a bright full moon. I could feel the sand squinching between my toes, so I looked down, frowning when I realized I was in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing but dense fog and limited light.

  This couldn’t be good.

  “Are you there?”

  I don’t know why I asked the question. Inherently I knew it was a dream. I’ve almost always been cognizant of my dreams, only the truly terrifying managing to overcome my self-control. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone.

  I felt a finger tap my shoulder and I swiveled quickly. The space behind was empty, except for the feeling that someone was close.

  “I know you’re here,” I called out. “I can … feel … you.”

  No response. No tap.

  “I’m not sure if this is so
mething my subconscious has dreamed up or if you’re somehow controlling it, but I would really like to talk to you.”

  This time I heard a whisper. It was brief, and pathetically weak, like a small breeze moving against the sand. It was there, though, and I could make out the words in my mind.

  Who are you?

  “I was just about to ask you the same question.”

  I asked you first.

  I smirked. “I love a figment with a sense of humor.”

  Figment? Is that what I am?

  “What do you think you are?”

  I don’t believe there’s a name for what I am.

  “I think there’s a name for anything,” I said, twirling a bit in case I could find a shadow looming in the darkness. I appeared to be alone, other than the voice. That was both a relief and strangely disconcerting. “How long have you been here?”

  Since time began … and ended.

  “Are you a philosophical voice in the darkness or something? That wasn’t really an answer.”

  It’s the only answer I have.

  “Since time began … and ended,” I mused aloud. “Is that when your life as a human ended in the mine and your life as a figment started?”

  I don’t know what that means.

  “It means … .” I broke off, deciding to change tactics. “Tell me what you remember from your life.”

  It was short and dark.

  “Is that because you worked in the mine?”

  That’s because my life ended before it should have … and in a dark place.

  “Were you a worker at the Gorgon Mine?”

  That name means nothing to me.

  “That’s funny, because the name is the thing I keep coming back to,” I explained. “Do you know what a gorgon is? It’s a Greek mythological creature that has snakes for hair and supposedly can turn a person to stone by looking at them.

  “Now, I don’t believe that gorgons are real because I’m pretty sure I would’ve heard stories about that over the course of my time with the circus,” I continued. “I still think it’s an odd name for a mine. Why would someone name a mine after a creature like that?”

  I don’t know.

  “Do you really not know or are you something I conjured in my head to distract me because I’m pissed off at Luke right now?”

  I don’t know.

  “You’re a quality conversationalist. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  I don’t know.

  I blew out a sigh, reining in my annoyance. Odds were this was a dream and I was irritating myself, so I could hardly blow a gasket at myself. “I can’t help but wonder if someone – maybe the owner, I don’t know – named that mine after the gorgons for a specific reason.”

  And what reason would that be?

  “Maybe someone saw something that reminded him or her of a gorgon,” I replied. “Maybe someone a hundred and twenty years ago saw a monster … or even the shadow of a monster … and named the mine after a gorgon.”

  Does it matter?

  I shrugged. “I guess not, but it honestly bugs me. The other mines I’ve seen mentioned throughout the history of this state have normal names. Like Fire Creek … and Ruby Hill … and Lone Tree. Gorgon Mine doesn’t seem to fit the naming history.”

  It was a long time ago. Things were different.

  “Yes, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

  I don’t know what that means.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head at the lame joke and the way it landed with a hollow thud. “I don’t know why the mine name bothers me so much. It simply does. Let’s go back to you. What can you tell me about your history? I would really appreciate it if you expanded from your standard ‘it’s short’ this go around.”

  I don’t know what to tell you.

  “That’s because you’re not real.” I was fairly certain this was a dream. Whatever prowled the area surrounding our circus setup was not invading my mind. I should’ve been relieved. Oddly, I wasn’t. “I conjured you because I’m worried about Luke.”

  That seems unlikely.

  I chuckled. “Yes, well, at least this conversation was good for something. I need to conduct more research on that mine … and specifically why they picked that name. I think it’s important.”

  Then that’s what you should do. Do you know what else you should do?

  “What?”

  Wake up. You’re not alone.

  I BOLTED TO a sitting position, cocking my head to the side as I reached out with my mind. I didn’t expect to find anything. I wigged myself out, after all. It was a simple dream with nothing to fear.

  I let that emotion wash over me for exactly two seconds until I felt movement at the end of the bed.

  “What the … ?”

  Kade peacefully slumbered next to me, unaware that someone was about to join us in bed.

