Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
I need to understand him better to play my part right. If he’s practically begging me for a date, then he does want to please me. Which means he won’t be throwing tantrums about not getting to fuck me yet. I can be his Scheherazade and draw out our courting if that’s what he’s been fantasizing about. It’s hard to imagine him as a romantic, but okay I guess.
My heart is in my throat as Nico leads me up the same stairs which almost took me to freedom before.
“I prepared some of the food while you showered, even though it’s much later than I expected. You don’t mind eating late, do you?”
“I haven’t seen the sun since you brought me here. I have no idea how much time passed,” I say before I can stop myself, but he’s walking behind me through the warehouse full of boxes and decorative statues and doesn’t immediately grab me by the throat, which is… a positive. I wouldn’t go as far as thinking he wants the real me, but maybe he likes a challenge, since the date idea is his attempt at wooing me.
“Three days. You’ll see the sun tomorrow. In fact, you will have the best day tomorrow. Like Christmas come early.” Nico smiles at me as we pass the flood of plushies and he pulls out a set of keys.
It’s happening. I’ve really managed to get out.
I will not be a basement-dwelling prisoner who loses his sight from the lack of vitamin A.
When I realize I’m feeling grateful to him for letting me out, I have to shake my head to force away the ridiculous thoughts. He trapped me there in the first place, and he’s no kind soul, but a psycho murderer.
I’m so antsy about leaving the underground that I can’t stay still and keep shifting my weight as Nico unlocks the exit before stepping into a short corridor. He switches on the light, grabs both my shoulders and leads me out of the hallway into…
Holy hell.
Golden lamps arranged in several spots around the cozy yet spacious interior finished with dark wood cast a warm glow on rows, piles, and racks of Christmas-related merchandise. It’s as if I’ve stepped into one of those tooth-decay-sweet holiday movies and entered Santa’s own workshop while the elves are all on break. It takes me a moment to realize that we are inside a… shop. Freedom is just outside the frost covered windows. I can see the street lamps, but as much as I want to seek help, I cannot afford another false start. Nico won’t give me a third chance, so I need to focus on milking his crush on me and seize the opportunity to escape when it presents itself.
The silence stretches between us, and as I notice that Nico’s watching me, I realize he craves a reaction.
“Wow,” is all I can give him. “This is… quite something.”
Never have I hated Christmas more.
My mind is racing. I can’t imagine him being a night security guard for a shop this small. He wouldn’t be able to hide his murder basement so easily. I remember what he said about his grandfather handing him the mantle of Christmas Killer, and while I can’t be sure, it seems plausible that he also inherited this place.
Talk about hiding in plain sight.
“Welcome to the Winter Emporium,” Nico says and strides in. “We have several themed sections, and oh!” He grabs my hand and pulls me away from the windows, deeper into the store that smells of cinnamon, orange, and pine. I clock a phone by the counter, which could be useful in the future.
We arrive at a large table hosting a miniature snow-covered wonderland. It has a little town, a train station, tiny shops, and a herd of reindeer in the forest.
Nico ducks under the table, and the whole scene lights up. “I made a lot of this with my grandpa,” he says with a smile, as if his hobby isn’t cutting people into pieces.
I clear my throat, trying to grasp at the remainders of my sanity as a miniature train emerges from within the artificial mountain with a whistle. “After New Year, does this place become the Love Emporium, and then the Spring Emporium?”
Nico looks bewildered. “Fuck no. Christmas all day every day, baby. This is an all-year-round Christmas shop. Don’t you just love it?”
I don’t want to completely gross him out with my attitude, but I also have my limits. “I kinda wish Christmas wasn’t a thing. All that fake cheer and the pressure to buy things…”
His eyes grow wider. “Oh no… You can’t be one of those people. Don’t you feel all warm and gooey inside in reindeer pajamas?”
I glance down my body. “It is warm, I’ll give it that. I don’t like how loud and garish everything is at Christmas. How does your shop survive selling only Christmas products all year?” I ask, gesturing at the interior.