Page 47 of Carnival

James

A low hiss fills the back of the van, and Hudson promptly ignores it. He manages to wrap up my broken wrist with a piece of wood just to keep it straight, but the way he’s handling me is less than gentle.

“Suck it up,’’ he scoffs, finishing it up. To add the final touch, he taps the sore spot twice, with more force than necessary. Arlo stifles a laugh, while I throw a sharp glare at Hudson. A hint of satisfaction is in his eyes, before he clears his throat, straightening up.

“Alright, Arlo, do we have eyes on every part of this fucking Carnival?”

The back of the small van has been converted into a small room. Two chairs and a lot of computers that, apparently, only Arlo knows how to use. One monitor shows Noelle walking through the crowd, a determined look on her face, and a sharp dagger in her hand.

The other one shows Blair and Aria, both of them with a gun of their own, asking around.

Blair’s the more composed one, asking the questions, nodding along, and trying to find where Rose is.

Aria, on the other hand, is barely present.

Her eyes are on the people she’s speaking with, but her mind is elsewhere, a look of pure worry etched on her face.

“Did you get it?”

Hudson nods, then pulls out a box. With my good hand, I open it, revealing my mask and the butcher knife from Vivian, the one I’ve been using for years. I put the mask on and grip the handle of the knife, and although my dominant hand is injured, I can definitely use my left arm to kill if need be.

“Our men are currently in the manor,’’ Arlo says, picking up his phone and reading through a string of text messages. “You really went overboard, huh?”

I shrug. “I was angry and needed to get out.’’

Somehow, my stupid plan worked. I did end up with a few spots on my body grazed from bullets, but none are life-threatening, and the treatments can wait. My main focus is finishing this thing tonight and getting Rosalie home safely.

“And get out you did,’’ he whistles, lowly. “Now, onto the main issue,’’ Arlo sighs, Hudson and I immediately shifting our attention to the screen he’s pointing at. “They’re all carrying bombs. With the way they’re holding hands in their pockets, they probably have detonators.’’

“If Vivian’s plan is to blow this entire thing up, that means not only killing innocent people but her own, too. Why?”

Hudson’s asking all the right questions, but the Devil isn’t letting me stay put. I pace around the small room, my chest aching. I need to get to Rose. I need to find her, immediately.

“Vivian is a sick bitch,’’ I speak up, both men looking at me.

“Is she cunning and intelligent? Extremely, since she’s managed to grow this organization from the ground up.

But when she’s angry, she doesn’t see reason.

And Rose trying to escape infuriated her, so now she’s going to the extreme to prove that it’s her way or no way. ’’

“Jesus Christ,’’ Arlo blows out. “Does that mean she’ll likely hurt Rose just to remind her that she doesn’t stand a chance?”

My jaw locks tightly. “Yes.’’

“How long do you think we have until the bombs go off?”

“I’m not sure,’’ I admit, though reluctantly. “The best course of action would be sending your men to take over the entrance and start evacuating people as quickly as possible. It won’t save everyone, but we need to try.’’

“Aw, when did you start caring about who lives or dies?” Arlo mocks.

“I didn’t,’’ I roll my eyes. “But Rose does. And if all these people died and we didn’t try to help them, it would ruin her. I’m not letting that happen.’’

The mockery vanishes from Arlo’s expression, replaced by a look of determination. He nods, firmly, then turns his attention back to the screen. He’s clicking something, typing God knows what on the keyboard, before he pulls out a small earpiece from the pocket of his coat.

“Here,’’ he tosses it at me, and I catch it with ease. “I’ll stay in to direct you. As soon as I find Rose, I’ll give you the location. Mom and Dad will be on the lookout for Vivian.’’

“You think she came here?” Hudson asks, and I respond before Arlo gets the chance to.

“Yes,’’ I look at him, then head toward the exit of the van. “If she actually blows this place up, she’ll want to have the first row seat. Her arrogance is her biggest enemy.’’

Before Hudson can respond, I’m out of the van.

The cold, crisp December air hits my face, the snow just starting to fall. It’s almost eleven in the evening, and there’s no sign of people leaving just yet. If anything, the crowd’s gotten bigger than when we first arrived here.

After I managed to subdue Vivian’s men, I took the first car, and luckily, there were people on the streets. I robbed one middle-aged man and took his phone just to call Hudson. Unfortunately, the old man did call the cops on me, so I had to move quickly.

The snow makes no noise beneath my boots, though; it’s hard to hear anything over the loud music, chatter, and laughter that fill my surroundings.

I’m careful how I act, with my hand broken, a scary clown mask, blood all over my white shirt, and the butcher knife in hand.

Well, I do look the part of one of the employees of the carnival.

As if I hadn’t been killing people at this very same event for years.

“James,’’ Arlo’s voice cuts through my train of thoughts, and I wince. I underestimated just how loud the earpiece can be. “Turn right. You’ll walk through the food stands, and Rose’s near.’’

“Near?” I ask. “Can you not tell me where specifically to look?”

“I don’t see her right now,’’ he says. “She was being pulled into a dead spot by one of her friends. I can’t tell if they’ve moved from that spot, because no cameras are reaching there.’’

I let out a string of curses, picking up the pace.

I walk with purpose, shoving people out of my way, and not giving a fuck if anyone’s complaining.

My right arm throbs, and I know I need to have it checked out quickly, because the adrenaline from earlier is starting to wear off, replaced by a massive amount of pain.

