I did not fare so well. I fell on the second barrel onto a soft, padded floor. He laughed as I trudged across.
If he was trying to get into my pants, humiliating me was not the way to go.
“Great job,” he said, grinning. “You almost made it.”
“This is the least fun I’ve ever had.”
“Oh come on, lighten up. Last bit up ahead.”
I nodded, thankful that it was a short trip. We entered the next room and I paused. It was full of mirrors, each one distorting and odd.
“Come on,” he said, and walked ahead.
“Wait up,” I called out.
He turned a corner. When I followed, he was gone. My own image was reflected everywhere, distorted and strange in some places, normal in others.
“Joshua?” I called out. “Joshua!”
There was no answer as I walked through the room. My heart was hammering as I moved slowly, taking the twists and the turns. The only thing I saw was my own reflection, spread out in the half dark. I felt lost and disoriented, and I had no clue where I was or where Joshua had gone.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” a voice said suddenly.
The voice was loud, too loud. I covered my ears as it echoed in the mirrored space.
“What? Joshua?”
“You made a mistake, and you will pay for it.”
Terrified, I began to backtrack. I stumbled into a few mirrors, desperately trying to get out. I already planned on climbing back up the slide, maybe screaming for Nathan. He had to be nearby, had to be ready to come get me.
I was so angry I could barely think. Joshua knew. Joshua knew what I was doing, and he had brought me into a trap. My own grotesque, distorted body and face came back at me, reflected over and over as I moved, my head spinning, terror gripping my chest.
There were too many twists and turns, each one full of my own image. It looked as if I were laughing at myself, mocking my own fear and rage.
I turned a corner. There was another image reflected in front of me: a large man wearing a black ski mask. His clothes were dark and rumpled, a T-shirt and jeans.
I opened my mouth to scream, but the man’s reflection reached out and grabbed me.
The next thing I knew, there was darkness.
Chapter Eighteen: Nathan
It was hard watching that asshole flirt with her.
At first, when the whole thing started, I thought it was going to be no problem. Besides, Claire wasn’t exactly the best at flirting, which was actually something that I loved about her. But as soon she tried to turn it on with that scumbag, it instantly made me jealous. My blood boiled, and all I wanted to do was break his jaw into a thousand pieces.
Which was stupid, because I knew she was only flirting on my orders. It was all part of the operation, all part of my plan. Still, it made my rage come up to the surface.
I kept my distance from them. As far as I could tell, Joshua didn’t have anyone tailing them, although it was hard to tell in the mass of people. He clearly had sway with the carnival people, considering the way they deferred to him, but that wasn’t unusual with prominent local people like him. I was being cautious anyway, keeping my distance, watching but staying focused.
Or at least as focused as I could be. I had to keep bringing myself back into my Zen battle mode, clearing my thoughts and breathing deeply until I could see the world more clearly. The anger threatened to overwhelm everything.
Otherwise, the operation was straightforward. I wasn’t a spy or anything like that, but I had training in stealth and follow skills, and I put all that training to good use.
And Claire actually seemed like she was doing a good job. They were talking and laughing like they were having a good time. She had looked nervous as hell at first, and for a few brief moments here and there, but for the most part she was absolutely flawless.
People’s heads turned when she walked by. She was overdressed for the carnival by far, though that was on purpose. I had to admit that I was a little proud of her incredible, sexy body, and I couldn’t wait to get her back home and unpeel that dress from her. It looked like that was going to happen sooner than I expected.
Until suddenly they entered the fun house.
I cursed, moving to follow, but stopped short. I couldn’t get in there without being spotted, and if Joshua had backup, I’d definitely be giving myself up.
Cursing my stupid luck, I quickly went around the building, looking for the exit. I found it soon enough, down some stairs and built into the bottom of the pier. I perched against a stoop far off but still close enough to make people out and waited.
For ten minutes, I waited patiently. When they didn’t emerge, a stone sank into my gut.
Something had gone wrong. Every instinct I had was screaming it loud and clear.