Page 3 of The Totally Typical Tale of Mappy McMapface (Ghostlight Falls #1)
Chapter two
Visitors' Bureau
Miguel
“ J ust a little bit further, Rosie.” I rub my hand gently on the dashboard, hoping to coax a few more miles out of my old clunker of a car.
There’s a town a few miles up this road, and it should have a mechanic.
As if on cue, Rosie sputters, and the engine makes a weird knocking sound, which cannot be good.
I’m able to pull over to the side of the road as she heaves her last breath, rumbling to a halt.
“At least it stopped raining,” I mumble to myself as I step out of my car into a puddle.
I check under the hood as is required as a car owner, not that I know what I’m looking at.
All I know is Rosie made a weird noise, rattled, sputtered, and stopped. That doesn’t seem great.
Shielding my eyes from the setting sun, I look around. I can’t make out any signs of the town, but I know it's not far away. Taking my chances, I grab what meager supplies I have and make my way up the road.
The town of Ghostlight Falls seems big enough to have what I need, but I’m struggling to find anyone to help me.
The lady at the Visitors’ Bureau told me to refer to the map out front, going off about how it’s not her job to show me where things are.
I’m not exactly sure what she thinks her job is if it’s not helping out a visitor, but after forty-five seconds of map rant, I decide I’ll just go outside and refer to the map as suggested.
Problem is… there’s no map out front. Looking up and down the street, there doesn’t appear to be a map anywhere.
There’s not ev en a stand to display a map.
So, I’m not sure what the anti-map lady was going off about, but honestly, I am too tired to deal with that again.
There is a bar next to the Visitors’ Bureau, and I’ve got to assume the bartender, or someone inside, will know where the mechanic is.
As I make my way over, I’m distracted by something I see in the alley.
At first, I can’t quite make out what it is.
It looks like some sort of a bat-man? Markings line his long wings, spread open while he peacefully slumbers.
He’s beautiful, well-sculpted, and, oh, fuck, half naked.
More than half naked? He’s wearing scraps of clothes, and there is so much of him on display.
When my eyes stop between his legs—completely against my will—my skin flushes and my clothes suddenly feel too tight. I really should stop staring at him.
I take another step toward the bar, then decide I should probably help this guy, right?
Turning, I head into the alley. Doing my best to ignore his cock— oh fuck, that’s no basic dick —I examine his wings.
The markings I noticed aren’t random. In fact, they look exactly like a map.
Squinting, I find the Visitors’ Bureau and, sure enough, the bar is right next door.
Is this the map the cranky lady was talking about? I get her jealousy.
Crouching down, I prepare to wake him. I’ve dealt with guys that look like him my entire life, and they’re usually assholes.
It’s nice to pretend that this guy will be as sweet as he looks while sleeping for a moment or two longer, but then again, I really don’t want anyone finding me in an alley with a passed out, naked man.
There’s no way the optics on that are good.
Gently, I reach out, grabbing his ridiculously toned shoulder, and shake him.
He murmurs a little in his sleep, wings curling around his body protectively, but doesn’t wake. I try again, a little harder this time.
“Um, Mr. Map-Bat-Man, sir?” I try. “It’s time to wake up. ”
Slowly, he blinks his dark eyes open, taking me in. A smile spreads across his face at first, before confusion hits.