by Kate Kelley
“The marble bust in the break room. I broke it yesterday.” My words were as flat as my expression. I kept my eyes on Row’s oversized, plaid blanket scarf. It looked really soft.
George made a sheepish face and Frances whistled low. I willed my cheeks not to heat.
Mr. Wolfram searched my eyes before replying. “I trust not on purpose?” He flashed a quick smile that momentarily threatened to engulf me in its brilliance.
My own lips quirked up. “No, but it was tempting, as creepy as it was.”
What the hell had made me say that?
Mr. Wolfram chuckled low in his chest as he glanced back down at the paper. “I’ll let it slide. What about the vase? Who claims that one?”
My face did heat that time. I raised my hand slowly.
Mr. Wolfram stopped, his expression guarded. He stared at me for what felt like a lifetime. I felt the vibration of Row’s leg bouncing up and down at a vicious speed under the table. Janice covered her mouth with her hands.
Mr. Wolfram inclined his head. “Now, there was another complaint. Row got a phone call a half hour ago that a couple tried to get a room this morning and couldn’t get in. They apparently were banging on the door and no one answered even though the light was on. I know we were open. Who was working last night at about two in the morning?”
Welp. This was it. Bye, bye, job.
I slowly raised my hand again. Rosa bowed her head in what looked like prayer next to me, her lips moving silently. Frances bit back a laugh. Janice clutched her pearls. Row massaged his temples.
Mr. Wolfram stared at me again, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. I stared at his tan throat instead, noting the rhythmic pulse.
“Stay behind after this is over.” The demand was backed in steel even as his body language appeared laid-back. My stomach clenched as butterflies ripped through it.
The rest of the meeting was a blur and when it was over, I stared at the table, my reflection almost staring back at me in the glossiness. Rosa placed a comforting hand on my shoulder before leaving.
Frances leaned over the table, her lipsticked lips near my ear. She smelled like flowers and stale smoke. “Blame it on Row. He’s an fugly pretty boy wannabe who thinks treating everyone else like peons makes him important or some shit. He shouldn’t have given you a night shift so soon after your medical leave. Play that up. Tell him you have cancer or some shit. You’re pretty enough. He’d fall for it.” She met my eyes and I took in her blue ones staring at me beneath lashes thick with clumpy mascara.
I smiled at her. “Thanks, Frances, for your kindness.”
Frances eyed my shirt and yanked on it. “Pull it down a little, show some tit. You got nice, young ones yet. Good luck, girlfriend.”
I laughed and clasped my shirt, pulling it back up. She winked at me and left, the last one out of the door.
Mr. Wolfram sat down across from me and rifled through some papers, as if he couldn’t even see me. I drummed my fingers on the table. My head still ached from lack of sleep. If we could hurry this up, I could go back and sleep all day and forget about this whole mess for a little while before the job search started again.
I wondered how late the library stayed open. I’d need access to the internet. Perhaps I could sleep for four hours and then--
“You just had medical leave for three weeks only two months after starting here? And this was because of…?”
I cleared my throat, staring at the papers in his hand. I made out my name typed out on the top one. Mr. Wolfram folded his hands on top of it, blocking my view.
“I had a seizure.” I wasn’t convinced it had been a seizure, but that’s what was on my doctor bill.
I felt his eyes on me and as if drawn to them, I snapped mine to his. I wanted to ask him about the fire the other night.
“And you weren’t paid for this leave? Row hadn’t informed me of this at all. We usually pay during medical leaves.” He frowned down at his papers.
“No, I wasn’t paid.”
“Then that will cover the expenses of the bust, vase, and guest stay that you failed to secure. I will mark a warning on your chart. Two more warnings until termination.” He rapped his papers against the desk and stood.
I opened my mouth but no words came out. I stood and pushed in my chair. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I won’t do it again. Any of the things that I did…”
“Great. Anything else?” he asked, eyeing his watch.
