Wonderland (19 page)

When he spoke, his voice was thick. “Lie on the bed.”

She did as he told her, lying back on the mattress with her head propped up on his pillow and her knees slightly parted. He never took his eyes off her as he undressed, first unbuttoning half his shirt, then impatiently yanking it over his head. He slid off his jeans, and then his boxer briefs. He was fully hard, and she stared at him with longing.

But before getting on top of her, he grabbed her ankles and pulled her down toward the end of the bed until her ass was resting on the edge. Spreading her legs, he dropped to his knees, and her back arched with pleasure as his tongue found her.

She climaxed after only a couple of minutes, and then he stood back up and entered her. His climax wasn’t far behind. Breathing hard, he collapsed on top of her.

“I wanted that to last longer,” he said, burying his face in her neck.

“It was long enough.” She kissed his head. “It was amazing.”

“Please tell me there’ll be a next time. I need to see you again.”

“We have to be careful.” Vanessa stroked his hair. “I’m still working on the Blake Dozier missing persons case and the Aiden Cole homicide. Until it’s closed, I can’t be seen acting friendly with you. People will talk, and Seaside is a painfully small town, as I’m learning.”

“What we just did was more than friendly.”

“I could lose my job.”

“I understand.” He paused for a moment. “So how close are you to finding Blake?”

“Not as close as I’d like,” she said. “But there’s a good chance he’s dead. We’re working it like it’s a homicide, because that seems to be where the evidence is pointing.”

“What evidence?”

“I shouldn’t be talking about it with you,” she said. “I shouldn’t be discussing active cases, especially now that there’s a chance he was killed on park grounds. You’re the VP of operations. It complicates things.”

“Not for long.” Oscar said. “I’m moving on soon. Bought a restaurant, going to fix it up.”

“Wow.” Vanessa was impressed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were moving in a different direction. I’m sure the park will be sorry to lose you.”

“Maybe. But there are big changes happening over there, too. Bianca’s thinking it might be time to sell the park. But keep that to yourself, okay? Can’t let any rumors get out.” He touched a finger to her lips.

“Mum’s the word. But can Bianca make that decision? I thought it was her uncle who owned the park.”

“He does. But at this point, it’s in name only. He’s nothing more than a signature. Bianca makes all the decisions.” Oscar’s face clouded over, and then it cleared and he kissed her again. “So is there anything I can do to help you find the Wonder Wheel Kid? Or anything you need to know about Aiden Cole?”

“There’s an arrest warrant out for Glenn Hovey,” Vanessa said. “And we’re getting a search warrant for his house tomorrow morning. But keep that to yourself, okay? Can’t let any rumors get out.”

“Mum’s the word,” Oscar said, and she smiled. “I’ve known Hovey a long time. We both worked together under Jack Shaw. Nicky, too. We’ve all had our issues because of it. Hovey especially, so I guess I’m not that surprised you’re arresting him.”

“Did Jack Shaw . . .” Vanessa didn’t know how to ask, but he was the one who’d brought it up. “Were you one of his . . .”

“We all were.”

“God, I’m sorry,” she said. “And yet you went back to the park?”

“We all have our way of dealing with our demons. Some people choose to run away, but we chose to face them.”

“Shaw died before it could go to trial, right?”

“In a fire. House burned down. Ruled an accident, but I don’t think it was,” Oscar said. “Jack Shaw hurt a lot of people. A lot of people would have wanted to hurt him back.”

“And I don’t suppose you know who might have done it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If I did, I wouldn’t tell the deputy police chief. The bastard had it coming. Everybody was relieved to see Jack Shaw dead.”

“Karma.”

He shook his head. “Justice.”

“So is that why you’ve never fired Glenn Hovey?” Vanessa asked. “All that history you share?”

“Nicky believed wholeheartedly in loyalty,” Oscar said. “Mind you, I don’t know what he’d think about it now. Hovey’s definitely gotten weirder over the past few years, especially since Nicky’s been gone. Nicky was always the strong one, the rock. Bianca tries, but she’s nothing like her uncle. She has her own demons. She’s the one who keeps Hovey on.”

