Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(37)

“I don’t need anyone worrying about me,” Mindy said, sounding annoyed at Tami.

“We all need someone to worry about us,” Tami said, sounding annoyed right back.

Silence descended. Angry silence. Two girls mad at each other kind of silence.

Finally, Mindy spoke up. “Let’s go and get in line for the haunted house. I heard someone say it was great.” She swung around on the heels of her shoes and started walking down the street. Eric followed her, but instead of looking where he was going he did nothing but stare at her ass.

“I don’t like that guy!” Chase growled close to Tami’s ear.

“Me, either,” she said. “But let’s do the haunted house and then I’ll claim I started my period and we have to go home.”

Chase nearly choked on his next breath. It was a good idea, but did she have to mention her period? What was that acronym Mindy tossed around for things like this? Oh, yeah, TMI. That was totally too much information.

Tami’s chuckle came close to Chase’s ear and he looked at her.

“What?” he asked, not understanding the humor dancing in her eyes.

“Sorry, I keep forgetting guys can’t handle hearing stuff like that.”

“No, I’m fine,” he lied.

“Then why are you so red?” She moved a little closer, her soft shoulder lightly whispering against his bicep. Back and then forth with each step. The warmth from that light touch made his heart skip a beat. This time, he didn’t shift away. He might have moved a tiny bit closer. Even though he was still mad enough to chew nails and spit out staples at his sister and her new boyfriend, this would go down as one of the best days of his life.

Which, according to the palm reader, might not be too long. Never turn your back on a challenge. Well, Tami was one challenge he wasn’t going to turn away from.

*

Complete darkness descended upon them. It took a second for Chase’s eyes to adjust. The first thing he did was make sure his sister and the jerk were right ahead. They were.

Without warning, a vampire, blood dripping from his fangs, pounced at them. Tami screamed, grabbed his arm, and plastered herself to his side.

Haunted houses had never done much for Chase, but after feeling Tami’s body so close to his, he wondered if he could find one in Houston that ran all year long. He’d love to bring Tami to it at least once a week.

Next a guy with a chainsaw came after them. It wasn’t a real chainsaw, but it sure as heck sounded like one. Tami held on tighter.

Yup, he’d just become a haunted house fan for life.

They followed the arrows, highlighting the way to walk. They dipped through a black curtain, and complete darkness swallowed them again.

Chase blinked and tried to see Mindy, who he’d sworn had gone through the curtain seconds before. He couldn’t make her out. But it could just be the light. He continued to follow the tiny blue lights past a coffin with a dead guy trying to grab them.

Worried that he’d lost his sister, he hurried Tami though the next curtain. He squinted his eyes, forcing them to adjust. No Mindy.

Then he heard it. A scream. Mindy’s scream.

It wasn’t the fun kind of scream. “Stop it!” she yelled.

Gut instantly knotted, he grabbed Tami so as not to lose her, and followed the sound of his sister’s voice. The sound led him straight toward a wall, but he discovered it was just a curtain. He swiped it back and ran inside, looking for a monster. One named Eric.

The small room filled with technical equipment had just enough light to make out shapes. Then the shapes became more visible. Eric had Mindy against a wall, his hands all over her, his mouth on hers trying to drown out her screams.

“There,” Tami yelled, but Chase already had the * by the collar.

Wadding the *’s shirt in his fist, Chase yanked him off his sister.

“Whoa, stop!” the guy screamed, holding up his hands.

“I think that’s what my sister said!” He clenched his fist and heard Tami consoling his sister.

“It was a mix-up. I thought she was into it,” Eric said.

“Liar!” a feminine voice yelled out from behind him. Not his sister, but Tami. “Mindy might have been into it for a kiss, but she never invited you to climb inside her bra! She said stop, you low-life creep.”

Eric stiffened, obviously not liking being called names by a girl. “All I did was cop a feel. She was asking for it.”

“You’re the one asking for it!” Chase pulled back his fist and plowed it right into the guy’s face, crashing against teeth and bone. It hurt like hell, but felt wonderful at the same time.

The guy went down on his ass with a loud thump. “You broke my tooth,” he bit out and started to get up.

“Don’t move!” Chase took a step closer and glared down at him. “You get up, I’m gonna break your nose next time.”

Eric stayed down, obviously hearing the truth in Chase’s voice.

Chase turned to his sister, still sniffling and wiping her eyes. “Somebody call the cops.”

“No,” Mindy said. “I’m okay. Thanks to you, he didn’t … didn’t get anywhere. I just want to go home. Please. Please just get me home.”

His gut told him he needed to report this, but the pleading in his sister’s voice had him just wanting to make it easier on her.