I swallowed. “I would like to be taken off of the schedule for night shifts please. I don’t think I do well on that shift, Mr. Wolfram.”
Mr.Wolfram stared at me as if he hadn’t quite heard what I’d said. “You’ll work exclusively on night shift from now on to grow used to it.”
Anger burst inside of me. “But--” I clamped my mouth shut. What was my problem? I was lucky I hadn’t been fired, and here I was pushing my luck.
He raised an eyebrow at me, daring me to speak.
My thoughts drifted to the fire. Was he a volunteer firefighter or something? Why had he been there and how had he gotten the kids out so quickly?
I brought my thoughts back to the present. “At least get internet. Not only would it keep me awake, it would bring more business. People survive off of Wi-Fi these days, didn’t you know?”
His brows lowered and his eyes trailed over my face as if trying to figure me out. I again burned to ask him about the fire.
“I’ll see about it. Any other suggestions?” His eyebrow was up again and I had the distinct feeling that he was mocking me.
“Fresh paint on the exterior. Something more cheerful than plain black. Maybe modern heating and more lighting. The fireplaces and candles are outdated and not to mention, a safety hazard. This place is all wood. It would practically combust instantaneously if a wayward spark got loose.”
He opened his mouth as is to say something, clamped it again and nodded. “Fair suggestions. But the appeal of this place is the historical charm. It’s more romantic.”
“Fires aren’t romantic.” The words fell from my mouth as if on their own accord. I gauged his reaction, wondering if he would now mention the fire from the other night. Had he seen me watching him then?
“I can handle a fire.” His deep cadence engulfed me in it’s decadence and the butterflies ripped through me again, but for a different reason.
“I’m sure you can, Mr. Wolfram.” My words were cryptic enough, but I didn’t miss the subtle clench of his brows and tightness around his eyes.
“It's just Wolfram.” He turned and strode out of the room, leaving me to wonder who the hell had stolen my body and replaced me during that conversation. I wasn’t confrontational. I didn’t push my luck when things weren’t going my way. So why was I suddenly playing with fire?
Chapter Four
I had a one day break and I was already back in the haunted, Victorian hellhole.
Row crossed his arms and sniffed when I entered and I slipped across the floor for one terrifying moment before straightening.
“Ai yai yai! Careful, just polished!” Rosa’s panicked voice rang out around the corner of the hallway.
I carefully walked to the desk and faced Row, placing my coat and purse down. I felt his stare like needles in my face.
“How you avoided termination is beyond me. Maybe he likes the zombie look. I wouldn’t be surprised, he’s a weird ass, dark and brooding type dude, even if his style is impeccable. Could use a hair cut though.”
“I didn’t realize he was your type,” I said innocently, gauging his reaction. He hadn’t outed himself directly, but I was pretty sure his look indicated it for him. Not that straight men didn’t know how to contour, but...they often didn’t. At least, not on their own faces.
Row sniffed again. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Look, little girl, insubordination has consequences. Don’t think just because he liked your tits and ass that I’ll be as lenient on you. I can still give you warnings. Don’t think I won’t. Two more
and you’re out, Zombie Princess.”
I nodded my head, willing myself to shut the hell up.
“And no, he’s not my fucking type.”
My eyes widened and I raised my hands. Well, there was my answer. “Whatever you say, Row.”
Rosa came out, her brow layered with a sheen of sweat, her dark brown hair in a top knot. She wore her usual floral scrubs. She shuffled to the wastebasket and peeled her latex gloves off, flinging them in as she shot Row a rueful look. She shuffled close to me. “Hijo de puta.” She jerked her thumb at him.
I didn’t know what it meant but I could guess it wasn’t kind. I smiled at her and patted her back as I rounded the front desk.
Row fiddled with a black box underneath the desk. It took me a second to realize what it was--a router.
So, Mr. Wolfram had heard me. And had acted on it quite fast.
Row stood and clicked through some things on the computer, then scribbled something on a scrap of paper.