“You think Hovey could be a murderer?”

“Couldn’t anybody?” Oscar said.

Just like that, an image of her late husband’s bloody head flashed through Vanessa’s mind. The gun, hot and smoking, in her hand. The weight of John’s raging threats still hanging in the air, her terror of him hurting her giving way to an even deeper fear as she realized what she’d just done. The screams inside her chest building quickly, trying to claw their way out, but she couldn’t make a sound, not even a peep, because John-John was sleeping in his room on the third floor of the house. Frank Greenberg, John’s best friend, coming into the garage at that exact moment, understanding immediately what had happened, and understanding that Vanessa hadn’t had a choice, and that her going to jail was the last thing her kids needed after everything they’d already been through. Frank helping her position the scene to look like John had accidentally shot himself, which officially made him an accessory. Her kids believing that their dad had been careless while cleaning his gun, while everybody else secretly thought it was a suicide. Which, considering the way John had been behaving, it might as well have been.

But technically, legally, it wasn’t. It was a cover-up of a cover-up, a lie on top of a lie. Vanessa knew all about demons, oh yes, she did.

“Hey. Where’d you go just now?” Oscar said.

Rather than answer the question, she reached up and pulled his head down toward hers. Their lips met, and a few minutes later, they were both breathing hard once again.

“How much time do you have?” He was panting in her ear, his hands busy under the sheets.

She glanced at the clock. “No more than a half hour.”

“I won’t need that long.”

A few moments later he was inside her again, though Vanessa’s mind was elsewhere. John was never far from her thoughts, and she imagined him looking down on her now from wherever he was, blaming her for everything, deeply disappointed because she hadn’t been a better wife or a better mother, and because she hadn’t been able to fix him, even though she’d tried.

She’d tried.

Recipient(s): All Wonderland Staff

Sender: Nick Bishop

Subject: Friendships and Relationships, the Wonderland Way!

Dear Wonder Worker,

Part of the Wonderland experience is the camaraderie you build with your fellow Wonder Workers. Nothing compares to spending an entire summer alongside hardworking, fun-loving individuals, and it’s natural to want to socialize with your friends after hours.

However, friendships that extend beyond platonic are both tricky and risky. While there’s no set rule in the Employee Handbook regarding fraternization between coworkers of equal levels (i.e., Wonder Worker to Wonder Worker), a romantic relationship can be awkward for your fellow coworkers. Should you choose to pursue a relationship, please refrain from demonstrating physical affection while working, and please save all conversations of a personal nature for after hours.

Romantic relationships of any kind between employees of differing levels (i.e., Wonder Worker to Team Leader) are considered a violation, and may result in your dismissal. Wonderland believes in providing a safe, fair working environment for everyone. That’s the Wonderland way!

Yours sincerely,

Nick Bishop

Owner, Wonderland Amusement Park, Inc.

TWENTY-FIVE

T
hings were better between Ava and her mom. Not perfect—she couldn’t imagine they’d ever be perfect—but they were better and that was good for now. That being said, if her mother had any idea where she was right now, it would pretty much destroy any goodwill they’d managed to rebuild over the past little while.

Ava had gotten off work early, but had texted her mom to say that she’d been asked to stay late, and that one of the Wonder Workers would drive her home. Her mom didn’t question it—she was totally wrapped up in her job these days, and seemed distracted all the time, not that it was any different from how things had been in Seattle. In any case, there’d been no reason for Ava to say no when Xander Cameron invited her back to his dorm room to hang out.

Because it was
Xander
. Who was
eighteen
. The boy with the blond hair and golden tan, whose eyes crinkled when he laughed, had actually invited her back to his dorm room. She had texted both Katya and McKenzie a little while ago to tell them, and both had squealed appropriately (as much as a person can using emojis and exclamation marks, anyway).