  I snapped my head so I could stare at the end of the bed, my heart seizing with fear when I saw a silhouette. We really weren’t alone. Someone – or some thing – was inside the trailer.

  “Poet, I’m so sorry.”

  I let loose a sigh when I realized the interloper was Luke. “You scared the crap out of me!” I slapped his arm, the sound echoing through the room.

  “Ow!”

  “Shh!” I pressed my finger to my lips. “Can’t you see that Kade is sleeping?” I hissed.

  “Yes, I’m a security expert who managed to sleep through that,” Kade said dryly, shifting so he rested on his side. “If you two are going to be dramatic, can you take it out into the living room?”

  I glared at him, annoyed. “We’re not being annoying.”

  “Not yet, but I have a feeling you’ll get there.” Kade absently ran his hand down my bare arm. “Talk to him. You won’t sleep well until you do. We both know it.”

  “I … .” He was right. “Fine.” I tossed off the sheet and pointed toward the living room. “Go out there … and be quiet. Kade is trying to sleep.”

  “I like how you let him boss you around but insist on bossing me around,” Luke grumbled, casting a grating look over his shoulder as I followed him out of the bedroom. “The pecking order in our relationship has shifted, and I don’t like it at all.”

  I scalded him with the darkest expression in my arsenal. “You’re going to make me kick you in the butt, and I swear you won’t like it when it happens.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Luke rolled his eyes as he sank onto the couch. I turned on the lamp on the end table, but kept the overhead off. I didn’t want to draw attention to my trailer in the middle of the night.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Luke shrugged. “I live here. Er, well, kind of. I temporarily live here.”

  “That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” I argued. “I thought you were living the high life at the casino.”

  “I was but … I didn’t like how we left things.” Luke said the words but averted his gaze. That’s how I knew he was embarrassed. I decided to take pity on him.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t like how we left things either.”

  Luke licked his lips as he reclined in the chair. “I’m not used to us fighting like this. It makes me nervous.”

  “Nervous?” I couldn’t recall him ever using that word before. “Why would it make you nervous?”

  “Because we’ve been everything to one another since you joined us,” Luke replied. “That’s changing. Now Kade is everything to you.”

  “Kade is important to me,” I countered. “He’s not everything. There will always be room for you. Do you want to know why?”

  “Because I’m so handsome?”

  “That and I miss you when we don’t get to spend time together,” I answered. “You’ll always be my best friend.”

  “Really?” Luke looked so relieved I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

  “Do you doubt that? If so, apparently I’ve turned into a pretty crappy friend.”

  “You’re not a crappy frie
nd.” Luke’s smile was legitimate when he reached forward to give me a hug. I returned the embrace with everything I had, momentarily resting my cheek against his shoulder. I didn’t want the moment to end. Luke apparently felt otherwise. “I need to borrow five hundred dollars.”

  I froze at the words, dumbfounded. For a moment I thought I was still dreaming. There could be no other explanation. “I’m sorry … what?”

  “I need it,” Luke repeated, locking gazes with me as I pulled my head back. The movement was stiff and deliberate. “I’m this close to winning it all back. I can feel that my luck is about to turn.” He held his fingers an inch apart for emphasis.

  In the limited light of the end table lamp he looked crazed. “Are you joking?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Is this a dream?”

  Luke reacted by pinching my arm, causing me to yelp and slap at the spot he’d pinched. “If it was a dream would you have felt that?”

  The small act was enough to cause me to come crashing back to reality. “Are you crazy?” I exploded. “How much money did you lose out there tonight? It must’ve been a lot if you’re desperate enough to come here to borrow money from me.”

  “It wasn’t a lot,” Luke shot back. “I just hit my limit at the ATM. Did you know you can only take out four hundred bucks a day? That seems as if it should be illegal since that’s my money.”

  “Only four hundred dollars, huh? I guess I should be relieved that technology cut you off before you lost everything.”

  “Oh, please.” Luke snorted. “I’m nowhere near close to losing everything. I am close to regaining everything, though. I feel my luck is about to turn.”

  “You’re crazy!”

  “And you’re being a bossy bitch,” Luke shot back. “I came here because you’re my best friend and I need to borrow five hundred dollars. It’s not as if I won’t pay you back. You know I’m good for it.”

  The old Luke was good for it. This crazed beast in front of me didn’t even resemble my former best friend. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but enough is enough,” I said, my voice low and even. “You’re not yourself. You’re acting crazy.