“This is the Wi-Fi password. Only give it out if someone asks. Mr. Wolfram has finally joined the twenty-first century.”
I took the slip of paper and taped it to the side of the monitor, deliberately pointing out so that people could see it. What was the point if we didn’t broadcast that we had Wi-Fi? I thought about making a big wooden sign for outside. Or better yet, those giant light-up signs that people used to make funny slogans. I thought about what would go on it. ‘It’s haunted, but we have free Wi-Fi.’ I snickered at my own joke.
When everyone had left, it was just me and the nearly empty inn. Only two rooms were full. Row said the inn would be slow now until Christmas.
The winds pushed against the old place, prodding it into creaks and squeaks and groans.
A repetitive thudding sound had me quirking my head. It was muffled but consistent, so I rose from my chair and followed it. The noise continued, growing louder as I turned into the long corridor of rooms on the first floor. I passed room thirteen and fourteen, then backtracked and stopped. It was loudest at room thirteen. The haunted one. I hesitantly put my ear to the door. The thudding continued, followed by a muffled scream. My heart pounded as I put my eye up to the peephole and waited until something caught my eye. A flash of light. The thudding grew louder and there was a gasp and then a loud groan. I listened more closely. Maybe I should get the key...
A muffled female voice sounded. “Yes! Like that.”
A male voice responded with something unintelligible.
Oh God.
I backed up and hightailed it back to my desk, mortified. The young couple. Of course. I rubbed my flushed face.
I was entirely too jumpy. I should have guessed what the noise was before I went to investigate. Clearly, I was very paranoid and unfamiliar with sex sounds. Sad times.
“Ma’am?”
I jumped. Yep. Paranoid.
An older gentleman who’d been staying in room five approached the desk. He clutched the desk with gnarled fingers. “I would like a fresh towel, please.”
I jumped up. “Of course!” I disappeared into the back closet and swiped one off of the rack, then returned to hand it over. “There you go.”
“Thank you,” he said, taking the towel and turning away, then turning back as if he forgot to say something, his bushy, gray eyebrows bunched in concern. “When they come, don’t resist it. It will be easier for you both, and besides, you don’t want to die like that, melting in the flames, do you?”
Ice laced my veins as I stared at the old man. My lips parted but no words came. My heart skipped a beat as his face smoothed out and he turned back, looking slightly confused.
My breathing became shallow and quick, and I hugged myself with shaking arms. Why had he said that? Was he senile?
That’s what it is. He’s senile.
I sat stiffly and pulled another book from my bag, one I’d gotten from the library the day before. I began reading, at first mechanically as the shock of the old man’s words echoed in my mind like an endless drip in vast pool.
Eventually, I sank into the story, the plot and characters wrapping me up until I forgot about the weirdness that had consumed my life for the past couple months.
I wasn’t sure how many hours had passed before I knew something was wrong.
The smell was the most obvious sign, but even before the acrid scent singed the back of my throat, I felt something. Something like an awakening inside of me, like something inside had been screaming for quite some time and I had just now heard it. My entire body broke out into goosebumps and a violent shudder wracked my spine. I dropped the book and turned to see black smoke billowing toward me from the hall.
“Oh my God!” My voice was a shaking, withered thing.
I leapt to my feet and scrambled into the smoke before it choked me. I dropped to my knees where the air was clearer and began crawling. I needed to get to the guests, needed to get them out. Where the fuck was the fire alarm?
My eyes stung with smoke, great, fat tears streaming down my cheeks. I counted the doors as I crawled. When I finally came to room thirteen, I pounded my free hand on it viciously, my other arm covering my nose. No one answered. The smoke was billowing in from farther down the hallway. I couldn’t see where it was coming from and couldn’t figure it out--there was no way I was going all the way in there. As soon as I got the guests out, I would leave.
I pounded the door again and screamed. “There’s a fire! You need to evacuate!” I accidentally sucked in the black smoke and doubled over in a coughing fit. My throat burned and my vision was blurry, my head fuzzy.