Ava was sitting sideways on Xander’s small bed, and he was beside her, his long legs stretched out and resting on the floor. He hadn’t been assigned a roommate, so they had the entire room to themselves. An open bag of Cheetos sat between them, and they were drinking root beer and watching
Candyman
on his laptop, a horror movie from 1992 that had scared the bejeezus out of Ava when she’d watched it with her dad a couple of years ago.

“This movie’s so old,” Xander said. “Look at their hair and their clothes. This is from, like, before I was born.”

“It’s a classic,” Ava said. “I dare you to say Candyman five times.”

“No fucking way.”

“Come on, do it,” she said, poking him. The premise of the movie was that if you said Candyman five times in front of a mirror, it would summon a man from the depths of hell who’d died a terrible death as a slave. Who would then, of course, kill you in an equally terrible way. “Come on, chicken.”

“Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman—” Xander stopped, dissolving into laughter. “I can’t do it. Protect me. I’m scared.” He pulled her closer to him.

Ava happily snuggled into him, every fiber in her body tingling. Part of her couldn’t believe she was actually here, in Xander’s room, alone. Yes, they were friends, and yes, they talked and hung out on breaks together at work, but he was four years older than she was. What she felt for him went a lot deeper than friendship. What he felt for her was . . . well, the truth was, she didn’t know. Sometimes he treated her like a buddy. Other times he treated her like a little sister. And right now, with their bodies touching and his arms wrapped around her, it felt like something else entirely.

She looked up at him, and he looked down at her and grinned. She returned the smile, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. He held her gaze for a moment, and then his eyes flickered down.

“You have a cute nose,” he said.

“You think so? I was actually thinking of getting it pierced. My mom would freak, but I wouldn’t do a big piercing. Just a tiny one, for a bit of sparkle.”

“You should. That would look good on you.” Xander continued to hug her, his gaze moving down a little more. “You also have really nice lips. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“I always thought they were too small.”

“They’re not.” His voice was husky. “They’re just right.”

He moved his head closer to hers, and she braced herself.

Oh my god it’s really going to happen he’s really going to kiss me Xander Cameron
’s going to be my first kiss oh my god I’m going to die I can’t believe this is happening . . .

And then his lips met hers, and she felt like she was melting. He kissed her gently at first, and then a little harder, her insides turning to mush.

It was better, so much better, than Ava could have ever imagined. Xander’s kisses tasted sweet from the root beer, and his face smelled like soap and water. She parted her lips slightly, feeling his tongue slip in, warm and soft and gentle. Yes, she liked this. She liked this a lot. Opening her mouth a little more, she met his tongue with hers, feeling every inch of her body go from warm to hot in a matter of seconds.

Then Xander’s hands moved slowly up from her waist to her breasts. She almost didn’t notice it until she felt his hand cup her boob. Despite herself—despite how good it felt—Ava stiffened immediately. Xander sensed the change and stopped right away, pulling back to look at her.

“Sorry,” she said, a little out of breath. “Sorry, I just . . . I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Too fast?”

“Um . . . maybe a little. Sorry,” she said again, feeling like a complete and total idiot.

“No, I’m sorry.” Xander moved away from her completely. The laptop slid off the bed and he caught it just before it hit the floor. “Sometimes I forget how young you are.”

“I’m not that young.” Ava mentally cursed herself. “It’s just, you know—”

He smiled at her. “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain. I don’t know what I was thinking, anyway. We’re just friends.”

“Right . . . of course.” She was quiet for a few seconds, not knowing what else to say. Just because things had moved a little quicker than she expected didn’t mean she didn’t want things to move at all. The kissing had been good. Scratch that, the kissing had been
great.

You idiot!
she screamed at herself silently.
You’re ruining it. Fix it! Fix it now.

She cleared her throat. “It’s just . . . what if we were more than friends? I mean, I’d be okay with that.”

Xander smiled again and reached for his root beer. “You’re cute. But it’s better that we stay friends, you know? I would hate for things to get complicated.”

