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“No, that’s a bit Hannibal Lecter.”
Ace nodded. “It’s a lot Hannibal Lecter with a side of feeding your chicken chicken. You know?”
At that moment, Deacon raised his hand. “What happens if something happens to your partner, they get hurt or lost, or you never know.” His smirk deepened.
I gasped. “I feel like he needs to finish that sentence. Where did the rest go, and why is he smiling over losing or hurting his partner?”
“He feeds chicken to chickens. He’s a monster and a killer,” he whispered. “Ice machine maker, downright dirty collector of all his partners’ bodies.” He shook his head. “See? Saved your life.”
I shoved him away when I realized how close he was and started smelling his cologne for the fourth time in fifteen minutes. “Whatever, let’s just win, I have debt, and…” My hair got caught in his shirt button, forcing me to touch his very firm pecks in an effort to break free. “…Stop working out!”
“It’s healthy!” He grabbed my hair and tried to twist it out.
“Not for my hands!” I hissed. “Get it out.”
“Huh, you don’t want it in?” He joked.
“Gross! Sexual harassment, work case violation! Page three!”
“That doesn’t exist on page three, it’s page twelve, now keep your voice down!” He spun me around and quickly untangled my hair, then shoved me forward with force when the doors to the elevator doors opened. “Off to our first adventure, I mean, I know people always say not to say how hard could it be? But seriously, it’s Max and Dustin, how hard could it really be?”
One hour later…
Max stood in front of a giant maze leading to a building that I’m assuming was the escape room. “Welcome! To the best escape room in the history of the United States.”
“Oh shit,” Ace said under his breath. “That does not sound promising for us.”
Max grinned wide ignoring all the grumbling amongst the participants, mine included. “We were lucky enough to have the developers build a maze at the lower level, get through the maze, go into the escape room, escape within thirty minutes and you’re onto the next level, sadly two teams won’t make it today, but I have high hopes that some of you will impress us! Dustin here ended up crying halfway through the maze, saying there were bears.”
Dustin adjusted his black glasses and lowered his head. “Stupid test run.”
Max slapped him on the back twice, each time Dustin’s glasses lowered down his nose. “Now! For the first team!”
Please don’t say us. Please don’t say us. Please, if the universe cares even a tiny bit for my sanity, don’t say us. Going first would be a death blow, we’d have no time to study other strategies and again, I hated mazes.
I hid behind Ace like that was somehow going to help when Max announced. “BRI AND ACE! Looks like you’re the lucky ones to go first! Ha. Ha.”
Was it just me or was that laugh maniacal and forced all at the same time?
It was loud. The laugh.
Damning. Going first.
Shit. There went any hope we had.
I looked over at Ace wearily. His pale expression gave me no confidence, his hand gripping mine tightly, however, weirdly.
Did.
Because it was the first time since walking away that I was by his side, and he wasn’t pulling me against him, he was holding me strongly next to him.
They don’t make guys like that often. The ones who allow you to shine because when you shine, they do too.
The same went with strength. He offered his without hesitation, always, and I was the insecure idiot who couldn’t accept it at the time, because I never felt deserving.
I still didn’t, but I realized now that it wasn’t about how I felt, it was about what he had always been willing to give.
Himself.
