Irish Throwdown (What Happens In Vegas Book 4) by Matt Lincoln (short books for teens .TXT) 📕

Irish Throwdown

What Happens in Vegas book 4

Matt Lincoln

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

2. Charlie

3. Charlie

4. Miranda

5. Junior

6. Miranda

7. Charlie

8. Junior

9. Charlie

10. Fiona

11. Charlie

12. Junior

13. Charlie

14. Junior

15. Miranda

16. Fiona

17. Charlie

18. Miranda

19. Charlie

20. Charlie

21. Junior

22. Charlie

23. Fiona

24. Charlie

25. Miranda

26. Charlie

27. Charlie

28. Junior

29. Charlie

30. Charlie

31. Miranda

32. Miranda

33. Miranda

34. Fiona

35. Charlie

36. Charlie

37. Charlie

38. Fiona

39. Charlie

Epilogue

Author’s Note

Prologue

I stood back to admire my work with a satisfied smile. It had taken me some time since I’d wanted to handle everything myself, but finally, the motel’s remodeling was complete. I supposed calling it a “remodel” was a bit of a misnomer since all I’d done was give everything a fresh coat of paint and change the furniture. The most recent change was the new sign I’d constructed and installed myself on the side of the road. It bore the motel’s name and pointed drivers in the right direction. The motel was tucked into the side of a heavily wooded area that was so dense, it was easy for people to drive right by it.

I chuckled to myself as I stepped away from the sign and walked back to the motel. To think that I’d one day be trying to drum up business for a place I’d bought specifically so that I could be alone.

It had all started a few months ago when a story about a couple walking the entire length of North America went viral online. I’d been surprised when I suddenly started receiving an influx of unexpected visitors until I heard about the story and realized the people in it were none other than the young couple who had stayed at the motel half a year before then. They’d mentioned the motel and the “friendly old man” who’d left an impact on them in their online video blog. I’d been highly amused by their generous description of me and had rolled with the increase in visitors. Most of them were other backpackers and survivalists, trying to recreate the journey or experience a part of it for themselves.

Then, somehow, a rumor started spreading that the motel was haunted. To be honest, I thought the entire thing was hilarious, and when guests would ask about it, I wouldn’t deny it. This just fueled the rumors, and before I knew it, my little motel gained a reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in Alaska. Guests who’d stayed at the hotel wrote posts on online forums claiming to have experienced supernatural events, and soon enough, websites dedicated to ghosts and other paranormal subjects started speculating about the history of the motel.

In reality, there wasn’t much to know. It had been built by a wealthy but foolish person who had no idea how to manage it, and they had gone bankrupt within just a few years before I came along and bought it. That didn’t stop people from spinning their own wild tales, though.

I didn’t pay it much mind until that October when people started showing up to the motel in droves. They all wanted to know which room was the most haunted or where they were the most likely to experience “activity.” I also started getting calls from people asking if we had any vacancies for Halloween, and within a few days, the motel was completely booked for the night of the thirty-first.

In a surprising twist, the fact that the hotel was so isolated and run-down made it all the more alluring to the guests who came in search of a paranormal experience.

Amber, who had inherited my sense of humor despite not being biologically related to me, had thought this was all hilarious as well and encouraged me to run with it. We’d repainted the exterior and interior walls so it wouldn’t look too dilapidated, but we’d changed all the furniture to appear even more old-fashioned. Amber had been thrilled about that part and had come up with little stories for the ghosts that supposedly haunted each room as she chose the decor.

At first, I’d been a little hesitant until I realized I could put the unexpected boost in income into a savings account for my grandkids.

I took off my coat as I stepped back into the motel lobby. It was only a few days before Halloween now, and the motel was already bustling. I’d hired a few kids from the nearest town to work here while we were busy, and the boy behind the desk, Caleb, looked up at me as I came inside.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hill,” he smiled. “How are you?”

“Doing fine, Caleb,” I informed him as I stepped up to the front desk. “I was just putting up the new sign.”

Caleb was the oldest worker, but he’d actually been helping me out around the hotel seasonally since he was sixteen. I’d known him for a few years now, and he was always the first one I called when things started getting busy.

“Oh, really?” he asked as he craned his head to glance out the window.

“I don’t think you can see it from here,” I chuckled. “I put it a little down the road so people wouldn’t miss it from their cars.”

“Oh,” Caleb sighed, sounding a little disappointed. “Someone’s coming, though, I think.”

I turned to glance out the same window he was looking through. Sure enough, a large pale yellow motorhome turned off the main road and into our parking lot.

“Were there any check-ins left?” I asked as the oversized vehicle slowed to a stop at the end of the parking lot.

“Just one,” Caleb replied. “It might be them.”

“Well, as long as--” I started but stopped short as the motorhome door popped open and people began to climb about. One, two, three, more and more until eight people stood in front of my motel. “Did we have any large group reservations?”

“No…” Caleb muttered in confusion as he looked at the people standing outside. “We don’t have any rooms available, either, if they don’t already have a reservation.”

“Alright,” I