Page 62 of Trapped With You

“We’re here.”

I glanced around, realizing we reached the top of the bell tower.

We were inside the belfry.

And it was freezing cold, courtesy of the blustery wind whipping against our bodies.

The chamber was composed of a turret roof, brick walls pierced with arched openings, an ancient church bell hanging from the rafters, and a wooden railing protectively surrounding the hollow drop under the bell.

Nothing about this claustral closure felt sacred.

I peered over the railing and saw the rope attached to the bell fall endlessly down the tower. It looked ominous and reminded me of St. Victoria’s most infamous rumour…that the establishment sat upon one of the gates of hell. Over the years, people speculated that its location was right under the bell tower.

Cade also surveyed down the tower’s shaft. He flashed his light into the dark hole. “The rope probably ends at the bottomof the tower.”

“When do you think this bell was last rung?”

“Decades ago, perhaps,” Cade said. “Although Shaun swears hearing it once during detention last year. He said it was the ghosts of the dead nuns ringing it, trying to scare Mr. Crowley so he could give Shaun an early leave.”

I shook my head with a smile. “Classic Shaun.”

“Maybe the next dare is attached to the rope,” Cade mumbled pensively. “Can you hold my flashlight while I try to see?”

I held both our flashlights while Cade leaned over to grab the rope. The wooden railing wobbled a little. Fear zapped through my body. “Careful. It’s not stable.”

“You worried for me, princess?”

“Call me princess again and I’ll push you down the tower myself. Then you can ring the bell with the rest of the dead nuns.”

He chuckled. “You wound me, Ella.”

“You’ll live.”

Cade’s fist latched onto the rope. My next inhale was packed with relief as he moved a step away from the railing and began to pull the rope up, one tug at a time.

The motion caused the bell to sway, ringing with a noise that sounded like a harbinger of doom. Goosebumps erupted over my skin. I wished Cade would hurry along. The belfry was giving me the creeps. There was one arched opening to my left whose louvers were halfway shattered. I was certain that’s where all those students jumped to their deaths.

If I started hearing voices and seeing the deceased, we were getting out of dodge. Competition be damned.

While Cade continued to tug up the rope, I walked around the belfry, searching to see if there was any other hidden clue.

Lo and behold, I found a shovel propped against a brick wall. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the next dare was loopedaround the handle with a red thread. “Hey! I found the next—oh my God!”

Cade suddenly materialized behind me and my back collided into his muscular front.

“You scared me,” I hissed.

“I’m sorry.” He blinked bashfully. “I thought you were into that.”

A blush warmed my cheeks. This was so not the time to talk about my kinks. “Shut the fuck up, Cade.”

A devilish grin speared over his face. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

Oh, I missed this. Our easy-going camaraderie and banter. Fighting the smile twitching my lips, I rolled my eyes and shoved his flashlight against his chest. “Can you get your mind out of the gutter for once?”

Cade pinned my hand, still holding the flashlight, against his chest. “With you in my vicinity? Impossible.”

“You’re such a horndog.”