Page 187 of Just Wait

“I don’t even like cake,” Riser admits, still examining the album. “A blunt sounds perfect to me.”

I wiggle my eyes at Lumen. “We’re not out in public. You gonna smoke with us?”

High sex is good sex.

She shrugs. “Maybe I’ll take a hit or two.”

Well, damn.

It’s not even my birthday, but all of a sudden, it feels like it is.

Chapter Forty-Five

Kincaid

Lumen doesn’t feel well following our night of partying, and my attempts to rouse her don’t go well. It’s cute, but I’m also a little concerned that she’s reached her limit of touring.

It happens.

I’ve seen killer musicians step away from careers as performers to focus on songwriting and composition just to avoid having to constantly be on the road.

We didn’t even get into the party favors Tennyson gave Riser, but that was mostly because we wanted to be fully clear for our hunt the beta extravaganza tonight.

None of us fell asleep before the sun rose, and even I struggled to pull myself out of bed. I was hoping Lumen would come with me to view the maze and speak to the resort owner, but I want her well-rested, so I head to the meeting solo.

The maze is incredible, and he assures me the gazebo in the center will be set up with a bed and fancy accommodations to make it feel magical.

I’m not in any shape to decorate it, so I hand him the five grand in cash.

“And I have your assurance the cameras will be cut off?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

While I would love to have a recording of what’s going down tonight, it’s safer to ensure no tape of the events can ever surface.

He nods. “The cameras will be shut down within the maze fence from ten p.m. to two a.m. I’ll have the security team do a sweep at ten-thirty to ensure no one else remains, and they’ll stay posted at the gates until you leave. No one else will be granted entrance during that time.”

All of that sounds perfect.

There’s a pool outside of the fence for the maze, but it closes at ten-thirty. My plan is to start around eleven to give anyone enjoying a dip in the hot tub time to clear out.

“Thank you.” I hold my hand out, and we shake.

“It’s my pleasure,” he says, smirking.

I bet he is pleased.

It’s a bit on the pricey side for a few hours of fun, but it’ll be worth it.

Now, I just need to spend some time seeing how many of the pathways I can memorize before it’s time to lure everyone else out of bed for dinner.

I have a fancy-as-fuck meal delivered to the cabin from the main resort. It’s convenient that they do room service or, I guess, cabin service.

The four of us get settled at the table, and I make sure Lumen is tucked in close to my side. We’re all still adjusting after the crazy hours on tour, and we’ve done a fair amount of skipping meals lately.

I want to make sure she has some calories in her system before she goes running through the maze.

Speaking of our adventure, we need to have a lengthy discussion about what’s on the table and what’s off-limits.

I get a healthy amount of food piled onto our plate, and I’m just about to broach the conversation about boundaries when Ten, Parish, and Wren come into the room.