“I guess.” Ava slumped a little. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so high one moment, then so defeated the next. “I mean, obviously I care about our friendship.”

“Me, too.” He patted her leg, and just like that, they were big brother/little sister again. “Besides, and I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but . . . I’m sort of involved with someone.”

He might as well have slapped her in the face. For god’s sake, his tongue had been touching hers less than a minute ago, and she could still taste his root beer in her mouth. “Oh?” she said, struggling to keep her composure. “With who?”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Sure.”

“It’s Bianca Bishop.”

Ava thought she’d misheard him. “What?”

“Bianca Bishop,” he said with a grin. “I know, it’s crazy. But . . . I like her. And she likes me.”

“
What?
” Ava said again, staring at him. “You’re having a thing with Bianca Bishop? But she’s like . . . old. And she’s . . . the boss. Of, like . . . the whole park. I don’t understand.” She couldn’t seem to process what he’d just told her. “How is this possible? I mean, are you messing with me? Are you just saying this to make me feel bad?”

“Of course not,” he said. “She and I are, you know, together. I mean, it’s a real thing. We’re really into each other.”

“I can’t believe you.” Furious, Ava got off the bed, looking around wildly for her knapsack. She spotted it in the corner and tossed it over her shoulder.

“See, this is why she told me not to say anything.” Xander looked like he wanted to kick himself. “She told me people wouldn’t understand, and she was right. But I thought that maybe you would. I thought you were mature enough to handle it, and I really needed to tell someone.”

“Handle it?” Ava repeated, staring at him. Now she understood what her girlfriends meant when they said boys could be total assholes. “Seriously, is this really happening right now? Did you just stick your tongue in my mouth and then tell me that you’re involved with
Bianca Bishop
?”

“I’m sorry.” He looked up at her from the bed, where he was still sitting. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I think you’re a cool girl, I do, it’s just, I got carried away for a second.”

“With her or with me?” Ava said. When he didn’t respond right away, she made a sound of disgust. “You know what, don’t bother to answer that. So what kind of relationship is it, anyway? With the Dragon Lady?”

“Don’t call her that.” Xander’s tone was sharp. “She hates that. We’re . . . I don’t know. We’re close.”

“You’ve kissed?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you hook up?”

He paused then said, “Yeah.”

“More than once?”

“A few times.”

“Oh my god, that’s disgusting,” Ava said. “She’s, like, my mom’s age.”

“It’s not this ugly thing like you’re trying to make it sound.” Xander got up off the bed, and he was starting to look angry. “The Bianca you know is nothing like the person she really is. When we’re alone, she’s totally different. I don’t know how to explain it. We care about each other.”

“And how long’s it been going on?”

“For a while.” Xander averted his gaze. “Since I started at the park.”

“Oh, wow.” Ava wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. “So the rumors are true.”

“What rumors?”

“People said you guys always look really cozy,” Ava said. “She always says hello to you in the midway, when she doesn’t talk to anyone else, ever, unless she’s reaming them out for something. You know what people are saying about you? People are saying you’re her boy toy, that the only reason you got the Hoop Shot gig is because the Dragon Lady’s hot for you. And now it turns out you’re hot for her, too.” Shaking her head, Ava moved toward the door. “I gotta get out of here.”

“Just stay, please,” Xander said. “I thought you told your mom you weren’t going to be home till later. Let’s at least finish the movie. Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman,” he added with a hopeful smile.

Ava refused to laugh. “Why aren’t you hanging out with your girlfriend?”

“She’s busy tonight.”

“So I’m your backup.”

He threw his arms up over his head in frustration. “It’s not like that. I care about you. I thought we were friends.”

“I’m not your consolation prize.” Ava had heard that line in a movie once, but she couldn’t remember which one now. Nevertheless, it felt good to say it. “I’ll see you at work, I guess.”

“Please don’t tell anyone about me and Bianca,” Xander said. “She’ll kill me.”

Ava walked out of his dorm room, slamming the door shut behind her. That, too, felt good.