In front of me are many, many food stands, tents, and anything of the like. The lines are big, and it’s one of the most crowded places.

“Where exactly, Arlo?”

“Your right,’’ he instructs. “The dark green tent.’’

Immediately, I take a right turn, seeing the tent in question getting closer to me. Seconds pass like years, my heart beating furiously in my chest. Not a single thought but Rosalie is in my head, and all I can see behind my eyes when I blink are her eyes.

She’s probably scared.

My blood boils at the thought of anyone scaring her. That ends now, and no one will ever scare her again. I’ll make sure that any threat to her is sent six feet underground before they can even breathe in her direction.

“You said a friend pulled her aside,’’ I say, raising my voice for Arlo to hear through the earpiece. “Who is it?”

“Chase Woods.’’

A low chuckle comes from me. Of course it’s the motherfucker. Unfortunately, he won’t be the first man I’ve killed since getting out of prison, but he will be the one I’ll get great pleasure in killing.

My feet are light on the snow, and I try to mask my presence as much as possible, moving in the shadows. I come to a stop a couple of feet away from the dead spot Arlo told me about, taking the earpiece out, and tossing it far away.

The butcher knife feels familiar in my hand. I don’t know how many lives I’ve taken using it. I don’t remember who my first victim was, but I do know who the last one will be. The motherfucker who dared to kiss the woman that belongs to me.

“Gabe,’’ Rose’s whispered words reach my ears, and for the first time in years, I’m caught off guard.

Of-fucking-course.

I didn’t keep track of Gabe much after I aged out of the system, mainly because he took the law enforcement route, and he was never someone I ever wanted to bother myself with. Just like his bitch of a sister, he’s an irrelevant pest.

But the fact that it’s him who kissed my hellion is enough for me to raise hell.

“Yes, Gabe,’’ he responds, his voice low.

“You probably don’t remember this, but on the day you were taken out of my house, I promised I’d get revenge on you, sweetheart.

And I will. By forcing you to be mine, then making sure the rest of your life is miserable, until I decide it’s time for you to die. ’’

I’ve heard enough.

I’m quick on my feet, moving to stand behind him. I don’t hesitate to push my arm outward, then to place the very sharp blade of my butcher knife against his throat. The grip on the handle is tight, and I already sliced through his flesh, just enough for small droplets of blood to trickle.

“Now, now, those are brave words for someone of your irrelevance.’’

He freezes when he feels the blade against his flesh, his back pressed against my front. It’s only now that I realize he’s holding Rose’s chin tightly between his fingers, and if my other hand were healthy, I would’ve broken his fingers, one by one.

“James,’’ he swallows thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing. A low smirk tugs on my lips at the state of distress, his body language telling me everything I need to know. He definitely didn’t expect to see me.

“Gabe,’’ I draw out, my eyes flicking to the right. A loud laugh comes from me, molding with the loud music. Right next to his feet is a mask identical to mine, tossed aside. “My, my, what do we have here? Did you really think a mask would turn you into me?”

“As if I’d ever want to be you.’’

I push the blade deeper into his skin. “Evidently, you do. Getting the same mask as me was no easy feat. I applaud the effort. However, it takes a lot more than a mask to turn you into me. You wanted the woman that I have, too. And you know what?”

“What?” He grits out, desperately looking for a way out.

I inch closer to him, just to taunt him, my face right next to his.

“You’re a fucking coward. I saw Rose, wanted her, and took her.

She belongs to me. The likes of you could never have the balls to do such a thing.

To claim someone so easily, so powerfully.

Because men like you are good at one thing and one thing only — being all bark, no bite. ’’

His words fade into the background when my eyes lock on Rose’s.

Relief is evident on her face, her shoulders rolling off the tension.

A small, almost unnoticeable smile tugs on the corner of her lips, and it’s enough to have my heart go into a fucking overdrive.

I’m surprised I haven’t gotten a heart attack.

“You might want to look away, hellion.’’

“What? Why?”

“I told you, didn’t I?” I chuckle. “I promised I’d kill this bastard when I got out. You have three seconds.’’

Rosalie’s eyes remain on mine, a flicker of understanding behind those pretty blues. She takes a small step forward, hands clenched tightly beside her. She doesn’t even acknowledge Gabe’s desperate begging attempts, her attention solely focused on me. Just like it should be.

“Two seconds.’’

My hellion doesn’t falter. Her resolve strengthens, her eyes glimmering under the moonlight. Snow falls on her hair, and she looks like the prettiest doll I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“One second, hellion.’’

I half-expected her to back down at the last moment, but she doesn’t. She lifts her chin up, ever so slightly, as if to defy me. It sends blood right down to my cock, and it jumps to life, creating a tent in my pants.

I keep my eyes locked on hers, and without waiting for another moment to pass, I pull the knife to the left, watching in pure ecstasy as the blood from Gabe’s throat splashes her face, neck, and chest.

Fuck, she’s beautiful covered in blood.

The bastard writhes for a couple of moments, but I push his body aside, stepping closer to Rosalie. The stench of blood creates a vivid image of my cock deep into her cunt while she’s all red, and I can’t help the way my cock responds.

“Someone’s challenging me, I see,’’ I murmur, taking another small step toward her.

She mimics my actions until our chests are nearly touching.

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“Oh, I’m about to show you.’’