I pounded again and reached up, wiggling the doorknob. It was locked.
Suddenly a thought struck me and I wanted to strangle myself for my stupidity.
What am I doing? I need to call 911!
I reached into my back pocket to pull out my phone and my fingers met smooth denim--my phone was gone.
No! I felt around the floor where I knelt and found nothing. I leapt to my feet and ran through the smoke blindly, squeezing my eyes shut and holding my breath.
I collapsed out into the foyer, my head spinning. Heat singed my back and I knew the fire had spread through the hall. It must have followed me down the hallway.
Forget the phone. I need to get to the...door….
I felt myself being dragged under the heady cloud of heat and smoke, the last thing I remember was being swept up into his arms. He clutched me tight.
Chapter Five
I woke up in a disco of red lights, frosted grass under my numb butt. I let the images come back to me until I remembered where I was and what had happened. I leapt to my feet and coughed. Fire trucks were coming down the road, slowing down, their sirens no longer wailing, but their lights still flashing.
The house was no longer streaming smoke but I couldn’t see anyone else on the lawn.
Who had lifted me up? Doused the flames?
Where was the guests? The young couple, and the old man?
I looked up to see a man emerge from the house, carrying someone. He crossed the the opposite lawn and deposited the old man. It was Wolfram.
What? Did this man just follow fires around for a living?
Maybe he really was a volunteer firefighter.
He ran back into the inn before I could call to him. A firefighter followed him closely without a word.
They must know each other…
Another firefighter jogged to me, his yellow gear jostling as he moved. “You alright, ma’am?”
“Yeah, I--someone pulled me out before I passed out. I think it was your volunteer firefighter.”
The man’s eyebrows bunched together, shaking his head. “We didn’t call any volunteer firefighters in. Probably one of the other guests. Do you require assistance?”
Hmm. “No, I’m fine. Well, he’s actually the owner of this place but I’ve seen him work on a fire before. Just a few days ago, actually. His name is August Wolfram. He just went back in with no gear.” I searched his eyes for recog
nition of the name.
The man lowered his brow even more, frowning. “Name doesn’t ring a bell but I’ll go see if I can find him. He ain’t gonna last long in there.” He stalked toward the house and went in, leaving me to clutch my arms as cold air swept up my navy blue day dress. I was wearing leggings, but it didn’t really do much in the blasts of below freezing air. I felt every brush of wind over my skin, through my clothes, and yet I stood frozen to the spot. I was sure no one would fault me for going home, but I wanted--no, needed--to speak to Wolfram about this. And I wanted to make sure he brought out the young couple.
It was only a few minutes later when I noticed a flash of light to the left. The shape of a man. It disappeared behind the edge of the house. I sprinted to catch up and spotted him walking toward the parking lot. He was shirtless.
Is he insane?
He turned around when I was a couple yards away, his eyes piercing into mine with shock and anger plastered on his face.
“Hey,” I said, catching my breath, “Did you get the young couple out?”
Wolfram’s jaw was slack for a moment longer as he stared at me. He blinked and clamped his mouth shut. Then he did something strange. He closed the distance between us and touched my cheek.
I flinched backward out of his warm touch--a caress, really. My body washed in goosebumps, I shivered when he pulled back.
My eyes flicked to his chest, impossibly chiseled abs, broad shoulders. I mean, I knew he was fit, but damn. This was next level shit.
“Did you..?” The words died on my lips as I met his gaze again. His eyes were no longer black. They shone copper, his stare pinning me to my spot.
I was sick of this hallucination shit.
His eyes glowed. Brightly, flickering like the flames that had almost consumed me moments before. I finally came to my senses and jerked back.
Wolfram turned on his heel and stalked off without a word, leaving me as confused and uncertain as I’d ever been in my life.
◆◆◆
“Yes, I should have it in two weeks. Two weeks, I promise.”
